Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3-4 medium potatoes
• 1 small onion, or less
• 2-4 cloves of garlic
• 2-4 T. butter
• 2-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• salt & pepper, optional
• Old Bay seasoning, optional

Directions

Melt butter in a medium bowl. Chop the onion and garlic very finely and add to butter. Remove rosemary leaves from stem and chop finely as well. Add rosemary to butter and stir everything. Use whatever type of potato (or a mix) and cut into bite size chunks. Sprinkle desired amount of salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning on potato pieces then add to bowl. Mix potato chunks in rosemary-garlic butter until well coated and spread in a single layer on baking sheet or roasting pan. Now comes the key to this recipe, which I developed from thekitchn.com: ROAST THEM FOR AT LEAST 45 MINUTES! You can use a spatula to flip or mix them halfway through, but don't stop short. They will look nearly burnt-crisp on the outside, and the middle will cook to a perfect fluffy mashed potato type of consistency. Imagine eating fried potato wedges and mashed potatoes combined in one bite. Pretty fuckin A, man. 

JoeSo Garden 2015!

I got the yard all cleaned up and most of the garden planted this past weekend, 4/18 - 4/20. I want to increase my herbs this year, do better with the zucchini, carrots, and red peppers, and continue the massive broccoli operation I've run in recent years. The broccoli I got last year -- Pacman hybrid transplants from Home Depot -- produced so much, starting in June and going into the Fall. I wanted to replicate that exactly as I did it last year ... but Home Depot did not have the Pacman hybrid broccoli plants this year. They didn't have any brocolli at all! Son of a bitch! I can probably find it elsewhere, though...

Last year I had a nice zucchini plant, which yielded some really large vegetables -- too large. I kept letting them grow when I should've harvested each one at the appropriate size. Easy enough to fix. I expect to get a nice yield and I might put in another zucchini plant as well. That seems like a sell-able product.

I had one tomato plant last year, which I used a lot in the Fall to make sauce. This year I got two cherry tomato varieties to use in my mason jar salads. They should grow well with minimal care.

I did a row of carrot seeds, same as last year, and tried to make sure I softened the soil underneath a little better this time. I had some decent ones last year, but I want a little more consistency -- and length -- this time around.

Last year I had a green pepper plant that produced a decent number of small vegetables. I used them with hot sausage or pierogies and put them in sauce in the Fall. I really like sweet Italian red peppers so I decided to give them a try this year. We'll see how it goes.

As far as the herbs go, I want to increase my yield so I can use more, but also to try and sell them. I'd also like to start using herbs to make my own fragrances, etc. I've grown cilantro, oregano, mint, and basil  very successfully, and this year I added lavender and rosemary.

I planted two stevia plants, same as last year, and will probably add a couple more if space allows. Last year I harvested a lot of stevia and ground it into a very fine powder, which I use as an alternative sweetener. I want to make a syrup out of this year and use it as a sweetener in mouth wash.

Delightful Chicken Salad

As you may have read in a previous post, I love using leftover chicken to make chicken salad. Last week Lizzy decided to put a whole rotisserie chicken from the grocery store in my fridge, and I knew right away that it would make a great chicken salad. You really just need shredded up chicken and dressing, like mayonnaise, but ideally you'll want to include celery, cucumbers, maybe chopped onion, a little spicy mustard, etc. The combination I whipped up today came out really well, so I want to document the recipe.

• half a grocery store rotisserie chicken (I used the dark meat) OR grill a large chicken breast
• some finely chopped red onion (~ 1/4 C.)
• some finely chopped banana peppers (~ 1/4 C.)
• 1-2 Tablespoons of the banana pepper liquid from the jar
• half a sweet red pepper
• half a cucumber
• 1/2 Tablespoon hot sauce
• 1/2 Talespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
• 1/2 C. mayonnaise 
• 2-3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together and serve on rye bread topped with cucumber slices.

