Vince, The Greatest Bargain Finder

 I get so frustrated with Vince and his shopping. He LOVES to shop. He loves to shop alone and I love for him to shop alone! He likes to go down the aisles and look at EVERYTHING. In Walmart, there are several aisles that have all the markdowns concentrated in one area. I have zero interest in walking down those aisles and looking at everything. I go to the store with a list. If it isn't on my list, I don't even notice. Last week, or week before maybe, we did go to Walmart and I asked Vince to meet me in the grocery area in 20 minutes. It didn't take me 20 minutes to get what I needed so I was kinda browsing and I did pick up some things not on my list.

This is probably going to sound crazy to everyone but me but when I get a new phone, I keep my old phone and even though it's no longer activated to be used as a phone for making calls, I will keep it upstairs and use it for taking pictures when I'm cooking. I can email the pictures to me via WiFi and then prepare the blog posts or Facebook entries from my computer downstairs.

A few months ago, we switched to T-Mobile and got new phones. My old phone is not holding a charge. I have to keep it on the charger, take it off, take a picture and put it back on the charger. I don't want to have to do that. I forget to put it back on the charger and then I need it and it's dead. 

While Vince was checking out the bargain aisle at Walmart, he found U. S. Cellular phones phones that were marked down to 75 cents each!! He bought two, and gave one to me to keep upstairs for my photos in the kitchen (or anywhere I want to use them upstairs). Can you believe 75 cents for a phone? And, they came with a wall plug and a cord and there's room for an memory card (or whatever you call it to insert to have more memory). I can't believe it got those but I'm happy he did. 

Every time I take my real phone upstairs, I leave it and have to go back up and get it when I realize it's up there. Now I can not even bother to take my real phone upstairs!

I wouldn't do this because the screen is too small on a phone but I could put Markup (the stitching app) on one of those phones!

Vanilla Extract Experiments

 In the 1980's, we had neighbors who were from Laredo, Texas. They gave me a container - maybe 1/2 gallon of Mexican vanilla from Mexico. I know there's some questions about whether there are "things" in the vanilla that aren't necessarily healthy but it's all I used until I started making my own extract. Those neighbors from Laredo ended up bringing me bottles and bottles of the vanilla from Mexico and I didn't run out until maybe 2010 and then I had to order the vanilla with a rooster on the bottle. When we lived in Texas, there was a Mexican restaurant that sold those big bottles so I guess I was on the road to becoming a vanilla snob and then . . I found where I could order beans and make my own extract.

It was probably late 2021 when I came across a Facebook group that orders vanilla beans. It's a pre-order and it sometimes takes weeks to get the beans. I've ordered probably 8 - 10 different batches of a variety of beans. I think the last order I placed was in mid-2024 so all of the beans I've had "brewing" are ready to use and I've tried all of them. 

By far . . by miles and miles . . the Indonesian beans that were brewed in bourbon are my favorite. Favorite as in I would give away all the other extracts if I could get pounds and pounds of the Indonesian beans. Every time I walk by that jar of extract in the kitchen, I open it and smell it. It's so good . . have I said that enough?  :)

The beans from Indonesia don't seem to become available often. I had kinda stopped reading the posts from the vanilla group because . . how much vanilla extract does a girl need and I wanted to try every bean they offered.

Y'all! I have Youtube on and a commercial just came on "Do you want to make your own vanilla extract?" and it linked to another vanilla bean seller. How weird???

OK . . back to the post . . 

Today I checked the site to see what kind of beans they have and beans from Ecuador. I did a little research to compare these to Indonesian beans and found this. My take is that the Ecuadorian vanilla would be good in my homemade vanilla pudding, ice cream, icing, shakes, etc. - dishes that aren't cooked. The Indonesian vanilla is probably better suited for cakes, pies, cookies, creme brulee - things that are cooked or baked. Of course, I'll try baking with the Ecuadorian vanilla and see what I think.

To make a long story a bit shorter . . I ordered some of the Ecuadorian beans. I'm guessing I won't have them before May or June. I'm going to continue to watch for more Indonesian beans. Those are so, so amazing.

A New Instant Pot

 A quick check on Amazon tells me I ordered my first Instant Pot in 2014 and then another one in 2015 so the fact that they've both recently stopped working is not disappointing. I've used those things so, so much and I'm very pleased with how long they lasted. A couple of months ago, one of them wouldn't do anything. I had already loaded the cooking container with food, stuck it in the pot, plugged it in . . nothing! I switched to another outlet in case it was that. Nothing. No problem, there's a second one. I transferred the food to it and it worked fine. Last week I "boiled" some eggs in it. Very fresh eggs are hard to peel but for some reason, pressure cooking them for about 5 minutes, then dropping the egg in ice water makes the peeling come off easily without tearing up the egg. I did the eggs like I always do, took them out and they were about 1/3 cooked. Tossed those, put more in and they cooked fine so I figured I had some setting wrong. 

