Open Thread
So it looks like Mittens won both, and I fail to see how this race is anything but over, much to my chagrin. Hopefully Santorum will stay in to keep making Romney lurch wingnuttier, but that is just a personal dream.
I had one of my all time favorite dinners tonight- a crockpot full of cabbage, potatoes, carrots, some onion, and a ham hock, no seasoning other than a little pepper and a bay leave, just simmering all damned day. So good. I make it all the time, sometimes with a ham hock, other times with corned beef, and I just adore it. My food snob friends accuse me of eating like an Irish pauper, but I think it is just some of the finest eats out there. And other than the fat from the ham hock, it has to be pretty healthy, I think. What is your favorite “poor people’s” food? Got any good recipes?
I could say macaroni and cheese, but apparently that’s a “black people thing.” Thank you Pat Robertson.
And it ain’t over at all, btw.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
Today was on Romney’s home turf.
Let’s see what happens on Super Tuesday in the South.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:04 pm
I’m pretty sure you mean “won” both.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Weird – I’ve got a jalapeno-sausage/cabbage/potato (stew? soup? casserole?) thing we cooked Sunday sitting in the fridge waiting for me to get off my ass and go eat it.
ETA: Bottle of Worcestershire and a couple of cups of water, so probably doesn’t qualify as a casserole.
Also cooked it in the crock pot all day Sunday.
Good eats.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
I think you mean WON.
And everything sucks, so fuck everything. And my new nym keeps tripping the fucking spam filter, so fuck that too.
Good fucking night.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:07 pm
@Evolving Deep Southerner: I already fixed it. Fucking homonyms.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:07 pm
Peanut butter soup made with beef, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and hot pepper. Rich and very cheap.
Scalloped potatoes with some ham and onion for flavor.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:07 pm
@Evolving Deep Southerner:
Great mind, eh, Evolver? heh heh heh.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:08 pm
@John Cole:
But what of the heteronyms?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:09 pm
@The Dangerman:
Yep, Romney has very real problems with the conservative base. He wouldn’t be doing as well as he has without bonafide wingnuts like Santorum and Gingrich splitting the vote, and then there is Paul. It is the delegates that produce victory, and tonight was pretty much a wash on that between the top two. And winner take all doesn’t kick in till April. And Like you said, it was his home turf and he didn’t win by all that much.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:09 pm
@John Cole:
HOW can you think of sex at a time like this!
February 28th, 2012 at 11:09 pm
Best “poor person’s” food? Lentils. Dirt cheap, excellent nutrition. Also – Dandelion greens, as they are really good, and might keep you alive during a famine. My tortoise loves them, too.
Oh, and onions. If they were at all rare they would bring in incredible prices. How could we cook without them? What an incredible blessing that the most important foods for nutrition and good cooking are so cheap. Our ancient horticulturalist ancestors were absolute geniuses.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
It isn’t fancy or difficult, but I put a pot roast in a big roasting pan and cook it with beef and vegetable broth until it’s tender, then add hunks of onion, chopped garlic, carrots and potatoes cut longways, salt, pepper, and cook it until everything is tender and soft and the roast gives up and falls apart.
favorite meal.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
@kdaug:
@Nutella:
RECIPES! RECIPES! Or it doesn’t count!
(I just ate and that STILL sounds good….)
February 28th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
I believe we’re talking about homophones, not homonyms.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
@Xenos:
Also adzuki beans; perhaps not as dirt cheap, but still quite cheap and damned good for a lot that ails.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:14 pm
Long time lurker, first time commenter.
My kids snd friends love when I make braised chicken thighs with onions, carrots n’ taterd. Get the Dutch oven, heat up some oil, brown the chicken then put aside. Handful of diced onion in the oil/grease (remove according to desired cholesterol reading), couple of bay leaves, cook on medium until onions turn clear. Then I add white wine or beer, cover and simmer for 30 mins, add the rest of the onion coarsely chopped, peeled taters and carrots, bring back to just boiling, cover snd dial back to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. Chesp, simple, and damn good eats, not too horrible for your health.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:14 pm
@John Cole:
and why we can’t have nice things. Whats a homonym?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:15 pm
Possibly the best food I’ve ever eaten was at a working class lunch joint in New Orleans. Red beans and rice, etouffe, homemade Mac N’ Cheese, cabbage w/ham hock, gumbo, po-boys. Probably not the healthiest, but goddamn delicious.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:16 pm
@Xenos: Total agreement – but you forgot garlic. Lots and lots of it. I’m really careful about what I cook, considering my age and other numbers, but if I could eat what my kids used to call beiners and weans at least once a week, I would be a happy woman.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:16 pm
@Xenos: Seconded, lentils are terrific budget food. I just made a big batch of Ethiopian-style lentil stew that ought to keep me fed for the rest of the week!
ETA: Using this spice mix and this spiced oil using oil in place of butter.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Chuck roast in the crock pot with garlic, onions, mushrooms, carrots.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:16 pm
@gwangung:
Recipe:
Buy some jalepeno sausage, some potatoes, and a head of cabbage.
Throw it all in a crock pot with some water, a bottle of Worcestershire, and the leftover onion and garlic from last week’s spaghetti.
Cook all day.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
It’s still hard to imagine anyone but Romney as the ultimate nominee, since the others are so hopeless. But Romney keeps getting worse and worse at this campaigning stuff (remember how Hillary sort of found her groove as the primaries went on? well this is the opposite). And every time it has started to look like Romney might seal the deal, the conservative base has found a way to say hell no. In summary… I will stay tuned.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
lemme get this straight.
Romney will barely hang on to his home state after outspending his retarded opponent 3 to 1.
Got it.
Can you imagine if that was a Democrat. For example, if somehow Andrew Cuomo barely held off the retarded Carl Paladino, instead of beating him by 30 points.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:19 pm
Short grain brown rice, beans, fresh veggies, shredded cheese, tofu, non-flavored yogurt, fresh salsa. YUM.
Best…H
February 28th, 2012 at 11:20 pm
@Constance: Chuck Todd in the crockpot with a cudgel.
Too soon?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
@David Koch: ‘Thurston Howell III Narrowly Edges Gilligan’
February 28th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
I put this in the other food thread, but it’s worth another post;
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/boston-baked-beans/
.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:21 pm
stewed tomatoes or oatmeal and raisins
Here’s a Tommy Smothers line apropos to the republican campaign season
When you don’t know what you’re talking about, it’s hard to know when you’re finished.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
@Dream On: Gosh I’ve never heard that macaroni and cheese was “a black people thing”. I grew up poor in a rural area and we all ate macaroni and cheese, white and black. Highly interesting, but my Mom, now departed at a very ripe old age, made the very best plainest mac and cheese there is.
Lots of Sharp Cheddar, elbow macaroni, and a cup or so of cold milk with a beaten egg added to it, a bit of salt and pepper, particularly the latter, poured over the pasta and cheese layers and popped it in the oven for a fast cook, and out it came in 20 minutes and it was wonderful. I’ve tried duplicating hers, but never quite get there. Gotta be fast and highly experienced to produce the tastiest dish.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
@David Koch: This is your best, and funniest, post ever.
Take a lap.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
We need a Blog Cleanup on Aisle 3! Homophone is correct.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
@donnah: I add the beef broth, and dried onion soup as well – and put it all in a slow cooker for about eight hours. Oh. My.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:23 pm
@Steve: I am interested in seeing the ultimate delegate count. As I understand it, it is theoretically possible for Rih to finish with more delegates than Mitt.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:23 pm
No kidding, brussel sprout masala. It’s cheap and it’s good.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
+1 for that peanut butter stew thing. Fucking delicious.
I really like ground beef cooked with onions and peppers and just mixed in a spinach salad with a whole bunch of shit: cottage cheese, nuts, cranberries, avocados. Maybe throw a couple scrambled eggs in there. Healthy as balls and works out to a little more than a dollar a serving.
And yeah there is no plausible scenario for Romney losing the nomination now. Even if he only wins 5 super Tuesday states and the others line up around one other candidate, his delegate and money leads will be insurmountable. Plus the remaining primaries are winner take all, and even if Romney’s superior organizations won’t make the deciding factor in at least a few remaining races his 20:1 spending advantage will.
Nope, it’s Romney. Arm the laser cannon on Obama’s Death Star and start firing.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
@David Koch: It was only 3 to 1 in spending? That seems way low for Romney compared to what happened in other states.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
@eemom: Yep, I’uz thinkin’ the same durn thang. Y’all don’t mind me, and kindly keep y’all’s homo shit to yerselves, hear? Don’t want no part of it.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Where the fuck did my post go? number 2 and no moderation?
