Dinner tonight - or last night.

all right!

I gotta say, this reminds me of life with my niece, who lived through giant legal placings, some horrendo and worse, and some better.
One of my happiest days was when she visited me after I moved up north, in her early teens, already glad to be there and just be with me, and at the meal just talked about what she thought. I think it was a restaurant called Barcelona - she nailed it, not even trying to.

Not that I'm all glad to help raise an aesthete, which is true, but I am glad for her diverse abilities.

I ran to the bakery and picked up a key lime pie for dessert. They gobbled up the chocolate pie already.

As a transformed Floridian I love Key Lime pie but find the store-boughts too expensive.

I picked up an Emeril recipe that's as easy as...well...pie to make. And at half the cost.

Whisk (2) 14 oz cans of condensed milk, (2) eggs and a cup of Mrs Biddle's Key West lime juice together and pour into 2 Keebler Graham cracker pie shells.

Bake for 15 minutes in a 375 oven and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.

Top with a cup of sour cream whisked with (2)Tbsps powdered sugar.

Garnish with lime zest.

I make one for me and give the other to my neighbor.
Keeps us on good terms

How are you adjusting to cooking for 2 extra people? I know they're little ones, but they can eat a lot!

Do either of them have certain foods they just can't eat? Not like they're being fussy, but really can't stand it?

I guess you'll be buying the jumbo family sizes of items at the store.

German kraut cooked in wine/apples/onion/speck. German potato salad recipe from at least 5 generations back, Johnsonville bratwurst braised in Iron Horse Brewery Irish Death beer then browned in butter. Served with Irish Death beer.

Tried something new.
Iron skillet, seared strip steak. Set aside. Made a "zip sauce" , same skillet with steak drippings, which is a butter dipping sauce, with worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, garlic and dijon mustard. I cut the steak into strips and finished off the cooking.
That was a lot of butter.
No, I did not use my soup spoon to eat steak.

Sounds yummy.
Tho ever since I had brats at an authentic German restaurant I don't buy Johnsonville anymore.Too bland.
Boar's Head are a tad better.

We have a good small butcher shop with other groceries type place here in Albuquerque - Keller's. They make their own sausages, which are by far the best available around here. There are a lot of types they make, all good.

http://www.kellersfarmstores.com/pages/naturalmeats.html

Ah, here's a list that makes me drool..


Keller's Fresh Sausages

Keller’s Southwest Chicken Link Sausage ............................................................................... Our newest addition, this zesty sausage is made with extra lean chicken and seasoned with bell peppers, garlic, lemon and spices. It is flavorful, with just enough kick to remind you you're in the great Southwest. Spicy but not too hot!

Keller's Keller’s Irish Pork Link Sausage
This fresh, mild sausage is lean premium pork seasoned with salt, paprika, sage, black pepper, cayenne, mace and nutmeg. Similar to an English pork banger, this sausage is hand stuffed into authentic hog casings and is perfect for breakfast, sandwiches or any meal.

Chicken Apple Sausage (Link or Bulk)
Your imagination is the only limit to the possibilities for this sausage. It is terrific in pasta dishes and casseroles, delicious for breakfast and sandwiches. This versatile sausage is seasoned with apple bits, salt, parsley, onion, celery and other delicious spices.

Linguica Portuguese Link Sausage
This is a spicy favorite, not too hot but bursting with flavor! Our lean premium pork is seasoned with salt, paprika, garlic and natural spices.

Fresh Pork Sausage (Link or Bulk)
This traditional breakfast sausage is select cuts of lean premium pork seasoned with lemon and natural spices. The links are stuffed into a natural sheep casing.

Fresh Turkey Sausage (Link or Bulk)
Very lean prime quality ground turkey seasoned with lemon and natural spices provide a treat for your family.

Fresh Turkey And Pork Green Chili Sausage (Link or Bulk)
This tasty combination of turkey and pork combined with mild green chili and natural spices creates a delicious traditional Southwest favorite.

Fresh Turkey Green Chili Sausage (Link or Bulk)
This delicious blend of lean, prime quality turkey and mild green chili is seasoned with natural spices to create a unique and unforgettable flavor.

Buffalo Bratwurst Link Sausage
Buffalo tastes great! This delicious gourmet sausage has a sweet, rich flavor. It is made from lean meat and is seasoned with garlic, paprika, salt as well as other delicious herbs and spices.

Fresh Traditional Italian Sausage (Link or Bulk)
A lean turkey and pork blend is mixed with fennel, red pepper, salt, garlic, lemon and distinctive natural Italian spices.

Fresh Turkey Italian Sausage (Link or Bulk)
This extra lean sausage is exclusively turkey blended with fennel, red pepper, salt and Italian spices.

Fresh Hot Italian Sausage (Link or Bulk)
Spiced up with extra crushed red pepper, this sausage is lean turkey and pork blended with fennel, lemon, salt and Italian spices.

Fresh Sweet Italian Sausage (Link or Bulk)
Hand selected lean turkey and pork is mixed with honey, fennel, paprika, salt and fine old world Italian spices.

Chorizo Link Sausage
This seasoned Mexican sausage is a Southwest favorite. Keller's Chorizo is made with lean turkey and pork mixed with hot cayenne chili peppers and other spicy seasonings.

