It's Good for What Ails You

Chicken Pot Pie. Not many would turn that down. I suppose if your stomach isn't wanting to hold down crackers and sparkling lemon lime soda it doesn't sound good but otherwise it could be good for what ails you.

The school where I work seems to have had a rough go of the flu this year. Not only the kids but parents and teachers alike. When I heard one of the girls that works for me we sick with really yucky stuff going on for 3 days AND she has little kids, I knew I needed to take her dinner. Prince Charming and I discussed on the way to church what would sit well when sick. He suggested chicken, cheese and pasta. Our ideas overlapped at chicken. Something not too spicy and comforting is what sounded good to me.

On the way home from church we stopped, like we do every Sunday, at Costco. We got our weekly tomatoes, berries, cheese and a new shirt for me. Ok, never mind about the shirt. We picked up a roasted chicken which is always a great start to an easy and quick casserole.

Basically I'm going to give you the recipe I found on someone else's blog with the changes I made or would make. I doubled the recipe so PC, my mom and I could have it for dinner too with a salad. You can easily halve this recipe if you like. Serves 8 as is or 4 if halved.

I got this base recipe from http://damndelicious.net.

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 roasted chicken, shredded
1 - 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
Chicken base, to taste



FOR THE BISCUITS

4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cup buttermilk or (2 tbl white vinegar in measuring cup then fill with milk to 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp of thyme and some lemon zest would be awesome

INSTRUCTIONS

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10- by 7-inch rectangle, about 1-inch thick. Cut out as many rounds using a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter as you can. Place biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet; set aside in the refrigerator. Cover with towel. I reworked the scraps quickly and gently to get a few more biscuits.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9X7 inch oval and a 8" round or whatever works for you.
To make the filling, melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion, and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, milk and thyme, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken and mixed veggies; season with salt and pepper, to taste. I like to whisk in "chicken base" instead of salt to taste.
Add chicken mixture to prepared baking dish. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Top with prepared biscuits and bake until tops are golden brown, an additional 10-12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Eat. Feed your family and expect everyone to feel better in the morning. Yum!

Where in the world have you been?

I love to cook. EVERYONE knows that about me. Just because I haven't updated my blog in something like 563 days doesn't mean that has changed. I just take the path of least resistance at times. This past weekend I made a stop at the Hispanic market and bought some treats from the meat counter. One of my all time favorite things to do is go into a supermarket I've not been in before, especially ethnic markets. I prefer to go by myself. I want to linger over the many shelves of vinegars, numerous rices, interesting cuts of meat, swimming fish and fresh produce I've never seen before. I have no qualms about just standing on an aisle typing in unusual letter configurations into my smart phone trying to figure out what I'm looking at. Because I took French in high school going into a market where most things are labeled in Spanish may as well be Greek to me.

My son was the one to bring my attention to this little store in Santa Ana. He told me months ago about their tasty empanadas. Since I was in the area and had little on the agenda I thought I check it out.

It's a small store located on the ground floor of a 2 story building near the corner of Bristol and 17th Street. Without a good description I would have completely missed it. The quiet little market with low shelves made me feel like I could easily browse without being overwhelmed. What I didn't expect was a fresh meat counter stretching across 1/2 the back of the store. I worked my way from one end to the other making mental note of what I might do with all the choices. Headcheese?! Sweet lord, yes. Beef short ribs, yep. Blood pudding, yes please. (I ate a super yummy empanada too) I couldn't wait to take my finds home to Prince Charming knowing he too would be as excited as I was. Sure enough, he inspected the meat I had laid out on the island. We sampled the headcheese and determined it would be on our next round of Bahn Mi.

Sunday after church I removed the skin from the blood pudding (sausage) and sliced it about 1/2" thick

and fried it slowly in olive oil until cooked through but being careful not to burn it. That was not easy to do as the sausage turns black as soon as the heat hits it. I served it with gently fried eggs and buttered toast. Oh the sticky goodness and gently spiced "pudding" was a perfect match for the rich runny yolk and crispy toast. We wanted more but knew one sausage between us was enough.

Sunday afternoon I began the task of making slow braised short ribs. Cutting, seasoning, browning. Slow cooked mushrooms and onions then the ribs added back in with tomato paste, beef broth and a dark beer. The whole thing in the oven for 3 hours leaves plenty of time to make a parsnip puree and oven roasted asparagus. As you would imagine the meat fell off the bones and the puree was a perfect landing for the dark rich braising liquid.

