Homemade beef broth

What?! Why would anyone make their own broth?! Oh, there are a million reasons! My main reason is knowing exactly what I'm eating. That's very important to me. =]

Homemade broths are one of the easiest things to make and probably the first "real homemade" thing I did... it came before canning, jamming, and all that other good stuff.

Right now, we're going to focus on beef broth. It's really simple, very versatile, and just plain good.

You want to start with some good knuckle bones and bones with marrow in them. That's where the flavors at, man! You can get these in any meat department - if you don't see them, just ask the butcher. You want them to have some meat on them still - not bare bones!
A couple onions
A bunch of carrots
Some celery
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary
Thyme
A few bay leaves

You can add any other spices you like, but these are fairly standard for me.  I'm not giving specific amounts 1) because I don't do that well and 2) because it depends on how much stock you're making and how many bones you have.

The trick, in my opinion, is to roast the bones before actually making the stock or broth.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Salt and pepper the knuckle bones generously, place them on a baking sheet, along with all your veggies. Roast them in the oven for about 45 minutes, turning a couple times so nothing burns.

Once that's done, place all the bones, meat, and veggies in a large stock pot, cover the bones with water by quite a few inches. Add the rest of the seasonings. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and simmer for hours and hours! =] I would simmer for at least 4 hours, but doing it longer won't hurt.

There will be some fat that rises to the top as it cooks, feel free to skim that off as it cooks. If the water runs low, feel free to add more. Be sure to add more salt and pepper too!

Once it's done cooking, use a strainer and transfer the broth into another large stock pot, allowing the strainer to catch all the veggies and bones. If you have dogs, kindly feed bones and veggies to them - they'll love you forever!

Leave the broth on the counter to cool. Then refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim the layer of fat off the top of the broth. At this point, I freeze. I put it in quart size bags, lay them flat, and store them in the freezer. You can also put them in freezable mason jars or plastic freezerware. All options work fine! I like having smaller portions for when a recipe calls for a cup of broth! It's so convenient!

Note - I am not beneath using bones if we have a big steakfest or a huge roast with a bone. I've done it! haha.

Happy broth making! 

Homemade Enchilada sauce.

I cooked the entire day yesterday. Well, I took some time out mid-morning, after the bacon cups and before the dinner began... Once I was back in the kitchen, though, it felt good! And I felt so resourceful yesterday!

It was Sharleen's birthday, so we wanted to have a nice birthday dinner. The only thing she requested I make was my banana puddin - and I did! It didn't at all match the rest of dinner, but it's what she wanted.

On the menu was some spicy bean salsa with chips, Mexican red rice, refried beans, chicken chimichangas, and, of course, the banana puddin!

In order to make all this happen from scratch, it meant starting early and using every bit of everything. Including the bacon grease from the mornings Bacon Egg cups.

One of the things I made was enchilada sauce from scratch - I've never done that before! It was so easy. I found the recipe here and I didn't really change anything about it.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used Olive oil - it's what I had)
1 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons hot chili powder (I didn't have hot, so I just used regular chili powder)
4 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade!)
1/2 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate (I used the whole square, I'm a rebel!)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high high heat. Saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon; saute for a few minutes. Stir in flour and chili powder and make sure it's all mixed together. Slowly whisk in chicken broth; reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency. Stir in chocolate until melted and well blended. 

Here's what you get!  

Bacon egg cups!

I love finding things on Pinterest! Some things work, some things don't.

This worked! But obviously my camera didn't. I tried at least 10 times to get a non-blurry photo and it just wasn't working. You can get the gist of it, though, right?

All you need to make 12 of these beauties is:
12 strips of bacon
8 eggs
Milk
Shredded cheese
Salt and pepper








I precooked the bacon a little, until it looked like this. I didn't want it too done, but I wanted it to have a head start. While that's cooking, heat your oven to 350. Beat your eggs with a little milk, like you would normally scramble an egg. Add some salt and pepper, and whatever kind of cheese you like. I had some mozzarella and some cheddar - I used both. =]

Spray a muffin tin and start your construction! Add in the bacon by curling it around the muffin cup - it's going to be a little too long, so as you can see, I tore of the extra piece and put it in the bottom of the pan. Then add the egg mixture, I used a little cup to help make this process neater. Once all the cups are filled, place it in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the eggs are set. You may need to use a knife around the edges to pop them out, place them on a paper towel for just a minute, and then serve! Woohoo! 

