So, ADHD… I have been gone for a while. Whether it was depression, anxiety or a bit of both, I just couldn’t move for a while there. Just doing what cooking I had to do to keep myself and the kid fed.

Well, there I was, playing computer games, watching shows, and reading Facebook, when I saw a Facebook post in the group Japanese Food and Recipes by Ai Takayama. She was posting inks to her YouTube videos. The first one I watched was on Onigirazu. Imagine making a slice of bread out of spread rice, adding sandwich fillings and topping with another “slice” of spread rice. Here is her YouTube Video about Onigirazu. She even has a Japanese word or phrase at the end on each video.

Well, that got me thinking about making this rice covered burrito/sandwich thing, but I still had trouble getting up and getting going. So, yesterday, she posts about Onigiri. Japanese rice balls. And my spouse makes Spam(tm) and scrambled egg sandwiches. With leftover Spam(tm). I think about Onigirazu. And Bare Naked Spam(tm) Omubushi. I might not have spelled that right. And remembered the Hoisin and Brown sugar marinade I had made for some pork chop strips. And thought I’ll make Onigirazu out of Spam Lite(tm) slices cooked in that marinade. Important Safety Note! I didn’t use marinade that had touched pork! I made more than I needed and put the rest in a separate jar until I would be ready for it.

As I was slicing the leftover Spam Lite ™, well ADHD hit and my slices turned into dices and my Onigirazu turned into Onigiri filled with diced Spam(tm) cooked on Hoisin and Brown Sugar marinade.

Brown Sugar Hoisin Chicken Breast Marinade by Barbara Fonseca of the FREEZER MEAL CLUB – friends of HappyMoneySaver Facebook group
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

I cooked 2 cups of sushi rice, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 1/2 cups of water in a rice cooker.
I used a half cup measuring cup to scoop out the rice into more or less equal portions into a bowl lined with plastic wrap. I added a light spinkle of salt.

I had bowl, plastic wrap and salt on a scale that I zeroed out each time and added 1/2 ounce of filling and another light sprinkle of salt.

I wrapped the plastic wrap so the rice was more or less completely surrounding the filling, then shaped it, still in the plastic wrap, into a flat triangular shape. I did the first one with a second half cup on top, thought it was too big, then did the rest with a single half cup of rice.

I knew I was making more that I would eat, but knew that rice, and the filling, could be frozen. Microwave until thawed if taking somewhere or frying to make Yakigiri. Microwave until warm if enjoying right then. Leave in the plastic wrap until ready to enjoy regardless, if you freeze them or take them on a hike or to work,school or wherever.

Keep food safety in mind.

• If rice is salted, it will be safe to enjoy unrefrigerated a few hours later.
• If fillings are preserved, such as flakes of dehydrated fish, pickles, etc., it will be safe to eat unrefrigerated a few hours later.
• If any ingredients should be refrigerated, keep in refrigerator, freezer or an insulated lunch bag with a blue ice block until ready to enjoy.

Ai Takayama also made a couple of other rice balls. I think I would put the flavor liquids suck as soy sauce or mirin directly in the cooking water instead of stirring it in after the way she did. I was thinking I might use lunch meat instead of the thin slices of meat she used on the third one. A) I am not confident I could slice that thin. B) I wouldn’t have to worry about getting every bit cooked the way she did. On the other hand, I bet Crest or Sprouts would be willing to cut raw meat on their slicer for me.

I am thinking about veggies for Ramen. I am thinking about diced meat and veggies with pickles and diy Kewpie mayo. I am thinking about fried rice Onigiri with finely dices meats and veggies and soy sauce and mirin cooked together in a rice cooker.

I might even try simmering seaweed in a mix of mirin and rice wine vinegar.

---

A rice ball doesn’t need to be a flat triangular shape to be good. It can be anything from just a round ball to a cylinder to molded to look like a cat or bunny. Or just tossed in a bowl and eaten with a fork after the thing falls apart. It will still taste good.

Many like seaweed wrapped around rice balls, others dip in sesame seeds or seasoning mixes.

Ai Takayama’s YouTube channel has a link to a Delish Kitchen recipe. In the video, the person wrapped a cheese stick in rice, using plastic wrap to wrap it evenly.

Then she wrapped it in what might have been thinly sliced pork belly, or might have been bacon.

Then she dusted in potato starch and sauteed in a frying pan before steaming it in sake, soy sauce and grated ginger.

---

Well,

I do have rice.

I don’t have cheese sticks, won’t have any utilities next week, but I do have hot dogs.

