Sauced Sweet Potatoes Squashed. Boiled the sweet potatoes and summer squash sliced or diced. With a sauce made of maple syrup (artificial in this case), brown sugar, water, raisins, pecans, cinnamon, butter (can use a tasteful substitute here which gives the sauce a bit more viscosity). The images pop into my head and then I have to try to emulate the vision. Not always successful, but most of the time not too far off. Where they come from, I really do not know.

 End All Pancake. I might as well have added sugar to the batter and prepared a frosting. Walnuts, egg, flour, bit of olive oil, water to the point of smooth flowing from the jar. Be sure to put the water into the jar first. Otherwise sit down while delumping (found delumping in my dictionary – the one I keep in my head). Be sure to fork this one – you know, when sticking in the fork, it comes out clean. If it doesn’t come out at all, you have a problem. So that it would not burn on the bottom, and the top was still the way it was when first poured, I had to turn it by putting a plate on top of the pan and turning the pan over. If you do this, be sure to be wearing some mitt or something. The other way is to lay the plate on the table, and turn the pan over fast on top of it. I’m not fast enough. I always miss the plate. Than just slip it back into the pan from the plate. All of this because I use a fork. If you use a really good spatula, you may not have to do this. But even so, count the number of times you have had broken pancakes and omelets. But the necessity of doing this is an indication of one of several things: Too high a flame, not using the cover, turning when it really is not done on the bottom much less the top.

 Fruit and nut salad with star quality. Honey and nutmeg added to the mix and on top. Cheese – your pick. Just do not choose cheddar. You want a light semi sweet or mild taste. Cheddar overpowers this dish. Apple, banana, walnuts, sunflower seeds, raisins which you do not see because they aren’t in there.

 Fate Egg. This either takes a lot of expertise or none at all. Since the process I went through to create it is rather long, I will just paraphrase: Bumble, bumble, bumble. Did not want to throw it out because there’s an egg in there. Protein! What it started out to be was a thin pancake with egg. I wish to emphasize two processes. One, always finish what you start. Two, do it to the bitter end. If it has any value at all, something good will come out of it. In this case, a photo, this write-up and most importantly my early morning protein, plus it actually tasted good. At least I can give you the ingredients: Egg, flour, water, olive oil, butter, sugar (what was left in the sugar container I used to shake it up because all my other containers were in service – leftovers, bean soaking, hadn’t opened in weeks and probably never will, etc.), olive oil and butter in the pan as I tried to keep it from sticking.

I made myself a fresh cup of coffee and as I was about to take a sip, noticed a very small winged creature floating on top. Took him out and put him on a piece of tissue although I was sure he was no longer alive. Threw out the coffee. Not because I was afraid of germs, but because someone had died in it. I could not drink it – matter of honor.
 

 If you’re down to potatoes, at least make them look good. I put some fried onions on top and some coriander. Sweet paprika which makes the plate look like you had something more substantial. Sometimes, appearance is everything. At least when it’s with yourself and you are fully aware of the truth.
 

 Red cabbage and bell pepper. Looked so great I had to photograph it before it was finished or had aged. The second picture is after it has obtained some character and is of greater depth and value. Added ingredients: Soy burger (mashed), coriander, turmeric, thyme, salt, caraway seeds, and mushroom powder for cooking, flour, salt, water – all in reverse order – for the sauce.
 

 Standing in the kitchen wondering what I would fix myself for dinner. Sweet potatoes. My body said white. Yes, I will have sweet potatoes. It said “uh uh, white“. I normally listen but it can be very insistent and often gets its way. I was thinking of a smart reply, when I looked down and there I was peeling whites. Process: After he finished peeling, cut, boiled with mushrooms, dumped water, poured milk, put cheese, cut mushrooms in half, took photo, ate. Was going to save half for tomorrow. But, will have to start all over again when tomorrow comes.

 Burger Mince. Between two slices of special French bread. Treat yourself once in a while. Gives that certain edge to life. Unless you’re living in France. When put together, I assure you, my mouth is not that big. That is why we were made with the heel of the hand – or the fist, but finesse is always  preferable. The perfect side is sitting right there. Hummus with olive oil in the indentation. Now all I needed was a great riesling (that I had), and a cork screw. Oh, well.
 

