Ordinary Life

Chapter 1: BiLo  Sometimes her list would require six, but usually, scrawled in blue Bic ink beside 'bananas' was a (7) in parentheses; a week’s supply of potassium until the next shopping day rolled around. I try to remember now who did her shopping before it became our job. Likely an array of her extended network of family and friends, for though she didn't drive, Aunt Nellie June was well-known, and well-liked. She needn't go out, we came to her. And truly, it was our pleasure to help; to just be in her orbit.  So it was, back when we were not just kinfolk but also neighbors, I would take the list she had made after consulting the weekly circular, along with her envelope of carefully counted money, to the Bi-Lo on the corner, and do her weekly shopping.  Her list was quite specific, calculated for maximum savings and minimal waste. Seventy years in one primary location had worn a groove in her routine. Amongst a rotation of seasonal produce and various household prod...

In their homes, and more intimately, their kitchens, I was always warmly welcomed. Warm, probably because there was always something delicious being cooked. Even at a young age, I was offered a helping role, a listening ear and the priceless gift of examples to follow. There are days in those kitchens I wish I could visit again, recipes I wish I had watched more closely, and soft, fleshy old women I wish that I could still glean advice from. This series of short essays and stories is an overdue payment of homage on the investments they made in me, a bank note of gratitude for those who are still, thankfully, with me.

Sesame Crunch Candy (I don't know if that is the official name) is one of my favorites.  In times past, I have had to locate a good health foods store in order to enjoy this treat. Every once in a while, I have been delighted to discover it in a specialty candy shop.  Then I stumbled on this recipe at Spoonful.com :  1 cup sesame seeds (about 6 ounces) 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 3 tablespoons honey ----------------- Generously coat two large sheets of waxed paper with cooking spray. In a medium skillet, toast the sesame seeds over medium-low heat, stirring often, until they're fragrant and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and honey. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes (because melted sugar can get quite hot, this is a step best left to parents). Add the sesame seeds to the sugar and stir well with a wooden spoon. Place one sheet of the waxed paper on a work ...

The recipe seemed easy enough:  Mix a can of corn and a can of creamed corn Scoop into rounds and freeze Dip frozen rounds in batter Fry Enjoy corn nuggets at home instead of in our default restaurant. I thought it was SO simple, I could imporvise a little. I tossed in some red pepper flakes and shredded cheddar. I think the cheddar would be my recipe's undoing in the end.  Dipping nuggets in batter. A thicker batter may have made a difference:  Things started out well:  Promising looking nuggets:  A combination of thawing and cheese strands extending past the "batter barrier" led many nuggets to spread... our overall result was something like Scrambled Corn Nugget Fritters...  *BOUNUS* Let's talk about deep fried foods and your arteries... 

Another entry in the "Not Pretty But Palatable" files:  Pita Pockets I followed the recipe linked in the title loosely. I used White Whole Wheat along with regular All Purpose flour. I believe it added a chewy quality that I appreciate in bread. I made two batches of dough, and due to life circumstances, I left them covered on the counter overnight - as opposed to for a few hours. This turn of events gave a sour dough like quality- also appreciated in breads we consume. Pita dough discs waiting to be flung into the oven. Two factors made my pita less than desirable: My hastiness to finish the project and my fear of very high temperatures.  Had I rolled the discs more uniformly and had I not flung the discs haphazardly onto the HOT baking sheet in the oven, leaving them to cook more or less in the shape that they landed, they'd have no doubt been easier to use for sandwiches. I chose to roll some discs smaller with the kids in mind, but they were too small in the end.  I t...

The first time we tried this, we only had a blender handy and the results did not resemble all the pins you see of this recipe on Pinterest and such places. Since that time, I finally replaced my old food processor. So we gave the recipe another go. Ingredients: Bananas~ sliced into 'medallions' >>For ease of use, we lined plates with the banana slices and covered them with wax paper. This allowed for stacking the plates due to limited space in the freezer. << Once bananas are frozen, pulse in a food processor until creamy. We neglected to make this recipe the day we intended, so the bananas were frozen pretty solid. It took a little extra scraping down the sides of the processor for everything to mesh together. Serve immediately. Delaying too long will not lead to melting as with ice cream, but it will lead to more of a mashed banana treat than a frozen one. Personally, I am a fan of banana ice cream. When I used to work at an ice cream scooping place, my favorite ...

As I was looking for a quick, easy recipe for Sweet Potato Bread using baby food sweet potatoes, I came across this recipe. Now, between trying several recipes on this one blog and the usual course of meals in the past week,  I am down to one last half stick of butter (down from 10), but it has definitely been worth it.  The recipe I used: BROWNED BUTTER TOFFEE BROWNIE BULLET BITES Makes 36 bites   1 2/3 cups sugar  3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter  1/4 cup water  2 large eggs  1 Tbsp vanilla extract  1 1/3 cups flour  3/4 cups cocoa powder  1 cup toffee bits  I had no toffee bits, so we had brownie bites... decadent "you-only-need-one-every-once-in-a-while" brownie bites. Again, I substituted half the sugar with brown.  Photos of the steps:  (Yes, I could have taken more photos, but I was too busy minding the butter- it is pure heaven when browned, not so much when burnt...in fact, burnt butter is quite sad...)  ...