VICTORY!
What is this world coming to?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:24 pm
@Palli: Mac and cheese with stewed tomatoes is another fine dish.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:26 pm
I like the bean/lentil staples of the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East: ful medames, mujaddarah, kushari.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:26 pm
I’m still getting over this flu/sinus thing, so I had my all-time comfort food tonight: tortellini soup.
Ingredients: frozen tortellini, can of chicken broth
Instructions: Boil chicken broth. Throw in tortellini. When done, eat.
mclaren is off her meds again and keeps trying to bait everyone in the other threads and I just do not have the patience to do battle tonight. I need to boil some more water so I can neti out my sinuses again—I may try the General’s salt, vinegar and water trick to see if I can break things up a little more.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Roast beef hash: Sear first, then par-roast a chuck roast, then combine with chopped raw potatoes, and onions. Season w/salt & pepper. Add roast beef juices and add’l. stock as necessary. Grind all in a meat grinder, turning everything into a large metal tray.
Bake about 30 to 45 min. Then bake eggs on top of hash in oven until done, but still runny. Takes surprisingly long, at least 20 min., to bake eggs. When done, cut eggs over hash until yolks run over.
All ingredients are cheap. We have an old-fashioned meat grinder that requires the use of elbow grease, not super cuisinart grinding.
Any questions? OK.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:27 pm
@John Cole: Add some spinach and bacon and it is amazing.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
I use a pressure cooker to make my cabbage, potatoes, corned beef (or ham hock). Takes less time, preserves the nutrients and the meat is fall apart tender. In answer to your question, being a good Irish lassie, it doesn’t get any better than that.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
NPR may have decided that balance is not enough.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
@Boudica: You know, I came THIS CLOSE to pointing that out and thought “No, it would make me seem pedantic.”
And then I thought “Shit, are ‘won’ and ‘won’ homophones or homonyms? If I get that wrong, people will pile on my ass.”
Then I thought about looking it up but elected not to out of sheer laziness.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:28 pm
@David Koch: UNSURMOUNTABLE
/veritas
February 28th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
@dww44: Ohhh. Thank you for this. I simply cannot find the mac and cheese recipe I grew up with. It was one of those things Mom never wrote down, thinking anyone would know how to make THAT. I think the egg is what I missed – I think I remember now watching her put that in.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
@kdaug: Yummmm….and thanks!
February 28th, 2012 at 11:29 pm
It’s like all you all don’t have a Hot Doug’s in your town or something. Weird.
Had duck from Sun Wah BBQ the other night, take out, then tonight took the leftovers and made duck quesadillas.
Holy shit. Good eating.
We live in whatever the opposite of a food desert is.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
@Mnemosyne:
One of my favorite recipes. Toss in tortellini. Toss in some meatballs. Toss in a jar of spaghetti sauce. Add water to right consistency. Cook. Eat.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
rice n beans
rice, brown rice cooked in the brothiest broth you can find/make/have laying around.
beans—black beans. soak ‘em (or not), cook em in water forever. let cool. the next day or two, put a little duck fat in a pan (NB: put a LOT of duck fat in a pan is better), melt it, put beans in pans, refry until almost crisp.
put beans on rice. eat it. be happy. you can feed a family of 5 with this plus some greens in garlic, and you are probably at 2 dollars a person tops AND HOLY SHIT IS IT DELICIOUS.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
@El Cid:
Whoa, an NPR “pants on fire” might could have some actual heat.
I don’t know what to make of that missive. Do we still get a David Brooks with each E.J Dionne?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:31 pm
From my Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother….the gravy noodle. Make a pot roast, separate any bulky stuff (onions, herbs, etc.) from the drippings, then put drippings back into the pan. While the pot roast has been cooking, you have made a basic egg noodle pasta (where the noodles are so thin you can read through them…thickness is very important). Throw the pasta into the drippings and cook. You may have to add hot beef stock if you don’t have enough drippings. What you are looking for is cooked pasta covered in a sauce that is the consistency of gravy. Now, I must say half the dudes on this side of the family have issues with their heart. Not me….I exercise and only indulge in this dish every 6-mo or so. But if I have a crappy day, and it is cold outside, gravy noodles make all the difference in the world. Well, anything that reminds me of my grandmother makes all the difference in the world.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:31 pm
@BGinCHI: the clue-fu is strong with this one
February 28th, 2012 at 11:31 pm
I grew up on Mulligan (soup). Still one of my favorites. Mom made it using water but I use chicken stock (Costco Kirkland organic is good) with bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Lots of onions, bite size carrots and celery. Cook until half tender. Throw in a bite size potatoes. Then ground beef. Quantities depend on what’s on hand. I usually make a vat.
Now that I’ve gotten a bit fancier, I saute/steam the onions in some olive oil, in frying pan with a cover on it until the onions are sweet and mushy. Meanwhile I’m heating up the chicken stock and chopping the rest of the vegetables. And now I use a pound or two of bison instead of beef. Sometimes I put a couple of parsnips in it. So good on cold days.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:31 pm
@Merp:
Which means that we are years and years away from peak wingnut, if it exists.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
@El Cid: Wow. I had low expectations when I clicked over, but that’s good news.
This country needs NPR to bring an A game to this fight.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
My mom’s marinara sauce, good for pasta, pizza, caccitori, cioppino, etc.
1 28-ounce can (or 2 14-ounce cans) of diced tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
4 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oragano
2 to 4 (depending on your taste) cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (leave out if your tongue is a wimp)
1 cup water
Dump everything together in a pot big enough to hold it and simmer on low heat for at least 2 hours. Go longer if you need or want thicker sauce.
Add extra meats and/or veggies at the start of simmering, if desired. When I make it for spaghetti, I usually add spicy Italian sausages, a can of olives, and a can of mushroom pieces. On the other hand, for chicken caccitori, I simmer for only about half an hour and then pour it on the browned chicken, then let them simmer together for another 90 minutes or so. Use your best judgement.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
That is a thing of beauty.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:33 pm
@Evolving Deep Southerner: I have a reputation for being a pedant, so don’t care what people think….(but I did look it up to make sure before I posted).
February 28th, 2012 at 11:34 pm
We always – ALWAYS - have canisters of dried pinto and black beans, and white and brown rice.
Dirt cheap to buy in bulk, and if things get tight we just buy onion, garlic, and maybe some jalapenos (yeah, recurring theme, I know) and – wait for it – cook it all day in the crock pot.
Other favorite is stir fry. Just pick up whatever veggies look good (kale/bok choy/spinach is virtually required, though), maybe some meat, toss in the wok and put rice in the cooker. Dinner for a week.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:34 pm
Well, the delegate situation with the GOP is pretty odd. Michigan had 30 delegates. Arizona 29.
Alabama has 50. Georgia 76. Texas 155.
Yeah, there’s the whole momentum thing, but from a delegate standpoint, they’ve basically done nothing so far.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
and I fail to see how this race is anything but over, much to my chagrin.
Feh. We haven’t even gotten to Newt’s third comeback yet. The establishment R’s have tried to shut this thing down and have failed and Mitt’s tried to shut this thing down with actual money nukes and he still hasn’t managed. This one isn’t over until the fat lady belches out Gloria Gaynor.
max
[‘So back to Newt now!’]
February 28th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
@marybdvm: I grew up on Squirrel Mulligan. Seriously. We were rural IN hunter-gatherers, and my mother is from S Arkansas.
Spicy stuff with corn and okra and whole bunch of stuff. OK, I realize that’s not a recipe. Nostalgia taking over.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
@butler: it was probably higher.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Grilled cheese sandwich with some garden variety mustard to dip it in. And lemonade. Or Rick Santorum’s tears, which would be equally sweet and sour.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
@Boudica: It’s a wise man who is sure of what he’s saying in public before he says it. Better to be a pedant than lazy, for sure.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
@Martin:
Texas still hasn’t set a primary date. Rumor today is that they might have settled it and it will be May 29th, but that depends on whether or not someone challenges it.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
A nice egg sandwich (two eggs cooker over medium), on fresh multigrain bread, with a couple of slices of strong cheese. Salt and Pepper, and with ketchup or mayo if you are so inclined. Yum Yum Yum
February 28th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
For the first time, I listened to both Santorum and Romney speak after the votes got counted. I’d never really listened to either of them give whole speeches before, and a few things struck me.
