Great Food Week

With four people home for three meals and untold number of snacks, we're doing a lot of cooking (and lots of dishwashing.)  But even by our new standards, we did a lot of cooking this week.  And it was amazing!  Sis has a new interest in fudge and we actually had all the necessary ingredients for an easy batch.  She made it all by herself and it was a delicious success.  So good!  Next she's going to make a recipe from my Oh, Fudge! cookbook, which has complicated, authentic recipes.  Bud, inspired by my Indonesian friend's gift of homemade cooked-tuna sushi, seaweed sheets, and a rolling mat, made his own sushi this weekend with Mama.  They used canned tuna (Albacore in oil, I think, from Whole Foods) and some of the Chinese pickled veg we had in cans.  They even vinegared the rice, just like Jiro does in the documentary Bud likes.  They liked it so much, Bud has made it three more times!

Not to be outdone, Mama has made several incredible dishes in the last several days.  From the back of the novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Mama and Sis made smothered pork chops.  It uses bacon and a cream-gravy, where I usually used onions and made chicken-stock gravy.  Theirs was amazing!  I think you could skip the step with breading the pork chop and make it with olive oil instead of bacon fat.  It would be almost as good and much easier (I won't go as far as "healthy.")  To go with this Southern dish, Mama and Sis adapted some of our canned goods--yams and green beans--to Southern versions.  Best meal in a long time.  I should've made biscuits or corned bread!

And then last night, using up some mushrooms we had and some arborio rice from the very back of the cupboard, Mama pulled a delicious risotto out of her hat!  We used to make a lot more risotto, before the kids, and it looks like, judging by the enthusiasm last night, we'll be eating more risotto.

Lastly, just so I can make a contribution, I made Peanut Butter Quick Bread from a Depression-era recipe that is going around FB right now.  I had shared the recipe with friends but noted I was out of peanut butter.  A kind friend took pity--yes, first world problems--and bought me crunchy peanut butter, which I love (truly, it's an addiction.)  So I made the bread and shared it with her.  So good!  So, so good.

I wonder what this coming week will find us eating. . . . 

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Fudge

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

⅛ teaspoon salt (optional)

½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Line with parchment or wax paper, letting edges of paper hang over sides of pan.

In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over (not resting in) simmering water, combine all ingredients except nuts. Mix just until melted and well combined. (Alternatively, use a microwave on low power to melt ingredients, stopping every 10 to 20 seconds to mix well.) The mixture should be heated as little as possible. Mix in nuts, if using.

Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight. Lift fudge on paper out of pan and use a large knife to cut into squares.

Smothered Pork Chops

4 slices bacon

4 large thick pork chops

1/3 cup flour

salt and pepper

1 ½ cups milk

Fry the bacon first, then dip the chops in flour, with salt and pepper.  Save what’s left of the flour.  Fry your chops in the hot bacon drippings until brown on both sides.  Turn down heat, cover, and cook till chops are tender and thoroughly cooked—about 30 minutes.  Stir your leftover flour into the fat and cook until browned.  Pour the milk over the chops and simmer until gravy is thickened.

Pandemic Green Beans

In pot, saute chopped onion then add green beans (fresh, canned, frozen).  Heat until cooked.  Add salt, pepper, and about 1 tablespoon of vinegar of your choice.

Pandemic Sweet Potatoes

Drain can of Sylvie’s sweet potatoes.  Place in baking dish.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and pats of butter.  Bake until heated through.

Mushroom Risotto a la NYTimes

6 to 7 cups chicken, vegetable or garlic broth or stock, as needed

 Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup finely chopped onion, or 2 shallots, minced

¾ to 1 pound wild mushrooms, cleaned if necessary and torn or sliced into smaller pieces if thick (small wild mushrooms should be left whole, mushrooms like maitake can just be separated into small pieces)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or chopped sage

1 ½ cups arborio or carnaroli rice

½ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc

1 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or a mixture of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano

Bring stock or broth to a simmer in a saucepan, with a ladle nearby. Make sure stock is well seasoned, and keep it simmering on the stove.