I don’t need to use meat to wrap Onigiri. I do have thick sliced bacon? Maybe, maybe not.

I don’t have potato starch, but I have corn starch, it should give a similar coating.

I don’t have sake, but I do have mirin and rice wine vinegar, half of each should be a good substitute.

I do have a bottle of minced ginger in the fridge.

I might try that.

I wouldn’t put on a stick like a corn dog, but

Wrap a hot dog in 3/4 to 1 cup of cooked sushi rice. Use plastic wrap to get the rice evenly and completely covering the hot dog.

Experiment. Do one or two wrapped in bacon. Do one or two plain. Dust corn starch on some, leave it off others.

Grill until all sides, I know, do round shapes have sides?, are Golden Brown and Delicious, or GBD, as Alton Brown would say.

Then add

• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar, she used brown sugar in the video
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon ginger, she grated, I have minced

And cover with a lid, turning and moving from time to time to get them steamed and most of the liquid adsorbed.

She made four Cheese in meat stick rice ball, to use the English half of her recipe title.

I will

Make some with hot dogs, half with, half without bacon, with corn starch instead of potato starch.

Make some with cheese sticks, no bacon and water for the picky spouse.

Make some with hot dogs, no bacon and water for the picky spouse.

Make some with hot dogs and some with cheese sticks and the recipe flavors for me and the kid.

Freeze extras to heat in the microwave or toast in the oven or a toaster oven when we can get it replaced. My kid is confident about using a toaster oven, but at 8yo, I worry about reach with a regular oven. I keep a few meals in the freezer for night I just don’t feel able to cook, that our kid can make.

I would think about 20 minutes at 350 degrees from frozen. I haven’t tried making these yet. I don’t know if that would be the time. I am going off instructions for heating the typical store bought frozen corn dog.

CCS recommendations for adults include

• 6 ounces of whole grains or whole grain flours
• 5 1/2 ounces of lean protein, including eggs.
• 3 cups of low or non fat dairy

Along with fruit and veggies goals. They give visual portion size things like four dice or a deck of playing cards, that has never worked for me.

But, I am thinking. One whole, large egg is about 2 ounces. And according to Ruhlman’s book, Ratio, 2:3 is the ratio of egg to flour, with one egg per full serving. Which means, one serving of pasta salad made with one large egg and three ounces of flour that is whole grain, would have half of my daily whole grains and leave a nice 3.5 ounce serving of protein, like a chicken thigh or chicken tenderloins to have later.

Now, eating healthier means less fats, but that can be solved with a substitution or two. A vinaigrette dressing or substitute plain yogurt for the mayonnaise dressing.

---

Homemade Pasta Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 3 ounces whole wheat, or other whole grain flour such as buckwheat

Slowly incorporate egg into flour. Many pasta chefs will say do this by hand, I plan to use a stand mixer on low.

Once incorporated, knead, until it is velvety smooth.

Let it rest at least ten minutes, and up to an hour.

Roll out, and slice. Or run through a pasta extruder.

Boil in salted water until al dente.

---

Homemade Vinaigrette Recipe

• 3 parts oil
• 1 part vinegar

Or

• 9 parts oil
• 3 parts vinegar
• 1 part mustard

Mix well.

Optional: add a flavorful liquid, herbs, spices, citrus zest or peel. Up to 2:1 flavor to vinegar.

I like to use fresh herbs when they are available. Converting from fresh to dried, use three times as much fresh as you would use dried. If you would use 1 teaspoon of dry herb, use 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons of fresh.

---

My thought process for a Japanese inspired Soba noodle salad would be along the lines of:

Either soba noodles, or homemade buckwheat/egg noodles. Then for dressing, I strongly dislike toasted sesame oil, so I would use either sunflower or regular untoasted sesame oil. Rice wine vinegar, maybe either mirin or soy sauce. I find the actual vinaigrette recipe a bit oily, so I think I’ll try reducing to 2:1 oil to vinegar and start with one part soy or mirin, not both, to vinegar. If I had some on hand, I might try a batch with Oriental mustard, that helps the emulsion of the vinaigrette. Or mustard with horseradish is available in my area and has a similar kick, perhaps the wasabi pastes sold near me would have a similar function? In any case, taste. If I like, use it as the dressing and probably adapt for marinades.

I like pickles in pasta salads, I found a recipe for instant soy pickles, I could make a batch, use those in the pasta salad.

