Unusual: 10 Make You Think Surreal Photos

From Denny: Whether it's Photoshopped or not we all enjoy those odd sometimes surreal photos that make us think. We may wonder what is going on in the head of the artist or photographer. These odd photos make us take pause and ponder about the statement. Photos like this tend to linger in our minds long after viewing. Found these lovlies on StumbleUpon at the account of retrit, a woman in Greece. She does have a great eye for unusual photos, enjoy!


















































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7 Easy Recipes for Relaxed Weekend Food

From Denny: TGIF (Thank God It's Friday to friends around the globe) is when we wind down around our house and make super easy tasty meals. I rounded up several choices for you to experiment with this weekend while you wait out the last week or so of winter. Can you tell I'm getting restless and ready to get out and dig in the garden? :) Yes, I'm ready to throw open the windows and get some fresh warmer air!

Low maintenance recipes are easy with a slow cooker to do the job virtually unattended while you run out and do errands or take the kids to various events. Two recipes satisfy this requirement: Asian Spiced Chicken Wings and Slow Cooker Barbecue Baby Back Ribs.

How many times do you ask the kids what they want for a meal and the reply is usually something with cheese like a grilled cheese sandwich, a cheese pizza or cheese quesadilla? Over at the American Dairy Association @ ILoveCheese.com there are plenty of yummy recipes to help with the dilemma of expanding the kids' "melted cheese palate."

For a simple lunch or early dinner try our Cajun style Italian Sausage Poboy Sandwiches popular here in Louisiana or Mexican style Confetti Quesadillas With Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese. Kids love quesadillas and those who love Italian food love a good hearty sandwich.

If it's a good brunch you are looking for then try out this California Avocado Piquillo Pepper Frittata I found over at Avocado.org. It's the official site of the California Avocado growers. Don't worry if you can't find the specific pepper used in the recipe. Just substitute local red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers. We love the mild taste of the yellow and orange bell peppers for weekend omelets and frittatas.

If you love to make bread but never had the time to learn it from scratch this recipe is an easy one using pizza bread dough from the refrigerator: Mozzarella and Homemade Dried Tomatoes Flatbread.

For a low calorie snack using cheese try: Baked Spinach Artichoke Yogurt Dip. It's a real taste pleaser, fast for the cook and low in calories for the weight conscious.

OK, I am so hungry right now... :) Have a great weekend!





Recipes Featured:

Baked Spinach Artichoke Yogurt Dip
Asian Spiced Chicken Wings
Slow Cooker Barbecue Baby Back Ribs
Italian Sausage Poboy Sandwiches
Confetti Quesadillas With Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese
Mozzarella and Homemade Dried Tomatoes Flatbread
California Avocado Piquillo Pepper Frittata








Baked Spinach Artichoke Yogurt Dip

From: National Dairy Council

Makes: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (8-ounce) container low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup shredded part-skim, low-moisture Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped red pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except red pepper and mix well. Pour mixture into 1-quart casserole dish or 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and sprinkle with red peppers. Serve with toasted bread or whole grain crackers.


Nutritional Facts:

Calories: 80
Total Fat: 3 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 10 mg
Sodium: 220 mg
Calcium: 20% Daily Value
Protein: 8 g
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g







Asian Spiced Chicken Wings

From: CrockPot.com - recipe index

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

3 lbs. chicken wings
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbl. dry sherry
2 tsps. fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbl. fresh lime juice

Suggestion: use a 3 to 4 quart slow cooker for this recipe

Directions:

1. Pat chicken wings with paper towels until dry. Broil the chicken wings for 10 minutes on each side, or until browned.

2. Transfer the chicken wings to the Crock-Pot slow cooker.

3. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, sherry, ginger and garlic. Drizzle over the chicken wings and toss to coat. Cover; cook on Low 5 to 6 hours or on High for 2 to 3 hours.

4. Remove wings from the stoneware, place on serving platter and reserve 1/2 cup of the juices in the Crock-Pot slow cooker. Discard the remaining juices.

5. Combine the reserved juice with the hoisin sauce and lime juice. Stir to blend and drizzle the sauce over the chicken wings.