1. Santorum can be, as long as he isn’t talking about poitics, a fairly likeable guy. This comes as something of a shock to me, since he was my senator for 4 years, and I knew how loathesome his politics were, so I never looked at any other side of him. But he tells some good stories and can even get a laugh from listeners.
2. Santorum is a pretty good speaker. He can draw people in. He knows when to raise his voice and when to speak softly; he knows how to time his cadences.
3. Romney really is a lousy speaker. He’s like a zombie. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard such a lousy speaker. He’s like some insurance salesman who shows up at your door, and you can’t get him to leave.
4. He’s also a thoroughly unlikeable guy. He’s like a somewhat less appealing version of Richard Nixon, and that’s a string of words I never would have dreamt I’d ever write.
5. What we have here is a choice between a guy with a truly warped soul and a guy with no soul at all.
6. Santorum talks about people he’s met, and you get the feeling that he met them. He spoke to them and maybe even listened to them, and he came away knowing something about them (even if he’s wildly wrong about them).
7. Romney talks about people he’s “met”, and you get the feeling that maybe he was talking in their direction, and maybe they might have talked in his direction, but he hasn’t made any kind of connection with them at all. I don’t know if he even has any connection with himself. He seems utterly detatched.
8. News people are beginning to laugh at and mock Romney. I suspect that if news people mock a politician, that politician is pretty much done.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
@Delia:
Perhaps only months; Romney is going to lose to Obama and the Wingers will blame it on his being a RINO, triggering Peak Wingnut.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
@The Dangerman:
But think of the childnyms!!
February 28th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
@The Dangerman: Reminds me of my favorite fast comfort food – chop a couple of celery sticks and cook in butter until almost brown, pour in two cans of oysters (NOT fresh oysters, believe me). Let that heat up and then pour in two oyster cans of milk. Total soul food.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
@Martin: The GOP nomination failParade would work better if at any time a candidate could go “all in” and push his delegates to the middle of the table and wager it all on one state.
I’m just saying they need to get creative. Couldn’t they dance with stars or eat dangerous foods?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Oh, and kale soup. Kale from the garden. Water, salt, pepper, potatoes, onions, ground pork sausage. I had no idea this was cheap, fast and healthy. It’s so damn delicious.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Variation on the Mulligan soup is Chicken soup. Basically the same only for sure add in a few parsnips, the usual poultry type seasonings. Mushrooms never hurt. The more onions the better. Carrots and celery. No potatoes. Some garlic. Just a dash of red pepper-not enough to identify that it’s in there. Put the chicken in at the very last and cook only until done so the chicken is tender. It’s the parsnips that give it such a good flavor.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
I have found the cutest puppy video ever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BIDdyrZJP4
You have been warned
February 28th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
@ShadeTail:
I keep trying to get my aunt to cough up my great-grandmother’s spaghetti sauce recipe. The only thing anyone will tell me is that it has grated carrot in it.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:41 pm
My mom’s Irish stew.
Ingredients: Beef stew meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, salt, pepper, water.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:42 pm
1) Lentil soup
2) Kidney bean soup
3) Mac and cheese
February 28th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
@Mnemosyne: Make it Wedding Soup: start a soup pot with hot oil. Get a package of frozen spinach defrosting in the microwave. Start chopping some carrot and onion, add to pot. Add some Italian seasoning to pot. Add chicken stock, defrosted spinach, and some frozen meatballs. Cook until the meatballs are done, then serve over tortellini with some shredded parmesan. Fairly quick, very satisfying meal.
Now someone needs to provide deets on how to make this delicious sounding peanut butter stew thing…
February 28th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
“I keep trying to get my aunt to cough up my great-grandmother’s spaghetti sauce recipe.”
Have you tried the Heimlich?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
@Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.):
But I read just today that Frau Willard is so stampy mad at the press persons that she’s only letting certain ones on the bus.
Problem fixxted.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
@Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.): What you said about Santourm
this is exactly what my cousin said when she took her 83year-old father in law to see him. She said she went in hating everything about him, but when he started talking, he was “so likable.” Because of this, she said, he is scary in ways we can’t begin to imagine.February 28th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
Tuna noodle casserole. Half a pound of shredded sharp cheddar, a pound of boiled flat noodles, 6 cans tuna, a large can of cream of mushroom soup.
And now the special ingredients…
...Several teaspoons of lemon juice. Some worchestershire sauce. Plenty of Zest or Mrs. Dash or any of those supermarket “all season” spice mixes that are mostly pepper, with stuff like cumin and lemon peel and oregano in ‘em. About 12 shakes of the all season spice.
Cover with either crunched-up potato chips (if you don’t mind lots of high-sodium) or bread crumbs (my preference).
Bake 45 minutes. Oh. My. God. The best food EV-AR.
Shorter Mnemosyne: “I don’t have the facts or arguments to stand up for my claims in a serious debate.”
February 28th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
@Canuckistani Tom:I’ll see your puppy and raise you kittens riding a Roomba.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
@Jewish Steel:
Beauty! And as a health reminder, that’s not “heind-lick.”
February 28th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
@BGinCHI:
Is this something I’ll figure out tomorrow afternoon and be really embarrassed at how slow I am?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
@Constance: No, I just want to give Chuck a little tap on his head.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
@Canuckistani Tom:
Somehow I found my way from that video to this one:
Foxes jumping on my trampoline
February 28th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
@mclaren:
No, I’ve had the flu for four days and my sinuses are about to explode out of my head. I just don’t have time for you.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:51 pm
@gwangung:
Peanut butter soup:
Brown 2 pounds of stew beef. Cook 2-3 onions, chopped, and 2-10 cloves of garlic in oil until soft. Combine in soup pot with 1.5 cups chunky peanut butter, 1 can tomatoes, salt, pepper, and plenty of hot pepper. Add enough broth to fill the pot and simmer until beef is very done.
Scalloped potatoes: See Joy of Cooking page 291.
Also any bean soup (or split peas or lentils) made with onion, garlic, and ham hocks.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:51 pm
Black beans and rice. I’m in S.Fla, and the cubans do it best, but there’s lard and/or bacon to deal with. Or red beans, particularly if you can get some for-real-not-just-the-name-on-the-label andouille (a 1.5” finger will do the job of a whole foot of kielbasa.)
I’m pretty skinny (6’3”, 175 lbs) but I still have to contend with high cholesterol, so I try to come up with alternatives that keep flavor high without adding sat. fat or cholesterol.
There’s also the cracker (me!) last-ditch poverty fallback, “grits and grunts.” A “grunt” is a species of salt-water fish that’s easy to catch and tastes pretty damn good—they make a grunting noise when you catch them. Fry ‘em up any way you like, put on a pot of grits, and you’re all set until next payday, when you can afford some hamhocks. I’d forgotten how good grits and fried fish can taste until my family reunion last year. Swamp cabbage, grits and grunts—I could eat like that every day.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
@BGinCHI:
Nothing wrong with squirrel….
February 28th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
@Nutella: mmmmmmm….gotta try that.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Apparently American style corn beef is the meeting Irish style preserviing with Jewish beef brisket in the melting pots of NYC . In Ireland what you serve is bacon and cabbage ( the bacon not being American style bacon but a fatty cut of pork)
My paternal grandparents were Irish immigrant to brooklyn in the early 30s and I can testify that they had Jewish neighbors from whom they picked up cooking tips!
So fat + cabbage + meat juice +potatoes = good!
February 28th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Apparently American style corn beef is the meeting Irish style preserviing with Jewish beef brisket in the melting pots of NYC . In Ireland what you serve is bacon and cabbage ( the bacon not being American style bacon but a fatty cut of pork)
My paternal grandparents were Irish immigrant to brooklyn in the early 30s and I can testify that they had Jewish neighbors from whom they picked up cooking tips!
So fat + cabbage + meat juice +potatoes = good!
February 28th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Migas – stale corn tortillas crumbled and sautéed in a little oil, and then scrambled into eggs. Add cheese, onions, chilis, chorizo, andouille, , leftover taco meat, salsa, whatever as you so desire. Tortilla chips make an excellent stand-in for the tortillas. Looks like hell, but really tasty.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Chicken and sausage gumbo…make a lot at once.
Also, too – bean soup made with Hurst 15 bean mix, seasoning ham and a can of diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
I made “mexican potato chips” today. Basically just baked potato – chilled, sliced thick into circles, and fried in oil.
The food itself was not that significant, but I shared it with somebody special. One of my blood siblings showed up this last week out of the blue. One of my little sisters. Last time I saw her she was 9, and that was like ten years ago. Long story, adoption, all that.
