Leftover Mash

Leftovers.  I love them.  I rely on them.  Even during the school year, when I have to make lunches for my people in the morning, I assiduously avoid making myself a sandwich unless I'm truly desperate.  It's just not my thing.  But a big plate of yummy leftovers in the middle of my work day?  Now we're talking.

At the end of last week I bought a rotisserie-type chicken at the local market for Doug and the kids, as I was heading out that night.  There was a lot of leftover chicken so on the menu Monday was my favorite leftover dish:  mash.  This ingenious creation came years ago care of my lovely sister, Julie.  We had a family reunion in Phelps (Northern Wisconsin)  years ago and had many fantastic, huge meals, which produced loads of lefties.  Julie disappeared into the kitchen one day and produced an amazing lunch using just about everything in the fridge.   It's been a leftover staple for me ever since. 

First you start with a box.  Sacrilege, I know, but you just have to get over yourself and buy a box of Zatarain's rice mix.  I usually have a box of their jambalaya or dirty rice on hand for joyful occasions such as this.  Make it as if you were making the jambalaya, which means using less water and adding a can of crushed tomatoes.  When it's just done, toss in a couple cups of frozen corn kernels.  Or, if it's summer and yummy, cook up some corn on the cob and then cut it off the cob and toss into the pan.

Next, you chop up a million vegetables,  but the key ones are red onion, red pepper and tons and tons and tons of cilantro. 

 I had four zucchini in danger of going bad so I chopped them, tossed them with olive oil and s&p and roasted them for about 15 minutes in the oven, then added them to the pile.

Then add your leftover meat and any other veggies you want to steam/roast/sautee. 

The more the better.  Throw it all in a bowl.

And then?  Toss in a whole jar of salsa, add loads of hot sauce if you're so inclined (we are), add the cooked rice and here's what you get to eat:

 

 Mash. YUM.   The only problem with this week's mash?  There were no leftovers.




For the rest of the week:
grilled chicken with chimichurri sauce, rice & roasted asparagus
Summer Steak Salad
burgers, fruit & chips
Salmon Cakes & arugula salad



For the chimichurri sauce - from Melissa D'Arabian 10 Dollar Dinners- SO GOOD
 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Place the cilantro, parsley, onion, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Slowly pour in the olive oil and process until the chimichurri is semi-smooth, about 4 seconds. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Conversation Questions

It just doesn't get much more beautiful than Missoula, MT

In 2008, when Dylan was old enough to really start traveling (7), we took the first of many summer trips to a national park.  We visited our old friends the Ballews in beautiful Missoula, MT, then spent four wonderful days in Yellowstone National Park.  Doug and I had visited Yellowstone once before, in 1990, when we were first dating.  It was a blast to return with our kids.  We had a tremendous time; we hiked, we white water rafted, we rode horses, we swam in rushing streams, we explored geyser basins, we biked.  It was a phenomenal trip.

The only blight on the trip was Doug's and my dawning realization that our kids had become terrific travelers but were not very good conversationalists.  Not that unusual for their ages, I suppose, but there were a few incidents that made us to realize we couldn't assume they'd know how to interact with people they didn't know well, or any adults for that matter, and that we really had to teach them these skills.

Hence the birth of conversation questions.  Here's how it works.  During dinner, Doug or I will announce that it's time for conversation questions, then wait out the inevitable grumbling and complaining that ensues.  And then we start. The rules are these:  every person has to ask one other person at the table a question.  It can't be a yes or no question, and it has to show interest in the other person.  So "do you like pizza" is out, but "what do you like about rock climbing" is in.  "Do you like sports"' doesn't measure up, but "why is football your favorite sport" is great.  After you give your response, it's your turn to ask someone who hasn't been asked.  We've been doing this for years now and the funny thing is that everyone grumbles but then hates to lose the floor.  And when they say, 'ok we get it now, we know how to do it, we don't need to do this anymore' we insist that practice is essential and this is a skill you will always find valuable and will use your whole life.  New job, friend's wedding, first day of school - knowing how to come up with conversation questions comes in handy!

Some of our most memorable dinner conversations have come from this simple exercise, like when Dylan, then 8, asked my Dad, "Jidoo, I mean, surgery?  I don't get that.  How do you cut into people's guts and not barf 24/7?"1  Classic.  They've found out about Grandma Holt growing up on a dairy farm and having to get up and milk the cows,2 and about doug's childhood memories from visiting the farm3.  We learned about Grammy growing up in a house with 12 siblings and one bathroom4, about Uncle John sneaking out of the house in high school5,  what Doug and I remember most about college6, about me growing up in a house with six girls7,  about why Dylan loves football8, what Corey experienced in the hospital in Nicaragua9 and about Noah's backpacking trip to Yosemite10.

(answer key below)

So on the menu tonight?  Conversation questions, and this easy and delicious meal. 