We had salsa, and I thought we had chips, so I had begun to anticipate the part they would play in our mid-day snack.  When I got to the pantry, I discovered what we really had was a bag of crumbs. Ever resourceful, my crew will hold on to a package until they have licked it clean... The salsa sat forlornly in a bowl beside sour cream and our improvised " Hummus-ish " What to do? What to do?  Thankfully, I had purchased the family size pack of tortillas for our menu's "Taco Night" (which is where the remaining salsa and sour cream originated)  If you ever run out of chips, but have tortillas... it couldn't be easier.  (and if you don't have tortillas, but you do have flour... there's hope yet.) JIFFY CHIPS Using a pizza cutter, slice tortillas into strips/triangles/abstract art shapes.  Spritz with oil... I keep olive oil in a mister, so I used that.  Sprinkle with salt & seasoning. (I used dill)  Bake appx 10 minutes @ 350 Degrees. Polish off th...

Lemon Dill Hummus-ish (with white wine) I didn't have tahini on hand, so this isn't really a traditional hummus. Most of the ingredients were added by sight & feel...so this isn't a traditional recipe, either. We needed a snack in the house the other day, and the cupboard was about as inspired as Old Mother Hubbard's... so we improvised for both the dip and the chips . And they vanished quickly, so I suppose they fit the bill. Here's what I tossed in the food processor: One Can of Garbanzo Beans ~rinsed & hulled Minced Garlic Lemon Juice Dill Sea Salt Splash of White Wine/ or liquid from can An /improvised Snack: Hummus-ish & Jiffy Chips

The Big Kids had a science project requiring 5 Baby Food Jars (for planting seeds in various conditions). I bought baby food that I knew I could incorporate into our meals and snacking (Bananas make a nice stir in for yogurt, etc) I chose sweet potatoes with a mind towards making bread. This is the recipe I grabbed quick-like off the internet to follow:  SWEET POTATO BREAD   2 cups flour 1 cup of sugar 3/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1-1/2 cups sweet potato puree 1/3 cup canola oil 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1 Tbsp vanilla Bake @ 350 Degrees for 60-75 minutes or until "Clean Toothpick Prick"  I made two substitutions. I halved the sugar between brown & white, using 1/2 c of each. And I used coconut oil in place of canola (because I didn't have canola, I did have coconut)  Pictures of the process:  Whatever I bake, I always try to pour/spread a little butter on top while warm. I would normally share the first loaf and keep the second, but most of our neighbors...

Betty Crocker Marzipan Cookie Recipe  Once upon a time, in the far away Land of Kentucky, under the floor beams of a Wesleyan church, in a magical place called the Night Kitchen (of Fellowship Hall),   Brother Ben  and I worked long into the wee hours making miniature marzipan vegetables.  Sir Chandler was turning 3 and had requested a "LarryBoy" cake... I'll leave the remaining dots for you to connect :)  Marzipan VeggieTales & Larry Boy Cake Marzipan candies call for Almond Paste, but Barren County, KY was barren of this ingredient...amongst many other things.  So we bought almonds and made a rustic paste of our own.  In a blender . Hours of buzzing and blending and mulching and molding later... we had crafted several marzipan VeggieTales.  It was a LOT of work for little vegetables.  Sometimes, the experience of making an item is as much the reason for undertaking an endeavor as the anticipated joy of using or eating the it...

Cheesy Potatoes w/Bacon & Red Onion 5-7 Potatoes (we used red) Washed, Peeled, Cut to Fries Cheddar Cheese (the more the better, the more varied the sharpness, also the better) Half & Half/ Heavy Whipping Cream (about a cup and a half) ~Optional: Red Onions, Bacon (about 5 slices cooked & crumbled)  Preheat Oven to 400º ~Wash, Peel & Cut Potatoes~ Fill 9x11 Greased Baking Dish w/sliced potatoes~Season Well Season Potatoes. ~Optional Steps~ Cook Bacon & Crumble.  Sautee' Onion in bacon drippings. Mix with potatoes. ~ If you do not prefer Bacon or Onions, omit & go straight to covering the potatoes in cream & cheese. Pour Heavy Whipping Cream/Half & Half enough to engulf potatoes. Cover with Cheese. (I used a combination of half&half & whipping cream & various degrees of sharp cheddar)  Cover top with greased foil. Bake for apps. 1 hour. When everything looks good enough to eat, remove foil, add more cheese, return to oven for app...