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Recipes and food descriptions

Back from the bar Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili

Black bean and sweet potato chili – I made this after we returned home from the new country bar just up the road. Not as in country music, but out in the country. We live about 9 miles from the closest town, so my scrounging is honed to a fine point. It’s a nice backroad ride to town, but still one must plan ahead cuz nothing is open 24/7 in these parts.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

1 15 oz can of refried black beans

1 sweet potato (6-8 oz)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp chili powder (your choice of heat level)

1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder (or cayenne)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp (scant) olive oil

Water, stock, beer or combination

In a 2 qt saucepan saute the onions in olive oil until they soften and begin to color. Add the garlic and continue cooking over medium heat until the garlic softens. Garlic burns easily; stir frequently and adjust heat as necessary. While the onion cooks, pierce the sweet potato skin on all sides. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, turn the potato over and microwave on high another 2 minutes. All microwaves cook differently; just cook until it feels soft, but not mushy when touched. Let the potato cool while the onion/garlic mixture gets nice and soft and golden.

Add the beans to the onion/garlic mixture. Add one cup of your liquid of choice and stir the mess well. Add all spices and seasonings, stir to combine while adjusting the heat to medium. Peel the skin from the sweet potato. Your hands work fine for this task. Then dice the potato (or your preferred size) and add to the chili. Add liquid to your desired consistency; most likely another cup will be needed if not more. Let the mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with your choice of topppings. Suggest using sour cream, shredded cheddar, cilantro, and LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE!

Tossed salad and BEER and you’re good to go.

We like our food on the spicy side; you may adjust spices to your taste; measuring with your fingers is OK.

It's a long ride to town

by scroungelady on December 23, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Motorcycles, Nutrition, Recipes

Tagged bar, beer, black beans, chili, country, refried beans, sweet potato

Posted by scroungelady on December 23, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/12/23/back-from-the-bar-black-bean-and-sweet-potato-chili/

No Tuna casserole turkey again

Turkey not tuna no bake casserole

No bake tuna casserole – no wait, a no bake turkey casserole. I don’t know what came over me. Guess I was tired and Mr. Mike was at his evening class, so it was time to cook wierd and easy. As you’ll see, substitutions were made, but cookbook recipes are meant to be guides only not set in stone. This one came from Believe It! Quick and Easy Meal Solutions (2008).

8 oz penne, elbow, or bowtie pasta

1 1/2 cups frozen vegetables (I used cut green beans & mixed vegetables)

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (I used skim)

6 oz cream cheese (can use 1/3 reduced fat or regular)

1 12 oz can tuna, drained & broken into chunks (I used cooked diced turkey from the freezer in place of tuna)

Salt & black pepper to taste

1 tsp Fines Herbs (my addition, choose your own herb mixture)

Cook pasta according to package directions. If desired, add frozen vegetables during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain and return to pan. I microwaved the vegetables in a separate container because cooking pasta and veggies together is too much even for me. Also don’t like tossing nutrients with the pasta water. I kept about 2 Tbsp pasta water in the pan to help melt the cheese. Add the milk and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted and the pasta and vegetables are coated. Add seasonings. Fold in turkey (or tuna) and heat through. Makes four servings. Cooking & prep time: 20 minutes.

More recipes to share in the next several days. I’ve been writing Christmas cards and getting some legal materials together. I liked this casserole because there is little cleanup and it’s one of the few tuna casserole recipes that isn’t baked.

This is what the scrounge cats did while I was cooking.

Turkey is boring. Wake us when it's tuna

by scroungelady on December 19, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Nutrition, Recipes

Tagged food leftovers, food stories, frozen vegetables, leftover turkey, Recipes, tuna casserole, turkey, turkey casserole

Posted by scroungelady on December 19, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/12/19/no-tuna-casserole-turkey-again/

Tay-cos and rice? Taco Rice?

Taco rice with lots of toppings

Taco rice – it does sound like some freeze dried product but it actually comes from Okinawa. Call it creeping American imperialism or stroke of brillance, but it is popular in that part of the world, with or without a taco truck. This recipe comes from the Penzeys catalog.