Beef and noodles

I have NO clue where this recipe fits into my childhood, but I remember eating it. Someone made it and I loved it. I don't know who or when... but I do remember the food.

Beef-n-noodles. Simple food. I had to figure it out.

This was my very first try and there are a few things I will do differently next time, but it was enough of the same that I knew I was on the right track!

Ingredients:
3# (or more) chuck roast
water, lots of it!
2 envelopes beefy onion soup mix

For the noodles:
2 c. flour (plus more for, well, you'll see why!)
2 eggs
pinch of salt
tad of melted butter (yes, tad is a measurement in my world - get over it! =] )

Place the roast in a crockpot on low. Add both envelopes soup mix and cover with water. Walk away. =]

After about 4 hours, you can begin your noodles. Just throw all the ingredients in a big bowl and mix it together - if it seems too thick, add just a bit of water. Once it's well mixed, flour a huge surface and begin to roll out your dough. You want it really, really flat. Continue to add flour to your rolling pin and the surface as needed.

I tried to cut mine two different ways, but I'm still not sure which way I prefer. I suppose, once I do it more, I'll have a preference.

One way was to use a super sharp knife and just cut thin strips while it's laid out on the surface. However, you don't want them that long, so you have to cut long ways and then cut the strips into smaller pieces.

Another way is to take your rolled out dough and roll it into a log, cut all the way down the length so you have two long pieces, and then cut into smaller pieces. 

Once your dough is all cut, add more flour to keep them separated. You can see that mine is all jumbled together, I wouldn't do that next time. I would be sure to have enough space to lay them out in individual pieces. Like I said, you will need a lot of room! Now just let them hang out for a little while. They need to rest.


When the meat is done, about 6 hours, remove it from the crock pot and shred. Now, this is where I ran into some problems, but I will conquer this! I, originally, put the shredded meat back into the crockpot and then threw in two full batches of noodles. I think it was way too much for the space and the noodles ended up clumping together and turned into more of a dumpling instead of individual noodles. Next time, I will put all the broth, along with some added water, salt and pepper, into a larger dutch oven on the stove and cook the noodles that way. Then add the meat back in for the little bit to heat it back up. When you add the noodles, you want a good bit of flour on them still because you actually want them to soak up most of the broth. This dish isn't meant to be soup, but it is meant to be beef with noodles and some gravy! When added to the crockpot, the noodles had to cook for about an hour. I'm not sure what the time frame will be when I try it on the stove.

I look forward to trying this again to see if I can master this simple, comfort dish that is so fondly burned into my memory.

Creamy soup remade!

It's been a long time since I've looked at some of these posts...

It's been a long time since I've written some of these posts...

The good news is - I'm a changed person! I see ingredients that I would never use now and even had to take something off my "pantry must-have" list over there on the side. Canned creamy soup. Any kind. It was *always* in my house. It was a well used ingredient!

I'm free of the canned creamy soup!! Praise Jesus! Right? Right!

Want to break free from the canned creamy soup bondage, too? Let me show you how!

Ingredients:
4 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
1/2 - 1 c. chicken broth (homemade!)
1/2 c. half and half (might be a little more)
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a small saucepan then add the flour slowly to make a nice roux. Remove the pan from heat (turn the burner to low while the pan is removed) and add in the chicken stock until it's nice and creamy. Place the pan back over the low heat and slowly add the cream. Bring it to a gentle boil until it's a thick, creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper.

