Cooking with Chef Jo: Cheeseburger Stew

EEK! My tech guy says my motherboard was fried so pics on this blog will be limited until I can buy another one!

As if the falling leaves weren't an indicator that fall is coming, the temperatures drop a sure reminder. There was a chilly nip in the air following the deluge of rain over the past week from tropical storm Sally. Yes, it was still tropical storm strength when it got to us here in the northeast Georgia mountains You know what that that means...soup's on.

Mel likes her ingredients small mouth sized and I like having multiple ingredients on my spoon so I used the small grate on my Vidalia Onion chopper. If you like your veggies bigger go ahead and chop yours bigger.

Jo's Cheeseburger Stew

Serves 4

 

What you'll need

1/4 ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 rubs celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, grated

3 medium russet potatoes, cubed 

1 cup green peas

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese,  small cubes

6 slices of bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

3 TBS dried parsley flakes

3 heaping TBS plain yogurt

2 TBS butter

1/3 cup Clear-Jel, corn starch, or flour

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried basil

2 TBS sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dill weed

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp ground coriander seed

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

1/8 tsp ground fennel seed

*The last ten ingredients coarse ground together with 2 drops of oil makes My version of the McCormick's brand of Montreal Steak seasoning.

Putting it all together

• Melt butter in large saucepan (3 qt or larger) over medium heat.
• Add onions, celery, and carrots. Stir to coat all vegetables in butter.
• Cook for 3 minutes. 
• Add ground beef. Break apart.
• Continue cooking and break meat apart until the meat is browned.
• Add flour/Clear-Jel/corn starch to the pan stir well until all the meat and vegetables are coated.
• Add mushrooms, broth, and potatoes.
• Add herbs and spices. 
• Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender and the soup base is thickened.
• Add green peas.
• Add milk and cheese. Stir well.
• Continue cooking 3 minutes.
• Add yogurt and stir well.

Service-Ladle into bowls. Top with additional grated cheese and bacon. Serve with a nice tossed salad and crusty bread make this hearty, stick to your ribs soup makes this a well balanced meal.

Y'all have blessed day!

Chef Jo

Home Grown Chick Update

Well in all total, the three broody hens hatched out nine chicks before demands of motherhood broke their broodiness. I believe more would have hatched if the hens had not broken their broodiness, but not worries, we currently have enough hens to meet our egg sales. Of the nine, three were crushed to death by their first time moms. A shame but it happens. I couldn't sex them. We'll just have to wait until they are 13 weeks old. We'll butcher the roos and reintroduce the hens back into the flock.

One chick fell from the coop during the storms from tropical storm Sally. It landed inside the run and was a soaked and cold two-day old chick by the time I found it. It was barely cheeping when I found it. It was the smallest of the bunch too. I scooped it up mud and all and started calling for Mel as I approached the back porch. Mel had hurried because I used the word "help." I quickly explained to her what had happened as she snatched the little chick up and wrapped it in her in her t-shirt and light weight jacket. Clucking at it in smoothing tones as she hurried inside.

It was still sprinkling rain as I tended to the rest of the flock. I knew they wouldn't be doing much foraging in the rain so I gave them an extra portion of scratch and feed. I made sure everyone had water and picked up the two eggs that the momma chickens had allowed to be laid in the coop. The polka dot and silkie hens wouldn't allow many hens into the coop. They were fiercely protective of the babies.

 Mel and I decided not to let the mommas raise their chicks, but to bring them inside into the brooder box. I lined the box with chuck pads and placed the heat lamp in the box. To put straw or hay in the bottom would have meant more time in the rain for me. I had just dried off and changed my clothes from my last adventure outside and wasn't relishing the idea of going out in the current downpour unless I had to.

Meanwhile, Mel had checked out the chick. It was finally warm enough for her to do so. It's chirping was definitely louder and stronger. Mel found the only other injury this black puff ball had suffered was a broken toe from it's 3' fall from the coop. What do you do for a broken (nondisplaced) toe on a chick smaller than the palm of your hand. All the tape she trued was way too thick. We decided to leave it alone. It chirps in pain constantly, bit there's nothing we can do for it. The only   Otherwise, its eating, drinking, and pooping fine.

