Still In Blackout Mode And Norma My Pet Chicken

No, no, no, I am not making another beer reference…yet! I am talking about my political news black out. It is an amazing fact that life is quite fun when I dumb myself down. It allows my very high functioning CPU to work on other things. Like spending more time outdoors with the dogs in the backyard. Getting my fishing gear in order for this summer; watch out catfish, the Hillbilly is coming for ya! Cleaning out the garage, though there ain’t much to move other than the dust. I have also spent many an hour watching my james Bond Marathon Theatre, seeing I have all the movies.

I also find I steer clear of political topics in conversations I have with my beer drinking pals down at the watering hole. More time to discuss sports, food, beer and such. It is, and has been a nice break, and one I think I am going to continue for bit longer. There is one draw back to this Blackout of mine: I really miss pissing off people, well the ones I meet for the first time.

OK, now for a Hillbilly Moment. Growing up on the farm, I always had plenty of animals, especially chickens. During the spring, it was not uncommon to have 20-30 baby chicks hatch. Sometimes, there would be a chick that was a slacker. So I always checked the pile of un-hatched eggs to make sure everyone who was alive, made it out. I can remember th foul, bitter smell of the rotten egg! I used to chuck the un-exploded ones like a grenade against the rabbit barn. I could always tell which had a bird by gently shaking the egg. These I would crack and peel slowly, sometimes having to put them in a bowl, to dry the chick out in the sun. After a few hours, they would pop to life and join the rest in the brood. But there was one that, for some reason, a piece of the shell stuck to her little leg. I must have tugged a bit too hard, and broke her leg. I went and retrieved a tooth pick and some duct tape so I could make a splint

Hillbilly Stew: The Proud Military Moms Recipe

Here you go PMM. Can two or more varmint meats be used?

Possums- nasty vile disease carrying pests. My dog kills them on sight. along with woodchucks and the odd raccoon.

One pot campfire (or grill) Hillbilly stew
One pound meat of your choice- chuck steak is my preference- but you could use varmint. Cut into bite sized cubes
Four good sized potatoes
Six carrots
Two onions- more if you like them
Couple of cloves of garlic- more if you like
Flour for dredging
Salt and pepper
bacon grease or other oil or fat
Spices that you like- if you want hot and spicy- add a habanero or two. Or chili powder. I like cumin and chili powder
Salt and pepper the meat. Mix your ground spices with the flour. Dredge meat lightly in flour mixture.
In a sturdy stew pot or dutch oven, heat the fat or oil. Toss the meat in and brown on all sides. Might have to do this in batches- the meat pieces should not be crowded in the bottom of the pan.
Once all the meat is nicely browned- add onions and garlic- and peppers if you are using them- cook until onions are translucent. Do not burn garlic! Add liquid to just cover the meat. You can use water, stock- or for a really dark and rich gravy- use a dark beer. Bring to a simmer- DO NOT boil. (makes the meat tough) Cover and allow to simmer slowly- for about an hour.
While meat is simmering, prepare carrots and potatoes. After an hour check the meat with a fork- if it is coming on to tender, add the carrots. After 15 minutes add the potatoes. Continue simmering until vegetables are fork tender.
I serve this with biscuits- but that is another lesson.

Chicken Pad Thai

Chicken Pad Thai.

8 oz. Thai rice noodles (or enough for 2 people), linguini-width, available at Asian/Chinese stores
1 to 1 1/2 cups raw chicken breast or thigh meat, sliced
Marinade for Chicken: 1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
optional: 1-2 fresh red chilies, minced
3 cups fresh bean sprouts
3 spring (green) onions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh coriander/cilantro
1/3 cup crushed or roughly chopped peanuts (or other nuts, such as cashews)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
vegetable oil for stir-frying, and wedges of lime
PAD THAI SAUCE:
3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water (look for tamarind at Asian/Chinese or Indian food stores)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce, + more to taste
1-3 tsp. chili sauce, or substitute 1/2 tsp. or more dried crushed chili or cayenne, to taste
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Pineapple, Cherry Ham

from the passionateartofcooking.wordpress.com

I don’t like ham, but a lot of folks do.

Pineapple, cherry ham
Posted by: lastay on: December 8, 2011

In: UncategorizedComment!
2 lbs sliced pineapple
1 cup maraschino cherries
4 tablespoon mustard preferable Dijon
1 cup honey
1 6 lb ham
1 head of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cloves

lean any extra fat of the leg of ham, bore a number of small holes into the ham and push a couple of crushed garlic and cloves into it, rub with pepper and salt combine mustard and honey and brush over ham, the slice pineapple should be placed all over the ham and held in place by toothpicks , the ham should then be placed in a roasting pan and put in preheated oven to bake for 1 hour 15 minutes at 350F.

My Blog Site Of The Day: Pasionate Art Of Cooking

Me at The Conservative Hillbilly, in order to keep my blood pressure down, has been making an effort to surf Word Press and find blogs that are not political in nature. I hit the jackpot with Passionate Art Of Cooking. The link is on my blog roll. I have to warn you, do not visit on an empty stomach. This woman has some recipes there that will make you want to spend the next week in the kitchen.

Ok, here is the link for those of you that are a bit lazy!