Carne Adovada Sausage (Link or Bulk)
Select lean turkey and pork mixed with fresh roasted red chili pods, salt, garlic, and a delicious blend of Mexican spices makes this sausage a hit!

Bratwurst Link Sausage
This grilling sausage is a party favorite containing garlic, paprika, salt as well as other delicious herbs and spices, blended with select cuts of lean turkey and pork.

Polish Link Sausage
Lean turkey and pork, seasoned with salt, garlic, lemon and natural spices creates a delectable sausage that is terrific grilled.


Keller's Smoked Sausages

Smoked Bratwurst Link Sausage
Select cuts of lean turkey and pork are blended with garlic, paprika, salt as well as other delicious herbs and spices, and then smoked to perfection over a hickory fire. This fully cooked sausage makes a quick, delicious meal.

Andouille Hot Link Sausage
This spicy Cajun favorite is made with lean premium pork and seasoned with salt, spices, paprika and garlic. Serve this sausage with jazz music, it will make you feel like you're in New Orleans.

Keller's Smoked Wieners and Franks

Turkey Franks
Franks are the most popular sausage around the globe, and this one is as lean as they come! This is a mildly seasoned frank made with lean ground turkey and natural spices, lightly smoked over a hickory fire.

Turkey And Cheese Franks
Loved by everyone, our delicious, lightly smoked turkey and cheese franks are made of mildly seasoned lean ground turkey and cheese.

Turkey Green Chili Franks
Only in New Mexico will you find green chili this good, and only at Keller's will you find a frank this incredibly delicious and lean! Extra lean turkey and mild green chili are the ingredients, lightly smoked. Not too spicy but bursting with flavor.

Turkey Green Chili And Cheese Franks
This one comes with the works! Our delicious seasoned smoked turkey franks filled with mild green chili and creamy cheese. They are lightly smoked.

Old Fashioned Beef Franks
Franks are the most popular sausage anywhere around the globe. Made from select cuts of extra lean beef, it is a long time tradition loved by everyone for its juiciness as well as convenience. This lightly smoked frank is our leanest and lowest sodium beef frank.

Beef Wieners And Franks
These all natural sausages are an all around favorite, made from select beef cuts blended with traditional seasonings. These wieners and franks are skinless. There are 10 Wieners in a pound and Franks are twice as large, five to a pound.



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I've tried making my own, making patties, no casing. I need practice..

Anyway, look around, maybe there is a good butcher shop in your area!

Re dinner, I'm making a batch of potato mackerel garlic and some greens spicy fishcakes and will have one or two at dinner time (I saute them all and freeze most). Oh, and the last of the coleslaw.

On other food news, I just love this one -
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/french-chef-who-inspired-ratatouille-character-is-named-as-world-s-best-1.2184927

since I tend to take sausages apart to make patties, or to use in a sauce, just making sausage patties is a better idea (for me)

I like some of those taste combos - will try a couple.

Thanks for providing them.

I need to do that ! great idea

I'm not so much for always using the very leanest meat (but also not the most fatty). I think some fat is a good thing in sausage, but that's me.

They don't list most of the herbs and spices (how to give away the business) but do give clues .

I think of it as play time for cooks..

yeah we had a little incident here recently when Set didn't realize how extremely lean pork sausage is

I've been buying regular ground beef to mix into ground pork to give it a bit of fat

How lucky to have a butcher shop nearby.
Around here they can't compete with the chain groceries.
Linguica is one of my faves.

I met my waterloo though when I bought the fattest ground beef, maybe six months ago. No, not at Kellers; at my ordinary grocery store. It still rests in memory as a giant mistake, urk. I forget the percentage number but it was unusually high. Cheapest, sigh.

I've made sausage patties, not entirely successfully, but a good start, from pork shoulder or similar, the kind of cut I use for slow cooked pork.

For some reason Diane and I can't understand but Dys did, there are almost no good restaurants or food shops west of the Rio Grande here. It's ridiculous, as even the east side of the river is varied re the people living there. Anyway, Whole Foodnuts and Trader J's are too far away for me. Keller's has an original place "over there" but also has this little shop near us. Like a diamond in the rough.
Long may Keller's prosper!!

It's hasn't been much different really. We do buy a lot more groceries. One of us usually goes to the market every other day because we like to buy fresh. The other morning I made bacon, eggs and sliced fruit. I cooked a pound of bacon and a whole dozen eggs!

Now when I cook a roast I just buy a larger one, same with chicken or fish, just buy a little more.

They’re getting better eating what we cook and there is only a few things they don’t care for so we’re not forcing them to eat anything they don’t like, if they don’t like one particular vegetable we’ll make another one.

Now tonight it’s Alicia’s turn to choose what’s for dinner, she wants pizza and hot wings so I’m going to order take out and pick them up. However I’m also getting an antipasto salad and they will that before the pizza and wings.

ohhhhhh pizza

one of the best kiddie prep meals - it'll be great on a day you have some time - just buy good dough (or make your own) and put out sauce, shredded cheese and lots of different toppings - you can cook it in the oven or on the bbq

seriously fun to make pizza with kids

some days they eat enough raw veggies while prepping their pizzas it's like they've eaten a salad

Hereafter to be known as "the PSI" Pork Sausage Incident.