 I had asked Mel why she didn't use the blow dryer on the little chick to warm her faster and she replied that she thought it would scare her. She'd had enough trauma in her short life. The only time she was quiet was when she it snuggled under my chin. It was in this position when it died a 5 AM the next morning. Poor little thing.

And then, there were five.

The next lull in the storm, I went outside to pick up the rest of the chicks from their nests. Three from the hen house and three from the nest on the front porch. They are now safely housed in the brooder box. They were moved to the inside brooder box. They didn't like being taken away from their mothers. After a couple of hours they were all snuggled together under the warmth of the lamp sleeping peacefully. When awake, they found their food and water with no problem. A few more adventurous ones explored their new surroundings. They are so little and so few compared to the fifteen we had in there  earlier in the year,  their surroundings seem way too big for them. But, they'll grow. 

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo

Cooking with Chef Jo: Mexitaliano Salsa

My computer with all my pictures is in the shop. This blog is written on a HP streaming tablet so no pictures. Sorry about that.

After losing all my Roma tomato plants in the garden this year due to the cockeyed weather, I broke down and bought a case of them from the wholesale house. Not organic, but they were locally sourced. Beggars can't be choosers. Sigh! I only need three more cases for the sauce.

While there I picked up cases of snap beans, pickling cucumbers, and half a case of yellow squash too. Let's just say I was a canning fool this week. I frozen the green beans and squash to can later. So I just had to blanch, flash freeze, and fill gallon bags with that produce. I also picked up three pounds of onions and a few bell peppers. Luckily I got enough red jalapenos from the garden to make the salsa with. I only needed four the 7 quarts of finished salsa I made.  It's very mild with enough heat to hit the back of the mouth. Mel can't stand the heat so she stays out of the kitchen.😎

A few years ago, my cilantro bolted long before my tomatoes and peppers ripened. Dehydrated cilantro just doesn't do salsa justice. As an experiment, I used fresh basil instead. We liked it so well I never went back to cilantro for my salsa. So I'll share my recipe with you. Mel isn't crazy about peppers so I adjusted the recipe. It still has about half of my usual amount. So to recreate a tru-ish salsa, you'll want to double the amount of bell peppers in this recipe. To increase the heat, chop more jalapenos leaving in the inner membrane and seeds that's what I do for me. We also love the health benefits of garlic so there's plenty in here. We also like a fairly chunky salsa.

My tomatoes are cut with the large grate (about 1/2" dice) Vidalia Onion Chopper. My onions and peppers are cut with the smaller grate (about 1/4" dice). This one batch will make enough salsa for us to enjoy salsa once a month for a year. I'll probably make one more batch before the first freeze.

Jo's Mexitaliano Salsa

Makes 13 1/2 pint jars (roughly 7 qts)

What you'll need

40 Roma tomatoes, about 35 lbs worth

3 large, green bell pepper about 2 1/2 cups worth diced

4 red jalapenos, cored and seeded minced

3 lbs of onions, small diced about 10 cups worth

2 heads of garlic, 24 large cloves minced.

2 limes, quartered

1/4 cup fresh basil, minced

16 oz tomato paste

1 1/2 cups vinegar

2 TBS canning salt

                                                                     1 TBS cumin

                                                                     2 TBS black pepper

Putting it all together

• Wash, core, and put the tomatoes in the freezer overnight.
• Chop your peppers, garlic, onions, and store overnight in your refrigerator. 
• The next morning, place the tomatoes in your sink to thaw.
• Peel and seed the tomatoes. 
• Dice tomatoes into 1/2" pieces and allow to drain in a colander.
• Reserve 2 quarts of diced tomatoes in a pitcher and blend with an immersion blender until pureed.
• Add pureed tomatoes to an 8-qt stock pot.
• Add all chopped vegetables, tomato paste, and limes to the pot.
• Add salt, pepper, vinegar, and cumin.
• Stir well.
• Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 30 minutes.
• Remove lime pieces and squeeze the juice into the pot. Discard the juiced pieces.
• Stir well.
• Ladle salsa into hot jars and process 30 minutes in a water bath canner.