What veggies will I eat in that pasta salad? I feel that they should be stir fried. Maybe eggplant or Japanese eggplant? I know onion, bell peppers, and carrots. Maybe add frozen green peas? Or frozen edamame? I don’t hate the taste, and I think I would be willing to try at least one batch that way. Regardless, I should try to start with one cup of mixed raw veggies per serving of pasta salad, for that half a day serving.

If traditional soba noodles don’t have egg, that means another 2 ounces of lean protein elsewhere during the day.

---

Now, for the meal with hubby and the kid, I might do something as simple as saute chicken thighs in a pan and serve on buns as chicken sandwiches, whole grain, if we have them, or as complicated as stir fry or pizza. Yes, with a stand mixer, homemade pizza crust is easy. Without, it would be a bit of an upper arm workout.

---

Homemade Pizza Crust

• 5 parts flour
• 3 parts water
• 1/2 teaspoon yeast per 5 ounces flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar or brown sugar per 5 ounces of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil per 5 ounces of flour

Proof the yeast. This just means add warm water, I generally use hot tap water, to yeast. Set a 5 minute timer. If you get bubbles, you are good. If not, you get flat bread, as the yeast is no longer active to help the pizza dough rise.

Mix every thing together thoroughly. Like that pasta, we want it really soft and smooth.

Let it rise, set that timer for between 10 minutes and an hour.

Punch it down, shape it, give it 5-10 minutes.

---

If you want frozen pizzas, bake it for 3-5 minutes. You want it to puff, but don’t want it brown. Take it out. Either top it or leave it as crust. If the crust is flat enough, this step, called parbaking, is unnecessary. Hmm… frozen calzones, perhaps?

Wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil, try to use a sharpie on a strip of freezer take to indicate what it is and a three month use by date and pop it in the freezer on a cookie sheet to freeze flat.

Bake from frozen.

---

Try to remember to preheat the oven, I usually forget, while topping the pizza crusts. Individual pizzas are one time I don’t mind making meals “to order” by adding or leaving off toppings. Bake at 450 or 500°F oven until edges are brown. I generally start checking at 15 minutes, then check at 5 or 2 minute intervals, depending on cheese and crust doneness.

Mexican Pizza

• 7.5 ounces flour, all purpose or whole wheat
• 2.5 ounces cornmeal
• 6 ounces water
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Make as above, use salsa for sauce, and Mexican blend shredded cheese, I think I have some premade beef fajita meat..

---

Pick a basic recipe idea.

Pick a flavor profile you like.

Pick ingredients you like and avoid ingredients you can’t eat for any reason.

Use any combination of homemade and convenience foods you want.

Use any labor saving devices you want.

Use a few simple cooking techniques.

Enjoy.

While that might sound like nonsense, it is a recipe for ground meat that I made the other day, then used on a bun like a sloppy joe, that got me thinking about making sloppy joes while I’ll make tomorrow.

What is soboro?

Saute finely diced onion, I didn’t have any, so I used shredded carrots and dried onion flakes. Caramelize 2 tablespoons of sugar, then deglaze with 2 tablespoons of sake, I didn’t have any so I use rice wine vinegar but water would work just as well.

A pound of ground meat, salt, ground pepper, minced garlic and ginger, 2-3 tablespoons each of dark soy sauce and oyster sauce, and enjoy. It is supposed to have a nice strong flavor to play against plain rice.

---

This soboro got me thinking, as I said about sloppy Joe’s, which got me remembering Granny’s Great Goop. Increadible comfort food, in spite of the name. It is basically sloppy joe mix served on top of masked potatoes.

I use a pound of ground beef, although any ground meat or combo or even TVP could be used. Saute it, with chopped onion and bell pepper until browned. Stay and watch, set check it alarms, whatever you need to do to keep it from burning. Add garlic once the meat is brown and saute about a minute or two to get that garlic browned and mixed into the rest of the meat.

I add salt and pepper, then I add a can of chopped tomatoes, a can of tomato sauce and a small can of tomato paste. Then simmer until it is nice and thick. If I get impatient, I mix 2 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in some cold water, then add the slurry to the mix to get it thicker.

As I am usually enjoying this alone, I will measure out 1/4 or 1/3 cup of instant mashed potatoes from one of those just add water bags. I then add double that of water, 1/2 or 2/3 cup. I have even used a full bathroom water size cup as the measuring cup, 1 full for potatoes and 2 full of water.