 Hot Paprika Tofu. A little background. My frige went out, and there I was with all of this frozen stuff… quite unfrozen. Everybody says not to refreeze, so I started cooking it figuring that if it’s cooked, for stuff that has never been, or re-cooked, I can then eat it. If you do not see any more additions to this blog, then do not try this method. So far, so good. Before I freeze tofu or chunks of cheese (not the sliced stuff), I cut it into meal sized pieces so I can get them apart. The other way, is to smash whatever it is as thin as you can, and then when ready to use a part of it, just knock it against the sink to break off a piece. Back to the dish. The mound was left over from half a year ago, now recooked. The crushed stewed tomato was from a huge can which I had divided into manageable portions in two or three jars, and a cup from the new yogurt place that just opened up in a terrible spot with no traffic, and I go in and buy just to cheer them up. There were three tomato peaks on the mound but the floor ate one. The feature story here is the two tofu slices which were fried until brown on one side, turned, and previous to freezing sliced kashkaval cheese laid on top and melted. I don’t know how it happened, but there were 7 tofu slices and 7 unfrozen cheese slices. Sometimes, the universe is just in your corner, or it’s ignoring you and just doing its own thing. The next part is the best move I have made in at least a day. I put hot paprika on top (don’t know why because I never use it), but it was great. Whims are meant to be followed. The sweet and sour was the perfect complement.
 

Just received this from NatuarlNews in their email letters  Non-Stick Cookware Chemicals Cause 150 Percent Increase in Infertility
  

 TofuCheese Tomato Soup. A utensil that can handle this dish properly has not yet been invented. I made do with what I had. The soup is rich mushroom powder for cooking, tomato paste, sweet paprika becaue the red was not red enough due to the mushroom powder. The tofu with kashkaval cheese was left over from yesterday, so see above or below depending on where and when I put this up. This will make anyone happy.

                           December Sunset

 I keep making dishes which surpass each other. Which means that a dish which I thought was the best I had ever tasted 10 months ago has been surpassed umpteenth times. So maybe I need to gather the 20 best recipes together of the 500. Anyway, this ranks up there. It’s the sauce, because you have heard of Sweet Potato/Eggplant/Cabbage Pot all fried together with or without the tempeh before. THE sauce: Butter (you be the judge on amount), miso (2 tbsp), garlic powder, turmeric (by the way, besides all of its other great properties, it is also very good against arsenic. Very few places in the U.S. have potentially higher than 10 ppb which is the level set by the CDC and is handled by the water system, but in some other parts of the world it would be important), honey, sweet red table wine, and miso which already has the salt you might be needing. You can mix it separately or just put each ingredient in as you are moved to do so. Miso is good for a flavoring for a lot of dishes. Very healthy for you. whfoods.com says it best: “Miso is a soy paste that is created by inoculating trays of rice with the vitamin B12 synthesizing fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, then mixing in a ground preparation of cooked soybeans and salt, and letting the mixture ferment for several days before grinding it into a paste with a nut butter consistency”. You should go out of your way to find it if by any chance your supermarket does not carry it. Check out its health values in the above, and also the potential for in some people for an allergic reaction which is true with a number of foods.

 End of the Road and Beginning of a New Path Breakfast. The end of the road is not where I suggest you find the mushrooms in this dish. To quote Wikipedia (a very readable piece giving information, some photos, and symptoms of poisoning) “To prevent mushroom poisoning, mushroom gatherers need to be very intimately familiar with the mushrooms they intend to collect, including knowledge of the toxic species that look similar to these edible species. Other considerations regard methods of preparation and toxicity of some fungal species that appears to vary with geographic location, raising the potential of mushroom poisoning due to local toxicity of a correctly identified species.” According to the reading, one of the most poisonous mushroom, Amanita Phalloides, in its early stages of growth looks like one of the editable mushrooms. Regarding children, it states ” A majority of mushroom poisonings in general are the result of small children, especially toddlers in the “grazing” stage, ingesting mushrooms found in the lawn”. So taken together, unless you are an expert, do not go collecting your own.

