People. You have no idea. Just let me get to the recipe.
In your crock pot:
Turn to high. Add 6 T. butter, cut into a few cold pieces, 1 chopped onion, 1/2 t. curry powder, and 1-1/2 lbs. chopped zucchini. Let sweat for 30 minutes.
Then turn to low. Add 3 c. chicken or vegetable stock, 1 T. chopped fresh basil, and 2 T. rice (for body). Let cook on low for 5-6 hours.
30 minutes before serving, puree, either with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender or food processor. Add 1 c. half and half; let heat through for 20 minutes on low. Add salt and pepper to taste.
----
This is an excellent soup. Forthcoming inventions which disregard butter and half and half will be reported herein. For now, know that it is creamy, mild, delicious.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
My Dear John to RR
Dear Rachel Ray,
Enough is enough.
I have made the last of your food. Sure, you might be adorably cute and have one of those Julia Roberts runway-sized smiles and lovingly cute monikers for things as banal and extra virgin olive oil, but let's face it, your food is mediocre. The smothered kale and mushrooms? Bland! Even with extra garlic and high-powered Erin seasoning. Your citrus snapper? Terrible! And I love snapper in pretty much all forms -- what a heartbreaking waste of a good piece of fish! Even the garlic-laced broccoli with dried cranberries, which I was certain would be a winner, was undercooked and devoid of complex flavor. You even fucked up couscous! How is that even possible?
Yes, yes, I know. You're making food for the masses, the time-starved parents who work eight jobs and have twenty-nine children and still try to have an active sex life, but really? Is that an excuse? Giada can whip together any number of fantastic Italian dishes in the time it takes you to say "In the time it takes you...", so c'mon. Try a little harder, because when we were still in love, there was Hungarian Lentil Stoup, a poem-worthy concoction if their ever was one. Don't let it end there. No more flank steak. No more iceberg lettuce. No more travel shows that showcase that sugary little giggle that attempts to undermine your wealth of culinary knowledge. I'm ready to see you bust out with some all day souffle. Some Emeril-style flair, and not the TGIF pin-on flair mind you. I'm ready for us to get drunk on the good wines you always talk about; have you thought about a drinking on $20/day show? I could take you to some fine dives all across America. Just say the word.
Unforunately, though, as someone very stupid once said to me, I just can't fall head over heels in love you with, Rachel. But what's different in this situation? I think it is you and not me.
It was good while it lasted,
Erin
PS. On an unrelated note, Bean and Barley Soup, rocks my slow-cookin' world!
Enough is enough.
I have made the last of your food. Sure, you might be adorably cute and have one of those Julia Roberts runway-sized smiles and lovingly cute monikers for things as banal and extra virgin olive oil, but let's face it, your food is mediocre. The smothered kale and mushrooms? Bland! Even with extra garlic and high-powered Erin seasoning. Your citrus snapper? Terrible! And I love snapper in pretty much all forms -- what a heartbreaking waste of a good piece of fish! Even the garlic-laced broccoli with dried cranberries, which I was certain would be a winner, was undercooked and devoid of complex flavor. You even fucked up couscous! How is that even possible?
Yes, yes, I know. You're making food for the masses, the time-starved parents who work eight jobs and have twenty-nine children and still try to have an active sex life, but really? Is that an excuse? Giada can whip together any number of fantastic Italian dishes in the time it takes you to say "In the time it takes you...", so c'mon. Try a little harder, because when we were still in love, there was Hungarian Lentil Stoup, a poem-worthy concoction if their ever was one. Don't let it end there. No more flank steak. No more iceberg lettuce. No more travel shows that showcase that sugary little giggle that attempts to undermine your wealth of culinary knowledge. I'm ready to see you bust out with some all day souffle. Some Emeril-style flair, and not the TGIF pin-on flair mind you. I'm ready for us to get drunk on the good wines you always talk about; have you thought about a drinking on $20/day show? I could take you to some fine dives all across America. Just say the word.
Unforunately, though, as someone very stupid once said to me, I just can't fall head over heels in love you with, Rachel. But what's different in this situation? I think it is you and not me.
It was good while it lasted,
Erin
PS. On an unrelated note, Bean and Barley Soup, rocks my slow-cookin' world!