---

Feel free to change it up. Try using BBQ sauce in place of tomato sauce and a can of Mexican chopped tomatoes. Use it on a bun, or over rice, or over mashed cauliflower. Add in any other veggies you want to add. Try it topped with cheese or with bacon. Those make everything taste better, don’t they?

---

I started with experimenting with a new dish, used a few easy cooking and prepping techniques, then realized that it was similar to a dish I already know, and now I am starting to think of ways to change it up, like a spicy version with BBQ sauce and a few hot peppers, topped with cheese on a bun. If I was going Italian, there is marinara sauce and thick pizza sauce. Maybe a pound of the good sausage links instead of ground beef or start with a teaspoon of Italian seasoning blend, taste and adjust up if needed. On a bun, topped with mozzarella or pizza cheese… Hmm… sounds good.

It is spring. For some reason, to me, that means pasta salad. I am going to do a recipe today, but go ahead and mix and match however you want.

I had 2 frozen brats, so I used them. I defrosted them about halfway in the microwave, defrosted enough to cut but still hard enough from being partially frozen to cut easily. Once fully defrosted, the good sausage I used gets too squishy to cut easily yet hard to break up the way one can with ground meats. I sliced, then cubed the slices before frying them in a frying pan without any oil.

I boiled a small bag of shell pasta, the bag said 9 minutes, so I had them boil for that long, with 1 teaspoon of salt added to the water. If you don’t salt the water, that’s fine, but the pasta will taste a bit bland. The dressing takes care of that. Once the timer went off, they went into the collander to drain, then into the mixing bowl.

I didn’t have any fresh veggies in the house, so I defrosted a partial bag of mirpoix. That is just the French term for onions, carrots and celery, and no chopping, it was already diced. The gherkins, those I diced.

For the dressing, I used a basic mix for potato salad or deviled eggs, equal parts mayo, yellow mustard and pickle relish. I think next time, I’ll use Dijon mustard instead of yellow. And add some sharp cheddar cheese cubes.

I folded everything together gently, and done.

---

I did something I don’t usually do. I measured out servings, started with 1 cup in each of three containers and a bowl for enjoying right then, then added a half cup to each. There was a little bit left over, so into the bowl. It was so good.

Mustard and brats are a classic combo. The mayo mellows out the mustard enough for me to find the strong spicy taste enjoyable. The pieces of sweet gherkin give sweetly acidic bursts as I munched. Fresh diced onion would have been a nice addition, but it is good the way it is.

I don’t like wasting money, especially when I don’t have much. Unfortunately, I don’t always remember to use veggies when I buy them. Which means that they go bad.

Yesterday, I found some cheep garden seeds, 2 or 4 for a dollar. Today, I raided my recycling bin for 2L soda bottles, cut the top off and flipped it over. A bit of duct tape to connect top to bottom and to cover the sharp edges later, I have self watering planters. I used some paper towel to wick water up.

I planted a leaf lettuce seed, three radish seeds and three bunching onion seeds in each. If they sprout, I’ll have salads in about a month.

I have had a few days on not wanting to do anything, then did some cooking ahead over the weekend. I made some Sweet Pepper and Carrot Confetti, from the Just Bento website. To make it a bit easier, I used half a bag of shredded carrots. To make it a bit sweeter and spicier, I added a bit of honey and some crushed red pepper flakes. I also made some soboro out of a pound of ground pork. So, nomming that on rice.

I will often start with a recipe that sounds good. I try the recipe and if I like it, I’ll keep making it. After a while, I start making it without the recipe, I almost did that this time with the confetti. Diced veggies simmered in a cup of veggie stock, until it evaporates. I don’t really keep alcohol in the house, not even ones used for cooking, so I used rice wine vinegar as a substitute for rice wine.

When cooking, it’s your food. Make substitutions, leave stuff out, add stuff you like in. Tonight, I pulled a high chicken breast out of the freezer. I thawed to about halfway in the microwave, this makes it easier to cut, and diced it. Rainbow carrots from the freezer, stoplight bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms and salt pepper and garlic. Just one chicken breast and there is still a serving for me to have later.

Last night, I tried to make teriyaki spam sushi. I got the spam fried, the teriyaki sauce made, and the rice was a bit undercooked and too wet. It didn’t stick together very well. It tasted good,but I learned I need to a) cook it just a bit longer, b) let it sit a bit longer to let the last of the cooking water evaporate right and c) cool down enough to work with.

I experiment. When I do, I don’t usually get it right the first time. Very few cooking mistakes are inedible. Most can be fixed or enjoyed the way they are. Did you know that fudge was originally someone messing up while making candy? Or that brownies were originally the result of a failed cake? At worst, a cooking mistake will be thrown out. At best? It will live on forever as a wonderful dish.

