Egg Rolls



           I don't know about you but I love egg rolls and spring rolls.  My high school sweet heart was Japanese.  I must say she was as American as they come.  Her mother was Japan- Japanese.  Her father was Hawaiian- Japanese, a first Sergent in the army.  Talk about a strict parent.  If they got bad grades, it was a boot in the you know what for real.  When I was little my father was stationed in Japan.  Here is a picture of some of my fathers friends back then.



           Now this girl in high school could not speak a word of Japanese, and never dressed like this.  An Issei, is a Japanese person born in Japan.  A Nisei, is a Japanese person outside of Japan.  Now, a person born of these two is third generation Sansei.  Later this girl became my wife and mother of my two girls.  They are Yonsei, and what is neat my daughter studied Japanese in college.  She went to Japan and tought English.  

          A little history there, other that egg rolls, I would not eat their food.  Yes I was stupid, back then, if it didn't look good, I didn't eat it.  I did not even try any of their food.  Now, I wish I had.  One day in her moms kitchen I saw an octopus trying to get out of a boiling pot of water.  No I did not eat any of it, to this day I regret it.  Kemchi, is another thing she made I would not eat.  When they ate it, it was so hot you could smell it on them.  I was 17 and didn't like hot food.  How things have changed.  Kemchi is cabbage fixed like sauerkraut, except very-very HOT.

 

            The cabbage, we are going cut this in shreds, thin to put in the wraps.  As you can see here I lost my job chopping.  There are no onions in this, if there were onions, or peppers, I would be doing the cutting.  We are going to cook this on the stove until tinder. 



          We are only going to cook 1/2 of the cabbage.  Cabbage, is a staple food,  It doesn't cost much and there are many ways to cook it.  As you have seen I'll cook a whole cabbage just to eat with cornbread.  Chow-chow is made with it too.  Enough about that let's put on some shrimp.  These little popcorn shrimp are perfect for this.  Pre-cooked we are going to boil them just long enough to thaw.  Spread a dish towel on the table.  We will put the cabbage and shrimp on it the dry some.



          Strain off your cabbage, and shrimp and place on towel.



          This is the hard part for me, do not eat any shrimp  they are for the egg rolls.  OK what is the difference in egg rolls, and spring rolls?  No, one doesn't have an egg and the other does.  Spring rolls don't have meat, and egg rolls do.  One thing is missing here, bean sprouts.  O-well the grocery store didn't have them.  The wraps can be found where you get the fresh cabbage in the store.  Lay out some wax paper on your table to work on.  Take one egg and scramble well in a bowl.  You will paint egg on wrap to seal it closed.



           This is not rocket science, you can do this.  Every thing I show you, I use pictures to help you along.  My favorite egg rolls are with sausage and some green peppers.  You can use chicken, or pork too.  All of these with meat in them are egg rolls.  Ever how you do it is fine.



A little cabbage, a little shrimp.

          We are moving a little fast here.  Take your time and try not to tear the wraps by putting to much in them.  Now all you have to do is heat up the Fry Daddy, Fry Baby, but you don't have one.  Not a problem,  fill a deep cooking pot with vegetable oil and heat it up for frying.  If you do use a pot save your oil.  The way I check oil to see if it is hot enough, is a drip of water.  Be careful doing it this way, the oil will pop out on you.

          We are going to have fried rice with our egg rolls.  You need day old rice, we had to make some rice.  I didn't know Mom had a 3X5 card for fried rice, I always just make it with what I have.  Mine always has green peppers and onions.  We are doing this by the card.  1/2 cup of shrimp chopped fine, but you can use ham, chicken, or pork. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. 3 oz can of mushrooms or fresh if you have them.  4 cups of rice, 1 chopped onion and after all this is stirred well, add 1 egg and continue stirring until cooked well. 

           Some thing else that goes real good is stir-fry.  Today you can get the stir-fry vegetables in the frozen foods.  A must have is a can of water chest nuts.  I love water chest nuts, I could eat a whole can.  Bamboo shoots too.  When you start adding those, the price goes up. 



