Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

We took an interesting documentary DVD out from the library this week - "Food Stamped" - it was written / directed / edited by a couple named Shira and Yoav Potash.    Shira Potash is a nutritionist, employed directly or indirectly by the food stamp program to teach kids in the public schools about healthy nutrition.     In the documentary this young couple sets out to live for a week, in terms of groceries, on the $50 which is a higher-than-average allotment for a two adult household.    She did this following the example of a few congressmen and congresswomen who also followed the same challenge for a week. Points on which I agree with Mrs. Potash's theories: 1)  We have an obesity problem AND a malnutrition problem in this country, especially among the poor. 2) Access to healthy food is difficult for the poorest citizens of our country, especially those without cars in urban environments wi...

I don't know why, but it wasn't until AFTER my daughter was born that I started really enjoying pickled foods.   With the weekly bounty of vegetables arriving from the CSA each week, plus my fondness for visiting farmers market in high summer, I've had plenty of fresh produce recently ... sometimes a bit too much.   So I started looking into pickling.   But as a full time working mom, spending 8 precious hours with my hot water canner was a no-go.    But then I started coming across the phrase "refrigerator pickle" and "quickle".    As I read more recipes, many seemed to have a basic theme:  2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 1/4 cup kosher or pickling salt, brought to boil and poured over a jar of prepared veggies and spices (peppercorns, whole allspice, garlic cloves, cloves, hot peppers, etc).     We later discovered that any that don't have a distinct garlic bite needed more sugar, so I added a su...

One of my goals in the summer is to have yummy meals without heating up the kitchen, so I grill just about everything, especially the wonderful produce coming from my CSA.   I facilitated this by buying some sturdy metal pans - two 8" bread pans, and a quarter sheet pan ... both WITHOUT non-stick, so I didn't have to worry about the high temperatures on the grill: Cauliflower and/or broccoli:   wash, chop into bite size pieces, put in bread pan, shave a bit of butter on top, cover with foil, cook on top rack of grill. Beets:  remove stems and leaves, wash well but GENTLY so as not to remove skin.    Place in bread pan, add about an inch of water, cover with foil, cook on top rack.     Take off, allow to cool, use fingers to rub off the skin, then slice and keep in fridge for salads the next day.   Beets are naturally sweet but need a touch of salt or a little salad dressing in a salad...

I've made this a couple of times recently and its fairly easy and really good. Plus leafy greens are supposed to be good for you .... Take a large pan and heat a bit of oil, lard or bacon grease (a tablespoon or two, though I never measure). Meanwhile rinse about a pound of fresh spinach. Throw the spinach in the pan and stir occasionally while it wilts. Season with a bit of onion powder and a bit of garlic (I used one frozen cube of crushed garlic, but garlic powder or fresh garlic will work as well). Add some squeezed lemon juice and sprinkle with salt. Add one can of drained artichoke hearts, preferably the small ones. Serve warm with dinner!

Note: Due to a spammer, comments have been turned off for this post, and will be moderated from now on. Sorry! A hearty winter soup, with lots of healthy leafy greens - and in keeping with our green theme here in Philadelphia! Start by chopping and sauteeing two large onions, then cooking in a bit of bacon grease or olive oil until translucent: Dump them into the crockpot. Peel and chop a one pound carrot: Oh - you don't have a giant carrot? Then just use a few smaller ones. Add them to the crockpot too. Brown about two pounds of italian sausage, casings removed. (Hot or sweet? depends - do you like bites of spicy heat in your soup?) Open and drain two cans of chick peas. Throw them in too. This is the ultra fancy Walmart store brand. We're high fallutin that way. Wash and rip up a whole bunch of kale. (I would say 8-10 cups of raw leaves) I seasoned with just a touch of salt while cooking. Sautee briefly in a pan, in oil or bacon grease, before adding to crockpot. To this add...

So after baking almost a thousand cookies, fighting a cold, attending Christmas parties, celebrating Christmas with services and family, enjoying trips to NYC and DC in between surprisingly busy work weeks, and trying to catch up on sleep ... I'm finally back! In the spirit of the Philadelphia region right now, I offer green foods this week. This one fits the bill. As I came back to my kitchen last week, wanting to make something frugal and at least somewhat healthy, this is what I scrounged up: A few ham hocks from the freezer. Ham hocks are fairly inexpensive, and wonderful when you want that ham bone flavor in a soup, but don't happen to have a ham bone. This LOVERLY looking bunch of vegetables. Note the green stuff growing out of the top of the onion. Onion are not dangerous when they have growths like this - just cut out the green parts on the top and on the inside. (on the other hand, I would never BUY one that looked like this ...) So I chopped the onion, and carrot and ...