I don’t trust sashimi, to use the Japanese term for the raw fish component often used in sushi. Hence, the fried spam. Sushi is supposed to use cooked and mostly cooled rice, not hot, which was one point where I went wrong. Once cooled down to warm, I could use it as is to make onigiri, or Japanese rice balls. I just made a small batch, about enough for the two large teriyaki spam musubi recipe I found at the Bear Naked Food blog. Other than not using the nori, I followed the recipe fairly faithfully.

One of the major differences between sushi and rice balls is that sushi is meant to be enjoyed as soon as it is made. Rice balls are intended to be tossed into a lunch box and eaten later. Which means salt in the rice and dipping hands and utensils for mixing and shapeing in salt water or brine. And, if there are fillings, they should be shelf stable, cured meats, pickles, that sort of thing. I have used long grain rice and refrigerated, but all the sites say that causes it to loose something as far as texture.

These do need to be mostly rice, and mostly short to med grain sushi rice at that. One can make with white or brown rice, or mix other types of rice or grains in, but I feel it needs rice as the base of the grain. From there, sushi rice gets seasoned with rice wine vinegar, with a bit of salt and sugar. Onigiri rice gets used as it is, both once cooled enough to handle. Hands, bowls, utensils and any molds used should be clean enough to eat off. Basically, you are.

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the vinegar for sushi, pour over and fold in. Don’t use metal mixing spoons, these can smash the rice into paste. Gently mix by folding.

There is also a desert fusion of sushi known as fruit sushi or fruishi. Cook the sushi rice in coconut milk or coconut cream.

---

Mold, shape, layer on a mat or plastic wrap or dish out into a bowl. Add a topping, filling, or leave plain. Dip the edges in seasoned salt or sesame seeds. Grill rice balls or deep fry sushi.

To make a sushi roll, spread an even layer of rice on a mat or plastic wrap. Place fillings on the rice, leaving some edge plain. Use the mat or plastic wrap to roll it up into a roll. Cut into slices and enjoy. Fresh veggies can be used and look beautiful.

Get creative with molds, I used the can that the spam came in, but an ice cube tray would work for a smaller square or rectangle. Line with plastic wrap so it is easy to get out.

Get creative with toppings or fillings. I am thinking I might consider acid cooked fish, even though I am not willing to do raw. Authentic sushi uses a variety of roe, as well as fish and other seafood from shrimp to octopus. I wonder how a summer sausage rice ball would taste?

And then there is fruishi to explore. Some choose fruit based on whether it will look like traditional sushi, others just pick what fruit they like. Roll in coconut flakes or wrap in thin layers of fruit such as papaya or in a thin crepe instead of the seaweed often used in sushi rolls.

I don’t know about you but from time to time, I find meat that is a bit freezer burned. It is good just dry if I try to saute it, my usual meat cooking method. I don’t throw it away, because I can make it into something quite good.

How? By poaching it. Don’t let the word scare you off, poaching food is basically just putting it in a little liquid and bringing it to a simmer until it is cooked through. The gentle heat combined with cooking mostly immersed in liquid turns out moist, tender meat, even if it started out dried out in the freezer. A confit, the “t” is silent, is poaching in oil instead of liquid. I just used water, but here is a place to add flavor by using a different cooking liquid. Use chicken broth to really increase that chicken flavor, or cook in part or all wine, beer, cider or any liquid you enjoy and that goes with your dish. Fresh or dried herbs and spices can be added to the liquid. Fruit can be poached in wine, fruit juice or honey.

I like chicken cordon blu. Chicken, ham and swiss cheese wrapped up in bread crumbs. But a pasta salad? Yep. Poached chicken thighs, cubes of ham and of Swiss cheese, and diced onion. I thought about diced apple, but decided to go with the core flavors. The dressing was a creamy blend of half mayo, half mustard with just a touch of red wine vinegar and some sweet pickle relish. The exact flavor of the deviled eggs of my childhood enveloping pasta, proteins and onion.

So, I rescued some chicken thighs that were forgotten in the freezer and changed up my pasta salad recipe, such as it is, to have the tastes of a dish I like. All without a recipe. Have fun, try something different. Tomorrow, I might try to make rice balls, or I might not feel like doing anything. In that case, I have a few containers of pasta salad to come to my rescue.

Food is fairly safe. Although the last thing I want to do is scare anyone off cooking and enjoying eating, food safety and food handling is important.