Heat oil in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add onions or shallots and cook gently until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Turn up heat and add mushrooms.  (NOTE: Mama flavored the mushrooms with marsala.) Cook, stirring, until they begin to sweat, about 3 minutes, then add garlic and thyme or sage. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and continue to cook over medium heat until they are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add rice and stir until grains begin to crackle. Add wine and cook, stirring, until wine is no longer visible in pan. Stir in enough simmering stock to just cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often and vigorously, until stock is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of stock and continue cooking, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when rice is almost dry, for 15 minutes.

Add peas, if using, and continue adding stock and stirring for another 10 minutes. Rice should be tender all the way through but still al dente. Taste now and adjust seasoning.

Add another ladleful or two of stock to rice. Stir in parsley and Parmesan, and remove from heat. Season with black pepper and serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates.

Bud's Sushi

• Prep rice
• Mix water with 1-2 tsps vinegar
• Dipping your hands into vinegar water, scoop rice and apply thin layer over a sheet of seaweed
• Lay strips of fillings (tuna, pickles, cucumber, etc)
• Using sushi mat, roll the sushi, pressing firmly
• Cut into slices and eat plain or with soy sauce

Bud's Tuna salad

• Mix about 2 spoons of mayo into the tuna and mash together
• Add in finely chopped other ingredients - namely, raw onion, gherkin slices, and celery pieces
• If desired, spread onto bread with a slice of cheddar cheese and broil for a tuna melt

Peanut Butter Quick Bread

As described by the website, "Originating from the 1932 Canadian cookbook, Five Roses: A Guide to Good Cooking by Elizabeth Driver, the Depression-era recipe went viral on Reddit around eight months ago, soon after being shared to the online food channel Glen & Friends Cooking."  I used about a third whole wheat flour and crunchy peanut butter.  I imagine it would also be great with almond butter, perhaps oatmeal or oat flour.  I'll definitely be making it again.

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1⅓ cups milk

½ cups peanut butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix together dry ingredients.

Mix in the milk, then the peanut butter.

Scrape into greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour.

Summer Fun: Cooking with Mama

Mama has done it again:  she has had a glorious day helping the kids to make some of their favorite foods.   About a year ago, it was linguine with clam sauce and chicken marsala.  Today, Bud made beer-steamed mussels with bacon and garlic, while Sis made fried chicken.  Mercy, they eat well!  And they have such fun and pride doing it.

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Beer-Steamed Mussels with Bacon and Garlic
(from a NYTimes recipe for clams)

100 littleneck clams (Mama substituted 2 lbs mussels)1 tablespoon unsalted butter¼ cup diced chorizo or bacon, optional2 cups beer, approximately 1 can or bottle

1. Carefully scrub the clams under cold running water to remove sand and grit, then set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot set over medium heat, and when it foams, add the chorizo or bacon, and allow it to crisp, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add the beer to the pot (use just 1 cup if cooking 50 or fewer clams), and allow to heat through, then carefully add the clams in layers. Cover the pot, and allow the clams to steam and open, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Serve in the pot, or use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove clams to a platter, and serve alongside a bowl of the remaining clam broth and melted butter.

Fried Chicken from Southern Living a la the NYTimes

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1 chicken with skin, about 2 1/2 pounds, cut up into 8 pieces (see note)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable oil, like grapeseed, peanut or canola (do not use olive oil)
¼ cup bacon drippings (or use more oil)

1. Combine 1 tablespoon salt with 3 quarts water in a large bowl or container. Add chicken, cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse with cold water and pat dry. 
2. Stir together remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Sprinkle half the mixture evenly over chicken. 
3. In a large sealable plastic bag, combine remaining pepper mixture and flour. Add 2 pieces chicken to bag and shake well to coat. Remove chicken pieces, shaking off extra flour, and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken. 
4. Take a large (10- or 12-inch) cast-iron skillet or chicken fryer, for which you have a lid, and fit with a candy or deep-frying thermometer. Add oil and bacon drippings and heat to 360 degrees over medium heat; the oil will ripple and possibly give off a few wisps of smoke. 
5. Using tongs, immediately add chicken pieces, skin side down (work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding pan). The oil will drop to about 325 degrees, where it should stay; adjust heat so that oil is bubbling gently around the pieces. Cover and cook 6 minutes; uncover and cook 9 minutes. Turn chicken pieces; cover and cook 6 minutes. Uncover and cook another 5 to 9 minutes, depending on size of pieces. If necessary for even browning, turn pieces over a few times toward the end. 
6. Drain on paper towels or paper bags. Let cool at least 20 minutes before serving. 

