Slacker

I realized today how much my emotions and current mood affect my cooking. It obviously has affected my blogging too since I haven't cooked enough lately to have anything worth blogging about. Speaking of which, I promised a Thanksgiving blog and you'll get it at some point.

I am not an emotional eater. When I'm down in the dumps or exhausted, I tend not to eat. That translates to a lack of cooking and cooking only for the sake of my daughter. Hence why I tend to keep around cans of Chef Boyardee and a few decent frozen meals. I also buy from Schwans who are incredible company.

So the past two weeks put me through a bit of an emotional up and down. It's pretty private to discuss on here but let's just say that I thought I had an opportunity for a good thing, but my good sense and ability to read between the lines made it clear that it will never be a good thing. When I was "up" last week I cooked a bunch utilizing leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. I made a turkey pie that consisted of 2 cups of chopped turkey, a cup of thawed peas, a half cup of diced celery, a half cup of diced onion, and half a can of chopped mushroom pieces. To this mixture of goodies I added some salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sage, thyme, and rosemary. I shredded an 8 oz block of swiss cheese and mixed one cup of that in with the meat, veggies, and spices. I put the combo in the bottom of a 10 inch pie dish. Then I mixed together 1 1/2 cup milk, three eggs, and 3/4 cup pancake mix (which I had used the buttermilk type, but I used regular). I poured this concoction over the turkey and veggies. I then put a light layer of French fried onions on the top and the remaining shredded Swiss cheese over the onions. I baked the pie for about an hour. If you make it, I would recommend checking it at 45 minutes. Stick a knife in and if it comes out clean it is done. Mine was kind of overdone due to me not paying attention so I didn't get a pic of it. It tasted good, but I think that it was actually in the oven for about an hour and fifteen and it was rather dark on top. Still tasted yummy though.

I also made some turkey enchiladas. I took corn tortillas and put shredded turkey, sliced mushrooms (out of a can), some shredded colby jack and muenster cheeses, and a sauce made up of cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chopped poblano peppers. I layered the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with some of the sauce, then the tortillas, and then covered them with the sauce. I covered the mixture with quite a bit more shredded muenster and colby jack. I sprinkled some chopped green onions over the top. I then baked it in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Delicious!!  This same night I also made 5 more sweet potato pies for friends and a chocolate banana cake that turned out so moist and delicious.

Then came the downer of my week and I just opted to not cook for the last two days. I had an okay day yesterday and felt today that I should probably make something decent for my daughter so I took thinly sliced chicken breasts and soaked them in a stick of butter (4 breasts to 1/2 cup or one stick of butter). In another pan I threw together plain bread crumbs, garlic powder, ground thyme, parsley, onion powder, dried basil, a little salt, black pepper, celery seed, and red pepper flakes (only two shakes). The measurements with the spices is tailored to one's own taste. My hand is light on the salt and heavy on the thyme, peppers, and celery seed. I baked these breasts in a baking dish that was coated with a light layer of olive oil. I baked it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I made some alfredo noodles (out of a package) and white corn to go with it. Turned out well and I judge that by my daughter's willingness to gobble it up.

I'm about to make some of Schwan's funnel cake fries and watch a good movie. Feeling accomplished. I'm also thinking ahead to this coming week and the chili I will attempt along with the dozens of cookies I will be baking next Friday. Guess I should start scoping out recipes to see what sounds good for this year.

Thanksgiving 2011

This year was probably the best Thanksgiving I've had in the last couple years. I did not take overtime at work and made an effort to put together the best holiday meal I think I've ever done. I planned my menu in advance and tried to mix in new with tradition.

This year was super special for many reasons. The first was my daughter. She is three and a half going on thirteen and insistent on helping mommy all the time now. I'm definitely not complaining and this year I gave her the opportunity to do the basting on our turkey. She has been burned before on a burner so she was quite aware of being steady and careful around the hot oven. She watched me diligently as I showed her what to do and she followed suit perfectly.

