Recipe Roundup: Disasterville

Yeah, so I made this:

Click to embiggen

In my defense, I did not cover it with creamed corn.  There is, after all, a certain level below which even I will not sink.

I actually thought this might be good.  Tamale loaf?  Check.  Chicken?  Check.  No creamed corn?  Double check.  The recipe actually contains a whole tablespoon of chili powder, which is practically unheard of in 1967.  So why not?, I thought in my desperation to find something--anything--to make for dinner  (I now understand Mom's position that cooking was the easy part, it's figuring out what to make that's the real pain.)

(And right here I almost apologized for the lack of pictures, when in reality I would only have to apologize if there were pictures.)

Anyway.

As I was preparing this, it occurred to me too late that what I was basically making was a pound cake with chicken in it.  I also tossed in some sliced black olives, which ended up looking like raisins, really hammering home that whole chicken cake thing.  In addition, the batter was extremely thin and runny and as I poured it into the loaf pan (vintage Corningware, natch) I thought "This is never going to work."  It wasn't pretty.  And it didn't smell that great either.  I did mix it up in my Pyrex 404, so at least that part was pleasant.

I debated just tossing it and starting over, but hubs pointed out that we'll never know unless we actually try it.  So into the oven it went.

It took a little longer to bake than the recipe indicated, but it actually solidified into a chicken cake Tamale Loaf.  Of course, it stuck to the bottom of the pan, which reeeeeeeallllly didn't help the aesthetics any.

The verdict?  Edible, but just barely.  Certainly not worth making ever again.  I knew right away this was going to need as much help as possible, so I swathed our servings with cheese, salsa, and sour cream, all of which helped to take the curse off the underlying entree.

Always on the lookout for that silver lining, I decided that at the very least, this would serve as a good Bad Example.  At some point in the future, I will likely serve another loser, at which point I will be able to say (I hope) "Well, at least it's not as bad as that Chicken Cake Tamale Loaf..."

Thrifting Finds #9!

Two dollars.

That is the sum total of money hubs and I spent in the thrifts this weekend.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to do our normal Sunday rounds; we only went to one Goodwill, and that's the one where we hardly ever get anything.  We did our usual two GWs and the Rescue Mission thrift on Saturday, and it was at one of those GWs that I found my one purchase.

So what'd I get?

1.  Tupperware!  This canister is enormous.  I wanted a piece of Tupperware to keep my flour in the freezer, but this sucker won't fit on the shelf!  I suppose I could put it in the bin down below, but it might take up more real estate than it's worth.  I could probably fit about 10 pounds of flour in this and there's no way I'll ever buy that much.  It'd be great for keeping powder detergent, but we usually buy liquid.  So now I have to come up with a good use for this, because there's no way I'm getting rid of it. $2.00

And that was the only thing I bought.  Even hubs didn't get anything.

While we were out, I did take a couple of pictures of things I didn't buy.

1.  Amish man!  Amish man disapproves of your shenanigans.  Also, is that a cold sore?

2.  Nun!  I totally cracked up when I saw this.  The expression on her face is priceless.  I call her Sister Agnes Meh.

That's all, I'm afraid.  Hopefully next week will be full of Pyrex and Tupperware and all sorts of cool stuff!

Linking up (rather ashamedly) with Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty, and The Remnant

Thrifting Finds #8!

After a pretty slow start, this turned out to be a good weekend, thrifting-wise.  Neither hubs nor I got anything at all on Saturday, but when we started making our Sunday rounds, that all changed.  Hubs picked up (among other things) a blue vase similar to the one in this post, and yet another vase that looks like a bong!  Really, who designs those things?

This is probably the best haul I've ever had.  Shall we get started?

 1.  Fake cornflower knives! We already have a bunch of these (they match our china and silverware), but they're really cheap, so I don't think they're going to last very long.  Plus, the handles get yellow so it's nice to have spares.  Got at Savers.  $1.99

2.  Random platter!  We needed an extra platter and this one filled the bill.  I don't know the pattern name or the manufacturer as it's completely unmarked.  I kind of like it, though, and it was cheap.  The first one I picked up was $5.00.  What's up with the pricing, Goodwill?  This one cost $2.50.

3.  Chip & Dip set!  This came in the original box, but I can't for the life of me remember the manufacturer.  It's not particularly vintage, and it's only slightly cool, but I needed one and this had all the pieces in brand-new condition.  $4.00

4.  Weiner dog valet!  This was my splurge of the day.  Normally, I wouldn't pay this much for something from the Goodwill, but these don't show up very often and when they do, they're usually chipped.  This one is in perfect condition.  Plus, it's a weiner dog!  I had to buy it!  Oh, and in buying it, I broke my rule of not getting anything that I can't use.  This will have to be purely decorative.  Still, it's a weiner dog! $9.00

5.  Pyrex!  Look--I found the 403 I needed!  You can probably imagine my pleasure when I spotted this little beauty on the shelf with an unfortunately dishwashered 402 inside it.  This is in good condition--not perfect, certainly, but that's good.  If it were perfect I wouldn't use it and I like to use my stuff.  This--like my yellow 404--only says Pyrex, not the model number.  Apparently, that means it's an older model.  These older ones are supposed to be thicker than the newer ones, but I can't tell the difference. $4.00

(Minor little rant:  I was in line to pay for this behind a guy who clearly runs a business and bought $429.83 worth of stuff.  Now, if you're buying that amount of crap and the person behind you is buying one item, wouldn't you let that person go ahead of you?  I would.  Because I like to think that I'm not a douchebag.
End of rant.)