Tip

• If chicken is larger than 2 1/2 pounds, use a large heavy knife to cut each breast half in half again, making 10 pieces in total.

Cooking Again

Our last meal provided by a friend--after 3 1/2 solid weeks of wonderful meals from friends--was Monday.  Which means Mama and I are in charge of the cooking again.

I'm a little apprehensive.  I can't lift much and, because of the painkillers, am not driving yet.  So Mama will have to do the shopping in the evenings or weekends; or we'll get PeaPod.  I can't do a lot of chopping, or stand to saute or stir fry for long and I can't get heavy things into or out of the oven or lift heavy pots (even draining pasta requires scooping out the noodles instead of pouring the big pot into a colander), so I'm thinking slow cooker meals will be best.  But even a lot of my slow cooker meals require a lot of the above, so I'm looking for new recipes.  Dump recipes, essentially, one pot.

I've asked friends, got out a couple of light or healthier slow cooker cookbooks, and even signed up for a 2-week trial of emeals.com, which has a "clean eating" family crock pot option.  I'm thinking the "clean" part means no condensed soups.  We'll see how it goes.

Coincidentally, my Whole Food Kitchen workshop with Heather Bruggeman focused on meal planning earlier this week.  So I'll be spending some time thinking of meals that I already know how to make and looking for new easy ones that we might like.

As for tonight, we had pizza!  I had forgotten I had a doctor's appointment.  The surgeon says I look good, though I had to have some granulomas that had to be treated with silver nitrate--they're these bubbles that form when there is inflammation while healing, harmless but annoying.  And so I didn't want to cook and we got pizza, salad, and chicken fingers for Sis.

Here are some of my thoughts for the next few weeks:

From my own repertoire:

• pasta with the easy tomato sauce or a cream sauce (with ham and peas, for Sis)
• ground beef and noodles, like goulash (with cheddar cheese sauce) or stroganoff (with mushrooms, onions, and sour cream)
• scrambled eggs/omelets
• "baked" crock pot chicken
• chicken noodle soup/tortellini soup
• pork loin (with onions, apples, or sweet potatoes) in the crock pot
• pork chops broiled (with salt and pepper)
• baked drumsticks
• beef brisket in crock pot
• mac and cheese
• Welsh rarebit
• when I can put things in the oven--spaghetti pie, crustless quiche, Dutch baby pancakes

Veggies are the challenge.  Three of us eat salad, but Sis won't.  Roasting vegetables is ok, until I have to get them out of the oven.  Maybe stir fry or saute will work, especially green beans and spinach which are pretty fast.


Recipes suggested by FB friends:

• Miss JG:  Rice or mashed potato with cooked ground meat covered in a Campbell's chunky soup. Rice works well with the jambalaya, my dad loves the sirloin and Brendan the bacon baked potato. If you microwave bake the potatoes in a casserole dish while you brown the meat, and then add everything to the dish, and microwave the whole thing for 2-3 minutes, you can get away with ten to fifteen minutes standing and a really fast dinner. Just have someone help make salad and/or add some canned or steamed veg to the concoction.
• Mr. KW:  Grill or pan fry thinly sliced pork chops. Add a little salt and pepper. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top. After about two minutes (for thinly sliced pork chops) turn over on grill or in pan and repeat the above steps. Easy and very tasty.
• Miss LS:  Do you have a rice cooker? Want to borrow one? Really simple and you can even add stock for flavor. Just dump and turn on. Add your favorite frozen veggies when it's done and they'll thaw/cook in the rice. Also, easy baked chicken: Lightly oil or grease baking dish, use any cut of chicken you like (thighs are inexpensive and stay juicy, but boneless breasts work as well) and cover with a single beaten egg and seasoned breadcrumbs. No need to be fussy, just quickly do it all in the baking dish, turning each piece once in first the egg, then breadcrumbs. Leave any excess in the dish. It won't hurt anything. Sprinkle a little oil on top if ck is boneless. Bake for 30 -45 minutes at 350. Baked eggs with veggies and cheese is simple, too. Grease the dish, use frozen veggies and top with shredded cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Jarred marinated artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, etc, can be used as well, and they add lots of flavor. Bake time depends on quantity, so check after 30 minutes. Beans and greens slow cooker soup: any beans (cans are easy) and greens (store washed, cut) combined with a few teaspoons oil, store minced garlic, parsley and stock. It's like escarole and beans. You can also add sausage midway through cooking. Salt and pepper to taste. Needs about fours to cook on medium. Good luck and happy (easy) cooking!
• Mr. CP:  Add equal parts cubed chicken breast, black beans (canned), and frozen corn to your slow cooker. Add about a half part salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours stirring occasionally. When done, stir in an 8oz brick of cream cheese. Serve over rice. Super easy and leftovers freeze well.
• Mr. BN:  Simplified sweet potato soup: Throw stock, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, basil, ginger in pot. Boil. Puree. Yum. My kids love it.
• Miss JS:  Easy crock pot pork chops: 4-6 thick chops in slow cooker, slice 1-2 onions over. Mix onion soup mix with 1c water and pour over. Cook all 9 hours