I keep stressing a few things because when food isn’t safe, that can mean a trip to the ER or Urgent Care Clinic. I don’t want that! What we rarely think about is that there is an element of risk in just about everything we do, even driving to work or the store can result in that trip to the ER if we forget or ignore those safety guidelines.

Meat and eggs need to be cooked to be safe. The temperature depends of what meat, whether it is a solid chunk or ground and how it was processed. Ground meat should always be cooked through until there is no pink. Chicken should always be cooked through to 165°F or no pink in the thickest part. Pork should be cooked through to 160°F and can have a trace of pink in the center. Beef, if it is a steak can be pink or red in the center, if it is ground, nope! no pink! Eggs should be either cooked or pasteurized. Egg whites from those “milk cartons” can be used raw in things like the centers of chocolate covered mint candies.

Fish should be cooked until it changes color and flakes easily. There are a few “raw” fish dishes, such as ceviche and raw fish dishes such as sushi and sashimi. To be safe, only get sushi grade fish. It has been frozen to kill off any nasties the fish might be harboring. Then the fish might be cooked in an acid. Yes, the acid does the same function as heat to change the fish from the raw state. Sushi can use lightly cooked fish, if one is wary of fish that is actually raw.

---

I keep food that needs to be cooked to be eaten safety away from food that is safe to eat raw. I have read horror stories about cross contamination when people don’t think, then drink apple juice that has E. coli or lettuce with salmonella.

So, keep meat, fish and eggs away from produce. Whether in the grocery cart, in bags or in the fridge. Don’t put safe food, cooked meat, produce and such on a cutting board or in a mixing bowl that had raw meat or eggs in it. Use two, wash between, even flip it over if you are that pressed for time. Just be aware.

Keep hot food hot, keep cold food cold, food can be in the danger zone for a few hours when, say, cooling from cooking in the fridge or getting from store to home. Get in the habit of checking at every point. Check all the bags are in the house on the table or counter to be unloaded. Put meat, eggs, dairy and other perishables in the fridge or freezer as you get stuff out of bags. Check that all the bags are empty. Try to get food to safe temperature in under two hours. I think at a food handlers class they said the legal requirement is four hours, but it’s been a few years and sooner is better for safety.

Use a clean spoon or fork each time when tasting dishes. Use a serving utensils to dish food out of the serving dish on to plates. This keeps bacteria from our mouths from getting into the dish we are making, which can cause it to spoil faster.

If you see mold or you are in doubt about how long that has been in the fridge, throw it out. If you see bubbles in jars that shouldn’t have any bubbles, like pickles, throw it out. If you see food past its expiration date, throw it out. If you are in any doubt, it is better to be safe and throw it out, than risk that those sneaky little microbes have gotten to the food.

Do whatever it takes to get into that habit of awareness. Post It Notes, Alarms, Check Lists, if it works for you, use it. Stay safe, have fun cooking and enjoy eating.

The kid is off to the in-laws house and I decided to make a small batch of pasta salad. I make small batches of food like this because I am the only one who enjoys food like this in my house. I like this type of meal salad because it stretches the protein a bit. And I think it tastes good. Now, just because I made a small batch, doesn’t mean you can’t make a large batch for the family reunion potluck. Just increase how much you use.

I had a sandwich bag of leftover carne asada marinaded beef. I made 1/2 cup of pasta, added two chopped whole girkins, and a bunch of veggies. The dressing was just a tablespoon or two of mayo. I didn’t even measure. A bit of salt and pepper to season, and this was the result. The best part? I have another helping in a container for another meal chilling in the fridge.

The leftover meat could just as easily have gone on a bed of greens, with a bit of salad dressing. Or with a side of reheated rice, quinoa or “riced” cauliflower.

Pasta or Grain Salad

• Base starch or substitute
• Protein, optional, but I use this salad as a meal. Use a little, use a lot, or use none at all, totally up to you.
• Produce, veggies, maybe fruit. Grapes and apples are two of my favorite fruits to toss in.
• Dressing
• Salt, pepper, other spices or herbs if you want

A mix of 50% mayo to 50% sauce such as mustard or ranch dressing makes a great tasting dressing for this pasta salad. Just use a clean spoon to taste before adding to the salad.

Chop everything bite sized. How bit or small you chop is up to you. Add everything to the bowl. Gently fold everything together it is all lightly coated with your dressing. Use a clean spoon to take a bite and adjust if you need to.

Enjoy then or pack for later.