Living is about indulging your passions…for me that is singing and cooking…sometimes even at the same time
Author: singingaboutcooking
If you've had my cooking or heard me sing, you've shared some of the happiest and most memorable moments of my life. But if you've been lucky enough to listen to me sing while I cook, well, then you've seen the real me. And if you've sung and cooked with me, you know what being loved by me is!
So this week, seems I’ve been on a black bean kick. Shhhh…it’s the ONLY bean I like and eat willingly.
But, let’s see…there was a Qdoba night with black beans on my naked burrito, then my friend Danielle tried to make black bean soup but simmered all the broth right out and ended up with a most delicious black bean dip.
Tonight, though, is Wednesday. And Wednesdays are for fish in my house. Family pick for tonight: mahi mahi. So now I have to figure out what to do. In an unusual twist, I pick the side first: black beans and rice, paired with spicy cajun mahi mahi and pickled asparagus. The earthy sweetness of the beans with the spice of the fish with the tang of the pickled asparagus make for a wonderful “party in your mouth”!
With some leftover rice from the other night (my dad cooked and made waaayyyy too much), I’ll start with the black beans and then cook the fish while they are simmering.
Black Beans and Rice…recipe from Marsha Mikell (my mom) as published in the St. John’s Lutheran Church Cookbook (long time ago)
1/2 small onion, diced small
1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1 hot pepper (base “hot” on your family’s preferences)
1 16 oz can black beans, with juice
1T granulated sugar
Spices to taste: pepper, oregano, garlic powder (if not using fresh garlic), 1-2 bay leaves
Splashes of: apple cider vinegar, white wine
Saute on medium high the veggies, garlic, and pepper til soft (or carmelized if you like that), dump in beans, sugar, spices, and splashes. Stir well and simmer on medium low until the fish is done.
Once the beans have gone into the simmer stage, season the fish liberally on both sides. My family likes the Frontier Organic Cajun Seasoning, which we find at Whole Foods. Sear on high on each side for about 3 minutes each; if your fish is thick, then it won’t be quite done in the middle (if you cut it with a fork it’ll still be grey and translucent). I like to pour in about 1/4 cup fruit juice (pineapple tonight since it was leftover from a can I ate earlier today) and “poach” on high for about a minute; pour out the juice and continue cooking til the fish is very firm when poked (no give or bounce). When I use a spicy seasoning, I like to use a sweet fruit juice to give the dish some balance so the heat isn’t so overwhelming.
And, um, that all takes about 20 minutes, from start to plate and eat. Yep, this is my favorite Wednesday night meal for just me and my mom as we try to be healthier with lean protein, nutrious carbs, and yummy flavor combinations!
Weight Watchers PointsPlus
6 oz cooked mahi mahi = 3 points
1/2 cup texmati brown rice = 3 points
1 cup black beans = 3 points
pickled asparagus = 0 points
For a grand total of 9 points for this delicious, flavorful meal!
In an economic climate which continues to see school budgets cut even more, it’s no longer a wise choice to make teaching your college major or professional aspiration. There just aren’t enough teaching jobs out there anymore.
So why, if the state and private schools can’t hire them (it’s not in the budget), can’t certified and experienced teachers become approved as homeschool teachers, paid privately by parents or parent groups who choose homeschooling? Because the state law (South Carolina, here), specifies that only the child/ren’s parent or legal guardian can apply to homeschool the child. Attorney General’s Opinions: Statutory provisions do not authorize students to be taught by anyone other than their parents or guardians in a home instruction setting. 1989 Op Atty Gen, No 89-22, p. 60.
Is this logical?
I mean, if you look at HomeSchoolingInSouthCarolina.com, you find a list of the laws regulating homeschooling in our fair state. Homeschooling is very narrowly defined by SC as parents teaching their children rather than allowing for the historic option of private tutors. This means that if a parent who does not meet the minimal requirement of having a bachelor’s degree (in anything), the homeschooling application will be denied. This means that the following of my parent friends do not qualify to homeschool their children:
My Boeing QA and Customer Satifsaction friend: who builds helicopters and airplanes that don’t fall out of the sky
My SAHM friend who left her career managing an entire region of KMart stores (pre-bankruptcy)
My Chief of Police friend who leads and trains the lawful protection of an entire city
Oh, yeah, and my friend who is the main administrator for all of Charleston County.
And the nation wonders why we consistently come in last (or close to it) in most areas of education. These friends who hold significant positions of knowledge, authority, and responsibility don’t qualify to teach their own children because they don’t have a college degree. And I don’t qualify to teach their children either just because they’re not mine.
All this came about because I’m being laid off from my current job as a communications director and am wondering some things about what I want to do. I’m lucky I have the luxury of taking a few months off to explore some things (including this blog thing), and one option is returning to teaching. My departure in 2007 was abrupt, unexpected, and unwanted. I am a great teacher, with old students from many years ago finding me on FaceBook to ask for advice, networking help, and sometimes just to thank me for making them do all those things they were sure would they’d never use (kind of like algebra).