Thanksgiving Reconsidered

I've been giving Thanksgiving a lot of thought recently, mainly how I want to celebrate and for what reasons.  I value the family tradition and the idea of gratitude, but I'm not really commemorating the meeting of Wamponoags and English settlers in 1621.  Perhaps it's more like the medieval European "harvest homes" to celebrate and give thanks for the harvest.  I mean, I am Irish/Scottish/English/Welsh, plus German and French, all of whom would have celebrated and given thanks at the harvest.  So maybe instead of doing the usual modern Thanksgiving with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie or even trying to attempt a resemblance to an authentic meal with furmenty, nasaump, or sobaheg, etc, maybe I should look back to those medieval harvest feasts.  But I'm not sure I want to eat rosee (a chicken with rosewater dish) or cod with jance sauce or the like (though, the custard, "snow," and confits sound good.)  Maybe I'll just focus on our local, seasonal produce . . . which brings me back to our usual modern Thanksgiving!  So maybe this year, I will try new ways to celebrate sweet potatoes, cranberries, kale, brussel sprouts, corn and the like, with recipes that maintain more of the integrity of the produce with less processed additions.

Anticipation

One of my favorite parts of the holidays, as you know doubt have surmised, is the imagining and planning of them all, including fun family outings, special activities, and all the food.  In fact, planning the meals is often much better than cooking them (especially if it all goes haywire like last Thanksgiving.)  With that in mind, I'm already dreaming of Turkey Day and collecting new ideas, including this, which Gommie just emailed:

It's Gommie and Aunt Banana's Sweet Potato Souffle with crunchy topping made of corn flakes!  They've made it several times, I believe, but I never have.  Well, it's making the list--so far--this year.  Though, as I type this, I already miss the traditional yams with marshmallows.  Is this why we always had the exact same holiday meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Gommie?  Gives you more time to squeeze in everybody's must-haves.

Though Mama and I just decided that Christmas Dinner is going to have an English bent to it--roast beef, popovers, mincemeat pie, sticky toffee or treacle pudding.  What else would we need, Lambeth?  No goose.

Mama's Cooking Lessons

For days, Mama and the kids have been discussing "Mama's cooking lessons."  First, they chose the food.  Sis wanted chicken marsala and Bud chose linguine with clam sauce (we put him off from making sushi the first time.)  Mama researched and compared recipes, eventually choosing both of them from Cook's Illustrated--an actual cookbook!

Then they discussed why they were doing this.  While I have long considered giving the kids basic cooking lessons--you know, scrambled eggs, meatballs, chicken cutlets--so that they are competent in the kitchen, Mama's plan was grander and more philosophical, inspired by the introduction of Michael Pollan's Cooked.  She wanted them to learn that cooking is an art to be appreciated, not to be lost.   That homecooking can be great food, not just what we serve on weeknights--the best food doesn't have to come from a restaurant.  She specifically had them choose their favorite restaurant meal so they could see that it could be done at home and the work that goes into certain meals.  Mostly, she wanted them to be proud that they could make great food that they like and have fun with her while doing it.