We’ve become astonishingly close over the past week. Apparently, even though we didn’t know each other well, I guess I sort of made an impression ten years ago. We’re so similar it’s amazing – even down to having to dodge the pigs blood while getting in to her car. (she had a super soaker). I was the same way at that age. We’re all nuts. (Actually I thought she’d be the “normal” one so many years ago. She smiled a lot as a child (my other sister and I didn’t). So much for that! on with the freak show!
The mexican potato chips were something I could actually convince her to eat. She had been eating granola bars (the candyish kind) and chocolate milk for the past several days and I could not stand it anymore.
=) Maybe we’ll move up to something with some nutrition by next month.
anyway. It’s been really a great thing. She’s a sweet girl (i’ve got 14 years on her) and it’s nice to be able to talk to someone who I click with. I can’t relate with most people, and while I’m used to it, (and she is as well) it’s nice to be able to talk to somebody that gets it. We stayed up for two days just to talk, so I suppose we both really needed it. I’ve been in awesome mood lately. =) so yay.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Mizeria (Polish cucumbers):
1 large cucumber
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. chopped dill (I substitute dried dill for this)
Peel cucumber, slice thinly, then place cucumber in a colander over a bowl. Generously salt cucumber, then let sit for 30 min. Mix other ingredients in a small bowl. Pat cucumbers dry, then mix with dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I like to add a bit of the cucumber juice, but not too much or the dressing gets too watery. Chill before serving and add more dill if desired.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:58 pm
@Nutella: Ah, yum…
Working up an appetite again…
February 28th, 2012 at 11:58 pm
Nope – you did it right, John.
It may be Irish, of which I am not, but born in New England, that’s the recipe that I follow. Good eats, man!
Gotta have that bay leaf. Yummy.
Good on ya, Cole.
-g126
February 28th, 2012 at 11:58 pm
I went through a year when I was on blood thinners and had to keep my intake of vitamin K consistent. That meant I could either eat no leafy green and/or cruciferous vegetables (kale, broccoli rabe, broccoli, cabbage, etc.) and be miserable or eat roughly the same amount every day. Being the weirdo brassica lover that I am, I chose the latter. That plus being in grad school meant I got pretty good at making kale, broccoli rabe, and cabbage in delicious-yet-dirt-cheap ways.
1) To this day, my favorite way to eat broccoli rabe is sautéed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Eat on toast (or stale bread, whatever).
2) Shred some cabbage and slice an onion, and cook long and low (covered) with a few cumin and fenugreek seeds and some salt until both the cabbage and the onion are meltingly tender and very sweet.
3) Stir-fry some cabbage (I prefer red for this one) with onion and a ton of ginger over the hottest flame your stove will muster. Add some soy sauce, sriracha, and/or other such condiment, plus maybe some cashews and/or scallions if you have them, and mix in some brown rice for a pseudo-fried-rice jumble that tastes amazing.
4) Get some fresh sausage(s), a cabbage, and some potatoes. Slice the potatoes and cabbage, and oil a big pot (preferably a Dutch oven). Scatter a layer of shredded cabbage over the bottom of the pot, then a layer of sausage bits, then a layer of potatoes. Add some chopped fresh herbs if you have ‘em, don’t worry if you don’t. Repeat the layering until you’ve used up your ingredients. Pour over a glug or two of white wine, broth, water, whatever. Put the lid on and bake in a medium-low oven (300F) for a couple of hours, until everything’s cooked through and tender. I will say this recipe works best with well seasoned sausages; you might have to experiment with what’s available to you in order to get the seasoning right.
5) Rice and beans. Can’t beat ‘em. Give me a pot of well seasoned black beans and some rice cooked (perhaps in broth with onion and a bunch of cilantro) and I am a happy camper.
6) Clean-out-the-fridge soup. Some of my favorite blended soups are just a hodgepodge of vegetables I had lying around. An allium is a must: leeks and/or onion. Something substantial is also key: potato, sweet potato, hard winter squash. Honestly, you don’t need much more than that. Chop the vegetables, soften the aromatics in some olive oil, then add the broth and rest of the vegetables. Cook (covered) in water or broth with a bay leaf and/or sprigs of parsley/thyme/whatever until tender. A dozen grains of really starchy rice (the sort you’d use for risotto) go a long way toward making something seem creamy without actually adding any cream. Maybe add some greens that will wilt into the soup before you blend it all together. I did this last night with some leeks, a few sweet potatoes, a bunch of kale, and a pinch of arborio rice.
Okay, I’ll stop now.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
my mom would use either corned beef or a smoked shoulder and would call it “boiled dinner” and wtf, no turnips?
February 28th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
Any variant in the neighborhood of a coq au vin / beef bourguignon, as long as it has onions, served with / over mashed potatoes.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
@Nutella:
That sounds awesome. I know what I’m cooking next weekend.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
@BGinCHI:
Glad I could help. :) I’m taking my cat and book and going to bed. It’s 9 p.m. here. Wish it was 9 p.m. Nov. 7.
February 28th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
Large Gumbys with ‘roni and fungus
February 29th, 2012 at 12:00 am
@Robert Green: My go to a well. Must have apple cider vinegar and sauzon Goya without annato (can replace with chicken bouillon, garlic salt and cumin).
February 29th, 2012 at 12:00 am
I’ll personally think it’s over when Romney shows he can win in the South, which he’s completely failed to do so far (even in Florida, basically everything north of Orlando went Gingrich.) Super Tuesday features Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia from the southern contingent. I’d argue that if he wins two or more of those, it’s done, but let’s wait and see.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:01 am
@Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.): Thanks for this. I’ve long thought that Santorum was the better politician, in the sense of being able to connect with people. I’ve never thought about how similar Romney is to Nixon, in the way that voters/constituents react to him, but that’s so very true.
Living here in super red land (I’m surrounded by conservatives). My friend, who listens to talk radio, day in day out, thinks that Anne Romney is the one who ought to be running for office. Says she’s a much better speaker and is able to relate/interact while doing that. I heard and saw her on C-Span recently and she is a lot better than Mitt.
By the bye, we got word today that Gingrich is coming to our little city and Cain’s accompanying him. Location is like 5 minutes from my home. I’ve spent a lot of my life having to hear Newt Gingrich and I don’t think I can stomach being in the presence of more of his lies about our President. We, are, of course, a likely lock for Mr. Gingrich.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:01 am
Our easy and fast weeknight dinner (H/T to Eating Well magazine):
Squeeze out the innards of one link of fresh Italian sausage and saute in a little olive oil.
Add one can of lentil soup and one can of diced tomatoes, a little salt, pepper, and parsley and/or basil, and heat through.
Simultaneously, boil up a half pound of fusilli (we prefer whole wheat, but YMMV). When the pasta is done, drain and then combine with the sausage/lentil/tomato mixture.
Less than 20 minutes start to finish and serves four (or three if you’re really hungry) pretty cheaply. I buy about four recipes’ worth at a time, so that we always have everything on hand. We make this once a week during the school year and haven’t grown tired of it (and neither have the kiddos) even though we’ve been using this recipe for years.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:02 am
My favorite Poor People’s Food is rice and beans. Any rice and beans—N’awlins, Caribbean, Indian, Mexican, what have you.
I have many recipes but I am an utter failure at cooking Red Rice and Beans. I need to go to NOLA on vacation to a cooking school.
Other than that, it’s Popeye’s for my fix, Sigh.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:02 am
@trollhatten: try telling my dog that.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:04 am
@gaz: Good for you.
Went down to spend Christmas at my sister’s, and spent the night.
Next morning, sister pulls me aside and whispers “Nephew said you are so cool!”
He’ll be getting an extra present next year.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:05 am
@Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason: If you are hopeless, there’s always zatarans..
And yes – I swear they put cocaine in the red beans and rice at popeyes or something. It’s addictive.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:06 am
Nobody was more surprised than me to see polenta was a thing you could get in fancy restaurants. Mom cooked it all the time- says it was something she got sick of in a hurry as a little farm girl in 30’s Slovenia (which is just on the other side of the border from Italian Friuli). Had some for dinner tonight with a little pork shoulder braised with san marzano tomatoes I did the other night.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:06 am
It would be very intelligent for Santorum to stay in. Republican nomination has often picked last time’s runner-up. Longer he stays in and campaigns, the more he builds up name recognition. He will probably be a tough candidate in 2016, still relatively young.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:06 am
@freelancer:
I am told that the peanut butter soup is a West African recipe. I think of it as a winter dish but apparently it came from the tropics originally.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:07 am
Po’ peoples food?
