Are you wanting onion rings, but there’s no milk in the frig? This recipe uses plain Greek yogurt instead of milk for the batter. Easy, light, slightly crunchy and baked in the oven these will be a family favorite.
Ingredients:
1 medium sweet onion (Vidalia or yellow) cut into rings and separated
1 single serve container of plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 cup Pioneer Biscuit mix, seasoned to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning)
Vegetable spray
What to do;
Preheat oven to 375°.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
In a small bowl combine the yogurt and the egg, mixing well.
In another bowl season the biscuit mix.
Coated onion rings ready to bake
Next, coat the onion slices in the yogurt egg mixture. Shake off any excess and then gently toss in the seasoned biscuit mix. Place each battered onion ring on the parchment lined baking sheet; leave room between each one. Spritz each prepared onion ring with vegetable spray. Place in heated oven. Bake for ten minutes and then with a fork flip them and continue baking for another eight to ten minutes. A nice golden color is what you’re looking for.
Baked (oven-fried) to a golden brown
Serve with your favorite sauce. Mine is hot honey mayo. This a great side for practically any entre`: chicken tenders, fried fish, etc.
It’s still a little early to put plants in the ground. The seedlings bought yesterday need a few more weeks before going into raised beds. The sunny bench in the potting shed is now loaded with hope for a full potager garden.
The mayhaw is blooming now. Lots of sweet banana peppers.Three kinds of mint including variegated pineapple mint. Tiny, tiny Creole tomatoes.
Three kinds of mint, two kinds of peppers, Creole tomatoes and cilantro were potted up. I’ll add sweet basil and more chives to the collection.
And the faithful mayhaw is blooming, as are the Methley plums planted a year ago and the blueberries. (I’m hoping the rabbits will leave the berries alone this year…) Two more plum trees, one more blueberry bush, two new pears and a loquat will be added to the orchard. I’m excited!
It’s almost time for Ecclesiasties 3: 2; the part about planting.
In continuing to try to do a little bit better this year, breakfast on-the-go is a must for me. My money is tight starting out the new year with Miss Marigold needing to go to the vet’s office because she had a bellyache (yucky, yucky). And car maintenance, including a tow to the shop, came up this month. I realized that I need to be much better at saving for unexpected expenses. So, cooking a quick breakfast sandwich at home will save me money and time.
Here’s my typical breakfast:
2 pieces of Dave’s Killer Thin sliced bread- a drizzle of honey on each slice, along with a shake of cinnamon. Toasted for 5 minutes on 400°.
In a small microwavable bowl place a super thin- sliced piece of ham. I had Land o Frost in the frig. Next drop in an egg. Salt and pepper the egg and scramble around. (Ooo. I just thought that a little Dijon mustard would have been a nice kick to the simple egg. Hmm. I need to try it!)
Place in the microwave, cover, and zap it for one minute.
When your toast is toasted and your ham and egg are cooked, well, assemble your sandwich. The sweet of the honey and savory of the ham/egg is a nice combo.
I wrap my breakfast sandwich in a paper towel and put in my purse or work bag.
Now, it takes all of 5 minutes to make. Calories are:
Honey drizzle- 21
Bread- 200
Egg- 72
Ham- 18
Cinnamon- 0
A total of 311 calories. Comparable to a Micky D’s Egg McMuffin at 310 calories which costs between $4 to $7. A Chick-fil-a Egg White Grill at 300 calories which costs $5 to $6. This homemade breakfast sandwich costs pennies, or rather rounded up nickles, to make with no time spent in the drive-through line.
Sticking to resolutions Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
They say to state your New Year resolutions in more specific terms. Not, I’m going to lose weight, but I’m going to lose 10 pounds this year. Not, I’m going to save more money, but I will put $50 in my savings account each payday or I’m going to save an emergency fund of $2000. Express your desire to do better in certain terms. Get the idea?
A Little bit better.
Tiny plate, tiny spoon.
I know better than to say I’m giving up sweets for the new year. So, I’ll just have smaller portions. We should be realistic in our goals as well.
Happy New Year Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
A late breakfast of bread pudding and sausage was more like brunch. I wasn’t really hungry so, I prepared a little Christmas tea for my mid-day meal.
The electric tea kettle is a Chefman and works great.
I love the electric tea kettle. And the plain white tea pot. And the Snoopy tea cup and saucer. The oblong dish filled with goodies is vintage Avon, along with a 1970’s Christmas a napkin. I love them, too.
Christmas tea for one.
In the tea pot is Biscotti tea from Red Stick Spice Company. It is so good! They are in Baton Rouge, LA. Shop on-line, if you can’t get to Baton Rouge. Here’s a link:
It would be easy to jump into the bustle of the holiday, but I decided to stay in this Saturday and practice the pause. I could have just grabbed a cold drink and a snack, not bothering with a plate, but chose to have something elegant.
Tea time is a deliberate practice: Choosing the size of tea pot, selecting the tea cup and saucer, deciding on what to nibble on with your tea and finding a tray to hold it all. It makes you slow down. You hone the skill of patience, as the water boils and the tea steeps.
Christmas carols are in my head. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is on the television. I’m surrounded by my Nativity Scenes, tucked here and there on book shelves and the mantle. A quiet Saturday before the rush of the next two weeks of the Christmas season.
I’m telling my age by writing this, but a memory of a cardboard “fireplace” came to my mind the other week. I asked some people I know around my own age, ahem, and they all remembered the fake red brick fireplace, brought out at Christmas time. It had fake flames, a fan and a light to simulate a fire.