And she definitely succeeded.  They gladly shopped with her at the liquor store and Whole Foods, getting everything they need.  Sis even pushed her own cart!  It was clams first, because they're more perishable.  Bud beamed as he scrubbed clams and checked to make sure they were alive (even though I was making screaming little clam noises!  Yes, mean vegetarian.)  And then together they followed every direction.  Sis and I set the table as they finished preparations (having played Break the Ice before that), even lighting a candle.  Bud relished the entire meal, as did Mama.  Sis and I praised him but skipped the actual dinner, leaving more for them. He smiled through the whole thing.  I did the dishes.

The next day, it was Sis's turn.  And she was just as excited and proud, even though the recipe had many steps.  She even cut the mushrooms all by herself, with the big knife, getting safety instructions from Mama.  There was one snag--the flour in the pan started to burn, quickly and unexpectedly--but Mama switched skillets and aired out the house, with no negative affect on the meal; besides, that was a good lesson that sometimes, even following directions, things can go haywire and also that you can usually fix them (they've already seen meals ruined--and know to dial for pizza!)   Soon the scent of sweet Marsala wafted through the house, enticing Bud and I to come to the kitchen (after playing both Break the Ice and air hockey) to set the table early.  Again we lit a candle and enjoyed the special meal.

And now the kids can't wait for their next lesson.  Bud still really wants sushi.  Sis is undecided.

I want cheesecake!

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Pasta with Fresh Clam Sauce
4 lbs littleneck clams, scrubbed (discard those that won't close while scrubbing)
1/2 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc here)
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1 lb linguine
3/4 cup parsley optional

Bring clams, wine, and cayenne to boil , cover, and cook, shaking pan occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Stir clams thoroughly, cover, and continue to cook until they just begin to open, 2-5 minutes.  As clams open, remove them with slotted spoon and transfer them to bowl.  Discard any unopened.

Drain steaming liquid through strainer lined with coffee filter, avoiding any gritty sediment that has settled on bottom of pan.  Measure out and reserve 1 cup of liquid (adding water to make a cup if necessary).  Wipe out skillet with paper towels.

Heat oil and garlic in pan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often, until garlic turns golden but not brown, about 3 minutes.  Stir in littlenecks, cover, and cook until all calms are completely opened, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, make pasta according to package.  Drain pasta and return it to pot.  Add sauce and reserved clam steaming liquid to pasta and cook, tossing to combine, about 30 seconds.  Stir in parsley and salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

adapted from Cook's Illustrated

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Chicken Marsala
 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (tenderloins removed), trimmed
1 cup flour
salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 oz pancette, cut into 1" x 1/8" long
8 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
4 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, in 4 pieces, chilled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Adjust oven rack to middle and preheat oven to 200F.  Halve chicken horizontally, then cover with plastic wrap and pound to 1/4" thickness.  Place flour in shallow dish.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge in flour, shake off excess, and transfer to large plate.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil  in skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Place 4 cutlets in skillet and cook until golden brown on first side, about 3 minutes.  Flip cutlets, reduce to medium, and cook until no longer pink and lightly browned on second side, about 2 minutes longer; transfer to large oven safe platter.  Wipe out skillet.  Repeat.

Cook pancetta in skillet, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits, until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Remove pancetta with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel-lined plated.  Add mushrooms to now-empty skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.  Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and pancetta and cook until paste begins to brown, about 1 minute.  Off heat, stir in Marsala,, scraping up any browned bits.  Return to high heat, bring to vigorous simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until  sauce is thickened and measures 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes.  Off heat, stir in lemon juice and any accumulated chicken juices.  Whisk in butter, 1 pat at a time.  Stir in parsley and salt and pepper.  Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

Cook's Illustrated

Recipe Notes

Twitter-esque recipe notes for many of the kids' current easy favorite meals (sides not included--think broccoli, cauliflower, corn, fruit, cornbread) . . . 