So why is it that I’m not eligible to be approved by the State of South Carolina or Charleston County School District to be a homeschool teacher…just because I don’t have children of my own. What is it that makes me–with several advanced degrees in a variety of subject areas as well as 12 years of professional teaching experience, positive peer and student reviews, and real-life experience too–unsuitable as a candidate for private teaching at home? I mean, I have spent a lot of time teaching people how to teach, people who go on to be traditionally certified teachers for SC or other states.
Oh, and I’m not just picking on the homeschooling laws; I am also ineligible to be hired by the school system, even on an emergency basis, because I do not have a teaching certificate. I tried; I’m only good enough to be a substitute (though I have to say that’s fun!). Again, 12 years of professional teaching including teacher education means nothing?
For the past two years, one of my friends has only half-jokingly promised to hire me to homeschool her children. Little did she know that with six degrees and 15 years of professional experience in six different industries, I am underqualified. That’s a first for me.
So last week, I had made oven poached chicken and had some of the chicken thighs leftover. Some other time (is it bad that I can’t remember?) someone else had made some rice, and put the leftovers in the fridge. And then everyone but me went on a cruise to the Bahamas, and I got stuck trying to figure out what to do with the bits and pieces of meals left in the fridge for when they got back this week.
Creamy Chicken and Rice with a side of Pepper Vinegar Spicy Broccoli and Cauliflower
So…chicken…rice….hmmmm…how about chicken and rice. Duh!
So this is a refresher course in basics…and what to do when your pantry doesn’t have some of the basics.
Assumption #1: Everyone knows the ingredients for chicken and rice. Right?! It’s cooked chicken, rice, and gravy.
Ha! Bet I stumped you on the gravy. Why? Because since I was a kid, everyone has just used “canned gravy” otherwise known as cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. What is cream soup? Flavored gravy.
Assumption #2: Everyone has the ingredients for a basic cream gravy, even during the 2011 snow or snice storm; the term “snice” was coined by my friend Sue Sneed to describe the actual precipitation result in Atlanta.
What are the ingredients for a basic cream gravy? Butter, flour (wheat or rice), milk, and water. Yes, alternatives such as heavy cream and fresh stock will make better tasting gravy, but we’re talking basics here.
How do you make soup out of cream gravy? Use mushroom stock and add mushrooms for cream of mushroom. Use chicken stock and add chicken for cream of chicken. Use vegetable stock and add cooked celery (pureed) for cream of celery. You get the idea, right?
Assumption #3: Everyone knows how to make gravy or a white sauce. Yep, that’s where I lost you. Why? Because gravy has been a “bad” food for several decades now, identified as all fat and no nutrition. Thus, gravy-making from scratch is nearly a lost art in the regular person’s house.
You can look up any gravy recipe, and if you look closely and compare, you’ll see that it’s all about ratios…yes, math. You’ve got a
1:1 for thin gravy or cream soup
1:1.5 for medium gravy
1:2 for thick gravy
Roux…the flour and butter mixture that thickens sauces
The ratio describes the number of tablespoons of butter compared to the number of tablespoons of flour. Then you’ll add the number of cups of liquid (equal parts milk and water) to result in the number of cups of finished gravy. The liquid gets you the mass, while the butter-flour mixture (sometimes called a roux) gets you the thickness (photo from RisingWolfEats.blogspot.com).
Oh, yeah, this is also called a white sauce, which is the base for nearly every french sauce and cheese sauce out there (yes, that includes mac and cheese!!). But in a white sauce, usually only milk is used as the liquid.
And when you get good enough with the basic sauce, you can start to make gravy out of drippings: roasted turkey drippings, fried chicken or steak drippings, breakfast sausage drippings, bacon drippings, and more!
Assumption #4: Everyone has cream of something soup in the pantry. Yep, the Sandra Lee shortcut way of making gravy, which, of course, is why the soup label has recipes on it, showing you how many ways gravy can transform simple basic ingredients into a delicious, creamy casserole combining any yummy combination of meat, rice/noodle, grain, veggies…and gravy.
Okay, you’ve got all that; you don’t need me to tell you how to make chicken and rice, right?
Well, in the spirit of the refresher course, here goes:
dice, shred, pick off the bone 2 lbs of cooked chicken*
4-5 cups of partially cooked rice (I use brown)
2 cups gravy (aka 2 cans of cream soup, your pick of flavors)
salt, pepper, other seasonings you prefer (I’m a thyme girl)
Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl and pour it into a baking dish. Top with some grated cheese or bread crumbs or cracker crumbs or sliced almonds or fried onions (like green bean casserole), whatever you like to give it a little crunchy top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Done!! This recipe is for a 9×13 dish and makes 8 substantial servings.
*Since Weight Watchers PointsPlus values white and dark meat chicken the same, I don’t bother separating them; and I LOVE dark meat…so rich and flavorful, and fat is essential in a healthy and balanced diet.