Oh how I've missed telling you about our food adventures. Where have you been? Stand by, there is more to come.

Dirt

Doesn't it seem silly to pay for some things? I understand an initial investment but after that I don't want to shell out good hard earned cash for stuff I can grow, create or generate. I'm not a fanatic in any sense; I don't have my toaster hooked up to my bicycle and we don't have solar panels on our roof (not that I'm opposed to that). We run our ceiling fans way more than our A/C, turn off lights, grow some of our food and refill our giant 5 gallon water jug at Smart and Final for .25 cents a gallon. So all that still cost us something. However nothing irks me more than paying $ for dirt. Gardens require dirt, lots of it and I hate buying it. So we don't.

Prince Charming made me a composter. I did some reading and some research and told him what I wanted with a little sketch. Off to The Home Depot where we plunked down about $75 for the parts. Not cheap but you gotta see this baby. It's a heavy duty trash can suspended in a frame that allows the whole thing to rotate top to bottom. We put yard clippings in it and vegetable/fruit scraps and egg shells and lots of other stuff. It gets rotated every couple days. Inside is deep dark rich soil (with some recognizable shells and newspaper strips today). I've noticed that my kitchen trash doesn't fill up nearly as fast. Typically I crack eggs on a napkin and instead of throwing the napkin and shells in the trash they go into the composter. Potato peels, carrot and strawberry tops, mushroom stems all morph into dirt for my garden. Now if I could figure out how to make gasoline for my car...

 

Roasted Beets

 

 

Beets, glorious beets. They're beautiful deep scarlet and succulently sweet. Pickled, savory, cold, or hot matters not because they are yummy AND good for you. My garden is beginning to spill over with beet greens which means the dirt beneath is teeming with deep red orbs. I love them pickled and roasted best. Served with goat cheese makes for a perfect salad.

 

Roasted Beets

1.00 serving (178.29 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value

folate36.4%

manganese30.5%

vitamin K19.8%

fiber17%

vitamin C16.7%

omega-3 fats14.5%

potassium13.6%

Calories (157)8%

Scrub beets with a stiff brush to remove dirt. Cut off tops leaving about 1". Trim root end just a little. Pat dry with paper towel and lay on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap, sealing edges tightly. Put on a tray and roast at about 350-400 for an hour. Remove from oven and open foil and allow to cool enough to handle. (This is when I put a plastic glove on.) Gently slide skins off. Cut and serve however you desire. Now go eat your vitamins and minerials.

 

Lavender Lemonade

You should make this. Really and truly you should. You won't be sorry I promise.

 

Go snip some lavender flowers from your yard, your neighbors yard or some public spot where it grows. This is where you dig back into your memory bank and think back where you last saw fresh herbs growing. I've made mental notes that if I need rosemary it grows at my school, near Walgreens and across the street near the golf course. Interestingly lavender grows in those same places. If my small plants in the garden run low I know where to get more. If you find wild basil growing somewhere please call me and tell me where. I can't grow enough of that fragrant herb. Ok, back to the recipe.

I used a small handful. I cut the stems off and laid the flowers on a paper towel for about 4 days thinking I'd dry them out. They never really did get dry but I used them anyway.

In a small saucepan put 2 cups of water, 1 3/4 cups white sugar and your handful of flowers. Bring to a boil, stirring a couple times until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain into a jar. It is easy to keep the flowers separated but you could use a strainer or cheese cloth if you like. This simple syrup keeps in your fridge for 2 weeks.

Squeeze about 4-5 lemons to get 1 cup juice. Put juice into a pitcher and add 1 cup of your simple syrup. Mix. Now stir in 5 cups water and taste. Add more syrup if you prefer your lemonade sweeter.

Serve over ice garnished with a lemon slice. Enjoy this refreshing summer drink all summer long.

 

Time

At 50 I think about the fact I won't have any more kids. I'm cool with that. Chances of my family expanding with nieces and nephews comes to a close. I guess I'm ok with that. When my dad died it made me think about my family size and that rather than growing it was shrinking. At the time my favorite son had no girl on his arm. The daughter being only a high school senior wasn't anywhere near (and still isn't) making the family tree grow fuller. However the last year in a half has brought changes. Son has girl. Girl has son. Daughter has another BF in college. I'm not good at math but I can add and I'd say my family is beginning to swell. I'm diggin' it!

