Archive for November, 2009

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… some kind of day…

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

I rushed out of the house without breakfast this morning.  I didn’t realize until I was halfway to work, but didn’t stress at all because there’s a cafe in the lobby of my building.  I figured I would just grab a bagel or something.

When I arrived, I parked my car, and enjoyed walking to the building in the rain.  I had an umbrella, and I felt quite sophisticated today.  My hair was doing something nice; I was wearing my favorite coat for the first time this season; and I was wearing my favorite pair of pants which are super comfy but also do very kind things to my body, I think.  And then I stepped in a puddle.  My ankles were soaked, my shoes water-logged.  I’m pretty sure I didn’t look too sophisticated then.  The cafe was closed “due to illness”, and I grumpily made my way to the elevator.  The elevators in our building have mirrors on all four side, and the last thing I need at 8 a.m. is that much Jenny to look at.  Today, I didn’t expect it to be so bad, until I saw that I totally forgot to put on mascara this morning.  That’s right, dark eye liner, no mascara.

The day progressed rather similarly, with huge projects that hurt to think about for too long and a constant balancing act between being critical enough to help people improve and not making them angry.  I was bummed to miss the “5:20 funny” on the radio, even though I was in the car by 5:18.  I also unintentionally made a rather inappropriate gesture at work this evening – thank goodness only my office mate was around and brought it to my attention.

Somewhere in the midst of this day, I decided I needed “comfort food”.  Biscuits, for sure, how about macaroni and cheese too?  And what if there were sausage in the mac ‘n’ cheese?  And some brocoli? And so a meal was conceived.

Nathan Clendenin does not take credit for this photo

Nathan Clendenin will not take credit for this photo

I’m much too ashamed to tell you what is in it.  All I can say is that this was one of the heaviest meals I’ve ever had.  Surprisingly so, too.  I got turkey sausage and whole grain noodles.  It was quite delicious, nonetheless, and definitely hit the spot.  As with anything I make, there turns out to be about 4 times more than I intended, so I’ll be eating the leftovers for days.  Yikes!

... nor this one

... nor this one

Still, it was loads of fun to make, and even more fun to eat.

Posted in Comfort Food, Meat, Pasta, Recipes, Veggies | No Comments »

“Open Relationship” Pasta

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

This is one of my favorite recipes, and I was absolutely floored when I realized the other day that I had never made it for my roommates.  Over two months, and never this super easy, totally versatile pasta recipe?  I repeat recipes like it’s my job, so this was quite the surprise.

Pesto Asparagus Pasta

Photo by Nathan Clendenin

The Pesto Asparagus Pasta was delicious, but it was only the “flavor of the week”. That’s what makes this pasta so special. This basic recipe yields delicious, flavorful, creamy pasta that can be changed according to your mood. Toss in whatever vegetables are in your fridge, throw in your favorite seasoning blend, be a bit more creative and try your own ideas. … because this pasta likes to keep her options open.

Recipe for “Open Relationship” Pasta

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ground black pepper
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 c. white wine (optional)
  • 2 c. chicken broth
  • 1 c. milk
  • 1/2 lb. pasta
  • 1-2 T. lemon juice
  • 1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet.  Add black and red pepper.  Stir in wine, and cook until the liquid is almost all gone.  Stir in chicken broth, milk, and pasta.  (This is when I usually add the seasoning.)  Cover and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until pasta is tender.  (I wait until the last possible moment to add any veggies, and as much as I hate doing dishes, I even spring for the extra pan to cook the vegetables in to ensure they are tender, but not mushy.)  Stir in lemon juice and parmesan cheese.

*Note that the entire recipe is very vague.  It’s meant to be adjusted according to your preferences.  I like spicier pasta, so I usually go a little heavy on the black pepper.  If that’s not your style, don’t.  It’s up to you.