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 8.25 points per serving
2 lbs cooked chicken = 16 points
5 cups brown rice = 20 points
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup = 5 points
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup = 5 points
alternate to canned soups: 2 cups white sauce is 9 points (skim milk and water) or 11 points (whole milk and water); be sure to adjust points if you use homemade stock since it will have fat-points. NOTE: it’s the same points to use a homemade, full-fat roux as nearly fat free canned stuff…please go for homemade when possible.
Total points of casserole = 66 points = 8.25 points per serving
My darling friend Caroline…who turned four years old this past November…invited me to her sleepover party this coming weekend. You know, the sleepover her mother doesn’t know about and hasn’t sent out invitations for. But for Caroline, the invitation to sleepover is her reward for me coming over and cooking dinner and playing with her and most especially for sneaking her strawberries while we were waiting for dinner to be ready.
But really, why am I telling you this? Because the list of things that I need to bring to this sleepover proves that we adults seriously underestimate our 4-year-olds.
You see, Caroline is very accurately termed “a drama queen,” which naturally means…she is a princess. With champion military general command, she demands…and gets…the attention she wants. Why? Because she is so darn cute…and I get to give her back when I’m done.
So I indulged Caroline when she brought me a piece of notebook paper and a pen, and started writing down our list of things to bring to her sleepover. The list started off simply, classically, innocently enough:
sleeping bag–I can borrow her purple and black one, but she gets to sleep in the princess one
bear
blanket
movies
majamas
toothbrush and toothpaste
Viking (my dog) to play with Snickers (her dog)
pillowpet (hers is a ladybug, but mine can be a hippo)
dress up clothes
panties
jewelry–specifically earrings, necklace, and glasses
makeup kit
nail polish
All things that moms remember from their own childhood sleepovers (at least I hope they do), and we all can reasonably expect to be requested as part of any girls’ sleepover. I know my other little girl BFFs expect the same things!
But then Caroline’s list took…well…an interesting twist. Her mother Heather and I have determined I will require a UHaul rental in order to arrive at the sleepover properly equipped. The list continued
food–cheese, lettuce, carrots and hummus, donuts
drinks–soda
my mommy (Marsha)
computer and charger
camera
DS–or I can borrow her brother Brian’s since he has TWO!!!
picture books
paper and pencils and scissors
books
tissue (yeah, like kleenex)
a little lamp
light bulbs
pictures
ornaments–we can hang them from the ceiling since the Christmas tree has been put away
flowers
artwork
calendar
my daddy (Ed)
a fan
shirts and pants
socks and shoes
morning time clothes
brooms
“all my stuff”
singing books
water bottles
candles
jackets in case it is cold
trash bags in case we run out
stools
medicine in case I get hungry for medicine
spoons for eating
camera bag and batteries
plates
curtains
carpet
And I am expressly forbidden to bring the following: my refrigerator and my couch.
I never got around to asking Caroline what we would do during our sleepover, or what the other girls are bringing. I figure it will take the entire night to unload my UHaul and then the day to load it back up and bring it all home.
But, Lord, this little lady is a champion list maker, a girl after her mother’s (and my) type A personality heart. Nothing like making a list, checking it twice, and crossing it all off as done!
Why am I fat? The answer du jour…for about the past 10 years…has been “I have a slow metabolism.”
BULLSHIT.
Your body has a metabolism…a specific number of calories necessary to maintain your basic body funtions: breathing, blinking, making saliva in your mouth, sending visual messages from your eyes to your brain so you know what you’re looking at, peeing, pooping, smelling, laughing, talking, walking from your desk to the snack machine at 2:57 pm at the office.
This means that your metabolism CANNOT be slow or fast; it needs what it needs. You don’t get to determine what your body needs, but if you have the correct information, you CAN make new choices about how to feed your metabolism to effect changes in your body.
If you think you can’t lose weight because you have a “slow metabolism,” you are making excuses for yourself. Yes, I am aware that I am oversimplifying, but I’m trying to make a point here. Take responsibility for and control of yourself and your lifestyle. This includes taking responsibility for knowing and managing any health conditions you have because they ALL affect your weight; don’t feed me lines about your thyroid or PCOS or menopause as if you can’t do something about that.
Other unacceptable excuses: I don’t have time, I have kids, It’s too expensive. These are all excuses for
not knowing what you need to know (which takes all of 10 seconds to discover)
not acting on what you know “because it’s hard” <insert whine here>
Ladies: put your big girl panties on!
Gents: your choice…get a girdle or put your big girl panties on!
What do you need to know to make the right choices? Geez, that is so easy a caveman can do it. You need to know how many calories your body’s metabolism requires each day to keep you alive and perform basic activity functions. Yes, there is a complex mathematical formula for this. Yes, it looks very cool when all the proper symbols are aligned. No, there is NOT going to be a math test. It’s as simple as clicking on this link to a calulator for your Basil Metabolic Rate. Enter your current weight (be shockingly honest), your height, your age, and your sex. Mine comes out like this:
For me to stay exactly as I am, I must consume a total of 1880.87 calories each day; no exercise required.