          We are on a budget, so it is just the fried-rice.  We do have a pile of egg rolls to go with it.



           Once again this is enough food for two nights.  I hope you enjoy the food.  I try to show just how easy, and fun cooking can be.  Cooking like this does not cost that much,  you feed a family, and smiles are free.  Share this with your friends, and click on the ads to support the Blog.  Become a follower and read all the blog's at Charles Kenneth's Corner. 

 

          

Chocolate Pound Cake, "Occupy That"



           Chocolate, Who doesn't love Chocolate.  Chocolate is a word that should always be capitalized.  As a matter of fact, Chocolate should be written in bold letters.  If you are in trouble with your wife, Chocolate.  Girl friends is letting the answer machine take her calls, Chocolate.  If they are both made at you, lots of Chocolate.  If you want to make every one in your home, happy.  Here is some serious bowl licking.  

          Pound cake is one of my favorite.  It is not real sweet, yet it satisfies the sweet tooth.  A chocolate cake is even better.  Why it has not hit the Blog yet I don't know, but here it is.  As always put your margarine sticks in your mixing bowl, and let sit while you get every thing ready.  This is one of the times a little flour on your face is not necessary, this is going to take some time to make.  The flour on the face is possible though.  Today's flour doesn't need sifting, but that lets you know this recipe is old.  It comes out of "The Box".

   

          We have our bowl out and put 3 cups of Flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup of cocoa.

          After stirring well with you wooden spoon, we get our bowl with the margarine.  We are going to keep these 2 bowls separate.  Setting the one with the flour to the side, out of the way.  We put the one with the margarine in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds, or soft not melted.   If you set it out early you don't have to nuke it.  To this bowl put in 3 cups of sugar, and measure out Crisco. 



          We measure out 1 cup of Crisco, and mix with mixer until fluffy.  Get out another bowl, and 5 eggs.  this small bowl is to crack your eggs in one at a time.  I'm not sure the reason why, except when you got eggs on the farm, they some times had blood in them.  Plus it makes mixing easier.  Put in 2 teaspoons vanilla.



 



           Here is where it gets fun.  Crack one egg at a time crack into small bowl.  Put 1 cup of milk in measuring cup, and your bowl of flour, and cocoa mixture, all ready.  We are going to add 1 egg, a little mixture, and a little milk and mix well.  We are going to do this with all 5 eggs, one at a time.  A little milk, a little flour, cocoa mix. 



Are you Love-in-This



         This next part, get out the cake pan with a hole in it.  Now when I was young we bought groceries and brought them home in brown paper bags.  Grandma would cut out the circle, with brown paper.  We will use wax paper.  This is so the cake will come out of the pan. 



          Now I folded my wax paper twice, and cut a 1/2 circle out of the corner to make the opening.  This does not have to be perfect.  Spray the inside with vegetable oil, and now I have made this cake as easy as I can, with pictures.  The most important part is coming up.  Who gets to lick the bowl?



          Pre-heat you oven to 325 degrees.  Not 350, most of the cooking we do is at 350, do not make this mistake that we did.  The cake turned out good, and still moist.  Just to let you know we make mistakes too.  It turns out fine.  A matter of fact, one of the best cakes my mother ever made, fail.  Us kids playing and all.  When the cake goes in the oven, no jumping up and down, or slamming doors.  The cake will fall.  Do not peak or open door to oven for 1 hour.  Cooking time is 1 1/2 hour stick in tooth pick to check if done. 



          Peel the wax paper off, and let cool.  Put on some coffee, or pour a glass of milk.  After about 15 minutes or so have a slice of heaven while it is still warm.  Chocolate Pound Cake now your new favorite.

       I will leave you with one last picture.  Please as always share this with a friend, cake taste better when you share it.  Share this Blog with as many as you can too, and click on a few ads.  Become a follower of Charles Kenneth's Corner,  and collect recipes to put in your "The Box".  Thank-you every one.

