HUNGARIAN SAUSAGE

Here is the sausage after a full day and night the sausage is done!!!!
It is no easy task to grind, mix in the spices etc, chill then pack into casings then smoke and then bloom it and hang it to dry.
It is very tasty as far as the spices are concerned but it is a tad dry. Next time hubby will use a fatter pork shoulder or boneless pork short ribs or add some suet. It is the fat that makes it juicy. It is nice to know just what clean ingredients went into the sausage and that it was prepared in a healthy manner. There are so many recipes to try I fear my husband will be making sausage forever. As for me I am thinking, chicken, basil, garlic sausage. Yum!!!


Since returning from our Washington trip we have both been dealing with colds. First my husband and then I came down with one Friday. As miserable as I feel I know it is short lived as hubbies only lasted three days. So tomorrow I expect I will be feeling much better. In the meantime is is sneeze, blow, cough and repeat!


Now if you read my previous blog you know we were in Washington state for a few days. While there we finally got to meet our great, great, nephew Jack Thomas and great, great niece Audrey Christine. What a fun time we had with the babies. They are both just so adorable and precious. I loved kissing those chubby cheeks and seeing their fat little toes and playing , this little piggy went to market.
I found myself talking to their mommies my great nieces about my own babies. They would comment on something that Jack and Audrey did and I would say something I remembered just like a new mother would. Well lets see, how odd I must have seemed as my son will be 50 next month and my daughter 48. But you know I still say the kids and think of them in that nature. My memory is amazing actually I can close my eyes and recall the most intimate moments with my little ones. Like bathing them and how they smelled after their baths all clean and cozy in their jammies or a clean set of clothes smelling of Johnson's baby lotion or Baby Magic (my fave). Their hair damp and curling around their ears. Their skin so soft and dimpled, well I could go on and on. I just close my eyes and all that and more is tucked tightly into my being forever. So I related along with the young mothers as if I was one of them.


It is always good to see my brother. He treats us so wonderfully and we enjoy his company so much. I always have that lump in my throat when we drive away down the hill from his house. I see him standing at the living room window as he watches us make our way down the road and I just want to turn around and go back. It is always hard to leave those you love so deeply.


Well because of my cold I do not have my normal energy and I am lagging now. So it is a good time to sit and read in my chair for a bit before I start dinner prep. A simple dinner tonight of boneless rib eye steak in the cast iron skillet. I put the rub on the steak about ten this morning so it should be well melded. They are thick steaks so we will share one. I am making a simple salad of greens, scallions and radish's with a homemade creamy Italian dressing. Hubby loves a baked potato with the works so I will make small ones. There is still a serving each of my one bowl chocolate cake sitting in the fridge. A wonderful chocolate cake with a glaze of cream cheese frosting and toasted walnuts sprinkled over the top. I  make a nine inch one layer cake instead of a double layer cake it seems less fattening in my mind, maybe not though depends on the portion. I have posted this recipe as ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE on a previous blog. Check it out.


Well on that note this woman is going to plop in her chair with her nose in her current book. I wonder sometimes how many books I have read in my lifetime. I have no idea, maybe I cannot count that far.....I so lovey my books!!!!
Till later.

Playa Azul ll Kalama WA.

My husband, brother and I had the opportunity to dine at the Play Azul in Kalama WA last week.
This was our first time at this establishment though my brother lives in Kalama.
We sat in the eating area adjacent to the cozy of bar. The service was good and the menu had a nice selection of entree's. 
We all ordered something different. My brother and I had the house wine a chardonnay from WA state. It was amazingly  fresh and bright with a nice finish.
My hubby's carne asada steak burrito was delicious I snitched a bite could not resist. It was grilled skirt steak right off the grill hot and charred. I had a shredded beef taco and cheese enchilada and of course the beans and rice come as a side. All was very tasty, saucy, cheesy, and the taco was stuffed with tender perfectly seasoned shredded beef.
My brothers dish was equally as good. We all enjoyed our meal to the fullest.
The prices were reasonable especially the Washington State wine. In Eugene here we would pay twice the price of $3.75 a glass for that lovely wine.


