Casseroles.

When I was little my mother would ask my sister and I, "What would you like for dinner?"

My sister, inspired by wholesome portraits of the American Family in her children's books, would answer, "Casserole."

My family was not a Casserole family. In fact, when my sister made her requests my mother would say, "What do you mean casserole? I don't know what that is. Can you describe it? Do you mean a Tuna Casserole?" My mother despises tuna. By no surprise, I have not inherited a love of casseroles. Though they are a type of cuisine--a down home style of food--that intrigues me.

I came across a recipe for a casserole called Tammy's Corned Beef Cabbage Casserole on the Family Fun website. I'll admit, it sounds a little gross. But the fact that Tammy attached her name to this recipe is an indication that it's a winner. I felt challenged by the shoddily composed instructions. And, besides, I was feeling a bit nostalgic for the next holiday, St. Pat's Day.

Tammy's Corned Beef Cabbage Casserole

1 half of a small cabbage
	6 large potatoes 1 lb. carrots 1 can corned beef
	1 large onion
	1 can cream of mushroom soup
	1 8 oz. package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Skin potatoes and cut into chunks. Place in bottom of casserole dish. I used a giant Corningware dish.

2. Clean and skin carrots. Cut them into chunks. Add to potatoes in the bottom of the casserole dish.

3. Cut onion into slices. Place half the onion in with potatoes and carrots. Save remaining onion.

4. Shred the cabbage and place on top of ingredients in casserole dish. Set corned beef on top of cabbage making sure to cover entire cabbage. Spoon the cream of mushroom soup (not mixed) over corned beef top. Top with remaining onion. Canned corned beef requires thin slicing in this recipe. It comes out of the can in a SPAM-like formation.

5. Cover dish. Place in preheated 375 degree oven. Cook until potatoes, carrots and cabbage are tender, about 30 minutes (depending on how big you cut the potatoes and carrots).

6. Remove dish from oven, remove the cover and sprinkle cheese on top. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, just until the cheese is browned.

OK, so, TCBCC is easy and cheap. The ingredients cost me about $4.00. I used the potatoes a had in my pantry, despite that fact they were growing roots, and a small, mushy-ish onion, whose germ had turned green. Whatever, it doesn't matter if your ingredients are slightly past expiration. I think that's what casseroles were created for.

I had never heard of canned corn beef. It does, in fact, exist. In order to open the can I had to use a little key and cut myself no fewer that three times in the process. To the Hormel Company: An updated can design would be nice.

This dish turned out rather delicious. I ended up baking it for an hour and a half, but by that time the veggies were soft and the flavors had blended nicely. Vegetal, creamy, hearty. Seasoned with a bit of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. We enjoyed it with a slice of marble rye, though hot biscuits and butter would probably be better. And a can of cold beer. Oh, and about ten friends. This recipe makes a lot.

All in all, I am inspired to try more casserole recipes. Maybe I'll add a few to my repertoire, just in case of any future requests.

I'm BaaaAAAaaack!!

Sorry, guys. I, um, forgot my password. And username. Lame excuse, I know. However, I was so motivated to share a delightful new snack that I managed to recover all that important info. What is this snack you ask? Well, grapefruit.

Yes, grapefruit. Specifically, Ruby Red Grapefruit. I'm not a grapefruit kind of girl. But I found a good recipe. While waiting for Mark for two hours at the optometrist, I picked up one of those old lady housekeeping magazine, at least a year out of date. Anyway, I flipped past the Home Decorating and How to Clean Better sections, and went straight to the Food section. Recipes in such magazines are so interesting to me. Supposedly simple recipes, for the everyday, but things I never make. Calling for such common ingredients as one small can of pimentos or sliced black olives, tins of mandarin orange segments, and such. But back to the grapefruit.

This is simple. Cut a grapefruit in half. Sprinkle liberally with sugar in the raw, or whatever you have. Place in a Pyrex dish under the broiler for about six or seven minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon and eat with a spork. Yum. Kinda like grapefruit creme brulee.

I will try to post more often. I promise.

Raisin Pie

There are certain kinds of things, edible things, that don't find their way between the two crusts of a pie. Like oranges, or bananas, or grapes. I have to assume that pies made from these things have been attempted with poor results. I'd heard of raisin pie before, which is sort of like a grape pie, but I'd never actually seen one. Recently I discovered such a thing as Raisin Cream Pie, which sounded way better. And worth trying.

I found a recipe for Sour Cream Raisin Pie on epicurious.com that sounded harmless enough. The pie is basically a egg/sour cream/spice/raisin filling in a pastry crust, topped with meringue. I followed the recipe pretty closely. It called for soaking the raisins for at least eight hours. I soaked mine for close to 48 and they ended up fat and smooth and light brown in color. Not like raisins (or grapes) at all. I accidentally omitted the vanilla and added too much sugar, nothing disastrous though.

The pie came out of the oven looking beautiful. Meringue always looks awesome straight from the oven. After sitting for a while beading covered they pie. But unlike with lemon meringue pie, this did not bring me close to tears. It looked so pretty, like a scattering of golden beads across the top. Mark thought it was intentional.

Once the pie reached room temp I had a piece. It was good, very sweet, but good. It has a very old fashioned taste about it. I think if I made it again I would soak the raisins in rum, to add something to the flavor. I do quite think it is worth making again.

I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry.

Oh, dear me. I've been so neglectful.

Mark and I moved into a new beautiful house that has a humongous beautiful kitchen. I don't have to duck to avoid hitting my head on the ceiling anymore. Hooray!

I have been busy cooking, and unpacking, and painting, but not writing. Which is bad. So here I go.

