Watermelon Feta Salad

When I look back on these dark days (yeah, I'm still sick-not really tasting-sore throat-tired-grumpy) at least I can say "I tried."

There was this crazy sale on watermelon, 59c a pound! I picked some up and it was so good I got another hunk of it before the sale ended. This stuff kicked around in the crisper for a week until I hauled myself into the store for feta. I kept reading about

Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad

Cut ripe watermelon
Cube/crumble feta
thin sliced red onion
tiny minced jalapeno
olive oil
splash of lemon juice
s&p
DOES NOT KEEP WELL-serve fairly quickly

Some recipes include black olives, mint, even honey.


I served it with sliced, cold (rare) London Broil, horsey sauce (horseradish, Dukes, black pepper) and a torn off hunk of Naan that I wish I had heated first because it tasted much better warm.
Watermelon salad is good- not life changing like I had read, but maybe when I get my taste buds working again, I'll change my mind. Of course I'll let you know.
Now- what to do with the rest of this feta? Hmmm...

What is is, and what it isn't Cornbread

Ever since I was a little girl, I have had an unnatural fear of loose corn. Laugh if you will, but corn must be kept on a short leash around me. I just do not like my corn to be unannounced or sort of loose and mingling in my dinner. Popcorn is a totally different animal, because popcorn is not and never will be confused for loose corn floating around in, say, a stew or a tasty taco salad.
No, loose corn is evil.
Corn on the cob is to be eaten with joy, AFTER I saw it off the cob, and add 1/2 stick of butter and salt and pepper. (I may like to stuff my face but I don't like the look of a corn of cob stuffed in my craw.)

Sometimes when we don't feel up to par, we take chances that we wouldn't normally take.
Sometimes when we don't feel up to par, we throw caution (and corn) to the wind.

What it is:

2 C Martha White Buttermilk Cornbread Mix
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Milk
2 eggs -beaten
1 handful of shredded cheddar
4 chopped green onions
1 can 50% less salt pure corn - 80% of it pureed in the handy chopper
Black pepper

Spritz 8x11 pan with butter flavor baking spray
Preheat oven to Speed Bake 400*
Toss ingredients into a nice, big bowl and mix them up. Add a few pinches of pepper.
Bake for about 17 minutes on convection -- or until golden in a regular oven.

What it isn't: another loose corn nightmare.

Ham....ham...everywhere....

Using up Leftover Ham Idea #81

4 smallish ham slices-cubed
1/2 red Onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium zucchini- sliced into thin 'coins'
Olive Oil
Black Pepper

Add a glug of olive oil to the pan over med-hi heat
Cook ham without messing with it too much-let the ham get caramelized by leaving it alone.
Add the onions and garlic when the ham is nice and brown-never let garlic burn, it's a sin.
You may need a little bit more oil when you add the zukes. Again, leave them alone to get better acquainted with the others. Let it cook until everything smells so good you can't stand it (and when the zucchini are tender and starting to shrivel-maybe 4-6 minutes...)
When done you can taste and add some black pepper. It doesn't need salt, seriously put the salt down.

I almost wanted to sprinkle shredded parm on this, but I held back.

Hello it's been a while

I am giving myself time to ease back into food. No smell/taste for a week and today was the first day I felt hungry (wild, right?) so I made up a big batch o'popcorn. No reason why, I just did. It tasted like tiny nubs of nothing. Until I sprinkled on some Tajin. Have you ever? Tajin Fruit and Snack Seasoning is a tiny jar of wacky.

I stumbled across it in the produce section of Super Walmart. It's toxic when licked from your palm (ok I didn't lick yours I used my own) but takes on a happy hue when sprinkled on fruit. I didn't love it on the popcorn. In fact, I hated it. But now I realize that my tastebuds are slowly waking up... And that's a good thing.

PMS and no Oven

So it's 87* here with tropical storms lining up like Saturday morning Costco shoppers lined up for free samples of fro-yo, and I have the blues because my oven is out. Yes, Guido took me to look at new ranges but since I can't have gas, I am pouting and we will just need to pass for a bit on the $897 LG convection I want. And I will have it, it will be mine...

I took the dog for a run (ok he ran, I made a new friend-Hi Belinda!) and we came back hot and thirsty. After a shower and a nap, we woke up hungry. I picked at some leftover BBQ pork from yesterday's work lunch but it didn't thrill me. I needed something gooey and sweet. But what to do when I can't bake anything? Use the micro you say? Well now. That's not a bad idea.

DESPERATION NUKER BROWNIE-LIKE THINGS

4 T Wondra Flour

6 T Sugar

1 Large Egg

3 T Veg Oil

3 T Cocoa Powder

3 T Milk

Peanut Butta (I like the Xtra crunchy kind)

Hershey's Syrup

Vanilla

Salt

1 small microwavable bowl

Mix up the flour, sugar and cocoa powder with a dash of salt. Next add the vanilla, oil, egg and milk. Feel no shame. Swirl in the pnut butter and hershey's - just a spoonful of each, more if no one else is home to care. You can do a few extra loads of laundry to work it off later tonight. Throw the whole well mixed thing (in the same bowl you mixed it in) right into your big beautiful microwave oven. No, don't cover it. Relax. This does not get any easier. Cook on high for 3 min and 30 seconds. It will be hot but I know you can't wait.

Grab a pot holder and cradle bowl to your chest, protecting it against any intruders. Spoon a tiny taste into yer face. Wow. Who knew??!?

Probably great with a glass of milk but I had vodka. No, I did NOT eat the whole bowl. Yes, I wanted to but I didn't...

Plant City Strawberries

Still home sick, but I figure I can blog a bit to lift my spirits.
Late Feb is Strawberry Festival time here in Central FL. While we missed the Plant City festival for the fourth year running, my bossyboss did manage to snag me a 1/2 flat of gorgeous berries from Farmer John's stand on Rt.27 near the post office.

I can't remember when I made these, but they were sweet, fluffy and adorable.


That's Blue Mountain coffee in my favorite Starrf^cks mug, crispy, crunchy, porky, salty bacony bacon, and oh yeah-Guido requested and received BLUEBERRY pancakes. The idea behind me making pancakes is very simple- Mom gave me this kick-ass griddle years ago that is electric and non-stick. It makes fluffy-wuffy flapjacks with zero butter. Of course I make up for that fact by slathering on artery clogging heart stopping hunks of butter on the actual food.
Butter, bacon and buttery bacon. Oh, and there was some warmed sugar free syrup on the table. Yes Virginia, I said sugar free... We aren't heathens afterall!

Ima lousy blogger

Seriously, my attentiveness to this blog is lackluster. Ok, it stinks. However I am trying to do better. I have been sick for the first time in FOREVER and have only been stuffing tissues up my nose... Nothing else is getting stuffed, believe me.

Tonight I was tired of chicken soup (and I had leftover dough because I was too sicky to make the Easter Breads that I am famous for) so I forced Guido to help me fashion some funky sauce-less pizza boards. Worked fine, with some large slices of Boar's Head Pepperoni.
The sweet thing about my husband is that he REALLY TRIES. He has no background in the kitchen except as an eager participant in the end result. He was a jock in High School and knows only that he should cook on HIGH with BUTTER- and he fries eggs really good. But he did great and I love him for it.
This pizza-board was drizzled with extra v olive earl, shredded mozz, grated krap err kraft parm and lots of spices that I had him grind in his manly man-hands- he didn't like that part.