So bottom line if you are cruising down I-5 and feel the urge come upon you for Mexican food. Do stop at the little berg of Kalama in southwest WA and go to the main street find yourself a parking spot and pop into the Playa Azul for an amazing lunch or dinner.

Blackened Salmon in a cast iron skillet

This fish was grand. Spicy and blackened on the outside and moist and flaky on the inside. I surely did not want to over cook it so easy to do with fish. I made my fave aioli sauce to go with and sauteed squash with cilantro, onions and garlic.
Here is what I used for the rub for my fish. I applied the rub both sides of the fillet after removing the skin. Then I wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for about two hours.
This amount of rub will coat four pieces the size in the skillet photo.


2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Curry powder
2 teaspoons cumin 
2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
Mix all together well and rub on fish.


Heat a black iron skillet to hot with canola oil covering the bottom.
Sear one side of the salmon turn and sear the other side. Do not over cook after both sides are crusted,using a fork just gently pry the fish if it still hangs together tightly it is not ready,  fry a little longer turning. You can adjust the hot skillet to a notch or below high.
Serve with Aoli sauce, lemon wedges and salad or veggies, rice etc.
So yummy.


Aioli sauce. 
1/2 cup mayo
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
a sprinkle of ground red pepper( or cayenne)
black pepper to taste.
Mix well serve along side fish or chicken.


A stormy pacific northwest day today. Lots of wind gusts and never ending rain. The streets are a wash and the windows are blurred with rain.
It is quite cozy inside however and I am a cozy sort of gal so I am content.
I have my Pandora radio station set to 'After the rain" quite appropriate . When you set up that station you will get amazing piano artists. No lyric's just wonderful soul wrenching music. I love it on a day like today.


We had such a good time with my brother in Washington. We also met our great, great, nephew and niece. What sweet little ones. I am so happy for my great neices that they have darling babies. Their Mother my dear niece Chris has been gone from us now for over two years. I could not help but think of her often while playing with the babies. She would have so adored to be a grandma. She would have been amazing in that role.


Well hubby is out giving a bid for refinishing a hardwood floor and hopefully we will get the job. Work is slow this month.
I had better finish up my house chores as I belive we are going to play scrabble again this afternoon.
I was ahead throughout the whole game yesterday but at the last I could not place my V so hubby won by three points. So I am thinking there needs to be a rematch. Nothing better than board games on stormy days.


Have a good day no matter what the outdoor circumstances are right now. Stay warm and dry.
Ciao

HOMEMADE SAUSAGE

Now we are in the sausage business? Surely was fun for my husband. For the first try at sausage making he decided to make chorizo as we like the flavors of it but do not like what the store brands put into chorizo like lymph glands, cheeks basically all the face parts. We made ours with pork shoulder roast and lots of spicy seasonings. We did not stuff into casing this time just used the ground product last night in taco's and for hubby's breakfast I just made a scramble with it and potatoes, onions, peppers and eggs. Very tasty though we did have to add some oil to the cooking process. Next batch will be old fashioned Hungarian sausage that will be stuffed into casings and smoked. Just like my husbands father used to make. Yeah little old sausage maker hubby!!!!


Our weather is due for a change on Sunday. A big cold front is coming in from the north and will collide with a moist front coming from the west. The paper this morning  reported that this could be a nasty storm for us here in Eugene. Snow and or freezing rain could happen. Well that is just dandy as we are going to Washington and returning  just at storm time. So we will have to watch closely the forecast on tonight's news. Seems our local weather folks are more accurate than the weather channel. We will postpone if need be do not want to take risk on the interstate.


We had a fire in a our big fire bowl a couple of days ago and spent the entire afternoon on the back deck. We wanted to be out in the sun and the only way to achieve that was to have a fire as it was bitter cold. A little wind did not help the situation. But the fire warmed our legs and feet and after a bit we settled into comfort. It was fun and something different to do on a winter day. It made me want to roast a hot dog  in those deep red coals. But we had tuna melts and soup instead.