Taco Rice (serves 4)

1 cup uncooked rice (see note)

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey

1/4 cup taco seasoning (I use Penzeys mix but the taco mix packets like Old El Paso would do OK)

3/4 cup water

1 cup salsa

Shredded lettuce

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sliced Black olives

Diced avocado

Sour cream

Add meat to a spray released skillet over medium high heat. Cook, stirring to break up the meat, until it is well browned. Drain fat if necessary. Add the taco seasoning and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water, stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 8-10 minutes. Most of the water should have evaporated but the meat will be well coated with the sauce.

Divide the rice inot four wide bowls. Top the rice with the meat mixture, then add 1/4 cup salsa to the meat. Top with the lettuce and cheese; serve the other toppings on the side.

I like this recipe because you can add leftover bits or leave out some items such as salsa if you’re out and it still tastes good. Last week I added about half a cup of leftover black beans/sweet potato chili to the meat mixture.

Serve with tortilla chips and BEER.

Note: People complain about cooking rice. It’s not hard to cook the real stuff. Save your dignity and don’t use instant or the parboiled variety. Do this: For each serving use 1/4 cup raw rice and 1/2 cup water. For the recipe above you’d need 1 cup raw rice and 2 cups water (yields 3 cups cooked). Heat water in a covered casserole in the microwave until it is just below boiling, about 3 3/4 minutes in my microwave. Add the rice and heat on full power for 45 seconds. Then reduce heat to 30% and cook for another 12-13 minutes. Let it set for about 5 minutes, covered, before serving. If using brown rice, increase cooking time to about 17 minutes. Experiment a bit with times and power levels, your microwave may be different. See? Cheap, good rice.

by scroungelady on December 12, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Nutrition, Recipes

Tagged beer, rice, salsa, Tacos

Posted by scroungelady on December 12, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/12/12/tay-cos-and-rice-taco-rice/

Pork chops with Port & cherries

Need a break from turkey? Yeah, I love it but even scrounges need variety. No recipe reference today. I made this one up.

Pork chops with Port & dried cherries

2 4 oz boneless pork loin chops

1 tsp pork chop seasoning – I use Penzeys

1/4 cup port wine (just use the cheap stuff)

1 Tbsp (or splash) of balsamic vinegar (optional)

2 Tbsp dried cherries

Spray a frying pan with food release. Heat the pan to medium. Sprinkle chops with pork chop seasoning (see www.penzeys.com). Brown chops 4 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium-low; remove pork chops from pan. Cover chops and let rest (I use one of the dinner plates and cover with the frying pan lid).

Browned seasoned pork chops

Add the port, cherries, and balsamic vinegar (if using) to the pan, scraping up the browned bits. Adjust heat as needed; the liquids should bubble slightly but not so fast everything evaporates. Remove the pan from the heat if necessary. Allow the liquids to cook to a syrupy consistency. Turn off heat and get your silicone spatula ready.

Uncover and divide chops one per plate. Scrape the sauce mixture over the chops. You can be fancy and “nap” the sauce or just scrape it out. Tastes the same either way. Serves two; ingredients can be adjusted for the number of people you’re serving. For this meal we had baked sweet potatoes, broccoli, and french bread. Red wine to drink. I’m not a big fan of gadgets. A few simple tools work just fine. Learn to use your hands (washed) too.

Wine, cherries, & vinegar. Note high tech gadget.Pork chops with port-cherry sauce

by scroungelady on December 9, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Recipes

Tagged cherries, pork, pork chops, port

Posted by scroungelady on December 9, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/12/09/pork-chops-with-port-cherries/

Got my red beans cookin

As Marcia Ball sang…red beans and a ham bone. Well no ham bone but I did use the Thanksgiving turkey stock for my red beans and rice. This is the first time I’ve used this recipe from Southern Living’s Homestyle Cookbook. I don’t follow recipe directions exactly, and you shouldn’t either. They’re just guides to get you to the table. Back in my mass quantity food days I was a stickler for having the production recipe followed exactly. Home cookin is another story. Here it is:

CREOLE RED BEANS AND RICE (pg 12)

1 lb red kidney beans (red beans work fine too)

1 lb smoked sausage, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped (6-8 oz)

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 qt poultry stock (I used smoked turkey)

3.5 cups water

2 bay leaves (I prefer powdered bay leaf, 1/8 tsp=1 leaf – saves you from having to fish the things out of the food)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Hot cooked rice

sliced green onions for garnish

Rinse and sort beans; add them to a large pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil, and boil for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it set for an hour. Change the water in the pot, add the 3.5 cups of water and 2 qt stock to the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, likely 1-1.5 hours.

