Tag: Cookbook

Cookbook Interruptus

~ JodiLea

Future Cookbook

Sigh. Almost to the desert section, and I discover errors in a recipe given to me. By my mother!

On my recipe card she wrote: “1 can salmon, not drained”.  On her card I find the original recipe says: “1 can salmon (1 pound), drained”. So, which is it? I ask her. She replies that you have to tip the can and drain off the top, but don’t dump salmon into a strainer.

Oh.  She took the card from my hand and crossed out “not” and wrote above it “lightly” and handed it back to me. No wonder mine always came out too runny.

I suspect the salmon cakes is not the only recipe with discrepancies. I make a note to refer to mom’s file box while proofreading the cookbook.  For now, I want to finish adding the pile of recipe cards, magazine clippings, and sticky notes to my manuscript.

What I should be doing is taking a nap because I could be up all night again.  What I am doing is trying to keep up with my post-a-day challenge in the midst of chaos  😉  Since it has already interrupted things, I will pass along the correct Salmon Cakes recipe. Y’all should feel honored.

Salmon Cakes
1 pound can Salmon , lightly drained [tip can to drain off most liquid, but don’t use a strainer]
1 Tbls. Lemon Juice
1 Egg
3 Tbls. Onion , diced
¼ tea. Pepper
¼ cup corn meal (or crushed crackers)

Mix Salmon with other ingredients in a medium bowl.  Mix well. Shape into 10 to 12 ‘patties’ and fry in oil on medium heat, until brown on each side. Mom always said using a heavy iron skillet was the proper way to fry stuff.

Serve with Cole Slaw & French fries. And plenty of  salt!!

Main Dishes

~ JodiLea

Future Cookbook

The Cookbook Saga continues….

I did not realize the vast collection of recipes crammed into my Main Dish file. I was getting tired of this section, when to my delight I came across recipes that I had originated in the early 90’s. I used to be so creative in the kitchen! Creativity can work against you with some dishes. For example, if you modify a crock pot recipe it can go very, very wrong.

Usually I get new recipes from Taste of Home magazine, or the food section of the local newspaper.  Friends and relatives are a good source, and I am not too shy to ask a waitress for “take out” recipes. I proudly have in my possession the Cheddar Bay Biscuit recipe from Red Lobster Logo

Just because I have a recipe for a wonderful dish, doesn’t mean I won’t tamper with it.  I can’t help myself. A little of this, some of that, disregard those things, etc.  Always looking for the Perfect Meal.

However, lately I am looking for the Easy Meal. I have spent over 1/2 my life in the kitchen and I want to explore the other rooms now. Most “easy” meals seem to have common ingredients. Condensed Cream of Something and Bisquick. Oh well. An example of:  You Can’t Have Your Easy and Like it Too.

I will share with you one of the tastiest “easy” entreés I conjured up.

Pasta with Asparagus & Mushrooms
1 small package of Vermicelli or Spaghetti
1 bunch of fresh Asparagus
6-10 fresh large white Mushrooms
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbls Butter
2 Tbls Olive Oil

Break pasta in half and cook according to package directions. Rinse in warm water and drain.
Clean veggies. Cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces, slice mushrooms.
In a large non-stick pan, sauté the garlic in butter & oil for a minute on medium heat. Add the asparagus and mushrooms. Cook on medium-low heat until asparagus is tender. Add pasta and toss until evenly coated. Salt and Pepper to taste. (May need to sprinkle more olive oil if pasta not coated well.)  Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

That’s All Folks. To make it a complete meal toss in some cooked chicken, fish, ham or steak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Am My Own Worst Editor

~ JodiLea

. Paperwork Mountian

Progress is slow on the cookbook today.  I can’t write a recipe without tweaking another one, or formatting something. I keep telling myself, “just write, and edit later”.

I hate when I don’t heed my own good advice. These large piles of recipes surrounding me, sorted in some order that I forget when I leave my desk then return, are not getting smaller.  I know the reason for this, but I can’t help myself.  I catch myself reading sections that I have already written, then I need to change a word or two. I might need to add a note, or remove something dumb.

This editing when trying to write is bad enough. But the next day I discover I don’t like what I did the day before, so I re-edit what I wrote again. I need to write at this stage, and I’m just not getting to it. Grrrrr…

If you wonder if I would be a happier editor than a writer, I assure you I would not. Then I crack-up because my spelling and grammar are so atrocious that I stump spell check. And the grammar checker constantly nags at me. I write how I speak most of the time, between the California Valley Girl, Kansas Farmer, and the Hillbilly dialects, it is amazing that I write at all.

At least, I think I can. 😉