Scrambled Eggs…

When one is feeling slightly under the weather with a cold, sometimes scrambled eggs can be a very nice dinner. Bonus, add a cheese-covered toasted bagel, and things might just seem a bit better. Sniffle. Darn cold… Doesn’t do much for motivating one to cook, particularly because one isn’t very hungry. We’ve both got colds here, and our appetites are kind of shot. D. did smell the menthol of a cough drop earlier… Turns out, Puggles got a cough drop. Maybe she’s feeling under the weather too…

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D. Does Dinner…

Or, Meat and Potatoes. Every now and then, D. really gets a hankering for a meat-and-potatoes meal. It’s all fine by me, even though I’m not usually the one to suggest it first. Some times, but not often. Tonight, it was just that, and I have to say, it was pretty darn good:

• Chicken, with a mushroom gravy
• Mashed Potaotes, with skins on and some seasonings
• Asparagus and Carrots, with a light cheese sauce

D. will often boil his chicken before using it in whatever meal he is cooking. I had tried that method before (or what I thought was that method), but today I discovered differently. He trims the chicken and puts it in the water, then turns it on to boil. His reasoning is that the meat cooks more evenly as the water heats up. Makes sense to me, now. I had tried it previously by putting the chicken into a pot of already-boiling water… But I found the chicken to come out rubbery. Now I see the difference. So, for this dish, he pre-cooked the chicken the way he does…

He marinaded the chicken in some Golden Mushroom and French Onion soups. We both agreed that we’d add more of the French Onion soup next time… It gave it a very tasty flavor. Next, he cooked up some mushrooms, in butter, of course. While this was going on, the asparagus and carrots were steaming, and the potatoes were coming to a boil too. The chicken got put into a casserole dish, with the mushroom soups/gravy poured over the top. That then went into the oven, for a final baking. The potatoes got mashed, with some cheese added. The vege’s were done, and then drizzled with a light cheese sauce. Everything came out very yummy. We sort of ate early, as we are prone to do on the weekends, so some cheese and crackers came out around 9:00pm. All in all, a pretty healthy, light meal.

D. is fighting a cold of sorts at the moment, but he wanted this sort of meal. It was light, but filling and nourishing. Something that was needed, his body was telling him so, and I hope it kicks in and makes him feel better tomorrow.

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Tomato Paste, and Life’s Goings-On…

So, I recently read somewhere (it was semi-here… I get the magazine), that tomato paste can be frozen in ice cube trays, if you are using it but not using the whole can. Which, in fact, I did recently. I used some tomato paste in this recipe, but I did not use the entire can’s worth. So, I spooned out the remainder and put it into what ended up being four ice cubes’ worth.

I told D. the next day, “Oh, by the way, if you go into the freezer looking for ice cubes, don’t be surprised if you find something red in there.” “Red, like blood red?” he guessed. “Yeah. It’s the tomato paste.” I had mentioned that food tip to him earlier, but still, a warning was in order. I’ve since put the tomato paste cubes into a baggie, dated and back into the freezer. So all is well and normal in ice-cube world again.

And my world is close to getting back in order again, and even better. D. is hopefully sleeping now, and as he’s had a sore throat, I hope he is sleeping and resting and healing himself. We’ve had a past couple of weeks semi-filled with change, and that change will be normalizing itself shortly, I do believe…

I ended my formerly-current job on Thursday (after a year of it, how I did it, I’m not exactly sure, only very glad to be done with it). I start my new job on Monday. It’s closer to home, and I’ll be doing more of what I want to do, which also offers more opportunity in general. I was approached almost four weeks ago with the opportunity, went through the interviewing and such, got an offer, and accepted. Then gave my two weeks’ notice at the formerly-current job, and finished there yesterday. I was sent off with a very nice bouquet of yellow and white flowers, two cards, and some dinner and movie gift cards. From my co-workers, mind you, not the owners… I would not have expected anything from them, but I was surprised and smiley to receive the gifts from those I had worked with. I think I called it the soul-sucking-place-in-which-I-worked, although I am quite fond of some of those I worked with. However, a change was needed, this I knew for awhile.

So, I got a car. I needed it, for my new work is in the opposite direction, though it’s very nicely less than ten miles from home. I’ll be saving at least an hour and a half a day, from commuting and required working hours. D. will be saving time too, as we had previously been carpooling. It will take some getting used to, and it’s a new job so I’m slightly anxious, but I think it’s a very good change overall. My former place was kind of rigid, and that’s being polite. D. has noticed the burden lifted from my shoulders, and I do feel lighter and giddier. I’m pleased…

So, with all of the recent goings-on, the cooking part has suffered. It was just a temporary thing. I’m glad that I’ve been able to keep up with my personal goal of posting every 2-3 days, even though it’s been on the 3-side days lately. It’s understandable. And now, with more time at home, I’ll be cooking more! I’m very happy about that.

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Asparagus Time Recipe…

For last night’s pic post. It was mostly a medley of asparagus-complementary vegetables, over whole wheat pasta. Nothing too new, but it tasted very, very nice… Something about the anticipation of new spring vege’s and the upcoming season of freshness…

* Asparagus, nicely fresh
* Mushrooms, typical
* Garlic, always
* Sun-Dried Tomatoes
* Artichoke Hearts, almost forgot them – thank you D. for reminding me!
* Olive Oil
* Basil, that was fresh, too!

