I haven't been cooking

I really haven't been cooking much at all.  Two reasons: I'm sick of doing dishes and Mads asked me to knit her a black and fuchsia hat.  With ear-flaps.  I've never made ear-flaps before and I'm a little freaked out.  (When I finish it, I'll post a picture.)

But today my new silent Bosh was delivered, and I am giddy with relief.  My cuticles are singing Alleluias, and I have retrieved my rings from the dish beside the kitchen sink.   Tonight I will finally roast and simmer those chicken bones that have been sitting in my freezer since January for stock.  I'm going to saute broccoli with garlic and broth and a touch of lemon and toss it with cherry tomatoes and Orzo pasta.  I'm going to make several loaves of bread, one to eat, the rest to freeze, and for dessert I'll whip up a three berry crumble.  If I have any energy left over, I'll make muffins.  Every darn pot and dish (with the exception of my All-Clad saute pan) will go in the dishwasher.  I might not even pre-rinse.  Ok, I'll probably pre rinse.  After all, my dishwasher is new and I don't want to mess anything up this early in our relationship.

  I think I shall call her Betty.

Yummy Chicken Stock, With 2 Secret Ingredients:

Left over chicken carcass, including bones you've snatched your off plates before they could be tossed into the trash. (The bones, not the plates.  Mixed modifer, sorry)

Olive oil

1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

1 leek, washed well to remove grit and cut up a bit.

3 Carrots, just washed and snapped in half

3 Celery ribs, same as above

1 Parsnip (if you don't have one, just leave it out)

1 bay leaf

1tsp of whole pepper corns

4 cloves (This is one of the secret ingredients!  I saw this in The Cooks Bible published by Cooks Illustrated -- these 4 little cloves add unbelievable depth -- Bless you Chistopher Kimball!)

a few sprigs of parsley (or cilantro, also good)

32 oz of Swanson Organic Chicken Broth (the other secret ingredient -- makes very intense broth!  However you can leave this out, and just use water.)(I'm using a lot of !s -- still giddy about dishwasher, I guess)

Water to cover chicken and veggies. (about 4 cups if you are using the above broth, 8 or so if not.  Or what ever your pot will hold -- six cups is fine as long as all the bones and veggies are covered)

Set oven to 400.  Plonk the chicken bones, the onions, carrots, celery and parsnips and leeks on a baking dish and swirl with a bit of oil.  Roast for for 20 min, or if you have the time, up to 45min.

Then, heat a heavy stockpot over high heat and swirl in a bit of olive oil.  Toss in all the roasted stuff, as well as the pepper and cloves.  Let this saute for a second or two and then pour in the store bought broth, as well as the water.  Bring to a boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for an hour, then throw in the parsley.  Let it simmer another hour.  

All these cookbooks tell you to skim the foam, but I never skim because I'm too lazy. Plus, its gross. Once my stock has simmered 2 hours and it looks all goldeny and delicious, I use my skimmer to scoop out all the solids along with any foam that may have accumulated. (If you don't have a skimmer, use a ladle)  I put the solids in a strainer and smoosh them so that any yummy juices goes back into the stock.  

Then I strain the stock itself by putting a piece of cheese-cloth in a colander and setting the colander in a very large bowl or another stock pot. (This also gets rid of any foam.) I'm a spaz,so I never pour the stock from one pot to another because I have actually burned the tops of my feet that way.  (Yes, my feet. Another story, for another time) Instead I use my 4 cup pyrex measuring cup to scoop the stock and pour it into the colander.  This is not as tedious as it sounds, and is preferable to burned feet.

Let the stock cool until you can comfortably stick a finger in it. Then pour it into a glass jar, or pyrex or, if you must Tupperware. I never use plastic because I'm convinced plastic leeches into our food.  Freeze (it's fine for 3 months) or if you don't freeze it, use it in 3 days.

Another little trick: Instead of freezing it all, I measure out 1 cup, 2 cups and 4 cups of stock into different containers and freeze it that way.  Some people like to freeze stock in ice cube trays so you have a table spoon or so at a time.  I never do this because I just wind up making a big mess all over my counter.  