Do not add more salt even though your taste buds say it may need it. Remember, you'll be eating this with salted tortilla chips or used in a recipe. More salt can be add at that time if you think it needs it. I am assuming that you know how to prepare your hot jars and the basics of safe canning. Now for a recipe you can use this in. You didn't think I'd leave you hanging, did you?

Chicken Salsa

Serves 4

What you'll need

4 chicken thighs, cooked and shredded

1 pint jar of salsa

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese or the Mexican blend cheese*

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup sliced olives

2 cup shredded lettuce

*Note- To make your own Mexican blended cheese. Mix together 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup grated mozzarella or queso cheese, and 1/2 tsp chili powder.

Putting it all together

• Mix chicken and salsa together and place in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Spoon meat evenly onto the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
• Sprinkle olives on top.
• Sprinkle cheese evenly on top.
• Baked 350 degree for 30 minutes or until cheese is light brown and bubbly.

To serve- there are several options. You can cut the pan into quarters, serve over shredded lettuce and topped with a dollop of sour cream. You can heat up some refried beans and cut the baked mixture 8 servings, wrap them with lettuce and sour cream into tortillas as burritos. Two per serving. Or, serve with some corn relish, refried beans and rice as side dishes for an Mexican night fiesta. Or serve it over spaghetti with some garlic knots. The choices are endless.

Enjoy and as always...

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo

We got Chicks!

Friday, I went to check on Polka Dot after I gave the flock their ration of scratch and pellets. This is still in supplement mode since they are all free ranging too. By process of elimination, I knew Polka Dot was on the nest because I saw the Silkie pecking greedily at the grain and cracked corn. I have to throw out a couple handfuls of scratch out for them or they'll swarm all over me while I try to put out their feed in their feeder. I don't like the chickens flying at my face while I'm filling the feeder. Their claws are sharp.

As I approached the nest box I thought I had heard some cheeping. I opened up the drop down access and sure enough I spied a broken eggs shell. After raising some of Polka Dot's wing feathers, despite her threatening protests, I saw a black bundle of joy.  The first four of 22 hatched yesterday to the Polka Dot/Silkie tag team mommas. Ms. Puffy Cheeks is sitting on her pile of eggs on the front porch.

The chicks look to be Delaware or Barred Rock/ Rhode Island Red cross babies and one Rhode Island Red chick. Hens or roos? I'll try feather sexing them tonight when we move them. But honestly, I'm not that good at it yet. How many hatched out this morning, I haven't checked yet. This was only day 19 for the hens on the eggs.  She is in the main coop so we'll be moving them all to the brooder box this evening. The chickies babies were so new that they were still wet so I left them alone.

I figure when the Polka Dot hen decides to break broodiness in a few days, we'll move all the babies and her to the hospital hutch. Ms. Puffy Cheeks' eggs should hatch late next week. Both hens and babies should be able to stay in there. That is until next week when we move all our free range flock to their new habitat. The rains has really slowed progress on the build and putting in the fencing for the run. The new coop with their 20' run will be a change but they'll soon get used to it again. It will be winter again soon and we always coop up our flock for their own protection. There's not enough forage for them anyhow.

Well, that's our news for this week.

Y'all have a blessed day.

Cockeyed Jo

Cooking with Chef Jo: Got Leftovers? Frugal Cooking

When I was a professional chef, oft times there'd be leftover cooked meats and vegetables. These had to be remade into a new line item, "day's special," within 3 days. In homesteading or homemaking, it's no different. No mouthful is wasted. Just like in business, waste equals loss time and money. You took the time to grow your own vegetables with the optimal (and sometimes, sub optimal results). Still, every mouthful used counts against hunger, right?

My take on leftovers is this. If the dish has enough left over to serve again as a meal then do so once. Everything still leftover after that is judged whether or not it will make another meal or more. If this is the case, it is divided up into meal sized portions and frozen. I don't can what has been cooked twice. If there is less than a meal portion, the leftover is remade into something else. Sometimes, there is just the need to clean out the refrigerator which is usually my case.