(Y’all gonna hate me)
Dun Dun Noodles
3 tablespoons of peanut butter (I prefer Crunchy, HerrDoktor and WarriorGirl prefer Creamy)
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar (brown or black, if you’re a coastal elite)
2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of hot oil (optional)
1 lb of noodles (lo mein or spaghetti/spaghettini/vermicelli)
handful of bean sprouts OR vertically sliced, peeled cucumber strips
mix the PB, soy, vinegar, sugar, oil and get it as smooth as possible.
boil the noodles until tender.
if using bean sprouts, parboil about 30 seconds.
mix everything together. If feeding teenaged nephews, do not expect leftovers.
Substitutions:
replace PeanutButter with Tahini (sesame paste).
replace lo mein with Thai rice noodles
replace sugar with Splenda
replace bean sprouts/cuke strips with julienned carrots/celery/greenbeans (note: that’s very Szechuan, just not very restauranty)
FWIW, my ancestry is bound on the south by the Sahara and the East by the Urals. It’s not my ancestors, but it’s damn fine food.
—SmallKitchenAppliance +2.5 Tobin James unspecified cuvée.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:08 am
My favorite Poor People’s Food that I cook myself and well? Shepherd’s Pie, using the Hash with Vegetables recipe from Joy of Cooking. You can’t go wrong with sauteed diced potatoes and veggies and a little meat, mixed with gravy, and covered with mashed potatoes.
I’m not allowed to make anything else after Thanksgiving, now.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:09 am
@Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.):
Yup. He’s got Algore’s Disease, which has nothing to do with a politician’s positions* and everything to do with reporters’ personal dislike for a candidate. Said reporters’ dislike being based on what a candidate wears, his or her “authenticity”**, whether the candidate is “too cerebral”, reporters’ perception that the candidate holds them in (deserved) contempt…etc etc etc.
*Yes, yes, I know, Romney’s policy positions are deplorable. Tomorrow he’ll change them and they’ll be even more deplorable.
**Lack of “authenticity” being one of the media complaints leveled against Algore in 2000. Media douchenozzles sure did luuuurve them some faux Texan though. What the fuck is an “authentic” politician, anyway? That shit went out with LBJ.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:10 am
@kdaug: Awesome. Sounds like a good kid =) heh
February 29th, 2012 at 12:11 am
@The Fat Kate Middleton: I have no idea what happened there. Suffice to say, my cousin thought Santorum actually sounded nice. But she still hates him.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:11 am
like a bunch of folks have already said: rice, beans, onions, and garlic. so simple, but so many delicious variations! one of my favorites is to make chimichurri (or my bastardized gringo version of it)... saute cooked brown rice, black beans, onion, garlic, carrots, and peas in a chimichurri sauce (olive oil, parsley, oregano, cumin, garlic, and chili powder). serve on lavash bread with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, diced avocado, and sriracha – so good!
February 29th, 2012 at 12:11 am
@Spaghetti Lee: Nate Silver has Santorum winning TN,OK, and OH, Gingrich winning GA, and Romney winning VA.
Also, it appear possible that Santorum is going to come out of MI with more delegates that Romney…
February 29th, 2012 at 12:12 am
@The Fat Kate Middleton: Santorum likeable?
OK, but, well, Obama owns that territory. We’ll see what happens.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:13 am
@gaz: Thanks, but Zatarans is godawful. I’d drive 20 miles to Popeye’s instead.
Whaddya think, if I paid them extra would they put the red beans on the cajun rice? Heaven!
February 29th, 2012 at 12:18 am
Cheap eats? Well, my mom used to make us this before payday:
Sauerkraut, Hot Dog, Mashed Potato Casserole
February 29th, 2012 at 12:19 am
@Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.):
I think the first video I ever saw of Romney was back in the 2008 campaign. A guy in a wheelchair at a townhall meeting was asking him what he thought of medical marijuana. Romney just kind of nods and grins awkwardly for a few moments, drops a soundbite on him, then turns away and starts greeting other people while the guy’s still trying to talk.
I had him pegged as an asshole pretty much from that moment. He’s not comfortable going out to meet the plebes, he’s irritated that he has to do all that mingling like he gives a shit, he’s irritated that people actually challenge him instead of just taking it for granted that He Deserves To Be President, and he just can’t stop it from shining through.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:21 am
@Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason:
Is there a franchise? I use their grocery store box product to make some really kick-ass Jambalaya.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:22 am
@Nutella:
When we were in college, my best friend was friends with a TA from Ghana and he made us peanut soup for dinner. AWE-SOME.
Also, a food thought I had the other day: tater tot casserole is basically shepherd’s pie made with pre-fab ingredients. Think about it. These are the kinds of brilliant insights I come up with when I have the flu, y’all.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:22 am
@DanielX: Yeah. The problem being that Romney’s policy suggestions actually aren’t any different from anyone else in the field. So he gets to be the “moderate” who no one can connect to.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:22 am
John – that’s it? Isn’t there even stock of some king? Is it stewy? I’m having a real hard time picturing it.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:23 am
John – that’s it? Isn’t there even stock of some king? Is it stewy? I’m having a real hard time picturing it.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:23 am
@kdaug: Clearly I need to buy myself a crock pot.
Suggestions as to which crock pot is the best/worst?
February 29th, 2012 at 12:24 am
Pasta with garlic and oil (Aglio e Olio)
I called this “special sauce” when I was growing up because it was one of my favorite dishes. That amused my grandmother in Italy, because it’s what they used to eat in the post-WWII years when my mother was a child when they had no money to buy anything else.
Really simple. Cook pasta—small short types like ditalini or shells work best—and reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking water before straining. Use a small pan to saute a couple of cloves of garlic sliced into small pieces in olive oil until lightly golden. Remove from heat and quickly stir in an ample teaspoon of paprika and the reserved pasta water—it will sizzle—and pour onto the strained pasta. Salt, stir and serve.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:26 am
@gaz:
He is.
16, just got his driver’s license.
But was exempted from his finals for all courses at the end of last semester. Smart kid. Fully expect valedictorian.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:26 am
@freelancer: I don’t know, but Zatarain’s is a national brand owned by McCormick, the largest spice company in the country.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:26 am
@freelancer: All my attempts at jambalaya have sucked regardless of recipe: gummy, gooey glop. Any hints?
February 29th, 2012 at 12:27 am
I’ve said all along they’ll nominate Mittuns. (Not here but to the political junkie men in my life.) In the meantime I think there’ll be more show to enjoy. And I’m quite a bit less worried about running against Mr. Roboto since the primaries actually started.
I caught a clip of Mrs. Mittuns speaking, and did not like what I saw. That is to say, she’s miles better than her husband, and will be an asset to him with the clueless undecideds.
Andy (@ 121) You can also buy packaged polenta in grocieries, or you can buy mush for 1/3rd the price.
I’ll just give a shout-out to a different couple of peasant dishes: posole, and welsh rarebit. Both can be wonderful, but I’d rather not do the cooking myself.
The peasant dish I eat most often is oatmeal. For breakfast every other day except in really hot weather. I buy bulk rolled oats, usually add some chopped nuts, and some fruit at a minimum. It takes all of 3 minutes in the microwave, is very healthy and tastes good. (That may be my Scottish genes of course.)
February 29th, 2012 at 12:30 am
@Nutella:
It is a west african dish. I was taught a similar recipe from the head chef where I want to college. First pass at it was odd – beef and peanut butter seems wrong at first. But once you get past that, it’s quite good.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:32 am
@karen marie:
We have a West Bend Crockery Cooker.
Had it at least 10 years, never had a problem with it, but never had a reason to shop around for a new one, either, so I’m not sure what’s on the market now.
Best part about a crock pot is the way the house smells all day.
Worst part? Trying not to open it before it’s done. “But it smells so gooood!”
(I usually break down around the 5 hour mark just to “stir and taste” it. Completely unnecessary, of course.)
February 29th, 2012 at 12:34 am
Some wonderful recipes here; I’ll have to bookmark this thread.
I’m so glad I had dinner before I read this thread, otherwise I’d be boiling up noodles and rice and beans, sauteing onions and mushrooms, mixing it all with bacon, and then eating until I exploded.