Last week I was going to cook a whole meal in there and could not get it to work. It would achieve pressure, cook for 2 minutes no matter how long I had it set to cook and then, just go off - screen went black. This morning I wanted to cook quesabirria taco meat for tomorrow. I told Vince . . we may have to run to Walmart for a new Instant Pot if this one doesn't work. Oh . . he was on that! He was more than happy to go to Walmart. I said  . . just wait. I want to see if this one works. It did . . perfectly! We're having leftover gumbo for dinner so I wanted to make more potato salad. I put two eggs in it . . didn't work. What in the world is wrong with it? 

I have a Ninja Foodi 14 in 1 that's 6.5 quart but I don't keep any of those "extra" pots on the counter and that thing, according to Amazon, weighs 24 pounds and that's a bit much for me to lift off a shelf, carry into the kitchen and return when I'm done. I will still use it for some of the specialty things it does but not for my main pressure cooker.

Vince said "I think it's time to replace the Instant Pot so we started looking online. I ended up ordering the Instant Pot Rio (6 quart). It was on sale for $89 and it does all the things I would ever want it to do - pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice, yogurt, steam, warm. In the older models, the insert with the food would spin when you were trying to stir. There was a "clip" you could buy and I never did . . always planned to do it. I see that the new models, the insert doesn't spin when you're stirring. That's something I will appreciate.

The Gumbo "Recipe"

 Several folks asked about my gumbo recipe. I don't really have a recipe and it's so easy, you don't need a recipe. I made a pot of gumbo today and I tried to document how I did it all. 

There are a million - probably more - ways to make gumbo. This is the way I do it. I had always made my own roux. My sister told me recently that she now buys her roux already made in a jar. I mentioned it on Facebook and every one of my friends in Louisiana who responded said they now use store bought roux. I tried it for the gumbo I made today and I will NEVER make roux again!  :)  This is the roux I ordered. Prompt shipping and very expertly packaged with foam peanuts and bubble wrap.

Let me also say that there are several brands of roux in a jar and there's the one where the flour is cooked in oil and there's a "dry" roux where the flour is toasted in the oven. I used the one in the jars with the oil.

I use a Lodge #8 cast iron Dutch oven. I would guess that it makes enough gumbo for at least 8 hungry adults. According to Google, it holds 5 quarts. Of course, you don't have to make 5 quarts. I probably made 4 quarts. We both had it for lunch and I had a 1/2 gallon jar and a quart jar left over (3 quarts left over) and between us, we probably ate about a quart for lunch before I filled up the jars for leftovers.

I do as much as I can the day before. I'm sure some people make their gumbo the same day but I'm not real sure how. I do think it's better the day after it's made but did all the prep work yesterday, got it all put together and simmering by about 6 this morning and we ate about 2 p.m. so that gave it a good bit of time for the flavors to blend.

What you will need for my method of gumbo. There are many ways to make gumbo but in my world, tomatoes do NOT go in gumbo!

• A chicken - don't get the tiniest one you can find. Don't get the biggest one you can find. You need some fat in the broth to make it good! If you're using a pot bigger than I used, you can whatever size chicken will fit into your pot (along with all the other ingredients).
• Seasonings (I use a good Cajun seasoning - Cajun Redhead; salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, bay leaves - whatever you want. Those are the ones I use).
• Two onions, 1 large bell pepper, 3 stalks of celery, several cloves of garlic, sliced green onions, chopped parsley. I usually use one jalapeno pepper too.
• Roux
• Sausage

NOTE - sausage: To me, the sausage makes the gumbo. Here, I cannot get sausage anywhere near what I like to use. When I go to Louisiana or when Chad goes, we bring back lots of sausage. It doesn't matter how many times or how big the print is, even if it says CAJUN, I haven't found any in this area to be good, flavorful cajun type sausage. Hopefully those of you in larger areas can find good sausage.

Yesterday's activities:

• Boiled a chicken in a pot of water with salt, 3 quartered onions, 5 garlic cloves, 6 stalks of celery and a couple of bay leaves.
• Removed the chicken from the pot and let it cool.
• Strained and poured the broth into one half gallon jar and one 1-1/2 pint jar.
• Picked the meat off the bones. Put that in a quart jar.
• Chopped two onions, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 large stalks of celery and 1-1/2 bell peppers. Those filled one 1-1/2 pint jar. I sauteed it all but pulled half of the veggies out to freeze for another batch of gumbo in a couple of weeks.
• Sliced and browned the sausage.

As it cooled, it all went into the fridge.

Today's Activities:

1. Slice the sausage and brown it in the Dutch oven. Once browned, remove the sausage, leaving the grease in the pot unless there's a massive amount and then you can remove whatever isn't needed for the gumbo.

2. Add a bit of bacon grease, butter - oil of your preference - to the skillet/Dutch oven if there isn't enough left from the sausage and add the onions, celery, garlic and peppers. Saute til they're all tender.

