Nuts About Friday Haikus!

By the graces of the Lord God and the pensiveness of Andrew Lewis Stanfield, another Friday greets us and bows away. Saturating us with the promise of the joys to come and distractions of pleasure, the most important moments for some approach on the giggling feet of anticipation. Yet before we embark upon a most ambitious weekend, what would the close of Friday be without a haiku; and how far much better with several....

...but first things first...Friday Fixins for all you nuts out there.

Boiled Peanuts
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 quarts green uncooked peanuts
1/2 cup salt
2 1/2 quarts water

Wash Peanuts until water runs clear. Put clean peanuts in
crockery pot, add salt and water; stir. Cook, covered, on
high for 5 to 7 hours. Add additional water during
cooking, if necessary, to keep peanuts covered.

mmmmmm....tasty and even kinda healthy unless you have a nut allergy. But hey, just because I am sooo wonderful; here's something extra for my beloved Louisiana and all my cajun friends. ayhieeee!!!!

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And now on to the haikus of Friday: Fridakus. Thanks Andylicious for keeping the torch alive!


Smoldering Visions
Sticky summer duel
Melting inhibition's rule
Less being more cool.

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Happy Cohorts
United laughter
All for one and one for all
Breeds joys multiplied.

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Friday Haiku
Friday haiku;
Uniting thoughts from two minds
One chord harmony.

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Fridaku
Arrive at week's end
Write haikus on friday
5, 7, 5 read.

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The Seeing Unseen
One layer away
Desperately close, we watch
Oh voyeur delight.

Fridakus and Friday Fixin's of Bacon Wrapped Meatballs!

© english.chinatibetnews

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Fridaku: Green Face
Young, soft, straight, sparce, green
Like a beard across the earth
Grass sprouts in the Spring.

© Cooking on the Side.

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Finally it's that time of the year again that we can all roll up our sleeves and soak up the rays. Spring time is an array of incredible colors and the birth of new hopes and dreams. The grass has that new green look and the trees are littered with buds and bees. This has been a great Friday and the end of it wont be any different. Let's kick off this Friday with an old favorite, Friday Fixins! Can't you smell it already?

Bacon Wrapped Sweet & Sour Meatballs
From the Farmer John California Natural Extra Lean Ground Pork package
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
Meatballs
1 lb. ground pork
3 slices crustless white bread
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
10 slices bacon, cut in half
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
Wooden toothpicks for securing bacon

Sweet & Sour Sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil for frying
1 – 8 1/4 oz. can pineapple chunks in heavy syrup, juice reserved
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pinch salt
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger
6 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice

DIRECTIONS:
For meatballs: Tear apart the bread into small pieces, soak in milk and mash well in small bowl. In medium bowl, mix the ground pork with salt, garlic powder and pepper, stirring with fork. Drain off the excess milk from the mashed bread and mix with the meat. Make meatballs 1″ in diameter. Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon around each meatball. Use half a toothpick for each meatball to secure the bacon to the meatballs. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook meatballs 20-22 minutes until bacon is slightly crisp, turning frequently. Drain on paper towels. Remove toothpicks.

For sauce: Heat oil in medium saucepan. Add the pineapple and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients to the pan and bring slowly to a boil stirring continuously until thickened. Allow to simmer 1 minute or until completely clear.

Arrange meatballs on serving platter. Pour sauce over the meatballs. Serve while warm.

Phoenominal Frugal Friday Fixin's

Keep the pantry stocked for emergencies..!


Eat with your eyes!


This one is straight out of my survival 101. Its a love affair that began in college when I was broke more than I was breathing. It saved me many times from the pains of hunger. To this day, I keep this one on hand and stocked in the pantry for some moment that I may not want to go out or I need something really quick.


Ramen Beef Cassarole

Ingredients:
2 packages of your favorite Ramen Noodles
1 tbs butter
1 can of mushrooms
onion flakes
1 beef/chicken beef bullion cube
1 can of your favorite soup (Chunky Vegtable Beef )
marbled shredded cheese

In a shallow dish, add mushrooms, bullion cube, onion flakes and butter and heat to boiling. Cover. As the water boils away, the butter will begin to fry the mushrooms. Mushrooms are ready in 15 mins. Remain covered.

Heat soup and simmer. I rarely use anything straight from the can so I put a dash of black pepper or red to slap a little kick to it. Of course, recipes are just roadmaps to your taste utopia, so experiment.

Last: In a large stir, bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add Ramen Noodles to boiling water. In 3 mins, remove the noodles from heat. There's nothing worse than over-cooked Ramens. Noodles may appear to be not completely cooked; but they are perfect. Drain. Add butter; then flavor packet. This will keep the noodles from sticking together.

Arrange noodles into a ring on the plate, leaving a large circle in the middle. Pour soup the middle. Crown with mushrooms and cheese.

The beautiful colors from the rich ingredients in the vegtable soup contrasting with the golden sauteed mushrooms and marbled cheeese are just gorgeous! Bon Apetit!

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Cooking is fun and cooking can be easy. In the end, you just want to eat! If you can do that with very little hassle or expense,
doesnt it taste even better? It's been a nice smooth Friday like a canoe pushing from the shore. The weekend is ahead; do something fun and
different. Look for new things in the old and find something remarkable in the same. We miss so much in the hustle and bustle which reminds me of a funny "in a hurry story." Crockpot Krazies

If I hadnt seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. Life is funny that way, isnt it.