Chatbug Karen

It is time, once again, for Four Foods on Friday! Here are the questions for this week.

#1. What’s your favorite cereal?
I really like oatmeal with raisins in it. I like to add brown sugar but don’t because I am counting calories.

#2. What do you use to flip food on the stove?
I use a plastic spatula or what some call a fry turner. Oh heck, one of these…

#3. What’s your favorite type of donut? I love Krispie Creams custard filled with chocolate icing. (How much you want to bet that my sister answers this one with the same donut. LOL).

#4. Share a rice recipe.
Fried Rice
Fry chicken strips in oil until cooked through.
About 10 minutes into the frying time, add onions, red and green peppers

Add 3-4 eggs and cook until scrambled. Pour in 4 cups of cooked rice. Stir.

Feel free to join in on this fun and easy meme!

I was looking at all the wonderful recipes Val has posted for Easter and discovered it is time for Four Foods On Friday. Yay, the weekend is almost here and I get to sew!

#1. Olive oil. What kind do you prefer to use?
I am so confused about which olive oil to buy. Hopefully, someone will tell me what kind I need to buy.

#2. Meatballs. Do you make them from scratch, buy premade cooked or buy premade frozen?
I buy them premade from Sams Club. I only think of them for holiday pitch-ins for some reason.

#3. Do you use napkins at home? Paper or cloth?
We use paper napkins. If I have Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner at my house, I will use cloth napkins. I have some that look winter like.

#4. Share a recipe for a white sauce.

I make a white sauce to pour over salmon patties. I melt 1/4 cup of butter or margarine. Add a bit of flour and stir over medium/low heat until it begins to thicken. Slowly add 2 cups of milk. That is how I make white sauce for my pot pie too.

I don’t know where Val, of Fun, Crafts and Recipes comes up with such great questions! Here are the 4 questions for Four Foods on Friday.

#1. What’s the worst tasting food you’ve ever eaten? I can’t really say that it was terrible but something that I didn’t like was a cold soup that we were served while on a cruise. Soup should be served hot! That reminds me…I was served burned tomato soup at a restaurant. It tasted pretty bad.

#2. Share a funny or embarassing story about a meal you’ve made.
I had my sister and her family over for dinner and served goulash. While putting leftovers in the refrigerator I notice the browned hamburger that was supposed to be in the goulash. I forgot to add it. My brother in-law said it still tasted good. Aw, what a guy.

#3. What food do you burn or have problems cooking most often?
I don’t burn it but I have problems making gravy. I can make a sauce but to make enough for everyone to have gravy…that is a problem.

#4. Name two foods you’ll be eating on this Thanksgiving.

Ham and pumpkin pie.

Today has been so busy that I almost forgot to do my favorite meme! Four Foods on Friday hosted by Val on Fun Foods and Crafts asked the following questions.

#1. Share a recipe for something Italian.
I pour Prego out of the jar and serve it over spaghetti noodles. That is the truth.

#2. Jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade, fruit butter or butter. What’s on your toast or bread?
I love homemade jam. Since I don’t do that kind of thing I don’t eat it much. I have to be satisfied with grape jelly from Smuckers or Welchs.

#3. What’s your favorite Kellogg’s product? (Since they’re multinational I’m hoping everyone can answer this one. If you don’t have Kellogg’s products, what’s your favorite cold breakfast cereal?)
I like Kellog’s Frosted Flakes
Isn’t Tony the Tiger their representative?

#4. Do you like liver? I like liver when my mom fries it. I am very particular about how it is cooked. I don’t eat it anymore because, my mom doesn’t cook anymore (or so she says), and it is bad for my high cholesterol.

What about liverwurst? I don’t think I have ever tried liverwurst. It just sounds bad.

Here are the questions for this Friday’s edition of Four Foods on Friday. You are welcome to join in on the fun!

If you get a chance, read the post below this one to see if you can offer any suggestions. I really hate to have to pull my dash apart if there is some other way. Thanks.

#1. What do you drink to rehydrate in the heat or after working out?
I drink a lot of water. Whenever I drink anything else, I am still thirsty.

#2. What do you eat to help boost or create energy?
I have no idea! I am always sleepy. I eat a lot of carbs. I hope to get some ideas on how to eat to get more energy by reading the answers to this question on all the other participant’s blogs. I need help!

#3. What’s the healthiest snack you eat?
I love to sit and eat seedless grapes.

#4. Share a recipe or instructions for your ideal three course meal.

The only time we eat in courses is when we bring home Chinese food. We eat the egg drop soup and then eat the main course. We are plain and no frill people. No French maid costumes needed in this house for sure!

If I were to fix a three course meal it might be like this:

A big tossed salad with fresh tomatoes and homemade dressing.
Barbecued chicken with fresh corn on the cob.
Cheesecake for dessert!

Here is a great recipe for homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

1 double pkg. Hidden Valley Original Dressing
2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 c mayonnaise
16 oz sour cream (optional)
2-4 oz blue cheese crumbled

Use a wire whip on first four ingredients then add rest of the ingredients and stir. Keep refrigerated.

#1. What is your favorite appetizer?
#2. Do you eat enough appetizers that you get full and can’t eat your meal?
#3. Do you usually make frozen or fresh appetizers?
#4. Share a recipe or instructions for an appetizer.

Those are the questions for this weeks Four Foods on Friday. Thanks Val! If you want to have fun, you should participate in Four Foods on Friday. It is an easy meme that requires very little time but lets you meet some great people.