  

            

Walking the Walking Stick



           I don't know if you can hear the music, but I can hear it all over the back yard.  Mostly Country, but it varies from time to time.  This is the work shop, tool shed, catch all studio.  Whether fixing the weed eater, tiller, or like today making a walking stick.  With the weather here I'm able to work outside threw Christmas.  If it does get cold I just make a fire.  The little one likes the fires because she can make "Smores".  I always keep a chocolate bar around just for that.  With that I guess you are wondering what we are cooking.  Well, get a pot out we are cooking "Great Northern Beans".  

           Now, if you are new.  Go back to the story about fried green tomatoes, it will tell you all about making your cornbread.  The rest of you loyal followers lets go out side, the leaves are changing.

 

           That tree is changing every day, I don't have to ride to the mountains.  The fall is all around.  I raked up 8 bags of leaves the other day and put them around the Azalea's in front.  Now, I hope you didn't need help with dried beans.  If you did, fill pot with water, add a little salt, and add beans.  The salt helps the water to boil, that might be a wives tale, but I do it any way.  I love beans and cornbread.  Ant no Jiffy in this house.  A lot of people like sweet cornbread, and if you do, just add a little sugar to my recipe.  

  

           These trees are seen from the front porch.  In talking with friends on the Internet, they already have snow sharks.  What are snow sharks?  Well that is when you are sitting on the porch, or looking out the window, and theirs one, theirs another one.  Not really snowing yet, just a flake here, and a flake there.  Around here it can do that all morning and not snow.  Those are "Snow Sharks".  Let's go find a good "walking stick", stick.

 

           This one is Oak, I make a lot from cedar.  Oak is a hard wood.  Cedar is a hard wood too, but easier to carve.  Oak is what they make baseball bats of.  I make my own ax handles from oak.  What you going to carve on it? Uncle Chuck, what you going to carve on it?  Well the wood has to talk to me.  I have no idea, I just start chopping with a machete, and using a rasp to shape it.  

  

           What you say I tell you a story.  This is a true story.  I have been making walking sticks for a long time now.  Even made the local news paper.  They came out to my house to do an article about my paintings of the passion of Christ done in a sculptured style on canvas.  It was Easter time, they thought it was a good feature story, till .......... The photographer and reporter started asking about the walking sticks.  For my second 15 sec. of fame.  I had been in a news paper in North Carolina for the paintings and now at home for my walking sticks.

           In the land where the stories of our Bible come from,  the people watch after sheep.  This story goes way back, back past Jesus.  Past Moses, even Elijah may have had his, when he was carried up to heaven.  Their staff.  The staff was their testimony to God.  The testimony of all the events in their lives good and bad.  You see there were no books like we have today.  The writing of that time was marks on clay tablets. 

  

           Shepherds would have a long staff with a hook, to grab a little one to keep it on path with the rest.  It was strong to lean on on the long journeys to find grass.  At night while it was quite he would take out his knife and carve the birth of a child.  On his walking stick, he might carve the marriage, or death of a loved one.  The testimony of his life was always with him.  If he run across wild dogs, or robbers, it was his weapon.  Then at the end of his life and he stood before his maker.  He would hold his "Staff" or his "Walking Stick" high in the sky above his head and shout "This is my TESTIMONY to God of my Life"

           This stick is starting to take shape.  With a few curves here and there to give it, it's own personality.  As you can see at top there, which is the bottom of the walking stick it is still rough.  The rasp shapes it.  I don't use any power tools to do this.  I like it this way, I feel like I give a piece of myself to the wood and it gives piece of it back to me.  Each one is different.

 

  

 

            These are just a few, the last one there I gave my sister.  She just had a hip replacement.  From what I've heard about the surgery she won't need to use it much.  Well, I've got this one with some stain on it, and as time goes by I'll carve on it. What it will be, I don't know yet.  Some one might just ask to have it so they can carve it, who knows.  One of these days, we all have to stand with a testimony.

