What did you eat today?

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why not just 9 raisins and a shot of rum LOL

edit, or 9 raisins and a Bahama Mama LOL

Oh, it was gin. You are on your own with that one. Gin and macerated fresh cranberries with tonic water is the best I can come up with for that. Its an actual drink. Probably good for you if there is health value in the gin...
My Dutch grandmother used to have the raisins soaked in gin as well. She swore on it as a "cure" for arthritis. And it was always 9 raisins. Every morning.
 
I bought a new Instant Vortex Air Fryer last month. I love it! It has shelves and a window with lighted interior.

This is ALDI Naan bread that I made into a pizza. So good.
 

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In an effort to distract myself from other stressful happenings, Sunday I ordered some fresh, sushi-grade fish from the fishing harbor town where we used to live, on California's Central Coast. It shipped out yesterday and arrived today before noon.

Tonight's dinner was poke bowls with some nice sticky CalRose rice, raw ahi tuna (marinated briefly in a mix of tamari, honey, sesame oil, and rice vinegar), some seaweed salad from the same local fish company, and a sprinkling of umeboshi. Although it wasn't quite the same as riding my bike down to the dock to buy fish that had been caught a few hours earlier, this came mighty close. Lots of great memories of wonderful days there.

The fish company has a rather hefty minimum shipping charge, so to maximize the shipping value, of course I ordered more than just the ahi (fish math is apparently like soap math that way). Tomorrow will be roasted eel.
 
This past weekend, I got fed up with us not cooking (neither of us minds cooking but it's been too hot) and buying ready to eat foods so I decided to cook up a few things that are easy to reheat. I made two quiches (crab and onion), cut them up and froze them. Then I made a batch of spanakopita appetizers and we cooked up a side of ribs. We had the ribs for dinner on Sunday, then, on Monday, I made up some Fettucine Alfredo with the leftover crabmeat and shrimp, along with a side salad. We had the ribs and pasta leftovers for dinner yesterday. Tonight, we're having some of the Crab Quiche with a side salad.

I love being able to take something out of the freezer, just heat it and eat it. And I know it's going to be good!
 
So I bought an airfryer/convection oven thing. I took out a chicken before I went to work this morning.

So I'm like starving for something other than cafeteria food. I decided I'm gonna give the air fryer a shot at making a whole chicken like the stupid pamphlet says you can. I season it up and plop it in there, and after 20 minutes, the skin is burnt. Flip it over and turn down the heat and continued to cook on the other side...this time keeping an eye on it. This is the very first thing that I have cooked in it, so I. have zero practice with something smaller lol.

I didn't do this willy-nilly. I checked out all the online air fryer recipes. Well the outside is burnt and the inside is completely raw.

Desperate, I grabbed a few carrots, onions, and celery. A few this and that from my garden...and just stuck the whole thing into a pot of water to make soup. Now here I am down in the stupid rabbit hole babysitting soup, which is going to take forever. Way longer than my bedtime.

I'm now committed LOL.

My only question now...regular chicken soup or do I go the whole full monty and make chicken tortilla soup. I'm leaning toward the chicken tortilla.

Whatever I come up with is going to be delicious. I'm a good soup maker. Well, I think anybody could be...its just intimidating I think to some people. Its not as difficult as people think it is. Just throw it all into a pot and the ideas will come.

But I've been up since 4am. And now at 8pm, I'm making soup. Maybe I just came up with a new technique...air fry and burn the skin first, then finish it off LOL

Edit...and the tortilla soup will probably cover up the burn skin taste LOL
 
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I love our air fryer! Um, fryers. Both of them. 😂 But the one time I tried to do a whole duck in it, I had the same experience. Was quite peeved because duck in the oven isn't that hard, and ruining one in the air fryer really ticked me off.

But most things are so easy in the air fryer. My husband's dinner tonight was four of the shredded chicken tacos from the big Costco box (freezer section if you are looking). Six minutes on 375; next time I'll probably do eight minutes to get them a bit crispier. Opened up a single-serve Holy Guacamole packet (also from Costco) that had just enough to smear some on each taco. A little Cholula (ummm, also from Costco, lol) and he was a very happy camper. Dinner in less than 10 minutes.

You will get the hang of it. Think of it more like a convection oven. Bake bread, make cookies, heat up premade food, reheat leftovers... it's awesome.
 