Monday, September 11, 2006
How To Make Friends and Influence Grad Students
So for the past month I've been cooking for me, just little ole me, and sometimes Meagan, and sometimes there is banana bread and/or cookies that I try to pawn off on workshop members. But no real big meal, what with the food pyramid and the dessert baking. So last night, there were invitations. There was chicken and smashed garlic potatoes. There was the amazingness of Paula Dean's French Coconut Pie (yeah, I know I posted that one before, but it's a reminder. So easy, so tasty!). Want to impress impoverished grad students? You too can be a culinary master. Just follow these easy steps for making a delicious dinner for five:
Terrifyingly Easy Crock-Pot Chicken
1 whole fryer (chicken), approx 3 pounds
1 head of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tbp paprika
1 tsp parsley
3 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Remove weird internal organs from chicken. Throw away ('cause they're gross). Put whole chicken into crock pot. Season. Turn on low for eight hours. Eat.
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
2 1/2 lbs potatoes (doesn't matter what kind), scrubbed and cubed (not peeled!)
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 red onion, cubed
1/2 cup half & half
3 tbp butter
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Boil potatoes until tender. In the meanwhile, put red onion, garlic, half & half, and butter into food processor. Blend until finely chopped. Transfer to mixing bowl. When potatoes are done, transfer them into the food processor (this'll probably have to be done in batches). Pulse until you've reached the consistancy you prefer, adding cooking liquid as necessary. Stir garlic-onion mixture with potato mixture. Stir in parlsey and salt and pepper. Serve.
Grilled Zucchini with Mint
3 large zucchini, sliced 1 inch thick
1/2 cup mint, finely chopped
1 tbp olive oil
8 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 tsp marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
Grill zucchini (sauteing over the stove or roasting is also probably fine) until browned on both sides. Toss with remaining ingredients. Serve warm.
Make said French Coconut Pie. Bask in the food love of friends!
In other news:
Scallops with Capers and Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Fucking amazing. Go light on the sun-dried tomatoes though. They can be over oily.
Mushroom-Smothered Kale: Good, but not great. Need better mushrooms maybe? I just used portobello and buttons.
Terrifyingly Easy Crock-Pot Chicken
1 whole fryer (chicken), approx 3 pounds
1 head of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tbp paprika
1 tsp parsley
3 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Remove weird internal organs from chicken. Throw away ('cause they're gross). Put whole chicken into crock pot. Season. Turn on low for eight hours. Eat.
Garlic Smashed Potatoes
2 1/2 lbs potatoes (doesn't matter what kind), scrubbed and cubed (not peeled!)
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 red onion, cubed
1/2 cup half & half
3 tbp butter
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Boil potatoes until tender. In the meanwhile, put red onion, garlic, half & half, and butter into food processor. Blend until finely chopped. Transfer to mixing bowl. When potatoes are done, transfer them into the food processor (this'll probably have to be done in batches). Pulse until you've reached the consistancy you prefer, adding cooking liquid as necessary. Stir garlic-onion mixture with potato mixture. Stir in parlsey and salt and pepper. Serve.
Grilled Zucchini with Mint
3 large zucchini, sliced 1 inch thick
1/2 cup mint, finely chopped
1 tbp olive oil
8 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 tsp marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
Grill zucchini (sauteing over the stove or roasting is also probably fine) until browned on both sides. Toss with remaining ingredients. Serve warm.
Make said French Coconut Pie. Bask in the food love of friends!
In other news:
Scallops with Capers and Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Fucking amazing. Go light on the sun-dried tomatoes though. They can be over oily.
Mushroom-Smothered Kale: Good, but not great. Need better mushrooms maybe? I just used portobello and buttons.
Friday, September 08, 2006
crock pots are magical
and i'm not even kidding. mine isn't pretty; it's 30 or 40 years old, with gunk caked in the bottom of the crock and stains on the cooker from the overflowing food of yesteryear.
but dude. have you ever made cider in one? or erin's mac and cheese? or ... hot breakfast cereal?!
i'm not kidding. i got a new cookbook (surprise), Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. and indeed it is not my mom's; i have a copy of hers and it is crappy indeed. mostly bland. and unaware of the realm of possibility.
so back to hot breakfast cereal. observe the recipe and then, i'll come back.
-----
Cracked Wheat/Bulgur for Breakfast, serves 4
1 c. bulgur or cracked wheat
3 c. water
pinch of salt
Combine ingredients in slow cooker. Any size is fine. Cook on LOW for 7-9 hours, or overnight. Try serving with brown sugar or honey and a bit of milk poured in to cool.