6.  More Pyrex!  And a little while later, I found the 401 I needed, thus completing my set of Primaries!  Woo hoo!  I almost didn't spot this, as there was a dog dish inside it which oddly obscured the color of the bowl.  Like the 403, it's in good, but not perfect, condition.  I doubt that I'll be using this much, as it seems pretty small to be useful.  I've used the 404 a number of times already.  $2.00

That's all, but that's plenty.  I can't remember when I've gotten so much in one day.

Linking up with the delightfulness at Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty, and The Remnant

Recipe Round Up!

Ridiculously Easy Mac & Cheese (that you can make in one pot if you play your cards right)

Pretty long title for a short recipe:

2 generous cups elbow macaroni
1/2 stick margarine (don't use "spread."  Look for 80% or so fat content)
1T flour
1/4t dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste (I find this needs a lot of salt.)
1 tall can evaporated milk
8 Oz. shredded cheddar cheese.

Cook macaroni as indicated on box.  If you can do it in a stove-to-oven pan (Corningware, etc.), so much the better; you'll have one less pan to wash.
Drain macaroni and return to pot.  Over low heat, add margarine and stir to melt.  Sprinkle on flour and seasonings and blend well.  Add evaporated milk and let it get hot.  Stir in cheese a handful at a time until melted.  It's a little pale at this point, so pour into a greased casserole (if necessary) and shove it under the broiler for a minute to brown.

And look:  photo documentation!

Ingredients!  I forgot to take a picture of the macaroni, so use your imagination.  Couple of notes here:  Oddly, butter doesn't make this any better and margarine's cheaper so...  Also, lowfat or skim evaporated milk work just fine.  Don't use lowfat cheese though.  Because it's nasty.

Flour! Actually, it's the flour, mustard, salt and pepper.  Just mix it into the drained and margarined macaroni until it disappears.  At this point, you're going to think--as I did--"Oh, this will never work."  But persevere.

Cheese!  Mmmm.  Cheese.  Try not to eat it all before you add it.  Let the milk warm up before adding the cheese and keep the flame low, otherwise the cheese will get stringy.

Done!  Well, almost.  It's kind of pale at this point, so broil it a minute to brown the top.  I tried putting it in a hot oven for a while (because my broiler isn't that great), but the heat just broke down the cheese and made it a little gritty.  Still delicious, but I don't recommend baking it.

Brown! Well, sort of.  A little.  Around the edges.

This is a recipe from Family Circle (I think), around 1964 that I adapted.  The original recipe was made in a skillet without precooking the pasta, but I just didn't like the way it came out.  So I fiddled and came up with this.  The original recipe also called for a whole stick of margarine, which is nothing short of insane.  Half a stick is fine.  When you read the recipe, it doesn't sound like much--and doesn't even sound like it's going to work.  But it comes out creamy and rich and delicious.  I don't understand it at all.

Thrifting Finds #7!

Well, what with one thing and another, hubs and I skipped two stops on our customary rounds this weekend. We still ended up with some interesting finds, though.  Hubs, of course, picked up some more colored glass, including a vase that I might just have to, uhm, what's a pretty word for "steal"?

We skipped one of our Goodwills due to the fact that we spent the morning torturing the weiner dog.  Yes, pedicures are to be abhorred.  Still, the little princess survived and she's much quieter on the hardwood.  So quiet I call her our Stealth Weiner.

We also skipped the Rescue Mission thrift, as there was some kind of traffic accident up where it is and the snarl of traffic wasn't worth getting into.

On to what I found!

1.  Cookbooks!  I think I may be the last person in the country to own one of these Cooking With Soup cookbooks.  Mom had quite a collection of cookbooks but she sure didn't own this little beauty.   The whole concept of throwing some cream of mushroom on some chicken was utterly icky to her.  Heck, I didn't even know about green bean casserole until I was an adult!
The other cookbook has real potential.  Not only is it favorite recipes, they're budget recipes.  From Home Economics Teachers!!  How awesome is that?  I haven't really looked through it yet, but I'm imagining a lot of hamburger and liver recipes.  I might have to serve a few to the hubster, just to see what the reaction is.  Yeah, I'm mean like that.  $1.67 (??) each.