Now, I don’t know if we actually had one of these cardboard Christmas time wonders. I should ask my older brothers… Any way, I may have seen one somewhere. A cousin’s house, maybe? Or a neighbor’s?
Nostalgia got the better of me. I googled, I searched Pinterest and found lots of pics of what I remembered.
Not wanting to drop any money on either a vintage faux fireplace or a new version, I decided to collect boxes from work and make my own.
I found Charlie and Snoopy at a big box store and thought they could flank either side of my homemade version of the cardboard fireplace. Charlie and Snoopy are full of Nostalgia of their own. All will go out onto the blue porch, along with a collection of snowmen and a Nativity scene.
Christmas is coming Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
I’ve been under the weather for over a week. Excuse this sentence if you are easily grossed out, but if snot were a commodity, I could have cornered the market last week. Tests for covid and flu were negative; I’ve never had covid, but I have had the flu many times. And whatever I had, it felt a whole bunch like the latter. Steroids and a broad spectrum antibiotic, oh my! I figured I’d add some comfort food along with the prescribed meds now that I’m no longer prone. Self-care 101.
Slow-cooker Chicken Noodle Soup simmered midmorning to early evening. A boneless, skinless chicken breast was nestled down in the middle of onion, potatoes, carrots, frozen corn, and broccoli. Seasoned liberally with salt, pepper, Tony’s seasoning, garlic, and basil. One can of chicken broth with two cans of water. Egg noodles were added the last 15 minutes of simmering. Simple cheese toast was served alongside a hearty bowl of goodness.
Friday night’s supper hit the spot.
In recent weeks, cider recipes have been flashing through social media. I’ve never made cider and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had a mug of it. Thinking that the concentration of fresh fruit and spices may benefit my recovery from the gunk, I decided to tweak the many recipes I looked up. Here’s what I did for
Small Batch Spiced Cider:
In an 8 quart pot, I simmered 2 Gala apples and 2 Honeycrisp apples, cored and cut into chunks. I added 3 each of navel oranges and little mandarin oranges, peeled and chunked as well. Five cinnamon sticks, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. To sweeten it, I added a scant 1/3 cup of white sugar and a 1/ 3 cup of MaBell cane syrup. If you cannot get MaBell cane syrup, try Brer Rabbit.
All of this was covered with 6 cups of water. It cooked down for two hours over medium heat with the pot lid vented. After the fruit was cooked down and the cinnamon sticks removed, it was carefully put through a strainer, packing and squeezing the solids to extract the juice. I then strained it a second time through a couple of layers of cheese cloth.
Now, I do not have any designated cider mugs. I’m not sure what it’s served in, although the term ‘a mug of cider’ rings in the back of my mind somewhere. So, shopping around in my cupboards and hutches, I found my pretty Flora Gold Louisa pattern. They’re a pretty autumnal color and hold heat well.
I heated the cider back up with just a tiny bit of salt to cut the sweetness and brighten the orange and apple flavors. The heated cider was poured into a warmed tea pot and placed on a pretty tray. And yes, that’s candy corn and dry roasted peanuts mixed together. Tastes like a Payday candy bar.
Pop your favorite microwave popcorn. I used 3 single serve Orville Redenbacher popcorn. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the popped corn in as much as a single layer as you can. Set this to the side.
Next, make the jelly caramel. I used mayhaw because that’s what I had in the pantry. Any mild jelly will do, like crabapple or apple apple. In a 2 quart, heavy bottom pot melt 1/2 stick of salted butter and a 1/2 cup of mayhaw jelly, over medium high heat. It’s going to bubble up; stir it constantly while it reduces. Turn the heat down a little bit and add 1 tablespoon of honey and a splash of vanilla. Whisk in and continue to reduce the jelly mixture. It’s ready to drizzle over the popcorn when it coats a spoon. Carefully pour evenly over the popcorn. Now, add 1/ 2 cup chocolate chips and, if you like, shake on some seasonal colored sprinkles. Gently toss everything together. The warmth of the caramel will help to melt the chocolate chips and set the sprinkles. Serve in your popcorn bowl set… what? You don’t have a popcorn bowl set? No problem. Any big bowl will do.
Mmmm, is the right sentiment about this snack. So good for watching college football. Or make a batch and take it to Fall Fest.
The seasons go from summer to autumn on Monday. In the produce section yesterday, pretty USA strawberries and apples were part of my purchase. Strawberries harken the warmer months, and apples beckon the cooler. I combined the fruits for a nice fruity dessert. Or snack. Or breakfast.
3/4 cup strawberries, washed, stemmed, and thinly sliced
More salted butter, cut into pats
What to do:
Into a 9×9 casserole dish or 9 inch pie plate, pour a little of the melted butter to coat the bottom. Set to the side. Preheat oven to 350°.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and the rest of the melted butter. This will be the crumble top.
Next, arrange your apples in the dish in a single layer. Then, top the apples with the sliced strawberries. Take a few of the pats of butter and dot evenly over the fruit.
Then, take the crumble mixture and sprinkle over the butter and fruit, covering well. Place the rest of the butter pats evenly over the top.
Place the filled dish in the center of the oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is nice and brown.
I served this apple strawberry crumble with a few dollops of light strawberry ice cream and stuck a few crispy apple skins on top. That link is above in the ingredients list.
It’s that time of year when the calendar says autumn, but the temperature says summer. This crumble is a tasty blending of those two seasons. September and October are months of reflection and anticipation. It’s not quite the end of the year, but close. Have we met any of the goals we set back in January? Well, you have three more months and a few days…
Seasons of change Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.
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