Note: There are SO many variations to this... This recipe will just serve as a base and can be used as is. Or you can add sauteed onions, mushrooms, celery, and any other seasonings you may like. It really depends on the recipe you're putting it into. Also, the measurements are very dependent on what sort of dish it's going into. A thicker sauce or soup base will work well for things like pot pie, while a thinner one would work well to make potato soup or something along those lines. Just try it - you'll find your rhythm! =]

I went MIA!

Remember a while back, I said I was moving... well, I did!

YAY! 

However, in the move, my computer was somehow broken. So, since then, I've been without a computer of my own and it's made blogging most difficult! I was also juggling a couple jobs, but I'm now down to just one and I'm committing to more blogging! I have to borrow a computer to do it, but I'm going to do my best to stay on top of things!

Hold me to it!

I have a lot to write about. =]

Breakfast pizza for dinner!

Breakfast Tortilla Pizza

Want to know how to make two 6 year old girls very happy? Good! I like to know these things too! =]

Enter flour tortillas. They are so dang versatile, aren’t they?!

I wanted to make individual flat bread pizzas tonight for dinner. However, I didn’t feel great and didn’t stop at the store for the needed flat bread. I had enough for the big people in the house, but not for the little people. Time to make a crunch last minute decision!

Ingredients:

2 flour tortillas

Ground sausage

2 eggs

Shredded cheese, whatever kind you like

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt

Now let me say this… and it's really important - cuz I gots important things to say! =] If I were making this for grown folks, the ingredient list would be much larger. Also, if I had a more stocked fridge, it would be much larger. I had to work with what I had on hand to please the little mouths.

Brown the sausage in a skillet on the stove. Drain. Wipe *most* of the grease out, but leave a bit for frying the eggs. Add your eggs to the skillet and cook until almost done. Put your broiler on high. Lay the tortillas on a cookie sheet, top with the sausage, cheese, and add the egg in the center. Place the halved tomatoes strategically about and place in the oven. Don’t close the door all the way or they’ll get too done and that’s never good. After a couple minutes of constantly watching and the cheese is melty and the egg is done, pull them out. Sprinkle freshly ground salt over them and voila!

Oh, satan... you can't hold ME down!

In the years that I've struggled with chronic illness, I've learned a couple of things.

First, this is satan. All satan and nothing but satan. Amen.

Second, I have a choice in this matter. I can choose to allow satan to hold me in captivity or I can break free and allow Christ to deliver me from this. Does this mean I'm healed? I believe I am, it just hasn't shown itself in a physical manner yet. The healing, thus far, has been spiritual and I trust that, one day, God will heal my body. In the meantime, it's up to me how to proceed. I can wallow in my self pity or I can put myself aside and live the life God has for me.

I've been writing this post, in my head, all morning, while scrubbing toilets. It isn't a glamorous job, but it's the one that God has called me to do each morning before I do my other job. As I lay in bed this morning, half crippled by, yet another bad day, I had to make a choice. I could allow satan to win, keep me in bed, and not perform the work God has called me to do or I could get up and go face the day that the Lord made for me. I'm tired of satan winning. I'm tired of him trying to steal joy from me and some of my closest friends who struggle with pain or illness on a daily basis. Today, I choose Christ. Today, I choose joy. Today, I choose to live for whatever God has for me - even if it's just clean toilets for my co-workers. This is MY calling for today and I'm owning it.

I want to encourage my friends who are struggling today - I am praying for you, each of you. I pray for your strength, for your peace, for your comfort, for your faith in healing, and for your courage to face the day that the Lord hath made. I know your struggle. I live your struggle. Let's kick satan's butt today! Today will be BETTER! 

Roasted Garlic & Herb potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

I saw this recipe originally made with all processed foods, or mostly, but it sounded so yummy! I adapted!

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Garlic
4 oz. can green chilies, chopped
about 2 cups black beans (can use one can, but I soaked some dried beans for this)
2 cups shredded cheese (taco shredded or fresh shredded cheddar and monterey jack - however you roll is fine with me)
8 large flour tortillas
Sour cream/salsa (optional)

Warm oven to 450. Dice potatoes and toss with garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven, add the can of chilies and the black beans and mash lightly with a potato masher.Return to oven to heat through, about 5-7 minutes.

