An Exploit: From the Kitchen to the Rig

My mom, I think, told me I should do a "kitchen to field" entry. At least until I get a kitchen again. Turns out that I will be living in apartments or double wide trailers for the next 3 months, at least. So, you'll be hearing a lot about rigs. Or maybe not a lot about them, because I have almost no time to myself. Right now, we are waiting and I should be studying, but who wants to study?

Anyway I am at my first job. It is a rig near Portland, TX. And it is ON the beach. Not sandy, but very nice, from my point of view. It was rather brown yesterday, because it was SO windy. Amazing coming from a Wyoming girl, right? I'm not complaining, it made it seem not so hot, but it made the bay kind of a nasty brown color.

Looking across the bay, to the north, I believe what I see is a refinery. Looked a little bit like Sinclair. Also, one of the gentlemen here told me that you could cross a bridge and go to a beach. I'll have to go explore if I get a chance.

My exploration last night took place fairly close to the rig. This is what I see about 30 yards from my "house".

These boards are very intriguing, I wonder what was out here.

And there's the rig. If you look carefully, you can see more of the bay behind the rig. the other pictures are looking off to the right.

This is my little perch. I can step down, and have a little seat and put my feet in the water.

The sand bar, it's only about 20 feet across. The rest of the beach is more clifflike.

My home for the next 2 weeks, or so.

Well, time to get back to studying. Wish me luck!

Curry Chicken and Pesto

Today I made some Pesto to put in the freezer for my parents. Of course I had to try it, to make sure it is suitable to save. YUM! I might have to use some hand have pesto pasta tonight for dinner!

Pesto

1/2 c Dried Basil

1 c Parmesan, grated

3/4 c Olive Oil

2 T Minced Garlic

1/3 c Pine Nuts, toasted

Combine in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Serve over pasta, with chicken, on French Bread, Garlic Bread, or Sandwiches (ie. Turkey Pesto).

I have also been wanting some Curried Chicken Salad. So I finally made some today, but I only froze half of it for my mom. I had to keep some out for the rest of this week, what else am I supposed to eat? I've frozen everything else!

Curried Chicken Salad

3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cut into cubes (about 4 cups)

-I cooked mine in garlic for more flavor

3/4 c Mayonnaise

1-2 T Curry

1/4 c Toasted Pine Nuts (I had some left over from the pesto)

1/4 c Carrots, chopped

Chopped Apple or Grapes

Mix all together in a bowl, and serve plain or on sandwiches. Enjoy!

Strawberry Ice Cream

I made some brownies today, with orange in them, yum. Then I made some Strawberry Ice Cream, except I didn't have enough Strawberries, so I had to add some Raspberries. Then I ate them together. They were amazing! The only problem is: I forgot to take a picture. Drat. I have a pic of the ice cream, and one of the brownies, but no Sundae :(

I only used half of this recipe, so the notes correspond with a half batch.

Strawberry Ice Cream

2 lb. Strawberries, hulled (I used frozen berries but only had about 1/2 lb, so I used about 1/2 lb Raspberries)
2 T Lemon Juice
6 Large Eggs
1 c Sugar
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
4 c Half and Half (I used about 1/3-1/2 c Heavy Cream and filled the rest of the 2 c with 2%)
3 T Vanilla

Blend the berries in a food processor, leaving some chunks.Cream the eggs and sugar for no less than 10 minutes. Add the Sweetened Condensed Milk, half and half, and vanilla, and mix. Add the berries and mix well. Freez according to mixer instructions. (I misread the instructions, and ended up beating everything except the berries for about 10 minutes, then I added them and beat it for about 2 more. Not all of it fit in my little mixer, I had about 1/2 c left over.)

Sundae Brownies

I got this brownie recipe from the Farm Journal's Best-Ever Cookies book, that I borrowed from my aunt.