Slow Cooker Barbecue Baby Back Ribs

From: CrockPot.com

Serves: about 6 or more as appetizers, 2 ribs to a person

Cook Time:

7 - 9 hours on LOW
3 - 5 hours on HIGH

Slow Cooker:

5 - 5.5 Quarts
6 - 6.5 Quarts

Ingredients:

3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce, to taste
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 racks baby back ribs, cut into 3-4 rib pieces

Directions:

In a skillet placed on stovetop set to medium heat, heat oil. Add garlic and onions and sauté until softened and lightly browned. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Remove half the sauce to use for serving.

Transfer stoneware to slow cooker heating base. Add ribs and sauce, cover, and cook on Low for 7-9 hours or on High for 3-5 hours.

To serve, cut ribs between bones and pass extra sauce.








Confetti Quesadillas With Colby and Monterey Jack Cheese

From: American Dairy Association @ ILoveCheese.com

Ingredients:

12 soft corn tortillas
1 cup shredded part-skim Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim Colby cheese
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted, or canned black beans, that have been drained and rinsed or a combination of both corn and black beans
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 red bell pepper, finely minced
1 jalapeño pepper, finely minced or 1/2 tsp. chopped pickled sliced jalapeño peppers, drained, rinsed and patted dry
Cilantro Yogurt “Sour Cream” (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Preheat large skillet over low heat. Line up six tortillas. Divide cheese, corn/black beans, cilantro and jalapeños among the tortillas, then cover each with a second tortilla.

2. Put a tortilla on the dry skillet and warm until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook other side until golden, about 1 minute. Cut into wedges. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. If desired, serve with Cilantro Yogurt “Sour Cream.”


Cilantro Yogurt “Sour Cream”

Ingredients:

Cilantro Yogurt “Sour Cream”

2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Line a strainer with a coffee filter or paper towel and place over a mixing bowl. Pour in yogurt and refrigerate until some of the liquid has drained off.This takes about 1 hour.

2. Transfer to small mixing bowl; stir in cilantro and salt. Refrigerate.





Mozzarella and Homemade Dried Tomatoes Flatbread

From: Jean Paul Desmaison for the North American Olive Oil Association

Serves: 6 to 8

Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion, julienned
1/2 tbl. sugar
1/2 tbl. salt
1 tbl. butter
1 tbl. olive oil

Directions:

In a pan over medium-low heat, sauté the onions with all the ingredients for approximately 10 minutes. Reserve.

Homemade Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

6 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and sugar

Directtions:

Preheat oven to 125 degrees. Cut each tomato length-wise in 6 wedges, remove seeds; place in mixing bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and sugar and drizzle with oil. Bake for 1 hour.

Flatbread

Ingredients:

1 flatbread or refrigerated thin-crust pizza dough, prepared as directed on package
3-1/2 ozs. fresh mozzarella, grated
2 button mushrooms, sliced
8 slices of the Homemade Dried Tomatoes
Caramelized Onions
2 tbls. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On top of the flatbread, evenly spread the mozzarella cheese; add the sliced mushrooms, tomato slices and Caramelized Onions. Top with Parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil and salt.

2. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes.





Italian Sausage Poboy Sandwiches

From: Sam Losavio

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. of your favorite Italian sausage. (He likes d’Maggio Italian Sausage, made in Tickfaw, Louisiana and available at local farmers markets.)
4 tbls. water
1 medium red bell pepper, cored and sliced into long strips
1 medium green bell pepper, cored and sliced into long strips
1 large onion, sliced into long strips
Buns or po-boy bread for sandwiches, optional

Directions:

1. Heat large skillet and add sausage.

2. Add water and simmer on medium heat, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. This is browning the sausage.

Add additional water if needed to keep from burning. Turn sausage to brown on all sides.

3. Add peppers and onions and continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. Then cover and cook an additional 15 minutes for a total of 45 minutes.

4. Make sandwiches, if desired. Serve on toasted buttered buns and offer mustard and mayonnaise.





What's cool about this site, Avocado.org, is that along side the recipes is a calculator where you can change the amount of servings you want and the recipe automatically adjusts for you.



