Playing with food from mavenandmeddler.com

Cami TOO solves mastectomy style issues

2010-03-09T06:48:42Z

Great seafood any night of the week, economically.

2010-03-06T06:30:46Z

For some time, I’ve been buying the bags of frozen, individually packaged fish at Costco. Halibut, Orange Roughy, Cod and such. It’s pretty good, but kind of expensive, some of it coming in at around $15 - 20 per bag which provides maybe eight to ten portions, depending on the type of fish.

Today, needing to restock the freezer - and we eat a LOT of fish around here at Rancho Maven, at least three nights a week - I wandered into Costco for more of same.

Cod with sausage and shellfish. Quick. Easy. Dinner

2010-03-06T06:16:34Z

A healthy snack for everybody, every night

2010-03-03T05:47:51Z

Suze Orman on money and why you need credit unions

2010-03-02T21:34:28Z

I couldn’t snag this feature in video, but take a couple minutes to read the following. Orman - a well regarded financial guru - makes the same case I’ve been trying to make with readers: Credit unions can be your best ally - especially during uncertain economic times.

Here’s the CBS transcript:

Hi everybody. You know, last time I talked to you, right around now, the stock market? Well, it was in the tank. The economy was just starting to come back, and then all of a sudden - what happened? The stock market started to go up 65%, everything started to seem like it was OK.

But here is what I want you to understand.

Trick out your in-home bath/spa

2010-03-02T05:29:50Z

We’re all spending more time - and more money - on making our home our castle. And, it seems, bathrooms get a lot of the attention on the home improvement shows but short shrift in the real world scheme of things. But, the master bathroom - at Rancho Maven anyway - has been remodeled with love. It’s a sanctuary of sorts, with black granite and a natural smooth river stone floor.

A while back, you might of noticed if you’re a regular reader, we did the final remodeling to the two main bathrooms in the house. Money being what it is these days, the final touches had to wait.

New Zealand 'Green Lipped' Mussels Gumbo

2010-02-27T05:20:17Z

The grocery shopping expedition yielded some excellent, fresh okra and some wonderful, fresh New Zealand ‘green lipped’ mussels - which we like in a seafood broth with sausage and some vegetables. It’s a great thing to dunk artisan bread into.

Besides being fast, easy and healthy, it’s also fairly light on the budget and waistline. The mussels were $5.99 a pound and with the vegetables and sausage (another couple bucks for fresh, in-house made Marquez lamb sausage ) it’s not too expensive considering we fed three adults. Nobody went hungry.

It’s a simple matter of prepping the vegetables

Fast, easy dinner for the tired worker drone

2010-02-27T05:11:25Z

Can we get rational about the war on 'carbs'?

2010-02-23T02:59:37Z

It seems like no matter where you go or who you talk to, just about everybody is avoiding ‘carbs’. The thought that runs through my mind: “Uh, which carbs? The good ones or the bad ones?”

Avoiding all carbs is neither rational or in the interest of good health and nutrition, and it’s not going to help the waistline in the long run.

Simply deciding to avoid carbs misses the point.

Healthy 12 grain and boiled apple cider cake

2010-02-22T04:33:38Z

Again, this cake is a breeze to whip up, and it’s so delicious that you’d swear it couldn’t possibly be healthy, too.

The secret to the nutrition is King Arthur Flour 12-Grain Flour. The secret to the taste is the Wood’s Cider Mill boiled cider syrup. Maple or cane sorghum syrup would be good choices, too.