My favorite lunch food is a huge pot of brown or wild rice made on a Sunday, and combined throughout the week with beans and cheese, or veggies and egg. Rice is my staple; I shall not want. Also – since I’m really not supposed to eat pasta (glycemic issues) – rice fills the comfort food niche formerly occupied by pasta.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:34 am
Ooh. I forgot my other favorite “Pre Payday Meal”. Pancakes. Mom used to make a big deal about the whole “breakfast for dinner” treat, but really, since I remember going without syrup a few times (“Jelly is just as good! So shut up and eat)”, I believe we were eating those for reasons other than the fun of mixing it up a bit.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:39 am
John, here’s something I’ve been making a lot of recently:
UNCLE COSMO’S MEATBALL-CABBAGE STEWP** (8 bowls or 12 cups)
(** It’s very thick soup or stew, depending on your definitions.)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Italian seasoning [1], divided in halves
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 small or 1/2 medium cabbage, shredded (about 7 cups)
1 28-oz can peeled diced [2] Italian tomatoes in sauce or juice (w/ basil is best),
1 medium turnip (optional) [3]
1 8-oz can tomato sauce (optional) [4]
1/2 lb (or more) Italian meatballs (optional), thawed if frozen, halved [5, 6]
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in 4-5 qt pot or Dutch oven at medium heat; sauté onion & garlic until onion is clear, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp Italian seasoning and carrots, continue sauté until herbs are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage, turnip & tomato sauce; add tomatoes, tomato sauce, meatballs, remaining 1 tbsp of seasoning, salt & pepper. Cover with water, bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, simmer covered or uncovered [7] 30 minutes. Serve with hunks of hearty bread.
SLOW COOKER VERSION: Sauté onion, garlic, carrots & herbs as above; transfer to 4-5 qt slow cooker, add other ingredients as above, cook on HIGH setting for 1 hr, then on LOW for 8-10 hours. [8]
———————Notes: [1] I use premixed bargain-store Italian seasoning, doesn’t seem to matter whose formulation. You can substitute oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary—I go heavier on the oregano & ease up on the basil, but suit yourself. [2] I loathe tomato skin, YMMV. [3] Substitute potato(es) to taste; I can’t do the starch. [4] I use no-salt-added tomatoes & sauce when available. For a heartier (& saltier) concoction, add 1 12-oz can of beef broth in place of or in addition to tomato sauce. [5] Can replace with 1 lb Italian-style sausage, sautéd or nuked separately & drained to remove excess fat. I haven’t tried ham in this one yet but it’s an intriguing idea. [6] Not necessary to thaw (or halve) meatballs if using slow cooker. [7] Simmering covered yields a fairly substantial soup, uncovered will get you stew. Your call. [8] Slow cooker version will keep cabbage crisper, ideal for those who like their veggies to put up a fight before surrender.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:39 am
@The prophet Nostradumbass: Which explains the essential blandness. eh.
One word, folks. Penzeys. I may be a coastal elite now, but I was born and raised in fsking Missouri (specifically, Jackson County, St. Luke’s Hospital). And if I can’t grow it, it comes from Penzey’s.
—SmallKitchenAppliance +3. Signing off because I can’t fsking type anymore. And I still watch re-runs of The Day After with glee, because with the stark exception of the occasional KUMed Professor my parents’ would bring home, and my pregnant niece, nuking is ‘way too fucking good for the assholes I grew up with. And you rat-bastards know who you are.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:39 am
Watching Doomsday Preppers. As my wife said last night – tv has gotten WAY more interesting to abnormal psychologists than it used to be.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:42 am
@kdaug: From a lifelong bachelor’s perspective, the best part of a slow cooker is being able to throw just about everything in at once (w/ the exception of onions or fatty meats that need to be sautéd for a bit), turn the damn thing on & fuggedaboutit. But it’s shurzell nice as well to come in from work & smell supper permeating the house.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:46 am
@karen marie: I have no rec as to new ones. But I have noticed that there often seem to be nice looking crock pots on the shelves at local thrift stores even when there are few other kitchen gadgets.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:49 am
It’s a toss-up among split pea & ham hoc soup, chipped beef on toast (yay Buddig Beef is back on the local shelves!), and fried bologna sandwiches (optionally with cheese or fried egg and mustard).
February 29th, 2012 at 12:50 am
@The Fat Kate Middleton:
Yeah, well by most accounts, serial killers are likable people as well. So yes, Santorum is one scary dude. No argument there.
He still isn’t going to be the GOP nominee and even if he were he wouldn’t beat Obama. But absolute agreement on scary, creepy, bad-news vibe coming from that cat. Him duppy for sure, man.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:50 am
@Stan: Given that lineup, have you tried spam and peanut butter? My grandfather loved it, and it’s really not bad.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:56 am
@karen marie:
We have a Rival brand (I think) but the feature I really like on it is that it automatically switches to “warm” when the time is up, which you need if you’re going to be working all day and then coming home at night. The traditional ones just have an “off-low-high” knob, so you have to be sure you’ll be home to turn it off once cooking’s done.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:58 am
For some reason, I am craving boiled pork hocks and rutabegas.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:58 am
@Uncle Cosmo: Yep.
Same thing with the stir-fry – just whatever vegetables are in season and look good.
I throw thin-sliced beef in mine, but the wife’s vegetarian, and we both love it – cook on Sunday, mix it with rice, and you’ve got food for the week. We top ours with cashews, Tapatilo, and soy sauce.
(The 14.5” cast iron wok is a huge plus. Ours is a Bodum – think we got it at William-Sonoma.)
February 29th, 2012 at 12:58 am
Cole, isn’t this about 5th time you’ve been certain Romney had it in the bag?
He won the state where his Dad was governor and another state with a huge Mormon population. Which one of them makes you think he’s a lock in places like Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma or Ohio on Super Tuesday?
February 29th, 2012 at 12:59 am
@FlyingToaster:
Hmmm… bet I try this one this weekend. I had a kick-ass peanut soup recipe from an Eithiopian friend in Chicago some years ago, but it’s mutated since then. This one ought to go pretty good with fish on the side, betcha, so I’m hittin’ the bridges and thinkin’ about dun-dun noodles with it.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:07 am
@El Cid: I almost think this is too good to be true. Maybe I’m too jaded, but I’ll believe it when I see it. And if I see it, I’ll be donating to NPR.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:08 am
@Spaghetti Lee: Romney will win Virginia because Gingrich and Santorum aren’t on the ballot.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:11 am
Also, too—I thought the Santorum appeal to Dems for votes was slimy, but after the results I have to admit I wish Da Mitten had been smacked in Mich. Not that it’s going to change anything for the Once and Future Nominee, but I’d just like to see a little more flop sweat on those $500 shirts. And Mitt v. Obama won’t be nearly as fun as Santy v. O., but that was never really in the cards.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:16 am
@Mnemosyne:
This is actually a traditional Italian Christmas soup eaten on Christmas Eve. They spend the day making the tortellini then cook it in broth in the evening.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:17 am
@DanielX: I wonder if Perry ruined the media’s predilection for politicians with cowshit Texas accents. Maybe there is a limit to the amount of stupidity the press can take.
Nah.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:20 am
@Martin: Honestly, no. Spam and peanut butter has never occurred to me.
But sliced and fried Spam makes a mighty fine sandwich (on toast with yellow mustard of course). And occasionally I’ll concoct something goofy like fried julienned Spam with mustard seed, cumin, turmeric and shredded cabbage. Which is actually a variation on a classic vegetarian dish, but with Spam. Because that’s the way I roll.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:20 am
@Mnemosyne: I have one of these, too. I love it. I find it really good for making pork loin, because I use the meat probe and cook it on low to about 150 or 160 and then it kicks over to warm to finish it off slowly.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:20 am
Ever since I discovered gochujang, I’ve been making bibimbap at least once a week. Usually vegetarian, which is great because I can use up whatever root vegetables etc. are lying around.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:27 am
colcannon
February 29th, 2012 at 1:28 am
Poor people’s food:
Hamburger casserole – 2 lbs. ground beef or pork, 1 can Campbell’s cream of potato soup, 1 can Campbell’s tomato soup. Mix well and bake at 350 for 1 hour. We ate this once a week when I was a kid.
Split pea soup with ham – 1/2 bag green split peas, 1/2 bag yellow split peas, water, onions or leeks, bone-in ham steak chopped into bite-size pieces (bone cooked with the soup), dill, salt, and pepper, and then a little Maggi in the serving bowl.
Stumpot – leftover mashed potatoes, leftover carrots, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, mashed all together with chicken stock to thin it out a bit.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:30 am
The ultimate poor people’s food is Jewish. Nothing like thousands of years of economic oppression to make you scrimp and save.