California Avocado Piquillo Pepper Frittata

From: Chef Mary Sue Milliken and Chef Susan Feniger @ Avocado.org

Preparation: 40 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Total Time: 55 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 ripe Fresh California Avocado, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
½ cup jarred roasted piquillo peppers, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 eggs
½ cup grated Spanish manchego cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, for cooking

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl, toss together avocado, peppers, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Let marinate 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese and parsley until frothy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the avocado mixture.

Heat oil in a 10-inch, nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the egg mixture, reduce heat to medium and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the bottom is set and the top is still runny. Occasionally lift the outer edges so the uncooked egg can run underneath.

Place the skillet in the oven and cook until the eggs are set and golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the oven and loosen the bottom of the frittata with a spatula. Place a serving plate over the skillet and invert the frittata onto it. Cut into wedges and serve hot or at room temperature.

Tip: Crumbled goat cheese may be substituted for Spanish manchego cheese.

* Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.


Nutrition information per serving:

Calories 300; Total Fat 23 g (Sat 6 g, Trans
0 g, Poly 1.1 g, Mono 6.9 g); Cholesterol 440 mg; Sodium 370 mg; Potassium
234 mg; Total Carbohydrates 8 g; Dietary Fiber 3 g; Total Sugars 1 g; Protein 16 g; Vitamin A 889 IU; Vitamin C 7 mg; Calcium 118 mg; Iron 2 mg; Vitamin D
0 IU; Folate 41 mcg; Omega 3 Fatty Acid 0.1 g

% Daily Value*: Vitamin A 20%; Vitamin C 10%; Calcium 10%; Iron 10%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 Calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.





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Enjoy Louisiana Culture: Love Those Eggplant Recipes

*** Fun article about Louisiana food culture. 3 eggplant recipes and 4 cooking videos to get you on your way to cooking this great vegetable! Funny veggie photos of eggplants "in the wild." :)

Immigrants Blend to Create Food Culture

With our Sicilian and Italian immigrant cultures over a century old now in Louisiana we still love eggplant dishes. Eggplant pasta can be found in the humble Italian eateries, eggplant appetizers stacked high at the most elegant restaurants from New Orleans to Lafayette, eggplant in home-made casseroles for that creamy texture, and, of course, warm eggplant dips for social gatherings like football parties, weddings, christenings and family reunions!


Sauteed Eggplant with Honey and Cheese





Eggplant Bad Rap: Bitterness and Seeds

Some people frown at eggplant as it is a nightshade plant like tomatoes. The key to using eggplant in any dish is to sweat down the raw slices with some salt in a colander over a bowl to catch the bitter juices as they scurry out of the vegetable. That bitterness is difficult to digest and is often the main complaint people have about the vegetable. Some people soak their eggplant in milk to draw out the bitterness as in a recipe below.

The other complaint is the seeds. If you make sure to cook, bake, fry or sauté it long enough the seeds soften into the “no-bother” stage. Eggplant tends to absorb oil when you sauté or fry it so take care to watch how much you use for any dish if you are watching your calories.

My father used to like to coat eggplant slices with batter and sauté it in a pan and it sure did soak up the oil, enough to make me run for the Highland hills. Tasted great but if you cannot handle much oil which is acidic on the stomach you might want to try another method like baking the eggplant.

Japanese Style Eggplant Salad - scroll down to photo credits for link to photographer's flickr page for ingredients list









Louisiana Men Are Great Cooks!

When it comes to eggplant I’m part of the lazy cook crowd and prefer to peel and dice up the eggplant, sweat out the bitterness for about 30 minutes, rinse it and then throw it together with some spices, cheese and whatever else grabs me, shove it in the oven, covered, and let it bake away until soft, succulent and wonderfully tasty!

Louisiana men LOVE to cook and especially for large gatherings. They are often heads of law firms, newscasters, founders of a local phone or natural gas company and they still choose to cook for anyone and everyone. They can also be what we call “country boys” who may have a construction, factory or refinery job, love to hunt and fish in their off hours and cook for their families and friends whenever someone drops by for a visit. They often get on their new tech cell phones and call around and invite just to have an excuse to cook. Men who love to cook; does it get any better than that?


