Ham Salad Sandwiches and Tangy Tomato Soup

The good news is I found the can opener I was looking for this morning. I swear it has legs and hides itself whenever it knows I want it.

Since I found my can opener and now can open cans, like cans of diced tomatoes, I thought I would share a quick soup recipe and a quick sandwich spread recipe I have been living off of the last few days because I haven’t had much appetite or desire to cook.

Those of you who have been following me a while may noticed I have posted both these recipes before. I am posting them again because the recipes use straight up pantry staples which maybe helpful in these crazy times.

Ham Salad

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

2 cup ham, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks

4 green onion, chopped into several chunks

2 TBS mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsp mustard

2 TBS pickle relish

In a food processor, combine the ham and green onions. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Be careful, you don’t want mush. In a small bowl, combine the ham mixture, mayo, mustard and pickle relish until well blended. Serve on sandwiches, crackers or a fork.

Tangy Tomato Soup

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From The Desperation Dinners Cookbook
½ tsp olive oil
¼ cup onion, diced
½ tsp garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook for one minute, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, their juices and the tomato sauce. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in chicken broth. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes to develop the flavors. Spoon the soup into individual serving bowls and sprinkle with the cheese.

Wing Sauces, 2 Ways

Today is the first day I have actually felt like eating all week so I decided to make one of my favorite things ever, air fryer chicken wings.

I usually just season them with magic mushroom powder or plain salt and pepper and eat them straight out of the air fryer, no sauce needed.

Today I was feeling extra so I made, not one but two, wing sauces. Both sauces take things you already have around the house and only take as long to make as it takes to melt the butter or ghee. Seriously, they are done in under 2 minutes.

Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From Delish

2 TBS melted butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp parsley, minced

3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, optional

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Toss your cooked wings with the sauce and enjoy.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce (Whole 30)

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From Inspired Taste

2 TBS melted ghee, use regular butter if not Whole 30

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 1/2 TBS Frank’s hot sauce

In a small saucepan, melt the ghee. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and heat through. Toss your cooked wings with the sauce and enjoy.

Country Fried Chicken (Whole 30)

One thing on my list of things to do while quarantined is to crochet a bunch of dish clothes. It keeps my hands busy while I watch movies and I have something tangible when I am done. It also helps with the ton of dishes I have from cooking 3 meals a day to have something new and fun to use to clean dishes with.

Country Fried Chicken

I have been making this recipe so long I have no idea where it came from anymore

1/3 cup almond flour (sub all purpose flour, if not Whole 30)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

1 egg1/4 cup coconut milk (sub milk of choice if not Whole 30)

1/3 cup olive oil

2 chicken thighs

2 chicken drumsticks

In a large, resealable bag, combine the first 5 ingredients. In a shallow bowl, beat egg and milk. Add chicken to the bag a few pieces at a time and shake to coat. Remove from the bag and let stand 5 minutes. Add the oil to a medium skillet, heat until the oil shimmers. Fry the chicken until golden brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium and cook until an meat thermometer registers 180 degrees, about 15 minutes.

Roasted Porkloin With Dry Rub (Whole 30)

Inspite of all the crap in the world right now, I had an epic morning. Today my beautiful, little budgie boy, Eli, voluntarily stepped onto my finger and let me carry him to the top of the cage for the first time.

Those of you without birds are probably wondering why that makes for an epic start to my day. In the bird world, stepping up onto a finger means your bird trusts you. That’s a pretty amazing feeling anytime. It’s even more amazing this time because Eli is absolutely terrified of my hands. Everytime I come near him with my hands, he screams and runs away. This morning he was so subtle about stepping up, I didn’t even realize he had done it at first. I am sure my other birds were wondering why I don’t get that excited when they step up. It was a huge break through for Eli and me.

If it scares Eli so bad why do I make him do it? Well, in the bird world, an automatic step up is a matter of safety. If my house is burning down or Eli has gotten himself into a unsafe situation stepping up when I ask may be the difference of saving him or leaving him to die but getting me and my other animals to safety or him hurting himself. It’s not a choice I ever want to have to make.

Roasted Pork Loin With Dry Rub

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

1 lb pork loin

1 TBS olive oil

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp all spice

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub pork all over with the olive oil. Mix all the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the pork and sear on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place the whole pan in the oven to finish cooking the pork, 12-15 minutes more or until an instant read thermometer read 160 degrees. Let rest 5-10 minutes under foil before serving.

Cuban Sazon (Whole 30)

In this crazy time a lot of food bloggers are left wondering what they should post or if they should post at all. Some are stopping posting thinking it seems disrespectful in these time of possible food limitations to keep posting recipes. Other bloggers are doing their best to post easy recipes using common pantry ingredients.

I will admit to being in the first category for a long time. Then I realized what I need most is to keep to my routine as much as I possibly can in this crazy time. A big part of my routine is this blog, looking for recipes, adapting recipes, testing recipes and posting recipes. When I am not doing those things it is way too easy to become overwhelmed and anxious about current events. So I am going to keep posting recipes, and about books I am reading, movies and shows I am watching, my crazy animals and what ever is making me happy in this crazy time. I hope that they will make you happy too.

First up is a simple seasoning blend using common spices. I have tried as a rub on turkey cutlets, added to ground beef and over vegetables. It’s a great way to add flavor to your meal when other ingredients are scarce.

Cuban Sazon

• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Adapted From The Made Whole, Made Simple Cookbook

2 TBS garlic powder

2 TBS onion powder

1 TBS dried parsley

1 TBS ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl; mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.