#1. What is your favorite appetizer?
I like water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. Oh, maybe you mean appetizers that you order at a restaurant. I like to order the potatos with cheese and bacon sprinkled on them. I forget what those are called.

#2. Do you eat enough appetizers that you get full and can’t eat your meal? Well, of course! Isn’t that the idea? LOL

#3. Do you usually make frozen or fresh appetizers? I buy frozen appetizers at Sam’s Club. Their meatballs are good.

#4. Share a recipe or instructions for an appetizer.

Hmmm, since I usually buy mine, I will have to look through my recipes and get back to you on that one.

Edit: I found a recipe for bacon wrapped water chestnuts.

Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:

* 16 fresh water chestnuts
* 1/3 cup soy sauce
* 1/3 cup brown sugar, or as needed
* 8 slices raw bacon, cut in half
* 16 toothpicks

Preparation:
Peel and rinse the fresh water chestnuts. (If using canned water chestnuts, rinse in warm running water and drain).
Soak the water chestnuts in the soy sauce for 2 1/2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the water chestnuts from the soy sauce and roll in the brown sugar. Wrap a piece of cut bacon around the water chestnut and secure with a toothpick.
Place the water chestnuts on a rack in a shallow pan. Bake for 30 minutes, turning them over once. (Alternately, they can be broiled for 5 – 6 minutes). Makes 16 appetizers.

(The appetizers can be prepared ahead of time and frozen before cooking. Placed in a sealed bag in the freezer, they should last for 2 – 3 months.

Another great week has gone by and it is time for Four Foods on Friday! Here are the 4 questions Val asked:

#1. Candy. Do you prefer sweet or sour candy?
Hmmm, that is a hard one. I love sweet candy but I also like sour hard candy.

#2. Gum. Love it? Hate it? What kind is your favorite?
I hate to chew gum. It makes my jaws so sore.

#3. What is your favorite candy?
Snicker Bars

#4. Share a recipe for anything that you can include a piece of candy in.

Ice Cream Dessert
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 pkgs. Lorna Doon cookies, crumbled
1 1/2 qts butter pecan ice cream
2 small pkgs instant vanilla pudding
1 large cool whip
5-6 frozen Heath Bars, crumbled

Freeze the candy bars. Soften ice cream. Crunch up cookies. Melt butter. Mix cookies and butter. Spread in bottom of 9×13 baking dish. Mix vanilla pudding with ice cream and pour on top of cookie crust. Freeze 30-40 minutes. Spread softened Cool Whip on top of firm ice cream. Freeze 30-45 minutes. Crunch up candy bars and press into firm Cool Whip. Serves 24

Four Foods on Friday questions have me scratching my head. It isn’t that the questions are hard but that I am so sleepy! So, with toothpickes holding my eyelids up, here is Four Foods on Friday.

#1. Name one cookbook, cooking website or food blog that you frequently use.

Around twenty years ago, our Sunday school class collected recipes from church members and made a cookbook. That is my favorite cookbook.

#2. Do you watch any cooking shows on tv? Which ones? I catch them when hubby has them on. He watches Emeril Live and Rachael Ray. I think our favorite one is Paula Deen.

#3. Are you in a cooking rut? Name a food or dish that you’d like to find a recipe for.
hmmm I can’t think of any.

#4. Share a recipe created by somebody else that you haven’t tried but would like to.
I would like to learn how to cook stir fry and have the vegetables crunchy but cooked. My vegetables always get soggy.

I think that Clair’s recipe for wontons sounds yummy.

Val is back and has given us some great questions on her Four Foods on Friday meme. She didn’t think they were that great??? Silly girl. Here goes…

1. What is one food that is grown, produced or made near where you live.
2. What is one food from another location that you haven’t had anything like anywhere else.
3. What is your favorite food from somewhere else?
4. Share a family, ethnic or international recipe.

1. What is one food that is grown, produced or made near where you live.
There is a saying that there is more than corn in Indiana. I am not sure I agree! There is so much corn in Indiana.

2. What is one food from another location that you haven’t had anything like anywhere else.
There is nothing like having shrimp right off the boat in Houma, Louisiana.

3. What is your favorite food from somewhere else?
I love to go south and eat sea food.

4. Share a family, ethnic or international recipe.

Chicken Tortilla Bake

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 cup chicken broth
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can 10 3.4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 small onion, finely chopped
12 corn tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

In a bowl, combine the chicken, chilies, broth, soups and onion; set aside.
Warm tortillas in the microwave according to the package directions. Layer half of the tortillas on the bottom of a greased 12″x9″x2″ baking pan, cutting to fit pan if desired. Top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

After writing the post 2 posts down, (I still can’t believe that one), I almost forgot about Four Foods on Friday. Here is my entry for the Four Foods on Friday meme.

#1. What snacks do you eat at the movies? Do you buy them there or bring your own?

There is nothing better than the popcorn you get at the movie theater. I cannot bring myself to pay the price they want for the candy at the movie counter.

#2. What’s your favorite food movie, or movie that shows a lot of food?

This is a hard one. Didn’t they have a lot of food in My Big Fat Greek Wedding? I loved that movie.

#3. What food or meal do you wish was available at the movies and why?

I wish they had big glasses of ice water. I try not to drink pop but you have to have something to wash down salty popcorn. It would be nice if they offered healthy foods to munch on while watching a movie. I doubt that many people would buy carrot sticks and other veggies.

#4. What’s your most favorite way to make popcorn? Hot, cold, buttered, air, microwave, chocolate, caramel, you get it.

I love Fiddle Faddle. It is caramel coated popcorn. Yummy!