• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Baby steps, because the Republican Party is full of angry babies.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Fight them, without becoming them!

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Archives for Food & Recipes / Recipes

Recipes

Recipe Thread: Tomatoes, Chocolate and an Unfortunate Incident

by TaMara|  September 16, 202312:51 pm| 77 Comments

This post is in: Recipe Exchange, Recipes

I’ve been tucking away some easy recipes to share. As it’s garden season and my tomatoes, while sparse this year, have been incredible. I’ve been using them in sandwiches (where they are the star) and in pasta dishes.

They deserved excellent buns, and those pictured are an easy recipe from King Arthur’s that I’ve changed up a bit – recipe here, with bonus Stuffed Burgers recipe

Making a tomato and mayo sandwich (sometimes adding lettuce, maybe some bacon) is probably my favorite tomato “recipe” but nothing beats fresh tomatoes on pasta:

show full post on front page

This is super simple. I pureed a tomato along with dried oregano and rosemary, garlic powder, and bit of salt and pepper. I poured that over angel hair pasta* and then added chopped tomatoes and fresh basil. A little Parmesan/Romano cheese and dinner is ready.

*if you want to up your pasta game, use Durum Wheat Semolina pasta – that’s the only ingredient. Without all the additives, the taste is amazing.

=============

Pasta Caprese is also simple and the fresh mozzarella takes it up a notch.

=============

Last week, I had a chocolate craving…

And these took care of it.

I usually have a batch of Dark Chocolate Chip cookies either baked or dough in the freezer for such emergencies, but I haven’t made cookies in months. Just wasn’t in the mood, I guess.

This meant I had a huge surplus of dark chocolate chips hanging around in a jar and walnuts that probably should be used up, stored in the refrigerator. What to do, what to do?

Brownies!

I don’t usually make brownies, so I didn’t have a recipe handy.  I went looking and found this one and it seemed foolproof.

I only had the dark cacao chips, not baking chocolate, so I used them. I might cut back on the sugar if I make them again. Otherwise, yum.  My baking time was longer for gooey, and that may have had to do with the type of chocolate I used.

Here’s the recipe and visit her page for all her tips.

Easy Chocolate Brownies – RecipeTin Eats  (pdf for printing out)

Chocolate craving satisfied

=============

And finally, let’s talk about the easiest bread recipe ever. Seriously, mix, pour into a pan, let rise an hour and bake for 20 minutes:

I decided I wanted to make this recipe:  English Muffin Toasting Bread, to use with those last tomatoes that were ripening in the garden.

click here to find out why we didn’t get to eat that loaf and why someone got a scolding…. 

(I’ll give you a hint, he had his very own post here recently!)

That’s it for today. What’s on your menu this weekend?

Recipe Thread: Tomatoes, Chocolate and an Unfortunate IncidentPost + Comments (77)

How About A Recipe Thread?

by TaMara|  February 17, 20238:40 pm| 104 Comments

This post is in: Food & Recipes, Recipe Exchange, Recipes

We haven’t had one in a while and I thought, what the heck, I’ve been cooking up a few cool things the last few weeks, I should share. This is the time of the year when I’m completely bored with the winter standards, craving fresh garden foods. I fall back on soups full of veggies, and quick meals that I don’t have to give much thought or effort toward. Not every meal has to be a masterpiece. And sometimes I just want Popeye’s spicy fish sandwich (Lent is almost here, after all).

Right now I’m eating Jicama Slaw (recipe below), one of my favorite go-tos when I need a reminder that spring and summer are not far off.

Here are a few other recipes I put together this month:

Spicy Potato Soup_Snap2

Spicy Potato soup – recipe here

show full post on front page

 

A Spinach Ravioli Lasagna – recipe here

 

And because I had workmen at the house and it was snowing like crazy, I made some jumbo cookies for them:

Jumbo Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies – Recipe here

 

Here’s tonight’s featured recipe, I made a few adaptations  –  when I made it tonight and last week, I just used my box grater. The texture is a bit different, but I wasn’t in the mood to break out the mandoline and clean it after. And I forgot to buy plain yogurt, so I substituted mayo. Not gonna lie, it was still yummy.

Jicama Slaw

I used my mandoline slicer to julienne the jicama and the cucumber. You can use the large blade on a box shredder if you don’t have a mandoline.

Dressing:

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Jicama

Salad:

  • 3 cups shredded or julienned jicama (peeled before shredding)
  • 1 English cucumber*, washed and julienned
  • 1 sweet bell pepper, thinly sliced (red, orange or yellow)
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

Combine the yogurt, lime juice, cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop.

