What’s for Dinner?

Here’s something I experimented with the other night that came out quite good. It has a sweet and spicy, vaguely eastern flavor due to the light coconut milk and seasonings. I’ve been playing with coconut milk a lot since tasting Thai curry a few years ago, and this is another of my variations.

• Sauté half of a yellow onion (diced) and four minced cloves of garlic with a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan.
• Add 1/2 bag golden raisins, and four cooked and diced Yukon gold potatoes.
• Add 1 can rinsed and drained kidney beans, one can rinsed and drained chick peas, and 1/2 bag steamed or prepared lentils (about one cup).
• Add 1 can light coconut milk, three-quarters of a jar of Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper and eggplant dip***, 1/3 bag of cashews, and 1/3 bag frozen peas.
• Season with salt, pepper, a little cumin and coriander, and a more generous amount of chili powder to taste. Heat through and combine until peas are thawed, and the dish is warm.
• Serve over brown rice, and garnish with red bell pepper or scallions.

I think this dish is easy to prepare, even if you don’t really cook. It looks like a lot, but it is all “pantry” ingredients, and it is my favorite style of cooking (just combining things in a pan.) Don’t be scared if it looks a little strange… The raisins give it a burst of sweetness, and the nuts give it a nice crunch. The leftovers (and there will be a lot), reheated very well, and it may have even tasted better after a couple of days in the fridge.

*** You could make your own by processing oil-packed red peppers (with the oil), garlic, and grilled eggplant until smooth.

I am my father’s daughter. Though the cooking I do is typically healthy, one thing I have in common with Dad is that I sometimes get a craving that is undeniable. I don’t mean the type of craving you get where you think, “Hmm, I think stir-fry might be nice for dinner.” I’m talking about the kind that starts as a nagging voice in the back of your mind, and builds over days at a time. Should you try to suppress the Craving, and allow days to turn into weeks, you will find yourself making a trip to the store at the most inconvenient time, and doing your food shopping at places like Walgreen’s. Because you just have to get whatever-it-is you’ve been trying to tell yourself that you don’t need, or is too high in fat, or doesn’t fit with your ideals. And you have to get it right then.

Spam is not for everyone. In fact, I don’t think it appeals to a lot of people, even those who are dedicated meat-eaters. I remember walking into my friend Jen’s house one morning in high school. Her father worked for Dial corporation, which had recently acquired the company that produced Treet, a rival product of Spam. He had gotten a lot of free Treet as a result of the merger, and was packing Treet sandwiches for all the kids. One of them, Jason, was having none of it. As I walked up the stairs, I heard her dad saying, “Jason, do you like pork? Do you like chicken? Do you like beef? Well, good. Because IT’S ALL IN THERE.” I’m sure Jason tried unsuccessfully to trade his lunch that day.

Well, I’ve never tried Treet. But I grew up with Spam, and for me it is a fond memory. In my younger days, before I turned fifteen and my metabolism came to a screeching halt, I ate as much as four grown men at every meal. I also had no standards or “ideals” to speak of, and I only obeyed my instinct — to eat what was tasty. And oh baby, I could eat those pan-seared slices of Spam just as long as Dad would cook ‘em up, and the stockpile of cans in the cabinet held out.

Now, I still adore the idea of Spam for kitsch value (a reputation I think the company is well aware of, due to their production of an extensive catalog of items, a museum, and a pretty awesome, if slightly obnoxious, website). But come on. I’m not that girl anymore. I can’t stand most Hormel products (Dinty Moore beef stew gives me the shivers just to think about… And remember the Frankenstuff hot dogs with chili inside? In the commercial the dog was struck with lightning, and the chili gushed out. Uhhhk.) I don’t generally eat mystery meat, or pork of any kind. Except, of course, for those times when I do.