Today was a bit cold and a bit gray. Appropriately October, you know. I made Pumpkin Soup with croutons for lunch/dinner. We enjoyed our soup with a fine, cheap glass of Sauvignon Blanc for me and a crisp and skunky Pilsner Urquel for Mark and a big, tangy hunk of Marisa cheese. Down right yum.

Amy's Pumpkin Soup

Take one medium yellow onion and two peeled carrots and dice them fine. Saute in olive oil until nice and sweet and soft. Add a can of pureed pumpkin, a can of chicken stock, a big pinch of thyme, a bigger pinch of kosher, and a little pinch of cayenne. Oh, and a bit of brown sugar. Simmer for a while. Maybe twenty minutes. Meanwhile, make some croutons.

Heat a dash of olive oil and a hunk of butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Slice a baguette, or whatever you have around into 1/4 inch slices. Mince a clove of garlic and a bit of parsley and add to the warmed fat. Saute for a few minutes. Don't let it burn. Throw in the bread and saute for a few minutes per side. Just until buttery and crisp.

Add a half a cup of half and half to the pumpkin soup off heat. Adjust seasonings. Maybe white pepper would taste good.

Ladle the soup into bowls, stick some croutons in and enjoy with a nice crisp beverage, a hunk of yummy cheese and a handsome dining partner.

What is simplest is best, no?

Cookin' Round the Clock

When I first started watching the Food Network I didn't care for Rachel Ray. I thought she was a little on the crazy side and that her recipes were too kitschy. But I kept watching anyway. After a while my annoyance with her somehow grew into tolerance and I can now say that I like Rachel Ray and all four of her television programs. I've tried a lot of her recipes from the show 30 Minute Meals, and most of them I've enjoyed. Her style of cooking has tons of flavor and she's all about using quality ingredients, which I respect.

One of the wedding gifts we received was Rachel Ray's book Cooking 'Round the Clock. Tonight I made a "Good & Good-For-You Gut-Buster" recipe from the book--Grilled Polenta and Smoked Mozzarella Caprese. Rachel qualifies many of her meals as good for you, even when they're full of cheese, meat, white bread and fat. A relative term I suppose.

Anyway. Since the recipe calls for the polenta to be sauteed in two tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of evoo (extra virgin olive oil for the uninitiated) until crisp I'm not sure from where the term grilled is derived. Regardless the recipe is good. Simply: fried polenta topped with cheese, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and a chunky tomato sauce. I don't like smoked cheeses, or smoked anything really so that component wasn't the best, but I would make it again with a fresh mozzarella.

(Too hungry to take a pic, sorry.)

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter.

Tonight, not wanting to give up my seafood stint too soon, I marinated a few salmon fillets for dinner. Salmon is so versatile and easy to cook with, and healthy. My favorite marinade is:

3 T. brown sugar
2 T. rice vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. Dijon mustard

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter.

Its great, no fail. The marinade is so thick it sticks to the meat and forms a nice, crusty caramelization over heat.

I served the salmon with a side of whole wheat couscous and a spinach/tomato/goat cheese salad. I need to work more veggies into my life.

Earlier this morning I made a black cherry-walnut quick bread from a recipe out of Eating Well. The recipe was for cranberry-walnut bread but the crappy grocery store didn't have cranberries. The substitution was fine anyway. Sarah tasted it and said it must have a cup of oil in it. It did turn out really moist somehow, though the only fat came from two tablespoons of canola and a tablespoon of butter.

So nice to be back to the kitchen again!

A stranger in my own kitchen

I haven't cooked for weeks! With the planning and the wedding and the honeymoon passed I now feel like a stranger in my own kitchen. I actually opened my cupboards this morning and was surprised to realize that I had dried cherries and tortilla chips. It doesn't to take long to forget what's in there.

While I was away, not cooking, I did enjoy a lot of LOBSTER. Lobster boiled, lobster sauteed, lobster stuffed, lobster in quesadillas, lobster in soup, and of course lobster in rolls. I even found a lobster ice cream but passed it up in favor of a house made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Dough. One thing I didn't see was fried lobster. Every other sea creature can be found served in a greasy, crispy coating except for lobster. I can't figure out why not. Sacrilege, perhaps?

Unfortunately, I will not be cooking tonight either. I have a date at my parents' house to open a room full of wedding gifts that will never fit into my apartment.

Turtle Cookies

This isn't from my kitchen but is too exciting not to mention. Mark, my mom, my grandma and I went to Hedgerow Bistro tonight to sample the fare that will be served at our wedding in less than ten days. I have to say, I have no worries. The food, if nothing else, will be great. Ollie does such an excellent job. His plates are works of art. I'll have to make another post to detail the menu.

Right now I'm in the process of making Butterpecan Turtle Cookies. Susan, Mark's mom, gave me a few recipes that she used to make for him at my shower last week. A recipe for Turtle Cookies was among them. They seem like they'll be good. How can something made from butter, sugar, chocolate and nuts not be good?

Butterpecan Turtle Cookies (Susan's Recipe)
For Crust:
2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. whole pecans
1 c. chocolate chips

Combine crust ingredients to form fine particles. Pack this mixture firmly into a 9x13x2 pan. Spread pecans over the crust.
Meanwhile, boil sugar and butter for one half to one full minute. (At this point I'll admit I was skeptical. I've never had a lot of luck with boiling butter. Usually it turns into an awful burnt-on mess. I followed the directions nevertheless and nothing bad happened. I ended up with a perfect caramel which I burned my tongue on when I tried to lick it off the spoon.) Pour over crust and pecans. Bake at 350 degrees, 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chips over the top. Swirl the chips to cover. Cut into small bars when chocolate has hardened, about three hours.

I don't think I can wait three hours!