The Protector Cookbook

Protector Lunch Special
(Which is to say, what I just made for my wife and I for a late lunch. It worked for me, her comments are still pending as it's sitting in front of her whilst she is on a long distance call...)

Ingredients:
4 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread
2 slices bologna
1 tbsp margarine
2 Eggs
6 leaves of Baby Spinach
2 Tsp roasted almond slices
1 tbsp milk
Mayonnaise
2 tsp Feta Cheese

Please note that measurements are approximate, as for this meal no measuring devices were actually used.

Turn stove to medium
Place a medium frying pan (about 10" or so) on heated element with margarine in center
When margarine begins to melt spread over pan (I simply swished it around by moving the pan itself, though a spatula will do a reasonable job as well)
When margarine is spread over pan, place bologna slices in pan. Allow slices to fry. Flip when the middle begins to rise. Remove when nicely browned around the edges. Do not drain the frying pan.
Place bread slices in toaster, toast to taste
Break eggs in a small mixing bowl. Shred and mix in baby spinach leaves, followed by almond slices and milk. Beat with a fork and then add to frying pan on top of grease from margarine and bologna.
Fry eggs until nicely browned, flipping as required

Assemble 2 sandwiches in following sequence:

Side 1:
Toast slice
Egg mixture
Fried Bologna

Side 2:
Toast slice
Mayonnaise
Crumbled Feta cheese

Combine each side 1 with side 2, slice sandwiches diagonally and serve while still hot.


EDIT: My wife's comments are in. "Five stars".

Chocolate Gravy



Yes, I said Chocolate Gravy. (It's ah suthun thang.)

Milk - I grew up with canned milk being used, but any milk will do. Anything like soy or almond milk, you're on your own. How much? Good question. This is how I measure it. Get out a 1qt sauce pan, pour the milk in until where the spot you are pouring it, no longer shows the bottom. (Picture for demonstration purposes below.) If I had to guess I'd say between 1½ to 2 cups.
Put on burner at medium heat.


In a medium bowl combine:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 HEAPING* tablespoon** powdered cocoa
Salt (about 1/8th teaspoon)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients until blended.
Add vanilla
Add cold water and mix until dry and wet ingredients are combined and the chocolate is a thick syrupy consistency. I turn my faucet on until it's just a stream coming out and add a little at a time so as to not make it overly thin.

You may sample at this point. I use a heaping tablespoon of cocoa because I like the finished product being a little on the biter side. You may start with less cocoa, or at this point add some more sugar, and possible a little more flour.

Have a wisk handy.
If the milk is soon to be boiling over, perfect, pour in the chocolate syrup (I scrape the bowl with the spoon) then stir with the wisk.
And keep stirring. It may lump on the bottom, stirring will smooth it out, once it does, turn down the heat to low and stir occasionally.

About 5 minutes, stirring occasionally it should be the consistency of gravy. Sometimes it's a little thin, other times it's almost pudding thick. The taste is really the only thing that matters.

Best served with open-faced, hot, buttered biscuits, but toast will do as well. Granted, I'm weird, I put it on my scrambled eggs.




*When I mean heaping, I mean that no more can physically be piled up on the spoon.
** When I mean tablespoon, I mean one of the spoons your brother would used to eat cereal, not the wimpy ones labeled 1tbsp

That spot in the middle.

Kool-Aid Pie

This is very easy to make desert with no baking required. A pie takes as little as 10 minutes to put together and our 4 year old son has a great time helping out.

Ingredients needed:

9" ready made pie shell. (we use graham cracker a lot, chocolate pie shell with cherry kool aid works pretty well too.)
8 oz extra creamy or original cool whip. (thawed)
14 oz can of Borden's sweetened condensed milk.
Kool Aid Packet mix of your preferred flavor. (Some of the more exotic flavors you can get can make for a really strong pie. (An example of our favorites are Pink Lemonade, Kiwi Watermelon, Cherry, Strawberry and Lemonade.)

In a medium bowl mix packet of Kool-Aid powder with 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk and stir till well mixed with spatula. Gently fold in half of cool whip into Kool Aid/condensed milk mixture and mix with spatula ( do not use hand mixer or it will make it to thin).

Poor mixture into pie crust and spread evenly. Take the remaining cool whip and spread evenly over top of the Kool Aid mixture. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes to set or leave in till ready to eat.

We get a lot of request for these at family functions and during the holiday parties... A big bonus for us is that we know that these pies are pretty much kid safe as far allergies go. (Our son has a severe peanut allergy.)