Chicken

Gommie’s Baked Chicken with rice and gravy—15 min @ 500F then 1 c water for 1 1/2hr @ 350 or 6 hr HIGH 2 1 c water  in crockpot; gravy--4 T oil + 4 T flour + 4 c broth

Gommie’s Chicken and Dumplings—dumplings: 2 c flour, 2 t salt, 2/3 c milk, with ½ c milk added to broth

Chicken Pot Pie—crust + filling 1 hr @ 350F

Chicken Noodle/Vegetable Soup—NO tomatoes

Soy Sauce Chicken—saute chicken and flavor with soy sauce, with rice or noodles

Baked Drumsticks—marinate in soy sauce then 1 hr @ 375F

Ground Turkey

Tacos--with Goya Yellow Rice, corn,

Stroganoff—1 lb ground with sour cream and mushrooms over egg noodles

Meatloaf—1 lb ground, 1 can chicken and rice soup, cracker crumbs, ketchup/bbq sauce 1 hr @350F

Ma’s omelet—ground and scrambled egg

Pork

Smothered Pork Chops—sauteed with onions (w/water for gravy)

Pork & Sweet Potatoes—2 lb roast+ 4 sweet potatoes, garlic, 1 c broth, 1 onion @ 6 hrs LOW in crockpot

Baked Ham—325F for 1 ½+ hours

Pork and Apples—sauté pork and cook with sliced apples

Pasta

Spaghetti Pie—1 c mozz, ½ c ricotta, ¼ c parm, 10 oz. frozen broccoli, ½ lb pasta

Cauliflower Pasta—boil bow tie pasta with cauliflower florets and serve with sauce

Fettuccine with cream sauce and ham (and peas)—1 egg, 1 T milk, 1 T butter, ¼ c cheese

Breakfast for Dinner

Crepes-- 2 eggs, 1 c milk, 1 c flour, 1 T melted butter, 1 T sugar, ¼ t salt

Dutch Baby Pancakes— 2 eggs, 1 t. oil, ½ c milk, ½ c flour, 2 T sugar, ¼ t salt, ¼ t cinnamon

Pancakes—mix plus 1 egg, 1 c milk, 1 T butter

Scrambled Eggs

Other Dinners

Baked Potatoes—pierced, oiled, and salted for 1+ hr @350F (Bud won’t eat these)

Grilled Cheese

Sandwiches—ham and cheese, jelly

Broccoli Noodle Soup—onions, 6 c broth, 8 oz noodles, 2 pkg frozen broccoli, 6 c milk, 1 lb cheese

Cheese Quesadillas—flour tortillas with cheddar in oiled skillet

Processed Foods

Macaroni and Cheese (Annie’s)

Trader Joe’s frozen chicken dumplings

Frozen pot pies

Swedish Meatballs and gravy (IKEA)

Cheeseburger Macaroni (Annie’s)

Minding My Ps* and Tea

There was an article in Wednesday's Dining Section of the NYTimes on mindful eating which included an introduction to the topic and a few practices to try at home.

And so I made today's lunch a mindfulness practice, having done it before a few times with the kids.  It was a deli lunch for me, a treat I allow myself now and then when I am tired of bean soup or longing for a quick midday chat.  So I walked to the deli in the warming sunlight, watching the squirrels and birds flit about, no doubt preparing for snow tomorrow.

I ordered one of my usuals:  a wrap with potato chips and an iced tea.  To be exact:  a whole-wheat wrap containing a spring lettuce mix, avocado chunks, dried and sweetened cranberries, goat cheese (sure, not vegan--it's my 20%), shredded (or specifically julienned) carrots, and a balsamic vinaigrette.  I always have them hold the tomatoes and cucumbers, which I don't like; 40% reduced fat Cape Cod kettle potato chips; and a Nantucket Nectar Half and Half lemonade iced tea.

I walked back to the house and settled in on the couch downstairs, determining to sit through the whole meal.  No music, no tv, no book, no email, no smartphone.  Usually, I have one or more of those during lunch, fighting away the long silences and absences with noise and stimulation.  That's two mindful eating techniques at once:  eat in silence and, when you eat, only eat.

And so I did.  The first thing I noticed was how much packaging there was--the glass bottle with its pop cap, the plastic bag to tear open, the sandwich not only in its own separate bag in the bigger bag but also in parchment paper and on a plate.  Lots of waste.