That being said, I wanted a pancake this morning but being out of flour had to find an alternative. So cutting 3 slices of bread into cubes and frying them with mushrooms, sunflower seeds and walnuts provided the cure. Be sure to get that browned all over look. Art is part of successful living. What you see on there is chutney which did not work. Pouring on maple syrup fixed it. Further on the mushrooms thing. RogersMushrooms states  “Do not believe old wives’ tales about how to distinguish between edible and poisonous mushrooms. They are all rubbish. Taste is no help either. Some of the most deadly poisonous mushrooms can be quite tasty.”  Also gives what to do in an emergency. Well, there goes my recipe. Now, no one will want to even try it. But mushrooms, from a known supplier, are one of the joys of great cooking and eating as well as being healthy since it provides some of the more important nutrients we may be lacking in our regular diets – see crimini (related to white and portabella)  and shiitake mushrooms.

My Cakecrepe. Jam jar filled 1/4 with water or milk, 1/4 with cake flour, 1 egg. Close tightly. Shake. Pour into hot skillet with lots of butter. Cover on low flame. Wait until the top is cooked, which means you have to keep looking, then flip. Turn off burner and let cook by itself for a minute or two. Was going to use a Spanish word here but that’s pretentious. (Hint. I’ve been pretentious before).

Potatoes with Support. Sometimes, all you want is potato. This is one potato. The secret here is honey, powdered mushroom soup, and basilicum. The more obvious are mushrooms, basil, garlic powder,. Fry the mushrooms first to a golden brown and set aside. Boiling the potato to about half done will speed the process of frying and make sure that the potato is eatable. Put in the spices towards the end of the fry or they all stick to the bottom of the pan leaving the potato cubes high and dry. Put the honey in at the very end. A little goes a long way. You want a hint, not a statement. If you are still hungry, you used a small potato. If you are cooking the largest potato shown here, invite some friends over.

Tempeh/Banana and Chutney. Fried tempeh with banana and chutney added at end with salt and pepper. Saw the bottle and knew I had to have it. Why? I found out this evening. Great dish. The nutty flavor of the tempeh together with the banana and chutney was perfect. The cabbage and onion cooked in oil for one minute to retain color, flavor, vitamins, crunch. Topped with hot chili sauce. 

 Nut Cookies. And some raisins. These are cookies which give you the stuff inside of nuts which you find difficult to get in other places. Specifically the vitamins and minerals in sunflower seeds and walnuts. I have come up with a surefire way to figure out the measurements of the batter ingredients. It’s called ET (empirical testing). To put it another way, have you ever tried a recipe and the mix was not to your taste? Make up a batch with all the ingredients, cook one or two examples of it, taste it, and add ingredients, or subtract out by adding more of all the other ingredients, to get your final mix. This is necessary since I have nothing which can measure out flour, water etc. No measuring cup, no table spoon or even tea spoon (I use a long handled jelly spoon which is neither tea or table so am left with dump and test. Ingredients as poured into a spare jam jar with a tight lid: Water (first), flour, sugar, egg, vanilla, salt (be careful with the vanilla and salt – they’re hard to dilute).

Breakfast Number 42. I just give these numbers out of thin air. So 42 must be its reference number somewhere. This is high protein served (veggie burger and egg) with chili sauce, and whole wheat toast with blueberry preserve. Only 10 items in Google for “blueberry perserve” and 3,300 for the correct spelling of preserve. When someone else has spelled it incorrectly the way you did, Google doesn’t say anything. But when you are the only one who has made the error out of 80 billion users, they politely say “do you mean ______? Of course the other major search engines do it also. Best dictionaries in the world. No other dictionary online that I know of will suggest a word if you mangle it.  The blueberry jam is special. I’ve heard what it can do for you and checked it out – an antioxident which prevents free-radical damage plus, protects the brain, improves nightvision (if you’re an owl, pretty important), protects against various forms of cancer, helps prevent vision loss as you get older, and that’s just the beginning. See Blueberries at whfoods.com 

After finishing my toast with the blueberry jam, I looked at the screen and everything was blurry. Cleaned my glasses.
 