To Hell in a Handbasket

Whenever I get sick, all the household chores seem to go fallow.  I've had this cold for a week now, and it's one of those viruses where I wake up in the morning believing I'm getting better, but by the afternoon, all I can think about is getting into bed with a cup of tea and a hot water bottle.  Of course, when you have children, you can't do this because they need stuff like food, or for you to break up fights, or check homework, or drive one to the orthodontist.  And you can't let your job go, because, well, it's your job.  Plus, the dogs must be walked or they get crazy. Because of this, dishes languish in the sink, and the laundry sits unwashed.  Usually my husband will pick up the slack when he gets home from work -- but he recently had this ankle surgery and can't stand on two feet for another couple of weeks.  Oh, and have I mentioned that our dishwasher is broken?  Right now it's no more than a very large dish drainer.  So we've eaten a lot of pizza lately, and last night we had Chinese food (except for Emma who prepared herself a box of mac n' cheese).

But, I can't take it any more.  I need something green.  So do my kids.  And I need some protein that's healthy, not greasy.  So this morning, while I feel okay and I'm not hocking up a lung, I'm going to make a turkey meatloaf that my gimpy husband, or even my 12 year old can shove into the oven without my help. Since I have no dishwasher, it is imperative that I use as few pots and pans as possible, so, for my green, I'm going to throw some thawed frozen spinach into the meatloaf.  This is actually a great addition, because turkey meat can be a little dry and the spinach helps moisten it up.  And, if I'm feeling too tired to make a salad, or if I can't get the 10 year old in my house to do it, at least I'll know we'll all be getting something green into our bodies.  If I'm feeling better, I might cut up a few Yukon gold potatoes and toss them with olive oil and salt and stick them on a cookie sheet in the same oven as the meatloaf.  But only if I'm feeling better.

Turkey Meatloaf

1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (I usually buy these, but if you have an old loaf of french bread, grind them up yourself -- its much better)

1/4 cup of milk

2 or so-pounds of lean ground turkey breast

2 or so pounds of ground turkey thigh

1 yellow onion chopped (I usually quickly saute these, but I won't today, just to keep the dish washing down)

2 large eggs lightly beaten

1/4 cup of ketchup (plus more for the top of the loaf)

1 TBLSP Worcestershire Sauce (or to taste)

1/2 cup of thawed drained frozen spinach

1 TBLSP kosher salt

Several grinds of Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 (unless you're making this in the morning).

combine milk and breadcrumbs and let sit a bit.

combine turkey, onions, eggs, ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, spinach, salt and pepper with the breadcrumbs and form into a loaf.  

Spread a bit more ketchup over the top and sides of loaf.  Put loaf onto a jelly roll sheet lined with parchment (for easier cleanup). You can bake this right away, or do as I do and cover it with foil and let it sit in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.  If your organized, take it out of the fridge about 1/2 and hour or so ahead of time to let it come to room temp.  I'm not usually that organized.  But it will sit out while I'm waiting for the oven to preheat, and that helps some. 

Bake until the center of the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees -- about 1 1/2 or so hours (longer, by about 15 to 30 min if it was stone cold from the fridge).  If you don't have a meat thermometer, make sure all the juices are running clear when you poke it with a knife. (throw the cut up Yukon golds in after the meatloaf has been in for about 45 min.  If I do this, I might even toss them onto the same jelly roll pan as the meatloaf and let them soak up all the meatloaf juices.  Or you can just shove them onto another rack below the meatloaf.)

Take it out, cover with foil and let it sit 10 minutes while you beg your 10 year old to make a salad.  

