Friday, October 24, 2008

MAKE SOMETHING PRETTY

Yes, I know people eat because they are hungry but if you take the time to make the plate more colorful or just add a sprig of parsley; a slice of lemon or lime or orange and the arrangement of the food on the plate. Don't just slop in on the plate like they do in jail and don't ask me how I know about such things. If it looks pretty it will taste better and the compliments will follow. Ask yourself, who would you go home with first, Brad Pitt or Frankenstein? Okay, maybe that is going off topic but I just love to think about Brad Pitt. Here are somethings that you can try at home for your family and friends.

Salad, it's not just lettuce and tomato with a slice of cucumber anymore. You can add some Salad Supreme (made by McCormick and found on the spice isle, one of my favorites); add some leftover chicken, turkey or ham that is just sitting in the fridge; Parmesan or Romano cheese that you only use for spaghetti and fresh vegetables like yellow squash or onion. Serve it up with your favorite salad dressings and WOW.

Home made soups are a snap if you have a crock pot or even if you have to cook it on top of the stove. My extra time is all mine to do what I want to do so short cuts help a lot. For my vegetable beef soup I pick up a pack of stew beef; some beef broth or bouillon cubes; a can of potatoes, carrots, peas (if you must but remember that Confucius says: If you cook carrots and peas in same pot, that is very unsanitary) and a can of corn. Throw it all in the same pot including the liquid that is in the cans. Add celery if you have fresh or some celery seeds, salt and pepper and a little garlic powder. Cook on high for the first fifteen minutes (top of the stove method) then turn it down to low and let it cook for about an hour. If you are really brazen, you can add a can of diced tomatoes just long enough to heat them up. Serve with a salad and bread and butter (you don't actually think I was going to bake biscuits did you?) and you can have a soup and salad night at your house.

Till next time, I'm Stella

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