Combine the jicama, cucumber, sweet pepper and raisins in a large bowl and add the dressing. Toss gently but thoroughly to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving toss with walnuts and parsley.

*I like the flavor of English cucumbers and they are unwaxed so I don’t peel them and they don’t need to be seeded.  Peel waxed cucumbers if substituted.

That’s it for tonight. What gets you through the last days of winter in your kitchen?  What’s on your plate for the weekend? Also, anyone have a good rye bread recipe, I’m craving rye bread and can’t find my old recipe.

Have at it…

How About A Recipe Thread?Post + Comments (104)

Sunday Pot Roast

by Tom Levenson|  January 15, 202312:53 pm| 150 Comments

This post is in: Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Recipes

Dropping by on a day when there’s a nor-nor’easter blowing where I am–at a secure undisclosed location on Cape Ann, north of Boston…

Sunday Pot Roast 2

…–and that makes it a perfect pot roast Sunday.

I do a lot of braising, and often get fairly elaborate–but we’ve just been eating our way through a chuck roast that is the simplest prep I know, and yet tastes just amazing.  So I thought I would share, both because it’s ridiculously easy (and probably well-known to the many excellent cooks/fressers amongst the jackaltariat) and as a kind of proof of life. I have several posts I want to write, but until the embarrassingly overdue MS is done, I don’t have the mental space or time to do more serious blogging. (Just got over the TB chapter, and am now confronting cholera…).  So think of this as a piece offering. (Hava noice piece o’ beef..)

Sunday Pot Roast 3

The recipe came to my by way of this cookbook, which I highly recommend–except for their cooking times, which are waaaaay long.  They call it beef braised in Barbera wine, and it just works.

The recipe has been copied verbatim without credit at at least one place on the internet, so I’m just going to lay it out here in narrative form, and you can enjoy as you like (or search for it, and you’ll find it fast enough).

So here goes: take a 3 lb chuck roast and brown it well on all sides in a glop of olive oil. (The one I made this week was only two pounds, but no worries–I made the same amount of braising sauce, because one great use of the outcome is a shredded beef pasta sauce, and the liquid-meat ratio with a smaller piece works just fine.)  Cut up two carrots, a good sized onion, a stalk of celery and three large cloves of garlic.  No need to be dainty, for reasons that will become clear in a moment.  Fry the vegetables in the rendered beef fat/oil over medium-medium high heat for several minutes, until the onions just begin to color around the edges. I add the garlic after six or seven minutes, though the original recipe says dump it all in at once.

Then add a tablespoon of tomato paste (I am a bit more generous than that, usually–a heaping  TB), stir around for a moment or two, and dump in a whole bottle of robust red wine.  The cookbooks, as they are wont to do, specify an expensive bottle (cook with what you drink). I get a big everyday Trader Joe’s bottle and no one is the worse for wear.  Reduce it by about a third, then add a dash of ground cinnamon, some nutmeg, a bay leaf, and a teaspoon and a half of rosemary.

And with that, you’re basically done: return the meat to the pot, bring it to a simmer, cover it and shove it into a 350º oven, dropping the temperature to 250º after about twenty minutes.

The recipe as written says one should let it go for 3-4 hours, turning it over occasionally. This is nonsense.  I find a 2-3 lb roast will cook in about 1.5 hours to my preferred tenderness. YMMV.

Once it is to your liking, pull it out of the oven, put the meat on a plate and use a slotted spoon or a strainer to get the vegetables into a food processor.  Add just enough braising liquid to smooth the way, and grind it into a puree. Add it back to the rest of the liquid, stir it up–and you’re done.  I sometimes add a little bit of roux to the pot–I like butter–but not always.

It’s literally ten minutes of prep, maybe half an hour doing the stove top stuff, and then you have this unbelievably rich meal and even better leftovers.  Perfect for a day when the wind’s gusting to fifty and the spindrift is blowing for miles.

Anyway–we haven’t had that many food threads lately, so have at it. What’s your favorite antidote to a stormy day?  And beyond that, this thread is, as usual, as open as a big box store on Black Friday.

Image: Jean Siméon Chardin, Still life with a rib of beef, 1739.

 

Sunday Pot RoastPost + Comments (150)

Recipe Thread: Holiday Gift Ideas

by TaMara|  December 22, 20222:00 pm| 151 Comments

This post is in: Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Recipes

Recipe Thread: Holiday Gift Ideas 1

I finished shoveling, the ducks are tucked away in the bathroom, and everyone else is snuggled down with blankets. It’s NEGATIVE 15 F outside. No wind now, but I guess the wind chill took us down to -55  earlier.  We may get up to a whopping 5 degrees by two-ish. Not our normal weather, that’s for sure.

