Frugal Foodie

I'm a tear right now.

I just watched the news and I'm fed up with some church who thinks it is their First Amendment Right to demonstrate at soldiers' funerals and wave signs that say pray for dead soldiers. Not that they want prayers for the dead, but that they become dead.

They claim the was is God's was of punishing our country because people are allowed to live and be homosexual.

Personally, I'm not going to get into a lifestyle choice. And I'm all for First Amendment Rights.

But, to claim they are doing it as Christians? Sorry, folks, as a Christian, I don't want anything to do with that unloving militant group. Jesus said there the commandments could be summed up with these two ways: Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

I don't know about you, but I don't think that group is being very loving, especially to a group of people who are hurting because their child, spouse, or friend was killed in war times.

And they certainly aren't very losing to those folks who are gay.

It might be what they claim as their First Amendment Right to demonstrate, but just because it might be legal (I am waiting to hear what the Supreme Court decides, that's why I'm sort of waffling here), but it is kind? Is it moral?

Somehow, I don't believe God sent this group to be this cruel to get his message across. I hate to announce to them that God is fully capable of punishing folks without man's help.

So, forgive my rant, but if this is loving, I don't think I want to be a part of THAT church!

Many of us grew up on casseroles because they were a cheap way to stretch a meal whether it was with pasta or rice or bread crumbs. For some it brings back good memories of eating with family.

So, as I am in a quest for some new casserole recipes, I am wondering, why do we still like them?

Is it to save money -- I can stretch a chicken pretty far in a couple of casseroles.

Is it because it tastes good -- I sure plan on keeping the recipes we liked and forgetting those we didn't.

Is it for ease -- making them ahead of time and keeping them in the fridge or freezer sure makes it easy to feed those you love and adore.

Or is it a memory we like to relive?

So, what is our love affair with casseroles about?

I was at a meeting yesterday and one of the gals said that a mutual friend had told her about me. I looked at her and she said that this friend had told her that I make out a grocery list and then spend some time during the weekend cooking stuff for the week. I wasn't sure if she thought this was a positive or negative thing. My perception was it was I was crazy, but that's a whole different story.

I do fix things on weekends and store in the fridge during the school year for a variety of reasons. Most nights I come in the door and have very little time to fix stuff from scratch. Although I know there are things out there you can heat and eat, I am trying to eat stuff that doesn't have a lot of salt or preservatives in them. And, they are pricey.

Plus, the temptation to go out is there when I come home tired. So, if I have something already ready to heat up, chances are I can reason it out that I need to use it for two reasons -- if it's basically fixed and just needs to be heated, it won't take long and by the time I clean up and go out, it would take longer to eat (not to mention the expense), plus that would mean I would waste what I had already fixed. It basically boils down to money.

I can afford to go out and we do eat out, just not every night.

I always feel a twinge of regret on Friday night when the fridge looks bare since we've used the casseroles, stews, etc. that I fixed for the week and the pantry has empty spots. There's a security when my fridge is full of meals ready to eat (sorry, armed forces, I borrowed your phrase).

So, after this discussion and getting a few odd looks from the people at the meeting, I now query, am I anal because I take the time to cook stuff and control what goes into it and have meals ready to eat?
Or am I just cheap?

It's my own fault. I started the whole thing and it's up to me to carry it through.

I started saving for a sleek and shiny stainless steel stove. And, I was doing pretty well for awhile.

Let me remind you, I don't need a new stove. It's a want, not a need. But, I'd like a new one to match the fridge that we had to buy over a year ago because it was dying.

I like things to match.

As a teacher, I get paid by having my last paycheck come two weeks after school is out. It is my choosing -- I could have it spread throughout the summer, but there is something thrilling about having one big check.

However, with that one big check comes the realization that I need to make that money last so I'm stingy when it comes to spending it on non necessities. And, I put a bunch of it in our money market so I won't spend it unless I needed it. So instead of putting money in my stove fund, I just kept it the money market.

Well, my stove fund hasn't grown much since July. I had added to it by selling stuff at an auction, but I've run out of stuff to sell. Either I don't want to give it up or it isn't worth selling.

The quest for a new stove has been delayed, but is, if you pardon the pun, on a front burner again because a friend just bought two new stainless steel appliances.

So, instead of denying my stove savings, I need to turn up the heat so to speak. And I just can't resist the puns! Yeah, I know, if you can stand the heat...

