Posted on 07/01/2020 5:58:39 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I’ve been sick the last couple of weeks, and have had energy for the absolutely necessary – and the nice distractions!
I thought I’d share with you some of the things that have distracted me from my personal issues, and from the larger issues that most of us are facing.
I guess it isn’t a surprise that I’ve been drawn, for distraction, to people and places who aren’t really dealing with all the cr*p that many of us are. One of the websites I’ve greatly enjoyed has been ‘Whippoorwill Holler’, offered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown in Northeast Arkansas.
Lately, Mrs. Brown has begun a series on very fresh, cold Summer salads, and will be posting more. (And she has a really wonderful old ‘country-store-style’ kitchen, if you like that):
The Recipe:
Tomato, Cucumber, Onion Salad
4-5 medium cucumbers
1 onion
Bell peppers
Thyme, oregano, dill optional
3 tomatoes
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 t. Salt
1 t. Pepper
And how you do it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJRcsaw-GpM
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Another place that has intrigued and distracted me is Smith Island, Maryland - an isolated and endangered island in the Chesapeake Bay.
Mrs. Mary Ada Marshall and her husband Dwight have been longtime caretakers of the Smith Island way of life – and here is a video of Mary Ada making the Maryland State Cake, Smith Island Cake. The cake isn't so much a recipe, as a construction and presentation; so you can use any recipe you like. As my Granny did, Mary Ada seems to prefer Duncan Hines (and if you try to make this as one big cake and cut it into tiny layers, YOU ARE CHEATING!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpY-a6M4nOE
(Mary Ada also makes prize-winning crabcakes. She doesn't give that recipe away, but if you hunt her down on the Internet, you can mail-order them :-)
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And finally, Animals! They can always distract us and remind us of what it means to simply LIVE, exuberantly, as creatures upon the Earth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bKwRW0l-Qk
-JT
We don’t really understand animals. From our observations, we come up with designations and words, like ‘instinct’ and ‘behavior’. But we’re looking from outside-in.
I think there’s a lot on the inside that we are still far from understanding.
People who own or otherwise live intimately with animals - and *love* them - probably have a much better sense of their natures than those who merely ‘study’ them.
An oldie but a goodie I make with cucumbers - slice and add to dressing of sour cream, garlic and fresh chopped dill, salt and pepper. Chill for at least an hour.
I will try it. My eating problem isn’t just due to the recent tooth issue - I’ve lost my appetite for months, now, beginning after a couple of weeks into ‘lockdown’.
It’s weird, because I’m a homebody anyway, and don’t really go about much in normal times; but I guess the disruption to normal routine has made a difference...
This one is pretty good.
https://natashaskitchen.com/8-layer-honey-cake-recipe-medovik/
I remember you mentioning this a long time ago, but I’ve never had it. There are lots of recipes out there - does this one look right?
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8043/pig-pickin-cake/
That’s it
That sounds wonderful!
It looks wonderful - and like a ‘cookie’ cake!
https://natashaskitchen.com/8-layer-honey-cake-recipe-medovik/
I will try it. My teeth are going to hell anyway :-)
It’s good if you like honey and graham crackers and cheesecake.
Do you have a recipe for your barbecue sauce?
My husband does a lot of pulled pork and pulled chicken; and I’m really interested in the varieties of sauce.
Sign me up.
Our favorite summer cold salad around this house is a Shrimp and Pasta Salad:
1 pound raw unshelled large shrimp
1 16 oz box of farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
2 thinly sliced carrots
2 stalks thinly sliced celery
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 small can of sliced black ripe olives (drained)
1 can baby artichoke hearts (drained and quartered)
1 bottle Girard’s Italian dressing (if you can find the Romano cheese one grab it - I haven’t been able to find it for a long time - or a good Italian one you like)
kosher salt and pepper
In a large pot bring to a boil about four quarts of water. Add a good tablespoon or so of kosher salt. Place the shrimp in a mesh colander with a handle and lower into the boiling water. Let cook in the colander* for about 2 or 3 minutes then lift them out and place in a bowl of ice water until cool enough to peel. Cut in half if they’re big and put aside. In the meantime, boil the pasta in the same water you cooked the shrimp 10-11 minutes until al dente. Drain well and then put into a large mixing bowl. Add the shrimp and the other ingredients while the pasta is still warm (soaks up the flavors better). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to your liking. The dressing has salt so you may only need to add the pepper. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. It gets better the longer it sits.
* By using a fine mesh colander, you can make sure no little shrimp legs or shell particles get left behind in the pasta cooking water. Cooking the pasta in the same water you cooked the shrimp adds more flavor. Enjoy!
Just watched the Pressure Luck guy do a brisket in the Instant Pot. On my list to try soon.
I use Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce with honey and I add some light brown sugar to it. I brush it on while they’re on the grill. As a side thought, I also use light brown sugar on SPAM when I bake it, the guys love that too!
It definitely works in the Instant Pot. Cooked some for potato salad last week. I used the 5x5x5 method. Five minutes cook, five minutes natural release, five minutes in ice water. So easy to peel! Shells came right off.
I’m making another potato salad next weekend for family and will try to the easy method posted above since I’ll be chopping them anyway. I’m also going to try cooking the potatoes in the IP.
If there’s a farmer’s market near you you can get some excellent cukes. I eat about 2 cucumber sandwiches a summer....wonder bread, mayo, salt,& pepper. Yum!
The Smith Island piece sounds really interesting. I am going to peruse it this weekend.
Love that salad! I leave out the green pepper, but otherwise, mines about the same. I really love the version that leaves out the oil, too.
I don’t have an instant pot, but I’m often asked to make potato salad. I always peel and cut up the potatoes and cook the eggs in with the potatoes. When they come to a boil, I cook them both for 9 minutes at an gentle boil. As soon as the times up, I quickly fish out the eggs and put them into a 1 quart Pyrex glass measuring cup of half water, half ice. Then I drain the potatoes and fold them into the dressing, celery, onions, etc. Then I peel the eggs and chop them up and fold them into the salad. They almost always peel very easily, after that ice water bath.
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