But this has given me some extra time to do some more baking. These are in the oven right now:

Gluten/flour-free peanut butter cookies, recipe here.

We could not find a time for our annual Cookie Bake/Exchange this year, although we swore we would. We haven’t been able to do it since pre-pandemic. It’s always fun, lots of new recipes and different cookies to swap, but coordinating schedules can be tough. We’ll try again next year. I miss the fun of having everyone in the kitchen baking away. Here are some of the cookies from previous years. Nothing I haven’t shared before, but in case you needed some ideas:

show full post on front page

Chocolate chip, spritz and pecan cookies.

Oatmeal lace cookies

Gluten-Free Chocolate-Walnut cookies that remind me of brownie bites. So very good.

All the cookie recipes are here.  Prefer something salty? How about popcorn and nut recipes (here).

And finally, this year, I took my first shot at making toffee (recipe here). Oh, my, oh, my, probably a very bad idea. I’ve made four batches, with various nuts, and have probably eaten as much as I’ve given away. Sugar. Coma.

Recipe Thread: Holiday Gift Ideas

I’ve got to get back to cleaning and food prep, as guests will be here for Christmas Eve. And tomorrow, when the roads are better, I will have to get out and catch up on work I’m missing today, so I’ll get everything done today that I can. The bread I bake is really good when it does a slow-rise in the refrigerator (develops a good flavor), so I can mix that up this afternoon, and the spinach lasagna is already prepped and in the freezer. And I’ll make up another Cranberry Upside-down Cake for dessert.

What’s cooking in your kitchen this weekend?

Open thread

Recipe Thread: Holiday Gift IdeasPost + Comments (151)

Open Thread: I Hear We Used To Have Recipes

by TaMara|  November 13, 20222:27 pm| 96 Comments

This post is in: Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Recipes

I do still cook…honest. But with everything else going on, including a Great Dane puppy who can’t seem to stay out of trouble and a rescued Great Dane that keeps eating stupid things, requiring me to take drastic measures, blogging about food seems to be last on my list of things I need/want to do.

But a dinner party seems a good time to bring out some favorites. On the menu tonight:

Photo from JeffreyW

I KNOW everyone has their favorites when it comes to chili. This is ours. Quick, simple and tasty.

Quick and Easy Chili

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 3-5 Jalapenos finely chopped (depending on heat)
  • 1/2 green pepper chopped
  • 1/2 sweet onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped
  • 16 oz V8 Juice (I use the spicy version)
  • 3 cans kidney beans drained and rinsed*
  • 1 can Original Ro-Tel
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder (more as desired)
  • 1 Tsp cumin
  • 1/2 Tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika

show full post on front page

Brown ground beef and drain. Saute jalapenos, green pepper, onion, and garlic. In a large pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for at least 30 minutes.

Chili layered with fritos and shredded cheese

In my house, we serve chili with Fritos and shredded cheddar, layered in a bowl – Fritos, chili, cheese, and more Fritos.

Slow Cooker instructions:  Following the instructions above, add everything to the slow cooker, cook on high for 15 minutes, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 4 to 8 hours.

 

Skillet Cornbread

There are many variations on cornbread, this one is pretty basic.

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ¼ cup butter or oil

1 large bowl,  cast iron skillet or 9×9 baking dish, greased

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, add cornmeal, mix well. Add eggs, milk, and oil. Beat with a mixer until smooth (do not overbeat). Pour into the skillet or baking dish and bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes. Light brown on top, toothpick should come out clean.

Serve with honey, maple syrup, and a side of collard greens.

This is an open thread. Chat away.

Open Thread: I Hear We Used To Have RecipesPost + Comments (96)

Late Afternoon Open Thread: How Are You Passing The Time?

by TaMara|  November 8, 20224:40 pm| 155 Comments

This post is in: Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Politics, Recipes

Late Afternoon Open Thread: How Are You Passing The Time?

I mixed up a batch of dough and divided it up between a baguette and rolls. Recipe is here.

Other than that, I’m working with MSNBC on in the background – I’ve turned off the most grating shows, but late afternoon with Deadline White House, I can tolerate.

Trixie had a vet appointment this morning to get bloodwork done for her spay in Dec. And address some other concerns I was having about her. She did great and everything checked out.

Next up for me, cleaning the disaster in the kitchen. I’m a very messy cook. But in my defense, I don’t make anyone else clean up after my mess.