At some point in time I will add a couple sausage recipes as we get on to what we are doing. All seems fairly simple. Smoking the sausage could be a trial trying to get the smoker the right temp.


Have a lovely day, stay warm. So cold here but so pretty also. The sky is a deep blue with high ribbons of light clouds adrift. Lovely.


Till later.

A RECENT SUNSET

I know you may get tired of seeing more sunset photo's but I truly cannot help myself. When I see through the kitchen window what is occurring in the twilight sky I have to go for the camera. It sits nearby the back door and I wait for the right moment of color and start shooting. Each and everyone like a snowflake is different. I guess that is what the draw is for me.


I am making more pickled peppers today with veggies. This time I am using an assortment of carrots, celery, onions, canned artichoke hearts and jalenpeno peppers. I wish I had some cauliflower on hand but do not and I am not running to the store to get them. I had made several jars at the end of summer with our own peppers. Those are all gone now. We ate a lot ourselves and I also gave some jars away. I enjoy making them. They are so bright and pretty sitting in the jar with all the different colors.


We are excited. We are finally going to meet our great, great, nephew Jack and niece Audrey. It will be a short but sweet time. I cannot wait to play with those little ones. Jack turned one in November and Audrey will be one in February. We will meet up at my brothers home on Sunday for a few hours. So I will have pictures to share of our playtime with the babies.
We will spend a couple nights with my brother and the time will go fast as we have much planned. We have not seen him since the first part of September when we joined him at Silver Lake to camp.
I am taking the makings for dinner one night. I decided to take my wok and make chicken chow mien over sticky rice. I will make a wok full and leave the remainder with my brother. Then one night we are going for Mexican food my hubby's favorite if you recall. My husband is going to check out the Kalama River to see what is going on with the steelhead fishing. If all looks promising we may be back in the near future so he can try his luck at catching one.


I have nothing more to chatter about I need to do a few household chores and then take my daily walk. It is a fresh and bright day today though cold. I will bundle up. Then home to make my pickled veggies.
We are having crispy fried mini tuna cakes this evening with my everything but the sink salad with blue cheese dressing. That is it! a protein and veggies.
Last night we finished off the last of the bean and lintel soup with ham. I made my favorite cheesy biscuits to go with. We sure love those biscuits. You do not open them up just slather some butter right over their golden tops. They are so light but packed with cheesy flavor.


Well I am outta of here as they say.
Have a good day.

CINNAMON ROLLS GRAMMY'S RECIPE.

Homemade cinnamon rolls could anything be better?
I love these rolls but have not made them for quite a while. I love making bread the yeast so alive and warm under your hands.
These rolls are filled with lots of melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and roasted chopped walnuts. In the bottom of the baking pan I also add a good quantity of butter and brown sugar and cinnamon and on top a they are drizzled with a powered sugar, vanilla and whipping cream glaze. Now you understand why I do not make them that often just a few of them will load on the pounds. I must walk everyday this week without fail to stave off the effects of Granny's cinnamon rolls. I made one little loaf of bread with the left over dough I love it toasted with jam.
To make these rolls just use whatever bread dough recipe that is your favorite or you could buy frozen dough and put them together like this. Wonderfully tender on the inside and lots of gooey goodness elsewhere.

We are out to lunch today we were going to go a couple of days ago but decided to save it for the weekend. We will go to McGrath's and have seafood.  Always a treat going out to lunch with hubby.

We woke to a wet deck and streets this morning but it is not raining so it was a nighttime occurrence . No matter we were fogged in again yesterday so I prefer the rain. Seems I cannot breathe in dense fog the air is not fresh I get somewhat claustrophobic. The  rest of the week is to be sun and clouds, make me happy :)

I love having the house all clean and the Christmas mess put away for another year. We really cleaned well this year. My husband gave me a helping hand and it made all the difference. I have sparkling windows, clean hardwood floors, polished furniture and I took away clutter as well.