Heat a skillet over med-high heat and place one tortilla down. On half of the tortilla add a generous amount of the potato/bean mixture, about 1/4 c cheese, and then fold in half. Cook until cheese is all melty and stuff. Top with salsa and/or sour cream, if you like, or just eat it as is! Cut with a pizza slicer and there you have dinner! =]

Today's dinner

Today I got to do two things I love. Purge the pantry and make something new!

Since I'll soon be home sharing with someone who has a pantry the same size as mine, I know it's time to do some purging... I love to do that! While over the last couple years, I've seriously minimized my use of canned foods (unless I can them myself), there are still a few things I keep around for those last minute throw together meals. 

Beef and Beans in the Crockpot
1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
chopped onion, to taste
Worcheshire sauce
28 oz can baked beans - do not drain
15 oz can black eyed peas - lightly drain
15 oz can great northern beans - lightly drain
20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
about 3/4 c BBQ sauce
a little cayenne pepper

Brown the ground beef, along with the onions and worcheshire sauce in a skillet. While that's cookin up, add the other ingredients into your crockpot. Drain the meat once it's cooked through and add it to the crockpot and mix well. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Done!

The new thing I got to do was homemade biscuits! Here's the thing. I don't do unhomemade biscuits either - I love biscuits, therefore I never have them. Makes sense, right?! It does to me!

I didn't realize that I'd ever made homemade biscuits before until I was cutting them and memories came to me about doing that when I was a little girl with my momma. It was a sweet moment for me. I totally followed someone elses recipe since I'd never done them before and they turned out great! One thing I did learn, though, is that I NEED a rolling pin! heh.

So, to make the dinner complete, I threw a biscuit in the bottom of a bowl, broke it up, and put the beef and beans over top! Simple, delish, and filling!

Home sharing

As I write this, I am preparing my heart for a big change and a huge adjustment. In about a month, I will be moving. After a lot of prayer and consideration, I've decided that things have just GOT to get better (remember, that's my ONE WORD for this year). I went to my dear friends, whom we've often teased with together about this very thing, with the topic of sharing their home with me and my kidlet. Amazingly, they talked about it that afternoon before I even got there.

Some of the advantages for both of us are the lightened financial burdens, lessened demand on each of us in meal preparation and house cleaning, and help with our kids in various ways.

Some of the disadvantages for both of us include a lessened sense of privacy, possible disagreements in household duties, and learning each others quirks in a whole new way.

I would ask anyone who reads this (the whole ONE of you who might! haha) to be in prayer WITH us as we make this transition.

My heart breaks...

Grief is a strange thing. Hearts can feel broken for many reasons, but death is the worst. How do you explain so much sorrow for someone who only shared small moments with you over the years...

My heart breaks because his family is devastated -

because my friends, who loved him so deeply, are broken to the core -

because my son really liked "James with the hair" -

because he had an impact on me (and my kid) -

because the life of a lone driver, who woke up in the morning thinking things were normal, has had his world changed forever -

because my mommie heart knows exactly how close to home this really is with my own son -

because my dear friend is blaming himself -

because another friend carries the burden of the world with her and this will be no different -

because teenagers I love couldn't sleep last night as the tragedy sunk in -

because of lost talent that had the ability to impact the world of music in a way we've not yet seen -

because when I saw him on Christmas, I had no idea it would be the last time my eyes looked at his -

because a group of young men, who loved him enough to do hard things, will have to decide how to move on -

because I know he loved Jesus -

because I know he loved kids -

because 17 is too young -

because I feel helpless -

.....

You will be greatly missed, James.

One word - Better

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                                                              (I'm so bossy, right??)

What's your word for 2012 going to be?

This is something I will be challenging myself with through the year, but I am also going to present the challenge to our ladies ministry and to anyone who happens to stumble across my blog.

My word is better. I wanted my word to be love. I really did. But with me, it's always love, love, love... I love to love. That isn't going to challenge me the way I need it to. I need to be challenged.

