Journey to China and Louisiana via Food: Chinese Take Out Cravings

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Journey to China and Louisiana via Food: Chinese Take Out Cravings

I think that I went through the grocery store one item at a time looking for an alien item called "oyster sauce." I had never made Chinese before and since the Americanized restaurants had gotten me good for hankerings for Moo Goo Gui Pan years later after eating it for so long I knew only one option - learn to make it myself! This craving thing had gotten to me on other items on said take out menus with egg rolls and hot and spicy shrimp. 

I needed to go to one place in which I could travel to China and back to Louisiana in one step! Do you give up solving the riddle? It's the grocery store! Upon my arriving I got into one of those motorized carts and promptly sped to the bell peppers. I proceeded to look at them for fifteen minutes simply second guessing myself and taking it out on the vegetables. Little did I know that it would not be as bad as expected, because I expected to have to make this illusive and most important White Sauce from scratch! I barely knew what White Sauce was for crying out loud!

I meandered through the baking items on the first two isles and all of the while my gut was clenching because the teleportation isle, where China met Louisiana in a few steps, was next! I had memorized the ingredients that I would need (at least I hoped that I had remembered enough of them because I had something that I call "sugar brain," when I go to look for my head that I forgot and find my toes along the way that I didn't know was missing!) I literally had looked for the Oyster Sauce in every item on the shelves and when I reached the Asia section I took a deep breath because I knew that I was getting close. Here the unwanted happened; my motorized cart ran out of juice! I had no option but to abandon it right there and walk the rest of the way. Standing on concrete really hurts my legs and when this happens with the cart I am forced to walk and the people that has helped me reach things out of reach to me in the cart almost always gives me a look of derision as if to say that they won't be "tricked" by me again (same thing happens with my handicap parking, btw.) I must have been tired from all of that isle traveling because when I got to Asia I totally couldn't find the Oyster Sauce (which, coincidentally does not have anything to do with oysters!) I cracked and gave up. I asked for help from the lady in front of me because she totally liked like she knew what she was doing. She had no idea where it was at first but a few seconds later she was handing it to me! I thanked God right then and there! Problem was ...........

With my eyes off of the Oyster Sauce I was now concentrating on the next elusive item: white rice wine! Oh my goodness, I had never seen that item before but had an idea where to begin looking: maybe it was here hidden in all of these Asian sauces or in the wine section! Maybe ....... As luck would have it after a lot of looking there it was! I thought that I had everything that I needed so far on my own list of shopping adventures. 

Life was looking good with my newly found items to make my Moo Goo Gui Pan! Except for when I got home. I don't think that I will ever let myself live this down! To my dismay I unpacked and put up the groceries and began to stare at my fresh lineup of sauces. Instead of seeing rice wine I saw rice vinegar. Instead of Oyster Sauce I saw something called "Mu Shu Sauce!" The only thing that was right in that lineup was Soy Sauce. What happened to my freshly picked sauces that I found on my list?! With a heavy sigh and with almost an exhausted feeling I sunk back against the counter with a new realization; that the "sugar brain" combined with my loosing my motorized cart and ferociously trying to remember the list of ingredients that I kept in my head (I had no opportunity to get the physical list at home because this was a spontaneous shopping trip) I had slight-of-handed myself! With some dirty double crossing fancy hand work my brain couldn't puck up, I righted the bottles with the wrong ones! Now I have to go back and get the right ones. I haven't gotten a chance to do so, but when I do I can go in with a cheaper list! After all of the Hell-bent I'm going to get my Moo Too Gui Pan if I die trying I am not giving up now!

To Joy!

Angie

Hot Dogs In A Bowl! I have had dreams about this....

Yes, indeed I have been having dreams about this quick pinch idea of mine and I made it just now. It is not a disappointment!

You need:

Your fav kind of white rice
1-2 cans of chilli = I prefer Bunker Hill
1 pack weenies
Sour cream

1. Boil weenies and set them aside
2. Boil white rice
3. Heat up chilli
4. When rice is done put it in a bowl and make a hole in the middle.
5. Pour chilli into bowl inside the hole.
6. Chop weenies to bite size and throw those over the chilli in the hole.
7. Dollop some sour cream on side of the chilli / weenies hole.

Enjoy!

To Joy!
Angie

Cheeseburgers with My Special Sauce and Orida Tater Tots

My plate:

I think that Orida Tater Tots are by far the best tasting available to me.

I boil the hamburger patties in pure water. I know to some boiling hamburger meat sounds unusual for some of you to do but you get great meat and if you don't mind more plump burgers it is great. Healthier,  too! Not that I'm into that kind of thing......

I boil my meat 30 minutes. I check it after the first 15 minutes to make sure that both sides are cooking well because if you have too little water or some other reason that the whole of the meat is not cooking you will need to turn it half way through the cooking time,  which should be right then if you check it 15 minutes.

You can drain the meat on a plate with paper towels under it to soak up the excess water or quick drain it by picking up a knife or fork and punch it through the meat and hold the patties one by one up over the pan to drain and when it's drained enough for you shake gently and fix your burger.

Now to explain the sauce.

Now take out the condiments! Mustard, mayonase,  and ketchup. If you want a little kick, add horseradish sauce.

Now with a spoon in a bowl mix your condiments together and blend them well. If you blend the Mayo with the mustard (I personally prefer French's yellow mustard) first without adding anything else yet you will get more of a kick out of it and a slightly different taste out of it. Now blend ketchup and the horseradish sauce if you chose to add it.

Next,  what I do is smother the bottom of the hamburger buns with the sauce. Lay a piece of sharp cheddar sliced cheese on the top of the buns. Put your burger down on the bottoms of the buns over the sauce side. Spoon the sauce onto the tops of the patties and quickly close (the lid haha) the top of the bun with the cheese over it and smush.

If you are not eating right away wrap them up in either tinfoil, wax paper or saran wrap, any appropriate wrapping because they sit really well in it and the heat makes it a better burger if it sits 5 or 10 minutes.

To joy! Angie

When the Power Comes Back On - Cheese...

White buttered rice with cheese and brown gravy on top, salt and pepper to taste.

To joy! Angie

Eating It in the Dark During Irma

Although I live in Upstate South Carolina I was disturbed by the first ever tropical storm warning issued for the state of Georgia and the realization that Tennessee would get what may have been their first hit by a tropical depression.

I have had experience surviving here without electricity for an extended period of time and in the hottest part of the hottest summer that we have experienced in a long time so eating without luxury or even preparation for an outage was already in my survival box of skills.

I ate a little along of non-salted salteen crackers (not my personal choice but they sufficed) and I grabbed a bowl of cereal and milk not to waste it before it spoiled and then munched on some cheese. Always use the diary up. I like to get rid of the milk no longer than 12 hours into the outage and next the cheese by day 2 1/2. Yogurt doesn't keep over a few hours so that is never a good choice. Cheese and bread,  also drinks like Kool-aid and tea won't keep over 12 hours and usually spoil. Gatorade,  on the other hand will keep for days without molding or spoiling. Canned food in heat will go bad in a few hours also and can poison you.

I like to keep potato chips,  peanut butter, crackers, snack cakes like oatmeal cream pies and moon pies do great. Canned or bottled sodas also do great.

Charcoal and lighter fluid are fantastic if you have access to unspoiled food. Tinfoil hats (haha) is a lifesaver cooking on the grill. But if you don't have one you can still survive.

Sliced cheese and blocked cheese, peanut butter, and crackers will sustain you more than you think. Use the 2 1/2 days rule on any cheese, though.

I may update this post later on.

To joy! Angie

Get A Taste of This: Chicken Patties, Country Gravy (sausage flavored), White Rice

I like my rice sticky and heavily buttered.

To joy! Angie

Tater tots and ranch were a hit!

Orida tater tots and Hidden Valley Ranch dressing were a quick hit with my raving hunger. Other that went with it: Tyson chicken patties with mustard and sliced cheddar cheese on a hamburger bun.

To joy! Angie