And don’t bother with the Spam Lite. It doesn’t taste the same, and that unsatisfied craving just might get rolled over to another day. When you experience the Craving, just go for it. Serve a bit of it diced in scramble eggs with onion for dinner, some green veggies on the side, and enjoy. If our lives are like houses, then a good home is all about balance. And sometimes the cracks can be patched up nicely with Spam.

This is a simple soup I like to make from my booty from Trader Joe’s. TJ’s used to offer a frozen mixed greens bag, containing spinach, broccoli, green beans, and edamame. At our location, however, the mix disappeared around the time of the Great Spinach Scare, and hasn’t reappeared since. Now I have to buy each vegetable, and add them separately. I mean, this soup used to be so simple. Now I have to open four individual bags. Sheesh, what am I, some kind of soup-making machine?

Anyway, what I do is brown and chop Joe’s feta and spinach chicken sausages, then add them to the Crockpot. In the slowcooker, I also add a bit of each veggie (frozen right out of the bag), about a cup or two of aneletti or other small pasta, diced onion and garlic to taste, and enough chicken broth to fill the thing. I just let it all simmer together until the pasta is cooked (on high).

Make sure to pile it high with parmesan or romano when you dish it up, of course…

What’s spring or summer without a deviled egg? Answer, “a sad one, indeed.”

I made these awhile ago — on Easter, I believe — and neglected to post them. But in going through my files, they looked so yummy I didn’t want to forget about them.

I had boiled the eggs, and had a dickens of a time getting the shells off, even under cold running water. In “Googling” a solution to this, I found a patent for a shell ripper, (which I assume has become the “Eggstractor” you see on TV), but who wants to buy a new item? I don’t have the room for that in my tiny kitchen. Not when the unused waffle-maker is collecting enough dust for everyone. Then I read several threads which had such useful recommendations as “crack the shell all over,” and “cool off the eggs.” Really? You mean the egg is INSIDE that shell thing..? And I shouldn’t peel them boiling hot? Wow, I didn’t know that. Sheesh.

Some did say not to overcook the eggs (10 minutes only), to simmer in salt and vinegar, and to use older eggs (because gas has permeated the shell). Guess I’ll try those next time… Anyone else know any tricks?

Anyway, I used a hand mixer for the yolks. I added:

• a dollop of Just Too Good! mayo
• about a tablespoon of vinegar
• a little sugar
• a couple shots of hot sauce
• garlic and onion powder
• a little dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

That’s pretty much it… I just kept playing with it until I liked the taste. I used a hand-mixer, and then a pastry bag to pipe it on all pretty-like. However, even the smallest unbroken piece of yolk clogged up the whole works and required extraction… So I think next time I will put the whole deal into the food processor, whir it up, and break up the yolks very well before I add the mayo and liquids. Or find a bigger nozzle…

Even with the poor peeling, and the nozzle problems, they came out quite pretty and very tasty. They were a little zippy, just how I like them. I dusted them with paprika. I could have added some fresh dill to the inside, but this batch was destined for a family affair, and I decided to just put little sprigs on the top so that anyone who didn’t like it could just take it off.

How do you like your deviled eggs (with more, or less “devil”)?

A hot dog is not something your typical gourmet indulges in on a regular basis, if ever. Luckily for me, I’m no gourmet. Still, other than the occasional turkey or soy dog (I like Morning Star Farms dogs and corn dogs the best), I didn’t purchase hot dogs as a general rule. What other meat is so famous for being so grossly mysterious? For one thing, they are not a healthy food (duh). Most have lots of fat, or lots of preservatives, carcinogens, and other chemical ick (yes, even some of the veggie ones.) Also, I’ve seen the process of making a typical hot dog on Discovery, or say, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. When you watch a hot dog go from raw product, to yellowy extrusion, to the addition of smoky flavors and nitrites, the temptation to eat one is lessened considerably. Now add these other factors to an unfortunate incident I experienced as a teenager, in which I pulled a largish piece of coiled plastic sheeting out from within a cheap frankfurter. You’ll see that my odds of ordering the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the mystery dog at Wrigley become very high indeed.

