WhiteMagicWoman

Beef Jerky

6 lbs. Top round steak
Soy sauce (low sodium if you want)
Light brown sugar
Chinese five spice
2 – 3 cloves garlic (optional)
1 – 2 Green onion (optional

My basic recipe uses just the top 4 ingredients. Sometimes I’ll mix things up a bit and add garlic and onions to the marinade, but lately, it’s been just the soy, brown sugar, and five spice. Use whatever marinade you like, but I do not recommend using store bought terriyaki bottles. They dry too salty.

In a large deep bowl, add about 1/2 cup soy sauce, 2 cups water, 2 packed tablespoons of brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of five spice. Wisk to stir. Taste and adjust. Add more soy or more sugar according to what you want.

Slice the steak into 1/4-inch strips, against the grain. I use top round steak. I think it works better and comes out nice and “meaty.” I have tried other types of steak, but this one works best, I think.

Put the steak in the marinade. Make sure all of the pieces are coated and covered. Use some plastic wrap and cover the bowl. I usually put the wrap right on the surface of the meat and liquid to keep out any air. You could also put the meat and marinade in a plasic zip-lock bag. Put it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.

Note that the amount of steak I buy completely fills my dehydrator. I have it down to a science — 6 steaks fills my 9 trays. Buy what will fit your tray set up.

In the morning, drain the steak and lay the strips on the trays with room between each piece so you don’t stifle the air flow.

I dry it at about 135 degrees, and it takes anywhere from 8 – 12 hours or more, depending on how thick you cut the pieces. Rotate the trays every 2 hours or so in order for the pieces to dry evenly. Dry until the moisture is gone and they are firm and a little brittle. If you keep a lot of moisture in the pieces, put them in the fridge, and eat them right away. You have to dry them completely for long storage — no moisture! Moisture will breed bacteria and mold.

I don’t have any pics of the finished product. I was charging my camera battery and forgot to take pics after. You know what good jerky looks like, though… LOL!

 

Tags: beef jerky, jerky
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Otherwise known as Steamers…

2.5 – 3 lbs. Clams
1/2 Small onion
1 Beer (optional)

Put the clams in the sink and soak them to help get rid of any sand and grit.  Rinse and change the water a couple of times.  Some people use a sprinkle of corn meal to help, but I found that’s not necessary.  Just soak and rinse well, wash and repeat, wash and repeat… drain.

Slice the 1/2 onion into thin pieces.  Put them at the bottom of a large pot.  Add the clean clams.  Add the beer if you want, otherwise, add enough cold water to cover the clams. Yes, COLD water.  Cover the pot.  Turn the heat on high, and bring the pot up to boiling.  The clams will open.  Give them a good stir and let them cook for 1 – 2 minutes when they are open.  They should be cooked through, but not translucent.  1 or 2 minutes only.  If you overcook them, you will get hard, chewy clams.

Turn the heat off, take the clams out with a slotted spoon or spider or hand strainer.  Reserve the liquid broth to swish the clams in or use for a chowder.   Discard any clams that did not open.

This couldn’t be easier!

Tags: clams, steamed clams, Steamers
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Pepper Steak Stirfry

This is a really simple stirfry. The most time-consuming part of this is slicing all of the veggies.

Ingredients:

Shaved steak
Onions
Bell peppers
Snow peas
Hoisan sauce

I am not giving any specific amounts of anything. The ratio of veggies to meat is totally up to you. If you want more peppers than onions, go for it. You can also add water chestnuts or bean sprouts or any other veggies you want.

This time, I used Hoisan sauce. Hoisan is an Asian BBQ sauce. Our American BBQ sauces start with a ketchup and brown sugar base. Asian Hoisan is soy sauce and molasses. Each brand of Hoisan is different in taste. Some are sweeter, some are not. This one is sweet. I couldn’t find my usual one at the store, so I tried a new one. Not bad, but little sweeter than I normally like it. If you can find the brand Sun Luck in your store, that is one of the ones that I prefer.

You can use other prepared sauces. I like the Asian black bean and garlic sauce, too.

So, here are my ingredients.

 

Slice them all up and separate them.

Add a little oil to your wok (or skillet) and cook the meat until it’s barely no longer pink. When you cook the meat, it will release juices and fat. You don’t want that in your final stirfry. Take the meat out of the pan and put it in a separate bowl to the side. We will be adding that back in again later.

