Joan's version of Philly Cheesesteak

I got some sirloin steaks for 2.98 per pound...2.68 lbs. I cooked them on low overnight in the crockpot with pickle juice to cover. (Pickle juice leftover form Betty's pickle jar. All it needed on low was about 6-7 hours in my particular crockpot.

Then using my big comal, I toasted the buns and piled the meat in ...
The I thought it needed some cheese so I spread a spoonful of this wonderful product on one side of the bun on the inside...the heat of the meat further melted the creamy sauce.
John and I agreed these were heavenly. The toasted bun and the spicy cheese sauce made them outrageously yummy!
And now I will reveal this most special ingredient...which will now be a staple at our house. I bought it originally to put over cooked broccoli...

Keep scrolling down..

This is it! So good...comes in glass jars even!
I imagine using it in other dishes..with cauliflower, with noodles, with potatoes...

This is also, I realize, a great pantry item for those of us who liked to be prepared for emergencies. I can't wait to experiment some more with this sauce!

A Most Beautiful Plate

Thursday night for supper, we had potstickers. On the side we had steamed broccoli with some slivers of steamed carrot slices. We also had a salad consisting of chopped romaine letuce, yellow tiny pear shaped tomatoes and blue berries.

The best thing about this meal was, to me, the cherry tomatoes.

You see, they are slightly cooked...and oh so very yummy!

So after I finished cooking the pot stickers according to package instructions in my iron skillet, I turned off the flame, tossed in some cherry tomatoes from the garden and put a lid on the skillet for a few minutes. The heat in the pan cooked the tomatoes to perfection: they still kept their shape. They were not over cooked, just cooked...or warmed enough to change the taste from 100% raw to something incredibly delicious.

WARNING: you must pop one whole cherry tomato at a time into your mouth. Make sure it has cooled off a bit. Do not bite into it with lips slightly parted . It will squirt hot tomato-y juice all over. Keep your lips closed as you bite into this delcious round red globe.

Better than Dibs

Want a bite of something cold and creamy and yummy? And that is beter than "Dibs"?
Freeze ripe banana slices on wax paper or parchment on a cookie sheet. When frozen, remove them and serve or store in ziploc bag in freezer for instant creamy and fiber filled, vitamin mineral filled natural frozen bananas.

Eat them in a bowl with a spoon, or with your fingers from a plate. And you can, of course, blend them in a blender with milk or soy milk or almond milk and make a thick creamy shake. The Hulihan household has been doing frozen banana shakes for over 20 years now. I like the sliced frozen ones even better than a shake. I don't have to clean out a blender...and each cold creamy slice in my mouth is heavenly and cools me off!
Eat me!

What David Taught Us

Progressive International Jumbo Potato Cutter from amazon.com! I paid 15.99 last week but now it is 21.99. Hmm...Anyway, after you peel a half pound of carrots and cut them in half, it takes just seconds to make a plate full of bright crunchy carrot sticks! Mmmm.


The dip he taught me is..get some good refrigerated ranch dressing and some Srirachi Sauce and blend them together.
This is such a great healthy snack! Thanks, David!

Produced in our backyard

Green grapes are ripe about first week of August. This is about all we got..the birds ate the rest. These are kind of sour. Have to do research on how to get the grapes to be sweeter.

Apricots are ready early July. We got maybe a dozen...its a small tree. But we need to prune it better.

Cherry tomatoes! We picked a cup every other day starting in early July. MMMmmm.

The Red Barn

On our way home from our adventures in Idaho and Utah, we had to stop in Santaquin to go to The Red Barn to check out the cherries and other items they sell.
Since these cost over $16.00 a bottle, we passed. Maybe next time.
A cute display. Did you know...?

1 bushel= 4 pecks

1 bushel = 8 gallons

1 peck = 2 gallons

1/4 bushel = 1 peck
John getting a free sample of cold fresh raw apple cider!
Berries and cherries galore here.

We bought some huge cherries that were so dark red they were black. Funny thing-they did not sell cherry pitters. This is a great place to stop. They also had ice cream comes, fudge, cookies fresh baked, aprons, books, and chocolate covered cherries and blueberries, etc.

Make Your Own Magic Shell

I finally did it! I made my own Magic Shell....finally after many many references Larissa made to me about making my own with coconut oil and cocoa.
Tommy and Christine gave me a lovely glass jar of organic virgin coconut oil and so I decided to take the plunge and try it.
Here is the recipe, so very simple.
Magic Shell
In small saucepan, combine
2 Tablsp. coconut oil
4 Tablsp.. unsweetened cocoa
1 Tablsp. honey
Heat gently until coconut oil has melted and all is combined and liquid-y.
Take off heat. Using a teaspoon, drizzle the dark liquid over your ice cream. It will harden almost immediately. I like
Very yummy..you can add chopped nuts..that is even better.