Pea Tendrils... An Early Season treat!

As your peas start growing and you start thinning, don't dispose of the thinnings! You can use the thinnings in the kitchen!
Pea shoots are the tiny, tender leaves and vines of young pea plants. Any type of pea will suffice, but sugar pod peas are the easiest types to grow for shoots and tendrils, since they tend to shoot up faster and stay light and crisp. Pea shoots and tendrils are tender enough to serve with no or minimal cooking. They are often tossed into salads or on top of soups. You can always add a few curls as an edible garnish. Pea shoots and tendrils are also a tangy addition to stir-fired dishes or simply steamed or sautéed as a side dish.
Wondering how to cook pea shoots? Here's an easy, quick and tasty pea shoots and tendrils recipe from Kim Knox Beckius, a blogger at About.com

Hot Dog Hash

I was watching “The Chew” one day- (Yeah I know- but hey Days of our Lives was pre-empted) Anyways, it made me reminiscent for the Hot Dog Hash my Dad use to make… It was one of the few things on his repertoire. And one of the things I love the most. I don’t know if it was incented to to find a use for the extra two wieners in the hot dog pack ( Eight hot dogs to a pack, 6 buns to a package) Or something Dads just made because they could.

Did your Dad cook when you were little? Mine did and his repertoire was:

·         Frozen Turkey, Chicken or Beef Pot Pie, which we ate in front of the T.V. watching the Galloping Gourmet

·         Leftover School Chicken (Dad worked in a School as a Janitor, and the cooks would give it to him to take home)

s·         Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese sandwiches Tomato soup was a can of stewed tomatoes with milk

·         Sausage hash with egg

·         Beenie Weenies

·         Kidney Pie (don’t ask) Suffice it to say to leave it to my dad to find the only canned kidney pie in the known universe

·         Canned Tamales, which I still love and consider a comfort food 

It’s not like dad couldn’t cook- he could stuff a great potato sausage. But the fondest memory I have is his Hot Dog Hash

HOT DOG HASH  

A Hot Dog

Some form of potatoes- I had some “Potatoes O’Brien” in the freezer, but you can use leftover potatoes as well. Dad used to use Canned Potatoes, something I haven’t seen in grocery stores in ages!

Any leftover veggies you might want to use up leftovers or

An Egg or two (Optional)

Pour a tablespoon of oil in pan, Fry the potatoes in that. While potatoes are frying, add the hot dog, sliced in medallions, Fry until the potatoes are done. Then scramble the egg if desired and add that. Cook until done.

Serves 2

Re-Cycled Baked Beans

No- it is not what you are thinking! I was looking at the left over sauce from my last batch of Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts I made for Christmas eve, and got an Idea- I got 2 cans of Pinto Beans and mixed them with the sauce in the same pot that I use to serve the chestnuts ... Baked Beans in a flash! A great "re-use" for food.

Call Me Martha!

I don't mean to go all Martha Stewart on y'all, but just thought I would point out some ideas to use leftover and scrapped food items I have picked up over the years- So relax, we are not going to forge our own frying pans! And I am sure folks out there have their own little ideas so feel free to comment and share!

• You can polish leather shoes with bananas. Really! Rub the inner rind on the entire leather portion, making sure to avoid any laces, and wipe clean with a soft piece of cloth. Bonus green tip: reuse an old t-shirt or other used clothing item that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
• Add some zest to your stove cleaning (literally). Sprinkle some salt on the inside of halved, just-pressed orange or lemon peels and go to town on stubborn stove-top messes.
• Orange, lemon and grapefruit rinds can be added to preserved fruits and jams to add a little zest. Did you know that you can also pickle citrus rinds? They make a tangy snack, and require just a few ingredients.
• Citrus rinds, herb stems and peels add unique flavors to any clear alcohol. Add lime rinds to tequila blanco (white), or mint leaf stems to light rum for an extra-refreshing mojito. Let the flavors mingle in a cool, dry place for 2 weeks, and you’re ready to drink! For an instant, non-alcoholic treat, add cucumber and lemon peels to fresh filtered water for a subtle, cooling refreshment.
• Add orange, grapefruit, or lemon peels to a hot bath before submerging yourself. They add an energizing scent, and lemons are know to lighten age spots and freckles.
• It’s never too late to start making your own soup stock. Add vegetable peels like carrot, celery and potato to the simmering broth to add some extra flavor.
• Save your potato peelings from baked potatos to make potato skins!
• Make "Ribbollita" a soup that uses up your leftover vegetables and stale bread!
• Make "Croutons" out of stale bread!
• Make Bread Pudding out of stale breads... I have made them out of biscuits, croissants and donuts!
• Don't forget... good old Composting!
  
  

Earth Rattling True Confession....

Okay. Maybe not earth rattling. But here it is... I eat popcorn. "So What, Big Deal" you say? Let me finish- I eat popcorn like cereal with milk on it. Have for years. Since I was young. In my defense, I should say it is cheaper than cereal, little to none processing, and by eating the last of a bowl of popcorn I am not wasting food.
Maybe I should tell you about my Grandma's Onion Orange Sandwiches. Or perhaps another time.