Rinse the pan and add a little more oil. Cook the onions to how you like them. I like mine soft and turning a slightly golden color. I don’t like raw onions, so I cook mine a little more. If you like a firmer texture to your onions, you can cook them less.

Add the peppers and cook them until warmed through, but still a little firm (don’t want soggy peppers…). Add the snow peas. Cook a little more. Add the meat. Stir to combine well. Add the sauce. I used almost the whole jar, but this is for at least 12 servings. If you are making a single-serving stirfry, I recommend adding the sauce a spoonful at a time to your liking.

This is the final dish.

You can put this over rice or noodles, you can eat it by itself, or you can put it in a roll or a wrap and eat it as a sammich. It’s very easy and very versatile.

Enjoy!

Tags: beef, onions, peppers, stirfry
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So, with all the disgusting things we’ve been finding out what’s really in our food, behold the beauty of pure raw meat… Yes, I got the meat grinding attachment for my KitchenAid mixer (thank you, Amazon points) and decided to try grinding my own. Can’t hurt to try, eh?

I did a lot of research online for the best cuts of meat to use and whether to add seasonings or not, but in the end, this turned out FANTASTIC! Well worth the effort.

Here is what I did.

This is a chuck roast that’s usually used for a pot roast. I cut it into strips when possible, and then smaller chunks to remove most of the visible fat.

The process is very easy and the machine does all the work.  Nothing to be scared of.

One thing that all of the instructions and Web sites with info on grinding your own fail to state is that you WILL have to do this in batches, because the longer and tougher strands of fat are going to clog the little grinder plate.  It’s easy enough to stop and take the attachment off and remove it, but nowhere did I see that it would be often.  Out of the whole process I envisioned, I didn’t think the blades wouldn’t cut the tougher fat.

That whole roast was processed in about 15 minutes, and I had to clean the blade twice in that time. It’s really not a big deal, but something you should be aware of if you are going to try grinding your own. I am sure that leaner cuts will be easier to use.  Something to think about.  And this is how we learn… lol

I ground it twice to make sure it was chopped enough.  Then when I was happy with the consistency, I pulled out my handy-dandy burger maker and made burgers. (Actually, I got that gadget for free with something I don’t even remember, it was so long ago.  This is the first time I used it.  LOL!)

The final test:  Cook one!   Cast iron grill pan on the stove, a little salt and pepper, and away we go…

Final verdict?  This was the BEST tasting steak burger that I’ve ever had.  It’s nothing like hamburger that you get in the store.  This is MEAT. It smelled like steak cooking, and it tastes like steak on the grill.

Totally worth the effort and I will absolutely be doing this for all of my ground meat needs.

Success!  🙂

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Turkey and White Bean Chili

 

1 package of ground Turkey

2 envelopes of McCormack White Chicken Chili seasonings

1 large Vidallia onion

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

4 ribs of celery

3 small cans of undrained Canellini beans (or pinto beans or black eyed peas, or any other kind of beans you want)

Salt and pepper

 

Dice the onion, peppers, and celery.  Set aside.

Brown the ground turkey in a pan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

In a large pot, sautee the onions until translucent.  Add the diced peppers and celery.  Sautee until they give a little and all the rawness is cooked out.  They should still have some firmess to them (don’t overcook and kill them).

Add the seasoning packets and a glass of water.  I know the packets say Chicken Chili, but trust me — it’s much better with ground turkey. Stir thoroughly.  Add the cooked ground turkey into the pot.  Stir thorougly.  Add the beans and again, stir thoroughly.

Get your potato smasher out of the drawer.  Go to town on the chili and smash down the beans and smooooosh everything together. The smooshed beans thicken the sauce.

Turn heat down low and let simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Take off heat and let cool down.  Stir every now and then as it cools.

The longer this sits, the better it gets.

 

 

Tags: beans, chili, turkey
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Crockpot Spinach Lentil Stew

1 med onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped (or use baby carrots sliced if you have them)
1 bag dry lentils
1 large can chicken stock
10 o.z bag of frozen spinach (use fresh chopped if you want)
15 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes
1-2 bay leaves
salt
pepper
thyme

Chop onion and carrots, add to the pot.  Rinse the lentils and pick out any stones, add to the pot.  Add whole can of diced petite tomatoes along with the liquid to the pot. Stir.  Add salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.  Add bay leaves.  Add spinach.