Essential Oils

When I first made chap sticks last year I purchased two small bottles of essential oils -- peppermint and rosemary. Then, since I had them around, I figured I'd try the peppermint oil in candle making, to give a good, strong scent, and add therapeutic properties. This led me to order several more bottles of essential oils to use in candle making. I haven't used them to make candles yet, but just having them sitting around for a few weeks has triggered a new interest in essential oils and all their wonderful uses. I've already ordered another 6 or 7 bottles to add to the first few I got. I'll list here some of the different ways I've started using essential oils to make my home and life cleaner, fresher, more therapeutic, and less chemical.

Cotton Ball in Vacuum Cleaner Bag --  to provide a fresh scent and antiseptic properties. Try peppermint, lime, lavender...

Air Freshener -- water, vodka and various oils in a glass sprayer bottle

All Purpose Cleaner -- water, castile soap, baking soda, tea tree oil plus other oils for fragrance

Glass Spray Bottles for cleaner and air freshener -- remove the plastic spray cap from a plastic spray bottle and use it in combination with a glass bottle that has a screw top (e.g., from a bottle of soda). I started ordering sprayer nozzles and using them on green glass Perrier bottles. You can use the mineral water to make mouth wash.

Mouth Wash -- 8 ounces of water (try mineral water) with baking soda, tea tree oil, and peppermint oil. Shake and rinse.

Adding to a Hot Bath -- place several drops in water while drawing a bath; try with bath salts. Try ginger for sore muscles, eucalyptus for breathing, patchouli for skin and mind rejuvenation, lavender to soothe and calm the body and mind.

Electric Diffuser -- drop oil on pad; place pad in diffuser; plug diffuser into wall outlet. Try:

stimulating: peppermint, citrus oils

relaxing, sleeping: lavender

better breathing, sinuses: lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint

meditation, rejuvenation: patchouli, frankincense, rosemary
cleaning, clearing the air: 

Inhalation Method -- place a drop or two of oil in palms; rub together, place hands over mouth and nose and inhale deeply 6 times. Try peppermint to wake up, citrus for mood enhancing, lavender to relax!

Apply Directly with a Carrier Oil -- I've been adding a few drops of patchouli and ginger to olive oil and rubbing it all over my dry cracked Winter skin.

Face Wash -- liquid castile soap, water, vitamin E oil, almond and/or olive oils, plus tea tree and other choice of essential oils

Candles

Made some new candles last month.... The bigger (32 oz.) mason jars came out really nice. I made some with wooden wicks, some with hemp wicks, some cotton. I used mason jars, Altoid containers and other former candle jars. The ones I made with the peppermint essential oils do not have a strong enough scent. You need to use about 5ml of essential oil for a pound of wax. Let's remember that next time...

New Batch of Beeswax Chap Stick

Just made 19 new beeswax peppermint-rosemary chap sticks...

New Cast Iron Pot

Cooked my last meal of the year and first in my new cast iron pot -- Man Breakfast!

Pulled Pork and Barbecue Sauce

A few years ago on January 1st I resolved to eat more pulled pork. As tends to happen with most New Year's resolutions, I failed. I did start well -- I probably had pulled pork half a dozen times the first few months of 2012, but have since faltered. So with the new year 2014 > 2015 right around the corner, I thought I'd re-up a little. I had never made pulled pork before although it seemed pretty easy. And I did, in fact, find it quite simple. I even think my sauce turned out pretty well, which I made right in the crock pot mostly with the liquids from cooking the pork, plus a little starch to thicken it.

Start with about a 4 pound pork shoulder or pork loin -- with or without the bone. Rub it all over with a hot-and-sweet spice rub and brown the meat on all sides in some oil with onions and garlic. Then cook the pork (plus onions and garlic) in a crock pot in a tomato-and-vinegar based liquid. Shred the pork and there you have it. Use store bought sauce or the sauce from the crock pot and serve on sandwich rolls with cole slaw or other accoutrements. I'll list my precise ingredients and measurements below for posterity.

   Ingredients

• 1 T butter or oil

• 5 T brown sugar
• 1 T cayenne or paprika
• 1 T cumin

• 4 pound pork shoulder or loin
• 2 medium onions 
• 5 cloves of garlic

• 1/2 C apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 C taco sauce
• 1/4 C soy sauce
• 1/2 C ketchup
• 1 T worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 C honey

Heat oil or butter in a pan. Mix the next 3 ingredients to make the spice rub, and rub it all over the pork. Chop the onions and garlic and add to the pan. Add the pork to the pan and brown on all sides. This whole process should take about 10-15 minutes total. I did mine by sliding the onions over to one side of the pan and browning the meat in the other side.