My husband recently celebrated his 64th birthday. On the morning, I got out my Beatles CD and played, "When I'm 64." When I posted on Facebook that I did that, many of my friends asked different lines from the song. It's interesting the things that tie us together!

We drove to a small town near us called Arthur, Illinois. Arthur is considered the home of many Amish families. A couple of friends gave my husband a gift card to a restaurant called Yoder's and we had lunch there courtesy of these friends. My husband loves his food and enjoyed the broasted chicken and mashed potatoes (real ones) with homemade gravy.

We then went to a place called Beachy's which sells products in bulk. It is also run by a local and they have cheeses made there as well as baked goods. We stocked up on some cheese, and rice, and different flours. I like to experiment with different flours and since one can buy different sizes, I didn't have to purchase a 4 or 5 pound bag of a flour I'm not sure I'll use. I also purchased some sausage ground with sage. We tried it the last time and it was delicious. We purchased a loaf of bread -- oatmeal -- and a huge draw is when they bake things there, they put the ingredients -- no preservatives. Just basics like flour, oil, butter, oatmeal, yeast, and water. The same with the noodles.

For dinner we also went out to our favorite Italian restaurant run locally. The owner picked out our steaks which were delicious. The server was generous and had bought a birthday ballon for my husband to put on the table.

We like purchasing items and eating at restaurants that are owned by local people. Although when traveling we often gravitate towards chains, at home, we like supporting our own.

As for my hubby, he enjoyed his birthday because he chose where we went and had some delicious food and many people thought of him. It doesn't get much better than that!

Today actually feels like fall in Central Illinois. We had upper 80s and 90 degree temps last week, but suddenly some of the leaves are starting to turn and it is a comfortable 65 today.

One thing I've been looking forward to is finding some soups and stews that I can fix ahead of time and then heat up when I get home from work. I was reading "Country Living" and they had a turkey chili that looked hearty as well as "lighter" because it is made with turkey. I haven't tried it yet -- I just found it this weekend, but I'm putting it in my file of "need to try soon".

Turkey Chili

2 T olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 t salt
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/3 c tomato sauce
2 medium green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 T sugar
2 1/2 t ground chili powder
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 1/4 t ground cumin
1 15 ounce can each of these types of beans: pinto, kidney, and black beans, drained and rinsed

In a large pot over medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Brown turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon as meat cooks. Season with salt. Using a slotted spoon, remove turkey and reserve; discard any liquid.

Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers, sugar, and spices using wooden spoon to break up tomatoes. Add reserved turkey and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Add beans, stirring gently, and simmer 15 more minutes.

Doesn't this sound like a great fall-winter meal with some crusty bread?

I went to one of my favorite places yesterday -- the library -- and checked out a few magazines. Although I'm a month behind, the price is right, and I enjoy the fact that I don't have to deal with storing them or disposing of them (or recycling) when I'm done -- I just return them.

I have been on a tomato kick and was delighted when I found this recipe for tomato pie in the August Woman's Day. The recipe said this with a green salad makes it a great duo. I would agree.

Southern Tomato Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 15 oz box of 2)
1 cup light mayonnaise
8 oz Cheddar, shredded (2 cups)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4cup sliced scallions
1 1/3 ripe plum tomatoes (8-10 medium size), sliced

Place one oven rack in bottom position. Heat oven to 350.

Line a 9 in pie plate with crut. Crimp edges with a fork. Prick bottom and sides of dough in several places with a fork.

Bake 10-12 minutes until crust looks slightly puffed and dry.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, 1 1/4 cups of the cheese and the pepper
Sprinkle bottom of partially baked crust with 1/3 up of the remaining cheese. Top with 1/4 of the tomatoes (about 12 or 13 slices). Sprinkle with 1 T of scallions. Spoon 1/3 cup of the mayonnaise mixture on top in dollops. Continue to layer tomatoes, scallions and mayonnaise mixture to make e more layers. Sprink top with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake 30-35 minutes until crust is golden and juices are bubbling. Remove to rack to cool at least 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.


Sound good? I didn't have plum tomatoes, but believe in using what you have. I am just thinking how good this would be with different types of cheeses. And since plum tomatoes are available year round, this might be a great recipe for one of those days when you hunger for a tomato and don't have a good vine ripened one available.

I'm sorry if it seems I'm beating a dead horse...I'd much rather be beating something else and I'm not talking a drum.

