Val says, “Hi all!  Sorry I’m late this week, I was sick all day yesterday. With that in mind, I offer this week’s questions.”

1. Are there any drinks you feel help you get better when you’re sick?

Depends on what kind of sick.  Congestion & upper respiratory flu – hot green tea and regular tea, sometimes hot chocolate.

Stomach flu – Coke, Sprite, 7-Up
2. Are there any foods you feel help you get better when you’re sick?

Healthy foods, good homemade soups.  If it’s stomach flu, then nothing!
3. Starve a cold, feed a fever. Do you believe this?

No, and actually I’ve read that if you feel like eating, it’s good to eat to nourish the body. (healthy foods, of course)  Now if it’s the stomach flu, that’s a different story.  A person needs to go without eating for 24 hours to kill out the virus. Nibbling on saltine crackers after 12 hours usually won’t hurt.   Eating other food, though, just prolongs it because it feeds the virus.
4. Who cooks when you’re sick?

My husband might cook a meal, but usually he will bring something in.  Actually, I was sick with bronchitis a week ago, and he made homemade soup for us.  I sat and gave him step-by-step directions on how to make it.  He did a good job, and it tasted really good to me.

Somehow I got a week behind, so this is actually this week’s FFoF:

Val says, “Hi all!

One question again this week.

What are four spices you must have in the house?”

Besides the basic ones, salt and pepper, I always have these on hand:

• Bay leave
• Cinnamon
• Rosemary
• Thyme

And Parsley and Cilantro.

From Val:  “Hi all!  One question again this week.

What are your four favorite soups?”

1. Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

(I can tell by reading the recipe that this will definitely be a favorite – I plan to make it soon)

2. Turkey & Vegetable Soup
3. Olive Garden’s Minestrone Soup
4. Three Bean or Four Bean or Five Bean Soup (do you get the idea that I like bean soup?)
   

1. What’s your favorite type or shape of pasta?

Rotini and Farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
2. Where do you shop for groceries?

Several places!  I study the grocery ads every week and usually end up going to a couple of different grocery stores, maybe three, to get their specials.  I shop at Brookshires, Albertsons, and Krogers on a regular basis.  Certain things I get at Wal-Mart, Sams, or Super Target because I can get a better deal there.  And then some things I can only get at Central Market, so I go there every three or four weeks.
3. What’s your favorite mayonnaise?
Hellmann’s Light Mayo

4. What is the food in your freezer wrapped/stored in?

Usually whatever it came in.  Or if it’s casserole, I have freezer containers to freeze it in so it’s the right portion for what I need.

Val, From Val’s Kitchen, writes, “Hi all! Happy New Year!

Here’s this week’s questions.”

1. Do you have any food related New Years resolutions?
Yes, to go back to eating healthier foods all the time now that the holidays are over.
2. What’s one thing you’d like to learn how to make from scratch this year?
Pie crust like my mother used to make it. (thin, delicate, and flakey)
3. What’s the most unusual thing in your cabinet, refrigerator or freezer right now?
In a front corner of one cabinet, I have one little peanut shell, with the peanuts still in it, that is over a decade old (maybe 12 years old). Our son gave it to me, and now I can’t remember what he said, only that it was said in such a sweet way that it melted my heart. I didn’t mean to keep it this long but…it’s not in the way.

4. What kind of can opener do you have?

I have a hand-held can opener.  When we got married, we received an electric can opener which we used for years.  Finally, it quit working.  I started using my hand-held can opener until I got one to replace it and decided I liked my hand-held one better.  I never did replace the electric one.  The hand-held opener doesn’t take up any room on the counter, it’s convenient to clean after each use, and I can easily open the tallest can with it.

Hi all!   Here’s this week’s questions.

1. How do drink your hot chocolate? Marshmallows? From boxed or scratch?

Mostly boxed Swiss Miss but I do make it from scratch part of the time.  No marshmallows, but I do top it with canned whipped cream sometimes.
2. Do you prefer cider hot or cold?