Hubby is going to have a new hobby. Making old world sausage. His father did this and also his uncles. Being of Hungarian decent has a lot to do with the desire to make ones own sausage.
So yesterday we ordered a meat grinder and sausage stuffier to attach to my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Now we will buy a smoker and he will revise it to hang sausage in. He is excited. The sausage is made primarily from pork shoulder with some beef chuck roast added lots of paprika and other seasonings. I am sure he will have fun coming up with idea's for more and more types of sausage. He so loves to make his specialties and give away to family and friends. I may give it a whirl also with perhaps some chicken basil garlic sausage.

I made an amazing chicken Parmesan the other evening. Made from the roasted garlic tomato sauce I put up last summer with our own tomatoes. The Au gratin dishes were layered with a succulent chicken breasts that had been seasoned and breaded in egg and panko and then browned, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and the rich sauce. My husband said it was the best he had ever eaten and I agree and it is so easy to make. Why would anyone order it out?
I also made a fifteen bean soup this past week using the leftover spiral ham from Christmas. The ham held well in a sealed container. The soup is loaded with a variety of beans and lintels as well as diced tomatoes, onions, arugula and seasonings. Very hearty and certainly warms you up on a winters night.

I will sign off now and get my chores out of the way and look forward to my afternoon of lunch out and then home to play games. A great Saturday I am thinking.
Ciao.

NEW YEARS DAY

New years day 2012! Well it is here the year when the earth is to change and be no more at least in the way we know it to be.  According to a lot of folks a wobble of the planet or some other catastrophe will occur on December 21st winter solstice the day all the planets in our solar system line up in a row and the end of the Mayan calendar. All these events coincide. But what do they mean if anything at all?
Our paper even had a article this morning regarding this but on the internet ideas about the event run rampant. 
Well I think in this household we will go about our days as usual. If something were to occur what could we do anyhow? I will say though that we do have  food and water and a medical kit, batteries etc. In other words a emergency kit of sorts. We have primarily done this in case of earthquake or flood. Should there be no power or water for a few days at least we can eat and drink.


It is another foggy day here in Eugene. There may be a bit of sun this afternoon according to the forecast. Whatever.........I will not hold my breath.
We are going to go for a tacos this afternoon just for a little outing to get out of the house.


Tomorrow is the Rose Bowl game. OREGON against Wisconsin. It should be a tight game. Hubby is very nervous as am I. They will be a tough opponent. All I can say is GO DUCKS!


New Year Resolutions. 
I really hate to say I make resolutions as I really do not. But what I do is concentrate and think about what I need to do to make my life happier.
First I always I think of my body and what it needs and does not need. These are my own idea's for myself and there's not need to share them. I know what I need to do. Secondly  I think about my husband and family. I want to always be here for them. A ear to listen, a smile to encourage, a kind word to soothe. But mostly to give my love to them all. I must be understanding and remember that we all have our own realities of life. I must remember to be so very grateful for their presence in my life.
Thirdly I will work on my spirituality. I must aside time for more spiritual books and keep the novels at bay. I must not judge others no matter what the circumstance. I need to do a better job of keeping my mouth shut. And I must set time aside for meditation. All these things I will work on.
So it is not really a list it is more about myself coming together body, mind and soul. Giving myself a tune-up of sorts. 
I also want to be more adventurous. I seem to find myself being so content in my little world and that is great but I do need to step outside that box at times and experience something new and different.
So there it is. 


I have no photo today to post. As we move into January I will be doing some new recipes and plan on taking many more food photo's. It takes time and sometimes my food gets cold while I am snapping the pictures or other times I am just to hungry and start eating and  forget to get the camera. But I will work on that.
I am looking forward to eating more vegetable dishes and grains and lighter fare.


Well I must get ready for my little date with my hubby so best be off.
Have a wonderful 2012.