As the beans are near done, coat a frying pan with spray release and heat it to medium. Add the vegetables and sausage to the pan and saute for 7-10 minutes, stirring so the food doesn’t stick to the pan. For maximum flavor it’s important to brown the sausage well, but don’t burn it or allow the vegetables to burn. The veggies should be soft and slightly carmelized by the time the sausage is browned. Drain off any accumulated fat and add the sausage mixture to the beans. Add all seasonings and the tomatoes. Increase heat to boiling and then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. The mixture may seem thin, but resist the urge to thicken it. That’s what rice is for. Plan to cook 1/4 cup uncooked rice per person.

Spoon the hot cooked rice into wide soup bowls – gumbo bowls work well. Ladle the red bean mixture over the rice. Garnish with the green onions. Accompany with Louisiana style hot sauce. French bread or cornbread helps you sop up any remaining liquid. The book states it will serve six – where you live may determine the appropriate serving size.

by scroungelady on December 8, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Recipes

Tagged hot sauce Southern Living cookbook, red beans and rice, sausage, turkey stock

Posted by scroungelady on December 8, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/12/08/got-my-red-beans-cookin/

Pickin’ Turkey

Miss Ann would tell you there is still meat on the bird. Keep going! For mass quantity foodservice people, it was Thanksgiving about once every month. What is the recipe for turkey carcasses that look similar to the photo? First, you need administrators who think EVERYTHING should be made from scratch.

1. Order 1,000 lbs frozen turkey, give or take a few pounds.

2. Have your central food storage/distribution department cut the frozen turkeys into quarters with a band saw.

3. At 8AM load every possible cooking orifice with frozen turkey quarters: ovens, steamers, steam jacketed kettles and crank them up.

4. At 1PM round EVERYONE (dishroom, pot & pan staff, storeroom) up and send them to the cooks’ area. Miss Ann has her apron tied in a perky bow. She bangs a metal spoon inside a stainless steel bowl and shouts “Turkey! Turkey! Turkey! Turkey quarters ready to pick!” This is the highlight of her month.

5. Using your hands only, rip/pick the meat from the carcass. This includes the turkey necks. Don’t leave anything on the bones (or at least tuck the nasty stuff under the carcass skin so Miss Ann can’t see it as she makes the rounds).

6. Picked meat is transferred to cutting boards to be diced into “bite size” pieces. Diced meat is put in plastic bags, about 5 lbs per bag. Now you can’t use any twist ties in the kitchen because they might get in the food, so you twist the bag top and make a knot.

7. Date the turkey bags and store in the freezer. Pour the collected turkey “broth” into five gallon buckets and chill in the walk-in overnight. The next day pull the fat crust from all the buckets, seal & date them and move to the freezer.

8. Use the meat and broth for specified casseroles, soups, and gravy. Now how much does this recipe yield? Well, the sad fact is poultry, if you are a diligent picker, yields 30%. Do the math: 1,000 lbs frozen yields 300 lbs meat. The rest is trash – imagine carrying 700 lbs turkey bones and other unidentifiable body parts to the dumpster.

9. How long does this stuff last? If you are feeding 1,500 residents 3 square, it lasts about a month. Then it’s deja vu all over again. Wish I had photos of the real pickin’ parties.

10. That’s why I can pick up searing hot items – you got used to handling hot meat!

I did pick my turkey one and a half carcasses clean but I did NOT pick the neck. I did make stock from the bones but will not be storing it in a used five gallon pickle bucket.

**Have to credit the image from orangesanctuary.blogspot.com Just to let you know that I won’t use material without citing it and any recommendations I make are personal. There is no affiliate marketing on this site. I make no money from any products mentioned. I ain’t that scroungy.

by scroungelady on November 27, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Recipes

Tagged five gallon buckets, frozen turkeys, leftovers, Recipes, Thanksgiving, turkey, turkey necks

Posted by scroungelady on November 27, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/11/27/pickin-turkey/