For me to lose weight, I must consume less than 1880.87 calories each day through a combination of food intake and exercise burn off.
Now, let’s match up a diet and exercise plan to support weight loss. We all should know by now that I’ve chosen Weight Watchers, originally on the Points plan (with 31 points of food a day) and now the PointsPlus plan (with 38 points of food a day). On the old Points plan, each point was roughly equivalent to 50 calories, so that plan (and the nutritional formula) came out to a 1550-calorie-a-day diet. The new PointsPlus plan does not include calories in the formula, so I’m still looking for an explanation of a calorie equation that makes sense, but if we assume the same 1:50 ratio (which is not a rational assumption), the PointsPlus plan comes out to a 1900-calorie-a-day diet.
Dang, it’s a good thing I simply cannot eat 38 points of food on a normal day (special occasions on any version of the plan are exceptions). I average a consumption of around 30 points a day, uhum, just like the old points plan. So I’m still working on a 1500-calorie-a-day diet, which supports weight loss.
Add to that the fact that I exercise at my optimal fat-burning heart rate for 30-45 minutes every day, I’m burning 600 calories of that intake. On Weight Watchers, that 600 more calories I get to each on days when I work out, or roughly 12 more points. And, no, that does not mean I eat 42 or 50 points a day, even on a special occasion day.
Oh, I guess I should say how I know how many calories I burn during a workout. I use a SportLine Solo Fitness Watch that accepts age, height, and weight information and uses that in combination with heart rate data before, during, and after my workout to calculate and track my calories burned. Typically, my main aerobic workout is running (well, technically, jogging at a 13-minute mile pace for you die-hard runners), and I have now three years of data from several sources: my fitness watch, the treadmill (where I enter the same info), the elliptical machine, and my group of friend/trainers at my gym. I can get in 3 miles on the treadmill in 45 minutes or on the elliptical in 30. All of these data sources give me internally and externally consistent data to show that for every 15 minutes I spend at my ideal working heart rate (145-160), I burn 200 calories. (NOTE: the Cooper River Bridge Run takes me 1.5 hours to jog, which means I burn 1200 calories on the run itself and then another 400 calories on the mile power warm-up walk from the house to the start and then from the finish to the ferry to go home; that’s 1600 calories in one morning.)
Okay, so now you are ready to hit me with the trick question: if I need 1880 calories a day to stay alive, how does 1500 calories plus exercise get me by.
Short Answer: ensure that as many of those 1500 calories a day are supplied with super power foods (clean protein, fresh fruit and veggies, high fiber carbs, healthy fats) rather than empty calories (Doritos, cheese puffs, easy mac and cheese, hot tamale candies).
Long Answer: subscribe to my blog 🙂 I will keep talking/writing about this!
Rich with aroma and flavor…a dense, satisfying dinner!
My dilemma:
No one in my family eats the same thing, which makes dinner prep sometimes challenging. One of my family does not eat salmon, which means any time I cook salmon, I have to also cook some other major protein for him. Tonight, chicken is the compliment. Luckily, I’m in the mood for a preparation that I can use on both: oven poaching. Another eats only certain carby dishes and no veggies, while I want to keep a good balance of carbs and veggies. And, guess what, I can and will do this with only three dishes: 1 entree (2 meats), 1 carby side, and 1 veggie side.
Okay, the game plan:
poached salmon and poached chicken breast (both currently frozen)
potatoes au gratin (Betty Crocker box mix)–for the boys
frozen peppers and onions sauteed with some fresh onion and purple cabbage over egg noodles–for the girls
Step 1. Put the fish and chicken out to thaw…or not. Since oven-poaching is the regular person’s way of saying steam or even en papillote, you have probably done this before…with frozen meat since the water and juices help with the cooking.
Light and fruity
Step 2. Choose a flavor combo. This will determine the liquid and herbs you use throughout the meal, but most importantly in the pan or baking dish with the fish/chicken. Tonight, I have decided to finally open and use one the bottles of Rose Merlot I recently purchased on my trip to Long Island to visit Rachel, Al, Carter, and Samuel. Rachel and I have always made at least one of our visit days a Long Island vineyard day. This past November, I found this Rosé Merlot at Palmer Vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island; Palmer can ship wines to the following states: AK,DC,IA,ID,IL,MN,MO,NH,NY,OH,RI. With the lightness and fruitiness of this wine, I will pair the classic Herbs de Provence, a combination of thyme (dominant), fennel, savory, basil, and lavender (only in the US).
Alternative combos that I like:
lemon juice and basil/oregano/garlic
balsamic vinegar and garam masala (or curry and coriander)
pineapple juice and cayenne pepper
soy sauce and ginger/dry mustard
apple juice and all-spice (think pork chops that will be paired with butternut squash or pumpkin
You can barely see the wine, but it’s there, with a liberal dusting of herbs de provence. That’s two boneless breasts, two bone-in thighs, and two bone in legs
Step 3. Prepare the poach.
Since the salmon and chicken will need different cooking times, I use two 9×9 baking dishes. Since most of the liquid bases are acidic (I guess you could use water?), I try to use glass or ceramic baking dishes, but if I have to use a metal one (because everything else is dirty), then I am careful to line it with aluminum foil so that the acid doesn’t leech anything out of the metal and into my food.
Simply pour in about 1/4-inch of liquid. For a 9×9 pan, this is usually about 1/3-1/2 cup of liquid. Place the meat in a single layer in the dish (yes, touching sides is okay) and season as lightly or liberally as your palette desires.
Cover the dish very tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees: salmon for 30 minutes, chicken for 40 minutes.
NOTE: this is a fantabulous way to cook just one meal at a time and cut down on dishes to wash. Just prepare your one piece of meat in a parchment or aluminum foil pouch, no pan at all.
Step 4. Set water to boil on the stovetop and get crackin on the Betty Crocker potatoes au gratin. Sure, I can and do make these from scratch, but I have a 6:30 meeting tonight, and my family doesn’t care if it comes out of a box.
Noodles in the back, veggies and potatoes in the front
Now, the directions offer both oven and stovetop directions; I am choosing the stovetop preparation tonight because the oven temp and cooking times vary so significantly for the meat and potatoes that one or the other would be…well, yucky, to be technical. The stovetop directions require only boiling time and 15 minutes of simmering. And since I’ll already be at the stove doing the veggies (coming up next), it’s an efficiency of effort that I can’t pass up.
So, Betty Crocker potatoes au gratin, prepared just as the directions say. Once you get to the simmering step, you should be ready for the next step.
Step 5. Drop the egg noodles into the other pot of boiling water and cook just as your package’s directions say…around 8-10 minutes. Go ahead and set up the strainer in the sink now.
Step 6. Drop your veggies into the skillet with just a drizzle of olive oil. Fresh veggies go in first since they need a little more softening; the frozen ones were blanched before freezing, so they only need to thaw. Tonight I’m using fresh onions and carrots. And I’ll let them just sit still in the skillet for a few minutes with their salt and pepper and herbs de provence sprinkle, until I’m convinced they are getting a little soft…and they start to get a little brown…not actually carmelized but just a hint of starting. That’s when it’s time to drop in the frozen peppers and onions and pop the lid onto the skillet. Trap in the heat and let the water from the frozen veggies steam the combo with the lid on. Chop up the purple cabbage ( just a quarter head we had leftover from cole slaw a few weeks ago) and drop it on top at the last minute. Snap the lid back on for about 3 minutes…and you’re done.
I like to mix my noodles and veggies in the skillet together, but if you need to keep them separate for pickiness sake or figuring out nutrition, you can mix them on your plate.
My plate…a little bit of everything…with the leftover chicken ready for tomorrow night 🙂
All done. Ready to plate:
For brother: salmon and potatoes au gratin
For dad: chicken, potatoes au gratin, and veggies and noodles
For mom: salmon and veggies and noodles
For me: salmon, potatoes au gratin, and veggies and noodles
That’s four specialized dinner plates making four people happy and full coming out of one 45-minute dinner preparation, which is pretty normal when you consider all the chopping and pulling out pans and stuff.
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: for this meal, I’ll break down each item:
3 oz poached chicken breast = 3 points
3 oz poached salmon = 4 points
1/2 cup Betty Crocker potatoes au gratin = 4 points
Danielle: So, what do you want to make for dinner?
CeCe: Whatcha got?
Danielle: Chicken and feta, a veritable smorgasbord of choices there for ya <laughter>.
Um, but, yes, I am one of those annoyingly imaginative and versatile people who can take someone’s leftovers or still-frozen food and have dinner on the table and super yummy in just 45 minutes.So, what did I do with these insane options? Make a fabulous dinner in three easy steps.
Summer in her apron, ready to help me cook dinner!
Step 1: Entreé…I had my choice actually of frozen chicken breasts, frozen pork chops, or frozen stew beef. Since I already had a chicken idea in mind, that’s what I picked out. Simple. Tossed the equivalent of two chicken breasts into a baking dish…yes, still completely frozen…poured about 1/4 cup of lemon juice in the bottom, and sprinkled the top with salt and pepper. Actually, one of Danielle’s daughters helped with the salt and pepper. Into a 350 degree over with the timer set for 45 minutes.
Step 2: Veggie Side…here, my choices were very limited. As Danielle had no fresh veggies in the crisper, a salad was out as was any kind of sauteéd, carmelized, fried, etc. veggie. But, as any mom does, she had several bags of frozen veggies. We chose a steam-in-bag medley of green beans, wax beans, and carrots, mainly since her girls would eat them.
Step 3: Carby Side…since Danielle’s girls had already mandated mac and cheese (one of them eats ONLY mac and cheese), she always has a box mix or some Bob Evans mac and cheese.
As the timer goes off for the chicken, I turn off the oven but leave the chicken in. Meanwhile, into the microwave go the frozen steam-in-bag beans. Done. In goes the mac and cheese. Done.
Magic Sauce: While I make the kids plates (which consists of cutting up the chicken and the beans and cooling off the mac and cheese), I put one more bowl in the microwave. A special bowl…just for the grown-ups. Remember that feta Danielle laughingly mentioned? Time for a quick sauce. In the bowl is equal parts of regular cream cheese and feta cheese, liberally sprinkled with basil, oregano, and pepper (no salt because cheese is already loaded with salt). Microwave for one-and-a-half minutes, then stir it all together to blend.
Kids plates: simple baked chicken breast with a hint of lemon juice, green beans, and mac and cheese.
Grown-up plates: Baked Lemon Chicken with Feta Sauce and Kalamata Olives, Haricot Verts, and Pasta with Cheddar Sauce.
And, yes, you can do this too. Here’s what to remember:
Make three choices. That’s all it takes. Doesn’t matter what’s frozen or what’s raw.
Start cooking the thing that will take the longest. Here’s a quick priority list: frozen meat, raw root veggie or grain (like rice), box mix of something (like rice-a-roni). Well, that’s actually it. Fresh and frozen veggies take just a few minutes in the microwave.
For frozen meat, in the oven, add about 15 minutes per pound of frozen meat. In the skillet, remember that your fingers are your best judge, not a timer. Yes, I have just advocated poking your tender finger near a very hot skillet and testing the resiliency and elasticity of your meat–chicken, pork, beef, whatever.
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: for 3 oz of chicken (3 pts), 2T feta sauce (2 pts), 1t sliced olives (1 pt), 1/2 cup or 4 oz Bob Evans mac and cheese (6 pts), and as many green beans as you want = 12 points
Sorry, as happens with making a meal out of nothing, it’s done quickly and on the fly, with no thought to taking pictures at different stages.
I have an awfully hard time just disliking someone, but a nearly impossible time actually hating someone enough that I really believe if I saw him/her that I wouldn’t be able to resist ripping them limb from limb. Oops, sorry, this is supposed to be a productive blog site at the very least, but I hate people who knowingly and deliberately hurt others. Well, I hate the ones who are so wrapped up in themselves that they only care about what happens to them and not the ones they use.
These musings are on women who destroy families.
Qualifier: what I’m about to write can certainly and easily apply to men, but I’ve really just about had it with women…no, girls…hurting wonderful men who love them and whom I care a lot about. And in all but one instance, I’ve never even met these women.
Reason #1: Cheating women are children. Really. They have gotten stuck at some pubescent stage of growing up. I mean, think about it, they are like children at recess. Sally and Suzie are playing in the sandbox; Sally, who has been digging with a shovel, puts down the shovel, brushes off the sand on her clothes, and steps out of the sandbox to go swing on the swings. But as Suzie moves to pick up the now abandoned shovel, Sally gets all possessive. Now, we know that I’m speaking in metaphor here. Sally was dating Sam, but is now done with Sam and wants to go date Mike. But at the same time, Sally doesn’t want anyone else to date Sam either, so she keeps him. Remember, Sam is the shovel in the sandbox, Mike is a swing on the swingset. As far as Sally is concerned, those two have no reason to ever play together or know about each other. That’s the mentality that allows Sally to justify keeping two men who don’t know about each other or their competition for Sally.
The same thing happens in the cheating situation (we’ll stick with Sally, Sam, and Mike). Sally and Sam are married. But Sally sees Mike and decides she likes/loves him too. While I can’t completely discount the existence of polyamory (where multiple partners all know about each other and agree to be part of a multiple partner relationship), the greed, envy, and secrecy that make cheating bad and sexy are the very things that made lying so attractive to the 5-year-old who discovered that sometimes if she said sister did it she might not get spanked…that reward rather than punishment for getting away with it. Very childish in my mind.
Reason #2: Cheating women can only lie: to themselves, to their children, and to the world. A byproduct of all of the lying necessary to cheat successfully is that at some point, she must begin to lie to herself. Not just the “getting away with it” part but the “this way no one gets hurt” part, followed by the inevitable “we’re all happier this way” part. You see, at some point, Sally will be able to justify keeping her husband Sam and dating Mike on the sly with a line of logic that goes like this: I love Mike and he makes me happy; if I’m happy from being with Mike, then I can be a nicer and better mom to my kids; and if I’m happy from being with Mike and the kids are doing well, then I can be a good wife to Sam. See, everyone is happy. At least that is what Sally has lied to herself about so many times that she now believes her own lies.
Reason #3: Cheating women deserve neither of the men they are with. Whether Mike knows about Sally’s husband Sam or not, Sally isn’t worthy of either of them. Here’s where some things might seem contradictory. But if you are Mike, and you love Sally, and she has said she’s going to leave Sam for you, you want to believe her, right? And if you are Mike, and you love Sally, and she says she has to stay with Sam because that’s what’s best for the kids, you want to believe her right? You wouldn’t love her if she was easily willing to disrupt the kids’ life just for her own pleasures, right?
In my experience as a friend to both Sam and Mike, for Sally to make this work, she has to convince one or both Sam and Mike that he is not good enough to get anyone else, to make him believe that she is the only one who can love him like he needs, despite his many and heinous flaws. In fact, such a strategy protects Sally from exactly what she fears, that she is not worthy of either of them.
What I’ve learned from these musings is that Sally is possibly the best salesperson ever…until it comes time to close the deal. Again, in both Sam’s and Mike’s cases, when push came to shove, Sally ended up with neither man: neither her husband or her lover. Both relationships failed.
And finally, I must acknowledge a special class of women who I think must be mutant, because they can’t possibly be human. These are women who abandon their children. Now, I don’t mean women who determine that someone else can give their child/ren a better life than they can and adopt them out or even sell them; though I may not agree with the method, I can respect them putting their child/ren’s needs and opportunities before theirs. I mean women who simply up and walk away. Drop the kids off at a friend’s house and just never come back from the store.
Now I’ll clarify here, I don’t have children that I can claim on my taxes, nor have I ever been pregnant. And to be honest, I’d be perfectly happy with my life if I never do have any children. But I can’t even abandon a cat or dog on the side of the road, and am horrified by the idea of leaving my nieces or nephews in the car while I take the groceries inside the house first. Truly, I believe in the existence of and challenge genetic researchers to identify the mutant gene that allows mothers to abandon their children.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on what I think of court systems who will give those same women a second chance with those children.
What I’ve ended up with are men friends who I’m pretty sure feel an immense hole in their lives, as if they will have missed some elemental life experience if they can’t find that one perfect love. (Note: I did not say perfect person.) They–the men–are the anti-players they were years ago when we were all younger, more carefree, not yet thinking of settling down but of living. Now they are worried…dare I say scared…that they’ve missed her and haven’t got a clue how to recover their opportunity, if there’s even one left. And, worse, they are scared to try again, to be hurt again. I hope I never get hurt so often or so badly that I can’t try again.
And, in case you are wondering, yes, I full-on friend love all of the Sams and Mikes in my life whom Sally has cheated on, whose children she has abandoned. Nearly all of my Sams and Mikes have been crushes, boyfriends, even lovers at some time, and have remained very dear to me. Thankfully, I can say that I have never been a Sally.
Naturally, my first dish is quite possibly my best, but definitely a favorite of all of the families I’ve ever cooked it for. Shepherd’s Pie, or cottage pie, is more truely a “technique” than a recipe.
So what’s the difference between a technique and a recipe? Well, it’s simple really: a technique is a way of putting types of ingredients together while a recipe is a very specific collection of ingredients that blend together to make a whole new substance and flavor. Hmmm, maybe this will work better: if you can still identify the ingredients separately, then you have just made a technique; when the finished dish resembles nothing like the individual ingredients, then you’ve just made a recipe.
So back to Shepherd’s Pie: leftover meat, vegetables, potatoes. Yup, that’s it. Literally. So how does this work? Tonight’s Shepherd’s Pie is very traditionally American in the meat and potato layers, but perhaps a bit different in the middle veggie layer.
See, just a drizzle of olive oil, not even coating the bottom of the pan.
So start with a sprinkling of olive oil in your hot hot pan and toss in one rather large onion, roughly diced. Of course, if you like a finer textuer, use a fine dice. Whatever. You might also use an earthily flavored oil (rosemary, garlic, sage) as well as shallots and/or garlic at this stage. (NOTE: if you use fresh garlic, wait til you are almost done cooking the onions so you don’t risk burning it).
What you want to do is carmelize the onions, or turn them brown; at least, that is my preference. Others may just sweat them until they are clear.
When you get the onions where you like them, crumble in 2 lbs of meat. Here’s where that technique thing comes in handy. Secret: it doesn’t matter what meat you use, whether it’s ground, shredded, chopped, fresh/raw, or leftover from last week, as long as you like it. In the US, ground meat (beef or lamb) is the most traditional.
Okay, so I tossed in 2 lbs of 12% lean ground beef, sprinkled that lightly with salt and liberally with pepper and thyme. Use a spoon and break it up, browning it completely and mixing it well with the onions as it cooks. When you’ve nearly got all the pink out of the pan, sprinkle in about a quarter to a half cup of worchestershire sauce (use this GF/CF/SF recipe). This will help to deglaze the carmelized onion bits and stuck on browned meat from the bottom of the pan. I like to let the whole mixture simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes for that delicious sauce to get into all the meat and keep it moist.
Okay, the first layer is done and ready for the baking dish. Now, because two of my family hate vegetables and the other two love them, I make two 9×9 pans of pie. Only one will get the next layer of veggies.
How pretty is that! See how the cut sides of the brussels sprouts are all browned…perfect!
So, true to form, tonight I used some fresh veggies that are coming to the end of their shelf life in the veggie crisper: some brussels sprouts (aka baby cabbages) and baby carrots. Brussels sprouts are super easy to cook and come out tasting like sweet cabbages when cooked in the skillet. Just cut off the root end, peel off any yucky leaves, slice the whole little head in half and place in the skillet (yes, with a drizzle of olive oil) cut side down. And just leave them there, place each new one as you clean and cut it. Yes, I said it, just leave them sitting there, alone, untouched, unloved. Trust me, you won’t regret it. After you’ve cut up the carrots and thrown them in the pan, stir it all around a bit. Oh, yeah, don’t forget the salt and pepper…just a light sprinkle.
Okay, all done with that layer, so onto the meat it goes in the pan. Just the one pan, remember, for the veggie lovers.
All finished with three layers of yumminess and parsley on top!
The final layer is mashed potatoes. Well, tonight, I’m taking a page out of Sandra Lee’s semi-homemade book and using instant potatoes: Betty Crocker butter and chive instant potatoes, to be exact. Now since you are going to bake all of this when the layers are done, don’t even bother with boiling water, etc. Just mix hot tap water with the other ingredients and mix up the potatoes. Spoon them into the pan(s) and use your spoon to smooth them out into a nice layer.
Now mashed potatoes are the simple, American way to prepare this dish, but originally, it was made with thinly sliced or even shredded potatoes. I haven’t tried it, but I imagine some major goodness in doing a crispy hashbrown-ish top layer, frying up the tiny diced or shredded potatoes in a thin layer in the skillet and just sliding onto the top before baking. I think I would serve that with some sour cream and chives on the plate.
If you are a garnish kind of person, go to town. I’ve enjoyed a number of toppers including roasted garlic, various herbs (parsley, chive), different cheeses, but my favorite topper has always been horseradish chedder…mmmmmmmm.
Last step: shove the whole pan in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
All the yumminess oozing out of the pie!
Now see all that juicy, saucy yumminess just oozing out onto the plate. Imagine the full, rich flavor of the beef complimented by the tangy worchestershire sauce, the lightly sweet brussels sprouts and carrots (now that they are fully roasted), and the smooth, buttery potatoes. This supper is well-paired with a Guiness beer or a spicy Malbec wine.
Casserole Reminder: make ahead of time and freeze until you are ready for it. This is a casserole, people. And all casseroles can be made up in double batches so you can freeze one for a later date. Same amount of effort for double the reward!!!
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: this makes 8 servings with each serving being 7 points.
Ingredients List:
1 very large onion
2 lbs meat
fresh or frozen veggies of your choice (need 2-3 cups worth)–briefly sautee or microwave-steam fresh veggies, place frozen directly onto cooked meat
Happy New Year 2011!! Just a feeling, but it’s gonna be a fantabulous year.
My blog Singing about Cooking is my first attempt to introduce the world to my secret passions: singing and cooking. Only a small circle of friends and family know what these two things really mean to me, but I’m pretty sure it’s time to let my voice out and feed the world…so to speak.
Let’s see, I started 2011 out singing with my favorite soprano friend Loretta Haskell, owner and teacher of More Music Please voice studio. But my first official performance of 2011 will be on Sunday, February 20 at 3:00 pm at Christ Church, Mount Pleasant; I’ll be singing the second lead aria “The Trees on the Mountain” from Carlisle Floyd’s Suzannah, with a finale reprisal of “Duetto Buffo di Due Gatti” by Rossini, a duet with Loretta!
Hmmm, the first thing I cooked in 2011 was Greek lemon mahimahi, Greek roasted potatoes, and sauteed brussels sprouts for possibly the pickiest eater in the whole world, my friend Marty. Again, thank you, Jeanne (his momma), for letting me invade your kitchen!
The first thing I learned in 2011 is that being laid off from my job of 3.25 years is possibly the most liberating thing that has happened to me in years. Yes, I’m worried about when I’ll run out of money. Yes, I’m looking for a new job. Yes, I have plenty to keep me busy. But most of all, yes, I’m focusing on doing the things I LOVE!!
The first thing I organize in 2011 will be my grandmother’s Christmas decorations. Today I’m headed over to “undecorate” her house and put things where they belong, so next year I’ll be able to find everything again.
I’d love for you to just follow or even to join me on my journey to discover more about the things I do that prove I am truly living and not just marking time. And if you ever feel moved to share through more than just a comment, please ask to be a guest author on a topic! Living is not possible without meaningful interaction between people who share desires…even (sometimes especially) if they don’t agree.
1/2 small onion, diced small
Once the beans have gone into the simmer stage, season the fish liberally on both sides. My family likes the Frontier Organic Cajun Seasoning, which we find at Whole Foods. Sear on high on each side for about 3 minutes each; if your fish is thick, then it won’t be quite done in the middle (if you cut it with a fork it’ll still be grey and translucent). I like to pour in about 1/4 cup fruit juice (pineapple tonight since it was leftover from a can I ate earlier today) and “poach” on high for about a minute; pour out the juice and continue cooking til the fish is very firm when poked (no give or bounce). When I use a spicy seasoning, I like to use a sweet fruit juice to give the dish some balance so the heat isn’t so overwhelming.
6 oz cooked mahi mahi = 3 points
Singing about Cooking 