Best-Ever Brownies

3/4 c All-purpose Flour, sifted
1/2 t Baking Powder
1/4 t Salt
1/2 c Butter, softened
1 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t Vanilla
2 oz Unsweetened Chocolate, melted and cooled

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the chocolate and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients, blending well. Pour into greased 9 in. square baking pan (I used a 9x13 in. and let my brownies be pretty thin). Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes (I did 20 minutes so mine were very soft and chewy).

Banana Bread

My dad and my sister are really picky about Banana Bread, I can never remember which way they like it. More cakey or more like bread, I think it's the cake, but even then I've made so many recipes who knows which one they're asking for! This is the recipe from The Joy of Cooking that I made on Sunday for volleyball. Too bad no one showed up!



Banana Bread

1 3/4 c All-purpose Flour
2 1/4 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt
1/3 c Butter, softened
2/3 c Sugar
1 t Lemon Juice
1-2 Eggs, beaten
1 1/4 c Banana Pulp (I use the black ones out of the freezer, so they're already pulp)

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. In a large bowl (I used the stand mixer) cream the butter, sugar and lemon. Add the eggs and banana and mix well. Add the flour mixture in batches.

Pour into greased bread pan, and bake for about 1 hour at 350*. Cool before slicing. It crumbles a lot if you cut it hot, but the butter melts on it really well, and it is heavenly.

Chicken Enchaladas

Ok, so most of my pictures are not of the actual Enchaladas. I forgot to take pictures before I wrapped them up to freeze, so I did a quick sketch (eek). I'm cooking some things for my parents, becaues I worry they'll starve when I start my job. Which happens to be 2 weeks away! I'll be leaving to go there about the time they get back from England.

Oh, I would like to say that I made this recipe up because they are fantastic, but I must give the credit to my friends Kevin and Tamara. They made these for me the last time I visited them. Now they'll have to come visit me! Or maybe I'll take goodies to their wedding. Anyway, Enchaladas:



Chicken Enchaladas

1 T Olive Oil
1 T Minced Garlic
1 1/2 lb. Chicken Breast
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
2 cans Enchalada Sauce
Cheddar Cheese, shredded, I use about 4 cups, at least
1 can Green Chiles
Tortillas

Heat the garlic and olive oil on medium low heat in a frying pan that has a lid. When hot add the chicken, and cover wtih the lid. Cook, checking regularly, until chicken is cooked through. If it starts scorching, add about 1/2 c water to the bottom of the pan.

When the chicken is done, cool on a cutting board for a couple minutes. Then, using a fork, shred the chicken.

Put the onions in the pan, with any drippings, and saute until they start to brown. Add the shredded chicken, 1 can enchalada sauce, about 2 cups cheese, and the chiles. Cook on medium heat until the cheese melts.

Ready a baking dish. Roll the mixture in tortillas and place them side by side in the baking dish. Cover with the other can of enchalada sauce, and the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20 mintues at 350*. Serve hot with any toppings: Green Onions, Sour Cream, Green Chile, more Cheese...



I usually have to pack the last couple tortillas with A LOT of filling, otherwise it won't get used. This time I was craving a crunchy tortilla, quesidilla style. So, I put the remaining filling on a tortilla, folded it in half, and broiled it for about 2 minutes on each side. Then I put some green taco sauce on it. It was definitely amazing. I will have to do this again.

Finally Flapjacks

I mentioned Flapjacks a long time ago, and I finally made them again. And I remembered to take a picture! These are not soft like the ones I had with Claire in England, but they are still really good, and so easy to make.

Flapjacks

3/8 c Butter (6 T)

1/4 c Sugar, caster or light brown

2 T Golden or Maple Syrup (I've used maple, I'm not sure what golden syrup is yet)

2 c Rolled Oats

Put butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan, heat gently until the ingredients have melted. add oats and mix thoroughly. place in a 7 or 8 in. square baking tin and press down firmly with a flat-bladed knife.

Bake at 350* for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Mark in fingers while still hot, but remove from the tin when nearly cold.

I've found that the less you cook them the more likely they'll be to stick together, rather than crumble apart. Also they'll be slightly softer, if you prefer them more like the cookie dough English version I had.