Eggplant Nixon Humor





Cajun Cookbook and River Road Recipes

One local newscaster in Baton Rouge, an extremely popular man, was Cajun Vernon Roger (pronounced French way, not Anglicized). He’d do the news in this metro market and then slide on over to the cooking segment to assist the local chefs or do his own dishes. He was full of personality and showmanship. Most of all the man could really cook! So many viewers liked his cooking segments that he eventually self-published a spiral bound cookbook that was instantly a big hit, enjoying several printings for many years. Though he is gone and the original cookbook is out of print there is still a newer version of his cookbook available where they reduced the calories for more modern tastes.

You can order from Barnes and Noble: Roger’s Cajun Cookbook Lite. The Number is ISBN-13: 9780681480049 if you desire to look elsewhere and retails for about $27. You can occasionally find an autographed version in the used book section and they run about $75 each. The original cookbook is hard to come by unless you check out a used book fair and hope you get lucky.

Amazon.com has the original cookbook and the newer version with far more available well-priced copies than Barnes and Noble.

Also, a real sacred cow here in Louisiana is the beloved charity organization of the Junior League that published the nationally popular cookbook series: River Road Recipes. Most people love the first two cookbooks. This eggplant recipe is from River Road Recipes II: A Second Helping, originally published in 1976, which is available from Amazon too from $3 to $18.

Here are several recipes to enjoy and maybe think again of trying this versatile much maligned but tasty vegetable!

Eggplant Medallions with Crawfish Cream Sauce

From: Vernon Roger – Roger’s Cajun Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 eggplant peeled and sliced 1/4–inch thick

2 cups corn flour (fish-shrimp fry)

1 cup whipping cream

½ teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce/other hot sauce brand you like, this one is not as hot as Tabasco brand

1/8 teaspoon oregano

1 Tablespoon brandy

2 Tablespoons butter

½ onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons chopped green onions

1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 cup milk

Vegetable oil for frying like peanut oil that can take a high heat

1 cup crawfish tails (you could substitute shrimp or other seafood you like)

1 cup sliced mushrooms


Directions for frying eggplant: Soak eggplant in milk 7 minutes. Remove and discard milk. (This is where the bitter juice of the eggplant went, so you definitely want to discard this liquid.) Season corn flour with salt, red pepper, black pepper and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Heat oil. Dip slices in corn flour. Fry in hot oil till golden brown. Remove, drain on paper towel and keep warm.

Directions for Sauce: Melt butter in skillet. Add chopped onion, mushrooms and sauté 3 – 4 minutes. Add whipping cream. Simmer on medium to high heat till cream reduces by half. Add salt, red pepper, black pepper, oregano and hot pepper. Simmer 1 minute. Add crawfish, green onions, and parsley. Simmer 1 minute. Add brandy and simmer 1 minute. Lay 1 slice eggplant on plate. Spoon sauce over eggplant. Repeat with as many slices as desired.

Eggplant Parmesan - demos the layering technique





Eggplant Frittata - she shows you how to peel, slice, wash it if you are unfamiliar with eggplant





Eggplant Yuck or Yum! Poll

Do you like to cook and/or eat eggplant?

68% Yes, often
23% Yes, occasionally - it is a nightshade plant after all...
5% No, are you kidding? Yuck to the highest power!
5% Maybe - never gave it much thought but willing to try it now


Grilled Eggplant





Eggplant Tomato Curry - Louisiana elected 1st Indian-American governor, parents: Dems, he: Republican






Eggplant Ground Meat Casserole

From: River Road Recipes II: A Second Helping, published by the Junior League of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1976. Recipe donated by Mrs. Arthur Keller

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

4 large eggplants

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 large bell pepper, chopped

4 pods garlic, chopped

3 medium slices baked ham, cut into small pieces

1 cup butter (2 sticks)/you can substitute another oil of your choice like canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil as this is a 1970’s recipe and the Junior League has updated it for modern tastes in successive cookbooks.