If I could pick a word for our church lately, it's been more. Which is sorta like better, but different. I do want more, but I also want better. I want better relationship with Christ, I want better relationship with people, I want better for myself. I could go on and on... so while it's kind of like more and along the lines of love - it's just different enough that I can claim it! =]

Kale...again.

I know... I know... I'm talking about kale again... what's wrong with this world!

I'm trying to learn how to best incorporate some foods into my diet that aren't always the best tasting all on their own. So when I find new ways to do that, I must share!

Last night I made mashed potatoes. That was fine all by itself, but after I dumped the potatoes to drain them, I put a little butter in the pot and sauteed some chopped kale and green onions, then added a milk/half and half combo before I put the potatoes back in to make them all up. So I ended up with great taters and some good ole kale mixed in.

I had about a cup of kale still left in the fridge, so today I sauteed it again, then added it into an omelet with cheese.

Here's why I love having kale in my diet. There are all sorts of good reasons to eat it more.

With that said, go eat some kale, peeps! =]~

New Years Resolutions

We're being honest here, right? Right... Good. I hate New Years resolutions. And I don't use the word hate often or lightly – I really loathe them.

Why?

Well, let me count the ways...

They're often not thought out well or planned for properly. For instance, saying I wanna lose 20 pounds is great, but what's the action plan behind it. Saying I wanna work out more is great, how am I gonna make that happen. Saying I want to blog more is terrific, but when am I gonna have time?

I feel like we set ourselves up for failure because we set a goal without an action plan to back it up. It's not that I don't have goals – I have thousands of them... Here's a flaw in me... I have SO many goals and not enough action plans. I can't achieve my goals without knowing HOW I'm going to achieve them.

Here is my resolve for 2012 – to be the best me that God has created me to be, no matter what that looks like to anyone else. He is the most important in my life. I want to go and do and be where and what and who He wants - not where I want. It isn't always the same path. The more I've learned about Him and growing in relationship with Him, His ways are always better.

Do I want to fall in love – sure do – but should I just walk around looking for people to fall in love with or should I be falling in love with Jesus everyday so that I am prepared when He brings someone in my life.

Do I want to blog more – sure do – but should I forsake time and relationship with other people in my life to make that happen or should I do what God has called me to do and just love people?

Do I want to lose weight – sure do – but should that consume me so much that I forget to enjoy life or can I be all right with small indulgences along the way?

Don't put too much pressure on yourself – resolutions should be made all year long and not just once a year... if you want to do something new and the idea (along with the action plan) doesn't come to you until March – then start in March. There's no reason to set a ton of things on your shoulders all at once. Do them as they come and check the boxes off as you go. You'll feel better that way, I'm sure of it. At least I do...

Rant over. =]

Crockpot applesauce

Have you ever had a billion apples but you weren't sure what to do with all of 'em?! Well, let me help with at least a dozen of them. =]

You can use pretty much whatever kind of apple you like or even various kinds of apples. You want to peel and core them, I would start with 10 - you may need more depending on the size of your crockpot.

After they are peeled and cored, throw them into your crockpot to fill it up. Add about 1/4 c. of water, some cinnamon and apple pie spice (if you'd like), cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Take off lid, use hand-help masher or whisk to break it up. Viola! All done. You can can it in a water bath or just eat it, we just eat it. It goes too fast to can it in my house. =]

Oh no!!!

My mom and my aunt have both found my blog. This means I have to stop saying all the really mean things I say! haha... Just kidding!!! Welcome aboard, ya'll! Maybe now I will remember to write great things! =]

Perfect pan-fried green beans

Yep. I did it again. Mental checkout from the blog. I think about blogging all the time, I just don't actually do it! ha. No excuses... it just is what it is.

I had a gazillion green beans, literally. Okay, it was just a bushel, but that's like 40 lbs of green beans! With the help of my dear friend, I was able to can 40 pints of green beans with a whole lot left over to pass along to friends.

I had about a pound and a half sitting in my fridge that I HAD to make today, so I did. I kept thinking about green beans my aunt used to make with bacon, bacon fat/lard, onions, and the beans.. well, that sort of think won't work for me anymore, too much fat. So, I was trying to make it with less fat, but not less flavor.