 

I've gained what many long for, dream of and work toward. I have time. Time like I haven't had in a long time. Do some days seems too short? Oh yea. Do I seem to runout of time? I do. Maybe it's cause I've learned to prioritize. Maybe it's because I have less to do? Maybe I've kicked guilt in the teeth. It is all of the above. I've learned that I handle Monday through Friday better when I do what I want every once in a while. I'm calmer, less stressed, happier and more satisfied. Could I have been like this at 26? 32? 45? I doubt it. I think it's one of those things you earn. You mature into it.

There. My two cents on time, satisfaction and the size of my family.

Can't have a food blog without...

Roasted tomato mayo. Refer back to previous post on roasting tomatoes with garlic. Now take a scoop of mayo and stir in the same amount of roasted tomato. You have a delicious spread for BLTs or any sandwich for that matter. Eat something that makes you feel good. It's worth your time.

 

 

I Can Make This at Home

I spent the last 144 hours in the great city of Chicago. There are many things that make the city great: food, drink, architecture, colleges, art, museums, good public transportation but the greatest thing is it's the city my daughter calls home. I don't call it her home yet but rather the place where she's a college freshman. There is an interesting dichotomy there. People walk, a lot. They walk to work, school, shopping and to the train. They carry groceries for blocks, in the cold. Some people run. Real running. Like exercise in the snow! All this exercise should make them healthy right? But no. They also smoke. While my lungs heave from climbing train station stairs and trying to keep up with my husbands faster than me pace in exceptionally cold air they inhale tar and nicotine. Gag. Why? Every time we do this kind of trip I think to myself, "I'm half way to being in better shape just because of all the walking we've been doing so just keep doing that at home." I'm a slacker and do not like exercise. If it weren't for walking and stairs at work I'd be considered pretty sedentary. I suppose standing for hours on end cooking fattening food doesn't count for much? Speaking of food I must tell you about my Chicago food adventures.

Guinness, espresso, beer, cookies w/ salted caramel, croque madam, espresso/latte, Creme brûlée, French food, dive bar, chocolate croissant, waffle sandwich w/ Burrata & prosciutto, ribs, pickles, chips, beef sandwiches, braised greens, mac 'n cheese, sweet potato fries, pork belly (no trip is complete without pork belly)

If I did the #thing I guess I'd have # in front of each of the items above. That is my "off the top of my head" list of what I consumed in 144 hours. Several of the items I did more than once and to be honest more than twice. Basically we were able to consume 2 meals a day. Prince Charming and I have little discipline when it comes to ordering small or sharing even when we know we should. I'm the lucky type that sleeps best on a full stomach. Not so much for him. I don't have to eat much to be satisfied. Let's just say I was more than satisfied this trip. (As a side note: I thought it was funny how all our leftovers made it into doggy bags and aforementioned daughter and friend ate very well for several days.) A few bites of something is enough as long as I get to talk about it with someone. I suppose this is where you come in. I'm a simple person. I really only think about a few things each day. I got to experience all those things to the highest level of satisfaction in the last 6 days. Who could ask for a better life?

I think the only thing on the list above that we don't or can't make is Guinness. Ok, I've never tried to make Burrata but its on my list of things to learn. I'm fine with that. Mostly I look at restaurant food as a challenge to be conqured. My montra is "I can make this at home." I'm not trying to be a snob. I really think its true. Because food is one of my passions I want others to share it. Think about something you're passionate about. You want to share it with others right? Because some of my closest friends (Barb, Lori, Debbie S.) think making some of the stuff I do is over their abilities (which it is not) I want to explore making something tasty, not too difficult and high and fluity sounding with you.

Croque Madam.

It's basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a sauce and fried egg. That doesn't sound too hard right? Like all good food it's about the ingredients. Thick sliced bread, good thin cut ham, Emmentaler cheese. The sauce is easy. Butter, flour, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. You can put simple things together and get fantastic results. You need to make this. Just think, when you do you get to announce to anyone who'll listen that you made Croque Madam. Say it with your best French accent and people will be even more impressed by you than they already are. Want to know a little secret? That dive bar mentioned above. It had something in it that I've never seen anywhere in any bar or pub in any country. It was a little shocking to be quite honest. Because you read this far you get to ask me about it when you see me next. Now go and cook something please then share the experience with me.

I'll perfect the recipe and add it soon so check back so you can make it too.