Same Old /Same Old

We still haven't had any decent "get outside and do some yard work" weather. We are, however, still having a surfeit (excessive amount) of wind, and I, for one, am about sick of it. I'm sure I'm not the only one, either. If only Mother Nature would heed us in our complaints, she'd surely shut off that fan that's running amok.

This week I've decided to cool it with the kvetching (it didn't help anyway) and try carping (complain or find fault with trivial matters) instead. Aren't you happy I've discovered a list of 87 synonyms or antonyms for Complain? You can look forward to well over a year of various ways for my complaining to be expressed.

I have refilled only one bird feeder so far this spring. I do have a couple of them tied with wire to the shepherds hooks, or they'd all be emptied by being blown perpendicular to the ground. Dennis thinks he saw a bluebird flit through a few days ago, but I missed it. We've both seen a purple finch utilizing one of the feeders. We should have the goldfinches return within a couple weeks. We do enjoy seeing the colorful birds and listening to them sing.

I'm going to talk about succulents a little. These fleshy plants that do so well in arid climates are very popular (and costly). They're fairly easy to propagate. You can pull off a full leaf (get a bit of stem) and lay it atop a layer of potting soil. It should develop tiny leaves and then roots, after which you can plant it in more soil by covering those roots. Or you can take a cutting and plant it directly. Just remove any leaf that might go under the soil. There are lots of YouTube videos that will explain in more detail. I have started a few.

I'm also trying to start a few Hoya vines from leaf cuttings. I've done several stem cuttings with great success. Several leaves were taken from my mother plant and those were stuck into pots of soil. The leaves are at a 45° angle so there's plenty of room for roots to form, and only a little of the cut end is in the dirt. They're still green and healthy looking after several weeks, so I hope roots are growing. On-line research says they can take five to six weeks to form new roots.

So, on to this week's recipes, featuring chicken, potatoes, and lemon.

Chicken Marinade

1 3/4# boneless chicken, pounded flat or sliced 1/4-1/3" thick

6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

Juice and zest from 1 lemon (1/4C & 1 tsp)

2 Tbl EVOO

2 Tbl low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbl Worcestershire

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

If meat is pounded, pierce with a fork in several places to let marinade permeate it. Combine all the rest in a zip-loc and massage together. Add meat, seal bag removing as much air as possible, and massage marinade into the meat. Let marinate 15-30 minutes at room temp, or refrigerate up to 12 hours. Let come to room temp 15 minutes before grilling or baking at 425°. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I sliced the meat, refrigerated for 4 hours, then baked 15-20 minutes in an uncovered ceramic casserole.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2# red spuds

5-7 cloves garlic

6 Tbl butter

1/2 C milk OR 1/2 & 1/2

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp fine salt

Cut spuds into 2" pieces into a pot. Add garlic, cover with water and boil 15 minutes. Warm the milk slightly. Drain spuds, add the rest, and mash.

I didn't peel the potatoes. After mashing (whipped in my mixmaster), I added bacon crumbles, grated Romano cheese, the chopped tops off 6 green onions, and then garnished each serving with fresh chopped chives from outside my front door. (I know, I'm rushing those, but they're so good.) I could have added dollops of plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream, but didn't feel the need.

Keto Lemon Bars

Crust: 1/2 C soft butter, 1/2 C powdered monk fruit, 1 1/2 C almond flour, 1/4 tsp salt. Combine all until crumbly. Press into a parchment paper lined 8"x8" pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

Filling: make while crust bakes. 1 C powdered monk fruit, 4 large eggs, 3 Tbl lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbl coconut flour. Whisk all together until fully combined. Pour over crust, bake an additional 18-22 minutes. Edges should be lightly browned and the middle will still be jiggly. Cool on rack, then refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight) until set. Dust with more powdered sugar substitute. Do NOT overbake.

I think I should have beaten the eggs with the other ingredients longer. I can feel the crunchiness of the coconut flour on my tongue. I haven't dusted the top with more powdered fake sugar. It did form a slight crust on top. Also, the crust dough was very sticky so it was hard to keep it pressed down in the pan atop the parchment. I used 2 spatulas and kept scraping it off one with the other. Perhaps the flour should have been packed? That would have made the dough dryer and more crumbly. I'll try that next time. The filling was still a bit runny after 4 hours in the fridge, but fully set up the next day.

I saw that April 25 was National Hug a Plumber Day, but forgot to put it in last week, so all the Dales were left off the hook. But Saturday, April 30, is National Oatmeal Cookie Day. In honor of that, I'm sharing my dad's recipe. Enjoy them.

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies

1 C butter

1 C brown sugar

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

3 C oats (quick or old- fashioned)

1 C raisins (or craisins)

Oven at 350°. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to batter, mixing well. Stir in oats and fruit. Mix well. Drop rounded tablespoonsful on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on sheet. Then on wire racks. Store airtight once completely cool.