I had a late breakfast and I was HUNGRY, so I made big fluffy vanilla pancakes and then smothered them in butter and maple syrup :D <---- that hungry

@Yaroslav Fadeev Your Vareniks with cherries look amazing 😍
I'm going to try making those (next time I crave carb, sugar and fat for breakfast 😉).
The fruit will make me feel so much better about eating the CSF combination, and I've already convinced myself they must be healthy(er) 😅
😍
 
This was actually a few days ago, but I am really hyped about this product: Tuno made by Loma Linda. It's a vegan tuna that I had never even seen nor read about before shopping at Food Lion in New Bern, NC about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I bought two different options of how it's packed: Spring Water, and the other option was Lemon & Pepper (I think in oil, because it has a bit of an oily residue.) I like the latter a bit better, but was happy with the plain in Spring Water as well. I used the first can to create my old standby tuna salad with chopped dill pickle bits & Mayo to make my first sandwich with the product. Sure it's been so long since I actually ate real tuna, that I doubt I really remember the actual taste, but it certainly did not smell fishy and smell is a big part of taste. But do I care that a perfect flavor substitute for tuna be in my vegan tuno sandwich? Not really, so I was happy with the result.

Next, about a two weeks later, I realized I still had the lemon pepper Tuno can, so made another Tuno salad. This time adding only the mayo to get a true taste of the product. It's even better with the lemon & pepper flavor. Then yesterday I added some red onion & celery to give it more of a crunch as a Tuno salad sandwich (yes, I am eating bread again, but in limited amounts). Then this morning I added some chopped jalapeño pepper bits for a bit more color & pep, which I'll either try today or tomorrow. Even though the can says servings per container are only 1 or 2, for me it's more like 4 because I don't eat huge portions.

I also made some jalapeño cream cheese this morning because the little grocery store nearby does not carry that flavor of cream cheese, so I had to buy the plain + a jalapeño pepper to make my own. I like it as a snack with fresh celery to scoop a bit out like a dip.

Back to Tuno... Since none of the stores near where I live carry this product, I looked it up online and found a couple of sources for purchasing for home delivery at the most reasonable price point (which was about the same price as at the Food Lion). Some physical & online stores that carry it, charge exorbitant prices for a can, which is about the same size as normal cans of tuna, so I was at first alarmed until I found others, including Loma Linda itself, who charge much more reasonable prices. So I'll be ordering some soon. I do have to wait until we are closer to home so a delivery does not show up on our doorstep to sit out to be rained on or get overheated sitting in the Illinois heat before we arrive back home. And there are other 'flavor' packings that the two I have tried so far, so I'm going to order some of the others to give them a try.

A few nights ago at a restaurant in Crossville, Tennessee, I had a giant sized slice of spanokopita that shocked me with its huge portion size. It was so huge I would call it 4 portions had I cut it into equal sized portions. I still have some left in the fridge here & have been using small slices of it as a side to other meals. I love spanokopita, btw, so it was definitely a good choice on the menu at the Vegas Steakhouse in Crossville, even though the philo dough could have been handled a bit better when the chef built the bottom & top crusts. Normally philo is quite flaky when handled properly and this was not as flakey as I prefer.
 
Wondering if it is safe to have chicken daily? It is, of course, bad to eat too much chicken. But is eating chicken healthy in moderate portions? When it comes to non-vegetarian food, people often think that eating meat on a daily basis is not good. This belief is partially wrong. According to health experts, it is necessary to consider the mode of cooking the meat and the type of meat you are eating. If we talk about chicken, the variations loaded with spices, cream and butter are definitely not worth a daily diet. If you are going to eat chicken daily, then it is best to either grill it or roast it. When prepared in a healthy way, it is okay to have chicken on a daily basis.
 
Wondering if it is safe to have chicken daily? It is, of course, bad to eat too much chicken. But is eating chicken healthy in moderate portions? When it comes to non-vegetarian food, people often think that eating meat on a daily basis is not good. This belief is partially wrong. According to health experts, it is necessary to consider the mode of cooking the meat and the type of meat you are eating. If we talk about chicken, the variations loaded with spices, cream and butter are definitely not worth a daily diet. If you are going to eat chicken daily, then it is best to either grill it or roast it. When prepared in a healthy way, it is okay to have chicken on a daily basis.
As far as I know there's nothing wrong with eating, let's say, 200 grams of chicken per day :)
 
Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, cauliflower thins, asam tea

High Impact Protein drink, handful of almonds

Lunch: curry chicken, green leaf salad w/ bell peppers, peach

High Impact Protein drink, handful of almonds

Dinner: curry chicken, green leaf salad


0C6852F8-6B08-4B70-AD96-7EBBF042A292.jpeg
 
Breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, cauliflower thins, asam tea

High Impact Protein drink, handful of almonds

Lunch: curry chicken, green leaf salad w/ bell peppers, peach

High Impact Protein drink, handful of almonds

Dinner: curry chicken, green leaf salad


View attachment 68276
How do the Cauliflower thins taste and how do they hold up when used as a bread substitute? I've seen them in the freezer section somewhere, and wondered. I think it was while traveling and because I have to keep my food purchases down (for travel-related reasons) so did not purchase. But I am curious if they are a viable bread substitute for a sandwich?
 