With egg production and sales ramping up, our refrigerator is slap full of eggs. At least one designated shelf is. Our refrigerator is set up with four shelves and fresh compartments at the bottom. The top shelf is drinks (sodas, ice tea, milk, and items too large to fit anywhere else). The next shelf is leftovers. The third shelf is eggs (6 flats of 30 plus 6 dozen cartons of eggs). All are spoken for and waiting on delivery. We are collecting over a dozen eggs a day and have two brooding hens sitting on a dozen eggs. The last shelf is pans of meat for the week. The bottom compartments is sandwich meats/cheeses and fresh vegetables. I imagine yours is set up something similarly (maybe not with the all the eggs).😉

When the leftover shelf is full of leftover in food containers, it's time to clean the refrigerator. It takes about a week to get full even with putting items in the freezer and using them. The coolers come out and the refrigerator is emptied, and then broken down and cleaned top to bottom. What can I say, old chef's training dies hard.

I take an inventory of what is leftover and make a meal out of it. Less than a single servings of vegetables are put in the "soup" container in my freezer. It's a recycled gallon mayonnaise jar from our grocery store deli. When one gallon is full, I'll make a pot of soup.  Or, when two gallons are full, I'll can the soup. Every mouthful counts.

Today was "clean out the frig day." I'm looking at the less than 1/4 lb of each of raw ground beef and deer sausage, onion small onion with green leaves on the top, 1 forlorn clove of garlic that was turning brown, 3 cayenne peppers I had picked earlier, less than a cup of rice, 3 homemade flour tortillas, a meal's worth of corn, a 1/2"x 4" block of cheddar cheese, and a rib of limp celery.

A menu began forming in my mind. Tonight, I'd go south of the border to Mexico. Well, sort of. Call it a American/Caribbean version of their dishes. What changes a meat laced side dish into an entrée? The amount of meat used, of course. I had almost 1/2 a pound which is more than enough for two adults.

Dirty Rice, Leftover Style
Makes 3 servings

What you'll need

1/2 lb ground meat or any combination
1 small onion, diced green and all
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped*
1 rib of celery, chopped leaves and all
1 cayenne pepper, seeds and ribs removed
1 tsp Cajun spice blend*
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup rice, cooked
                                                             1/2 cup beef broth
                                                             Salt to taste

* Notes- I omitted the bell pepper because Mel doesn't like them.
*Are you still buying the salt laden Cajun seasoning? Why? You probably have all the ingredients to make it in your spice rack already. Hold on, I can fix this for you.

Cajun Seasoning Blend
Makes 1 cup

What you'll need

2 TBS paprika- sweet, smoky, or common
2 TBS garlic powder
2 TBS dried oregano
2 TBS onion powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
About 1 TBS oil or fat from meat

• Place all ingredients in coffee grinder and pulse until mixture is coarse ground as shown in the picture. Store in air tight container.

Putting it all together

• Brown ground meat in a medium saucepan.
•  Drain off remaining fat, leaving 1 TBS of fat in the meat. *
• Add onions, celery, garlic, pepper, and seasonings to the pot.
• Cook until the onions are translucent. Add beef broth.
• Be sure to scrape the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pot.
• Add the rice. Stir well. Bring back to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let steam for 10 minutes.
• Serve.

The leftover tortillas and the little bit of cheese made quesadillas. Three-quarters of one made an excellent serving size. I reheated the corn with some butter. I had dinner whipped up lickity-split and who would know except you that it was made from leftovers or the condition some of the vegetables were in? It was delicious and my refrigerator is clean too.

Wow😲 this makes close to 100 recipes, cooking stories, how to cooking/culinary back to basics skills, and tips/notes I've posted in here! I still have so much more to share.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo

Homestead Ups and Downs/Life and Death

 We had four hens go broody at the same time. As much as I've tried to break them, it was to no avail for two of the younger hens. They'd sit on empty nests for days upon days these past two months. Finally, I said enough. I tried moving them off the nests, breaking nests apart, rousting them every couple hours, collecting eggs six times a day, cool bathes, and time out cages, and nothing worked. Within days, these two were broody again.