I received my Hewlett Packard notebook back after the second go around with service. I turned it on when I got it home and it still isn't fixed. It was late so I didn't call. Seems Fed Ex delivers when I'm at work. I can't fault them --they are just doing their job. But it means we then have to go and pick it up after a certain time. Which we did.

Last night I was late getting home and too tired to deal with customer service. Tonight I called early enough and got a nice gal named Pam. She was very helpful and had me do this and that and it still didn't work. She wanted me to take the back off and I balked. I figure if the service center didn't fix it, my tinkering with the insides isn't going to either. I was polite when I told her this and she said then it would have to be sent back in. I expressed my frustration and she came back and said according to protocol it has to be sent in three times and then if it still comes back not working, then there's the possibility of getting it replaced, but it isn't a sure thing. I told her I had to problems with her, but I would like to talk to her supervisor.

Well, I did talk to the supervisor. He said is name was Lander. He read me the protocol. I am a teacher and people read differently than they talk. Maybe he figured he'd dazzle me with baloney or something. I waited until he was finished and said I didn't agree with his protocol and that I am one very frustrated customer. He was a bit flippant by this point. I asked what HP was going to do to make me happy and he said I would have to send it in.

Then he informed me that I shouldn't be upset because it took less than a week to get the computer returned to me. Are these folks nuts or what? Yes, it was less than a week, but it wasn't fixed. I pointed that out to him and he said, but why are you upset when it took less than a week.

I asked if he had a supervisor and he said yes. I asked to speak to his supervisor and he told me they don't take phone calls. Isn't that rich?

I told him I would be putting all this on Facebook and my blog and I asked him nicely to document it. He said OK and then thanked me for calling HP and hung up.

Gosh, just makes me want to run out and buy another HP....NOT!

It's not Thanksgiving, but turkey and mashed potatoes are pretty good anytime.

I put a turkey breast in the Crockpot with onion, celery, garlic, rosemary, and some pepper with some water. It was all white meat. Yum.

I fixed mashed potatoes with Yukon Gold potatoes and whipping cream. Double yum.

We bought fresh green beans at a farmer's market this weekend and I fixed them over the weekend. I heated them up ... made my husband very happy.

It might not be Thanksgiving, but it was a good time for turkey.

And it's never a bad time to count one's blessings, is it?

Currently I work at 4 schools. And every lunch period is different. This is not a judgment, but perception data.

The buildings where the majority of the staff tend to eat what tastes good to them, even if it isn't healthy tends to have more young people on staff.

Then the buildings where the majority of the staff is older are looking at sodium, carbs, and calories.

It's pretty interesting to see what people bring for lunch and then what they have to say about it.

My lunch fare is pretty boring at times...lately it's been a peanut butter and something sandwich. It can be jelly or honey and I even tried Nutella. On days when I can't refrigerate my lunch, I try to take things that won't spoil in an insulated lunch bag. Often times I bring leftovers, but now that hubby is retired, he often gets the leftovers for his lunch.

Some people bring the same thing every day. When I think of how many years my dad took the same thing in his lunch bucket...I don't know how he did it. Maybe he didn't think eating was a big thing...just something to keep going.

I like a little variety...maybe that's why I like studying what people bring to lunch.

What was my lunch you ask? Today it was slices of green bell pepper, a slice of tomato, cottage cheese, applesauce, grapes,and string cheese with a Thermos of water. You see, I'm trying to watch what I eat...I'm one of the oldsters!

Sandi Patti has a Christmas song called, "The Gift Goes On."

(See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iA96s9QQ8E)

The basic premise is we were given a great gift and we then live joyfully and in a giving spirit.

OK, it's not Christmas...but I read an email from a friend of mine that made me stop and take a breath.

He's superintendent of a Chicagoan surburban school district. One of his teachers has been diagnosed with ALS. She's only 50. He said he wanted to keep her working as long as possible for her sake ... both money as well as doing what she loves...teaching.

Fellow staff members are stepping up by helping with things to make her life easier. They are even collecting money to help with financial concerns.

But the most surprising thing I read was the school board told my friend to do whatever it takes to keep this gal working as long as she wants. So, he's been rearranging jobs and schedules to help her and keep the education of the students going.

Are you teary yet?

This school district is teaching a great gift of showing compassion and kindness...can you think of any better lesson for children to learn?

There's something about the approach of fall that makes me want to fix stews and soups.

Today I fixed chicken stew. I put a chicken in the Crockpot overnight with a few vegetables and herbs to season it and the broth. When I got up, I turned it off, let is cool,and then used the meat to make a couple of dishes, one of which was my stew.