She means more to me than anything else in this world and it excites me to be passing on my love of cooking to her. She has genuine interest and the other night as I was making goulash using elbow macaroni, she recognized me boiling the noodles and asked me if she could help with the macaroni and cheese. Even though that's not what I was making it made me realize that she is retaining and has processed quite a bit of what I've showed her with my cooking. She did a lot of stirring for me today and did four hours worth of basting. She was super inquisitive when I was putting together my turkey rub/marinade and when I explained the purpose of it, she actually seemed to understand. When Gammy and Papa showed up for dinner, she woke from her nap and the first thing she told them was how she "wasted the turkey." Yes, you read that right. It was cute.

In addition, usually my parents come, eat, and leave. Today they came, we watched a movie (Red), ate, and then watched part of another movie. That was nice because we only ever see each other in passing as I am either dropping off or picking up my daughter on a daily basis before or after I go to work. My father also helped me set up my big Christmas tree. As I type this I am sitting in a living room lit only by the light of a candle, the tv, and two Christmas trees...one is a little one for my daughter, and our big one. I feel cozy, satisfied, and loved.

Third, I made a bunch of sweet potato pies for those in my life who have been extra special to me over the last couple months. I gave one to my second shift co-workers who I work all my overtime with. I passed one on to a wonderful woman who has helped me with watching my daughter at random times where I am hard pressed for a baby sitter. I gave the last one to a man who has slowly become a special part of my life. He met my parents tonight and that was a little worrisome for me since it was not planned. Things went well and I feel a sense of relief. Where he and I will be next Thanksgiving is beyond me at this point and in fate's hands. I am just going to ride the wave, take my time, and enjoy what has been given to me. The feedback from everyone regarding these pies has just confirmed for me that I am doing something right.

This year I can give thanks for so many things that it makes my heart feel full. Loving and supportive parents, great friends and awesome co-workers, a job that allows me to help others in need, a nice roof over my head, a special man, and the greatest daughter I could ever imagine. Whoever the higher power is who is holding my cards....thanks!

Beenie Weenies...my style

Well....tonight was tough. Both my daughter and I are fighting a week long illness with lots of meds and not feeling much better. I didn't feel like driving anywhere or ordering, so scraping together something easy in my kitchen was the only option. However, that was a bigger feat than I had anticipated. I had done my weekly cleanout of the fridge the other day so we had no leftovers. So...I resorted to scanning the cabinets and taking inventory of the few valuable ingredients I had left in the fridge. The result...my thrown together version of beenie weenies. It turned out surprisingly well. Here's how it went:

1 large can of baked beans...I had a store brand and it wasn't anything fancy
to this I added...2 sliced hotdogs
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 diced yellow onion
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard (I love mustard in lots of things and use it often!)
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon prepared minced garlic
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (I almost always have cooked bacon in my fridge...never know when you can use it for flavoring...awesome to have on hand.)

I cooked this combo together until it was boiling and then turned it down and let it simmer for 20 minutes on low so the flavors could blend and the onions could soften. Delicious...for beenie weenies that is.

Comfort food...stuffing

Generally I make stuffing with my roasts and I stuff the birds and then put the extra stuffing in a casserole dish. Since it's just my daughter and I, I have been buying the little fryer chickens, which usually amount to four or five pounds.

So I start with whatever vegetable I feel like adding. Usually it's celery, onion, and mushrooms. Quite a few people in my life do not like mushrooms so I will leave them out when cooking for others. But for myself, I love mushrooms and will add them to anything I can. So last night when putting together my stuffing, I diced a medium yellow onion, a package of button mushrooms, and a four sticks of celery.

I added a stick of butter (1/2 cup). Olive oil works well as an alternative.  To the mixture of veggies I added a teaspoon of minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1 Tablespoon parsley. 

I cooked this mixture until the onions were clear and the celery was soft. 

Now what I made last night was more than enough for stuffing so I took only half of this skillet and put it into a mixing bowl for the stuffing. The other half I refrigerated to use later in breakfast omelets.