I think I always start with my drink, sweet and acidic and cold but an ugly brown color, and then a chip, salty and crunchy, but not too salty, and thin with blistered bubbles on the fried surface.  Then the wrap, with its chewy mottled brown doughy wrap encasing a burst of color--dark red rounds of cranberry, bright orange sticks of carrot, crumbly white goat cheese sticking to chunks of lovely green avocado, against the maroon-tinged dark green leaves of lettuce, all sticky with ribbons of glistening dressing.  Oh, the crunch from the carrots and lettuce which contrasts with the chew of the wrap and the creaminess of the cheese and avocado.  Sometimes, if there isn't enough crunch, I add a potato chip midway; otherwise, I alternate wrap, chips, and tea.  The scent is green with the tang of the vinegar; otherwise, I can't really smell the wrap or the cheese or the cranberries.  In fact, there isn't much scent to any of it, neither the tea or chips.  Not one of my more fragrant meals.  And yep, I chewed it all patiently, another technique (though, I bet it wasn't 25-30 chews a bite).

Remembering one of the practices, I thought of where everything came from (that one"s mentioned in the article but not listed at the end).  Potato chips--easy, potatoes from Idaho and the like, this brand marketed from MA.  The iced tea is based there too, though no doubt the tea, even if it probably isn't much more than dust, is from far away India or China with the lemons probably from one of the citrus states.  Carrots and lettuce, in season in the spring, probably from some industrialized farm, packaged and delivered to, I'm guessing, the commissary of the deli (the family owns more than one and this one is too small for much prep work), where they are washed and the lettuce is torn.  I don't know if a machine or a person julienned the carrots.  Probably the former.  Cranberries, in season in bogs in the fall, but once dried and sweetened available all year; probably not name-brand Craisins, as they aren't quite as dehydrated, but are rounder and larger.  The goat cheese probably came from a large supplier, arriving in big plastic containers.  They make the vinaigrette by hand.

Avocados.  I was stumped by avocados.  I know they are native to Mexico.  But do they grow on bushes or trees?  When are they actually in season?  I know they are picked and transported all over, where they are eventually skinned and pitted, with the delicate green flesh turning brown in the air once cut.  They are creamy, wonderful with a little salt, perfect as guacamole on corn chips, wonderful in a salad.  My friend Miss Bead likes them on bagels.  I don't think they are often cooked.  They are a "good" monosaturated fat and are now used to add creaminess to vegan offerings like chocolate pudding.  I contemplated this lacuna and have since Googled them (they are a tree, with a summer season, though the fruit ripens after it is off the tree).

I don't often like the last bites of my wrap, which collects a disproportionate amount of dressing and has too much folded over wrap and not enough stuffing.  I usually don't finish it.  A few more chips and a last cleansing sip of tea.  Having gone so slowly and deliberately today, I didn't even eat half of the chips, which I'll give to Sis as they are her favorite.  I always have about half a bottle of tea left to enjoy later. The whole lunch took me about 15 minutes, though it felt longer.  But for a change, I noticed it all. And liked it more than I even usually do (I had wondered if, with such concentration, I wouldn't like it as much.) And I also noticed the light streaming in the windows and the silence punctured by my crunching.

I'll do it again, perhaps as the article suggests, making a weekly, or even daily, mindful lunch date with myself.

Bon appetit!

-=-=-=-=-
* Potato chips.

Grocery Challenge Update

Piggybacking on Beauty that Moves's grocery challenge, I've been examining the way our family shops, cooks, and eats.  And eats out.  We've been meal planning for a bit now and find that it helps in numerous ways.  After talking with Mama, we're revamping a few things.  First, we're splitting up shopping--I'm hoping to do the staples during the week, with Driver or another friend, while she picks up the organic produce and meats from WF, since our local stores are lacking, on weekends.  We're also altering the categories of our entrees to include two new ones:  Slow-Cooker Sunday (to work around church now being at 4:30 pm) and "Family Recipe Night," which will feature a Gommie or Ma/Gong favorite recipe from our childhoods for the kids to try (we figure it we say a grandma made it that the kids are more likely to give it a chance!).  So our categories are now:

• Slow-Cooker Sunday
• Family Recipe Night (the new dish)
• Pasta
• Baked or sauteed dish
• Soup/Stew
• Breakfast for dinner
• Leftovers/Take-out

And even while we ate out a lot last week--well, Mama and I did for lunch because it was date week--we managed to cook through everything we bought without wasting anything.  This is progress.  We're also accepting that, especially now, we won't be processed-free, as much as we might aspire to it (like the family of 100 Days of Real Foods).   But we're buying the organic, natural (read "expensive") versions--meatballs, soup, breakfast waffles, macaroni and cheese--to supplement our homemade things.  And each week we make progress.  Like, we now usually have 2-3 nights meat-free, instead of just Mondays (and sometimes, it's not Mondays).  Tonight is Pumpkin Penne, I think.  Or breakfast for dinner.