-----
"And wake to a hot breakfast"--Berryman.
i don't know how to keep extolling this. there's a recipe variation i haven't tried yet, but just listen: replace water with apple juice, add cinnamon and cloves, add raisins, and chopped dried apple. can you imagine how that will smell when you wake up? bliss.
today i am making a berry pie for a friend's "bring your own pie to our potluck reception" wedding. inventive. and i am broke, so it's frozen berries from aldi and an overdue premade pie crust. but there will also be dinner, for the first time i've made dinner just before eating in weeks. in other words, crock pots save my life.
but dude. have you ever made cider in one? or erin's mac and cheese? or ... hot breakfast cereal?!
i'm not kidding. i got a new cookbook (surprise), Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. and indeed it is not my mom's; i have a copy of hers and it is crappy indeed. mostly bland. and unaware of the realm of possibility.
so back to hot breakfast cereal. observe the recipe and then, i'll come back.
-----
Cracked Wheat/Bulgur for Breakfast, serves 4
1 c. bulgur or cracked wheat
3 c. water
pinch of salt
Combine ingredients in slow cooker. Any size is fine. Cook on LOW for 7-9 hours, or overnight. Try serving with brown sugar or honey and a bit of milk poured in to cool.
-----
"And wake to a hot breakfast"--Berryman.
i don't know how to keep extolling this. there's a recipe variation i haven't tried yet, but just listen: replace water with apple juice, add cinnamon and cloves, add raisins, and chopped dried apple. can you imagine how that will smell when you wake up? bliss.
today i am making a berry pie for a friend's "bring your own pie to our potluck reception" wedding. inventive. and i am broke, so it's frozen berries from aldi and an overdue premade pie crust. but there will also be dinner, for the first time i've made dinner just before eating in weeks. in other words, crock pots save my life.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Erin Writes "Personal Essay" Paper About Her Love of Food
Since the dawn of man, I have loved food. I love the process of making it. I love the surprise in new recipes. I love the moment when everything comes together, and you realize you've just created something of beauty. And unlike writing, you get to eat it when you're done! This blogger entry will seek to examine the food I have cooked in the last week and explain its awesomeness to you, the audience.
In Hattiesburg far away from many of the things I love -- my boyfriend, my best friends, hockey, good Indian restaurants, liberal thinking -- cooking has become my outlet. Which means, lots of new recipes, new dinners, frequent trips to speciality grocery stores, importing cheap veggies from Lafayette, etc. I walk through ethnic grocery stores and produce stands with the kind of voyeuristic awe of a 40 year old bachelor in a porn shop. I can't eat out without thinking "I could make this better, lighter, and cheaper at home." Plus when someone brings you the food, it denies the process, making cooking a nearly shamanistic ritual where so few know or understand the how of it. (Note: This is my thesis statement. Underdeveloped as it is.)
So what have I been making with this all encompassing love of food prep? What haven't I! When Meagan came to visit last weekend, we had a very fine mushroom risotto, though the recipe as stated makes enough for about six. And it's fine without the prosciutto, largely because sans Aldi, prosciutto is freakin' expensive. We also made David's curry recipe*, though with lots of veggies and some inventive additions. A nice breakfast of Erin grits**, scrambled egg whites with havarti and olives, and a toasted slice of my homemade corn meal-millet bread with green chile jam and there was food goodness to be had aplenty.
This week, I've been enjoying some fine fish, including Orange Roughy Dijon, which is spectacular and easy. And lots of veggie recipes, including chunky guacamole (great with Christine's black bean soup -- ask her for the recipe) and Fennel, Apple, Celery Salad with Cilantro and Lemon, which I had tonight with baked herbed grouper and Christine's Peach Brie Quesadillas. Nothing like a little solo comsumption decadence to make a girl happy.
I've also made some really great acorn squash recipes from The Vegan Gourmet, to which I say, just buy the freakin' book. It's only 75 cents for goodness sake! Plus there's a really great recipe for garlic mashed potatoes that requires no butter or cream -- and it's amazing!
In conclusion, you don't have to eat crap. Who cares if it's fast and deep fried? You know, deep down, it doesn't really taste good. And your body is probably throwing a hissy fit about it. So go home. Make some food. Whistle a jaunty tune while you do it (or drink some nice Chilean wine!) and eat like Erin. 'Cause she's cool.
