Pepper Dip

My mother was asking me for some jalepeno pepper dip...I've never made it before and she can only remember it from a party 20 years ago...Here is what I came up with....

1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)
2 tablespoons bread & Butter jalepenos (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablesspoons onion (finely chopped)

S&P to taste
(i also added a pinch of garlic powder)

Mix everything in a bowl well, let set in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving on toast, crackers, or veggies...

she liked it..I liked it..

Sometimes it just doesnt work

I want people to not be scared to experiment in the kitchen...Sometimes my stuff doesnt work either...but I get ideas on what might work next time.

2 examples today...one worked and one didnt!

Today I wanted potato salad but I didnt want to wait 30 minutes to cook a single potato..so I put it in the microwave for 3 minutes...blended it with other potato salad ingredients and it worked perfectly....

Then later a neighbor brought over a whole mess of squash....so I started thinking...could I fry these like potato chips...I tried...didnt work well enough...I ruined a squash but I learned that if I want to try this again...I will have to cut the squash and put them in a food dehydrator for a few hours to remove excess moisture before frying them....

How I Lost 8 pounds in 3 days without Exercise

My aunt wanted to start this 3 day diet...I decided I would try it along with her. It is basically a meal plan but you might already have most of the items in your cupboard or can buy them cheaply at the store. I did not exercise while I was on this diet. I also made a few substitutions to the plan...here is what I did.

8 pounds is 3% of my body weight!

Day 1

Breakfast

A small glass of orange juice with extra pulp
Cup of Black Coffee with one package Truvia
Slice of White Toast with 1 TBSP crunchy peanut butter spread on top.

Lunch

2.5 ounce package of Tuna packed in water with some mustard and 1/2 cup shredded lettuce mixed in
Slice of White Toast
Glass of water
Small container of fruit yogurt

Dinner

Piece of LEAN meat about the size of a deck of playing cards (I had STEAK!)
1 Cup of steamed Green Beans (I seasoned mine with garlic and soy sauce)
1 Cup Steamed Carrots (I made a glaze for mine...*recipe below)

Dessert

An apple

*The glaze for my carrots...2 teaspoons honey, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon soy sauce....cook in pan with a small amount of cornstarch to thicken it. Toss in cooked carrots.

DAY 2

Breakfast

cup of black coffee with Truvia
One scrambled egg placed on top of a slice of toast (I added picante and a jalapeno)
one apple

Lunch

One Tuna Steak (about 6 ounces) with Vinaigrette...Recipe Below*
Slice of Toast with 1 teaspoon Olive Oil and sprinkle of garlic powder
Glass of Water

Dinner

2 hot dogs without the bun (I dipped mine in 1 TBSP ketchup)
1 steamed artichoke
1/2 cup steamed carrots

Dessert

banana

*Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice..1 teaspoon whole mustard. S&P to taste

DAY 3

Breakfast

Small apple
small glass of Orange Juice with extra pulp
Piece of Toast

Lunch

Piece of Toast with Egg Scramble* recipe below
Water
Small apple

Dinner

2.5 ounce package of Tuna in water (I used mustard)
2 cups steamed okra
Water

Dessert

1 cup Cantaloupe



Egg Scramble
teaspoon chopped jalapeno...one egg...picante sauce...slice of American Cheese....Scramble everything in a pan and top on your toast.




A few Tips...You can have all of the mustard that you want..I used it to moisten the tuna. Instead of carrots ONE day...substitute Broccoli or cauliflower...use 5 crackers instead of toast.
If you find yourself getting hungry throughout the day...have a cracker and a glass of water....have a piece of sugar free hard candy....I was only hungry the first day... I took my lunch to work most of the time...to keep the apple from turning brown I used a Tablespoon of Orange Juice in the container. Drink as much water as you want...I also used vitamin water when I started to get tired of the blandness of regular water.

please consult your DR before starting any diet. print this off and let them look at the menu!

Food Brings Back Childhood Memories

When I was growing up, during the summer my mother would make us lunch on her days off from work. Normally lunch always consisted of some form of leftovers from the day before. The thing I remember the most is Grilled Cheese and Potato Salad. My taste have changed since I was a child but I still crave my mothers Potato Salad with a Grilled Cheese. Below is the recipe for my childhood and the grown-up version I make for myself now.

Old Fashioned Grilled Cheese

2 slices white bread
2 slices American Cheese
Butter

Assemble the sandwich with the cheese in the middle, slather butter on the top and bottom of the bread. Place in pan on the stove and brown the bread...that's it! Yum.

New Version Grilled Cheese

2 slices of Wheat Bread
1 slice of American Cheese
1 slice of Muenster Cheese
Butter
Olive Oil
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
S&P

Prepare the sandwich just as before...but in the pan pour 1 tsp of olive oil, heat.....sprinkle top of buttered sandwich with just a touch of cayenne, garlic powder and S&P. Grill till golden!

Somehow now that I am older, a half of Avacado and a few olives make it on the plate with the grilled Sandwich and PotatoSalad. I also put the slightest hint of drizzle of honey on the potato salad now. My mouth is watering just thinking of this......Thank God for Mothers!

Nominate Me Please!

Please visit http://tj.mtv.com/open-nomination/ and nominate me for MTV Twitter Jockey just type in @ThomasJowers to nominate me...Thanks

Zest up your Mayo

Having people come over and you want to impress them....try dressing up your mayonnaise. Below are a few tips to dress up your mayo....choose one that fits with other parts of your meal. If you are having Mexican food, try the avacado, having italian, try the roasted red pepper...etc.....

Avacado Mayo

1 c. Mayo
1 large avacado
1/8 t cumin
S&P to taste

Put everything into a food processor and blend until smooth


Roasted Red Pepper Mayo

1 c. Mayo
1/4 c. roasted red peppers
1 t fresh parsley
S&P to taste

Southwest Mayo

1 c. Mayo
2 t grill seasoning
2 t Worcester (spelling?) Sauce
S&P to taste

Cumin

Cumin is the second most popular spice in the world after black pepperCumin seeds are used as a spice for their distinctive aroma, popular in Indian, Pakistani, North African, Middle Eastern, Sri Lankan, Cuban, Northern Mexican cuisines, and the Western Chinese cuisines of Sichuan and Xinjiang. Cumin can be found in some Dutch cheeses such as Leyden cheese, and in some traditional breads from France. It is commonly used in traditional Brazilian cuisine. Cumin can be an ingredient in (often Texan or Mexican-style) Chili powder, and is found in achiote blends, adobos, sofrito, garam masala, curry powder, and bahaarat.

Cumin can be used ground or as whole seeds, as it draws out their natural sweetnesses. It is traditionally added to chili, curries, and other Middle-Eastern, Indian, Cuban and Tex-Mex foods. Cumin has also been used on meat in addition to other common seasonings. Though used infrequently in Mexican dishes, the spice is common in Tex-Mex cuisine. It is extensively used in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Cumin was also used heavily in ancient Roman cuisine. Cumin is typically used in Mediterranean cooking from Spanish, Italian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It helps to add an earthy and warming feeling to cooking making it a staple in certain stews and soups.

I took the above directly from wikipedia.org....please visit wikipedia if you want to learn more about cumin and other spices.