Latkes
2 large potatoes
1 large onion
1 egg
flour
Grate potatoes and onions on a box grater into a large bowl. Add egg & flour until it just comes together as a dough. The amount of flour will depend, but start with 1/2 a cup and work up from there. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat up about 1 inch of oil. When very hot, dollop out about a tablespoon of batter. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until very golden brown, then flip and cook other side about 6-7 minutes. Drain on paper towels. While still hot sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with either sour cream or applesauce.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:40 am
@Suffern ACE: Syrup is so easy to make. All you need is sugar, water and cinnamon. Mmmm!
February 29th, 2012 at 1:42 am
@Joel: That stuff is great, isn’t it?
I posted a recipe for short ribs (or skirt steak) using it in a marinade in the pre-Super Bowl recipe thread.
February 29th, 2012 at 1:46 am
My Maine Coon charged a raccoon (at least we’re like 90% sure)...
He got a huge knot on his head and a couple of nasty cuts.
One right over his eye and a gash on the top of his head. Nothing broken, and no eye damage (though his eyelid was pretty swollen). Nothing quite large enough to warrant stitches.
We’ve cut back some fur and we have like a zillion cat meds handy (antibiotics, etc).. it’s been a few days and all the swelling has gone down. He still looks a bit rough (you can see the cuts) but he’s happy. We made some black tea with a tiny bit of vinegar and dressed everything. no infections etc.. he’s not a cat to transport so it was more a judgement of not traumatizing him further by a vet visit based on the scope of his injuries.
He never once stopped chasing the ferals. Never stopped eating. Barely broke stride, even when he came in bloody on friday. Was like “you should see the other guy”.
My cat is a fucking badass. Hopefully he never charges a raccoon again. He’s smart as hell, so I’m sure he’s learned a lesson. Poor kitteh.. he looks pretty pleased with himself at the moment..snoring right next to me. =)
February 29th, 2012 at 2:19 am
@magurakurin:
I think Santorum may be a more dangerous nominee than Romney. It’s hard to tell. Romney has the absolute worst trait any politician can have – no charisma. Bush had charisma, even if it didn’t work on me. He was able to charm a lot of people, and that squeaked him over the edge twice because those people vote based on gut impressions. They will absolutely not vote for Romney. His own base will show up to the polls in half-hearted numbers. He will not merely lose, he’ll be a giant drag on the GOP ticket at every level.
Santorum has charisma. Not a lot of it, but enough that a spin doctor can work with it. On the other hand, he is absolutely, utterly batshit ‘Bachmann Is My Copilot’ crazy. His policy positions are SO bad they beat their way through normally inattentive heads. He will make fantastically bad decisions and refuse to be led because he’s crazy, but Mitt seems to do the same because he’s incompetent. Santorum will at least bring the base out to vote.
Basically, Obama will hand either one their ass in the election, but I think Romney’s a bigger drag on congressional tickets. It’s just hard to tell, because they’re a pair of the worst candidates the Sun Pony ever put on this Earth.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:24 am
@Frankensteinbeck: You’re crazy if you think santorum could take any incumbent. Much less obama.
Just sayin.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:25 am
@Frankensteinbeck: oops. I scrolled right past the end of your post. Apologies.
(curses the lack of delete button!)
Edit: WTF? I can delete 179 but not 178?
headdesk
February 29th, 2012 at 2:26 am
In the long run, Romney will be the better nominee to have. After he gets beat like a drum by Obama, the Republican base will be frothing mad in 2015-6. They sat back. They “played nice”. They “let” the party nominate two moderates in a row. And what happened? A ******* got “elected” President. Well, that’s not going to happen a third time.
This time they’re going to go full retard straight from the start. No compromise, just unfiltered id.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:30 am
Poor people food – creamed tuna on white bread toast. Made just like SOS but tuna instead of beef.
Or navy beans and ham hocks and homemade corn bread
February 29th, 2012 at 2:30 am
@lol:
I’m not sure. The dynamic is going to change drastically after Obama wins reelection, because they won’t be able to vote him out of office anymore. They still think they can make an example of him in this election. They’re desperate to do so. They swore in 2008 that he would be a one term president, that they would get him so that his kind would never dare again. Once Obama wins reelection, that goal is taken away from them. The balance will change drastically. I’m not sure where it will go. I worry about assassination. Or they might give up in despair. Something will change, big time.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:40 am
The race is over?
???
Gingrich is going to win. How do I know? Why, he told us so. He’s announced on more than one occasion that it was a foregone conclusion that he would win. And everyone knows Newt’s a genius. Or as some have observed—He’s a stupid person’s idea of what a smart person is. I guess that means Republicans think he’s smart.
I think the big question is not will Romney win the nomination, but will the GOP stand for that? My guess is that after a lot of grumbling they’ll let Mittens have his little nomination-toy. He’s a rich kid. And rich kids always get what they want.
What would be worse for the GOP than Mitt winning the nomination? The tantrum he’ll throw if they take it away from him.
They all suck. They’re all dangerous.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:42 am
my favorite food is “ready” so i would guess that most of what i like is probably poor people’s food. especially by the lofty standards displayed on this blog.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:51 am
@Frankensteinbeck:
I don’t.
No one has forgotten JFK. The Secret Service is well aware of the risks.
How many drones do you think will be in the air during an inauguration? That you can’t see or hear, but are watching you?
We’d never hear about it. But if need be, it’ll get done.
February 29th, 2012 at 2:56 am
I am trying that peanut-butter thing TOMORROW!
My favorite tasty cheap food – Vietnamese Caramel Grilled Pork. Not a zero-effort dish – but make it when Pork Shoulder is on sale (slice it yourself) or make it when you get a good deal on thin-sliced pork steak (the same thing.)
– with rice, cilantro, cucumbers, peanuts, and nuoc cham dipping sauce, it tastes FANTASTIC - makes a great, really cheap company meal, too! I think I posted this before – but here goes again –
1. Make a medium-brown-brown caramel with 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water. Caramel should just coat a spoon: thin with water, if necessary. Cool.
2. combine caramel with 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 large shallots, very finely minced (or pounded in a mortar) and 1 tbsp salad oil. Mix this marinade with very thinly sliced (around 1/4-1/3 inch thick) pork shoulder or sirloin. (the fattier the pork, the better the dish, to my taste. ) Let pork marinate 30 minutes to an hour or so.
Heat grill – or you can broil it, if you turn off the smoke alarms. Grill or broil pork till just cooked through, – let rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly.
Serve slice pork over a bowl of hot white rice, garnished with chopped cilantro, chopped scallions, chopped peanuts, and sliced cucumbers. (really, the garnishes are VERY important – doesn’t taste right if any are missing. )
Serve with individual bowls of Nuoc Cham dipping sauce – also key. Gotta have the Nuoc cham. Start with:
1/3 cup sugar sugar
2/3 cup Hot water
1/3 cup Vietnamese fish sauce
1 tablespoon White rice vinegar
1/4 cup Lime juice
2-3 thinly sliced Jalapenos, with seed removed – or not, if you want it hotter
3-5 cloves Large garlic, finely chopped
and adjust to taste – should be sweet, sour, salty, and savory. (I usually end up dumping in a lot more lime juice, and some scraped in lime-pulp, too.
This is supposed to be a dipping sauce -but I usually end up dumping a BUNCH on top of the rice/pork bowl, and slurping it down.
February 29th, 2012 at 3:18 am
Ha, I just chucked a smoked ham hock in water with some veg for 5 hours and cooked it down to stock, then made split peas with it, blended and added the shredded ham. Awesome
You can skim off lots of the fat that way, especially if you chill the stock first overnight its easy.
February 29th, 2012 at 3:27 am
OMG, JC. I had my Mom’s “Boiled Dinner” tonight. Ham, Onions, Potatoes, and Cabbage all boiled in a big pot. Carrots and broccoli tossed in for the last 20 min. I love a simple meal. I also love ham. Maybe those are related somehow.
February 29th, 2012 at 3:58 am
Poor People Food? Sure I’ve eaten it all my life. Like the one time, um, me and Ann were uh, at uh,
Chasen’suh I mean uh our butler’s house out back, we ate something called Scampi. What a name huh? Scampi! It was these little shrimps in butter and garlic over rice. I’ll tell ya what Jon, I’ll have him post the recipe because I, like you, love poor people food. Not poor people, but poor people food.February 29th, 2012 at 4:21 am
@BGinCHI:
Food rainforest, maybe? Something rare & exciting & different no matter where you look, all year round, as long as you don’t mind getting bitten by hipsters & other minor parasites. Then the MBA-marketeer gypsies swarm in, take machetes to everything they can’t burn down, and cripple the resulting thin-soiled prairie with vast herds of tourists.
