Peanut Butter and Butter Toast

Peanut butter and butter toast is a meal I’ve eaten since I was young. I usually would have this as a Saturday breakfast before we’d be out of the house for sports or activities. Not only is it filling and healthy, but you can easily make it healthier. You can also have this as a snack during the day or as a late night snack before bed. It’s quick if you are on the run, and 2 pieces of toast are enough for even an adult.
I used crunchy peanut butter, but you can pick any texture or brand you want. I used standard salted butter, and used it as a pen to cover the toast, then cut off the last 1/4 Tbsp butter, so the stick isn’t covered in crumbs. You can easily use margarine or coconut oil instead. I also used white sandwich bread, but you could also use wheat, whole grain, or seeded rye.

Toast bread. While hot, smear with butter, then add a thin layer of your favorite peanut butter. Eat as a snack or as a quick breakfast.

March 23, 2020 0

Pork and Sauerkraut

This is a dish I grew up having regularly. It’s so simple and easy. It can be made with less than 5 minutes active cooking time. I like to serve it with mashed potatoes and butter, because pork in butter has a similar flavor to steamed clams, which I love. It also has a more desirable texture then clams if you are grossed out by them. I’m also still feeling sick, so this dinner worked perfectly for us.

Preheat oven to 450 F.
Rinse your pork chops under slow running cold water, then place in a casserole dish. Open a can of sauerkraut and place around the pork in the dish.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes for thin pork chops. Cook until 170 F internal temperature, and add extra water to the pan as needed. Best served with mashed potatoes and butter.

March 11, 2020 0

Frozen Fish and Pierogies

Frozen fish and pierogies are one of my favorite meals. It’s fast and requires little effort, it’s also delicious. I like Gorton’s brand frozen fish. It has a nice crisp batter that fully covers the fish, and it also have some texture left to the fish unlike some fish sticks that are ground up fish. I bake them as instructed. I also just get a box of store-brand frozen pierogies. I’ve tried Mrs. T’s, Aldis brand, and Weis brand pierogies and they all taste comparably good, so I never feel the need to splurge on name-brands. I boil the pierogies until they all float and are soft. In a large frying pan, I slice half an onion and saute the onion. Then I add 1/2 a stick of butter, melt it over medium-low heat, and add the pierogies with about 1 cup of pasta water. I just let that simmer on low. I don’t cook pierogies to add color, because I like the soft texture, and I also like the sauteed with butter and onion flavor.

Here are some photos of my easy meal. Next time, probably later this week, I will make homemade pierogies so wish me luck, and see you then!

February 18, 2020 1

Christmas Leftovers: Ham Salad

Ham salad has been one of the foods that my mom has had since she was a little girl. This was the recipe her mom and grandmother used during the great depression to make ham last a few extra meals. For this recipe, they would use their own recipe for Thousand Island pickles, however, you can also use sweet relish or sweet pickles to accomplish the same task, however I canned some Thousand Island pickles this summer, so I’ll be using those. You will also see that I am using toast. I always freeze my bread since it’s just me and my husband and we don’t want to waste food, and toasting tends to work really well in cooking/heating up the bread again.

Cut ham into cubes. Approx. 4 slices cut into 1″ x 1″ cubes (1 1/2 cup)
Place these into a chopper, blender, or meat grinder. For chopper/blender, pulse until all of the ham takes on the small pebbly texture, or until you’ve chopped all of the cubes.
Take sweet pickles (1/2 cup) and process into a relish.
Finally, Mix Ham (1 1/2 cup), Relish (1/2 cup), and Mayo (1 cup). Chill or serve immediately on bread or toast.

December 30, 2019 1

Scrambled Eggs, Cheese and Salsa

Scrambled eggs and salsa is always one of my favorite breakfasts. If I ever have any left over salsa from tacos or fajitas, you can guarantee that I will be making scrambled eggs. I also like to put ham in my eggs, however since I made this only a few days before Christmas, I didn’t have any ham on hand. I’ve also used taco meat in the eggs before, and if I do add them, I add them at the same time I add the first amount of cheese. I used white extra sharp cheddar and whole milk however you can use anything you want!

In a large bowl, crack 4 eggs and add 2/3 cup of milk. Whisk until homogeneous.
Heat pan to medium heat, and melt 1/2 a tbsp of butter.
Once the butter begins to brown, add your egg mixture and begin sprinkling shredded cheese (1/4 cup) evenly over the eggs. Since the eggs are still liquidy, the cheese should sink into the eggs.
At this point, you can just scramble the eggs; Stirring and flipping until all areas of raw egg are gone.
Remove from heat and add another 1/2 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the top. Let the eggs rest for one minute, then serve with a side of salsa.