Get the latest recipes from Mark555 http://www.grouprecipes.com/people/mark555 We were out at the Commissary the other day, and ran across some ground pork for $.39 lb. We could not pass that deal up! Now the problem is what the …err… just what do you do with 6lb of ground pork? Ever find yourself in that position? What a good deal, I have to get some of that! Ok…now what do I do with it? Will my 15CU foot freezer really hold 1500lb of fresh elephant meat? I wonder how elephant tastes. Never mind it was too good a deal to pass up. Why it is almost free…Granted you have to lift it over the fence and it is hard working in the dark. I find that if you throw some planks across the moat then it makes it much easier to cart it out of the holding area. Here is a tip if you go in after the Zoo closes for the day then you don’t have to pay the entrance fee and you do not have as many screaming kids when you are packing your pick up with Pachyderm. Oh it is a bit chewy…err…not that I would know. http://www.grouprecipes.com/101473/fresh-pork-sausage.html I went out to the garden yesterday; this is about the end of the Zucchini growing season at the center of the world. It must be that global warming thing going on. It being early September and feeling like late October. Regardless I have 3, 3 1/2lb Zucchini to work with. I could make Zucchini bread, But I already made 16 loves and people are not returning my calls now. I can't give it away and all the cars at all the local churches have their doors locked (darn) It has to be local or the anklet goes off. So I need to get a bit inventive, then again as I look over my ingredients perhaps not so inventive. I have done Zucchini casseroles about one a week, Zucchini lasagna and Zucchini parmesan, not to mention steamed, spaghetti, and making an appearance in a stew. I looked on the site and found a lot of interesting recipes. Unfortunately most are similar to what I have been making. There was a Zucchini and shrimp recipe that sounded interesting, and lanacountry put out a Zucchini Hamburger Pie recipe that I will be trying. I figured a nice soup would be in order so I washed one of the stock pots, we had given it to our granddaughter with a spoon, brings new meaning to a metal band, Zucchini, Potatoes, onion, cheese Oh why the name? Once you cook the Zucchini enough it is untraceable in the soup. http://www.grouprecipes.com/100729/disappearing-zucchini-soup.html This is probably a bit of an unusual recipe. Then again…maybe not that strange, I have been using shaving soap for about 30 years. The main reason It is better soap then the stuff in a can. We also don't have to mess with all those empty shaving cream cans. Plus it is very inexpensive. If you buy it in the store it will run you a whopping .99 for something like Williams shaving mug soap. Williams has only been around for about 160 years so they must be doing something right. Williams Shaving mug soap will last about 3-4 months. Now you can buy the stuff that Wal-Mart sells for about $3 and lasts about 3 weeks, but it is crap so why bother. Or if you feel adventuresome make your own! The problem is that it takes 6 weeks to cure. However it is a very nice end product and you only have to make it once a year or so. Now most people shave and those that don't you probably wish that they did. Now just think of it you have a nice warm, slippery, soft brush sliding over your skin mmmmm…err… give me a minute here…Ok now where was I? This is a recipe from on line, but is so similar to the one I have used that I don't think it makes much difference, that and I don't have to write it out by hand! If you have never used a shaving soap before then you are in for a treat. You will probably never go back to a can. Or modify your own recipe, just take your basic soap recipe and add about 2 tsp. of Bentonite or other clay for every pound of soap in the batch. I prefer Bentonite clay, though you can use Kaolin, Rhassoul or Fuller's Earth The recipe below makes about 3 lbs. of soap, so I'm using 2 tbs. of clay. Up your percentage of castor oil to about 8%. That's it. Add a fragrance or essential oil appropriate for the person shaving - but be sure that it is one suitable for sensitive skin - remember, you're shaving through this soap. All of this can be found at a good health food store or in the super market. http://www.grouprecipes.com/100407/shaveing-soap.html Not a real traditional Eggplant Parmesan, but than neither am I. I am not very traditional nor am I eggplant Parmesan. If I were an eggplant that might make me the "Hannibal the Cannibal of eggplant, so no fava bean recipes from me thank you very much. I put this out there for a couple of reasons, well first I was not going to post it, as I figured that there had to be about 10,000 eggplant Parmesan recipes already posted, and I was right! Well almost, second it is such a simple recipe, I figured "why bother" everyone already does it, no need to post it. Then Lura said "do you have that eggplant recipe? I want to give it to my brother." My answer of huh? Just did not cut it. I figured, "Shirley it is posted on GR I will just print it off." and stop calling me Shirley! So I did a search, and I did find 812 recipes for this dish. So I searched and searched and other then seeing some really fantastic recipes I did not find one that was the same as this one. Hope you enjoy it as much as the other 812 versions of this dish I found. http://www.grouprecipes.com/97286/eggplant-parmesan.html "ministronee, minny stroony, What the hell do you call this stuff? That sounds like eyetalyan to me! Sorry I was channeling my father in law for a minute there. He was a good guy, who worked hard all his life and was able to support a family of five with less than an eighth grade education. He