Next add the onions and garlic to the crock pot and put the meat on top of them. Mix the liquid ingredients together and pour over the meat. It should cover or nearly cover the meat. If the top of the meat sticks out an inch or more, add more liquid.

Cook for about 6-8 hours (on low, or maybe just 4-6 on high) in the crock pot. Once it gets fall-right-off-the-bone tender, remove the meat to a large bowl or plate. Give the liquid a good stir and taste it. Decide if you want to use this liquid as your barbecue sauce. 

If you do, adjust taste by adding a bit more of one ingredient or another. Add more brown sugar or corn syrup if you want it to taste sweeter. Try adding artificial smoke flavor if you want that. Add more soy sauce if it doesn't taste salty/savory/umami enough. If you want to thicken it, mix a tablespoon of corn starch with a tablespoon or two of water (put it in a small container with a lid and shake it up). Turn the crock pot up so the liquid starts to boil, and gradually pour in the corn starch. Stir and let it simmer until it reaches desired consistency. I think I left my liquid in the crock pot for almost an hour after removing the pork since I added some more ketchup and the corn starch.

shredded pork after removal from crock pot -- before mixing with sauce

Shred the pork -- it should fall apart easily. If it doesn't fall apart then it needs to cool longer. Let the sauce finish, or use store bought sauce, and mix with pork. Serve on a sandwich roll with pickles or other desired extras.

New Classic Soup Recipe

I've started making a new -- new to me -- soup recipe since it started getting cold and rainy. Just a basic chicken and vegetable soup -- but I've started adding quick cooking barley at the end to make it a more filling meal. I use the Dutch oven to make it and whatever chicken I have on hand, preferably boneless thighs. I use whole pieces of boneless chicken and shred it right in the soup after it has cooked for a while. Use two forks to sort of stab and shred the larger pieces of chicken after they cook. I prefer mine to cook whole in its own juices before getting separated, but you can always cut up the chicken before adding it. And I prefer a more shredded chicken rather than squarely cut pieces. Also, you can use orzo, egg noodles, macaroni or maybe even rice instead of the barley, or just omit it altogether. The grocery store had canned vegetables on sale before Thanksgiving so I stocked up. You can obviously use fresh veggies rather than canned, though. I would say replace 1 can of veggies with about 2 cups of fresh chopped. When I use canned vegetables I include the juice from the can and then end up using a little less broth. When I use fresh vegetables I tend to add about 2 more cups of broth.

Ingredients & Directions

• 3-4 T. butter
• 1 chopped onion (1-1.5 C.)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1.5 pounds chicken
• 4 T. soy sauce

Heat butter in Dutch oven and saute onion, garlic, chicken, and soy sauce for 10 minutes. Add the following ingredients:

• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped (about 2 C.) or 1 can mixed vegetables
• 1 can green beans (with juice) or 1-2 C. fresh
• 1 can corn (with juice)
• 1 can peas (with juice)
• 1 can diced tomato or 1-2 C. fresh
• 6 to 8 C. of broth

Add those ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour or longer. Use forks to shred the chicken if necessary. Add:

• 8 oz. quick cooking barley

Bring to a boil after adding the barley and then simmer for 15 minutes (according to directions on barley package). 

Yields 6-8 pints.

Stevia Harvest!

I recently harvested, dried, and ground my stevia plants. Now I can make sugar free cookies. Or something...

Broccoli Still!

Mid October and still getting significant broccoli harvest!

Homemade Phillies Blunt Costume

"I'm a blunt gettin' smoked and I can't wake up, I'm a blunt gettin' smoked and I can't wake up, I'm dreamiiiinnn' about being a blunt!" -- KRS-One

not fond of my 2010 hair, hence the crop

Did you ever want to be a blunt? Well I did. About 10 years ago I traveled to the Pacific NW to catch a few Disco Biscuits shows in Eugene, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver for a Halloween run. At the last minute I had the idea to throw together a simple blunt costume. I figured, you know, some fabric, a few safety pins, maybe some green felt ... simple, right? Well I made one of the worst costumes ever. I give myself credit for the idea, but the execution fell terribly flat. I bought a piece of brown fabric and concocted a way to wrap it around my waist, then up over my head from behind, and down in front of my face (with a hole cut out) and then secured with the safety pins. I think I looked like poop. Literally. 