February 29th, 2012 at 4:26 am
@Mittens: ?
February 29th, 2012 at 4:50 am
How about noodles cooked up, mixed with smoked sausage (like kielbasa) and cabbage all cooked together? My favorite comfort food.
February 29th, 2012 at 4:57 am
@Marcellus Shale, Public Dick:
One of the top items on our house-hunting list has always been “good restaurant delivery access”.
Also, never underestimate the nutrition potential of making friends with people who enjoy cooking. I’ve found that many cooks seem to enjoy a duly appreciative guest… look at the way our bloghost talks about all those late-night parties at his place…
February 29th, 2012 at 4:59 am
Being a bachelor at one time, I always liked things that were quick and easy, but tasted really good. One thing I always liked to mess around with was macaroni & cheese. I always used the Kraft kind, because in bulk you could buy a box for less than fifty cents sometimes. I would add various things to it, like a can of tuna & a can of peas. Sprinkle some potato chips or parmesan cheese & you had a quick version of tuna casserole. Or I would fry up half a dozen butterflied hotdogs on the skillet, then when they were nice & browned, I’d cut them up, throw them into the macaroni & cheese, then add some BBQ sauce, something Kansas City-like, with a tomato-molasses base. That was some good eating. Or if I wanted a change of pace, either fry the hot dogs up as before & add them to a can of baked beans. Sometimes I’d use little smokies that I’d browned in a frying pan, then add the beans, & some brown sugar, simmer until thick. Oh, the maple sugary goodness of the smokies, mixed with the beans, mmm-mmh!
Of course, one of the things I had to survive on when I first got out of the Marine Corps, but didn’t have any money because my measly G.I. Bill checks ($400.00) hadn’t shown up yet, were fried egg sandwiches. Eggs, Bread, a little Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, sprinkle some parmesan cheese on for flavor with pepper. Pretty tasty stuff. A dozen eggs cost 99 cents, a loaf of bread was 75 cents, the Miracle Whip & Parmesan Cheese lasted forever. I had to eat those for about two months until my financial aid came in.
February 29th, 2012 at 6:08 am
dried peas/beans & rice
February 29th, 2012 at 6:17 am
@harlana: Exactly. I have trouble thinking of anything based on meat, much less beef, as being ‘poor people’s food’.
February 29th, 2012 at 6:46 am
well… a little late to the party, but: polenta. so versatile (and a good workout stirring it- I prefer firm to soft). poor people’s food style: just add grated cheese. or top with Italian sausage simmered in red sauce. break out the cloth napkins: top with paprika’d rabbit (not whole) braised in white wine (fruttier the better) with golden raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries (chop these up and they break down to thicken the sauce (spray pam on the knife))and bay leaf. brown rabbit, remove, deglaze w/onions, tomato paste and anchovy paste. add liquid, rabbit etc. simmer till done. finish when done with a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley.
February 29th, 2012 at 6:48 am
@The Dangerman:
Question: What is the proper way to read your userid? I can’t tell if you’re a Dangerous Man or a German Dan.
.
February 29th, 2012 at 6:50 am
Peanut noodles: simple dish, make the sauce and pour over noodles. A bit like the noodles above, but with an Asian vibe. Recipe here: http://web.mac.com/lubap/Recip.....odles.html. (Linking not working for me.) It’s become a family favorite.
February 29th, 2012 at 7:12 am
@Mittens:
Very funny. Is that you, David Koch?
Great recipe thread. Trying several, and thank you all.
February 29th, 2012 at 8:22 am
@Xenos: A lot of times, the ‘meat’ used as the recipe base were parts (cuts or tissues) that weren’t as easy to sell, so it depends on the types of agriculture and livestock and trade communities had. Nowadays we tend to cheat and use pieces which would have been prioritized for the market.
February 29th, 2012 at 8:33 am
I’ve found that in most recipes that call for meat, even beef stew, you can use half or less of what’s called for, make up the difference in vegetables, and have an equally, if not more delicious meal. Doesn’t work for everything—shepherd pie needs a certain level of meat for the base—but even that can still be stretched by adding equal veg to meat, and going big on the mashed potatoes on top.
Another favorite is quick and easy is saute some onions, garlic, green peppers if you like them in a deep pan or medium pot until starting to soften, then add a couple pounds of frozen black-eyed peas, enough water or stock to cover, and just let them cook until everything is past the soupy phase and more stewlike. At that point, turn down the heat and add as much kale as possible, cooking until just wilted.
You can serve it over rice if you want, but I like it on its own with a side of squash casserole and maybe some roasted tomatoes. Cornbread is a nice side, too, but that makes the meal pretty starchy. I sometimes add sausage or a slice of bacon before the beans, but it’s fine on its own, healthy, and freezes quite well.
Also good and freezes pretty well is the black bean chili recipe from The Grit cookbook. It makes a TON. We make it about twice per year, freezing most of it in 2-cup containers. Those can be meals on their own, served over brown rice, made into quesedillas for lunch, or (my favorite) used to make nachos during football season.
February 29th, 2012 at 9:18 am
I saw a mention of the late Steve Gilliard in the thread, and was reminded that Steve loved him some comfort food. Here is his mac ‘n cheese:
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente. Drain.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, mix all the liquid and spices together. Then fold in cheese until mixture is combined, place in oven, let bake until brown and crispy on top for a half hour or so.
(Recipe found here)
February 29th, 2012 at 9:37 am
@Yutsano:
agreed, this thread has me thinking of many of my Nanas recipes! Who wouldn’t love fried matzoh?
smash up some matzoh, moisten with water, beat in some egg, fry in schmaltz. Yum!
February 29th, 2012 at 9:56 am
@BGinCHI: Sun Wah BBQ duck. The exact polar opposite of a food desert is thus described succinctly and absolutely. And I will post in a long dead thread just to reiterate the point.
February 29th, 2012 at 9:59 am
@Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason: Try washing your rice first, to get all the loose starch free. Also, do not stir cooking rice, and use a long-grain variety, which tends to cook less stickily. You might saute the rice in a little oil first as well.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:13 am
I’m one of the 99% – I eat shit. Every day. Lots of it, too.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Favorite poor people’s food for me is baked beans with sauteed onions and tomatoes. Love it with fried dumplings (Jamaican style). Could eat this every day.
February 29th, 2012 at 10:36 am
GOULASH!
February 29th, 2012 at 10:52 am
@Xenos: @Xenos:
Hocks, pork belly, shoulder of pork, shoulder of lamb, brisket, ribs, offal, all cuts of meat that are poor people’s food. Usually, tougher cuts that require slow and low cooking to render out the connective tissues, but yield great flavor and sometimes big quantities.
Shin of beef cooked into stew for over 4 hours, best flavor, and my butcher charges 1/6 the price of fillet of beef for shin, 1/5 the price of ribeye steak.
February 29th, 2012 at 11:04 am
Corned beef casserole:
One can of corned beef
One can of mushroom soup
2 cups of egg noodles, cooked
1/2 onion chopped & sauteed
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
A little milk to make it not so stiff
Mix together – 1 cup of the cheese reserved for the top
Bake at 350 degrees till cheese browns (about 30 min)
February 29th, 2012 at 11:08 am
I’d suggest one with a timer if you can justify the added cost. They’re usually more expensive than the ones that just have Low, High and Warm settings. I don’t think you should need to go terribly high end. Target etc. usually have them for around $30 (last time I checked).
February 29th, 2012 at 11:31 am
@Triassic Sands: Yep, they’re all dangerous and we should caveat predictions of Obama’s win with ” if nothing untoward happens between now and then” Nobody knows how things will really play out next November.
Also, if each of us who supports Obama works for the Democratic ticket up and down the line, perhaps we can make his reelection more likely and, almost as important, give him a Congressional majority. I love to wish big, but back it up with deeds.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
@BGinCHI: My sister took me and my Dad there for Father’s Day this past year. It was awesome.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:14 pm
@Chris:
Ham hocks are poor people’s food because they’re way cheaper than most other forms of pork. But poor is relative. Sawgrass said earlier that s/he sees ham hocks as something you buy when you have money but when you’re really poor you catch fish.
February 29th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
John hosted a recipe thread and no one told me? Serves me right for sleeping regular hours. Don’t you people have to work in the mornings?
February 29th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Seriously, Peanut Butter Stew as a good thing?!
February 29th, 2012 at 2:27 pm