 Roasted Shrimp and Orzo - Barefoot Contessa

Kosher Salt & Good olive oil

 3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Our go-to Easy Summer Dessert
Soften your favorite ice cream (it's super helpful if you live a block away from Hartigan's)
Get a graham cracker crust and some really good hot fudge sauce (Trader Joe's = the bomb)
Heat up the sauce a bit and layer the bottom of the crust, add softened ice cream, add another layer of hot fudge and put it back in the freezer.  Serve as is or with whipped cream and berries.  YUM

answer key:
1 - shoulders shaking with laughter, my dad explained that surgery is problem solving, they clamp so there's not  a lot of blood, and that you just zero in on the area ' the guts' you need to work on
2 - cold, early, constant, it's what you had to do every day
3 - shooting a rifle for the first time and watching the old pink toilet his grandpa teed up  burst into a million pieces
4 - not a lot of long showers, suffice to say
5 - he got caught
6- too many to tell  but last week's post shared some of mine.  One of doug's most memorable stories involved a fetal pig.
7- not a lot of long showers, but we kept the Kimberly Clark company in business.
8- the contact
9- sketchy facilities, amazing Amigos staff
10-amazing place, amazing Apogee staff

Lessons from 15th Street

My oldest child, Corey, is heading off to college in the fall.  College!  Wash U in St. Louis.  I work on a college campus so I'm  well aware of how college students look these days.  And now one of my own will join those ranks.  I'm thrilled, we're thrilled, but at base there's this simple element of shock that Corey is there.   Because sometimes I still feel like that just happened to me.   So college and aging and parenting are on  my mind continually these days, and this past weekend was my 25th reunion at UVA, which I did not attend.  I did, however, participate in a poignant and hilarious exchange of emails with my three roomies that brought us all right back to 1985.        

Last week I sent the link about my blog off to Annette, my roommate for all three years in C'ville (third year I spent in Florence).  She sent me this lovely reply:

Hi Jane,
Just the other day Josh said to me, "it's really important to you that we sit down 

to dinner together isn't it? did you do that growing up?" 

So I told him, and I wanted to tell you, that your cooking for us almost every night

second year and having that time to eat and talk--that's what imprinted the value 

and desire on me, not my childhood experience! 

Just a little thing you did that has continued to affect me and our family on a daily basis.
Love,
Annette

Made my day!!The weird thing about it is, I don't really remember cooking every night. What a weirdo!

I do remember eating together a lot in that kitchen (huge kitchen for a tiny apt) and that I 

I was the only one who sort of knew how to grocery shop for a group.  By the time I was a senior 

in high school  I think I was doing most of the grocery shopping for  my mom.  She was sick of it, 

which I get, and I loved the freedom of heading to Stew Leonard's with a list and my mom's credit card.

 The freedom!! The power in getting the exact snacks I  wanted!  For a fifth child this was epic. 

So I just sort of picked  that back up when,  a couple years later,  four of us found ourselves in an 

apartment, off the meal plan, and somewhat bewildered.  I guess I stepped  into the void. 

Here are some descriptions I solicited this week:

Annette:

Maybe Laura and rebecca can weigh in on the experience of Jane cooking/knives
and food flying/voila there's dinner! I think we were all a little in
awe because none of us could have done it night after night, especially
not at that speed. :) Then there was coffee and rising sun bakery
cookies and jeopardy!  A happy-making memory.

Laura:

I remember lasagna, and impossible taco pie and lots of salads and
chocolate chip cookies and Jane cooking like some collegiate Siva with all
the arms flying around. And us sitting at those blue IKEA chairs like good
little children waiting for dinner to be ready and talking about our day.
For me, it was a little slice of home. 

Annnette again:

Main dishes are a little vague for me, but I know there was always a LOT. yes on 
the salads and also garlic bread. I think I first had hummus and tabouli and 
pita in that apartment. I would often crash after afternoon classes and wake up 
early evening to the sound of pots and pans rattling and soon yummy smells from 
the kitchen. I remember grocery shopping at giant (that store recently closed). 

It was also a good example of division of labor since the non-cookers 
were the cleaner-uppers.  oh and don't forget Yahtzee at that table.  I do remember 
rebecca making something wrapped in bacon and also tempura once. And was that 
the year of lobster bisque on my bday?  

Rebecca:

I dont really remember much from 2d year except cooking dinner in the apartment 
for the celeb Paris Themmin aka Mike Tv. I cant recall what we made.  

Laura's childhood friend -also Mike TV

I responded that I didn't remember what we made for Mike TV,

either, but I remember buying like ten types of cheese at Giant

and that I had a picture.

And here it is.

 
And a couple others for fun from those days on 15th street. 
 
I simply have no idea
 

Indoor S'mores - now that's a good idea

soooooooooooooooooo  I know this is supposed to be a blog about food! 

Or maybe today it's about something else:  maybe the point today is to tell Corey that, 

despite the nerves about the uncertainty that lies ahead, she is truly starting her own
life, and she is ready.  And that it's never too early to establish traditions, 

that you never know what the effect of your actions will be. And that in healthy 

relationships we all divide the labor and find our roles - someone cooks, someone shops, 

someone cleans.  And that your college  friends might still be making you laugh 30 years 

later. And that I hope she stretches and learns and grows and laughs.

