Tag: cooking

Real Good Food: The Way to a Man’s Heart?

On By Lady GIn Real Good Food, Uncategorized, Whimsy and Fun24 Comments
Beef short Ribs
Braised Short Ribs with Yellow Rice, French Cut Green Beans and Sliced Tomatoes

 

The trademark orange bowl!

LadyG is cooking again!

YAAASSSS!

Anyway…

Today, let us consider the old adage:

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

Hmm….

Well… I don’t know if it’s true in every case, but it sure did work for me and Mama.

Just kidding!

But not really…

No, seriously folks, while the quote points to the way to a man’s heart, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee arrival–not to mention–a permanent stay.

Am I rambling?

Probably.

 

Maybe this whole thing is a non-issue…

An old wives tale…

Low level philosophical nonsense!

Pseudo-intellectual fodder…

But…maybe there’s some truth to it…

Or…maybe not.

Alas…

The debate continues 🙂

Have a wonderful week my friends!

Love and light to you all!

LadyG😘

What do you think ladies and gentlemen? Feel free to comment below!

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Real Good Food: Getting By With A Little Help From My Friends

On By Lady GIn Real Good Food, Uncategorized28 Comments
glolunch
My Bestie’s Lunch:  Jerk Chicken, black beans, rice and cabbage

 

Lady G ain’t the only one who knows how to throw down in the kitchen.

Today, I decided to share a pic of my girl, Gloria’s, lunch–which was actually leftovers from her Sunday Meal.

No, seriously, all of my closest friends are bigly into cooking real good food.

Don’t get me wrong, it is sometimes necessary to drop express meals via microwave.

However, my friends, who are all working mothers, believe strongly in the importance of cooking ‘from scratch’ as often as possible.

But there’s a trick to making that happen and here it is…

When you come home after a long day, be it from work or play, go straight to the kitchen and get started cooking.  It also helps if you do some advanced prep work like washing and seasoning meats or cutting up vegetables.

Now, after you’ve gotten everything simmering, baking or whatever the case may be, THEN you can go take your shoes off and put on some comfortable clothes.

Of course, you don’t want to leave your food unattended for long or you’ll have bigger fish to fry (pun intended), so you must get back to the kitchen ASAP.  Also make sure that children are always being supervised by an adult in the kitchen.  If I am frying , searing or sautéing something,  I do not leave it unattended.

Anyway, the ‘start cooking first’ trick works for me because I find that if I go straight to my bedroom and get too comfortable I will not feel much like cooking… and, at that point, a real good dinner quickly morphs into pizza, cereal or sandwiches.

NOT GOOD!

And so…

To sum it up, prepare as much as possible in advance and start cooking as soon as you walk in the door.

By the way, If you would like for me to share a picture of one of your real good meals, please shoot me an e-mail at: ladygflow1@gmail.com.

Be sure to put “Real Good Food” in the subject line and if it is real food that looks really good then I’ll highlight it here.  Be sure and add a quick backstory about your selection 🙂

May you all have a blessed week!

Love and light to you!

Lady G 😘💋

 

 

 

Real Good Food: For The Fellas

On By Lady GIn Real Good Food, Uncategorized84 Comments

cookedchic2

Edited 1/31/2017

Ok ladies, you know I love you but this one is for the fellas!

Why?

Because I feel strongly that more men need to learn how to cook real good food!

No more ‘getting by’ meals.

No more ‘struggle bus’ meals.

No more scrambled eggs…

OR cereal…

OR oatmeal…

OR cookies…

OR Toast…

OR noodles for dinner!

No more of that!

Lady G got you!

YAAASSSS!

And so…

Today, I am offering a simple, inexpensive and unassuming dish that does not require too much effort.

Here’s what you need:

  1. A package of boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (season them to your liking)
  2. A bottle of Italian Salad Dressing (Most any brand will do)- You won’t need the whole bottle!  Just eyeball it 🙂
  3. 1 chopped tomato
  4. Canola Oil (about a Tbsp per each cutlet)
  5. Non-stick spray

That’s it!

Now…

  1. Set the oven to 350 degrees 
  2. Saturate the bottom of a deep baking dish with non-stick spray.
  3. Coat your cutlets with the canola oil and place them in the dish (It’s okay if they overlap a little)
  4. Pour on Italian Salad Dressing
  5. Place chopped tomatoes on top
  6. Cover the dish
  7. Put the dish in the oven
  8. Bake for 30 minutes

 

Here’s how it’ll look before cooking:

uncookedchic

Don’t move because we’re not finished.