3. Add warm/hot broth (water if you don't have broth but it's so much better with a good, rich broth) and add a couple of bay leaves.  

4. Add roux. I used about one-third of the jar. I started with about 1/4 cup and then added, letting it all simmer for a few minutes and adding more as needed. What's "needed"? Gumbo isn't supposed to be thin or watering and it isn't supposed to be thick like gravy. You will learn how thick or thin you like yours.

5. Gently stir until all of the roux has "melted" into the water. Add more roux if needed to get the gumbo to the right consistency.

6. Add the chicken to the gumbo and let simmer at least a few hours.

7. It will be great to eat the same day (over rice with a bit file' added to each bowl) but it will be better the next day.

Here's the quick version of the recipe:

Boil a chicken. Save the broth.
Cook sliced sausage in Dutch oven, remove and set aside.
Saute chopped onions, peppers and celery in same Dutch oven.
Add hot broth or water (homemade broth is much better).
Add roux until the gumbo is the desired thickness.
Add shredded chicken. Add sausage if desired.
Taste and add seasonings to taste.
Before serving, add chopped green onions and parsley.

Please ask if something doesn't look right. 

Smoked Gouda Tomato Soup

 A week or so ago I was watching a YouTube video and the lady was making a Smoked Gouda Tomato soup. She was making changes and I don't know if she shared the recipe. I found this recipe for Rich and Creamy Smoked Gouda Tomato Soup. It was very easy to make and it was very good. I will be making it again. The recipe made enough for us to have it for at least two meals. We also had sandwiches with the soup.

Advice:  I had two different packages of smoked Gouda. The first one I opened and thankfully tried before putting it in the soup. It had a horrible chemical/fake smoke taste that was quite overwhelming. I cut off a piece to taste and threw the rest of it out.

This one was mild and not overwhelmingly smokey.

I'm sure there are lots of smoked Gouda varieties out there. I don't even remember the brand of the one I didn't like and Vince has already taken the trash out so . . if anyone is interested, I can look at Walmart or Sams and see if I recognize it. I remember that it was more in a wedge.

Biscuit Recipe I Use

 Sharon asked in a comment about my biscuit recipe. This is the recipe I use. I have it taped inside one of my cabinet doors. It's so simple, you would think I could remember it but I don't. I use buttermilk and it's pretty thick so I usually have to use 1 full cup of buttermilk and if the dough still seems a little dry, I'll add a bit more just in little drizzles until I get the consistency I want.

This is the picture I posted yesterday.

I like biscuits in layers and I know we are supposed to handle biscuit dough as little as possible but I roll it out a little narrower than my biscuit cutter. I think my cutter is 2" and if that's right, I would roll the dough out to be about 1-3/4" by however long  .. probably 14 or 15 inches. Then I fold the dough over. Make the fold about 4" in, then fold that over and keep folding it over until your dough is about 1-3/4" x 4"' but it actually keeps getting bigger so by the time you're done folding, it's probably 1-3/4" x about 6". Then gently roll that that until the dough is big enough to get about 8 biscuits. You're mostly rolling it to smash it down a bit and get the layers to stick together. Use as little flour as possible during the rolling process.

To bake them, I use a cast iron skillet. When I first started making the biscuits, I heat the skillet just enough to melt about 2 T. of butter. Then remove it from the heat and allow the skillet to cool a bit (it won't get completely cold). Add one biscuit to the skillet, top side down to get the top buttered, then turn it right side up and position it in the skillet. Keep doing that til all the biscuits have buttered tops. They can be squeezed in but shouldn't be too squished. I think I use an 8" skillet and mine are almost touching . . maybe 1/16th" apart . . maybe some are touching.

Bake as directed. Enjoy!

We don't eat them all so I'll stick them in a zipper bag after they've cooled. The next day I slice them in half like a sandwich, add butter to a skillet and toast them on their cut side. That gets them warm all the way through and gives you a buttery, toasted edge. I think I like them best the second and third day than I do the first day.

A Bread Baking Comment

 Panto Pam left this comment on my bread baking post and I think it's something that might help others, especially those of you who have a bread maker and have never been 100% happy with it. Thanks, Pam, for sharing this. It's a great idea.

Pam, if you see this, will you share which bread maker you use please? Thanks!

I've been making our bread for the past several years. My bread got much better after I bought a bread machine. I only use the dough cycle and then I shape the dough into whatever type bread I need for the final rise and baking. I use the same recipe for everything, so I made my own "mixes" by putting all the dry ingredients, minus the instant yeast, into quart jars. Whenever I make bread, I put the wet ingredients into the bread machine and then dump the "mix" and add the yeast. I'm hoping by leaving this comment, this will inspire someone who has a bread machine collecting dust in a closet to get it out and use it. I never did like bread made in the machine, but the dough cycle is a wonderful tool.