Fast forward to 2010. I had just started dating a girl I wanted to impress. I mean, just being myself is quite impressive, but this particular young lady really loved Halloween -- zombies, costumes, scary movies, etc. So I had always had this blunt costume idea in the back of mind. Someday, I thought, I can be the blunt I always wanted to be... Well that day was upon me, Halloween 2010. I did a quick search and found amazing instructions for how to make a blunt costume. This dude, in 2007, had come up with this idea (or borrowed it from somewhere else), written out instructions, took great pictures, suggested where to buy the materials, and posted it on instructables. Unfortunately, I can no longer find his instructable for the costume. I might guess they removed it for having marijuana content, but I would doubt that, with the prevailing cultural winds these days billowing with ganja smoke, but hey, who knows...

Anyway, ever since I started this blog a couple years ago I wanted to get my Phillies Blunt Costume pictures up, and now that I can no longer find the actual instructable that I used, the internet is sorely lacking in Halloween blunt costume instructions! I do like to contribute to society, so here you go...

Materials

• 1 small brown comforter (e.g., for a twin bed) to make the body of the blunt
• brown thread
• needle(s) (to sew seam and arm holes of the blunt body
• scissors
• tape measure
• large Phillies Blunt logo print out (or White Owl if you're old school)
• poster board or something to mount the logo
• clear tape
• marijuana leaf (or other green leafed) lei

Instructions

You'll only need to cut one side of the comforter if the length is already appropriate for your height. So, assuming one side is about 5 to 6 feet long, you will use that for the height of the costume and cut the other side. Cut the width about 6 inches wider than your waist size. If you wear a 32 inch waist, cut the width to about 38 inches. (Or, if you imagine wanting to wear the costume in ten years and you think you will get fatter, go ahead and leave a few more inches on there.) So you'll now have a brown comforter measuring about 5 or 6 feet by 3 feet. 

Use safety pins, needle, and thread to sew up the side you cut. I sewed mine by hand and it didn't take too too long. Remember your 7th grade home economics class skills...

Then you need to make it into a tube shape by sewing the two longer edges together. Do the sewing "inside out" so the thread will end up on the inside and you have a nice smooth seam showing on the outside. Don't sew it together all the way down or you'll never get it one and off. Leave about 18 inches to duck tail on the bottom so you can walk somewhat comfortably.

This is upside down (since the fully sewn end is down).

This will be the top end sitting on your shoulders.

Cut two arms holes about 3 to 6 inches from the top. You can put it on at this point and figure out where you want your arm holes to go. Remember, though, however much you leave at the top will sit between your shoulders and chin. Don't leave too much that it will bunch up and get in your way. The top of my arms holes are about 5 or 6 inches down and I would recommend shortening that to 3 or 4 inches. 

Sew up the arm hole edges like you did along the length of the comforter to prevent fraying. There you have it! But right now you only have a cigar. At this point, play Redman's classic "How to Roll a Blunt" while you proceed to the next step.

Find a high quality Phillies logo image online (such as a desktop wallpaper) and print it out. Use clear packing tape to mount it to poster board in a belt shape. Cut two slits on the back (like a Burger King crown you could get in the restaurant in the 80's) so you can fasten the belt. (Sorry, no picture of the belt slits, but I think you can figure it out.)

Now, as it turned out back in 2010 the young lady in question did invite me to a Halloween party (albeit a redneck zombie Halloween party, but I'll save that for another day), and the costume was a hit. Subsequently that weekend I ran into a fine gentleman who had used a very similar technique in creating his costume -- a penis (including balls). I mention this only because he had used a brown comforter and the exact same technique to create the shaft for his costume as I had for my blunt. Twins! Everyone in Dee's that night wanted a picture with the Blunt and the Penis.

I wore brown t-shirt and green shoes :-)