My chicken stew is basically using whatever vegetables I have on hand. We went to local farmers' market this morning so I had a good assortment: zucchini, yellow squash, and radishes. We had carrots, celery, and onions here at home. I roasted them at 400 for about 35 minutes to put in the stew. I used some of the broth as well as adding some of my marinara sauce and then I added some lentils that I had poured boiling water over to sort of cook and then drained them. At the end I added some pasta. I had bowtie pasta so that's what I added, and let it all simmer for about 30 minutes on low. It's safely tucked into the fridge for a meal this week.

I decided to look for another stew recipe and this one sounded promising; I found it on all recipes.com.

Meatball Oven Stew

1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups tomato juice
12 fresh pearl onions, peeled
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 medium carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
Directions
1.In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 12 meatballs. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, brown meatballs in oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Whisk flour into drippings until smooth. Gradually whisk in tomato juice; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return meatballs to pan. Add vegetables; stir gently. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.

When I was growing up I only knew about beef stew which I learned to make as a teenager because my dad loved it; hubby adores it now. I'm happy to learn about other stews.

I am thoroughly ticked. A year ago I bought a HP Pavalion notebook to replace my very old desktop. I got the wifi so I could sit in the kitchen and work while my hubby is in the family room instead of being squirreled away in a back bedroom.

In August I had some trouble and called customer service because although the computer would turn on, nothing would come up on the screen. I pulled out the manual, did the troubleshooting tips, and it still didn't work. I called customer service. Forty five minutes later after having to take it apart and move the ram cards around, it worked. I was relieved.

Two weeks ago the same thing happened. I did the same thing with the Ram cards and nothing. I called and after an hour of doing this and that and even taking out the hard drive, they decided I needed to send it in. Of course the "sage" on the phone said she would email me the order number. I told her it would be a little hard for me to read it since I only had one computer and since it didn't work, it wouldn't do me much good. She read it off to me. Two days later I received the postage paid box and I packed it up and sent it to California to be fixed.

Yesterday it was returned. I was thrilled -- much quicker than I anticipated. I unpacked it, plugged it in and turned it on. It didn't work. I tried it 4 or 5 times. No good. I called customer service and they wanted me to do all these things...I had 24 hours to check it and here it was less than 24 hours and they didn't want to look up the stuff although I had the number for the repair. They wanted me to read them the serial number and model number and give them all this information I have given them twice before.

Then, they had me do a couple of things and it came on. He pronounced it fixed. I told him I disagreed -- I don't trust that it will work because it didn't work when I first tried it. I don't think I should have to wiggle this and unplug that every time I go to use it. He said he'd call me tonight at 7:30 to check on it.

We had open house at school tonight so after I got home, I immediately turned on the computer.

What a surprise...it didn't work. I left it on and went on to do some other things anticipating his phone call. An hour later, the computer came on. Gosh, isn't that convenient? And the clown from HP that was supposed to call me at 7:30 p.m. Central time? Well, apparently he has forgotten.

I am very disappointed with the fact my computer has had the same problem 3 times, they are reluctant to fix it, and they don't keep their promises. I do not believe I will ever purchase another computer bearing HP after this experience.

I know I am not alone in this frustrating experience. It used to be many businesses tried to please the customer. I know there are some people who took advantage of those companies, but for those of us who do not, I say my trust as a consumer has taken a hit.

The first part of this blog is going to be a rant...I'm sorry if it is tiresome!

I have been looking at Crockpot recipes. The true reason I do Crockpot is for the pleasure of putting something in it and then having it cook while I'm at work all day. However, some of the recipes that I'd like to try only cook for a few hours like 4 or 5. That's great if I were home, but doesn't help me much if I'm gone over 8 hours!

That being said, here's a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com that I might try this week:

Chicken and Fresh Tomato Stew

Ingredients
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomato
1 cup sliced carrot
1 onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
water, as needed

Directions
Combine the potatoes, tomato, carrot, onion, and bay leaves in a slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts atop the vegetables. Stir the tomato sauce, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning in a bowl; pour over the chicken breasts. Add water as needed to assure the chicken is completely covered. Cook on Low for 6 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and cut into bite sized chunks and return to slow cooker. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, another 1 to 2 hours.

On another note...hope you have a wonderful Labor Day!

After looking at the grocery ads, I wonder if I'm missing something. According to the ads, I should be buying lots of picnic/cookout foods for the weekend. I realize that many families do have a cookout so that is to be expected.