 Morgan’s Special. About two heaping tsps (never measure, but that’s my take) of miso mixed with the cubed soy burger. onions (fried first), cherry tomatoes, butter, enough water to disburse the miso, finished off with sweet red table wine or chili sauce, or you name it. Sheer taste treat. The broccoli is steamed and not really cooked to tenderness in order to keep the green. It’s crunchy but I figure yellow looks bad in photographs, and anyway lose less vitamins and minerals that way. Topped with cheese melted in butter, milk and instant mushroom soup powder added. Now, my sisters have made various comments over the year about trying my dishes but still not one of them has done so. This is a must try. It will take some doing since they are all non-vegetarian but when I come up with something which is this good, I feel safe in making that statement. Besides being “Green” with a capital G, it gives all the protein you need, tastes great, and the animals will thank you.  By the way, many supermarkets have miso (fermented soy as has been done for centuries in the Far East. Much healthier for you).

Topped Potatoes. Otherwise known as Kingdom: Plantae, Division: Magnoliophyta, Class: Magnoliopsida, Subclass: Asteridae, Order: Solanales, Family: Solanaceae, Genus: Solanum, Species: S. tuberosum. Also according to Wikipedia “with the skin provides 27 mg of vitamin C (45% of the Daily Value (DV)), 620 mg of potassium (18% of DV), 0.2 mg vitamin B6 (10% of DV) and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc”. For food value I could have stopped there but I was driven by other needs such as taste, appearance – I like to want to eat what I’m eating, photographability, amount (only had one white potato so added a sweet potato). Actually the sweet potato has a different spectrum of vitamins and minerals but I defer that to a different time and place. One note: The sweet potato cooks faster than the white, so if you cut the sweet thicker and the white thinner they should come out about the same in time. Not tested so don’t quote me. After the potatoes were boiled, fried the onion, then made the sauce – butter, flour, milk, salt, garlic, instant mushroom soup powder. Topped with yellow cheese, covered, and heated so cheese would melt. By the way, before putting the potatoes back in the pan, be sure to put some of the sauce on the bottom since pouring it in on top doesn’t always get there. Have enough left over for a potato omelet tomorrow. One of the advantages to living alone. And the others? Let me think about that, but I may no longer be an expert on this subject since ‘cat’ walked into the apartment one day and decided to stay. She doesn’t eat potatoes. By the way, do not eat potatoes which have turned green for it may mean (but not necessarily) an increase of glycoalkaloid due to light (why you should keep your potatoes covered and away from light), damage or aging. While this is toxic to humans, it is estimated that the level of glycoalkaloid consumed per day is far less than the level which would cause problems. For instance, in the U.S., according to the above source (which quotes another source), there have been no reported cases of potato poisoning in the last 50 years. And with an average population of 240 million (I’m guessing) over that length of time, that’s a lot of potatoes.

VERY IMPORTANT WARNING - Mushroom Poisoning    Comment from littlesister
I just had this image of a child looking at one of the mushroom dishes and saying “If he can do it, so can I. I’ll just use those mushrooms I found out by the garage today and make myself lunch before Mom gets home.” Very important: A number of the world’s mushrooms are very poisonous to humans. Also, some animals can eat certain types of them that we cannot. Always be sure you have the right kind. I only use Champignon mushrooms which I buy at the supermarket. Just to be on the safe side, here is a site which deals with what to do if mushroom poisoning is suspected. Mushroom Poisoning – Common Symptoms and What To Do

Comment From Littlesister Your caution about the mushrooms on February 4 reminds me of an incident that occurred back when I had the preschool in Chesterfield. One of the students age 3-4 was from a family that was definitely into the “back to the earth” lifestyle. They had carved out a home in a couple of stalls in a local barn and endeavored to do everything naturally. One day during outdoor play time, Nikal began to gather mushrooms that she had discovered. Fortunately, I quickly stopped her activity and explained the dangers involved. When her mother arrived I spoke to her regarding the incident. “Oh, no problem”, she replied. “Nikal can collect and eat mushrooms as we have been training her to identify the safe ones.” “Well, not here”, was my response as I could only imagine a life-threatening error. Besides that, the other children would probably follow suit and pick anything!! Similar to the parent who took offense with me because I had told her son not to walk through the tomato plants. “We are training Benjamin to make his own decisions and apparently he decided to walk through the plants.” I questioned her as to whether it would be OK for him to decide to walk in front of a moving car and therefore not to stop him! Parenting, it takes all forms…and this by people who reckoned that they were enlightened.
As always, enjoying your web pages…taking a break to read some more.
END comment from Littlesister