Honest woman December 21, 2009

Word got out at work that I write a “food blog,” and now everyone wants the link.  My co-workers got into their heads that I have good ideas about cooking and eating, and rather than tell them the truth (“Actually, it’s more of a way for my out-of-town friends to keep in touch, and there’s a lot of my whining about losing my job…”), I’ll just start writing more about food again.

space

Here’s what I made for breakfast for today.

space

Raspberry cream cheese breakfast muffins

space

I don’t normally get up early enough to bake breakfast before I have to run off somewhere, but thanks to the heaviest snowfall in DC on record, I wasn’t going anywhere.  The Captain, and his belly, were pretty pleased about that.

Chili Half Smokes February 24, 2009

My Future Love-handles

Dearest,

As you know, my bank is in San Antonio and has no brick-and-mortar locations elsewhere. Thus, when it comes time for me to cash in my jar of loose change, I can (a) fly to San Antonio, or (b) find a Coinstar machine. Texas being far away, I opted for (b).

As it turns out, the nearest Coinstar machine is at the corner of 14th and U Streets NW. As you may recall, that is only steps from Ben’s Chili Bowl – where the Obamas eat free, the sausages are smoked, and credit is not accepted. Thus it was by divine intervention that I came to eat at Ben’s today, because God both brought me to the Chili Bowl’s doorstep and provided me with a wad of cash to spend there. And heavenly it was.

For starters, there was almost no line. When we were last there, you’ll remember, the line ran the length of the counter. And doubled back down the counter. And snaked out the door. And rounded the corner. Not so today – I walked right in and gave my order: 1 chili half smoke with mustard and onions, a plate of cheese fries, and a Coke (diet, of course. We don’t want to go overboard, here).

The crowd was a mixed bag of folks. Businessmen in suits, an iron-haired Washingtonienne (complete with pearls), cops, college kids, stroller-pushing mommies, an Air Force colonel, and me. The music was a funky mix of Marvin Gaye, Wild Cherry, and K-os. As it turns out, this music was in direct contrast to the Whitey Whiterson music that happened to be on my iPod at the time. I kid you not, on the bus and short walk to Ben’s, my iPod shuffled up Vivaldi, Coldplay, O.A.R, Tim McGraw’s cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” and Death Cab for Cutie. So much for my hard-earned street cred.

Naturally, the chili half-smoke* was fabulous. The fries, which we did not get to try last time, were wonderful. Golden and crispy, salty and smothered in artificial cheese, topped off with a few dashes of hot sauce. The fries were also plentiful, so much so that I could not finish them.

I guess that means I’ll have to bring a buddy next time. Would you like to come help me with the cheese fries?

Love, Me

*for the uninitiated, chili half-smokes consist of a sausage that is half beef and half smoked pork (hence the “half-smoke”) served on a steamed bun and slathered in chili and toppings.

Chicken soup for the soul February 11, 2009

Captain,

I am a very lucky lady.  When word got out that I’d been laid off – before I’d sent out my resume – friends from all over were emailing to see how they could help.  (Psst, Friends Out There, please forward my resume to whomever you think would find my skills useful.  That is how you can help.)  So all these people were chipping in and getting in touch, and it made me feel blessed.  I am poor in employment but I am rich in friendship, and that has made all the difference.

And since a lawyer’s got to eat, even if she’s laid-off, here’s a tasty recipe I made the other night.  You’ll recognize it as a recipe we’ve made in the past; it’s billed as a rainy day recipe, and since it’s been raining in San Diego ever since I lost my job (really, I can’t make this stuff up), I thought it appropriate.  It calls for chicken “meatballs” instead of chunks of chicken, and it wasn’t until I tried making those meatballs that I realized why you are the meatball expert in the family.  My meatballs came out a little dumpy looking, but they tasted great nonetheless.  Bon appetit.

Love,
The Snappy Dish

Chicken Pastina Bake February 5, 2009

I haven’t broken out the dutch oven in a while, but it was pretty wicked cold today, so I wanted something warm and delicious. I made the the chicken pastina bake that we like so well. Here it is:

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 lb cherry tomatoes

2 tbsps olive oil

2 tsps salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 skinless chicken thighs, bone-in

1 onion (red or yellow, doesn’t matter) finely chopped

4 cloves garlic

2 cups (approx) chicken broth

2 cups penne

Optional: 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 cup orange juice

Instructions:

If you can chop an onion, you can make this. It’s so delicious and easy, it quickly became a favorite of the Snappy Dish and me.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. As the oven heats, toss together the salt, pepper, tomatoes, and olive oil in a dutch oven. When the oven is hot, insert the covered dutch oven and bake for 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes bake, chop the onion and garlic and gather the rest of your ingredients (if you haven’t already). After 15 minutes, remove the dutch oven and add the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste, then add the penne, onion and garlic. Add the cinnamon sticks and orange juice, then pour in enough chicken broth so that the pasta is just covered.

Re-cover the dutch oven and put it back in the oven for 40-45 minutes, then go catch up on your Tivo backlog.

After 45 minutes, remove the dutch oven, spoon a thigh and some pasta into a bowl, and enjoy. A side of crusty bread is good for mopping up.

Missing me meat February 3, 2009

Lamb braised in wine with olives, tomatoes, onions

Captain,

Someone once told me that when you miss somebody, sometimes you need a chunk of meat.  (And beer.)

