I Think I Like Southern Cooking – Lowcountry Boil or Frogmore Stew December 8, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Cooking.Tags: Cooking, Cooking, Frogmore Stew, Lowcountry Boil, southern, southern cooking
add a comment
I loooooooooooove flavor! Deep, rich, wonderful flavor. I love garlic, onions, and peppers (the flavorful ones, not the super hot ones), and I’m starting to get the idea that Southern food has a lot of flavor.
This past Halloween at the office party, one of my coworkers, who’s from somewhere down south, made a wonderful dish chocker-block full of flavor, potatos, shrimp, sausage, and others of my favorite foods. Oh, it was so good. So when my birthday rolled around this past week I asked for the recipe. (Luckily I asked because I thought it was a non-soup version of gumbo – yes, I’m pretty nieve.)
Here’s what he sent me plus a couple more that I found (after learning the true name for it):
– The original that my coworker sent me
– SC Frogmore Stew
– Frogmore Stew
We ended up doing kind of a combination of all three, starting with one of the smaller recipies since we aren’t a very big family. We just used the Old Bay seasoning since we can’t find crab boil around here, and we decreased the seasoning and left out the Tabasco since my family doesn’t like spicy food. It turned out really good and everyone enjoyed it.
Favorite Instructables of the Week November 26, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables, Weekend Project(s).Tags: business, chainmaille, Cooking, Cooking, costume, DIY, Instructables, laser, Star Trek, steampunk, Tutorials
add a comment
Hehe. I love this pre-scheduling posts thing. I’m actually nowhere near a computer today, but I decided to post this anyway for your reading pleasure.
There are some pretty cool and geeky Instructables this week. Enjoy:
– Butter! (And Buttermilk) – Mmmm, real butter is so good, and it’s really easy to make. I just have one suggestion though: Do it while your watching TV or socializing (cause it takes forever).
– The Laser Monocle! – Sweet! Borg costume here I come! Or maybe steampunk.
– Sweet Potato Fries! – Oh sweet! I love sweet potato fries, and now I can change up the recipe to be either savory or sweet (just trade the salt for sugar and the pepper for cinnamon, or something to that effect). Plus they’re oven baked which is good cause I don’t like the idea of wasting all that oil.
– Secret Knock Detector – Oh man, talk about uber cool. Whoever came up with this was a genious. And this thing actually works too. Too bad I don’t have a secret hideout – yet. 😉
– A Monster Business Card Holder – Kawaii! So Cute! >.< This fuzzy little business card holder is really cute and perfect for a creative business person. And the girl who made this Instructable has a cute blog (ALittleStranger.com) too including a new Instructable each week. (If only I had time I’d like to do that too.)
– Chainmaille Hacky Sack – I never was very good at hacky sack, but the balls are really fun. (Hmmm, I wonder if I can make one out of pop tabs. My coworkers have been gathering pop tabs to help me make a chainmaille tunic.)
Favorite Instructables of the Week November 19, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables.Tags: ALS, Cooking, Cooking, DIY, eggplant, eTextile, eye writer, food, Instructables, lawn mower, LEDs, mods, paralysis, physically impaired, R/C, Sewing, usability
add a comment
Kind of slim pickings this week, but I did find some good ones including a couple tasty recipes.
– Remote Controlled Lawnmower – Now this is how to make lawnmowing fun! Pimp it out a bit and in no time you’ll have the neighbor kids begging to mow your lawn.
– Write With Your Eyeballs! – All right! This is like the uber device for the physically impaired (or the ultimate lazy). It tracks your eye movements so you can do things on your computer, including drawing and writing. From a store such a system might cost you a few thousand, but this Instructable says you (or a friend) can do it for about $50.
– Eggplant Parmesan – I thought I’d throw a recipe in here. I’m not a vegetarian, but I do enjoy eggplant. I’ll have to try this one out.
– Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches – Speaking of yummy eggplant, here’s another tasty looking recipe, but I think I’ll try it with some bacon or maybe some thin-sliced turkey. Mmm, that’s sounds tasty.
– Flexible LED eTextile Ribbon Array – For those who are confused by the name, here’s the translation: Make glowing clothing with ribbon and LEDs. Make sure to check out the last step for a really awesome dress that they made.
Weekend Project(s) – Investment Cooking November 13, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Cooking, Weekend Project(s).Tags: Cooking, couponing, food, investment cooking, weekend project
add a comment
Okay, so I’m doing something a little different this weekend. Instead of something that most people would consider a weekend project, we’re doing cooking. That’s right – cooking.
The concept behind investment cooking is simple – start with ingredients that are on super sale (especially the meats and produce), cook up a ton of food with those ingredients, and then divide it all up into meal-size portions and freeze for later. That’s it!
