Treats from the Tipsy Turtle

Bread is one of my favorite things in the whole world. I love to make it (obviously) and I love to eat it. The problem is, as I've grown older, the carbs have begun to love me back; to the point where they set up house in my body and never want to leave. So I am on the hunt for a low carb bread; preferably one that I can make in my machine. I got this recipe from a gentleman on YouTube that calls himself "The Keto King." Since I know next to nothing about this kind of baking, I compared his recipe to a couple of others and there are some definite parallels in terms of ingredients used and the quantities.  the cast for today's trial. I added the ingredients to the pan in the order he suggested, so warm water and two lightly beaten eggs first. Then most of the dry ingredients, followed by a little honey and softened butter. The yeast went on top. Hmmm. I would have thought the yeast and honey went at the beginning with the water and the eggs. We shall see

I've been doing my Mom's grocery shopping since self-isolation began and it's been interesting to see how her requests have changed. At first she asked for canned goods, frozen meals and fresh produce. Then she added snacks like cookies and chips. Now she has started doing some cooking so she is asking for things like ground beef and taco shells! Last week she requested spare ribs. We split a Costco tray! Mom said she was considering a Chinese-style sweet and sour ribs but I opted to go with a baked rib to go with a tomato-based BBQ sauce. Here's today's cast. I unintentionally bought "St. Louis cut" ribs so they were cut across the bone. The ribs were placed in a rimmed pan and sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper. I covered the entire thing with foil and put it in a 275 degree oven for 4 hours. In the meantime, I put together a quick coleslaw by Rachael Ray. I used to like her 20 Minute Meals  Show. Her shows after that...not so much. A

Kayde was my son Tom's teacher in elementary school. If memory serves, she was just starting in education at the time, but her dedication to her students was apparent even then. Kayde cooks a lot with her children and her son, another Aiden, is already showing quite a bit of skill in the kitchen. She shared two recipes with me; I will definitely get to the second one a little later. I knew I was going to make Sofia's soy-ginger chicken and I thought Kayde's recipe for quick kim chee would be a perfect accompaniment. Here's the cast. Five won bok, AKA napa cabbage, leaves were washed and cut into thin diagonals. The cabbage was sprinkled with salt. Kayde's recipe didn't specify so I did about 1-1/2 tsp. of kosher salt. The cabbage was allowed to rest for about 15 minutes. I gave the cabbage a quick rinse and drained the water thoroughly. The cabbage should be gently squeezed to remove any excess water but don't overdo it; you don't wan

One of the awesome things about singing in an international organization is all the opportunities I have to meet people from all over the world. Sofia and I first met online through a barbershop-connected group on social media. She sings with the magnificent Lions Gate Chorus in Vancouver and I feel fortunate to have met her in person at Harmony College Northwest a couple of summers ago and to have seen her perform with Lions Gate on the International stage just this past Fall. We have a mutual interest in food, too, and when she found out I have a turtle named Sofia, she thought that was cool! How could I not like her? This recipe is a tried and true from her Mom. I'm honored to share it!  Today's cast!  Fresh ginger is peeled and julienned. I removed the fat from boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut them into bite-sized pieces. The chicken was mixed with a splash of avocado oil, the regular shoyu, garlic and a teaspoon of cornstarch. Meanwhi