Basically, saute up all the above ingredients, and combine with the whole-wheat pasta. I added some shredded mozzarella (I can never spell that right the first time), parm, and asiago. Light, springy, springtime-y, and refreshingly yummy. Nice and colorful, too.

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Asparagus Time!

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Non-Cooking Weekend…

It was pretty much a non-cooking weekend. We had turkey and cheese sandwiches for dinner on Friday… we just weren’t in the mood for much of anything. I did get the grocery shopping done Saturday morning. Then, we went on an overnight trip for Saturday, so no cooking to be done there. [...]

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Introducing…

Ms. Round Mound of Gourmand.

That is the name that she asked me to give to her here. She is also known as Puggles. I figured I’d introduce her first, with a somewhat flattering picture. Later, we’ll come to see her enjoying her food. She, too, is a foodie. She can wake up from a dead-sleep if the fridge is opened. She will sniff out the last crumb on the floor. She will stare mercilessly as you eat your dinner. She will happily devour a cheeseburger, if you let her.

Name: Puggles
Likes: Cheese (of any kind), Meat (specifically Applewood-Smoked Bacon), Cheesy Potato Items (i.e. Fries), Eggs, Biscuits, Cottage Cheese, Potato Chips, Beer, Cheerio’s, Rice, Cheese (did I mention that already?)
Dislikes: Green Onions, Lettuce (will succumb to it when coated with ranch dressing), Mushrooms (hit or miss)

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Pasticcio (Meat & Pasta Bake)

pas·tic·cio (n) A work or style produced by borrowing fragments, ingredients, or motifs from various sources; a potpourri.

A meat and pasta bake might not sound very exciting. However, this dish is very yummy. I wouldn’t post it if it wasn’t. Also, it can be adapted several different ways… Mexican flair, Italian spices, add more veges, etc. I made the full recipe just once last year, and I simplified it a bit for tonight’s meal. It was still just as good. Below is the recipe as I concocted it this evening…

• Ground Turkey – 1-lb.
• Onion, chopped
• Mushrooms, sliced
• Garlic
• Seasonings – I used dried thyme, red pepper flakes, oregano, nutmeg and salt. I bit eclectic, I know, but it was flavorful. I’m not sure that the thyme added much…
• Tomato Paste
• Chicken Stock (it was what I had opened in the fridge)
• Whole Wheat Pasta – Rotini
• Jar of Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce

1. Brown ground turkey. Add some of the seasonings as it cooks.

2. Boil water for pasta. Cook in olive oil: onion, garlic and mushrooms. Again, adding seasonings as it cooks. Add cooked ground turkey. Add stock (about a cup) and tomato paste. Simmer and let thicken. While cooking the meat mixture, cook the pasta in the background.

3. Once the ingredients are all ready, mix together the pasta, meat ’sauce’ and alfredo sauce. I then put it in a casserole dish and stuck it into the fridge, to be warmed up later. As with the first time I made this, I didn’t think it’d have as much flavor as it did. And although I used ground turkey in place of the ground beef I used last time, it was still just as tasty.

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2:30 p.m. and Dinner is Done!

I really like days like this…  A lazy Sunday spent playing in the kitchen, at my own pace.  Now, dinner is made, pics have been taken… Hell, the laundry is even done and almost put away. I’ll post this evening’s meal later today, cuz there’s some errands to be done at the moment.

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Kinda Creamy Lentil Salad Spread

This Lentil Salad Spread came out so much tastier than I first thought it would be. We had it with pita pockets. Here are the ingredients:

• Lentils – I used canned organic
• Tomatoes, chopped
• Feta Cheese, crumbled
• Green Onions, chopped
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Basil & Garlic Seasoning

I had rinsed the lentils the night before, and kept them in the fridge. Actually, the tomatoes were in the fridge too. I find that they last longer that way. Anyway, I mixed everything together in the order listed above… Starting with a drizzle of olive oil and adding small amounts, as needed, as I went along. I fully expected this dish to taste like lentils AND tomatoes AND feta AND green onions… Meaning, I didn’t expect everything to meld into one cohesive spread. I started thinking that I had the ingredients, needed to use them soon, and I had prepped the lentils, so…

What I had forgotten, was how nicely feta creams up when mixed, with the added bonus that the lentils tend to do a similar thing, in their own special way. What we ended up with, was a delicious and good-for-you spread. Enough for a filling dinner (which it was), but filling in a light and highly satisfying way. I laid out some pita pockets (no halving or opening) and spread the mixture on top. For my ’sandwich’, I added a slice of cheese underneath the spread. What can I say, I’m a cheese freak. Then, the pitas were warmed in the oven for about 5 minutes. Damn, they were really good.

I would have had a picture of the whole ensemble, but I honestly didn’t think it would be worthy of a blog post. Now I know better, how pleasantly wrong I was. Next time, I’ll definitely take some pics. And I can’t wait to make it with summer-fresh tomatoes, a lil fresh basil, some home-grown chives… Mmmmm.

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