I think I enjoy the cooking more than eating, there is nothing better than to watch the smile grow after someone’s first bite. Note from Steve: I am a flow of thought writer and apologize up front if I lose you. My family is used to it.
Another Michael suggestion was Butcher Box with Grass-fed beef and free-range chicken are excellent sources of protein and essential nutrients. Naturally-raised pork and beef have a better omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid profile, more linoleic acid — an anti-carcinogen, and more antioxidants. Try here for more info. Anyway they are very flexible and now once a month we get another package deliverer to our door and ready for our freezer. We just chose our second monthly box and there are always specials you can add on.
SO far we got this and tried the strip steak (pan seared and oven roasted) and burgers and the whole chicken.
My son Michael kept talking about two things Misfit Market and Butcher Box. He had tried these and love them and he is now cooking which makes me very happy. This one boasts Healthy, Affordable, and Ugly fruits and veggies delivered to your door . Only on our third week but so far its been far from Ugly. They have different size boxes and plans we signed up for once a week and the smaller box Approx. 10-12 lbs. of organic mixed fruits and veggies (seasonal produce may include leafy greens—kale, lettuce, arugula—squash, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, peaches, plums, celery, cabbage). Weight of box may vary based on type of produce & season!
I like it because every Friday (you get to choose your delivery day) we get a surprise. You don’t know what you will get but from that you can figure out menus and it forces you to try something new from time to time. Saturday is our normal shopping day and it felt like something was wrong with only a few produce item i the cart like bananas, or something else we needed. Butcher Block also cut down on our meets that on another post.
Our first box was great and most of the items where far from ugly only the broccoli was a little yellow but not soft it tasted perfect and we roasted it with some parsnips, carrots and other stuff. Being organic you don’t get those giant apples or oranges there were no perfectly shaped potatoes but the sweet potato that look like a beet was great last night. Everything so far (on 2nd box, 3rd out for delivery) tasted perfectly fresh with no overripe yada yada yada. On the morning news the other day they did a story and the woman said her only disappointment was there were no ugly produce.
This is first box the 2nd box got scallions, Boston lettuce, artichoke……..
I like the fact that it is all organic, makes Lyn smile, that it is deliverer to my house and that every Friday we get a surprise and get to make up our weekly menu.
Oh if you want to try please use the link below, thanks
Misfits market
Give your friends 25% off their first box. When
your friends buy their first box from your invite link
Below is my link use it for your first order to
get the 25% off,
A long time ago Lyn had me make this BBQ sauce with rhubarb, my initial reaction was a big question mark face. Strawberry Rhubarb pie now that’s a big yes, but BBQ sauce huh! She saw this in a canning book Once it started cooking the smell alone sold me. I found this online and it might be the exact recipe thanks Victoria
Ingredients • 1 kg rhubarb (chopped. 2 quarts / 8 cups when sliced into 1/4 inch pieces. About 12 stalks) • 250 g raisins (coarsely chopped. 1 1/2 cups after chopping. 8 oz) • 100 g onion (medium-coarse chopped. 1/2 cup. 3 oz) • 450 g brown sugar (3 1/2 cups loose packed / 1 lb) • 125 ml white vinegar (5% acidity or higher. 1/2 cup / 4 oz) • 1 teaspoon allspice (ground) • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground) • 1 teaspoon ginger (ground) • 1 teaspoon pickling salt • 3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled – for flavor only. Optional)
Instructions
Combine rhubarb, raisin, onion, sugar OR liquid stevia, and vinegar together in a large pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, uncovered. Let simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes till it breaks down into a coarse, relatively thick purée; you can use the back of your spoon to encourage it along.
Add the allspice, cinnamon, ginger, salt OR salt sub, and lemon juice if using. Stir well to mix.
Optional: purée to smooth in blender, put back in pot, reheat thoroughly. ( I did this)
I made a smaller batch so did not bother canning it.
For Xmas Missy sent us a Go Wise Air Fryer, which was funny since Lyn and I had been discussing getting one. We were back and forth since we do not eat a lot of fried foods. Mike in the Akron office had 1 at home and likes it so much he bought a biog one and brought his smaller one to work. Now around lunch time the warehouse smells burgers, fries, steaks and on and on. SO much for running out for fast foods. So with the decision made for us we dove in and tried what else French fries. I tried making my oven fires which came out pretty good but Alexia rosemary frozen fries. Wow they came out great, crispy but not hard in the inside and no oil. Since then tried their sweet potatoes fries and onion rings to put it bluntly we now eat more fries in a month than we previously did in a year. At Eastover this year we had turkey burgers and fries for 20 and the fries were a big hit. I found fries for two can cook in 8-10 minutes. One trick is to preheat the fryer first. Since then I’ve tried my oven fired cutlets, Fish and chips, chicken breast, whole chicken, just about anything you cook in oven I’ll try. At one point we said should we leave on the counter? Still figuring the timing for my dishes but that like time will come.