Turkey Remains

It was one of the best Thanksgivings, food-wise that we’ve had in years. Though Mr. Mike and I are between gainfulness, we’re counting our blessings. The blessings have included donated food from our neighbor, bless her heart. It is a Thanksgiving reprise. No problem for us, we can eat turkey day menu more than once a year. This year the recipes in the November Women’s Day were different, but not unreasonable. I used the Green Beans with Toasted Garlic and Almonds, Honey and Lemon Glazed Carrots, Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes (I subbed butternut squash), and herb roasted turkey (added spices). Made my own cornbread apple-cranberry dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls and pumpkin pie. Pre-Thanksgiving we enjoyed sausage gumbo and tossed salad. Now that “chicken gumbo” canned soup is NOWHERE near gumbo. It has okra and rice but the resemblance stops there. Homemade roux for gumbo base is best but tricky. A really good alternative is Tony C’s gumbo base. Try www.tonychachere.com for gumbo products and more. Around here it’s known as “Tony’s”. I’ll have more recipes and graphic photos as soon as I get a digital camera. In too much of a food and football stupor for detailed writing at the moment. The red N is 9-3. I’m grateful! Turkey carcass is giving its all in the stockpot for soup tonight.

by scroungelady on November 25, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Recipes

Tagged turkey

Posted by scroungelady on November 25, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/11/25/turkey-remains/

From MSN News: vitamins and debauchery. More things to worry about

Popping a multivitamin can lead to debauchery

Could taking one of these vitamins lead you down the path of bad behavior? Yes, say researchers.

By Linda Carroll

Taking supplements may lead to poorer health, not because of what they do to your body, but what they do to your mind.

When people take supplements they get a false sense of invulnerability, a new study shows. And that can translate into a greater tendency to head down the path of risky behavior.

The intriguing study published in Psychological Science, found that people didn’t even need to be given real supplements for this devil-may-care attitude to develop – they just needed to be told they were swallowing something healthful.

For their study, Taiwanese researchers gave placebo pills to 82 volunteers, half of whom were told the capsules contained vitamins. The rest were told the truth – that these were simply sugar pills.

The big surprise came when the researchers surveyed the two groups. Those taking phony supplements reported a greater sense of invulnerability and less of a desire to exercise. They also were more likely to consider engaging in casual sex, sunbathing and binge-drinking.

At the end of the study the two groups were told they could choose between a healthful meal and an all-you-can-eat buffet. Sure enough, more of those in the group who were told they’d taken a supplement said they’d prefer the buffet.

The findings come as no surprise to Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

“You see this even in professional athletes,” Bonci said. “Sometimes they attribute to supplements superhuman properties that let them off the hook for healthy behaviors. They’ll say, ‘I’m taking this supplement so it doesn’t matter what I eat.’”

Bonci lays the blame on ads that show healthy fit people taking supplements. You don’t see this kind of advertising for all the foods that actually do lead to good health she said.

And those ads lead to unreasonable expectations, Bonci said.

“We this face challenge every day,” she added. “And it’s not just athletes. There are many patients who believe there is exercise in a bottle.”

People have just come to expect that pills can cure everything, said Dr. Andrew Leuchter, a professor of psychiatry and director of the Laboratory of Brain, Behavior and Pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“We live in a society that is very oriented towards taking medication,” Leuchter said. “People feel like they can take a pill and it will almost immunize them from any unhealthy lifestyle choices”

And then there’s the fact that human beings are very good at keeping two contradictory ideas in their heads at once. “It’s one of those quirks of human nature,” Leuchter said. “We do something we think will enhance our health but at the same time we’re happy to do something that may in the long term be detrimental.”

by scroungelady on November 22, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Recipes

Tagged Nutrition

Posted by scroungelady on November 22, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/11/22/nutrition-from-msn-news-vitamins-and-debauchery-more-things-to-worry-about/

Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin & Turkey rides

The past three days have been a break from serious scrounging. Our neighbor brought us lasagna, salad and bread for dinner Friday. She is concerned about our lack of gainfulness and gave us some leads. Never had to get a recommendation from our minister for a job, but here goes. Saturday I made Mustard Glazed Pork Loin from Southern Living’s Homestyle Favorites cookbook. Well, it wasn’t the exact recipe; it was what was on hand and the time I had to make it. More on that in a bit. On Sunday our church celebrated Thanksgiving with all the trimmings. We were waddling around 5 days early. So no dinner prep Sunday night. Tonight it was leftover pork loin, heated in a covered skillet and napped with a sauce made from the pan drippings and sherry (always keep some cheap sherry and port in the pantry). Dinner was served with baked sweet potatoes, french bread and broccoli. Now you may be wondering, what is scroungelady doing with pricey cuts like pork tenderloin? The answer is salvage grocery shopping. There is a salvage store about 9 miles from our place. I love going there because you never know what you’ll find. One of the great items frequently there is frozen pork tenderloins for about $1.50/pound. Between stuff like that and dented cans you can eat very well. Even Mr. Mike likes shopping there. He brings home cans of Ensure half price, feeling very proud of his finds.