Sometimes I feel guilty that I don't go with the norm. On a holiday weekend, I often fix things that I have time to fix instead of a typical menu. I did pull out a couple of steaks to defrost in the fridge. I probably won't be fixing them on the grill. I think I may sear the sides, then put them in the oven to finish with a little butter on top. I hate to admit this, but doing the charcoal grill for two little steaks often seems hardly worth the effort. Maybe if we had a bunch of folks it would seem worth it, but running in and out of the house seems to be a lot of labor.

I think we will have baked potatoes (I'm already using the oven) and possibly a vegetable casserole as well as sliced tomatoes.

Not fancy, but a treat -- we don't do steaks very often.

What is on your Labor Day Menu?

Do you everlook back and regret things you did or didn't do? I was reading a devotion that talked about this.Are there things that you would change?

That was the question asked in a survey a number of years ago. The only thing special about the survey was the question was asked only to people who had celebrated their 95th birthday.

It was an open-ended question.

It could be answered any way they wished.

No religion was connected with it and there was no anticipated response -- just the question: Is there anything you'd like to change about your life?

Of all the different responses which came back, there were three appearing with great regularity.

Those three were

1. I would reflect more (the most popular answers);
2. I would risk more;
3. I would do more things which would live on after I'm dead.

Most of us are not yet 95 years old.

Even so, I wonder how would you answer that question?

I think I do need to reflect more. And I guess we all want to do things to make us remembered. However, I'm not much of a risk taker, so I'm not sure #2 would apply to me. But who knows, maybe as I get older, I'll take more risks.

So, how would you answer the question...what would you change?

You just can't beat a casserole with chicken, cheese, and rice. I made it up last weekend and stuck it in the fridge to heat up.

I wish I had the recipe because I just kind of made it up as I went along. I bought some whole grain rice and sauted it in a small bit of butter, then cooked it with the chicken broth I had from the chicken I fixed in the Crockpot. I let it cook for about 50 minutes...I guess simmer is the word...and the rice was done and had absorbed the broth.

I had roasted some vegetables for another meal so I threw those in with the shredded chicken. Then, I put the hot rice with all these in a greased casserole dish and cleaned out my fridge with the bits and pieces of different cheeses. All these melted into the rice. I then grated some cheese on top and stuck it in the fridge.

Tonight I came home, added about a tablespoon of milk to it so it wouldn't be dried out, and baked at 400 for about 40 minutes. It was amazing. Yum!

Hubby wanted to know where I got this recipe and I told him I just sort of combined stuff I had. He said it was good and to make it again sometime.

So, I guess you just can't beat chicken, cheese and rice.

I read Mary Hunt's column yesterday about the fashion fast -- she went through her closet and picked out 6 items and wore them for a week. I guess it was to prove a point that we have too many clothes.

She cited some gal (I haven't taken the time to look up the blog) who wore the same dress for a year, just changing the accessories.

Interesting concept, eh?

I'm thinking that if I wore the same thing over and over I'd spend more in laundry than I'd save not buying a few more things.

Guess it's all a matter of priorities, eh?

I live in Illinois and for grade school and middle school we have the ISAT which is Illinois State Achievement Test.

It's a component of the NCLB -- No Child Left Behind. It's a way we are to be held accountable for how we educate students.

On the surface that sounds so good. I mean, no one wants a teacher doing nothing and a kid not being educated. We all know there are great teachers out there who do their best and then are the duds.

However, we've come to the point where a school has to make 85% to pass. On the surface that doesn't sound totally unreasonable. But it's not a straight 85%. Each year it goes up and each year it gets more and more difficult. This percentage not only means the total folks taking the test, but the subgroups. Subgroups contain 45 students and can be gender, race, special education status, and economic status. All subgroups have to make 85%. Confusing? You bet.

My school district is a poor district so we have a lot of folks on free and reduced lunch so just about every school has that subgroup. Of course we have boys and girls subgroups. We have some race subgroups. Some schools have the special education subgroup.

On top of all of that, the school has to maintain a 91% attendance rate. Even if they pass all the academics, they have to have that magic attendance number or they don't make AYP or adequate yearly progress.

This is just a simplified version. I cannot really figure the scores the way they do because there's a lot of this and that ... it's not just 85%.

If a school doesn't make AYP they are labeled failing. I understand the reasoning behind it, but some of the questions on the test I'm not sure are things children will use. We spend so much time teaching to test -- we have to because we don't want to fail -- that so much other stuff is left out.