How do the Cauliflower thins taste and how do they hold up when used as a bread substitute? I've seen them in the freezer section somewhere, and wondered. I think it was while traveling and because I have to keep my food purchases down (for travel-related reasons) so did not purchase. But I am curious if they are a viable bread substitute for a sandwich?
Earlene— They are pleasantly delicious. I cover with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkle kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I did not use them as bread. I ate them as is. The edges crisp up nicely. I do not know why I did not sandwich the turkey bacon. I will do that this week, because today I will be purchasing another box. 😋
 
So I bought an airfryer/convection oven thing… My only question now...regular chicken soup or do I go the whole full monty and make chicken tortilla soup. I'm leaning toward the chicken tortilla.

Whatever I come up with is going to be delicious. I'm a good soup maker…

But I've been up since 4am. And now at 8pm, I'm making soup.
You had me @ soup! 🍜 🥰 Soup should be a food group in my opinion. I grew up eating Campbells soup at my MeeMaw’s house & during pregnancy it was my favorite breakfast food. It’s hotter than hades where I live but now that ya got me thinking of chicken tortilla soup…🤣
 
Earlene— They are pleasantly delicious. I cover with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkle kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I did not use them as bread. I ate them as is. The edges crisp up nicely. I do not know why I did not sandwich the turkey bacon. I will do that this week, because today I will be purchasing another box. 😋
Thank you. Do let me know how they work out as a bread replacement in a sandwich.

I just did a Google search and found that one of the Walmarts a few towns over stocks them. Next time I am over that way, I'll stop by & pick some up!
You had me @ soup! 🍜 🥰 Soup should be a food group in my opinion. I grew up eating Campbells soup at my MeeMaw’s house & during pregnancy it was my favorite breakfast food. It’s hotter than hades where I live but now that ya got me thinking of chicken tortilla soup…🤣
Agreed. Soup is a staple dish here at my house. But I make mine from scratch; almost always have. Although it was Campbell's Cream of Celery or Cream of Mushroom that was my comfort food my mom gave me when I was sick as a child. I'll grab a can of either of those when I am feeling sick.
 
Hi! I’m Lou. New here. Thought this might be a good place to introduce myself to like-minded individuals. Food says a lot about someone and I love food! I’m mostly here for the soapmaking/fragrance talk.

Today I had an iced matcha latte with oat milk and my husband is inside cooking his Sunday Banana Pancakes!

So I bought an airfryer/convection oven thing. I took out a chicken before I went to work this morning.

So I'm like starving for something other than cafeteria food. I decided I'm gonna give the air fryer a shot at making a whole chicken like the stupid pamphlet says you can. I season it up and plop it in there, and after 20 minutes, the skin is burnt. Flip it over and turn down the heat and continued to cook on the other side...this time keeping an eye on it. This is the very first thing that I have cooked in it, so I. have zero practice with something smaller lol.

I didn't do this willy-nilly. I checked out all the online air fryer recipes. Well the outside is burnt and the inside is completely raw.

Desperate, I grabbed a few carrots, onions, and celery. A few this and that from my garden...and just stuck the whole thing into a pot of water to make soup. Now here I am down in the stupid rabbit hole babysitting soup, which is going to take forever. Way longer than my bedtime.

I'm now committed LOL.

My only question now...regular chicken soup or do I go the whole full monty and make chicken tortilla soup. I'm leaning toward the chicken tortilla.

Whatever I come up with is going to be delicious. I'm a good soup maker. Well, I think anybody could be...its just intimidating I think to some people. Its not as difficult as people think it is. Just throw it all into a pot and the ideas will come.

But I've been up since 4am. And now at 8pm, I'm making soup. Maybe I just came up with a new technique...air fry and burn the skin first, then finish it off LOL

Edit...and the tortilla soup will probably cover up the burn skin taste LOL
Sad to hear that the chicken is raw. I have one of those multi fryer/toaster/roster/ convection things as well and have meant to make a chicken for two years now.