was about as country as you could get without hearing banjoes. We are still trying to wade through those 40 lbs of cat fish we bought a while ago. Finding new and different ways to fix all that damn fish. I know that is not that much fish it is only 20 lb per person. So as I said we are still wadding through it. This recipe came from the Farm raised cat fish web site. If you are ever in a dilemma on how to fix catfish try them. http://www.grouprecipes.com/97018/quick-catfish-minestrone.html Everybody knows when you go to the show You can't take the kids along You've gotta read the paper And know the code of GPG and R and X And you gotta know what the movie's about Before you even go Tex Ritter's gone and Disney's dead And the screen is filled with sex Whatever happened to Randolph Scott Ridin' the train alone Whatever happened to Gene and Tex And Roy and Rex, The Durango Kid Oh, whatever happened to Randolph Scott His horse plain as could be Whatever happened to Randolph Scott Has happened to the best of me -By the Statler Brothers What made me think of this? The original recipe came from the "Texas Cowboy Cooking" by Tom Perini If you happen to run across it, it has some interesting recipes. Getting back to Randolph Scott, I did not realize that he was 91 or so when he died as he was born in 1898. I guess when you grow up watching someone act, and every time you see them they are about the same age you don't think about them getting older. I know every time I look in a mirror I wonder where that skinny kid with a full head of hair went, and why is that old fat guy with gray hair staring at me. How the hell did he get in my bath room? I'm going out and buying a gun so that old peeping tom wont mess with me anymore! http://www.grouprecipes.com/97017/ranch-beans.html This more or less comes from the Betty Crocker's International Cookbook, circa 1980. I have tried a number of different pizza crust recipes, including a number of store bought package mixes. I find that this is the best one that I have had. It comes across as a light sour dough taste. I like it better than most of the chains too. It has Pizza Hut beat all to …well you get the picture. I like to add just a touch of crushed red pepper to the sauce. This is a bit much for lura so if you don't handle hot you might want to leave this part out. If it needs to be said, I have not had a frozen pizza that will rival this one ether. It is an easy recipe and very tasty. http://www.grouprecipes.com/94535/calzones.html This more or less comes from the Betty Crocker's International Cookbook, circa 1980. I have tried a number of different pizza crust recipes, including a number of store bought package mixes. I find that this is the best one that I have had. It comes across as a light sour dough taste. I like it better than most of the chains too. It has Pizza Hut beat all to …well you get the picture. http://www.grouprecipes.com/94534/pizza-crust.html Well I am still working my way though 40lb of catfish fillets. As such I am trying some different stuff that I might not normally fix with catfish. After all you have fried, baked, broiled, stew, gumbo and some others. I found a recipe for Manhattan catfish chowder. Lura says it tastes 100% better then it smells, now I thought it smelled good. Actually it is a very good dish, serve with some crusty French bread and you are all set. The picture is Manhattan Kansas. I figure since it is not clam but catfish might as well go with a city that has catfish! This is from the Catfish institute. Now I don't know about you but a catfish in a cap and gown? That seems a bit over board to me. I did not think that catfish went to schools. I know other fish do but I always figured they were more solitary. Then again they are bottom feeders so I guess law school is an option. http://www.grouprecipes.com/94472/manhattan-catfish-chowder.html Remember Emperor Norton the 1st? He was credited by being crazy as a bed bug. But frankly I think that he had a great idea. “I am Emperor of America and Protector of Mexico.” Issue your own money and decree that a hotel house you or you would banish them. Where you might banish a hotel I don’t know. Get invited to all sorts of events to give your blessings and so on. What a job! Of course you would have to live in San Francisco. One hundred and fifty years ago that was a great prospect. Now…Norton would not cause a ripple in the flood of insanity that comes from that city. Don’t misunderstand me on this or think that, “Well he lives in Kansas what does he know about California? And how dare he tear down San Francisco!” For what it is worth everyone comes from somewhere. My Moms family was 49ers (no not the football fans) my Dads side were latecomers to Contra Costa County they showed up in 1861. I am the only on that has fled. I had a great uncle that was Commodore of San Francisco (something to do with the harbor commission) and his widow ran for Harbor Commissioner in the late 40s. So we have a bit of history together. He was quite a character in his own right. He was a sea captain for one of the shipping lines. When Aunt Marge graduated collage in the 20s her parents sent her on a world cruse. She married Uncle Gerard who was the ships captain on their return. The story is that he got into some difficulties for smuggling in opium and “undocumented” Chinese immigrants (to be politically correct) or drugs and coolies. We are talking the 20’s and 30’s when that was not looked on as such a horrendous crime. Uncle Bud was an interesting guy. He died way before I came along, but my mom still remembers him fondly. Oh why link Emperor Norton and fried rice? He lost his mind after trying to corner the rice market in San Francisco. http://www.grouprecipes.com/93787/emperor-fried-rice.html