We look at kids as test scores -- remember when people complained that they were more than a number? Well, it's getting that way in education. A kid is a test score. One school that isn't a true district school, but sort of has district privileges didn't make AYP when the scores were lower. They do now. How, you ask? Well, from what I can tell they don't keep kids who don't pass the ISAT. They send them back to their home schools. Truly survival of the fittest!

I truly believe there should be accountability in education. But I don't think a test given in the spring should be the only way to hold schools and districts accountable.

One of my former schools didn't make AYP. It's not a bad school. It's in a high poverty neighborhood. The teachers work very hard instructing kids. I've seen teachers bringing in things from home to help the kids like clothes, snacks, shoes, etc. One teacher's church has volunteers who come every week to work with the kids on materials she puts together. When a family had a fire, the staff collected money and items to gift to the family. Kids brought in what they could for donations. I think educating people for life is far more important that teaching them to take a test.

I bet you won't see a question on how you can best serve your neighbor on a high stakes test.

Since we have a decent crop of tomatoes, I'm delighted when I find a recipe that is quick and easy and looks good.

I was reading Guideposts and found this recipe that is tagged as being healthy. I think you can make and little or as much as you like.

Burnt Tomatoe Halves

4 firm, ripe tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
black peppercorns
2 T fresh oregano leaves

Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on the surface. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half. Brush cut side of tomato with olive oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. Place tomatoes cut side down on hot surface. Don't move them for 8 - 10 minutes or they'll burst. The bottoms will show a black line of char all around when they're done. Using a spatula, life tomatoes off hot surface and invert onto a plate, burnt side up. Cut crosshatches into the surface of the tomatoes. Sprinkle with peppercorns and oregano, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Note: if whole peppercorns are a problem, they can be ground or coarsely cracked. Serves 4.

Looks easy enough, doesn't it? And it sounds like a cheap side while tomatoes are in season.

A year or so ago an insurance company ran an advertisement showing people looking out for each other because they witnessed kindness. I felt inspired when I saw these ads. I know that the insurance company really wanted to use it to sell their insurance, but it just gave me a good, warm feeling.

We've all heard the random acts of kindness and how they often mean so much.

Well, what I'm thinking about today isn't a random act.

Last year a band teacher in our school district who had been in the district over 35 years retired. He had won many awards, but more importantly he had touched many lives. He had a very successful music program in the high school. He and another very successful music teacher had built the program from middle school to high school and they decided to retire at the same time. It was a loss to our district for so much talent to retire.

However, there seemed to be a problem this year when school started. Through a clerical error, the position was posted as a part-time position, not a full time one. Very few folks want to work .3 of a school day.

School started and no band teacher. The band students were upset. Yet, they were so dedicated to their program they started holding their own practices so they'd at least be in the program and get to continue what they started. It shows the level of dedication and professionalism these children must have witnessed from their band instructors.

The school district realized there was a problem and asked the retired man to come back. In the state of Illinois a retired person cannot teach the whole year and still receive one's pension, so this means he will probably have to work only certain days so he doesn't jeopardize his retirement.

He did return and as I drove by the school today, the kids were outside marching with their instruments.

It was out of kindness he decided to come back. He didn't want the students to be without music.

I know this isn't a huge thing, but for those kids, having a band teacher who really cares is a big show of kindness.

I've seen many acts of kindness with people I've worked with. They aren't the kind of things that get written up in the newspaper. But for the person on the receiving end, I'm sure it means a lot. For the child who doesn't have any shoes and socks, someone bringing some in and giving to them to the child on the sly so that child's dignity is intact means a lot. The child who doesn't have food at home getting a couple bags of groceries to take home for the weekend so the family has some food probably means a brighter weekend. The people who donate money to groups so other folks can have things they wouldn't normally receive makes life a little better.

All acts of kindness and just another way we help one another.

Do you often copy someone's style or dress or way to talking?

We've been watching a lot of Agatha Christie murder mysteries -- Poirot and Miss Marple -- and I have found I have a desire for a cuppa since they tend to drink a lot of tea.

The other day we were in a store and my husband noticed that there are few dresses with polka dot patterns like those in the 30s. He is enjoying the suits the gentlemen wear.

I guess we like to copy our role models.

As a Christian I often wondered what things people in the Bible ate. I know the manna and the loaves and fishes. And although we know Adam and Eve ate fruit, we only speculate it was an apple.

