SOUP FOR THE WINDOW PAINTER SOUL.

 Easy, fast and oh so yummy on a cold night.

 Yes that butter. BWahhhhhh!    2 Tablespoons butter to 7 cups broth.

2 Carrots chopped.

3 small potatoes chopped

Peppers.
 1 Jalapeno
1 Anaheim pepper middle.
1 Poblano pepper top.
Seed and chop.











                     When the butter is melted, take a whisk and whisk in four table spoons of flour into the hot broth.

 1 1/2 chopped Broccoli

 1 1/2 cup Cauliflower chopped

 He he I had to put it all in a bigger pot.
Add all veggies to broth.
I had a little bag of frozen green bean so I added that too. 
Bring pot to a boil, then turn down to low and let simmer.  When the carrots and potatoes are soft to eat, the meal is done.

1 small yellow squash chopped add this only after the potatoes and carrots are half way done. 

If you have any left over chicken or cooked meat you can add it to this dish. 



mmmmmmmmm   

BAGLE SANDWICH WITH ORZO PASTA SALAD

Yeah It's bread and yeah it's yummy.  :)    When I travel out of town to different areas fast food is not a option to me or even eating a reastaurants.  So I tend to bring my own food.  Bagel sandwiches are great for a 5 to 6 hour window painting job where I'm up and down on the ladder.
This is my favorite combination.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Jalapeno Bagel
2 Slices low sodium turkey
1/2 Avocado aka: Mayo.
2 Tablespoon Orzo pasta salad from Winco.  Purchase as a 1/2 lb.

Easy, Yummy and Fast.

Cut bagel in half, add avocado two slices of meat.  Add the pasta and chow down.   mmmmmm

The Orzo Pasta has Sun dried tomatoes in it and has a vinaigrette salad dressing with artichokes.   Very simple.   Salad dressing is not a stable in our diet so this is a treat.   And no I don't have this every day, we do change things us.

JUMBO PRAWNS & ARTICHOKE FAJITAS

 INGREDIENTS:
1/2 of Jumbo Shrimp
3 garlic cloves
A bunch of cilantro
1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts.
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon hot chili garlic sauce.
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoon olive oil
Home made tortillas. Type into search bar.  TORTILLAS
 1 Red bell pepper.
1/2 White onion
1/2 Teaspoon basil
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon paprika
1/2 Teaspoon turmeric
4 leaves sage

Take the stems off the cilantro and cut up the garlic and mince as good as you can.  You don't have to be perfect.

Thawing out the Jumbo shrimp in water about 15 to 20 mintues. Take note that these are not devein shrimp and the shell a much harder.  

Put in a small pan olive oil, cinnamon and brown sugar. Turn to medium high and bring to a bubble then turn to low.













Next add the cilantro and garlic and return to medium high stir in and cook until the mixture begins to bubble, then shut off and take off the burner.

The Shrimp.   The dark spot in the middle is the large intestines,  all it is seed weed.   Here is what you do. First carefully crack the shell and carefully pull off the legs and make sure you crack the part just before the tail, their is meat in their you don't want to lose.  After all the shell is removed.





Turn the shrimp's back toward you and you should be able to see a large dark vein ( sounds nicer)   inside the back. That is what we need to remove.   Very carefully slice the back open, right down the middle.   You can see the vein on my finger, pull it out and discard.   Remember it's just sea weed it won't hurt if you miss some and leave it in.  Some of the shrimp I had when I split the back I could not find it at all.  When the head is removed it comes out with the head.   So if it's not their it's not their.

Return the pan to the burner and place the jumbo shrimp in the sauce. Turn the burner to low and keep it on low.  Several times during cooking I removed it off the burner to ensure it won't over cook.  

Turn shrimp over with metal prongs.  

Cut up bell pepper and onion, add spices and sage.      Turn the stove top to medium high and stir in spices.  Let it cook, and stir occasionally.

Meanwhile our shimp is cooked add artichokes to the shimp, turn back on low and let it bubble up with the artichokes, then turn off where not cooking the aritchokes, but rather warming them.

Notice the pan is still dry and the veggie wilted.  Now take about 1/2 cup of water and pour it into the veggies it will steam so take care to remove you stirring instrument and move your face away.

Streaming.  Yeah I was too busy taking the shot and left my prongs in the steam. I had to remove them with a pot holder.  

Steamed veggies.

Steamed veggies with jumbo shrimp and Artichokes.  mmm












FAJITA'S   Even better.



ENJOY!  

BASIC : TUNA WRAPS WITH HUMMUS SPREAD

EASY & FAST
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Small ripe Avocado.
1/3 cup Garbanzo beans.
1/2 tablespoon of water.
2 Home made tortillas.
Hand full of spinach.
Tuna your choice.   You can also use salmon too. 
2 garlic cloves.

Put the Garbanzo beans, Avocado, water and garlic in a mini food processor. Blend till creamy. 

Next drain tuna and mix in Avocado hummus spread.  Add two to three table spoons to a tortilla and add a handful of spinach.      

mmmm. 