If these last two hold out are sitting on nests, taking needed nest boxes, and not laying eggs, then I'm going to use it to our advantage.  They are now sitting on 22 eggs. Well, that's not entirely true. One of the blue egg laying hens went broody with the Silkie. This nest has two mother hens who sit on the eggs. The white polka dot hen trades off sitting duties with the white Silkie. This way when I is sitting, the other takes a break to eat, drink, and be sociable, and vice versa. One the other nest, the one pictured, she is the one and only mother hen. I put food and water in the box with her, and  she's on the front porch while the other nest is in the coop. This morning she kicked two eggs out of her nest.

Mel had better get busy on the new coop and run before the cooler temperatures set in. The old coop and run will the broody grow out pen. Now how she is going to get the three hens which prefer to roost in the tree over the coop, I'll never know until she does it. She's got until the middle of the month before these broody mamas will need the present space exclusively for their young. The chicks my be a Rhode Island cross breed (from our rooster) But the chickie babies will lay eggs. We are still talking about a pure bred flocks too, but these additional hens will suffice for egg production. The roos will be freezer/canner campers. We don't need cross roos although Big Red is ending his fourth year of fertility. This hatch will tell the tale. We'll candle the eggs later this week to see how many are fertilized and viable.

Patches in happier times

With the up and life side of the coin discussed, now it's time for the down and death on this cockeyed homestead. It tok me a while to write this and still it hurts. We lost my beloved Patches this week to liver and kidney cancers that we didn't know she had. It wasn't until we took her to the vet for drastic weight loss that we found out the cause.

She was our youngest daughter's cat that we got from the Humane Society. When our daughter went to college and was gone for six months, this cat warmed up to me rather than than attacked me. She was a 6-month old feral kitten that chose Jennifer at the shelter. She jumped onto Jennifer's shoulder and dared her to look at any other. We renamed her Patches rather than Pockets because her tortoise shell coloring. Mel later dubbed her "Apache" because she always remained aloof and ready to attack. Being feral, she only took to Jennifer and sometimes my husband.

When she realized that Jennifer wasn't coming home for a while, she changed her manner towards me in small increments. She started being my escort to and from the house. When I was out in the yard, she was with me. A healthy six feet at least, but she was there. Her aloofness continued somewhat until two weeks before dying. She was never one to be held or cuddled. Instead she would lay on top of you while you slept, or up against you. I never quite knew whether it was a show of affection, or an effort to stay warm with shared body heat.

But then again, when my husband was finally bed bound, she lay beside him except for about three hours a day to take care of her business outside and eat. Even the Hospice aides had to work around her to do his care. She just couldn't be budged away from him. Even after they took his body away, she laid on the spot where he lay until they took his hospital bed away. Even then, she laid on his pile of sheets grieving his passing.

Why did we wait so long to get her into the vet? Once she heard the word vet, she'd go into hiding and wouldn't come out until after 5 PM. Safe from going and she knew it. We also had car trouble with our only vehicle that lasted a week, but that's another long, cockeyed story. Finally, she came out of hiding when Mel returned from the grocery store (long after her appt time). She was lying on the walkway. Too weak to even meow. She was badly dehydrated and she hadn't eaten all day...safe in her hiding place.

Being after 5PM, Mel hurriedly called the vet. Could we catch her and bring her in on Saturday morning. That night, we tried to entice her to eat with a can of tuna (people food not cat food). As much as she wanted it, she couldn't eat or drink. Later, Patches went to the water bowl on her own. She was too weak to lift her head long, but I watched her lap up some water. As the weight of her head pulled her nose under water, she raise up enough to rest her head on the dg food dish to allow the water to drain from her nose and mouth area. After a few minutes rest, she'd dip her head towards the water dish again to repeat the process. She finally stopped and lay down beside the water dish. I didn't expect her to live through the night.

During the night, Patches did something strange. She lay next to me. Crawl about six inches and lay her head on my available body part, stay there for a few minutes, and then move on. From the top of my head and back again. I thought it was Patches touching my body warding off evil because she would be able to protect and escort me anymore. Mel said, because she couldn't see that well that she was using my body as a reference point. It could be that both of us are right. We'll never know for sure.

airplaned ears

Saturday morning, I put Patches by the water bowl. She was still there when I returned from changing my clothes. I picked her up. Her ears airplaned because I was loving on her and she detested being cuddled. I gently put her in the carrier. She tried to scratch me and I made a shushing noise and put her in. She hated that carrier since she was in it for six hours on the move up here. She resigned herself to be carried in it. I had made a nice comfortable bed in it for her.