           If you would, please share this, and the other stories with your friends.  Click on an ad or two, they won't cost you anything and they generate a small income for me and my stories.  Leave comments, XXOO's and thank-you.

              

"Occupy the Kitchen" taking stock in food



            As it usually starts in the kitchen, I get out an onion, cutting board, and either a frying pan or a pot.  This time it is going to be a pot of soup.  We had tacos night before last.  I made plenty ground beef so with what is left over we are going to make taco soup.  We are going to make enough to put some up, the weather is starting to turn cold.  Here in the south it is a wet rainy cold, that seems to get in your bones.  Nothing is better than home made soup.  Usually it consist of okra, corn, green beans, and such.  Today is made in the same way, just the ingredients are different.

           There is nothing like cutting into a fresh onion, chopping it up and putting it into a pot.  The tears welled up in your eyes.  That is a fresh one when the tears start to run down your cheek.  You can't wipe your eyes till you finish cutting them up, now your nose starts running.  Next you find yourself washing your hands, and blowing your nose. You're ready to go back to the kitchen to cook, sinus, clear.



           I have some stuff left over from the tacos we had the other night, but you will need to brown 1 lb. of hamburger meat about 80% lean.  I would do that first, and then add the onions and pour in 2 packages of taco mix.  Also the whole green chile's in the can have to be cut into chunks.  Something else left over, is some pinto beans from last night cabbage, that was left over from the corn beef.  We don't waste no food around here.  If you only have enough money for 2 pork chops and have 6 kids, you make stew.  

 

           If you have been following my blogs, you might have some of this home made salsa, if not you can use store bought.  If you also didn't read the blog on canning tomatoes, you will need a large can of dices tomatoes.  No, every one can't grow their own tomatoes, and peppers, but every one does need to stretch every dollar these days.  Most of the food, stories about food, and/or recipes, are about getting the most for your money and still eating good.  Now back to cooking.  We have a bunch of cans to open.



            In this pot we will add, can of corn, a can of dark red kidney beans, a can of white hominy, and a can of Frijoles Negros.  My eyes pop every time I see that written in this day and time.  Black beans, and if you buy the hominy, and black beans in the regular can food section, it's cheaper.  Always trying to save money. 



Whole Green Chile's

Left over Pintos

Think we need a

Bigger Pot

Corn, Chick Peas, Black-eye Peas

Dark Red Kidney Beans

           Hominy, and the notorious black beans.  Stir a pack of Ranch Salad Dressing Mix in, and let simmer.  This is a lot of food, but you can freeze it.  There is plenty here if you have young kids a growing, or a student in college with friends.  When I was first starting out I would cook every Sunday. 

          Working construction jobs 6 days a week, Sundays were for cooking, drinking some beers, but mostly cooking.  I would cook fry ed chicken, make a meat loaf, green beans, rice and gravy.  I would 3 or 4 dishes all at once.  You see, just fixing this big pot of Taco Soup.  I would eat all day,a little bit of this and that, a little of everything I was cooking.  Girls loved to come over on my day off.  Monday was back to 10 or 12 hour days until next Sunday.  

           I would pack a lunch to heat in the microwave, or most times just eat it room temperature.  At night I would come back home to a hot shower, a few cold beers, and food ready to eat.  While the other guys ate at fast food joints for lunch, or going out at night, I liked my cooking.  I just wish had been smart about money in other ways too.  Even today I can get the most for my money in the grocery store.  It pays to know how to make the food last too.

  

           You know me, the bowl I fix for myself will have 2, or 3 Hot Peppers.  A Tabasco, or a cayenne, maybe both.  Hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy bringing it to you.  Healthy food, the sticks to your ribs kind, so to speak.  As always please share my blog with your friends as I reach a mile stone of 1000 views this week.  Once again thank-you.