If you have a 5-qt crockpot, add enough chicken stock to come up to just 1″ below the rim.  If you have a larger crockpot, add the whole large can of chicken stock.

If you want a little tang, add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (I don’t usually).

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  It’s done when the lentils are soft and tender.

 

Tags: lentils, spinach, stew
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So beautiful!

With all the snow we’ve had this year, I’m not surprised at how big the icicles are everywhere.  Some of them at my place were more than 6 or 7 feet!

After a little melting, a few well-placed snowballs aided in the crashing down process…  lol!  🙂

Here are some pics of the icicles at my aparment complex.   (Click here)

Here are some general pics of the snow we’ve had so far this winter.  (Click here)

Enjoy!

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When I moved into my apartment 3 years ago, I had to get new furniture (basically, because I had nothing). 

Knowing that the apartment situation is only temporary, I didn’t want to spend a whole lot on a dining room set.  I found a great metal set with inlaid stone accents.  Beautiful slate colors – grays, blues, blacks, with flecks of copper and terra cotta.

So, what color cushions did they put on the chairs?  Tan.  Beige.  Call it whatever you want, but it’s ugly.  And cheap looking.  And dirty looking, right out of the box.  And it shows every brush stroke on the mircrofiber.  And it’s just blah. 

Who’s the brainiac who chose that fabric?  What a missed opportunity to make the cheap set look so much more expensive…

I’ve hated the cushions from the beginning.  So, this weekend, I finally did something about it.  I reupholstered them!

I used a nice, deep charcoal microfiber that’s at least three times thicker than the original tan, and the quality is so much better – almost like thick velvet.

Old:      New: 

Look at the difference the fabric makes!  It just added a whole new dimension to the old set.  I love the new cushions now!

 

There are tons of videos and instuctions on the Web on how to reupholster chairs so I won’t re-create them here, but I will say it was a lot easier and a lot less scary after watching a couple of them and doing the first chair.

Fabric, staple gun, staples, screwdriver, and scissors.  That’s it!

The best part of this is that I used a fabric remnant that I got at Jo-Ann’s Fabrics in the Red Dot section.  $8.00

Woooooooo hooooooooo!  🙂

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Chorizo, Kale, and White Bean Soup

This is a hearty soup that will warm up your insides for the cold weather that’s coming.

* 3 oz of Chorizo, removed from casing
* 1 cup diced onion
* 2 cloves of garlic, minced
* 4 cups of chicken broth
* 2 cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
* 4 cups of fresh kale, washed and chopped
* Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the Chorizo from casing and cook for 2-3 minutes. Break it up in the pan as you cook it.

Add the onion and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes more, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add the chicken broth and beans.  Use a potato masher and mash some of the beans to help thicken the soup.

Season with salt and pepper.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the kale and simmer for a few more minutes, until the kale starts to wilt.  You want it to still have some texture.  Don’t simmer the crap out of it.  LOL!

That’s it!  Easy and delicious.

Note:   This might be a little spicy for young children.  If you want to make a less spicy version, use regular sausage or kielbasa.

Tags: food, soup, stew
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Like this!

Click here to see the slideshow.

I really don’t know what I was thinking.  I must be totally insane.

I didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a larger cage, but my little birdies now have baby birdies, and the other flight cage is going to get very crowded very fast!

I looked at tons of cages online — hundreds of them.  They were either very cheap and looked like crap or very expensive for larger ones that looked like a piece of furniture.

The solution?  Make one!

Ha!  And this folks, is how I get myself into trouble…

Fortunately, it came out ok.  It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s good for what it is.  It’s 1×2 scrappy white pine, so it’s not like it’s oak or maple.  But a nice coat of stain and poly made it look nice.  

It’s 4 ft wide, 3 ft high, and 2.5 ft deep.

I built it in my apartment and stained it out on my balcony.  I got a lot of strange looks from folks, and I’m sure my neighbors underneath me hate my guts now with all that sawing and hammering…

But, I did it!  It’s done!

I hope my little birdies like it.  Spoiled rotten…

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