--
* David's Magic Curry (modified from this recipe)
(Makes six servings, easily)
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
3 fresh green chiles, seeds removed and thinly sliced
A handful curry leaves, ripped into small pieces
2 thumb-sized pieces ginger
1 1/2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
14 fluid ounces (400 milliliter) can coconut milk
1 3/4 pounds (800 grams) mixed vegetables, chopped (we used zucchini, red peppers, cauliflower, and parsnips)
1 cup cashews
Salt
Heat the oil in a pan when hot add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the fenugreek, green chile, curry leaves, and ginger, stir and fry for a few minutes.
Using a food processor, chop the onion, add to pan, and continue to cook. When brown and soft, add the vegetables, chili powder, tumeric, and garlic powder.
Using the same food processor, blend the tomatoes and add to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, add the coconut milk. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it has the consistency of thick heavy cream then season carefully with salt. Take this sauce as a base.
Add cashews and continue to cook as normal and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
** Erin's "Trust Me, You Actually Will Like Grits Cooked This Way" Grits
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup instant grits
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. When the grits have soaked up the stock, serve. (If you don't have stock, a cup of water and a chicken bouillen cube is fine.)
In Hattiesburg far away from many of the things I love -- my boyfriend, my best friends, hockey, good Indian restaurants, liberal thinking -- cooking has become my outlet. Which means, lots of new recipes, new dinners, frequent trips to speciality grocery stores, importing cheap veggies from Lafayette, etc. I walk through ethnic grocery stores and produce stands with the kind of voyeuristic awe of a 40 year old bachelor in a porn shop. I can't eat out without thinking "I could make this better, lighter, and cheaper at home." Plus when someone brings you the food, it denies the process, making cooking a nearly shamanistic ritual where so few know or understand the how of it. (Note: This is my thesis statement. Underdeveloped as it is.)
So what have I been making with this all encompassing love of food prep? What haven't I! When Meagan came to visit last weekend, we had a very fine mushroom risotto, though the recipe as stated makes enough for about six. And it's fine without the prosciutto, largely because sans Aldi, prosciutto is freakin' expensive. We also made David's curry recipe*, though with lots of veggies and some inventive additions. A nice breakfast of Erin grits**, scrambled egg whites with havarti and olives, and a toasted slice of my homemade corn meal-millet bread with green chile jam and there was food goodness to be had aplenty.
This week, I've been enjoying some fine fish, including Orange Roughy Dijon, which is spectacular and easy. And lots of veggie recipes, including chunky guacamole (great with Christine's black bean soup -- ask her for the recipe) and Fennel, Apple, Celery Salad with Cilantro and Lemon, which I had tonight with baked herbed grouper and Christine's Peach Brie Quesadillas. Nothing like a little solo comsumption decadence to make a girl happy.
I've also made some really great acorn squash recipes from The Vegan Gourmet, to which I say, just buy the freakin' book. It's only 75 cents for goodness sake! Plus there's a really great recipe for garlic mashed potatoes that requires no butter or cream -- and it's amazing!
In conclusion, you don't have to eat crap. Who cares if it's fast and deep fried? You know, deep down, it doesn't really taste good. And your body is probably throwing a hissy fit about it. So go home. Make some food. Whistle a jaunty tune while you do it (or drink some nice Chilean wine!) and eat like Erin. 'Cause she's cool.
--
* David's Magic Curry (modified from this recipe)
(Makes six servings, easily)
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
3 fresh green chiles, seeds removed and thinly sliced
A handful curry leaves, ripped into small pieces
2 thumb-sized pieces ginger
1 1/2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
14 fluid ounces (400 milliliter) can coconut milk
1 3/4 pounds (800 grams) mixed vegetables, chopped (we used zucchini, red peppers, cauliflower, and parsnips)
1 cup cashews
Salt
Heat the oil in a pan when hot add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, then add the fenugreek, green chile, curry leaves, and ginger, stir and fry for a few minutes.
Using a food processor, chop the onion, add to pan, and continue to cook. When brown and soft, add the vegetables, chili powder, tumeric, and garlic powder.
Using the same food processor, blend the tomatoes and add to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, add the coconut milk. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it has the consistency of thick heavy cream then season carefully with salt. Take this sauce as a base.
Add cashews and continue to cook as normal and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
** Erin's "Trust Me, You Actually Will Like Grits Cooked This Way" Grits
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup instant grits
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. When the grits have soaked up the stock, serve. (If you don't have stock, a cup of water and a chicken bouillen cube is fine.)
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