I’d like to challenge you to make a quick bowl of rustic mashed potatoes.

Stop sweating!

This is a simple dish so you can stop visualizing yourself in a military mess hall peeling bags of potatoes!

For today, all you need to do is take two large potatoes, cut them into medium sized cubes (I keep the peels on) and boil them until tender–use a fork to check for doneness.

Once the potatoes are done and drained, put them in bowl then add salt to taste, about 2 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 cup of whipping cream (Regular milk works too).

I’ve found that you should start with a minimal amount of cream then add more if your potatoes appear to be too dry looking.

Fellas, these potatoes are not pretty but they are delicious and they will, as the old folks say, fill a crack!

rusticmash
I prefer stiff mashed potatoes, some people like them creamy and wet.

 

OK, to round this little culinary experiment out, employ your microwave to prepare some frozen broccoli.

We did NOT do the broccoli ’cause we were too hungry to wait.

Here’s the final product:

final-pic

 

Hey, let me know if you tried this dish.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Love and light to the ladies and the fellas!

Lady G 😘💋

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Us- Pt 1

On By Lady GIn Interpersonal/Intrapersonal Relationships, Spirit, Uncategorized, Whimsy and Fun68 Comments

 

lady-jhalloween
Lady J (October 2016)

Greetings friends!

January is a month of birthdays around here!

First up is Lady J.  

She turns 11 this week.

If you guys follow this blog then you already ‘know’ her as my youngest child.

Talk about a spirited chick?

That’s our Lady J!

Not only is she feisty, but she’s a smart and witty one who enjoys cooking, crafting, writing, reading, drawing and playing piano.

Wise beyond her years, Lady J is, as many of you know, a self proclaimed “Protector of the Animals.”

That said, she knows just about anything that can be known about pretty much any animal you can think of.

Trust me on that one 😉

I’ve heard it all!

Naturally, she wants to be a Veterinarian.

Of course, some of you may remember this post where she staged a school bake sale to raise money to help support dogs awaiting adoption.

Poor baby, I think the final tally was only about $25.00…

But hey, it’s the thought that counts.

Anyway, please join me as I celebrate my sweet daughter, Lady J.

 

babyj
Baby Lady J
lady-j-potholder
Lady J creation (age 7)
lady-j-knits
Lady J’s current work (in progress):  A hand knitted winter’s scarf
ladyjpiano
Practicing for Winter Recital (2016)
ladyjmakingbrownies
Baking Brownies
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One of Lady J’s many sketches

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LADY J!!!!!

With love,

Mom 😘💋

Real Good Food: A KISS from Lady G

On By Lady GIn Real Good Food, Uncategorized65 Comments

finallobpasta

 

Ignore my promise NOT to post anymore pics!

Lady G’s creativity cannot be bound by words like “promise” or “agree” or “commit!”

LOL!!

At least not when it comes to blogging.

And with that, I decided to KISS!

You know, Keep it Simple Stupid.

YAAASSSS!

The pasta dish pictured above adheres to the KISS format because it has no more than FIVE ingredients:

Linguine

Lobster

Red Pepper Flakes

Olive oil

Salt

That’s it and that’s all.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t typically keep lobster lying about the house, but Kroger had a really good sale…

Need I say more?

But seriously, this dish could have easily been prepared with cocktail shrimp–even the little popcorn thingy ones.

In fact, you could use just about any form of meat, seafood or vegetable that captures your fancy.

Hmmm, some chopped tomatoes would have freshened this pasta up quite nicely.

I started to add some canned clams but Lady J doth protest too much!

LOL!!!

At any rate, I served this with some buttered garlic toast (Did I mention that we love carbs?) and a nice green salad.

Friends, I hope you enjoy these ‘real good food’ entries as much as I enjoy sharing them with you.

What do you think?

Meet me in comments!

 

Have a wonderful week!  Love and light to you!

Lady G

😘💋

Real Good Food: Brussels Sprouts

On By Lady GIn Real Good Food, Uncategorized62 Comments

brussel-sprouts

So you don’t like Brussels spouts?

Well I’ll bet you’d like these!

No?

