Jenn Dolari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

This Week's Meals: Hynka's Kielbasa Casserole

I don't know who Hynka was, but she makes a mean...well...it says this is a casserole, but it's really a hot potato salad. I don't like cold potato salad, and hot potato salad is just mashed potatoes to me, so this works really well.

Something that really changes the flavor is the rye-caraway breading. Every so often, you bite into a caraway seed and a little bit of that savoury-bitter taste comes through. Makes for a nice little surprise when you hit it.

Again, I would suggest slicing the sausage way thinner than 1 inch thick, and HIGHLY suggest seasoning this to taste cause it needs it.

# Hynka's Kielbasa Casserole

The Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook
6.0 servings

1.2 pounds green beans
4.0 whole potatoes (cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes)
1.0 whole onion (chopped)
2.0 slices rye-caraway seed bread (cubed)
1.0 pound kielbasa (slices 1 inch think)
120.0 g ketchup

1 - Cook beans in water in saucepan until partially done. Set aside.
2 - Boil potatoes in water until partially done; set aside.
3 - Sauté onions in large non-stick skillet until tender.
4 - Add bread, kielbasa, beans, potatoes, and enough catsup to lightly coat vegetables.
5 - Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.

6 servings at ~37.5g carbs each
Yields 4 servings normally.

Calories 405
Total Fat 19g
Total Carbohydrate 40g
Protein 14g

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

My mostly-usual dinner. Again, usually it's JUST a fruit (or a salad) and and a protien. I had a few calories left over for the day, so I treated myself to some conversation hearts

Fat: 17.22g
Carbs: 48.95g
Protien: 32.36g
Calories: 475

My mostly-usual lunch. Usually it's JUST a fruit (or a salad) and and a protien. However, after I plan out the day's meals, if I have some calories left over, I'll add a treat here and there. This (along with cheat weekends) keeps me from going insane on a 1600 calorie/150g-a-day carb diet.

Fat: 20.02g
Carbs: 40g
Protien: 17.41g
Calories: 412

So, I've been in Second Life for 17 some years, and have enjoyed being my true self for some time. Recently, though, an old friend from SL who dissapeared got back in touch with me, and sent me over to another virtual world, Resonite, to check it out.

It's impressive! Way more complex than Second Life, but also somewhat isolated. There's not the kind of "grid" you'd get in SL, where one region links to the next, links to the next. It's all individual worlds. It's hard to be social, when you're isolated.

But if you find a spot, though, it's like Second Life of Old. Khyle sent me over to the Creator's Jam, and oh, my goodness, it was like 2007, all over again. A ton of people, all working on stuff, and the moment they knew you were knew, they walked you through EVERYTHING. I've gone from "how the heck do I look around?" to "complex linkages between components and prims" in about three days.

Would I leave SL for Resonite? Not really. I love SL and that's my home. But for a "spa day at a resort?" Sure, I'll pop on every so often. Especially once I find an avatar that is more "Jenn" and less "Dollar Store Princess Zelda."

Also, I'm apparently the only human in an entire world of furries...although there is one centaur out there....

#resonite #secondlife

This Week's Bread: Peanut Butter Biscuit Twists

I joke a lot about how that during my five years in Pennsylvania, I ate some pretty bland food ALL the time, and that ketchup was as exotic as most folks got. It's an exaggeration, of course. But not by much.

But one thing they excelled at? Desserts and sweets. Especially baked ones. So taking a page from the FIVE HUNDRED PAGE Pennsylvania Grange Cookbook, I came across these PEanut Butter Buscuit Twists and decided to try them out.

I was a little suspicious about making a sugar glaze and just dunking the biscuits in it, but in the end, what you end up with is a nice "top" glazed salty-and-sweet biscuit.

I would totally make these again. And in fact, encourage you to try it. It's quick and tasty.

Suggestions: Use creamy peanut butter. I used chunky because it's what I had and as the biscuit rises, it pushes all the chunks out. Also, the 90g measurement for peanut butter is just for my nutritional info. Put as much as you like in there. :)

# Peanut Butter Biscuit Twists

The Pennsylvania State Grange Cookbook
10.0 servings

0.5 cup brown sugar (packed)
3.0 tbsp water
1.0 tbsp butter
0.25 tsp cinnamon
0.5 tsp vanilla extract
10.0 count buttermilk biscuits (canned dough)
90.0 grams peanut butter

1 - Combine brown sugar, water, butter, cinnamon and vanilla in a saucepan.
2 - Cook over medium heat until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
3 - Pour into ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan.
4 - Separate biscuits and flatten into three inch oblongs.
5 - Spread with peanut butter.
6 - Twist each biscuit three or four times.
7 - Place in prepared pan.
8 - Bake at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned.
9 - Cool for 3 minutes.
10 - Remove to serving plate.

10 servings
Calories 254
Total Fat 5g
Total Carbohydrate 41g
Protein 6g

#thisweeksmeals #baking

Places I Miss, Volume 23109:

This Week's Fancy Pants Meal: Cream of Broccoli Soup

Did you know American Cheese is a real thing? Like, not Kraft Singles, but an actual cheese? Not nearly as sharp as cheddar, and a bit more salty. In fact, it literally just tastes like Salt Cheese.

The soup isn't bad...but it lacks a bit of a bite. Next time, I think using Cheddar instead of American Cheese would make a more flavorful soup.

Also, more cornstarch, I think. It's a bit watery.