I went turkey shopping today. It was a beautiful day (80 degrees) so I rode to the regular grocery store in the sidecar. It’s great for grocery shopping. Just make sure the ends of the bags are tucked under or they can levitate at 60 mph. The turkey rode in the trunk. What’s this about spending $25 on food and then getting the turkey for 88 cents per pound; otherwise pay $1.19/pound if you don’t spend $25? Are you saving money? The smallest turkey is 11 pounds. Screwed either way? Well, I’ll make sure he tastes good.

Recipe: Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1 lb pork tenderloin (1.5 pounds would be OK)

3 Tbsp dijon mustard

3 Tbsp orange juice (I used fresh LA oranges my neighbor gave us) but frozen OJ would work

1 tsp cajun seasoning (I think steak seasoning would be good too)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees. Mix the mustard, juice, sugar, and seasonings in a bowl. Spread over the tenderloin and place the meat in a roasting pan (I use food release spray). Sprinkle the top of the meat with breadcrumbs. Bake about 20 minutes until the desired degree of doneness. We like our pork with no pink in the middle, so it temps at 160 at least. Let set about 5 minutes before slicing. Serves 4 Recipe is based on the Southern Living one, but uses different cooking methods.

by scroungelady on November 22, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Recipes

Tagged recipes Thanksgiving

Posted by scroungelady on November 22, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/11/22/recipe-mustard-glazed-pork-tenderloin-turkey-rides/

Sugar rushes and death

Dinner needed less than I thought. The shredded yellow squash + leftovers worked fine as filling for the tortillas. Cumin, crushed ancho, powdered onion and garlic were mixed into the filling. The filled tortillas were topped with the remaining half can of tomato soup with medium chili powder added. See what I mean about scrounging? No wasted food! Mr. Mike and I are between gainfulness right now so scrounginess is a necessity not just a hobby.

I picked up a dead cat today. It was laying on the overpass for I-59. Mr. Mike and I feel deceased felines deserve better than having every bubba in the county run over it. Stop, turn on the flashers and move the cat to the side of the road. Count your blessings. We attended the graduation for Christian Women’s Job Corps fall 2011 class. I’ve been working with these ladies for the past 10 weeks. I’ve learned as much as the group of 7 women did. I learned to be grateful for the important things: my life, my health, and my man. Some advice: do it every morning for 3 weeks. Think of 3-5 things you are grateful for and write them down. See how you feel in three weeks.

Last night was a sugar buffet. Cakes, cookies, pies, little cups full of crunchy sweet chex mix. Today our neighbor brought us plates of lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. Even better! Nothing to scrounge together and no dishes to wash. My contribution to the sugar celebration was lemon bars. Make them and be grateful.

Lemon bars

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar

1/2 butter or margarine, melted (butter is best)

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

grated rind of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp) Don’t worry if you don’t have this but it gives the whole thing a lemon shot

3 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is best)

powdered sugar for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup powdered sugar; add butter and mix well. I had to add 1 more Tbsp flour because White Lily flour is “soft”, or low protein The mixture should resembe stiff cookie dough.

3. press the dough evenly into an 8 inch baking pan

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes until the edges are lightly brown

5. Mix the flour and baking powder and set aside.

6. Combine eggs, sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice; beat well

7. Stir dry ingredients from step 5 into the egg mixture and pour over the baked crust.

8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and set.

9. Let cool, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Puttin the sugar in a small mesh strainer works good for this

10. Cut 3 X 6; makes 18 bars. When removing from the pan, be sure to get under the crust. It is easy to leave part of the crust in the pan if a sharp stiff spatula isn’t used.

Sorry no photo. You know what lemon bars look like.

by scroungelady on November 19, 2011 • Permalink

Posted in Cat stories, Recipes

Tagged recipes cat stories

Posted by scroungelady on November 19, 2011

https://southernfoodscrounge.com/2011/11/19/sugar-rushes-and-death/