And I hope she takes time out of each day to sit and talk with her friends over a meal, 

and that that reminds her of home.

The Blue Binder

2003.  I had three little kids (ages 2, 5 &7) who I was raising full-time.  I was sick to death of everything I cooked so decided to reach out and host a good old-fashioned recipe exchange.  

Staying at home was hard.  It was great to be around for my kids and present for all their milestones and to answer their questions and read to them and be available for those early school years when you have to be there so often.  It was a real privilege to be a part of that and it was well worth opting out of career for those years.  But the day to day reality of being a stay-at-home mom is, well, sometimes brutal.  I remember those days that stretched on forever, days when we'd finish our big outing for the day and it was only noon.  I remember feeling desperate for doug to get home, then for 8pm so I could put them to bed and feel like a grownup for a few hours.  It's just a weird, wonderful netherworld that nothing prepares you for.  I wouldn't trade a minute of it but I think a lot of at-home moms feel like they can't admit how freaking hard it can be and how desperate we  felt at times. 

Part of what I found hard was that I felt this pressure to enjoy the domestic stuff more - like decorating or party planning.  I never enjoyed that crap and still don't.  I finally learned to release, outsource and leave most of it to the experts (thank you, Jenny Martell!).  But cooking I got on board with.  Cooking was a gear I knew, a tradition I appreciated from my own childhood, and a basic necessity that I could make my own and turn it into a positive ritual.  

Hence the recipe swap.  I emailed (or called?  Was email widely used in 2003?  I just tried to find the originals and went down the email rabbit hole.  But I digress...)

So I called or emailed or sent smoke signals to my neighborhood friends and asked everyone to bring five of their favorite recipes that would fall under the categories of appetizers, sides/soups/salads, quick & easy dinners, kid friendly, dinner parties & desserts. I went and bought a bunch of blue binders and separators and when everyone came, they distributed their sheets and we all left with a cookbook, which we named "It Takes a Suburb."  I still have it and use it all the time, although I've added hundreds of recipes to it and removed a few I never used.  So now, whenever I find or ask for a recipe I like, or clip one from the paper or a magazine, I three-hole-punch it and stick it in the binder.

Some recipes have gotten a LOT of use,

And I've made a few additional categories, like cocktails.

But the blue binder?  It's a key part of my kitchen and my favorite cookbook.

A couple favorites (and transcribing the above):

Easy Turkey Meatloaf:

Heat oven to 350ºF. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool 5 minutes.

Add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, ¼ cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt, if desired to turkey mixture; mix well. Press into 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Spread remaining ½ cup ketchup over top.

Bake 1 hour or until the internal temperature of meatloaf is well-done, 165ºF. as measured by a meat thermometer. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before slicing. - See more at: http://www.jennieo.com/recipes/223-Best-Ever-Turkey-Meatloaf#sthash.oIT0C0lh.dpuf

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic minced

1 (20-ounce) package Lean Ground Turkey

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

¼ cup egg substitute or 1 egg

¾ cup ketchup, divided

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

salt, if desired

Heat oven to 350ºF. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool 5 minutes.

Add ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, ¼ cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt, if desired to turkey mixture; mix well. Press into 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Spread remaining ½ cup ketchup over top.

Bake 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before slicing. 

Tilapia Piccata with Snap Peas 

 

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 4 U.S.-farmed tilapia fillets (5 ounces each)
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons capers
• 12 ounces snap peas
• 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 cup white wine, divided
• 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Heat grill. Fold four 18-inch-long pieces of foil in half; unfold and coat inside with cooking spray. Season tilapia with 1/2 teaspoon salt; place 1 fillet in center of 1 half of each piece of foil. Sprinkle each fillet with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 teaspoon capers. Toss snap peas with potatoes and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; divide evenly among packets. Dot each fillet with 1 tablespoon butter. Fold foil to close and crimp 2 sides of each packet, leaving 1 side open; pour 1/4 cup wine into each packet. Crimp third side of packets to seal; place on grill; close lid; cook until packets are fully puffed, 12 minutes. Carefully cut foil to open. Serve with lemon wedges.

Sangria II

• 2 bottles chilled dry red wine
• 1 cup cognac
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau
• 1/3 cup superfine granulated sugar, or to taste
• 1 orange, sliced thin
• 1 lemon, sliced thin
• 2 cups chilled seltzer or club soda

In a bowl, combine wine, cognac, Triple Sec and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the orange and lemon slices and chill for 1 hour.Transfer to a punch bowl, stir in seltzer, and add a block of ice or ice cubes.  



Fresh Lime Margarita

• 1 1/2 cups gold tequila
• 3/4 cup Triple Sec
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 8 cups crushed ice
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 6 lime wedges

Combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons sugar in large pitcher; stir to dissolve sugar. Add crushed ice. Mix salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in shallow bowl. Moisten rim of 6 Margarita glasses with lime wedge. Holding each glass upside down, dip rim into sugar-salt mixture. Pour Margarita into glasses. Garnish with lime wedges.