But while at the ol’ Trader Joe’s, I had a summertime craving for a really good hot dog. And I saw the Hebrew Nationals, a 100% kosher beef frank (I don’t eat pork, either, my Jewish brothers) that contains nothing artificial. I remembered how much I liked them when they gave them away once a year at the office building in Skokie I used to work in. I got the Reduced Fat, and so far I like those the best. The 97% Fat Free variety, sadly, didn’t have nearly as good a flavor.

Of course, even while eating hot dogs, I’m trying to “up” the nutritional value and minimize the damage… So I paired the dogs with TJ’s sweet potato oven fries (cook ‘em high and hot, or they’ll sog out on you), and dipped those in a little low-fat ranch mixed with BBQ sauce (my two current favorites are Sweet Baby Ray’s and Famous Dave’s Texas Pit.) And, of course, whole wheat buns. I put Dijon mustard and relish on mine, and tried not to look when C-Dub added ketchup to his. I just kept reminding myself, “He’s a good man, he’s a good man…”

For my money, these are the best and the only dogs out there. But I could be suffering from inexperience, since I haven’t tried them all… Would you sooner die than eat one? Or do you eat several every week? How do they fix ‘em where you live?

What’s your favorite hot dog?

I did it again… I found myself a couple of weeks ago without any marinara sauce. Or canned tomatoes. Or fresh tomatoes. And of course, what I really wanted to make was pizza. Could I make a pizza without it, I wondered, that wouldn’t be dry, hard, and suitable only for a game of Frisbee?

Well, this pizza is what resulted. And it was light, summery, and very, very good.

I grilled two small chicken breasts (one large would do) with my usual mediterranean seasoning, alongside some asparagus (just a few spears). I chopped those, and mixed them in a bowl with crumbled feta, half a diced red onion, and some diced Greek olives (I used black and green mixed, but I think either one, or just Sicilian olives would be great). Lastly, I added the juice of one small lemon, and the grated zest.

I brushed the whole-wheat (prepared) crust with extra-virgin olive oil, and added minced garlic before spreading on the diced toppings. Then I drizzled with just a little a bit more oil, and added a light amount of shredded cheese (there was already feta, after all) and some Italian dried seasoning on top.

Then I just baked it at the recommended temperature for the pizza crust until the toppings were gold and bubbly. It was hearty and fresh, and we didn’t miss the sauce at all.

Today I thought I would begin with pictures of a very special man: Chris’ Nonno (grandpa). His name is Irio. He lives with Chris’ parents, in his own little “apartment” in the downstairs area, with his own kitchen. He is adorable. Enjoy him:

My husband’s Nonno (though I call him that, too) is almost 88 years old, and he still makes seasoning mix for us, fresh bread, and baccalà (which I believe is the only seafood he eats). He waters all the extensive landscaping at the house, walks every day, mows the lawn, rakes leaves, shovels snow… And probably a ton else. He doesn’t have to do any of that, of course. In fact, Chris’ parents have been totally unsuccessful in stopping him. He is incredibly stubborn, and just as cute and sweet at the same time with a light and merry sense of humor. I see him in my husband all the time, especially in his little periods of inflexibility about what I would consider “small things,” like the schedule of events that you might have on a day off. On the days when most people would plan nothing and “go with the flow” (or even stay in their pajamas all day), Nonno wants to know, exactly what time is dinner? And Chris is grousing because we may be five minutes late to it. And you can’t get very annoyed because, well, they’re both just so dang cute.

Unlike Chris, Nonno is a picky eater. I’m not just saying that because on my side of the family, we cram things in our mouth first, and ask about edibility later. There is a pretty narrow range of things he will eat. When we grill out, he wants steak. Just steak. Keep away from him with the fish or the chicken (here you can see his steak in the back.)

And he always has some kind of potato or pasta, bread with dinner, and definitely white wine. And if you’re not questioning the validity of all that you knew about healthy eating by now, you should be.

