NEPA Cookin' (cost, stores, safety)

[rockky]

Yep, ILP, wait until spring as lialleycat and roxxy said.

Also, if you plant various types of mint together you will get hybrid blends as the years go by. My apple, orange, and lemon mint all became one mess of some odd, single variety. If you pot them, there's less chance of that happening.

Mint is like a weed. To me, the best is still the old spearmint that was planted around every farm house. The leaves are bigger and have a fuzz on them. That's what is most often in a Mojito.

I looked all over to find a glass jug with a spout at the bottom in order to make tea next summer. Just drop in the leaves, fill it with water, some sort of citrus, and set it out on the deck. I did see that it's suggested that you put some decorative, glass balls in the bottom to filter the tea as it comes out. I got a jug for Christmas from my kids. WooHoo! I can't wait for next summer!!

btw, cat....I made flax seed pancakes this morning. They were very good!

[lialleycat]

Originally Posted by rockky

btw, cat....I made flax seed pancakes this morning. They were very good!

Just added them to the normal pancake mix, or in lieu of another ingredient? I haven't made pancakes in ages. Just don't have the time, but maybe for dinner one night this week...

[rockky]

Originally Posted by lialleycat

Just added them to the normal pancake mix, or in lieu of another ingredient? I haven't made pancakes in ages. Just don't have the time, but maybe for dinner one night this week...

Actually, I didn't use any flour or mix at all.

I beat two eggs and added about 3 heaping tablespoons of golden ground flax seed.

Mixed in 1/4 teaspoon baking powder.

I added 3 packs of Splenda, but I'm sure any other sweetner would work.

Then a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

I drizzled in a little melted butter (maybe between 1 and 2 teaspoons) and gave it a final stir.

I warmed some sugar-free orange marmalade for on top.

They tasted fine to me. Sorta like a buckwheat cake.

[lialleycat]

Thanks Rockky, I'll give that a try!

[rockky]

You're welcome, lialleycat! I just bet tons of other people will jump on that recipe. LOL!

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by rockky

You're welcome, lialleycat! I just bet tons of other people will jump on that recipe. LOL!

Mmmmm!!!! Makes my mouth....uhhh.....water!!!

[The Commish]

My dinner tonight:

Filet Mignon with Port Wine Reduction and Caramelized Onions

Very tasty stuff.

Honey-Sweetened Braised Carrots with Ginger

Braised these in my 5.5 Qt. Le Creuset French Oven. So good. It's basically an orange-juice (3/4 cup), fresh grated ginger (tbsp), and honey (tbsp) braising liquid that I add to the pot after letting 1 pound of salted and peppered julienned carrots soften up in butter. It really helps to have a sharp veggie peeler (not one of those peeler and corer combos) and a 12 inch microplane zester. Makes short work of normally arduous tasks. They smell absolutely divine when cooking. I reduce what's left of the braising liquid until it's a thick syrup and pour it over the carrots. This is a tarter, funkier version of the traditional brown-sugar braised carrots (I like those but oftentimes find them cloyingly sweet).

Crash Hot Potatoes with Rosemary

Crispy red potatoes that are boiled whole (with the skin on) until fork-tender, crushed with a potato masher (but still retaining their individual potato shape, sort of), then finished in the oven at 425 degrees until the skin was crispy and starting to brown. Before shoving these in the oven, make sure to liberally apply good extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and a LOT of chopped fresh rosemary (if you don't have fresh, dried will do, but make sure it's not years old). These are crispy and so so delicious. They are like whole-potato french fries, almost!

[Jungle George]

Originally Posted by The Commish

My dinner tonight:

Filet Mignon with Port Wine Reduction and Caramelized Onions

Very tasty stuff.

Honey-Sweetened Braised Carrots with Ginger

Braised these in my 5.5 Qt. Le Creuset French Oven. So good. It's basically an orange-juice (3/4 cup), fresh grated ginger (tbsp), and honey (tbsp) braising liquid that I add to the pot after letting 1 pound of salted and peppered julienned carrots soften up in butter. It really helps to have a sharp veggie peeler (not one of those peeler and corer combos) and a 12 inch microplane zester. Makes short work of normally arduous tasks. They smell absolutely divine when cooking. I reduce what's left of the braising liquid until it's a thick syrup and pour it over the carrots. This is a tarter, funkier version of the traditional brown-sugar braised carrots (I like those but oftentimes find them cloyingly sweet).

Crash Hot Potatoes with Rosemary

Crispy red potatoes that are boiled whole (with the skin on) until fork-tender, crushed with a potato masher (but still retaining their individual potato shape, sort of), then finished in the oven at 425 degrees until the skin was crispy and starting to brown. Before shoving these in the oven, make sure to liberally apply good extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and a LOT of chopped fresh rosemary (if you don't have fresh, dried will do, but make sure it's not years old). These are crispy and so so delicious. They are like whole-potato french fries, almost!

WOW!! Le Creuset, microplane zester, filet mignon....you sound like QUITE the goor-mett there Commish!!!

My dinner tonight:

Had some leftover sweet potato casserole I've been eating for 2 days that I couldn't bear to eat yet again, so I added eggs, Tuscan Grill sauce, olive oil & flour/baking powder to make a batter & then dry-fried them. The original casserole was made with honey & pineapple, so it went well with the smoky heat of the sauce!!

We grew up poor & nothing EVER got thrown out!! If we were tired of eating it after 2 days we'd resurrect it in another shape or form!!

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by rockky

You're welcome, lialleycat! I just bet tons of other people will jump on that recipe. LOL!

Yes, LOL. I think that I need some "flour" because I use liquid/milk in the recipe. I usually use a little whole wheat and a bit of soy flour. I just bought some flax flour, so a little of that will go in too. I love orange marmalade, got to try that next time. Thanks.

[The Commish]

Originally Posted by Jungle George

WOW!! Le Creuset, microplane zester, filet mignon....you sound like QUITE the goor-mett there Commish!!!

The Le Creuset was an unexpected and wonderful gift. Everything they say about it is true, but if you have to make due with another brand of enameled cast iron cookware, you probably won't be hurting much. The other tools I found absolutely necessary. They make my kitchen tasks so much easier.

And yeah, I'm a foodie. A bit of a neophyte foodie, but I'm a fast and enthusiastic learner.