LOL!!

Okay….

What if I added something extra?

brussel-spouts-porkchops

Aww c’mon….open your mind to some real good food!

By the way, the Brussels spouts shown here came from the frozen aisle!

Lady G cooked them earlier this week 🙂

From FROZEN!

Can you believe that?

Yeah, sometimes I buy frozen because I often wait too long to cook fresh veggies and they end up going bad.

So…I buy them frozen and cook them just as I would if they were fresh.

YAAASSS!

When are y’all coming over to eat?

Have a wonderful week!

Love and light to you!

Lady G

😘💋

 

Lady G’s Christmas Pasta

On By Lady GIn Food, Dining, Entertainment, Uncategorized38 Comments

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YAAASSSS!  Lady G is feeling a little bit better today so you know I had to hit the kitchen hard!

And so…

I decided to cook one of my holiday favorites.

I call it ‘Christmas Pasta’ because it includes red peppers, green baby spinach and white alfredo sauce!

Of course there’s the bowtie pasta and crab meat!

Think I didn’t when I did?

YAAASSSSS!

Ah…. now I hear you guys saying, “Lady G, what choo know about Italian cuisine?”

Well, all I gotta say is that it might not be authentic but it’s Italian enough for the folks in my house!

Alright!

To all of my friends in Italy, please forgive me! You know I love y’all!

Okay, on a serious note, I’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all of you who wished me well during my battle with this cold!

WordPress is best!

Anyway…

I am including pictures of the ingredients that I used.

See if you can spot the run-a-way piece of crab meat :).

Mama would have been horrified!

“Wipe that counter girl!”

Anywhats, if you choose to recreate this dish, be sure to double check your crab meat for shells.

Otherwise, you might experience a dental problem mid meal.

By the way, if you are intimidated by homemade alfredo sauce you can buy some already made from your local grocer.

Of course, if you choose to purchase a jar, the end result might not be the highest quality.

But that said, I’m sure it will be just fine!

It just won’t be Lady G’s!

YAAASSSS!

Enjoy and have a great week!

Love and light to you!

Lady G😘💋

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

PS:  The brown mixing bowl that I used here belonged to my mother so we affectionately refer to it as ‘Ms. Eva.”

 

 

Sunday Dinner with Lady G: 10-9-16

On By Lady GIn Food, Dining, Entertainment79 Comments
sunday-dinner-with-lady-g
Cube Steak and Cornbread Dressing with Fresh Collard Greens and Tomatoes

 

YAAASSS!

Lady G threw down today!

Uh huh!

😉

So if you’ve been following me then you already know that I love to cook and eat all sorts of food.

Name a continent and I can guarantee you that I have cooked and eaten a dish from that locale.

I love ’em ALL!

But…

Around here, if it’s Sunday, it’s all about soul food BABY!

You better get into it!

Seriously, I learned to cook by watching Mama.

Mama NEVER used recipes; the ingredients and directions were all in her head.

Everything was by heart.

Or, better yet, soul!

And now, here I am, many years later, cooking the same meals that I remember–straight from Mama’s kitchen.

Come on over y’all!

I got a plate waiting just for YOU!

So tell me, do you love to cook?

If so, who taught you?

What are some of your favorites?

Let’s discuss in comments 🙂

 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and have a great week 🙂

Superpower Challenge

On By Lady GIn Awards and Accolades, Uncategorized20 Comments

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My friend Lisa A. over at Life of an El Paso Woman tagged me with the Superpower Challenge. Lisa is an awesome blogger!  Some of you have, no doubt, met her at a “My Jams” afterparty.  That said, she’s a regular around these parts and I enjoy bantering back and forth with her in comments.

If you haven’t had a chance to meet Lisa, you should!  Start by checking her out at Life of an El Paso Woman.  She’s always got something fun and interesting going on over there.

I love lurking around that joint.

Thanks for nominating me for this challenge Lisa!

The rules are as follows:

  • Name the creator of this tag . FarahEdz @ The Girl With Coffe
  • Use the Tag image above.
  • Thank your superhero  Nominator – Lisa A.
  • Which or what super power would you want and why?

 

Friends, for this challenge, I decided to really, really, really think about the superpower that I’d want to have most.  I mean I gave it some serious thought!

And so…

I finally settled on being about to teleport!