Posted in Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Veggies | 1 Comment »

Chilaquiles Soup

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Some friends of mine from work began the wonderful idea of the “culinary collaboration” where people take turns bringing lunch for the whole group on a specific day.  Tomorrow, chilaquiles soup, a recipe I got when…

<flashback>Quentin was in desperate need of a suit for a job interview he had the very next day.  Despite our cooking styles, I am actually the planner and Quentin likes to “go with the flow”.  [Insert contradiction from Quentin here.]  If you’ll remember, Quentin didn’t have a car at school, and I did.  When I got off work, I picked him up, drove all over town before finally finding a nice pair of pants to go with a sports coat he already had.  We picked out a nice shirt and tie, and he was set.  It was 8:30 p.m. before we headed back to his place, we were starved and stressed.  Quentin had a meeting for work at 9, and his pants were in desperate need of hemming.  I made dinner during his meeting (pasta with canned vodka sauce cooked in a rice cooker in his dorm, if you must know), and set to hemming the pants as soon as he got back and we could see how long they needed to be.  It was a late night, and I had to be at my school for student teaching at 7:00 the next morning.  In the end, we both agreed that he “owed” me.

The following weekend, he made me and my roommates dinner: tacos and a variation of this soup.  I can hear the “aw”s through the time-space continuum now.  Yes, dinner was delicious.  Yes, he’s quite a man.</flashback>

The recipe has been modified on various occasions.  When Quentin last visited, we had it without chicken or zucchini.  Tomorrow, it will be had without the chicken since a coworker is vegetarian.  That night, he made it without the zucchini.  It’s what a friend of mine calls an “easy-going” recipe in that it’s wonderfully flexible.  Hope you enjoy!

Recipe for Chilaquiles Soup

Time: 20-30 minutes, tops

Ingredients:

  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno, diced
  • 2 cans tomatillos
  • 2-3 cups chicken broth (I typically use water and chicken bouillon because I don’t figure there’s much difference)
  • 1 can corn
  • 2 zucchini, chopped into bite sized chunks
  • 2-ish cups shredded chicken (I’m totally just guessing here)
  • 1/2-ish cup fresh cilantro, chopped (as Quentin would say, too much cilantro is impossible)

Saute onions, garlic, and jalapeno in large pot.  Pour into blender along with tomatillos.  Blend until smooth.  Saute zucchini in same pot.  Add blended mixture, chicken broth, corn, and chicken.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in cilantro.  Serve.

Possible additions: tortilla chips and sour cream.

Possible substitutions: I totally forgot to get a jalapeno at the store yesterday and didn’t realize it until I had started to saute the onions and garlic.  My replacement was a dash of red pepper flakes and a couple dashes of black pepper.  Initial taste tests say go for it.  Quentin, please forgive me.

Posted in Mexican, Poultry, Recipes, Soups and Stews, Veggies | 1 Comment »

New Beginnings

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

I’ve been browsing through classic food blogs lately in an effort to determine how I should go about this. I know that I love to cook. I know that my roommate is an awesome photograher. It only follows then that we should blog about this. But what does a food blog look like?

I stumbled across this article, which I found simultaneously informative and overwhelming. On the one hand, those dishes look amazing! I can’t get over it. People really cook like this? “For real?”

The truth of the matter is that I don’t have a single friend who cooks like that. I have friends who can make an amazing chocolate mint cookie or delicious ratatouille. But I don’t have friends who cook like that. I felt a little guilty at first. What am I doing starting a food blog when I don’t cook like that and I don’t spend time with people who cook like that? That’s when I discovered my answer.

On the average weekday, I get home from work not a moment before 5:30, and I’m hungry. When I say “hungry”, I don’t mean that I could use a few crackers while I whip up a gormet dinner. I mean hungry in the classical sense: as though I will faint from exhaustion if I’m not eating a full meal within the half hour. I’ll eat the salad after the pasta, thank you.

I’m also tired. Again, do not misunderstand me. I’m tired like I just had a hard day at work, and the thought of cooking the meal that I desperately crave seems impossible. Scratch the salad; that’s more work. Bring on the pasta!

If the time I spend cooking is longer than the time I spend eating, something is wrong. And let me tell you, I eat fast. Maybe I’m embarrassing myself, but I really don’t think I’m alone in this. I think capers, salmon mousse, and all manner of foods they don’t sell at Food Lion are all very fine in their own way, and if my roommates were to prepare them for me for dinner, I would happily eat them. But when you’re hungry, you need something quick and delicious, made with ingredients that you likely have in your pantry or fridge. And that is why I cook. What’s more, that is also why I’m starting this food blog.

Posted in Food Talk | No Comments »

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