Its been awhile since I posted but I have not been idol., actually like most I cook the same things tweaking here and there, I’ve tried new things and kitchen gadgets like the air fryer I got for gift, so I’ll first recap and then if I think worthy post a few recipes. Here are a few things I’ve been doing
This Thanksgiving I decided to try spatchcoking the turkey so I decided to try it out on a chicken first. I’ve done something similar before on the grill but had weighed it down with tin foil cover bricks. That was a long time ago but I remember it was fast and tasty. So off to Price Chopper for some last minute Tday supplies and I grabbed a small roasting chicken. After cutting the backbone out and performing some, what looked like CPR, the chicken was flat and ready. I did a Williams’s Sonoma key lime rub sprayed with some oil and threw into a 450 oven. My first inclination was to reduce the heat but more than one recipe I skimmed said no, so what the heck. After about 40 minutes it was up to temp and letting sit for 30 minutes the skin was crispy and the meat, even the white, was moist, juicy and delicious. You can tel im not a white meat fan. In fact we had some chicken sandwiches on our annual drive to Missy and Mark’s DC Thanksgiving. I’m ready for tomorrow bring it on turkey!
I do have to admit that since Lyn shuns apon eating the skin, I removed and made sure there was none left. My stomach let me know about it later but it sure was good going down.
I had a bowl full of cherry tomatoes, a yellow pepper and a pound of 90% burger from wholefoods and even though Lyn is not crazy about this dish I had a craving. So in this case the heck with her its all about me this time. I grew up calling a similar dish American Chop Suey so I based it a lot on my recipe but i’ve seen it been called Goulash so since this was different I ‘ll call it such.
Ingredients
1 lbs of hamburger
Maybe 30 quartered cherry tomatoes
One yellow bell pepper cored and chops
2 stalks of celery thinly sliced cross wise.
1/2 cup of Lyn’s pasta sauce which included a splash of water maybe 1/4 cup worth
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon basil
A pinch or so of red pepper flakes, depending how spicy you like it
I tired something I read on browning the burger and I have to say I think it worked. I flatten the burger out and place on the preheated pan on high with a little oil and browned on that side for a few minutes over medium, turning down the heat to medium as soon as it hit the hot pan.
Flipped it and then started to break up into smaller chunks. this did as I read kept the meat moister. I used to immediately start to chop up the meat. I had already added the pepper and celery and by the time the meat had browned they were limp but still had a little bite to them. Mine was 90% lean so there was very little fat render if you used 80% or lower then drain the fat out.
I then added the spices , tomatoes and sauce mixing well and brought to simmer then stirred occasionally.
In the meantime I had a plan I was going to freeze a lot of the meat mixture for a quick easy future bachelor meal so instead of cooking the one pound of elbow pasta I only cooked up 1 cup. and I only cook for 5 minutes.
When the pasta was done and bowled I scooped the meat mixture on top, mix to coat well it up and then being raised by my dad squirted some ketchup on it. I know I know I know.
It was quick and easy but did create a bunch of pots and pans but well with. Lyn shook her head and had a salad for lunch.
Ok Tuesday night and Lyn had taken out a tenderloin out. So I cut up a baked potatoe to make french fries, Lyn was in charge of the brocollirab. Pan seared about 6 minutes in the cast iron pan flipped it and threw it in the oven with the fires for another 5 minutes let sit on cutting board while the fries finished. Everything was done about the same time, Lyn smiled she knows how I love it when everything is done at the same time. It was so tender you could cut
Lyn and I took advantage of the lower humidity and want for a walk, on the way back just before our house we discovered some super sweet wild blackberries and no posin ivy I hope.
Auggie got me hungry already, and its only 8:15 AM. She is one that enjoys cooking maybe more than me. She has an amazing knack for presentation and her food or what I have tasted matches. She inspires me.
Warmed up some butter and garlic, painted onto mushroom, mixed up a bit of toms, mozzarella basil red onion, grilled bottom side down for about 2 mins, flipped, filled with mix and grilled about 5-6 more mins then topped with basil and balsamic redux, and then the OMG grilled garlic bread! How have I never made garlic bread on the grill!!! 😊
Gourmet Dad, Don’t Let The Title Fool You 