I found a cookbook a few years ago entitled "What Would Jesus Eat?" I assume the title was taken from the slogan, "What Would Jesus Do" that was very popular a few years ago.

The cookbook author couldn't say exactly what Jesus' diet consisted of, but gave examples from a Mediterrean diet and items that would have been available in the Holy Land during the first century.

I guess the bleached, processed all purpose flour is something of modern times. I remember growing up loving the soft white bread of my childhood, not realizing how unnutritious it was.

Here's a recipe for thyme biscuits using items mostly available during Jesus's time. The author mentioned that there was a type of leavening besides yeast so the baking powder isn't totally modern. And although they might not have had Parmesan cheese, they did have a variety of cheeses. I can tell you both my husband and I enjoyed these biscuits.

Thyme Biscuits
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fruit parsley
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 400. Place the flour, baking powder, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and Parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl and use a fork to stir and combine. Slowly stir in the olive oil; mixture will be crumbly. Add the milk and stir until dough holds together. You may add more milk of necessary. Drop by large spoonfuls 1 inch apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Yields 10 to 12 biscuits.

Don't you think a cup of tea would go with one of these biscuits?

I hate to admit this little tidbit, but we were out of corn.

I had planned on making cornbread yesterday and use creamed corn in the recipe. When I went to my stash of what I thought were 6 cans of creamed corn, I found instead 6 cans of peas if you please.

Goodness. How in the world did I get 6 cans of peas? My husband won't eat peas. I think what happened was when the vegetables were on sale, I thought the case was actually creamed corn and it had 6 peas instead.

I kept one can for me when I'm especially hungry for peas and we donated the rest to the food pantry. I'm sure they will be happy to give them out.

So instead of cornbread, I made Irish soda bread.

My tomato recipe quest continues! As long as we have fresh ones, I want to use them. I think I found a great recipe that was really easy.

A dear friend gave me a subscription to Simple and Delicious and the new issue just arrived. In the back was a recipe for a tomato tart.

Tomato Tart with Three Cheeses

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup shredded provolone cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
4 thinly sliced plum tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup shreeded Parmesan cheese
Additional minced fresh basil

Unfold pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12-inch square; transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Prick with a fork.

Combine the mozzarella, provolone, and basil. Sprinkl over the pastry to within 1 inch of edges. Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Remove tart from baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with additional basil. Cut into slices. Serve hot or at room temperature.

I can honestly say it is good. I was thinking if you change the types of cheese, you can make this a variety of different ways. I used the tomatoes we have which weren't plum, but beefsteak so I didn't use as many. I was thinking if I added small thinly sliced green bell pepper, it would be even better.

My only warning is if you serve it hot, beware of biting into a hot tomato!

I admit it. I'm a big softie. Especially when it comes to soldiers and patriotism. Last year I wrote a a soldier weekly when he was in Afghanistan. A few years ago I wrote another soldier while he was in Iraq. It was nice to hear from them, but I didn't feel like they had to write a lot...I felt like the soldier was already doing enough by serving our country. Right now a friend's son in in Iraq and I try to write or send a card now and then so he gets something at mail call.

On Facebook a friend posted this YouTube video called "I fought for you" and it is very powerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTb6qdPu8JE

Hopefully the url will come through and you can watch it if you wish. Whether you agree or disagree with the war, I hope you will remember these men and woman represent us and are doing a brave job. Without the freedoms we enjoy, we wouldn't have the pleasure of saving money or spending it or blogging about it. I hope you find the video as inspiring as I did.

My husband loves to walk.

He especially likes walking in the neighborhood and seeing the homes and nature and being outside.

Unfortunately the heat and humidity have made it very uncomfortable for him to walk because he goes at a pretty crisp clip. He says he doesn't like to melt down into his shoes in this weather and I can't blame him.

His solution has been to walk at the mall. He claims it is boring just going around in circles. But he has made a game of it. He tries to find people who are also walking for exercise and see if he can out pace them. I tease him about his competitive spirit and he just laughs.

But there's a lot of truth in it. He talks about this one young gal (20-30s) who has longer legs than he does and really flies -- he says he turns on the after burners and catches up and passes her.

There's another guy who he says hides from him when he sees him out walking because he can outdistance him.

Hubby says this spirit of competition keeps it interesting.

I say watch out Roadrunner! Beep! Beep!

I was pretty pumped last night to watch Ina Garten's program about surprising her husband with Greek lasagna. She often has Jewish recipes so I guess she thought she'd make a change.