Stir together in a crockpot: 2.5 pounds pork chops, seasoned with salt and pepper, seared for color, then cut into bite sized pieces 1 pound frozen pineapple, thawed (canned, in juice, would be fine too) 1 pound frozen pepper strips, thawed 2 large sweet onions, sliced into half moons crushed garlic - 3-4 cloves, juice of two limes 1 can or two cups chicken broth or reconstitute bullion. Starring diva ginger, with her back-up sisters, the pepperettes: Cook for 6 - 8 hours in the crockpot on low. (about the time you start cooking rice, add some fresh ginger or some extra powdered ginger to the mixture to give it an extra kick) Cook some sticky rice: Serve by the ladleful, over rice:

Did you know that sweet potatoes are very good when you treat them like potatoes? They don't really need the brown sugar or the marshmallows. These are pretty easy. And these are pretty good. Leftovers were excellent with a buffalo steak tonight! Peel and chop some sweet potatoes into bite size pieces: Layer in a plastic bag, sprinkling generously with paprika, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and thyme, and dried onion (or onion powder). How much? I don't know. Just keep sprinkling over each layer. Add a drizzle of olive oil, seal the bag, and shake it up baby now ... twist and shout. These are actually better if you let them sit in the fridge overnight before baking. (but if you want to bake them right away they'll still be mighty tasty) Spread on a baking pan and bake at 450. Yes, I said 450. The heat helps them get crispy. Stir every 10-15 minutes. They are finished when soft enough to stab with a fork AND as crispy as you like them. ...

Preheat oven to about 375. Place in a roasting pan: 3 squash, cut in half with seeds removed (I used two butternet and 1 acorn squash), cloves from 1 head of garlic, peeled Roast until the squash flesh is tender - test by stabbing with the tines of a fork. To avoid shreiks of burning flesh (YOUR burning flesh), allow to cool about an hour before peeling. Set aside cooked, peeled squash. Chop 1 large onion or a handful of shallots. (onions will suffice if you didn't get shallots from a CSA share) Sautee in a large soup pot with a few tablespoons of butter. Add about 1/2 pound of shredded carrot, and a few stalks of chopped celery. If you did NOT add garlic to the roasting squash, add some minced garlic now. Add chicken broth or stock - about 4 cans/8 cups. (tip: for a "hurry up" version of this soup, you could also add canned pumpkin - obviously the unsweetened variety - instead of roasting whole squash) Grate 1 large piece of fresh ginger (2 or 3 inches square). Retai...

Chop one large onion and sautee: Use microwave to thaw frozen corn : Chop onions. To make a large dice, first cut off the ends and remove seeds, and then cut in two: Force the two halves to lay flat: Cut into strips: Cut the strips into squares (sorry for the blurry picture) Add the peppers (I used a mixture of green and red for visual interest) to the pot, along with chicken stock or canned chicken broth. I added cumin, cilantro, salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder. If you're not trying to be careful of the heat level, you can add hot sauce as well. Add the chicken in the last two minutes, so it doesn't dry out. I added half of this chicken meat - so the meat of one chicken. Serve with salsa or hot sauce for anyone who wants to add more heat.

Do you eat Edamame ? Perhaps you've tried it as a precursor to sushi, but never thought you could make it at home. These nutritious little soybeans are pretty tasty. But if you can boil water, you can literally make edamame. Whether you have fresh Edamame from your CSA share, or frozen, it is pretty easy. 1. Choose a pot about twice the size as your bag of edamame. 2. Fill said pot halfway with water. 3. Boil the water. Turn burner to low. 4. Rinse edamame in colander, if fresh. Leave the colander in the sink. 5. Add edamame to boiling water. Go check your email. Put on your slippers. Sort out the junk mail. (any activity you like for about twenty minutes. 6. Drain the edamame, and shake off excess liquid. Serve in a bowl liberally sprinkled with salt (preferably large salt crystals, like kosher salt flakes). Eat the edamame by squeezing the little beans out of the pods into your mouth. They are very addictive, but yet healthy. High in protein, fiber and Omega 3. Check out other ...

Did you buy a little more corn than you can eat this week? Or maybe your coworkers are bringing in the fruits from their tomato vines? "Put it up" for winter! Corn: to prepare sweet corn for the freezer: use a serrated knife to saw down the edges of a corn cob (stand the corn on end). Gather the golden nuggets into a air tight container (Tupperware, freezer proof canning jar, etc). The kernels will be wonderful for soup later - especially a crab-corn chowder! Tomatoes: If the skins don't care to come off, score the bottom with an "x": Plunge them into boiling water for just one minute. Pull them out with a slotted spoon, and wait five minutes so you don't burn your fingers. But then it will be easy to peel away the peel. Some tomatoes don't seem to require blanching (the minute in boiling water) Don't look now! Naked tomato!! Chop the tomato and pack tightly in a plastic container (leave head room for expansion). Obviously...