If you have an instantpot it’s great for chicken tortilla soup. Cook the chicken in there first and shred. Then add the other ingredients and pressure cook. So good with some salsa verde tossed in there. I guess my version is really chicken chili verde but can totally be adapted.
 
How do the Cauliflower thins taste and how do they hold up when used as a bread substitute? I've seen them in the freezer section somewhere, and wondered. I think it was while traveling and because I have to keep my food purchases down (for travel-related reasons) so did not purchase. But I am curious if they are a viable bread substitute for a sandwich?
Turns out—nicely!
D5031F75-D953-4CDB-909B-0A7CC816FA12.jpeg
 

Thank you, Itiel!

I think I'll be heading over to the cities to that other Walmart to buy some in the next couple of days! Since I lost so much weight last year by simply eliminating bread from my diet, I've been wanting something other than wrapping my veggie bacon in a leaf of romaine lettuce. Romaine lettuce as a bread substitute does work, but it has gotten boring.
 
Well, since I don't have any new soapy experiences to share, I guess I will share my food lol.

Been off from work for a few days. So I made yesterday a cooking day.

I quick soaked black beans and cut fresh corn off the hull.

I made chicken stock and then chicken tortilla soup from it. But I didn't stop there.... I have a new sandwich pocket making gadget that I got from pampered chef. Loaded it with pie crust circles (I didn't make that lol) and stuffed them with thickened chicken tortilla soup and cheese and baked them. OMG YUMM. I made a bunch and froze the rest. The rest of the soup I froze in individual containers, except I kept one container for todays lunch. I planned on making a few different soups, but since I had to start from scratch from that one with the chicken stock...I'm kinda done with it for now.

So today for lunch I am eating tortilla soup and crescent rolls LOL. I know...off the beaten path, but they had to be cooked so I improvised.

Which brings me to the air fryer. As I am checking the crescent roll label to remind myself of the oven temp, it had different instructions for an air fryer. Air fry crescent rolls???? Ok lets check this out. It said to only put 4 in the basket, so I did that and then the other 4 in the oven like we are used to. Here is my review of that little technique: Don't do it. I'm not gonna say it was terrible, but the insides needed a little more umph (cooking), whereas cooking them the traditional way was perfect as usual. So I guess if you needed them quickly, then go ahead and throw them in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 300F. I'm not real experienced with the air fryer, so I don't know if lowering the temp and cooking a tad longer would be better. I have another tube of crescent rolls that need to be cooked so maybe tomorrow I will give it another go.

A couple of years ago I made tortilla soup following a recipe, but I have changed it a bit. Now I can call it mine I think.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

3 cups chicken stock
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 onion minced
3 cloves minced garlic (or half of a clove of elephant garlic like I used)
1 jalapeno pepper whole (or cut it up if you like spicey)
2 ears of corn kernels (or 1 large can)
1/2 bag of black beans soaked
3 tablespoons cumin
3 tablespoons chili powder
Meat from 1 chicken
1 teaspoon of cayenne (or to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt (see notes)

I know that's not in the order you would expect online, but I'm not a recipe writer so...

Anyway, I sautee the onion in a half stick of butter. At the end of it cooking is when I add the garlic, so it doesn't burn. Add the stock and everything else.

I don't add the salt until I have tasted it toward the end so I don't over salt it. Suddenly you will see your tomatoe-y broth come together with all the spices.

If you want to thicken it up for pockets or as a super good taco filling, or nacho topping, add about 3 tablespoons of flour to the cooked onion/garlic sautee (stir until incorporated), then add about 3 tablespoons milk or half and half at the end (soup) and cook until it gets thicker.

The jalapeno...I toss it in whole and remove it at the end. It gives it the right amount of spice imo...in addition to the cayenne and chili pepper. By all means, make it as spicey as you like. I just like to taste my food LOL.
 
I just want to add, that soup is what ever you want to put in it. I never put black beans in my tortilla soup before. I just decided yesterday that it would be a nice addition and I just happened to have some.

You got those bags of veggies sitting in the crisper that you meant to use but didn't? Make vegetable stock. If it is too far gone I throw them into my compost. If they are still eatable, then throw em all in a pot and make veggie stock.You don't even need to clean them (other than clean them lol), you don"t need to clean them up or peel anything. Cut those onions into quarters and toss them in. Skin and all (lots of nutrients and adds color) ALL of the carrots, ALL of everything, Stems leaves and all.

I do not waste anything anymore, and btw you can water can veggie stock it if you have a lot...don't can meat stock if you dont have a pressure canner. Recent discovery.

Might be a few odd things to add...but I am worried about the state of the State.
 

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