Processed Foods Week!

Wow, we have been packing away the salt! Jeannene had dinner responsibilities Saturday-Tuesday. I can't for the life of me recall what we had Saturday. I think we ordered pizza. Sunday night, I got home from a potluck dinner full of a beautiful salad with poppyseed dressing, cherry pie, and a scrumptious vegan, gluten-free chocolate chip cookie. I've got to get that recipe from Levi! Yummy as it all was, I needed a little protein balance. Jeannene provided it in the form of Zatarain's hamburger stroganoff. It was not bad. I'm a big fan of their dirty rice mix. I am also profoundly grateful it wasn't Hamburger Helper, but a slightly zestier version. Monday night, I arrived home to find her happily frying up delicate little slices of Spam. Yes. Spam. I'd never had it before. She's been working on getting me to eat it for years. Her daddy, born & raised in Harlan County, Kentucky, made it for her, Spam & eggs at home, Spam sandwiches for fishing trips. So, I gamely ate my Spam, fried egg, & American cheese on white. While it wasn't as bad as I'd feared, I do think it must be an acquired taste. I don't plan to acquire it. Salt, salt, & more salt! Then, cheeseburgers Tuesday. Jeannene, peeking over my shoulder, just told me that she drank 2 large bottles of Evian following her Spam sandwich. Isn't that a funny juxtaposition?!?

So, I ended up compounding the salt by making this creamed chicken over toasted English muffins:

1/2 c. finely-chopped celery
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. diced, cooked chicken
2 tsp. onion powder
About 2 oz. finely-chopped roasted red peppers (or pimientos)
A nice grinding of black pepper

Spray a skillet with cooking spray. Sauté celery until softened. Add the rest and simmer about 7 minutes.

We had peas with this, and broiled bananas for dessert. To do the bananas, preheat the broiler on low. Take 2 bananas, leaving them in their peels, and slit them open lengthwise, leaving about an inch at each end uncut. Do not cut them all the way through! Mix together 2 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. butter, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Stuff the bananas with this mixture and broil about 5 minutes. Serve in their skins.