Here's what I did...

Ingredients
1 Tbs. butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, snapped to your likeness
garlic powder
salt and pepper
drizzle of olive oil

In a large saute pan, over medium-high, melt your butter and then toss in the onions. Let the onions get a little brown and then toss in the green beans. Stir it all together so the butter coats the beans and the onions get all mixed in. Then, add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper and cover for about 5 minutes. Remove the cover and stir the beans every couple of minutes until your desired doneness and "burnness" is achieved. It took about 15 minutes for mine. Finally, add a drizzle of olive oil, stir, and recover until ready to serve.

Mexican Fiesta!

One of my all-time greatest joys in this world (other than Jesus)(Oh, and other than my son)(And my family)(And the family Christ has given me)(You get the picture) is cooking for other people. It makes me happy all the way down to my toenails! Today I get to cook for another family, which means I am completely in my element. The boy is gone to work, I'm in the kitchen with the radio blaring some old school R&B... Right this second it's some Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing... OH! Love.

Since I love Mexican food and I want everyone to love it as much as I do, that's the theme I choose. Here's is what's on today's menu.

Black bean and Mango Salad, Black beans with cilantro basmati rice, carne asada tacos.

Black bean and Mango Salad (I don't remember where I originally saw this-been making it for years now):

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups diced frozen mango, thawed

1 red pepper, diced

6 green onions, sliced

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

1/4 c fresh lime juice

1 T olive oil

1 seeded jalapeno pepper, small dice

salt

Add all ingredients into a bowl, toss lightly. Done.

Basmati rice:

Cook rice according to package directions for the amount you'd like. Toward the end, squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime and add some chopped cilantro and recover to let it finish cooking.

Black beans:

2 cans black beans (do NOT drain)

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 T cilantro, chopped

cumin, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

salt, to taste

Squeeze of lime, optional but good! =]

Saute the onion until translucent, add garlic and cook for 1 minute or so. Add the beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Squeeze a little lime juice and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Tada.

Note: I've made HUGE batches of this and let it cook for up to an hour, just make sure you're stirring it so it doesn't stick. The flavors just come together so well!

Carne Asada Tacos:

3-4 lbs. chuck roast

3 dried chile peppers, rehydrated (see note below)

1 small can diced, green chilies

1 onion, sliced

kosher salt

pepper

cayenne pepper

garlic powder

cumin

chili powder

hot sauce

flour tortillas, medium size

tomatoes, diced

shredded lettuce

shredded cheese

Season the roast with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder on both sides and plop it into your slow cooker on high. On top of the roast, add onions, rehydrated peppers, chile peppers, and hot sauce. Add water to cover the bottom third or so of the roast. Cover and cook for about 6 hrs. By this time, it should be ready to shred. Once shredded (use two forks to pull the meat apart--you can do it in the slow cooker or take it out to shred, discard large pieces of fat that you find), add it back to the slow cooker for about an hour. Assemble your tacos with the toppings you choose. I like the meat to be the star so I don't like to add too many other things. I add tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.

Now, Mr. Do Right by Jade is playing. I love this song.

Oh, do you want to know how to rehydrate chili peppers? This is how I do it. I choose peppers that aren't broken and have a slight bendability (I'm not sure if that's really a word) to them. Cut the tops off, slice down the peppers to open and get all the seeds and veins out. Place the peppers in a pan thats been heating over medium heat to roast them for just a few minutes. Turn them a lot so they don't burn. Then, place them in a bowl of hot water for about 20 minutes. Slice and add to the slow cooker. FYI - taste the water they were soaked in, it should be a brownish color and if it doesn't taste bitter, use that as your water for the roast. If it's bitter, throw it away. You can always save it for something else too... maybe add some in for the rice water (what a great idea! I think I'll do that!). It's really packed with flavor and I'd hate to waste it if it can be used for something else!

And now I have some Isley Brothers playing... oh. I heart old school R&B!!