Shopping (I started this post Friday 1/30)

I hate grocery shopping.  It's tedious and my local Whole Foods plays lousy music -- the kind of songs that get so stuck in your head that no amount of humming "The Girl from Ipanima" will dislodge.  But I must go: my children are too young to drive and if I send my husband, he always comes home with some sort of condiment that then sits in the fridge 'till it molds.  Change it up, my friend Jamie says -- go to a different store -- which I do on occasion.  I go to Target for paper and cleaning goods, I go to Acme for the non-organic things we eat.  I even go to the Spring Garden Whole Foods in Center City Phili, which is about 10 minutes further, (and which plays significantly better music) but I can't do that every week.  It doesn't really matter, grocery shopping is a total bore, and that's all there is too it.  The only way to manage it is to treat it like the Tet Offensive: get in, get out.

To do this I create a bunch of menus for the week.  This week I decided, steak on Friday night (we've all been feeling a bit iron deprived), Chicken on Saturday, Chicken soup later in the week (I'll make stock from the bones& freeze it).  Monday I'll use the leftover chicken in my famous left-over-chicken & pasta recipe (see below).  In the freezer I already have some fish and a pack of ravoli.  That takes care of  Tuesday and Wednesday (we're going out Sunday for the superbowl).  I have lots of beans, I have couscous, I have several cans of tomatoes and a jar of pasta sauce.   I also have frozen broccoli florets, and frozen peas.  In the crisper I've got a red pepper, a head of cauliflower, some flat leaf parsley (very wilty).  I have lemons, onions and garlic -- lots of good stuff.  I hope I'll be able to get enough food so I can, not only avoid shopping for 10 days or so, but get in and out of Whole Foods for under $100.  This should be possible, since I am stocked up on so many basics, (like pasta, onions, garlic) -- and I'm not shopping for Kleenex, bandaids, toilet paper -- the kinds of things that shove me over the edge.  The only real variable is if there is a sale on Chicken parts or pasta or something.  If there is a sale, I always stock up.

Ok, I'm back: and I just barely sneaked under my goal.  I'd have done better if I hadn't fallen to the siren call of 70% Kallari Chocolate (fair trade, no less) that cost me $4.99.  Sadly my shopping cart had no mast to which I could lash myself, and the chocolate came home clutched in my hot little hand.  Other than that, I got the London Broil ($8.03), a Bell and Evan's Chicken & and extra pack of wings ($12 and $3.99 - big ouch), a variety of cereals, some fruit, a couple of avacados... bla bla bla.

So, what am I having for dinner?  

Friday:

Steak & Roasted Potatoes (adapted from Nigella Lawson's fabulous book Nigella Express):

preheat oven to 450.  Slice up potatoes into 2 inch chunks, toss with olive oil & sea salt, slam into oven until done (20min or so)

Meanwhile, slather steak with olive oil and salt on both sides and let it sit while you heat a skillet large enough for the steak to sear comfortably. When your pan is smoking, turn the heat to medium and slap in the steak.  Sear on each side for 4-5 min, without checking or you'll lose all the lovely crunch from the salt and oil.

While your meat is searing, cut up a lemon and squeeze 1/2 of it into 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Throw in some herbs (I used the wilty parsley, Nigella prefers thyme, but oregano, cilantro, just about what ever you have will be awesome -- even capers would be good), along with a couple of smashed garlic cloves, a couple of pinches of sea or Kosher salt and a grind of pepper.  Swish with a fork or a whisk, then pour it all onto a rimmed plate or baking dish large enough to hold the steak.

When the steak is done, plonk it onto the serving dish right into the olive oil and lemon juice, and wait 4 minutes, then flip it and wait another four.  Cut it up into slices -- and swish the potatoes in the sauce.  This is amazingly yummy and easy. 

Famous Chicken and Pasta

Roast a chicken, or use left over roast chicken -- or better yet, send someone to the grocery to buy a hot rotisserie chicken.  Take all the meat off the bone*.  While you are doing this, boil some pasta.  I always seem to have half bags or boxes of pasta lying around, and I just throw it all into a big pot and hope it all cooks to the same doneness.  Moments before the pasta is done, toss a bag of frozen peas into the water, then drain it all and return to pot. Swirl a tiny bit of olive oil into the pasta so it doesn't stick.  Throw the chicken into the pot with the pasta and peas, as well as any accumulated juices.  If there are no juices -- or if the juices don't seem to be enough,  then open a small can, or box of low sodium chicken broth and pour about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup into the pot with the chicken.  If you have some parsley, throw that in.  If you have thyme, strip the leaves off the stems and throw that in.  Salt and pepper to taste -- I always use kosher or sea salt.  Turn the burner on low, and stir like crazy while you reheat the whole thing. This is the easiest meal you will ever make, and it is so delicious that your children will always ask for it.  At least, mine do.

