Risotto - the first time

Well, I purchased some risotto rice and followed the directions. This is how it turned out. The rice was a little chewy, but not crunchy and it was creamy. Never having had risotto before, I don't know if it turned out right or not. I used white wine and chicken broth and stirred constantly while the rice cooked, adding the chicken broth a little bit at a time. Then at the end I added the parmesan cheese. The flavor wasn't bad, but it wasn't heavenly either. Guess I will have to keep trying.

Cooking in the PM era

-It was a stunning thought that caught me by surprise. Hungry for leftovers, I was slapping a good size hunk of roast, with included gravy, onto a plate, destined for the microwave. I remember this dish, when it first came out of the oven.... moist, a little pink in the middle, a masterpiece. I also remember the last time I nuked some roast beef..... hard, tough, dry, but hot. And then the thought hit me! Why not cook it on the stove, in a pan, like the old days. I almost felt rebellious, a bit archaic, like those guys who continue to wear wind-em-up pocket watches. But I let the thought develop in my head, and it led to a new moment in my day.
-In the 'pre-microwave' days (PM era is about pre-1970), we had to heat leftovers in the oven, or in a pan. Then you had to add water, nurse it so it wouldn't burn, and wait. And wait. If you had a pound of burger to defrost, you did it in a pan, turning and scraping to your heart's content, until you had it all cooked. It was the only option if you wanted to eat, and then microwaves changed all that. Technology made us all smart, and who could resist the marvel of instant leftovers? Only a fool would wait over a hot stove for the same food.
-By the way, did you know the first microwave was built in 1947, installed in a Boston restaurant, was 6-ft tall, weighed 750 pounds, was water cooled, and cost $5,000? You'd have to like popcorn a lot to drop that kind of dough in 1947.
-So I did something I hadn't done for 40 years: I put my leftovers in a pan, added water, put the heat on low, and waited. It felt good to wait on food, like I was respecting the cow or something. I even added some extra minced onion for variety, knowing it had time to cook in.
-After 15 minutes, my reward was great: roast as good as the first time, and gravy better the second time around. Does anybody remember doing popcorn on the stove?

Bacon, Tomato, Onion Sandwich

Homemade bread, toasted. Buttered. Layer on sliced onion, sliced, very ripe tomatoes from your garden, and crisp bacon. A little mayo, salt, and pepper. Sorry no pictures. They wouldn't do this sandwich justice.

Peasant food

It is not that appealing to look at, but boy does it taste good.
I made this dish a week or two ago because I had some cabbage to use up. And I ended up really liking it. I mean, I was craving more of it later that night and the next day.
Now, maybe it was just me, who knows? I can be a bit odd. But, my husband did like it too...just not as much I am sure.
But, there is something to be said for just straight forward, simple food.
Ground beef, cabbage, green peppers, onions and herbs. Oh, and some tomato sauce.
Now, the recipe calls to use a wok. I do not own a wok, so I used a skillet, which seemed to work well enough. And I highly recommend making sure you have the herbs to throw in. I made it today with just basil, and I feel like it was missing something.
But, the dish is just in the middle. Not too heavy, not too light. It is not too wet, but not too dry. It has a nice balance of flavor between the cabbage, tomato, and herbs.

My only complaint, is that I didn't have any good crusty bread to eat along with it. That would have been nice to sop up the remaining juice in the bottom of the bowl.

If you want cheap good food, this would be it. Makes great leftovers too.
Oh, and I did not opt to put any cheddar cheese on it. I didn't really find that fitting.

GROUND BEEF & CABBAGE SCRAMBLE:
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 c. cabbage, shredded
1/2 sm. green pepper, diced
1/2 sm. onion, finely diced
1 tbsp. snipped fresh parsley (1 tsp. dry)
1/4 tsp. each basil & thyme
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 tsp. sugar
Shredded cheese, if desired
READY: Combine prepared vegetables with herbs.
SET: Work on high heat.
GO: When wok is hot, stir-fry ground beef until lightly browned (4 or 5 minutes). Move up on holder shelf. Stir-fry vegetables, half at a time (2 minutes), moving up on holder shelf. Turn heat to medium. With baster or spoon, remove fat drippings from wok. Add tomato sauce and sugar; heat to boiling. Return meat and vegetables to bowl of wok; simmer together 2 to 3 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with shredded cheese if desired. 4 to 5 servings.

Butter basted Pork Chops

My hubby doesn't particularly like pork. I go on kicks. Sometimes I crave it, and other times I want nothing to do with it. Not sure why. And not just chops...even pork other ways, the loin, or bbq, or ribs. I just go up and down with it.

Anyway, I had a loin in the freezer that I thawed out. Mark's biggest pet peeve about pork chops, is that they often get dried out and tasteless. Granted...this does happen a lot. Well, sometimes I will make a gravy to solve this issue for him, but this day I wanted to try something a bit different.

I cut the loin in to chops. I tried to cut them on the thick side. I seasoned them with salt and pepper. I heated up a little oil in my pan until it was nice and hot. I seared the chops on both sides in the oil.

I added some butter and some fresh sliced garlic. I basted the pork chops in the pan with the butter. I just kept spooning the butter of the meat and let the meat cook a bit longer and let the butter get a bit brown. I cook my pork about medium. I like it a little pink. My husband likes it this way too, but I know some people don't agree with that. I added some fresh chives at the last minute for a little aroma.

The pork was good. I can't say great. While I was eating it, I was wondering what was one more thing I could do to add to the dish. I think a cream reduction might just set it off. But, if you are looking for a simple, moist, to the point dish. This would be it.

My Favorite Chili

My favorite chili is nothing special. It's cheap and easy to make but it's so delicious. I start with a standard chili seasoning packet and add what I want from there. Saute some chopped onions with a pound of ground beef. Then add the seasoning with some tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (preferably with green chiles), corn, chili beans (undrained), and black beans (also undrained). Let it simmer all day in the crock pot and you've got a hearty meal on your hands. We like to eat our chili with shredded cheese, sour cream, and fritos, but you can dress it however you like. This is not only my favorite chili, but one of my favorite meals!

The Zucchini Stands Alone

I am not much of a cook. I just don't enjoy it the way the rest of my family does. I do share their joy of all things food, and sometimes there is a food I enjoy just enough to motivate me to enter the kitchen. I went to the store today to get some fresh ground beef for a batch of chili (which I love to make, and my version of chili is actually my favorite) and I ventured into the produce section to see what was on sale. I had no idea zucchini was so cheap this time of year. $1.48 bough me four zucchinis. Not bad. So I bought a few and took them home to fix dinner. My husband and son weren't home so I knew I could get away with it. They aren't big fans of zucchini and certainly wouldn't consider it worthy of an entire meal. I, on the other hand, could eat zucchini all day.

I sauteed a batch with onions and tomatoes and a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Top it off with some cheap canned parmesan and it's good to go! If you're wondering why I took a picture of this dish AND the dirty pan, it's to show proof that I actually did cook.

The dish with onions and tomato was delicious, but as I was eating it I came to a conclusion: zucchini needs no companion. So I cooked up another batch with just butter and salt and pepper! Seriously, zucchini just has so much flavor all on it's own. I love it love it love it. And did you know it microwaves pretty well? I know that sounds blasphemous to those real cooks out there, but I've found it challenging to eat my recommended portion of veggies and when you work in an office all day sometimes you have to compromise. Pop some sliced zucchini in the microwave with italian dressing or butter and parmesan and you have yourself a delicious serving of good 'ole greens. Nummy!