Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Where Had That Lime Been???

Post # 176
My friend asked me if I ever got a coke the other day that I actually got to drink instead of spill.  Well, yes, I did.  I picked my sister up and we went shopping...she lives in NM but was here to take her husband to a dental appt. While he was having a root canal we did things considerably more fun.  Where I live we have Sonic Drive-ins and they have happy hour-----2 to 4 pm all drinks are half price. We each had a 44 oz cherry limeade.  No caffeine.  An improvement, don't you think?  For some weird reason, at Sonic they put the cherry in the cup first, followed by ice and lime, then the soda.  This practice just irritates those of us who want our cherry so we can eat it and even if I ask for my cherry on top it never is. Even if I say please charge me for an extra cherry and put it on the top, it never is.  Obviously there is a law.  Well, my sister and I went shopping and I still had at least half my drink left when I got home so I got in my big comfy chair and got online for my 'net fix of the afternoon, turned on the tv to see the nightly news and drank the rest of my limeade.  As I swallowed the last slurp the newscaster was talking about another person dying from the Listeria infected canteloupe. About then I took the lid off of my drink so I could look for my cherry.  Dug through the ice, removed the lime slices so I could get down to that cherry.  Between picking out the lime slices and the talk of Listeria I begin to wonder.....did the people at Sonic wash that lime realllllly well before they sliced it and put it in my drink?  Did someone touch it with their bare hands? Slice it with a dirty knife? Sneeze on it?  note: to Sonic...please do not sue me for wondering because I didn't say your employees DID fail to wash, I was just wondering.  And I have next to nothing so it wouldn't be worth your lawyer's fees.  But it is something one might wonder, right? Because whatever germ might have been on that lime got washed off while it was swimming in the soda I just slurped down.  Sigh.  When I was able to buy my little spot of land and put a trailer house on it one of the things I hoped to do was grow a really nice garden so I knew where most of my food came from and who had touched it.  Unfortunately, after two years of gardening I produced all together maybe one good meal of veggies consisting of tomatoes and a couple of yellow squash.  I am not a successful urban farmer. yet.  Meanwhile, I surfed the 'net (do people say that anymore....I'm surfin' the internet???) and found a veggie wash recipe.  I used it tonight on some veggies I used in making a pasta salad.  Salad recipe follows down below.  No Pioneer Woman type pictures.  When I cook the condition of the counter is not what you would want to see in a picture.  And besides, somewhere back in the photos I think i did  have a pic of my messy counter. Or maybe i decided to not scare you and didn't post it.  For your viewing pleasure I will see what kind of photos I can cut and paste....

FROM:   http://www.tipnut.com/
Homemade Vegetable Wash Recipe

1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2 TBS baking soda
2 TBS lemon juice

Directions:
■Mix ingredients then pour in clean spray bottle. Spray fresh vegetables & fruit generously. Sit for 5 minutes then rinse off well.

■Note: Make sure to first mix ingredients in deep container since there will be some fizzing from the baking soda & vinegar.

There are also these Fresh Fruit & Veggies Washing Tips:
■Sprinkle wet fruit and veggies with baking soda then gently scrub and rinse. This cleaning method safely removes dirt and residue off produce.
■A mix of 50/50 vinegar and water sprayed on fruit & veggies also works as a good produce cleaner. Let sit for a few minutes before washing off.

Fruit & Veggie Soak Recipe:
1/2 cup vinegar
3 TBS salt
■Mix ingredients to dissolve salt then add to sinkful of water (stir to mix). Soak fruit and veggies for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove, pat dry.
~~~~~~~~~~~

Casey's Pasta Salad
disclaimer: this is not without preservatives, chemicals, or calories but we like it
Buy a box of Barilla's bow tie pasta, cook according to directions on the box.
Drain, rinse it off and drain again.

Take a package of Hidden Valley Ranch mix  and mix with Miracle Whip according to pkg directions.  Chill.

Take fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and wash thoroughly.  Chop.  Add any fresh veggie you want, we just like these 3.

Take an extremely large bowl and combine all ingredients. I mean a very large bowl...the one you use to make Thanksgiving Dressing.  Or two large bowls.   Chill over night to let the flavors marry. 

Before serving:
Buy a box of Oscar Meyer Fully Cooked Bacon.   Product Details Cook in the microwave according to directions on the box.  Yes, I know the box says fully cooked...you still have to cook it in the microwave, do not skip this step.  Personally, I like mine good and crispy.  Cool and crumble it up.  I don't know how many strips.  Casey always makes this and she isn't here right now. I guess" to taste."

Wash a bunch of cherry tomatoes.  More the better, I say.
Buy a 2 cup pkg of grated cheddar cheese.  Use it all.
Mix these 3 ingredients into your pasta salad.  Serve and enjoy!!!!
I do not know how many this recipe serves.  Casey and I love it and do not eat what anyone would call a single serving portion, like 1/2 cup or something. 



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