More food adventures...

Sweet and Sour Pork is so yummy. Fresh pineapple, peppers, onions, tender pork...mmmmm

Tall Girl almost went to bed hungry when we served this one. She likes fried rice, but didn't like the fact that my fried rice had larger cooked egg pieces in it. She doesn't 'eat' plain eggs. Her father told her that she would try the food that was fixed if she wanted anything else (that means a sandwich here). She did try it atleast.

The rest of us liked it and ate multiple bowls.

That boy...he wasn't smiling so when asked to, this is what I got, lol!

You have got to be kidding me! "Honey Laundering"?!

Let me just say...you can not trust most of what goes into your food anymore or where it comes from unless you grow it yourself or buy locally so that you know where and how it's grown. If you haven't realized that yet, just check out yet another wonderful news article about the food the US keeps trucking in here....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5420698.ece

By the way. It's not hard at all to find local things. There are many people in your area that grow and sell things. If not locally, then you can find better alternatives via friends or groups on the internet where people who are concerned about their food sources, meet together.

Me personally, I found a source for local honey right in my home town. It was a great educational trip for my kids. We got to see the entire process from bee, to hive, to removal, to pure unadulterated honey! The best stuff!

I also get pure maple syrup from a family that's been selling it local for years where they live and sell it to people across the US that know about them.

I get local produce since I didn't grow it this year and most of it is organic. I barter with others for things if need be.

We raise a lot of our meat (though I realize not all can do that, but I guarantee that there is a source near you that does and you can visit them to see their facility and services offered), I can many things and the jams and jellies are to die for in my house! They are a sought after gift during the holidays from all that know me.

We need to take a stand and shop locally. Bring our economy up and support our American workers....

This concludes your Public Service Announcement...LOL!

A Fairy Tale for all the Girls!

Once upon a time in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in your castle, with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on lightly sauteed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled and thought to herself:

'I don't freakin' think so!'

LOL!

I must admit....

I am a recipe collector...and while I don't think I'm as bad as some people, I definitely think I've got a bit of an issue with it! LOL

I like recipes, but I don't always like to cook. I guess it's because my audience for my recipes are not always excited about my new dishes and I'm bored very easily with the same old stuff.

My audience includes:

• an 8 yr old who will eat most anything, but doesn't seem to like cooked carrots or some things that are stew-like especially if they have carrots and he groans when I say we're having chicken for some reason. I know he likes chicken so I'm not sure why the groan.
• a 10 yr old that is a bit picky, but sometimes amazes me and will try new things, but only if it has some things in it that she already likes. It took her a good 4 years to even start to enjoy eating mashed potatoes...now she can't get enough of them, but is learning to appreciate other ways of eating them. She also doesn't care for rice served under things. Under Crawfish Etouffee it is just fine, but under anything else....she requests a little bit please. She does not eat our yummy farm eggs or any eggs for that matter. She hasn't since she was about 1 1/2 yrs old and got sick after eating some scrambled ones. I'm not sure what it is...I can't get her to try them at all and I can normally get her to try most things. She does however eat French Toast so we have that about once a week. She knows that there is egg all over the bread, but I guess that a little sweet syrup takes care of any fuss she may have about them! LOL
• a 34 yr old hubby (well not yet, but soon-just in case he reads this post today!) who is not all that fond of trying out new foods. He could probably be happy most everyday with a big ol' thick steak seasoned and grilled to perfection, a baked potato loaded with sour cream and maybe some butter, and lettuce with Italian dressing. Notice I didn't say 'salad'. He really prefers just lettuce and if it were possible, just iceberg, which isn't lettuce as far as I'm concerned-ick! I rarely ever have iceberg here, but almost always have some Romaine, Butterhead, Red or Green Leaf, Spinach, Red Cabbage, etc. in the fridge. What ever I can get at the store on sale that's not Iceberg!

But I have to say they do try most of the things I make and many times like it and want it again. Sometimes I try and find those 'comfort food' recipes. They normally go over good. Of course the good old 'American Fare' or Italian is always welcome. I made a great Manicotti a week or so ago and it was YUM! Last night it was an oven stewed chicken, which after cooking for 2 1/2 hours, I deboned and put over rice. Son didn't finish it (it was stewed and had carrots!). Of course this isn't Piccadilly's and so what I make is what they are eating...

This week I want to try a meatball recipe to make the meatball subs that they all like. I also have a recipe for Greek Gyros from a site I visited this morning. Hubby loves those and we have lamb meat in the freezer since we raise them (It tastes nothing like the meat from the store of course; ours is much more mild. The kids love it). I also have a couple more recipes from online today while browsing a new site that I found when signing up for a book giveaway over at the Year in Bread website.

One thing they did like that I didn't think they would, was a curry dish that I made. I left out the raisins that it called for and added some peas, but didn't alter it otherwise. It was well received even by the pea hating husband who had seconds that night! LOL. He did sort of complain about the peas, but he didn't try and pick them all out!