1 ½ pounds mixed ground beef and pork

6 to 8 slices stale bread

½ cup cream

1 cup milk

5 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Bread, cracker, or potato chip crumbs to top

Directions: Peel, dice and simmer eggplants in small amount of water until tender. Does not take long. (I like to sweat the eggplant first to remove bitterness, and then proceed to boiling.) Sauté together onion, celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic and ham in butter/other oil you prefer until soft. Add all meat and cook until done. Combine bread with cream, milk and beaten eggs. Add this mixture to cooked meat and vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Pour into ungreased but wet, not too deep, large casserole. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes. When done, sprinkle top with your choice of bread or cracker or crumbled potato chips crumbs. Allow 2 to 3 minutes to heat. Remove from oven and serve.


Eggplant Man Humor




Savory Eggplant Tomato Butter

From: Chef Michael Flores from San Antonio, Texas that he uses for wedding menus

Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled and finely chopped eggplant

½ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup peeled, seeded and finely chopped plum tomatoes

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon oregano leaves, crushed

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Directions: In a medium saucepan, combine eggplant, onion, tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper. Cook over very low heat; stirring frequently, until eggplant is brown and tender, 10 to 15 minutes; cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine eggplant mixture with butter until blended.

Divide butter in half; place each half on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Shape into logs, 1 inch in diameter; wrap securely.

Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Use within a week or freeze up to 3 months. Serve with grilled chicken and fish or toss with pasta, rice and vegetables.


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Scary Odd: Chilean Earthquake Shortened Earths Day

From Denny: This is a fact few of us thought about when we first heard the news of the 8.8 earthquake in Chile. It really does make us wonder about the idea of the exponential curve in relation to a longer period of time how these incidences will add up to effect the planet. What am I talking about? The Earth's day is now just a small amount shorter.

Richard Gross, and another scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, put the pencil to the math. They calculated this recent high magnitude earthquake has now shortened the day by 1.26 microseconds. In case you forgot, a microsecond is one-millionth of a second. The length of a day is the time it takes for Earth to complete one rotation: 86,400 seconds or 24 hours.

OK, so how did this earthquake accomplish this feat of shortening Earth's day? It caused the Earth to rotate faster by nudging some of its mass closer to the planet's axis. Reminds you of one of those Olympic skaters in a spin where they pull up their arms to increase the speed of the spin.

The opposite can happen too. An earthquake "can slow the rotation and lengthen the day - if it redistributes mass away from that axis," Gross said.

Can this small change be permanent? According to Gross the answer is yes. He also commented that a series of high magnitude earthquakes like this one could possible add up to make the day shorter "but these changes are very, very small."

How small are these changes? There are so small that scientists are not able to record them directly. You would be surprised how much of science is not direct but rather indirect observation and recording. Gross also stated that true observations of the length of the day are accurate to five-millionths of a second. What about his estimate? His estimate about the Chilean quake's effect is just a quarter of that span of time.


*** For more science posts like this, please visit The Soul Calendar.

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Chef Jamie Oliver Discovers American Kids Dont Know Veggies

From Denny: Chef Jamie Oliver recently discovered that America's first graders cannot identify even the most common vegetables and fruits like tomatoes and potatoes.

The British chef is on a mission to improve the diets of America's school kids. He entered a first grade classroom and queried the children as he held up each vegetable from a table display. They did not know one. All they knew was they didn't like vegetables when he first uncovered the display as audible gasps were heard throughout the classroom.

His first stop on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - celebrity chef of Naked Chef fame - was to visit what is known as the unhealthiest city in America: Huntington, West Virginia. Chef Oliver is determined to improve America's ingrained bad eating habits and turn us away from the alarming rising rate of obesity. He is hoping this new series will be the catalyst for a healthy food reaction across America.

Take a look at these cute kids who clearly did not know what was on their plate or have any idea of the connection from farms or gardens to their lunch plate:





*** Almost every time I go to the grocery store the cashier asks me what those fruits and veggies are called. Hmmmm... maybe I should start memorizing those bar codes? :)

*** Please visit these food and health blogs:

The Healing Waters

Romancing The Chocolate

Unusual 2 Tasty

*** THANKS for visiting, come back often, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers - and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email!