I don’t drink beer too often, but I love wine, so I thought I’d put my own little spin on your missing-me meat.  Now that I’ve braised once I’ve decided it’s the only way to cook meat, aside from grilling of course.  What’s great is that braising and wine cover all manner of sins, such as “Huh, I don’t have tomatoes and this needs tomatoes.  Whatever, I’ll add more wine.”  So that’s what I did and the dish tasted great: moist, tender, and flavorful.  Even better is that lamb shoulder chops are as big as my head so now I have, again, meals for the week.

Love,

The Snappy Dish

Easier than it looks chicken and artichokes January 29, 2009

Chicken and artichoke casserole

Dearest,

So I went on a sort of cooking binge.  (And I haven’t even gotten to dessert yet…)  This afternoon I was informed that the doc review that threatened our weekend will now threaten my entire month of February.

And I am totally okay with that.

Why?  Because times are tough and jobs are hard to come by.  Billables are even more elusive, so I am not picky when it comes to assignments.  Right now it doesn’t matter one whit that I am more interested in transactional work than in litigation.  If lit is where the hours are, then lit is where I’ll be.  And I will love it.

Especially if I have delicious dinners awaiting me at home.  This is a great, make-ahead, endless-pot kind of meal.  Yes, it is a two-step process (braising is, by definition, two steps), but once you’re done you’re set with meals for the week.  And look how pretty it is.  I can’t wait to eat it tomorrow.

Love,

The Snappy Dish

Yum January 21, 2009

Apple-stuffed pork loin and couscous

Captain,

Thanks for making me dinner.  Since I was working while you were cooking, the recipe below is the best approximation I can make of what you actually did.  Please edit as you see fit.

Love,

The Snappy Dish

Secret ingredient soup October 28, 2008

Towards the end of Kung-fu Panda, one of Mr. Fortune’s favorite movies, our beloved hero is told exactly what’s in his father’s Secret Ingredient Soup.  The soup is quite famous, drawing customers from all over the Valley of Peace, so learning its secret is rather a big deal.  If you haven’t seen the movie, it really is worth a Netflix so I won’t spoil it for you.  But if you have seen the movie, then you know that the moment is both revelatory and touching.  The reproachful father encourages the misunderstood son, and sets in motion a conclusion both sweet and satisfying.

The soup below isn’t that meaningful, but as I was making it this evening I recalled the movie and thought it would make a good lead.  (No?)  At the very least, it is the first time I ever have made a noodle soup, so perhaps that is significant enough.  The weather’s turned cold in DC, and since most of my clothes are packed away in a vault somewhere in San Diego, I’ve been woefully unprepared.  I’ve had to rely instead on warming myself from the inside out, and this was a very good start.

As a bit of warning, this dish was a little labor- and pot-intensive because I prepared the pork, the noodles, and the broth separately, but the pork can be done hours in advance.  Once you get close to dinner time, boil the noodles and heat up the broth, then combine all the parts when you are ready to eat.  It’s simple and delicious.

Round ‘em up tofu veggie stir-fry October 10, 2008

I came up with this stir-fry after noting the many veggies in my fridge.  Some of them were left over from Mr. Fortune’s birthday party, some of them just needed to move, pronto.  Thinking that anything tastes good in a stir-fry, I threw everything together in a large skillet with minced ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, shao xing wine, and sesame oil.  It all combined nicely to make a quick, healthy, and flavorful weeknight meal.

The best part of this dish is that it is completely adjustable.  Any proportion of your favorite veggies will work as long as you’re careful to cook the more substantial veggies first (such as carrots) and the less substantial veggies last (garlic chives).  If you think your pan is overcrowding, feel free to add more heat.  Salt whenever you want; I salted two or three times throughout.  One thing you must take care to do, however, is to have your veggies chopped ahead of time because they will cook so quickly.  To underscore the importance of mise en place, I’ve dispensed with my usual recipe format and used a more traditional layout.

And on a side note, Ms. Bee arrived this afternoon and not two hours later was assisting me in the kitchen.  She’s an attorney in New York in her real life, but I know deep down she’s really a secret kitchen superhero. I always appreciate her help.

Finally? September 21, 2008

Today I cooked a meal.  After the many delays (excuses?), namely the lack of ingredients and transportation, I finally marched into the kitchen and made a pork and noodle stir-fry.  It was…okay.  The recipe came from Cook’s Illustrated,[FN1] which is surprising given my all my hand-wringing over cultural authenticity.  But I trust America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) because they try so very hard to get everything right.  I shudder to imagine just how many stir-frys had to be tossed in order to get right the timing and balance of ingredients.[FN2]

Regardless, I was underwhelmed with my results.  That is probably more my fault than the recipe’s, but already I have ideas for improving the dish:

1.  Use pre-sliced cabbage.  This is non-negotiable.  I usually avoid any sort of pre-packaged, pre-made ingredients, but given my struggle to get the cabbage sliced (Mr. Fortune had to come in and do it for me), it’s just much easier to buy the bag at the grocery store.

2.  Use more sauce.  I followed the recipe proportions almost exactly, and yet I still thought the pork could have used more kick.

3.  Use pork tenderloin.  ATK recommended boneless country-style ribs, but next time I will use tenderloin because it’s much easier to slice into the small pieces I want.

4.  Add sauteed chili peppers.  Because everything tastes better with a little heat.