Hot cider!
3. Do you like egg nog?

Yes, but just a little bit is enough for me.
4. How do you make punch?

I don’t.  (except for wedding or baby showers)

1. How many cookbooks do you have? (1-10, 11-20, 20+)

I have 20+.   (around 27 or so, different sizes)
2. Where do you keep your large utensils (such as slotted spoons, spatulas, etc)?

I keep them in a utensil holder on the counter.   Utensils that are not used very often are kept in a drawer.
3. What is your countertop made of?

Formica.
4. Do you use canisters in your kitchen?

Yes, they are Tupperware canisters that we got for a wedding present, and they’re great because they’re airtight.  I keep the two smaller canisters out on the counter.  I keep the two larger ones in a cabinet.

Hi all!   Here’s this week’s questions:

1. What do you do with turkey leftovers?

We eat leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner for a couple of days and all the white meat is eaten up.  We don’t especially care for the dark meat, however, I froze it last year in several batches.  One winter day, I couldn’t think of what to cook and decided on soup.  On a whim, I decided to use some of the frozen dark turkey and used what I had on hand to add to the pot with it.  This soup turned out to be one of our favorites!!   Here’s the recipe:  Turkey & Vegetable Soup.  I plan to make this soup in a couple of days.
2. How do you make split pea soup?

I don’t, but my mother used to make delicious split pea soup.  She passed away in 2000.  Wish I could have some soup with her today!   I should make some soon only I don’t have her recipe.
3. What do you like on top of your pie?

Depends on the pie.  I like ice cream on top of fruit and pumpkin pies.  Well actually it’s Dreyer’s Low-Fat Vanilla Yogurt Blends – so creamy and yummy! (my husband likes the Fat-Free, and it’s good, too, just not as creamy)  Pecan pies – plain.  Chocolate or banana cream pies – real whipped cream.  ( I like the taste of Cool Whip but when I think of the ingredients it has in it, I lose my taste for it!)
4. What kind of turkey do you usually buy?

I buy whatever’s the best price (or free) which is a frozen turkey.  This year, though, we ended up getting a fresh turkey on sale and then used a $5 store coupon on it, too.  It was delicious!  We think the breast meat had more flavor to it. I cooked it in a turkey bag with the breast on the bottom so the juices could flow into it, so that made a difference too.  I would like to do a taste test between frozen and fresh turkeys cooked exactly the same way, side by side.

Val says, “Here’s this week’s questions. We’re in the middle of a Noreaster and I have hot comfort foods on my mind.”

1. Chicken soup. Regular or creamy?

Both.  Regular is healthier, though.  Creamy would definitely be a comfort food.
2. Do you have a stew recipe?

I used to, but haven’t made it in ages.  I would probably go to AllRecipes.com to find a recipe.
3. What’s your favorite hot comfort food?

Mashed potatoes with gravy.  Also, fried okra.
4. Do you like chicken fried steak?

Yes, but rarely have it.   I prefer chicken fried chicken.

Here’s this week’s questions “From Val’s kitchen”:

1. How do you make mashed potatoes?

I make them from scratch but in an unconventional way to save the vitamin content of the potatoes:  Bake the potatoes first, let cool until peelings can easily be removed.  Then cut into chunks, add hot milk, butter, a little EVOO to balance out the cholesterol from the butter, salt, and pepper.  Mash with a potato masher and use the mixer briefly for 10- 15 seconds.
2. What do you wash pots and pans with?

I rinse the pans after use and then put some water and a little dishwashing soap in the pan if necessary.  If the pan has a lid, I cover the pan with the lid.  I let them set for a while and sometimes overnight.  Then the pans clean up easily by washing in regular dishwashing soap and hot water in the sink.

3. Name something red in your refrigerator right now.

Apples  (I’m trying to eat more apples.  How many of you remember the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?”)
4. Do you prefer to use boullion cubes or the boullion powder mix?

I rarely use boullion but prefer the powder mix.