How are you wiling away the hours until we find out if Democracy is going to survive?

Late Afternoon Open Thread: How Are You Passing The Time? 1

Open thread

Late Afternoon Open Thread: How Are You Passing The Time?Post + Comments (155)

Afternoon Open Thread: This and That and Apple Cider Donuts

by TaMara|  September 24, 20221:51 pm| 76 Comments

This post is in: Food & Recipes, Open Threads, Recipes

I know I missed our weekly acts of kindness post – it was a wild and weird week. So to make it up, here’s some sweetness to get you through the afternoon.

Necessity is the mother of invention. @staceyabrams spills the secret of her mother’s "specialty dinner" on this week’s episode of my new podcast, Longer Tables…listen now wherever you get your podcasts!https://t.co/SFpPpiLY34 pic.twitter.com/x0U8trqveQ

— José Andrés (@chefjoseandres) September 20, 2022

Marsh Farm, caen hill, Devizes: An education & wellbeing charity in Devizes UK supporting rescue animals &young people’s education.

Eli enjoying a beautiful sunrise #elithedonkey #wegotdonkeys #sunrise pic.twitter.com/cY7SPni1gL

— caenhillcc (@caenhillcc) September 24, 2022

Quish (Chris!) makes my days with his morning duck and goose rush hours, his emus and everyone else at the farm. He’s a good follow on youtube or twitter. Always a joyful video.

ghost cat sent this to me this morning and it made me smile. I can totally relate. If there were lost sheep wandering the trails, I would be the one they followed, knowing I would get them home.

From The Dodo:

Eleanor Scholz was traveling through France with her boyfriend and was out for a hike on her own. As she was making her way along the trail, she heard some sheep coming, which wasn’t unusual — but when they came into view, she realized something incredible was happening. The sheep were randomly following a woman who was out for a run.

“It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing,” Scholz told The Dodo. “At first, I thought maybe she was a shepherd, but she wasn’t dressed like any shepherd I’d ever seen, and it seemed unusual that a shepherd would be running. Then, I was concerned that she was being chased and that there might be some risk of being stampeded, so I got off of the trail and stepped behind a tree. When she stopped to talk with me, all of the sheep stopped and waited for her, and that’s when I realized that something truly whimsical was happening.”

(This was the only way I could embed the video so you can make it full-size to watch. )

https://t.co/66qSz5jSRW

— Miss T Has A New Book (Underway available now) (@TaMarasKitchen) September 24, 2022

As the pair chatted, the runner filled Scholz in. The sheep were apparently lost, and when they saw her run by, they decided to follow her. They needed a leader, and they chose her. The sheep were very unbothered by the stop along the trail, and some of them trotted over to say hi to Scholz.

“They all just stopped and waited, it was the funniest thing,” Scholz said. “Some of them immediately walked over to me, and I was worried they’d start following me instead, but they stood there patiently while she and I talked. They didn’t seem stressed or particularly winded.”

The sheep waited patiently while the runner told Scholz the story — and as soon as she started running again, they did too.  More at the link

It’s the time of year when folks go out to orchards; spend the day filling bags with apples, going on hay rides, running through corn and bale mazes, before finishing up with cider and cider donuts. In honor of that, I decided to try and make my own. Baked, not fried.

Finally, I made Apple Cider Donut Holes on a whim this week. They were tasty…well,  are tasty, it made 4 dozen and froze well so I can serve them to friends with coffee as needed. LOL  Recipe here. 

This is an open thread

Afternoon Open Thread: This and That and Apple Cider DonutsPost + Comments (76)

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 40
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Gold! 1
Image by BillinGlendaleCA (5/10/25)

Recent Comments

  • Shakti on Open Thread (and Saturday Afternoon Ohio Meetup Reminder) (May 14, 2025 @ 10:46am)
  • Manyakitty on Open Thread (and Saturday Afternoon Ohio Meetup Reminder) (May 14, 2025 @ 10:44am)
  • prufrock on Open Thread (and Saturday Afternoon Ohio Meetup Reminder) (May 14, 2025 @ 10:44am)
  • WaterGirl on Open Thread (and Saturday Afternoon Ohio Meetup Reminder) (May 14, 2025 @ 10:42am)
  • Baud on The Gifts That Keep on Giving (May 14, 2025 @ 10:42am)

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
War in Ukraine
Donate to Razom for Ukraine

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Meetups

Upcoming Ohio Meetup May 17
5/11 Post about the May 17 Ohio Meetup

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Hands Off! – Denver, San Diego & Austin

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

PA Supreme Court At Risk

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc