Author Archives: Patti

CHICKEN MARBELLA

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This recipe from the famous Silver Palate cookbook, reduced by me to feed 4 rather than 6-8 at table, is absolutely delicious. It beautifully combines the brininess of olives and capers, with the sweetness of dried prunes and brown sugar. I know! Say what?

But you just have to trust me when I tell you that this combination of flavors is amazing. And the great thing about this dish is that it is stinkin’ easy to build. You marinate the chicken one day, and bake it off the next. The chicken is succulent and the sauce is fresh tasting and unique and positively divine served over mashed potatoes.  

I loved this snippet from an article published on May 6, 2007 by Christine Muhlke in The New York Times, so I thought I would share it with you.

“If there’s such a thing as boomer cuisine, it can be found in the pages of “The Silver Palate Cookbook.” With its chirpy tone and “Moosewood”-in-the-city illustrations, the book, published in time for Mother’s Day in 1982, gave millions of home cooks who hadn’t mastered the art of French cooking the courage to try sophisticated dishes like escabeche, wild mushroom soup and that new thing called pesto. Years later, mothers sent their grads into the world with their raspberry-vinaigrette-stained copies. And now, with the 25th-anniversary edition, a new generation will try dishes like chicken Marbella, which once seemed as risky (capers! prunes!) as the East Village.The Silver Palate was born of the women’s movement. The co-authors, Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso, a caterer and an advertising executive respectively, realized that they couldn’t have it all and dinner too. (“There were school schedules, business appointments, political activities, art projects, sculpting classes … weekends in the country or at the beach. … It was much too much,” they later wrote.) If they couldn’t be wonder women, they figured, who could? So just days after the blackout of ’77, they filled the niche with a nook: the Silver Palate, an 11-by-14-foot shop on New York’s Columbus Avenue stocked with tarragon chicken salad, ratatouille, salmon mousse and brownies made from scratch. “The city was primed,” Lukins said recently over lunch in Manhattan. Indeed, that same year the gastro-temple Dean & DeLuca also opened. At the time, two women opening a business together was “wild,” Lukins said. So were blueberry chutney, pâté maison and poppy-seed dressing. “But people wanted to learn,” Rosso said. “They started to trust us. We began serving bisteeya, torta rustica — in those days, people hadn’t heard of them. As we discovered new things, like balsamic, we could teach them.” Their menus and newsletter, published to demystify the Silver Palate line of condiments, helped form the basis for the cookbook. The cheerful, chatty voice and the tips, menus and quotations that appear on almost every page were a way to make cooking cozy and fun, Rosso said, as well as to tell readers: “Don’t make a big deal with the food. Get some balloons up in the air and have a picnic!” Now in their early 60s, they are an unlikely pair, Rosso with her highlights and diamonds and Midwestern cheer that sometimes culminates in a “whoop-ee-doo!”; Lukins with her no-nonsense hair and red Bakelite jewelry, a brow arching over her reading glasses as she uses the title “Marat/Sade” to describe a square bathtub. After they sold the Silver Palate in 1988, Rosso returned to her native Michigan to buy and run the Wickwood Inn in Saugatuck with her husband and published two cookbooks; Lukins has written three cookbooks and has been food editor of Parade magazine since 1986, a job she and Rosso took over from Julia Child. The two had a public falling out in 1991, when Lukins objected to something Rosso, who had started a newsletter, wrote about her. Today they have the alternately fond and strained patter of a divorced couple at their child’s wedding.”

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much I did. Food preparation has come a long way over the decades thanks to women like Lukins and Rosso. It has also suffered setbacks. I think home cooking started to change when women began to have careers outside the home and convenience foods came into fashion. And it certainly didn’t help when home economics (defined as cooking and sewing) was eliminated from the curriculum in many school districts. Some thought cooking and sewing skills could and probably should simply be learned at home. (Well they sure as shootin’ didn’t know my mother! She couldn’t sew on a button, and her cooking skills were rudimentary. And that’s putting it nicely!)

So where does that leave us today? Well, since you are reading this post you obviously are interested in this recipe. And must love to cook. And hurray for that.

So to all of you, who like me, are passionate about providing ourselves and our families with healthy, nutritious, and delicious food, keep doing what you’re doing. You are making a difference in your families’ health and well-being. Virtual hugs from Chez Carr. (Oh, and try this recipe. It’s da bomb!)  

  • 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 T. red wine vinegar
  • ¼ c. pitted prunes
  • ¼ c. pitted Spanish green olives, halved
  • 3 T. capers with a bit of juice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely pureed
  • 1 T. dried oregano (Mexican preferably)
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half   
  • ¼ c. light brown sugar
  • ¼ c. dry white wine
  • 1 T. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

OK, if anyone out there is a WordPress expert and knows how to make a list, without those annoying spaces (like between kosher salt and pepper), could you please show me the way. I need help. Thank you!

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper in a 9×13-inch Pyrex dish or shallow casserole. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

About 30 minutes before you plan to bake the chicken, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Turn the chicken over and make sure it is in a single layer in your baking pan. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.  

Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice when pricked with a fork, 35-40 minutes. The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoons of the pan juices and sprinkle with the parsley. Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

Chicken is great with creamy mashed potatoes and a green salad or veggie. 

 

  

WHOLE WHEAT SEEDED SANDWICH BREAD

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This is the perfect sandwich bread to bake while everyone is on lockdown. Every ingredient can be substituted.

When I built this bread yesterday, I used the first ingredient listed, but I could have just as easily and successfully used the alternative. Which is truly a good deal when all of us are trying to make do with what we have on hand. No one wants to make an unnecessary trip to the grocery store. This is not the time for strict adherence to recipes. This is the time to make do with what we have and let our creativity shine! And bread is a perfect way to express creativity.

Unlike cake, for example, which is based on strict adherence to the listed ingredients, you can build a loaf of yeast bread using just about any ingredients you choose to incorporate. As long as you have yeast, liquid, flour, and salt, you can throw just about any other ingredient into the mix. And this bread (from the ambitiouskitchen.com site) is a good example of using interesting ingredients. (The alternative ingredients are all my idea. But trust me. They will all work beautifully. I’ve made a lot of bread in the last 50 years, and have used every one of these alternative ingredients.)      

And boy howdy, does this healthy, soft bread make terrific toast! And tomorrow morning, I’m going to make French toast. And serve it with warm berry syrup. I’d invite you over to dine with us, but, well, I’m too stingy to share! Not really, it’s just this social distancing thing that’s going around right now. Absolutely necessary, but not very much fun for anyone. Speaking of fun, I thought you might enjoy a bit of humor today before you start baking this bread. As always, peace, love, and a good laugh to all.

Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come out with a drinking problem.

I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.

I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.

Every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.

Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.

I don’t think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks we’d go from Standard Time to the Twilight Zone

This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog. We laughed a lot.

So, after this quarantine…..will the producers of My 600 Pound Life just find me or do I find them?

Quarantine Day 5: Went to this restaurant called THE KITCHEN. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in business.

My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.

Day 5 of Homeschooling: One of these little monsters called in a bomb threat.

I’m so excited — it’s time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?

Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.

Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said “I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year”…. I’m offended.

1¼ c. slightly warm water*

1/3 c. + 2 T. powdered milk*   

1 scant T. or 1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 T. honey or maple syrup

1/3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats, or whatever kind of uncooked oats you might happen to have on hand

3 T. unsalted butter, melted (but salted butter is just fine)

1 tsp. kosher salt or regular table salt

2 T. flaxseed meal, chia seeds, or hemp seeds or none at all

¾ c. whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour

2 c. bread flour or regular all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

4 T. mixed seeds – whatever you have on hand (I used 2 T. raw sunflower seeds, 1 T. sesame seeds, and 1 T. poppy seeds)

olive or veggie oil, for coating

Mix the water and powdered milk in the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir in the yeast, honey, and oats. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.

Add the melted butter, salt, flaxseed meal, and whole wheat pastry flour. Mix together with your dough hook. Add the bread flour. When the dough begins to form, add the mixed seeds. Knead the dough for about 4 minutes. (The dough should be fairly soft. There should still be a bit sticking to the bottom of the bowl.)   

Once done kneading, pour a bit of olive oil over the dough, and using your hands, roll the dough into a ball making sure the entire surface has a thin coating of oil. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in size. This may take more or less time depending on the weather or temperature in your home. When you feel the dough is ready, make a small indentation with your finger near the edge of the bowl. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for the next step.

Lightly grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan. After dough has risen, punch it down and form into a loaf shape. Place in prepared pan, tucking the ends underneath. Pat the dough out until it fits into the corners of the pan and is flat on top.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rise again for 30-60 minutes or until the loaf has risen an inch above the rim of the pan.  This may take more or less time depending on how warm it is in your home. Watch carefully because you don’t want the dough to rise too much.

Once the dough has risen to about the top of the pan, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees while the dough finishes rising. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until loaf is slightly golden brown on top. The internal temperature should be about 195 degrees.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. If the bread resists coming out of the pan, leave it alone for about 10 minutes, then try again. Allow the bread to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing. Bread should be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature.  

*or 1¼ cup no fat, low fat, or whole milk, scalded – to scald milk, heat it in a small saucepan over low heat until milk is warm (about 115 degrees). Before pouring it into the bowl of your mixer, the scalded milk should be slightly warm to the touch.   

LEFTOVER TURKEY POZOLE WITH GREEN CHILIES AND AVOCADO CHUNKS

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Happy belated Cinco de Mayo. We celebrated last evening with Mr. C’s fabulous Margaritas and this delicious pozole. Since I am sure some of you are wondering “what the heck is pozole”, I’m going to provide you with a quick and fascinating explanation of its origin, etc.

From the benitosmexican.com site – “Pozole (pronounced po-so-le) means “hominy” and it is basically a cross between soup and stew. It is a popular and beloved dish throughout Mexico and is commonly enjoyed for events and special occasions, such as weddings, Independence Day, and Christmas. It is described as Mexican comfort food, because it warms you from the inside out.

Similar to many Mexican dishes, the name Pozole originates from Nahuatl and has a significant history. The main ingredient in Pozole is hominy, which is made from corn. Due to the belief that humans were made by the corn gods, in Mexican Aztec history corn was considered a sacred plant. Therefore, the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican peoples cooked Pozole only on special occasions.

Originally, Pozole was made from the human meat of prisoners whose hearts had been ripped out in ritual sacrifice. Thankfully, after the Spanish conquest in the 1500’s, cannibalism was banned and the meat in this dish was replaced with pork. While this little piece of dark history may be shocking, don’t let it scare you off!”

Well, there you go. Aren’t you glad you were interested enough to read about the history behind pozole. Moving on, let’s get to the real “meat” of what makes pozole a dish you might enjoy serving to your family.

Basically, it’s delicious. And it’s fairly easy to prepare. And it’s a one dish meal. (And yes, you can spell pozole with an “s” (posole) or a “z” (pozole). Either way is correct and universally accepted.)

Now I am aware that not everyone has dried hominy (pozole) just lying around. I sure didn’t until I discovered this delicious stew/soup/whatever! a few years ago. (For two other posole recipes on this site, see my Red (Rojo) Posole with Pork, and Posole (Hominy) Side Dish with Pork and Green Chile.

But next time you visit your local grocery store, with your mask and gloves firmly in place of course, pick up a bag. (I buy Los Chileros de Nuevo Mexico White Corn Posole at QFC.) Or go on line and place an order. Pozole is truly worth the effort.

So as promised, you now have another recipe for what to do with leftover turkey. And for all of you who might be concerned that this dish might be too spicy for you, not to worry. It is really pretty tame. And if you don’t have any leftover turkey lurking in your refrigerator or freezer, by all means cook up a bit of chicken and call it good!

To all – stay safe, stay sane, and keep cooking new and interesting food. If nothing else, preparing different recipes can help keep your boredom at bay. And what fun for your family to look forward to whatever adventure you have planned for them at the dinner table. Today a visit to Mexico, tomorrow perhaps Hungarian cuisine or East Indian. There is simply no end to the enticing choices available. Be creative, but above all – Have Fun! Salud  

½ c. dried white corn posole (hominy) or 2 (15-oz.) cans drained and rinsed hominy*

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ med. sized yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 T. Ancho chili powder

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp. oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled

small bay leaf

freshly ground black pepper

1 (7 oz.) can diced green chiles

1 (4 oz.) can Hatch diced green chiles

2 T. tomato paste

1 qt. chicken broth (low sodium if possible)

1 c. water

2 c. bite sized pieces of cooked turkey or chicken

2 T. roughly chopped parsley or cilantro

¼ c. thinly sliced green onions

chunks of avocado

sour cream (Mexican style is best)

Place dried hominy in a non-reactive container and cover with water; soak overnight. Next day, boil posole in salted water for approximately 2-2½ hours or until tender. Drain. 

Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed covered pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and slowly cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the cumin, Ancho chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, bay leaf, black pepper, diced green chiles, Hatch chiles, tomato paste, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. 

Reduce heat and let the soup simmer, partially covered, for one hour. Add the hominy, cooked turkey pieces, and parsley. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve with chopped parsley, green onions, avocado chunks, and sour cream as a topping.

*Use canned hominy if in a hurry, but taste and texture are just not as good as when you start with dried posole.

LEFTOVER TURKEY SOUP WITH KALE AND ORZO

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As promised, this is a recipe for leftover turkey (slightly altered from the diethood.com site). I made this delicious healthy soup last evening and am very excited to share it with you. (And yes, of course you can substitute cooked chicken for the turkey. Or even start by sautéing some raw chicken or turkey just so you can serve this wonderful, hearty soup to your family.)

As I already stated, this is a really, really tasty soup. And it’s a one dish meal. And isn’t that a welcome change from having to prepare a meat dish, a starch, and a salad or green veggie. Especially right now when you might be trying to work from home, monitor and assistant your kids while they do their homework, keep in daily contact with aging parents or friends, plus take care of all the other myriad details (including 3 meals a day) of everyday life while remaining patient and cheerful at the same time! (It’s the patient and cheerful part that would be my downfall if I still had the same level of responsibility as described above.) But there are many people for whom this list of duties (and probably more) represents their current job description. And I tell you true, my hat is off to any of you for whom this is your new reality. Talk about unsung heroes!  

So if you too would welcome a one pot meal, this is the recipe for you. It’s simple to prepare, and contains mostly every day pantry and refrigerator ingredients.

So as always, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay tuned. Another leftover turkey recipe to come. (Well, if it turns out that is!) Cheers!

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

½ med. sized onion, chopped

1 carrot, cut into thin rounds

2 celery stalks, diced (include the leafy parts whenever possible)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. fresh chopped parsley

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp. kosher salt (if the turkey has been brined and a bit salty already, do not add salt)

freshly ground black pepper  

¼ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed up a bit in your hand if the leaves are large

1/8 tsp. dried rosemary

1 T. tomato paste

1 can (14-oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes (Italian preferably)

4 c. low sodium chicken broth, or more if you like your soup “brothier” (not in the dictionary, but I like the word)

2 c. chopped leftover turkey meat

½ c. orzo pasta

2-3 c. (loosely packed) chopped kale

freshly grated Pecorino-Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago cheese, opt. 

Heat oil and melt butter in a large covered Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley, bay leaf, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, rosemary, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and chicken stock.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the chopped turkey, orzo, and kale. Simmer until the orzo is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning. Remove bay leaf and serve. Pass the grated cheese.

HERB AND LEMON BASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH COGNAC PAN GRAVY

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I transferred the gravy to this small pan to get a better picture. The things I do in the name of fine photography! Commendable, right??

After Thanksgiving last year (which BTW seems like ages ago), I purchased 2 half turkey breasts which were on sale. I baked up one of the breasts (Herb Roasted Half Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy) at the time and stuck the one I fixed yesterday into the freezer. Both preparations are really delicious and both perfect for a small group at Thanksgiving table or for people like Mr. C. and me, for whom turkey sandwiches are the next best thing to Cheetos. Also leftover turkey is perfect in soups and other delightful dishes. (There will be recipes forth coming.)   

While I was drifting off to sleep last night, after having earlier partaken of this fabulous turkey, I couldn’t help but wonder what Thanksgiving would be like this year with the coronavirus pandemic probably still in full swing. Just Andy and me still social distancing ourselves from our loved ones? Still not able to visit with or hold our newest great grandchild? Not being able to bake a French Apple Pie for our dear friend Jim? Etc. etc. All these thoughts tumbled through my head as I was trying, valiantly, to put all thoughts of the real and potentially devastating effects this pandemic has and potentially could bring to our world. Eventually I drifted off.

But this morning, still kind of reeling from my concerns about what our future could look like, I performed all of my morning rituals – read the paper (on line), drank my coffee, showered, fixed breakfast, then sat down to read my email and Facebook. And a very good and lovely woman I know (Pat J.) had posted this quote from Arundhati Roy. “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can walk through lightly, with little luggage, ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.”

Reading this was just what I needed this morning. It actually gave me hope. Instead of worrying about what I might be losing, I should focus on the many gains that might come from people uniting against a common enemy. And thanksgiving took on a new meaning for me.

So what if it’s just Andy and me at table on Thanksgiving Day. We still have so much to be thankful for. We have each other, we have this wonderful new great grandchild to love and cherish even if we can’t pick him up right now, and we have a terrific family and dear friends that we can hopefully lavish baked goods on for many more years to come. Just maybe not this year. (And yes Jim, you and Margo will be the first to get an apple pie and cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning if and when it is safe to do so.)

So to all, stay positive, keep cooking, and count your blessings. Happy thanks giving.

1 (about 3-3 ½ lb.) half turkey breast (not boneless)

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. granulated onion or onion powder

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. dried sage

½ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. dried thyme

freshly ground black pepper

3 c. chicken stock, divided, or more as needed

flour

milk or part water, if the gravy is too rich

1-2 tsp. cognac

About an hour before you plan to put the turkey breast in your oven, remove it from your refrigerator, wash it very thoroughly, remove any fat or extraneous tissue, etc. from the meat, and dry it well with paper towels. Loosen the skin from the meat. Don’t remove the skin, but just separate it from the meat. Place the meat, skin side up on a meat rack set in a low sided baking pan.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the lemon juice, granulated garlic, granulated onion, rosemary, salt, sage, paprika, thyme, and black pepper. Set aside.

When ready to bake the breast, slather it with half of the butter mixture making sure some of the butter gets between the skin and the meat.  

Pour 2 cups of the chicken stock in the bottom of the pan. If needed, during the time the turkey is in the oven, add the additional 1 cup of stock to maintain liquid in the baking pan at all times.  

Transfer the pan to a pre-heated 425 oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and slather the remaining butter mixture over all. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue to roast turkey breast for 45-60 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees. (Don’t worry, the temperature will continue to climb while the turkey breast rests).  

When the turkey breast is done, transfer to a platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest at least 30 minutes before slicing. Retain the liquid and brown bits in the bottom of the pan for gravy.

To make the gravy: Place the roasting pan on the stove after the turkey has been removed. Turn the heat to very low and begin making your gravy immediately. (Good gravy flavor and consistency require time to develop.) Do not remove any fat from the pan and do not strain the liquid. Whisk in enough flour to absorb the fat. Let burble for a couple of minutes. (This process takes time, so be patient.) Slowly whisk in milk or water until you reach the desired thickness you like. Taste the gravy. Add a bit of salt and/or pepper, if needed.

Turn heat as low as possible and let the gravy simmer away for the next 30 minutes or so, whisking periodically. (You will probably need to add more milk or water during this time.) Also, after the turkey is sliced and plated, don’t forget to add the juices that have accumulated on the platter to the gravy.

Just before serving (and gravy should be the last item plated), taste the gravy and make any final adjustments to the seasoning. Stir in the cognac and serve piping hot.

GRILLED TUNA MELT SANDWICHES

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Some days are easier than others. Some days I’m really excited about cooking. Some days, not so much. Some days I feel a rather old 75. Other days I could tackle almost any project and declare myself the winner. But even when I’m not thrilled about the prospects of spending time in the kitchen, we still have to eat. And on those days I cut myself some slack.  

I’ve been making these grilled tuna sandwiches for decades now. But until I decided to make “tuna melts” for dinner last Friday night, and went on line to research recipes, I didn’t realize that I had been making grilled tuna melt sandwiches all this time. I thought they were just hot tuna sandwiches. (Grilled Tuna Melt Sandwiches sounds so much more exotic.)

Anyway, I made these babies for dinner last Friday and they were just what the doctor ordered. Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, with a bit of crunch curtesy of the diced celery. When served with potato chips, they were the perfect Friday night repast. And the total time spent in the kitchen? About 20 minutes.

So if you too have days when any time spent in your kitchen feels like punishment, give this recipe a try. I promise that your family will love these sandwiches, and you will have given yourself a little reprieve from a long, exhaustive recipe, even if most of the time you would look forward to just that. We all need a break. And I don’t care if it’s from what normally keeps you sane. (Like how spending time in the kitchen helps me.)

So don’t be afraid to pamper yourself. Fixing something that isn’t difficult to prepare doesn’t make you less of a good cook or provider. It just means that you are human and perhaps a bit overwhelmed. (If there were ever a time when “overwhelmed” might best describe the majority of us, it’s right now as we all try to successfully maneuver through this coronavirus nightmare!)

So take heart. Relax. Take a deep breath. And stay positive. If building a sandwich rather than preparing Beef Wellington works best for you, then build a sandwich. Beef Wellington can wait.

As always, peace, love, and let’s toast to easier days to come.

1 T. finely minced onion or dehydrated onion

1/3 c. finely diced celery

3-4 heaping T. mayonnaise, plus more as needed

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/3 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 can water packed albacore tuna, drained (We buy our tuna from Costco)

4 pieces of hearty whole wheat bread

soft butter

In a small bowl, mix the onion, celery, mayonnaise, mustard, seasoned salt, pepper, cheese, and tuna. The mixture will be fairly dry, but not to the point of cardboard. Add more mayonnaise as required.

Spread the mixture over two pieces of the bread. Slap the other 2 pieces of bread on top. (These are called sandwiches.)

Butter one side of each sandwich and place it butter side down on a warm griddle over medium heat. You don’t want to heat these sandwiches too rapidly. You want the cheese to melt as they cook. Butter the second side, and when the first side is nicely browned, flip it over and toast the second side. (I usually flip the sandwiches more than once so that the filling gets good and hot and the cheese nice and melty. When done serve immediately.  

REVOLVER COCKTAIL

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The only kind of “revolver” allowed in or around our home!

Yep, he’s at it again! And nope, I didn’t taste this drink. But Mr. C. assures me it’s really, really tasty. And much easier to mix than some of his concoctions. But again, where’s the gin? I suppose I shouldn’t complain. If he liked gin as much as I do, I’d have to share my good gin with him. And what’s the advantage in that! So I guess I should be happy that he chooses other liquors and liqueurs with which to assuage his passion for new and different libations. (Keeps him busy too.)

So the other evening while he was mixing this drink, I still hadn’t finished my almost daily jazzercise workout. Usually I exercise while he’s not around, but it just worked out (get it) that we were in the same area of the house at the same time. So while I’m contorting my old body to one of my favorite CDs, we actually had a chance to listen to the music together. Which then led to a discussion about the lyrics to one of the songs – (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding by English songwriter and singer Nick Lowe, first released in 1974. (See lyrics below.)  

And it occurred to me while we were talking, that the words to this song truly reflect what makes me so uncomfortable with our present administration. And recently, “uncomfortable” with my fellow citizens who feel their “rights” are being violated because they are being forced to stay home for their own good, and the good of those around them. (“Uncomfortable” being the least offensive and politically correct term I could come up with. Not actually the word I would have preferred to use. But some amount of decorum must be displayed in the name of good taste. Blah blah blah!)

Anyway – the words of this song just speak to me. And they truly reflect what I am currently feeling. But there is a flip side to this story.

Some of us who have lived through good and bad times, are aware of the ups and downs that life brings. We acknowledge that what we are experiencing right now is awful. But we have learned that the human spirit is resilient. And I truly believe that we should reflect that in our daily lives, especially right now. So as much as I often feel anxious about what’s happening in our country and around the world, I refuse to become depressed. I need to honor my feelings, but not dwell on them. And I need to continue to express my concerns, but not become a prisoner to my worries. And above all I need to feel positive that things will take an upward turn and reflect that confidence to those around me. It starts with each of us. How we relate to each other. And how we support our leaders who represent the views we hold true.   

So in the spirit of this post, I want to thank all of you for reading my blog, for understanding and hopefully forgiving me for openly airing my feelings, and especially thank you for all you do to keep yourself and your family safe, healthy, and well fed. Peace, love, and understanding to all.

(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin’ for light in the darkness of insanity
I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside
There’s one thing I wanna know:
What’s so funny ’bout peace love and understanding? Ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love and understanding?

And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony

‘Cause each time I feel it slippin’ away, just makes me wanna cry
What’s so funny ’bout peace love and understanding? Ohhhh
What’s so funny ’bout peace love and understanding?

Revolver Cocktail

2 oz. bourbon (a rye-heavy bourbon such as Buffalo Trace is recommended)

½ oz. coffee liqueur (like Kahlúa)

2 dashes of orange bitters

wide strip of orange peel, garnish

Combine bourbon, coffee liqueur, and orange bitters in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir well until chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Twist orange peel over the drink to express oil, add a couple of ice cubes, and drop peel into drink as a garnish.   

CREAMY CAJUN SHRIMP AND ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE PASTA

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While I try to vary our dinner menus, it is really difficult for me to refrain from building a pasta dish more often than we need. We both love pasta, and if you knew us, one glance would tell you immediately that neither one of us restrict our pasta predilection nearly enough! And usually that would cause me concern. But under the current shelter in place mandate, I have taken a broader view of what it takes to keep us healthy and happy. And one of the things that we both enjoy is pasta smothered in a yummy sauce with bits of meat or seafood thrown in for good measure. And if there ever was a dish that met those requirements, it’s this recipe from the dinneratthezoo.com site. (Wonderful site BTW.)

So I made this dish last evening. It was ever so easy to prepare, very little time required, and hardly any energy expended. And both of us sat at the dinner table with big old sloppy grins on our faces because this dish was so darned delicious. Along with the simple green salad I prepared (leaf lettuce, frisée, and massaged kale in an extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing), we were well satiated when we got up from the dinner table.

Now don’t get me wrong. I haven’t thrown caution to the wind. But fixing extra special food right now seems to make house arrest a bit easier to endure. And we aren’t out of the woods yet. It might be several months until we can resume dining with our friends or actually sitting in one of our favorite restaurants. (If they’re still in business that is!) So cooking wonderful dishes right now just seems like the best thing to do to relieve monotony, create anticipation, and keep me from running out on our street screaming “I need friends”! After all, as the old and moldy cliché goes – busy hands are happy hands. (Gack!!)

So with that “happy” cliché in mind, I am going to bid you adieu for today, and go see what kind of trouble I can get into in my kitchen. After all. It’s Friday. And Friday dinner around here is usually casual, fun, and quick to prepare. I’m thinking grilled tuna melt sandwiches. (With Tim’s potato chips on the side as our veggie accompaniment!)

As always – peace, love, and a healthy helping of patience for whatever the next few weeks/months has to offer.    

3 T. unsalted butter, divided

½ c. chopped onion

1 green pepper, halved and then thinly sliced  

2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning, divided (see recipe below)

8 oz. andouille sausage, sliced (I use Aidells Cajun Style Andouille because it’s not too spicy, but still very flavorful. Plus I can buy it almost anywhere.)  

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and tails removed

1 c. whole milk

2 tsp. flour

pinch kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper.

1/3 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

8 oz. linguine or fettuccini pasta, cooked al dente (save some of the water)

2 T. chopped parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook for 4-6 minutes or until softened. Season with 1 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning.

Add the sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter along with the shrimp and the remaining teaspoon of Cajun seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

While the shrimp are cooking, whisk the milk, flour, salt, and pepper together. When the shrimp are done, pour in the milk and flour slurry. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until sauce has started to thicken. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta.

If the sauce seems dry, add a bit of the pasta cooking water. Serve immediately garnished with the chopped parsley.

CAJUN SEASONING

2 T. paprika

1 T. granulated onion or onion powder

1 T. granulated garlic

1 T. dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred) (If the dried oregano leaves are large, break them down a bit in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder)

1 T. dried thyme

1 T. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. kosher salt

1 tsp. cayenne

Combine all the ingredients and store in an air tight container.

“EVERYTHING” SOURDOUGH BAGELS (no added yeast)

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For a couple years now I have been buying mediocre bagels and calling it good. What have I been thinking? OK, Costco used to make really decent bagels. But the last few times we tried them, we felt they were lacking. Now I can’t really describe what the difference was. But we both noticed it. So we stopped buying them.

Our local grocery store sells a reasonable bagel. But they are bloody expensive and not quite up to my standard. Of course, you have to realize I have very high standards when it comes to bagels. I lived in Bellevue for 37 years. And for part of that time, at least until the mid-90s when the bakery/delicatessen closed, I was a patron of Brenner Brothers Bakery. And a fan of Yetta. (She was the sister and always worked the front counter. A very independent woman with her own sense of style. She always wore glittery pins, flowers and ribbons in her platinum blond hair, and red fingernail polish. Always a joy to be waited on by her.) But I digress…..

Now, not only did Brenner Brothers bake some of the best bread I ever tasted, they sold bagels. (They also made the best sandwiches I ever wrapped my mouth around.) Sigh……… So I know what a really good bagel should taste like. It should have a truly delectable dense, chewy, doughy interior, with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior. Again, heavy sigh.

Well I have to tell you in full disclosure, these bagels aren’t quite as good as the bagels I adored all those years ago. But they are still darned good. And better than anything I can buy in my area of the world. And they are easy to build. And why I waited all these years to make bagels is truly beyond my comprehension. I guess I just assumed they would be hard to prepare.

But in reality, they are not at all difficult to make. Even the boiling step is easy. Really! And when I think about what I was spending on purchased bagels, compared to what it costs me to build my own, I’m almost embarrassed to even bring it up. It’s like about ten cents on the dollar. So, I’ve decided that my store bought bagel buying days are over.

So on that triumphant note, I encourage you to try this recipe and see if you don’t agree that building your own bagels is well worth the effort. And of course you don’t have to make “everything” bagels. You can top your bagels with anything your big old heart desires. Or leave the top plain so you can fill your bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, for example.