At the vet's office, the aide put the cat onto the scale...5.5! She'd lost half her body weight. Patches regular weight for the past five years has been around 10 lbs. She wasn't fat just a big, short haired cat. In her younger years, she weighed in at 15 lbs of muscles and bones, not fat. But, age has some strange ways. That and her lifestyle here with of plenty of tree to climb, rats and rabbits to catch, and two acres or more to roam of hilly terrain made her more svelte. Unlike her human counterparts.😸

After finding that her liver and kidneys had palpable masses, and the blood work, there was no question about it. Her kidneys and liver functions had shutdown. She was dying quite painfully of starving to death as the rest of her body caught up with her liver and kidneys. Tears coursed down my face as I denied a hospital admit to run IV fluids to bolster her up. There was simply no treatment for a cat this age. At 18 years old, I had to let her go. I rubbed her head as they gave her the injections and in a few short minutes,  she was gone.

RIP Patches. You had a life full of taking care of others. You deserve it. While you're up there, tell your "Daddy" I miss him too.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Grieving Jo

Humidity! ARGH!

While our temperatures and heat indexes have not hit 100+ this year, the humidity is higher than normal. Like a bad joke, you respond, "How humid is it?"

I keep a box of salt beside the stove. I picked it up, and couldn't pour any salt out of the sprout. When put it on the scale out of curiosity, it weighed 1 1/2 lbs for a 1 lb box of salt! I was afraid to hold the box too tight because my finger tips threatened to go through the damp cardboard, or bust the bottom or top off. Now, that's HUMID, folks!

You take a shower to cool off and wash the salty sweat from all part of your body. You reach for your bath towel to dry off, but it's been wicking up the humidity like a sponge. So now you are trying to dry yourself with a damp towel. When you try to get dressed, your clothes become as damp as the clothes you took off and equally difficult to do. Now, that's HUMID, folks.

You decide to combat the mold growing in your closets, bathrooms, and other moisture laden room with Damp Rid to combat the problem in these key areas. You buy the convenient two pack to save money. You are planning to buy the refills every month except the crystals are gone within a week. The good news is that your bath towels are drier when you shower and your walls aren't wet to the touch. Now, that's HUMID, folks.

You've placed two units in your 8 x 12 food stores out building hoping to save your precocious home canned goods. Rust forms around the edges of the flats and even on the tops thinning the metal. Even store purchased canned goods are rusting in spite of your efforts. Now, that's HUMID, folks.

You hear thunder in the distant. Yes, another rain storm is approaching or it could just be heat lightning. As you count between the flash and the thunder, it's getting closer. It's still about a ten count between. The air is so thick it's hard to breathe. Is it possible for humidity to be greater than 100% you wonder, because you could bet on it. Then, you smell the rain coming long before the first drop falls. a freshening wind lifts the humidity a bit. As the rain begins to fall, and you can breathe a little easier. Now, that's HUMID, folks.

That's what our cockeyed winter, spring, and summer weather has been like for us. We've had maybe two weeks (not together) of no rain all spring and summer long. Our homestead is mud and puddles. There's no where for it to go the ground is past saturated. Great weather for ducks?! Even my neighbor's ducks don't want to leave their house.

The common access driveway has washed away. The Blazer, our vehicle, broke the other day. We called a tow truck for a tow to the only garage in town. It couldn't make it down the upper driveway to pick up our vehicle! Every time the owner of the property fixes the driveway, a storm comes through wiping it out again.

And yes, all of these examples are true. At least we'll have no shortage of kindling this winter. For all of you in drought conditions, the shoe does not a better fit on the other foot.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo

Cooking with Chef Jo: Seasoned, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

My goodness it's September already! I'm on the lookout for little pie pumpkins. Mine didn't grow well. Tis the season and all that. The days are cooler with all the rain we've had, but the highs are still in the 80s. So my sweet potatoes still have a chance.