2.  Tupperware!  It's a good weekend when I find a piece of Tupperware.  It seems to be quite scarce around here.  Well, other than the big Jell-O mold and the big dip-and-vegetable server, or whatever the hell it's called.  At first I thought this was for keeping a loaf of bread, but the grid inside makes me think it's a celery keeper.  Oh, plus that whole green color.    Am I right on this?  I hope so, because we eat a good deal of celery Chez Fondue.  I also hope it works well,  because I've discovered that merely wrapping celery tight in aluminum foil keeps it fresh forever.  $3.00

There are also a couple of things I didn't buy.  I hemmed and hawed, thinking maybe I could flip 'em on ebay, but I'm not sure all the careful packing and everything would be worth the effort.  You'll tell me if I made a huge mistake, right?

Pyrex!  Yeah, so there was this set of 4 Butterprint bowls that totaled $22.00.  I didn't look them over with a fine tooth comb, but they looked in pretty decent shape.  For some reason, I just can't get excited over the Cinderellas.  I don't understand, because I keep thinking they're something I should like.  Not pictured is a set of (3 or 4, I can't remember which)...are they Cinderella casseroles?  They have the handle and spout, but the sides are straight.  They were gold with flowers on 'em.  Just looked them up: Butterfly Gold.  I didn't get the price.

The other thing I didn't get was this set of--I forget what those cups are called--and the matching carafe.  You can see that the price was 10 bucks (and make sure you write the price with Sharpie right on the package, Goodwill...), which sounded kind of reasonable to me.  Unfortunately, I really don't have any use for this, and I can't keep buying things that I can't use.  Again, I had thought briefly about flipping them on ebay, but I was deterred by the packaging thereof.

I'm thinking that what I really need is a booth in an antique mall somewhere.  That way I could keep picking up cool stuff to sell and only have to worry about pricing it correctly.

Linking up with the fun at Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty, and The Remnant

Thrifting Finds #6!

So who found some Pyrex this weekend?

This guy.

Not that I found a whole lot, mind you.  Hubs and I went to 5 Goodwills, a Savers, and the Rescue Mission thrift this weekend and I only picked up one item.  As I say, I'm okay with that due to my hoarding tendencies. Hubs on the other hand, cleaned up.  He found a whole bunch of his beloved colored glass (though there was an unfortunate incident with a red decanter that turned out to just be painted or something, as the color came off when he washed it...)

I almost didn't get my single item, as there was a woman handling it when I noticed it.  I said nothing out loud, but in my head I was saying PutitdownPutitdownPutitdown.  And when she did, I swooped in and scooped it up.  Sort of a swoop 'n scoop, if you will.  It was in a stack with a horribly dishwashered pink 403 and another dishwashwered yellow 403 (neither of which I bought.)

So what did I get?

Pyrex!  I am now halfway to my set of Primaries!  I'm pretty sure this is the 404, even though it's unmarked.  It's about 10.25" in diameter--can anyone confirm that that's the size of a 404?  And because it's unmarked, does that make it older?    I have the red 402 that I got a month or so ago, but I didn't take a picture of it.  This bowl isn't perfect--there are some chips in the paint and it was pretty badly untensiled when I got it (though some BKF took care of the utensil marks nicely.)  Still, that's fine with me because I intend to use this bowl.  I don't have the space to collect stuff that's "just for show".  If I can't use it, I don't buy it.  And if it were perfect, I wouldn't use it.  So win-win.  And the best part?  It was only $3.00!

In other news, I got the second ceiling fan installed in the bedroom this weekend.  I know everyone was on pins and needles waiting for that news ;)

Linking up with Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty and Remnant

Thrifting Finds #5!

It wasn't a great weekend for me, but hubby cleaned up!  He got another giant amber glass bottle, this time at the Rescue Mission Thrift (first purchase there.)  It had part of the original Gemco price sticker still on it.  For some reason, I am obsessed with things that have their original stickers.  He also got some assorted glassware, but for the life of me I can't remember what.

On Sunday, we went to the Goodwill where we don't usually find anything and--didn't find anything!  On the way home we stopped at an "Enormous Yard Sale!!" that wasn't so enormous because it was the afternoon of the last day. Still, hubs picked up another set of those stupid champagne flutes with no base to fill in the missing colors of the set he already has.

We didn't do our usual Sunday thrifting rounds as I came down with a migraine on Saturday afternoon and didn't feel up to it.  Won't be able to go next Sunday either, for Reasons.  Oh, well.

I did pick up something at the Goodwill on Saturday while I was still feeling kind of human:  a couple of pieces of

Tupperware!  That little three-section dish is called a "Suzette" (marked on bottom.)  I got it despite not having a lid as I don't think I have ever seen one before.  The handle unscrews, so it's easy to cover with a piece of Saran.  I'm not quite sure about that red box.  It's really thick, sturdy plastic, much sturdier than necessary for holding leftovers.  Maybe it originally had some other use?  Anyone know?  They were $1.00 each.

Since we didn't go out thrifting on Sunday, I wanted to at least accomplish something, so I installed the first of three ceiling fans.  This one is over the bed:

I have to get one more to put at the other end of the room.  Eagly-eye readers will note that this is not the ceiling fan I mentioned here.  That one is for the den and is back ordered anyway, so there's no telling when it'll come in.

Linking up with the deliciousness at Sir Thrift A Lot, The Nifty Thrifty, and Remnant