As always – stay adventurous in the kitchen, stay healthy, and above all keep your sense of humor.

As a side note, I actually built these bagels 2 days in a row. With the first batch, I forgot to let the dough rise the second time. So the bagels were pretty darn flat when they came out of the oven. I was not happy with myself when I figured out what had gone wrong. But you know what, this kind of thing happens. And it happens to every cook. And the only thing that separates the people who just carry on and learn from their mistakes, from the people who get so upset with themselves that they just give up, is a bit of self-directed diatribe at their own expense. And the names I called myself after figuring out my mistake. Suffice it to say, they would all have had to be redacted if they had been included in a legal document! Then, after sharing a good laugh with Mr. C. at my ineptitude, I had a big old martini. Yesterday morning, I simply started over, after first underlining the part about rising the dough after forming it into bagel shapes. As if I could have forgotten that step. Not bloody likely!

1 c. sourdough starter, room temp.

½ c. + 3 T. slightly warm water  

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more to use in the mixing bowl and shaping the bagels

½ c. whole wheat flour

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 T. milk

“Everything Seasoning” (see recipe below)

Mix the starter, water, oil, whole wheat flour, 2 cups of the all-purpose flour, and salt together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Knead the dough with a dough hook for about 4 minutes, adding more all-purpose flour as needed. The dough should be very stiff.

Pour a bit of oil over the dough, and using your hands roll the dough into a ball making sure that the entire ball of dough is lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 4 hours.

Lightly punch (deflate) the dough and form into 8 equal sized balls. (I use a bit of olive oil to grease my hands while I shape the dough.)

Shape the bagels by forming each piece into a ball and using your thumb, punch a hole through the middle of the ball, stretching to make the center hole larger. Set the shaped bagels on a lightly greased large parchment paper lined baking sheet.  

Cover the shaped bagels with a tea towel and let sit for about 60 – 90 minutes. (They are not going to rise very much.)

Fill a large 12-inch skillet ½ to ¾ full with water. Add the tablespoon of soda. Bring the water to a boil. When the water is boiling, drop the bagels, one at a time, into the boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning after half a minute. Then using a slotted spoon or spatula, place the bagels back on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Continue until all the bagels have been boiled.

Brush the bagels with milk, then sprinkle with “everything” seasoning. 

Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in a pre-heated 450 degree oven, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees. Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack before slicing.

“EVERYTHING” SEASONING

2 T. poppy seeds

2 T. sesame seeds

1 T. dried finely minced onion (I crush the dehydrated onion in my mortar and pestle before adding it to the other ingredients)

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container.

 

RYE OLD-FASHIONED COCKTAIL

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I know what you’re thinking if you are a subscriber to this site and follow along with me on a daily basis. You are probably thinking that Mr. C. has nothing better to do than put on his mixologist hat and play mad scientist with exciting new cocktail ingredients. And that I have nothing more exciting to do than don my apron and experiment with new dishes. And you would be right. This blog is basically the story of our life as we are confined to quarters.

Of course we do manage to get a few other daily activities performed in between my culinary endeavors and Mr. Cs late afternoon play time with exotic adult beverage concoctions. He practices the piano daily for long hours, works in the yard, weather permitting, goes for hikes, again weather permitting, does any shopping that needs to be done, takes care of our kitties every little need, and does most of the grunt work around the house. So he stays busy. Oh and he is a prolific reader.

I keep things tidy around the house, do all the cooking, spend at least 3 hours reading every day, work on my latest mosaic project, and of course research recipes, prepare them, and if they are worthy, publish them after first writing a humorous and always interesting preface. (No false modesty in this gal!) (But seriously, I do try to make my prefaces informative, while providing a bit of levity to hopefully give you a chuckle now and then.)

Now what does all of this rhetoric have to do with another cocktail recipe from Mr. C.? Well I thought I better explain that while we too are tired of being home every stinking minute of every stinking day, we are not bored. Or idle. And if working out the kinks of new cocktail recipes helps keep my dear husband occupied, the way playing with food helps me to better maneuver this difficult time, I say – keep the drinks coming and bon appétit!  

As always – peace, love, and happy “five o’clock” to all.

2 oz. rye whiskey (Mr. C. uses Knob Creek or Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey)

½ tsp. simple sugar syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

1 dash orange bitters

splash of club soda

1 maraschino cherry (Mr. C. uses Luxardo brand)

ice

lemon peel

Shake all in a cocktail shaker. Pour into an old fashioned glass. Enjoy!