I looked for the recipe last night, but couldn't find it on the Food Network site. I decided to try again and found it. It looks a lot harder written down than when she made it, but she is often very good about giving lots of details.

Pastitsio

Ingredients
For the Tomato Meat Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound lean ground lamb
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 large cloves)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Bechamel:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or Kasseri cheese
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup Greek-style yogurt, such as Fage Total
• 3/4 pound small shells
Directions
For the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the beef and lamb, and saute over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until it's no longer pink, crumbling it with the back of wooden spoon. Drain off any excess liquid, add the wine, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, and cayenne, and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 to 45 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the bechamel, heat the milk and cream together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Pour the warm milk and cream mixture into the butter and flour mixture, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and thick. Add the nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomato and meat sauce, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the eggs and yogurt and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Don't over-cook because the pasta will later be baked. Drain and set aside.
Add the pasta to the meat and tomato sauce, and pour the mixture into a baking dish. Spread the bechamel evenly to cover the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbly. Set aside for 10 minutes and serve hot.

I am excited about trying it! How about you? Opa!

As I continue my quest for easy stuff to make, I remembered a friend sent me this recipe for 3 ingredient cherry dessert.

3 ingredient cherry dessert


2 cups cubed angel food cake
1 can cherry pie filling
1 12 oz thawed whipped topping

Mix the 3 ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I use sugar free cherry pie filling as my husband is diabetic and it is a dessert that he can have.

Looks easy and sounds tasty? Do you have any 3 ingredient recipes you'd like to share?

It's Monday and back to school. Actually, since one of my schools is a balanced calendar school, I have already started back to work. But today was the official first day for many of the buildings in my district.

This means I'm on the look out for recipes for quick and easy things for dinner. Actually, I call it supper, but most call it dinner. You know, the whole tomato, tohmato thing.

Speaking (writing?) of tomatoes, I was looking at my file of recipes and discovered this one that I thought I could change using fresh tomatoes sliced thinly:

Broiled Parmesan Tomatoes

Three 14 ½ ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained, any variety
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place the tomatoes in a 13x9 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top each with a pat of butter. Generously sprinkle the cheese over the tomatoes and broil for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes are heated through and the cheese is bubbly.

Since it has finally cooled down to the low to mid 80s, I can embrace my oven once again. And if something has cheese, it HAS to be good, right?

Last week I blogged that I had the "problem" of too many tomatoes. One kind person suggested I make a marinara sauce.

I hate to admit it, but I had never made a marinara sauce. I'ved used tomato sauce out of the can and added stuff, but never made anything like this from scratch.

I'm happy to report that I have since been searching for a recipe that I could employ.

I was kind of worried because I don't have hours to let it simmer. Unfortunately my employer wouldn't think it was right if I came home during the day to make a sauce.

So, I wanted to find one I thought I could use. And I did. I had to adjust the measurements because I didn't have quite that many tomatoes available, but I did try it. I ran it through the food processor after it was cooked and added the fresh basil.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
• Ten pounds of VERY ripe tomatoes
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Sugar
• Black Pepper
• Fresh Basil
• Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
Whole Tomato Version:

The ingredients listed above.
• Chop the washed tomatoes into small cubes (to reduce the area and cooking time).
• Sautee ten or fifteen large garlic cloves in olive oil until they are dark golden.
• Add chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning or sticking.
• Pour in an additional quarter cup of oil (or more according to taste).
• Add salt, a heavy dusting of black pepper and about three tablespoons of sugar (depending on the acidity of the tomato you can use less or no sugar).
• Lower heat to medium and cook uncovered, stirring regularly, until all fluid is thickened. THIS SHOULD NOT TAKE FOUR HOURS BUT MORE LIKE A HALF HOUR. Why people insist on torturing tomato sauce on a stove for half a day is beyond me --- we call it the "Nonna syndrome."
• Remove from heat and immediately add a large quantity of fresh chopped basil.
• Cook pasta extra al dente and drain.
• Add pasta back to pan and add five or six ladles of tomato sauce to the pasta and stir over a medium heat until sauce and pasta are thickened.
Serve each plate with an additional ladle full of sauce on top and a drizzling of fresh cold olive oil and a heaping of Pecorino Romano.

Although the measurements are exact, I kept trying it until I got it the way I wanted. I tasted it and then finally had hubby try it. He's the resident critic. He gave it a thumbs up!

Now that I've accomplished this, I have one further query: can I freeze it?