Epic Fail

Small Fry and those her age have a phrase they use called Epic Fail. That's what my last two weeks of cooking have been. Every recipe has really been bad, and even tacos didn't taste good. My chickens haven't been laying eggs, even. I could really use some inspiration and a little luck.

This takes a while, but is so good on steak or salmon.

Jack Daniel's Marinade and Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/2 tsp finely-diced garlic

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup white grape juice

1/2 cup Jack Daniel's black label bourbon


Place ingredients in sauce pan, mix and stir. Bring to a boil, then simmer 35 to 45 minutes to reduce. It should have reduced in volume by about 1/4 to 1/3.

Turned out even better the second time

Lookee what I made

I don't even like breakfast, but I decided to make a Dutch Baby.

Leftovers

I may have mentioned before that I can't have the same thing twice in a row. That makes it harder to work full time and try to whip up a dinner every night of the week. Sometimes, I can do every other night. But being picky means more work, in the end.

Here is a new family favorite, that's easy, and requested by Small Fry.

Turkey Italian Sausage Soup

1 package Jenny-O sweet turkey Italian sausage
4 cups chicken broth (the Better Than Boullion works really well)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup acini pasta (they look like fish eggs, reports Small Fry)
1 bag baby spinach
basil - the stuff you froze from summer and haven't used yet

Remove sausage from casing and cook until brown, stirring to crumble. Drain then return to pan. Add broth, tomatoes, basil and pasta. Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes or so, until pasta is done. Stir in spinach. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Another Trader Joe's post

Trader Joe's has some mini tacos and a sweet and sour chicken that have come in handy on nights when I don't have the energy to actually cook. Their microwavable rices are handy, too. Brown and jasmine.

At the same time that I was thinking I can't wait for that Trader Joe's near me to open, my brother was busy opposing it. He thought it would put his local grocer out of business, so he won't go to what he calls Traitor Joe's.

But I have to be honest, I went to my brother's local grocery store and it smelled. I'm serious. Something needed something - either ceiling tiles needed to be replaced or the entire dairy section. Not sure what it was, but I will stick to Trader Joe's. Sorry Mark.

Tomato Paste Tubes

The convenience of the tubes of tomato paste cannot be overstated. That is, until it squirts out all over your backsplash.