You’re essentially making your own microwave dinners. You can often turn a task that takes a few hours every single day into just one weekend of work! Some people even make a party out of it and then you plus all your neighbors and friends end up with freezers full of meals for the month.
And another reason I like it is because while some people combine it with a menu, others (such as myself) don’t have to stick to a menu. Just look in the freezer and decide what you want that night. It’s like turning your kitchen into a drive through (with far better food of course).
If you’re interested, check out InvestmentCooking.com.
Okay, so it’s a lot easier to write than to actually do. I want to use my weekends for other projects, so I personally prefer a different method – the days that I have time to cook, I just cook up a larger batch (doesn’t have to be too much larger, just make sure there are leftovers) and then freeze the extra in meal-size portions.
Either way you do it, it’s a great way to save time and money.
Favorite Instructables of the Week November 12, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables, Weekend Project(s).Tags: camping, candy, candy corn, conductive fabric, Cooking, Cooking, costume, crafts, DIY, hiking, how-to, Instructables, iPod, mermaid, pirate, Sewing, Tutorials, umbrella
add a comment
Uber sweet!!! I found an Instructable for making my own candy corn!!! XD *Sream!!!!!* I know what I’m doing this weekend! (I like candy corn. Can you tell?)
Compared to that, the other Instructables pale, but I guess I’ll list them anyway:
- Candy Corn – Bwahaha. I’m going to see if I can change the recipe and make some apple cider ones too (I sooo wanted to try them this Halloween but that flavor had an ingredient I’m allergic to – red 40).
- Kidnapped Mermaid Costume – This is great! A mermaid being carried off by a pirate (and this costume only needs one person – your legs are the pirates legs, and your top is the top of the mermaid).
- A Walking Stick That Converts Into a Chair – I’ve seen things like this before, but this is one of the best so far.
- A Hand Truck Made From a Shopping Cart – This looks great! Wheels on the both the top and bottom so you can lay it down and push it (couldn’t have used that the other day). And even better, the wheels don’t need to be inflated (that’s the major problem with the one I currently have). Now the question is where to get a shopping cart without stealing it.
- Electric Umbrella – Sweet! Add lights to your umbrella to see your way, find your keys, get noticed, etc. (BRAINSTORM!!! – Decorate an umbrella like the top of a portable gazebo complete with flowering vines (not real of course) and lights!)
- Sewable iPod Remote – You just have to love conductive fabric, thread, etc. This would make an awesome gift for someone. And don’t forget – you don’t have to do a cat. Try something else like a glove where you press your fingers together to control your iPod, or maybe a little fabric wii controller that actually controls your iPod instead. (BTW, no one is making and selling these kind of things yet (at least not on Etsy) – wink, wink ;))
Favorite Instructables of the Week November 5, 2009
Posted by Sindy in Favorite Instructables.Tags: April Fool's, cannon, Cooking, costumes, crafts, decoration, DIY, donuts, dress, fashion, fog machine, Halloween, Instructable, jokes, Labyrinth, laser, Ludo, motion sensor, newspaper, party, party tricks, pirate, projects, pumpkin, pumpkin carving, recycle, Sewing, silly string
add a comment
It’s once again time to list some of my favorite Instructables from this week. Most of them are great Halloween projects (which is sad because Halloween is over – sigh), but hey, we’re smart right? We can have a costume party anytime of the year. (We could also use some of these for other things.)
- Make a Newspaper Dress – Tired of boring fabric clothing? Try this one on for size! (Pun not intended, but it’s a good one.) And this is so much cheaper than the dollar bill dress.
- Apple Cider Donuts – Aw shoot. I’m getting hungry again, and I just barely had breakfast.
- Pirate Cannon Fog Machine – Now this is pretty cool, and you don’t have to find large black balls either. I’ll have to remember this one for the party when my pirate book is finally published.
- Ludo from the Movie Labyrinth Costume – This is for all you 80’s kids movies buffs out there. This would be a great costume for Dad, and then Mom could be Sarah. Now we just need to find Sir Didymus and Hoggle costumes for the kids.
- Laser Pumpkin – This makes a great effect for you pumpkins, but I think it would be even better if the laser moved around.
- Motion Sensing Silly String Shooter Pumpkin – This is hilarious!!! As a trick-or-treater (or party-goer) passes this pumpkin, it shoots silly string at them. Make sure to use a light colored silly string (orange would be best) and it’s like the pumpkin is loosing it.
Not sure how to use these year-round? First, try the laser and the motion sensing silly string shooter in something other than a pumpkin. The silly string shooter would be great on April Fool’s.
Next, remember that costumes aren’t just for Halloween parties and theatrical performances – they’re also great for getting attention any time of year (just try going around town in one – but I’d suggest a non-freaky one (you don’t want the police after you)).
And of course, the fog machine could be put in almost anything. I think it would look awesome having some fog streaming out from under a Christmas tree. It would give it an angelic look.
Too Many Talents 