BASIC: VERSITAL PAN CAKES FROM THE ARCHIVES OF YOUTUBE.

INGREDIENTS:
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cup flour
 Note: This is very runny batter. This is ok.

Break the egg into a bowl and add the milk, whisk together add flour and mix in.
Spray a pan with nonstick or butter it. Turn the burner on low, let it warm up a little.

The batter will spatter when you pour it on the hot pan.   Pour 1 small ladle full or 4 tablespoons  very slowly on to the pan and let it spread out.  You can also use a spoon to make a circular motion to get a round pancake.  When the pancake turn a light yellowish color it is done.  I tend not to flip them but if you want you can flip them and cook a bit on the other side. 

 Unlike regular pancakes these pancakes are good with meat, vegetables, fillings and gravy.  But they still can be used as a dessert.

I have use then with left over foods like stews and dirty rice works well. It up to your imagination.  But the key is there quick and super easy.  Whip up the batter cook and your in business.   Cinnamon and apples with chocolate drizzle super yummy. 

Have fun finding your favorite filling.

OCEAN CAUGHT CRAB DIM SUM

Very simple, very delightful and yummy.    These did not last very long.  I had to take the pictures fast, hubby was on his second trip.

INGREDIENCE:
1 1/2 Cup Crab.
2 to 3 Celery sticks
2 cups flour
1 cup broth or water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of Turmic
1 quarter of while onion.
How mustard (optional)

First after the crab is thawed out your going to want to squeeze the excess liquid out of it. Take paper towl and squeeze it till no more liquid comes out.  

Put two cups of flour in a metal bowl.

 Bring the broth or water to a boil.

Add spices and mix in.

 ((((Be very careful))) Pour boiling broth into the flour and mix with in with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Do not mix with your hand until it is cool enough to handle.  

 Form the dough into a ball.   And cover.  This type of dough can and will dry out really fast.  The dough should be slightly tacky. 

 Dice Celery

 Mince a bit.

 Dice and mince the onion.    Next mix the crab, celery and onion together in a bowl. 

 Take the dough and cut it in half, then half it again.

 Cut those halves in half.  So you should have eight piece now.

 Cut in half again, now you have 16.  Next roll each into a ball with a bit of flour on your hand and put all back into a covered container.

 Flour the cutting board and flatten out a ball with a rolling pin.  Take care to add enough flour, but not too much.  This dough is tacky.

 Use the palm of your  hand as a guide to shape the Dim Sum. Now if you want to make it look pretty by all means go for it.  And you can make this smaller if you want.   I made Crab Battle ship Dim Sum.  I mean I really stuffed them. 

 Put a good scoop of crap mixture in the middle.

 Now carefully pinch the dough together until all the crab meat is concealed.    And if their too much, put it back in the bowl.

Trouble shooting.  If you find little holes opening up add extra dough to that part. 
Some of the dim sum will open up, that just part of the game, so don't worry, just pick it up and eat it.  Yum.   I had one open up.  No big deal.  Cooking is not perfect, and if it is it's staged.   

 Battle ship Eat me now.  ;)

 I do have a Bamboo steamer basket, but don't let that stop you from making dim sum.    Place the dim some in the pan and add enought water to the bottom just to coat it.   Do not submerge the dim sum.   Turn the Burner to high and cover with a lid.   We are steaming the dough, sense the crab is already cooked.  Do not leave this unattended.  Have a cup of water near buy to add a bit more water as it steams.   It should take 4 to 5 minutes or less depending on the size.  

Done.   :)    With a bit of Hot Chines mustard sauce these were gone quickly.  

If your wondering about the onion taking away the flavor from the crab. Not one bit, the crab was very (Very) strong in flavor.       


ENJOY. 

HOME MADE KAHLUA

 INGREDIENTS:

4 cup of Vodka.
8 cups of water
5 Vanilla beans
8 cups of sugar
12 Tablespoon Yuban coffee.   Or 12 Tablespoons Instant Yuban a little easier.
Glass bottles with good tight lids.  

METHOD: 

First Bring 8 cup of water to a boil, when it's boiling really good pour in sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved.  Next add either 12 Table spoon of Instant Yuban and stir till it's dissolved, in this case their is no need to strain after the hour is up.
If you are using 12 Table spoons Yuban non instant coffee grounds you will need to strain through a coffee filter after the time is up.  Let this both mixtures rest for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

After the hour is up add four cups of Vodka to the mixture.   The glass bottles you use should be sterile.  Take the vanilla beans and split them down the middle exposing the beans.  Stick one in each bottle, but do this one at a time.  So you don't waste any vanilla beans.  Now take a funnel and fill up each bottle and either and make sure the lid of cork is very tight.   Fill all the bottles.   These bottles need to be placed in a very dark area away from light.  Let them rest for 11 months to a full year or longer.  The longer they sit the better the flavor.   

You can use this for making ice cream, cooking, drinking or what ever else you can think of. 
Have fun.