For those of you who love defining terms, here’s a definition:

Teleport: To transport or be transported across space and distance instantly. (From http://www.oxforddictionaries.com)

Anyway, I decided that if I am going to be transported across space and distance instantly, I’ll need some DEEP, DEEP, DEEP POCKETS!  

Mucho Dinero!

Somebody, somewhere is saying, “Hey…wait Gwin, doesn’t LOVE make the world go ’round?”

Well in the words of my wise Aunt Bobbie Sue, “Love might make the world go ’round but money greases the wheel!”

🙂

So, to sum it up, I’d like to be able to have 10 tons of money and be able to appear anywhere-instantaneously !  By the way, I retain the right to be able to teleport anybody else along with me!

Yeah….that’s it!

I’m doing this my way!

Alright Gwin, how does that look?

It looks a little something like this:

I would visit family, friends and blogging buddies who live in different cities and we would:

  • Cook, talk, laugh and eat together
  • Go to our favorite restaurants (Are you seeing a pattern here? LOL!)
  • Have cocktails!  A must for me! 

Since Mr. Rogers is my spirit guide, I would offer comfort and support where there is illness, injury, hurt, suffering or loss.

I would continue my love of learning by:

  • Going to libraries at major Universities all over the world
  • Attending events, lectures, talks, and conferences on the Arts and Sciences
  • Observing various artisans practice and hone their crafts (sculptors, luthiers/archetiers and other makers of beautiful musical instruments and wonderful things).  
  • Learning to prepare gourmet meals from world renowned chefs and food artisans!  Food glorious food! 
  • Sitting with and listening to spiritual teachers and practitioners of major world religions and magic 😉
  • Seeking advice and guidance from my elders
  • Teaching those who are interested in learning anything that I already know.  You can learn a great deal by teaching!
  • Going to museums worldwide
  • Talking to inventors, astronomers, nautical experts and keepers of information on space and time.

I would seek inspiration and delight by teleporting to 

  • Musical festivals, concerts, and shows all over the world
  • A Mountain in Northern California
  • A sunset sailboat ride on a lake in Canada
  • A winding road lined with brown, gold and auburn autumn leaves in Vermont.
  • A crab festival on the East Coast
  • The Mediterranean Sea
  • A hiking trail near an Alpine village
  • An African Savanna
  • A South African beach
  • A picnic in New Orleans  
  • A winery near The Eiffel Towel 
  • A biergarten in Germany during Oktoberfest 
  • A boat ride in the Carribbean
  • A Sunday dinner in Florence, Italy and shopping in Milan
  • High tea in an English home
  • A starry Spanish night
  • A soothing garden meditation
  • I could go on but I think I’d better quit now before I lose you!

Now that I think about it, maybe all I really need is some time, a whole bunch of money, friends on every continent, a chauffeur service and a freakin’ jet aeroplane!

By the way, thanks to blogging, I can happily report that I’ve met the aforementioned friendship goal 🙂

I’m still working on the others!  LOL!

Anyway…

Friends, why don’t you try this?  Create a post that tells us about your dream powers!

Maybe you can make some of them come true!

What a fun challenge Lisa!

Thanks!

Everybody’s Home: A Sequel!

On By Lady GIn Food, Dining, Entertainment59 Comments

Whole plate

This is a sequel to yesterday’s post, Mama’s Home Alone.”  

So my son is home this weekend.  YAAAAY!!!

Best believe he showed up with a dinner request in hand:

“Mama, I want some smothered chicken, cabbage, squash casserole and some cornbread!”

Yessir, mama had her marching orders!

By the way, the blue crab AND beer AND wine AND sweet tea from yesterday was SWANGIN’!  LOL 😚

A thousand thanks to all of you for your wonderful input.  I learned a whole lot about the do’s and don’ts of preparing, serving and eating blue crab.

(Cough, cough)….In Maryland, beer is a MUST with blue crab; they’ll have none of this wine chicanery.

Y’all had my back! Thanks again!

Anyway, I decided to share a pic of each dish before the people at my house devoured it!

Suffice it to say, my dear son is a happy camper 🙂

Mama might be a little tired from all the cooking but nothing makes her happier than watching family and friends enjoy a good meal!

Wish you were here!

Friends, enjoy the rest of your Sunday and have a great week 🙂

Lady G 😘💋

Smothered Chicken and GravySquashCasseroleCabbage