I don't about you, but I'd rather eat sweet potato pie than pumpkin. In fact, if it not for family, Mel, or the dogs, I would not grow nor put up pumpkin at all. But I do like roasted pumpkin seeds to munch on. There never seems to be enough seeds to last a year. Even when I used to get those huge Jack-o-lantern pumpkins (at least 2) when my children were little. Of course, they loved pumpkin seeds too.

I'll take around half of the seeds and roast them plain and I'll coat the remainder in assorted flavors like ranch, Italian, seasoned salt, and taco seasoning mixes. Don't worry. I'll include the dry mix recipes here too as an added bonus. Of course, you could always buy the commercial mixes in those little packets, and spend an arm and a leg for them. But, this is homestead cooking from scratch version so you can make it up into larger batches to have it on hand for other recipes and dressings. You can use them on any nut or seeds you want. I'll keep the seed count low by using only 2 cups of seeds. You can double, triple, or how ever many times the recipe for the seeds. Store seeds in an air tight container in a cool, dark place. It should keep all winter long.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
2 cups of seeds

What you'll need
2 cups pumpkin seeds
3TBS butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce



Putting it all together

• Wash the seeds well removing all traces of pulp.
• Pat dry.
• In a bag mix melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, and salt.
• Add the seeds and toss until well coated.
• Spread seeds on a foil lined baking sheet.
• Bake 250 degrees for 45 minutes stirring the seeds occasionally.
• Increase temperature to 350 degrees and bake until dry and golden (about 7-10 minutes).
• Salt again, if desired. 
• Let cool. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

The seasonings are added when the seeds are removed from the oven. Place 1/8-1/4 cup of seasoning mix in paper bag, add the seeds, and shake to coat. Spread seeds back on baking sheet and allow to cool.

Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix
4 1/2 cups

What you'll need
1 cup dried parsley, crushed
3/4 cup dried garlic salt*
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup onion salt*
1/2 cup dried onion flakes, crushed
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
1 TBS dried thyme
1 TBS dried oregano
1TBS dried basil
2 TBS black pepper
3 TBS dill weed
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk powder

*Note-To make your own garlic or onion salt, blend 3 TBS salt and 1 TBS garlic or onion powder. Mix well. Store in air tight container

Putting it all together

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
• Pour into the blender or coffee mill. Pulse until mixture is a coarse powder.
• Store in and air tight container.
• For salad dressing-Add 2 TBS of mix to 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup milk or water. Refrigerate 4 hours prior to serving.

Taco Seasoning Mix
Makes 1/2 cup

What you'll need

1/2 TBS chili powder
1 1/2 TBS cumin
1 TBS paprika
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed fine

* Note-Add more or less cayenne pepper to adjust the heat. At 1/2 tsp to heat is a mild medium to Mel's taste buds...a slight tingling to the back of the throat.

Putting it all together

• Mix all ingredients.
• Store in air tight container.
• For taco sauce- Add 3 TBS mix to 1TBS tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water

Italian Seasoning
Makes 1/2 cup

What you'll need

2 TBS dried parsley
2 TBS  garlic salt
2 TBS onion powder
2 TBS sugar
4 TBS dried oregano, crushed fine
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed fine
                                                            2 tsp dried basil, crushed fine
                                                            1/2 tsp celery salt
                                                            1 TBS salt
                                                            1 tsp dried bell pepper, minced
                                                            1/8 tsp dry mustard powder
Putting it all together

• Mix all ingredients.
• Store in air tight container.
• For salad dressing- Add 3 TBS mix to 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 4 TBS water, and 1/2 cup oil of your choosing. I use olive oil. Shake hard until the salt is dissolved. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Shake well before serving.
• For a yummy alternative-Add 2 TBS of Parmesan cheese to the spice blend before shaking the pumpkin seeds.

Seasoned Salt
Choose your favorite seasoned salt or use mine.

There you have it. Pumpkin seeds and 4 variations. I hope you enjoy them over the winter months.

You might be wondering what I'll do with the plain salted pumpkin seeds. Well I'll chop them u for an added crunch to the tops of breads and muffins, and toss them into salads to name a few. Or, whenever I feel my body needs the extra boost of protein, iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, fiber, or an immuno-booster.

Y'all have a blessed day!

                                                               Chef Jo