God bless you, Nonno. We love you, see you soon!

**As a side note, the chicken we grilled here on Father’s Day was a concoction of some chicken breasts that I marinated in margarita mix (tequila included), coarse salt, pepper, olive oil, and mint for a sort of “Mojito Chicken.” It was very good, as was the salmon that Wilma seasoned, and we ate with fresh homemade pesto sauce (with basil from her garden) and pasta. And Nonno’s steak looked pretty good, too…

Okay, something a bit more “frou-frou,” or light and healthy. Mostly because it’s getting hot outside! I’m starting to wonder if I should just write recipes for Trader Joe’s fliers. Stilll, you could re-create this from any store, I think.

1 serving Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains, cooked and rinsed (or other mixed grains in a bag… this one contains quinoa)
1/2 package prepared lentils, or about a cup cooked and drained
1/2 bunch diced scallions
1 medium tomato, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 tub crumbled feta cheese
1/2 bag cashews or cashew pieces
1/2 bottle cilantro dressing (I used TJ’s, natch)
salt and pepper

Pretty simple… Had a nice crunch, and lots of textures — very refreshing. Next time I will add some Greek or Sicilian olives, I think, if I have them on hand.

I’m even more eager than before to sell our condo and get into a home, since our last trip to my in-laws home. As if the smallish kitchen wasn’t motive enough, my “MIL,” Wilma, had a bountiful crop of fresh herbs growin’ like crazy in her backyard. She grows a lot of them in pots, so this would technically be possible for us, since we have a large balcony. However, it faces north, so while this is pleasant because the sun is never direct, it isn’t great for growing summer herbs, since the sun is never direct. For now, I’ll just have to settle for hacking into her large basil and tomato supply, and trucking them home with me.

Pesto is so simple to make with a food processor, and you can use lots of different things as your “base” — such as artichoke hearts, spinach, or in this case, basil. Layer up your washed herbs, begin with just a drizzle of olive oil, and about a quarter cup of toasted pignolis (I reserve another quarter cup for later.) Add about three cloves garlic, a good shake of parmesan or romano, salt and pepper, a small shake of red pepper flakes, put the top on and give it a few pulses. Then, while whirring continuously, drizzle up to a half cup more extra-virgin olive oil through the opening. I don’t measure, I just whir until it looks like the consistency I want. Then I add the juice of one lemon. Lastly, I add the remaining pignolis (pine nuts) and pulse a couple of times (I do this because I want some crunch, and I don’t want all the pine nuts completely pulverized.)

Have you ever combined pasta and potatoes? You can, you know. I heated my leftover potatoes and squash, and in a separate pot I boiled whole-wheat pasta. Then I tossed in frozen artichoke hearts and green beans at the last moment, just until they thawed and heated. Then I strained the whole pot, and added the potatoes and squash, and the pesto. I also crumbled in some goat cheese, and added diced tomatoes to the top.

The dish was so rich and yet fresh all at the same time. The buttery cinnamon and coriander seasoning I had used lightly on the potatoes gave the dish such a depth and additional dimension, though I think just using plain boiled potatoes would have been very tasty, too. As another note, you can use toasted walnut pieces if you can’t find pignolis.

The leftovers of this dish reheated very nicely, though they did not hang around for long!

To go along with my previous post about fried chicken, I thought that the mixed potatoes and squash were yummy enough to deserve their own post.

They were very simple. I washed and cut up one of those bags of mixed potatoes (some blue, some red, some gold) just into bite-sized halves (I got our bag at Trader Joe’s, of course). I boiled them, and steamed diced acorn squash separately. I drained the taters, and combined them with the squash. I added just a little bit of cinnamon, brown sugar, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Another tasty variation on this would have been to continue along and mash them up together, using a little milk and/or chicken broth. I guess your chemistry teacher would call that a “physical” change, not a “chemical” one…