Clara's Holiday Artichokes

Have to say, this looks delicious. I'm going to try and remember to give these a go...

Simple Cream of Broccoli Soup

Here's the original recipe for "Simple Cream of Broccoli Soup" from FoodNetwork.com...  I decided to change things just a bit:

• exchanged two 15-oz cans of chicken and rice soup plus 1.75 cups of water for the recommended 6 cups of chicken broth
• omitted the onion (i'm allergic)
• exchanged garlic for the nutmeg
• added one extra cup of chopped broccoli to the recommended three

it was magnificent.  the soup was thick, with relatively easy prep.  i could probably have gotten away with chopping just the largest florets, as the blender handled the puree easily at just 5 seconds per portion...

give it a try;  let me know what you think :)

Amazing Eggplant Fries

I found a recipe for Eggplant Fries about two hours ago that simply beggared belief. Given the length in text and the number of pictures, it looked so simple, so quick. It was.

The recipe below was adjusted slightly from this website, and I can categorically state it was magnificent:

1 avg size eggplant
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. granulated garlic
pinch dried oregano
pinch dried parsley
1 Tbls. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
olive oil

• Shave the skin (not sure why, but it didn't take long with veg peeler)
• While doing this, heat the skillet with oil enough to coat the bottom slightly
  
• Cut the eggplant into french-fry-shaped pieces about 3-4 inches in length
• Plop / dredge them in the flour/spices dry mix
• Drop them into the skillet, turning as they brown
• Remove from skillet when browned on all sides

From start to finish, it took me about 15 minutes, and while they were good on their own, a drizzle of Costco's Spinach Salad dressing (the stuff that comes with the spinach salads) worked very nicely.

For myself, I prefer the innards of the eggplant to be the consistency of a good crisp french fry, but you can probably enjoy them softer... For this carnivore, I'll be doing eggplant more frequently from now on.

Prescription Cheerios

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that General Mills, the purveyors of Cheerios, will be required to either (1) remove or rework a particular statement on its box, or (2) remove Cheerios from store shelves.

Seems the advertising wording on the box technically makes Cheerios a drug:

Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that your Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.

I thought so. :)

Electric Food

Originally uploaded by oskay

I have to say, this is one of the most unusual and fascinating ideas since candy sushi: Circuitry made with sugar products.

Truly ingenious, if time-intensive :)

Me, a Vegetarian?

Not even close. However, sometimes I feel the need to eat my green brethren. When I do, it usually takes the shape of butternut squash, spinach salads, and fresh corn on the cob.

A few days ago, I managed to snag myself about a pound of fresh asparagus, and a few pounds of sugar-snap peas. The snaps are a Costco staple, and allow me to munch non-guiltily between meals. Tonight, however, they came together in spectacular fashion.

The recipe? One pound of asparagus, base ends trimmed (to be composted), the remainder snapped in two; and about 8 ounces of sugar-snaps. Place about 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine into a large sauté (or deep frying) pan and melt. Add the asparagus to the pan for about three minutes, tossing occasionally.

Now, add granulated or chopped garlic (to taste; I believe you can never put too much garlic into any dish), and at least a decent sprinkling of non-granulated sea salt. Last ingredient to go in are the snaps. Toss and sauté for the next 5-6 minutes. If you are like me, you want the asparagus to be slightly-crisp. Cooking longer turns asparagus to mush, but that's just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Serve hot.

Pretty inexpensive, reasonably healthy, definitely fast food, very tasty. Feel free to drool here. I would...

Super Bowl Tail Gate Recipe?

I have to say, deep-fried twinkies and oreos have nothing on the following: Bacon Explosion. If you are looking for a way to commit suicide by coronary thrombosis and artherosclerosis, you could hardly pick a better recipe. While the NYTimes article says this "treat" has about 5000 calories, I have to believe four pounds of pork, plus rub, plus sauce, has at least 2-3 times that number, almost all of which are pure fat.

Call me when it's done. :)