Next for the stuffing I put together what I call my "stuffing marinade." I take two eggs and beat them, then add two cups of either chicken stock or vegetable stock. To that I add 1 teaspoon salt, a dash of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon parsley, and 1 teaspoon ground sage. I mixed that together and added it to the sauteed veggies in the mixing bowl. Then I added a cup of milk. 

From there the bread needs to be added. You can buy already prepared bread "crumbs" for stuffing from the grocery store, but regular bread works just as well. To sop up this mixture it took about 20 pieces of white bread...which amounts to almost a whole loaf. 

Put the stuffing mixture into a greased casserole dish. Mine fit into an 8x8 Pyrex dish. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for an hour covered and then 15 minutes uncovered.

Comfort food...roast chicken

Everyone has a favorite food or a favorite meal. I could never pick just one growing up, especially when I started cooking. It used to be lasagna. As I've grown older it has turned into roast chicken with stuffing, creamed corn (my creamed corn that is), mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce (the jelly).

This is how I put together a yummy and moist roast chicken. I should mention that my methods work for turkey also.

Take your chicken or turkey and remove the giblets. I don't eat any of them except for the liver so I save that and cook it in the pan with the chicken. At Thanksgiving I cook all the giblets to use them for gravy.  Wash your chicken thoroughly and place it in your roast pan.

I have learned to stuff mine with fresh vegetables (celery, carrots, and onion...very fragrant) and I swear that's the key to keeping the bird moist. I also surround the bird with veggies and then I pour either vegetable stock or chicken stock in the roast pain so that it's about an inch high. Next comes my marinade. It changes every time...slightly. This time I started with a half cup of olive oil. I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground rosemary, 1 teaspoon of ground thyme, 1 teaspoon of ground sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and 1 Tablespoon of parsley. Stir it well and then pour it evenly over the top of the bird.

Roast the bird covered in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes per pound. The last 15 minutes roast without the lid so that the skin can crisp up.

Comfort food...creamed corn

I HATE...absolutely despise canned cream corn. Here is an alternative that I have refined over the years and use when I make ham roasts and at Thanksgiving. I'll be making it in a couple weeks and will add pics then. It's very simple.

Drain two cans of yellow corn and then put one in a microwave safe dish. Add one package of 8oz cream cheese. Then add 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) or margarine and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

Top this with the second can of drained yellow corn.

 Microwave the whole mixture until the shredded cheddar is melted (approx 5 minutes).

Take it out. Stir thoroughly so it is evenly mixed and creamy...should look like thick creamed corn. Microwave for another minute. Stir again and serve. Delicious!!

Comfort food...meatloaf

I was raised with a completely different meatloaf so the one in this blog today has been years in development and changes from time to time. I'll tell you how to make mine and then i'll describe the one I was raised with. Again, everybody is different. You may like it more sweet and wet. I like it more savory and dry. Savory and dry allows you to add yummy toppings without making it into meatloaf soup.

I start with one pound of ground beef and I try to get the lowest fat content possible since it is such a large lump of meat being cooked at once.
I dump that in a mixing bowl (raw) and add:
1 package of dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup French fried onions
2 eggs
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons prepared mustard
a shake or two of grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 small onion diced and sauteed with 1 medium diced green pepper ( I saute the two in olive oil with a little salt, black pepper, and a shake or two of celery seed)

Mix all the ingredients with a spoon. I use my bare hands to get it mixed thoroughly. Add to a glass loaf pan that is at least 8 inches long.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for at least 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Check it at 45 minutes by sticking a knife in the middle. Pull the knife sideways a little to eyeball the meat. Make sure it isn't pink. If not, it's done.

Serving suggestions:
Beef gravy
Pickle relish!!!! Adds some sweet to the savory of the meat. Even better mixed with ketchup.
Ketchup.
Hotsauce
Grated Parmesan


The meatloaf that I was raised with...that my mother made, was made with lots of ketchup, just a touch of mustard, seasoned bread crumbs, and pickle relish mixed in. It made it very wet and sweet. Sometimes it's good to have that throwback. However you like it, enjoy!!