My Flog for February 18 + Recipe and A Couple of Food Secrets

So here goes with what I did today, a big breath - grocery shopped, made Bacon and Egg Pie for lunch, made bread, soup, humongous potato salad, coleslaw with home-made coleslaw dressing (of course,) two roasted chickens, one with seasoned salt and Garlic Plus, and one with BBQ sauce, cottage pudding with Steve's home-grown and frozen strawberries and some kind of whipped petroleum product - well, it doesn't seem so much when I write it down. Of course add a few loads of laundry and tons of dishes, washing them  as I dirtied them - well, no wonder I'm pooped.

(Note to all you young gardeners: When you freeze your strawberries, remove the leaves first.)

I was going to walk to the store for groceries, but bullied Steve into driving me, as it was pissing down rain and 'blowin' a starm.' What a perfect day for staying in the kitchen and making yummy smells.

Tomorrow it's back to work for 3 days, and I'll be glad when they are over, as I seemed to be busy on every one of my day offs this week. One I spent walking around Richmond, one walking around Ladner, one working, and then today - I did keep busy but it was all stuff I either enjoy or don't mind doing. Not having to get up at 5:23 am makes a huge difference, and not having to spend 3 hours on transit just adds to that huge difference, to make it actually a humongous difference - just like the potato salad I made. (See how good I am at tying things together?)

• Breakfast - Toast and Coffee
• Lunch - Bacon and Egg Pie - a tad overcooked, will know better next time, Spinach Salad (that wasn't overcooked)
• Dinner - Oh my. Half a Chicken Breast, the seasoned garlicky one, Potato Salad (alright, I'll give you my very own secret to the yummiest potato salad - use half Miracle Whip and half Kraft Coleslaw Dressing - believe me, it works, Coleslaw (with grated apple instead of pineapple), absolutely delicious home.. no, it deserves caps -Homemade Bread and butter. (I didn't make the butter - well, it wasn't actually butter, it was Becel.) Dessert was Strawberry Shortcake. I'll give you the recipe PLUS my magic way of doing the Strawberries.
• Snacks - Diet Pepsi, Coffee, Muffin (the ones that are like donuts), Apple

Boy, I'm stuffed. What a feed!

Strawberry Shortcake (sort of)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cream thoroughly: 1/3 cup shortening (I used Golden Crisco) and 1 cup sugar

Add: 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla

Beat until light and fluffy.

Blend or sift together: 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.

Add to creamed mixture alternately with 1 cup milk. Beat well after each addition  (3 dry and 2 wet)

Pour into greased 8" or 9" square pan and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Best served warm.

Strawberries

Use frozen strawberries, even in the middle of summer. Put them in a bowl and toss a cup or so of sugar on top. Let them thaw, don't torment them at all. When thawed, give them a bit of a shock with your handy dandy potato masher, then pour into a colander - make sure you put a bowl underneath first. Then let the strawberry juice drip into the bowl. Now get about 2 tbsp of cornstarch and dissolve it in a bit of water, not a whole lot, maybe half a quarter cup. When you have lots of juice, put that into a pan (well, I guess you could let it drip into a pan in the first place, rather than a bowl - why dirty two things when one will do?) and bring to a boil on the stove. Add the  cornstarch, stirring all the time, and it will thicken nicely. Remove from heat, let cool a little, then add to the rest of the berries. Yummy Yummy Yummy. I was scared it would turn to jam, but it didn't. 

To serve, just put a piece of the cake on a plate, add a spoonful of berry deliciousness, and top with whipped cream. 


If I wasn't so stuffed I'd go get some more.