The rest of the month...

I intended to post the meals each day but... best laid plans of mice and men. Okay, here they are, again, missing a few because I forgot to take pictures.

Hasenpfeffer, Spaetzle and Blaukraut


Two showshoe hares, thawing. I cooked a chicken leg for my mother since she doesn't like rabbit.




Blaukraut is braised cabbage.


Maybe it's the German heritage, but I really liked this.

Spetsiota and Salad




Onion, olive, cucumber, tomato and feta salad. It's your standard, Big Fat Greek Salad and is a staple in Mediterranean countries.


Spetsiota (Halibut and Tomatoes)


Yummy!

Chicken Poutine

I spent hours trying to find the best way to make my fries crispy. I settled on blanching them in sugar water. The water's brown because I use succanat, instead of white sugar.


Brown gravy, made from scratch.


This was FABULOUS!! And so very worth the wait.

Meatloaf, baked potatoes and green beans


This is the only picture I took of this meal and it's the ingredients for the meatloaf. My bad!

Bao and egg noodles


I made my own five-spice mixture. I forget what's in it but it's an easy recipe to find.


The dough was really, really soft and very sticky.


I put them in this pan to rise, intending to steam them, as the directions call for but they stuck together. I put on an egg-wash and baked them instead. They still turned out wonderful.


If I'd had snow peas I would have used them instead but, anyway. I started preparing this meal at noon and had it done around 6:30. The dough needs three rises.

Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn


Dad's birthday meal.


I ate too much and hurt myself so badly. But, I remembered to make enough potatoes for leftovers!! I'm always bummed when there's no more potatoes.

Bouillabaisse


Get started about two hours early on this cause there are a lot of steps. Almost as many as the Bao.


I ate a couple pieces of toast, dipping it in the Rouille while I was making the toast.

Jerk pork, rice and peas

Sped steaks. That's the color of them!


Marinating overnight in the fridge.


Dad was the only one who liked this meal. I might try a different recipe for the marinade if I made this again.

Well, that's all so far.

~Pam

Last Week's Food

This is going to be very picture heavy and yet it will be leaving out a few meals cause I forgot to take pictures... oops. Enjoy!

Two packages of halibut and a package of black bass, thawing in the sink


I decided to make thick fries. They were thicker than this picture makes them seem.


My super, duper favorite fryer. I use it a LOT.


This is Dad's favorite fry mix. We can't get it here so a friend of ours (Jason) gets it from his mom in Michigan and brings it to us.


Fish and chips, Alaskan style. The dip is honey mustard since Dad dislikes vinegar and we didn't have mayo or sweet pickles to make tartar sauce.

Next, was Matzo Ball Soup, again, Alaskan style

I mixed the dough about four hours ahead of time and set it in the fridge. When I do it again, I'll make it the night before and mix it better.


Chicken, carrots, green beans and broccoli simmering away in stock.

When the carrots were nearly done I added the matzo balls and clapped the lid on for about half an hour... they were big matzo balls!

Yummy!

Next, is Hasenpfeffer, Spaetzle and Blaukraut but I'm having issues with the mouse so it may be awhile before I get those pictures posted.

~Pam

Ribs, Potato Salad, Corn

Since Mom fixed chicken strips and french fries last night I just couldn't bring myself to do the fish and chips. So, I did the ribs that were scheduled for tomorrow. Enjoy!


Thawed ribs, ready for rub


Homemade BBQ sauce. I didn't care for it but everyone else said it was good. I didn't follow a recipe, just threw stuff in from memory.



Potato salad, ready for mixing

Yummy! I ate one rib since they are so big. Uncle Dave walked into the kitchen sucking BBQ sauce off his fingers, lol.

~Pam

February groceries

I managed to stay within my budget this month and I even have money left over! Not much but it's there so... there.

First stop was IGA for meat. It's not organic or free-range but since Dad has to have meat with every meal and prefers it red I do what I can.

Beef Burger, fresh, buy one, get one free- $29.62, for 16 packages of meat, when broken down.
Bay Scallops, frozen-$3.42 for a 1lb package
Shrimp, frozen-$1.80 for 8 oz. tub
Sea Scallops, frozen- $14.39 for 1.44 lbs
Mussels, frozen- $7.99 for 2 lbs
Chicken leg portions, frozen- $17.80 for 20 lbs

Total+ tax= $77.27


Save-U-More was the next store and I am more impressed with it every time I go in. A few years it was bought out and revamped. Their organic selection continues to get bigger and might rival Fred Meyer some day.

Balsamic Vinegar, organic- $5.39 for 18 fl. oz.
Coconut Milk, organic- $4.78 for two 14 fl. oz cans
Brown Rice Macaroni- $3.69 for 16 oz package
Chinese Noodles- $7.09 for 5 lbs
Mushrooms, sliced- $9.39 for a case of 12 cans
Decaf Coffee, organic- $6.59 for 1 lb
Olives- $8.91 for nine cans
Oysters- $22.32 for eight cans
Feta- $7.39 48 oz
Butter, organic- $8.29 for 2 lbs
Tomato Paste, organic- $6.79 for a case of 12
Diced Tomatoes, organic- $8.79 for a case of 8
Mozzarella- $12.99 for 5 lbs
Cheddar- $11.89 for 5 lbs
Corn, frozen, organic- $6.99 for 3 lbs
Almonds, raw- $11.99 for 3 lbs
Misc. animal foods and paper towels- $87.15

Total+ tax=$237.83


Fred Meyer was our last grocery stop.

Olive Oil, organic- $10.99 for 17 fl. oz
Potatoes, fresh, organic- $23.03 for 21 lbs
Pine Nuts, raw- $3.85 for 4 ozs
Cucumber, fresh, organic- $1.79 for one
Matzo Meal- $5.49 for 16 ozs
Cabbage, fresh, organic- $2.59 for one, green
Bell Pepper, fresh, organic- $2.58 for one, red
Hot Dogs, organic- $12.98 for 2 packages of 8
Chicken, organic- $20.72 for one, whole
Bulgur- $1.99 for 1 lb
Salad, organic- $3.98 for 10 ozs
Oranges, organic- $3.82 for 4 lbs
Garlic- $5.69 for 32 0zs, chopped
Onions, organic- $2.99 for 3 lbs
Carrots, organic- $2.99 for 2 lbs
Poblanos- $1.07 for 2
Clam Juice- $2.69 for 8 fl. oz.
Peanut Butter- $2.50 for 14 oz
Misc. pet items- $48.47

Total+ tax= $165.44

Total for the trip- $480.54

I have a line on a CSA just down the road for the summer and hopefully we'll get some moose. We get 5 doz. eggs, $4 a dozen, a week from a lady in Nikiski who pastures her birds and does not feed them soy. I refuse to buy milk anymore since I am sooooo close to having all I need. I think I could get raw milk in Homer but I refuse to pay $12 a gallon for it.
Well, there's the grocery list for perusal. Next, is our first meal of February.

~Pam