Next week, we'll focus on the financial side of meal planning.

Eating Tips from the Kids

All I Ever Needed to Know About Good Eating Habits, I Learned from

Sis:

• take small bites
• take your time
• only eat what you like
• ask for what you want
• give away what you don't like if someone else does like it

Bud:

• eat with enthusiasm
• fruit is always a good option
• stop when you're done

Plus, Tips They Could Learn from Me:

• Use your napkin not the underside of the table
• Don't chew something, spit it out, and try to give it away
• It's okay if you leave things you don't like on your plate--it doesn't mean you have to eat them (i.e. you don't have to try to give it away or hop up to throw it out every 10 seconds)
• Eat your colors (and, no, shades of brown don't count more than once!)
• "Please" and "thank you"
• Beans won't kill you

One More Meal Together

There were royal icing, sprinkles, gum drops, Tootsie Rolls, Necco Wafers, and a dozen other ingredients all over my kitchen when Mama and I left the kids with Gommie and Pop this evening. They were decorating the graham cracker gingerbread houses I had pieced together earlier today (which was followed by my disgruntled phonecall to Kraft/Nabisco who say they had manufacturing problems, but seem to have intentionally shrunk the size of their Honey Maid graham crackers, which are now too crumbly and taste like cardboard to be good for anything, much less constructing delicate gingerbread houses. So I called and got my money back!). Including one hexagonally-based lighthouse. And they were all having a ball!

Mama and I had our own kind of ball, celebrating my 39th birthday and our first wedding anniversary at a fondue restaurant. And it was perfectly charming, especially because we got one of the secluded booths aways from all the rowdy celebrants elsewhere and there were cards on the table when we got there, one for my birthday and one for our anniversary (we'd made reservations). Our server was attentive and informative without being suffocating or officious. And we just got to eat some fun food: a Riesling spritzer with lemon and elderflower and a blackberry-sage lemonade; hunks of bread and crudites dipped in a blue-cheese tinged Wisconsin fondue; vegetables and surf and turf boiled in a coq au vin-inspired burgundy/garlic/mushroom/spices broth; and, best of all, pound cake, Rice Krispies, brownies, strawberries, cheesecake, and marshmallows dipped in our own selected dark chocolate-Grand Marnier combo! All that we kinda cooked or prepared ourselves in a big pewter pot with these handy-dandy colored-coded sticks. And the waiter comped the dessert as a gift! (and thanks, Miss D, for the gift card!)

After our indulgent two-plus hour meal, we drove home leisurely, reminiscing about other great or interesting meals: tea at Fortnum & Mason and the Palmer House and the British Tea Shoppe and Polly's in Marlborough and Betty's in York and Alice's Tea Cup and Silver Tips; ice cream at Wilson's in Door County and another old-fashioned parlor in some small town in WI that I can't recall (frozen custard too), the dairy farm in CT, Edie's (NYC), Margie's (Chicago); amazing locales such as the cafeteria-crypt at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields and the Cheshire Cheese, rebuilt after the fire of 1666 and Randall's Ordinary, a 17th-century inn, and City Tavern in Philly; and just fun or good meals at Berghoff's in Chicago (German), all the places in Andersonville in Chicago from the Middle Eastern to Japanese to Swedish to lesbian hangouts!, Davis Street Fish Market and the Cajun places and BBQ joints in Evanston, everywhere we went in New Orleans, Ethiopian at Lalibela, Vegetarian at Bloodroot; and all the small or nameless places on our travels that stick with us because of the fried pickles or lemon fish or Beef Wellington or fried cheese curds or shrimp po'-boys or Grape Nut Pudding or microbrewed root beer or samosas or shabu-shabu. That's not all we've enjoyed or even all we remembered tonight, just all I can recall right now. But it was fun to add a new experience to the list and to reminisce about almost 16 years of meals together.

And many more . . . . I can't wait to see where we go next!

(many thanks to Gommie and Pop for making the night possible with the free babysitting!)