# Cream of Broccoli Soup

Luby's Recipes & Memories
5.0 servings

8.0 cups chicken broth
10.75 oz condensed cream of celery soup
0.75 cup chopped onion
0.75 cup chopped celery
2.0 tsp salt
None None white pepper (to taste)
2.0 cups milk
0.25 cup cornstarch
0.25 cup water
3.0 cups cooked broccoli florets
12.0 oz shredded deli American cheese

1 - In a large saucepan, combine broth, soup, onion, celery, salt and pepper.
2 - Bring to a boil.
3 - Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
4 - Add milk and bring to a boil.
5 - In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until cornstarch is completely dissolved.
6 - Gradually whisk cornstarch mixture into boiling soup.
7 - Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
8 - Remove from heat.
9 - Add broccoli and cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking

This Week's Bread: Angel Biscuits

After 4 weeks and 24 cinnamon rolls later, I decided I needed a nice salty southern style biscuit. So I made Angel Biscuits.

They're kind of wierd looking because I need exactly five biscuits, and do'nt want to waste dough, so they're square and folded over, just to use it all at the exact amounts I need.

I hate being so techy with my food, but being diabetic and needing to know EXACTLY what's going into wht makes for food wierdness.

# Angel Biscuits

Fredericksburg Home Kitchen Cook Book

5.0 cups flour
0.75 cup shortening
1.0 tsp baking soda
2.0 tsp salt
3.0 tsp baking powder
3.0 tbsp sugar
2.25 tsp yeast
0.5 cup lukewarm water
2.0 cups buttermilk

1 - Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water.
2 - Sift the dry ingredients together.
3 - Cut in shortening until mixed thoroughly.
4 - Add buttermilk and dissolved yeast.
5 - Work together with a large spoon until all the flour is moistened.
6 - Cover bowl and put in refridgerator.
7 - When ready to use take out as much dough as needed, roll 1/2 inch thick and cut.
8 - Bake at 400F on greased cookie sheet 12 minutes, or until browned.

Dough will keep for several weeks in refrigerator.

15 biscuits at ~37.5g carbohydrates each.
Calories 267
Fat 10g
Total Carbohydrate 36g
Protein 5g

Yields 72 biscuits normally

#thisweeksmeals #baking

If there's anything I took away from my time at Speakeasy and Tableau, it was the wekeend bagels we'd get....

And so ends the saga of Jenn's cinnamon rolls. They were tasty to the end....

One of these conversation hearts is the perfect representation of my heart. Can you guess which one?

Current Mood:

Testing the new tablet. It's got a few little issues I'll need to get used to.

I usually make ewach panel at 3300x3300, but this tablet is TOO sensitive and if I grow my pen size to get thicker lines, it "quivers," where the thickness is not even. I can probably compensate by dropping the resolution by half cause these lines are too thin.

The detail though and responsiveness? OFF THE FREAKING WALL. This is the first tablet that feels like I'm drawing with my old pens. I get that "scraggly" texture when I ink hair, the line thickness is varies enough to look good instead of like a coloring book.

The only think that kills me is that the tablet's only comfortable drawing angle directly puts my cieling light behind my head, making a halo all around the tablet.

But other than thgat, I'm very happy with this tablet. VERY happy.

@jeff

Ordered chips and queso and a burrito bowl with steak and rice and red sauce from Chipotle.

This is all I got. All of it. Not even touched yet. They didn't just miss items, they straight up missed half the bowl.

That's some real bullshit Chipotle. Uber refunded my money, but this is just straight up bullshit.

Playing with the tablet and it's pressure sensitivity after getting some extension cords....

@jeff

This tablet is gonna work juuuust fine.

LOOKIE LOOKIE. NEW TABLET. NEW TABLET.

(She said after two hours of struggling, but succeeding, to get it working in Linux)

Super thanks to @jeff who helped fund the majority of this. :)

Nothing I like more than a plate of Rye and Geds with Two Lagers.

It's nice to know that when the meat body fights me, the digital body simply is. #dysphoria #secondlife

This Week's Meals: Ekadasee Kotu Aloo Pakora

For something with a complicated name, it's a pretty plain meal. Basically deep fried plain potatoes. Sadly, I think this is a very barebones recipe, designed to give you the basic pakora, and you're expected to add extra spices to taste. Which I didn't do.

Salted deepfried potatoes. Not bad. Not terribly good, either. Maybe I'll go a little more crazy on the spices next time.

# Buckwheat Flour Potato Fritters (Ekadasee Kotu Aloo Pakora)

Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking

1.0 cup buckwheat flour
0.5 tbsp black pepper
0.5 tsp salt
0.25 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
1.25 cup water
3.0 whole russet potatoes (boiled for 10 minutes)
0.25 tsp baking powder
vegetable oil

1 - Combine the flour, pepper, salt and fresh herbs in a mixing bowl and mix well.
2 - Add most of water and, working with a whisk, beat into a smooth batter.
3 - Add the remaining water (you may need more or less than the stated amount) and continue whisking until the batter is the consistency of cream.
4 - Cover and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
5 - When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and slice each one on the diagonal into 8 coins.
6 - Stir the batter, add the baking powder, and stir again.
7 - Pour ghee or vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches (5 cm) in a deep-frying pan over moderate heat until it reaches 355°F (180°C) on a thermometer.
8 - Put a few slices of potato in the batter and cover them completely.
9 - One at a time, lower each slice of batter-coated potato into the hot oil. Fry as many slices as will float on the surface of the oil without touching.
10 - Maintaining the oil at between 345°-355°F (173°-180°C), fry on both sides, using a fork to turn the fritters, until reddish-gray and crisp.
11 - As the fritters color, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Continue to dip and fry until all of the potatoes and batter have been used.
12 - Keep an eye on the consistency of the batter; it quickly thickens near heat. You may have to add water from time to time so you do not run short.

5 servings at ~37.5g carbs per serving.
Calories 183
Total Fat 0g
Total Carbohydrate 40g
Protein 5g

Original recipe called for 6 servings.

#thisweeksmeals #cooking