* stick the bones in a freezer bag and freeze to use to make chicken soup later.

Breakfast for Dinner

We had pancakes, blueberries, orange slices and turkey bacon for dinner tonight.  (We seem to have a lot of bacon lying about lately...)  I haven't had breakfast for dinner in ages and it reminded me of the years when I was a child and we'd come home from a vacation or weekend away.  There'd be nothing in the fridge except butter and eggs.  We always had lots of eggs --  and possibly a bottle of milk in the box on the back steps, delivered that morning.  My mother would get out the huge silver mixing bowl and crack 12 eggs, splash in some milk, a little salt.  Then she'd throw butter in a hot pan along with the eggs.  Hungry and tired, nothing tasted better after travelling.  Unless there was bread, and then I'd make a sandwich by rolling my eggs up in very buttered toast.  Yum.

Maddy had a sleep over last Friday night, and Emma had a friend dropped off early in the morning, so I made pancakes.  I'd been to Williams Sonoma recently and seen a waffle/pancake mix with oatmeal in it, and thought, I can do that.  Into my usual pancake mix, I dumped some steel-cut oatmeal, another 1/2 cup of warmed milk and another beaten egg.  It turned out great, and the girls didn't notice, or at least didn't comment negatively, on the oatmeal addition.  I forgot, however, that girls of their age (pre-adolescent) eat like birds, so I had a lot left over. The concoction was pretty stiff -- but the addition of more milk loosened it up, and the pancakes were just as fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside as they were Saturday morning. 

Oatmeal Pancakes (makes enough for 4, double for more servings)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup steel cut oatmeal pulsed through a food processor a few times

2 tsp granulated sugar (or more if you like 'em sweeter)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup of milk (or, yummier: 3/4 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup milk)lightly warmed.  Add more milk if batter seems too thick

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat your skillet or griddle

Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl with a whisk.  Stir in the cup of warm milk, then the eggs, then the butter.  Fold it all together, but don't over do it.

Swish some butter over your griddle, then pour out 1/4 cups of batter.  Flip when bubbles form, about 2-3 minutes.  In another minute the pancakes will brown on the bottom.  I always feel the need to eat the first one off the griddle, just to be sure all the seasoning is right.  (Sometimes I add more sugar or a touch of salt)

Keep pancakes warm beneath a clean kitchen towel until you're ready to serve.  (See Pam Anderson's book, The Perfect Recipe, -- she tested a bunch of methods for keeping pancakes warm and found keeping them wrapped in a clean kitchen towel kept them from getting rubbery) 

Jill's additions to pasta with roasted root veg and bacon

Jill -- Nice! --  

Check out Jill's comment below.  She suggests adding thyme and apples.  I don't always have fresh thyme, although if you mix a tsp of dried thyme with olive oil and let it sit a bit before tossing with veggies (and now apples) that would be really yummy.  Just like Jill, I always seem to have a few dried up old apples kicking around the fruit bin.  Plus I love cooked apples and bacon together.  Especially with pancakes. (MMMMM -- pancakes....)

I also like to quarter and throw my shriveled apples under a chicken along with some carrots and potatoes (both of which are also usually shriveled) and roast it all at 450.  The apples and veggies mix with the juices of the chicken and it all tastes amazing when it comes out about an hour later.  Make sure you thoroughly season your chicken with a sprinkling of olive oil, then sea salt and pepper before your roast it. Season the veggies and apples this way too.

Maddy suggests tossing a bit of orange juice with the veggies and apples before throwing them in the pan, which sounds really delicious.  Even at 10 she is an imaginative cook.