December 2004 Archives

So this is where I find myself. The only place I've eaten out in the last month was Pizzeria Uno, which is just a 10 minute walk from my apartment. The saddest thing about that is I really enjoyed it, in a notch-above-diner-food sort of way. Their fish-and-chips is pretty good (is that sacrilege?), with a thick, crunchy crust and moist, white, bland fish underneath. I had chicken breast stuffed with spinach, broccoli and some kind of gooey white cheese.

There's a soft spot in my heart for desserts at these chain restaurants. Sometimes you don't want some fusty, pretty little dessert, but instead a made-in-America over-the-top confection. Hot fudge sauce and piles of whipped cream are always included. This one was a giant, flat, warm, soft chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream and the aforementioned accoutrements. Yum.

I have an excuse for this state, though: my new baby. I haven't been willing to go far from him yet, and I don't know how I feel about taking him to a restaurant. But I am determined that this isn't the end of good eating for me. It's just going to be more of an effort.

So this is where I find myself. The only place I've eaten out in the last month was Pizzeria Uno, which is just a 10 minute walk from my apartment. The saddest thing about that is I really enjoyed it, in a notch-above-diner-food sort of way. Their fish-and-chips is pretty good (is that sacrilege?), with a thick, crunchy crust and moist, white, bland fish underneath. I had chicken breast stuffed with spinach, broccoli and some kind of gooey white cheese.

There's a soft spot in my heart for desserts at these chain restaurants. Sometimes you don't want some fusty, pretty little dessert, but instead a made-in-America over-the-top confection. Hot fudge sauce and piles of whipped cream are always included. This one was a giant, flat, warm, soft chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream and the aforementioned accoutrements. Yum.

I have an excuse for this state, though: my new baby. I haven't been willing to go far from him yet, and I don't know how I feel about taking him to a restaurant. But I am determined that this isn't the end of good eating for me. It's just going to be more of an effort.

My parents have never tasted lamb, but they're game to try new things, so we made ground lamb in pitas with mango chutney for lunch the other day. This recipe, from Fine Cooking, is a keeper (even though I took some liberties).

My dad sauteed 3/4 pound ground lamb with 1/4 minced red onion (we minced half the onion and reserved some of it for the chutney), a teaspoon each ground ginger and cumin and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Once it was cooked, we added a couple tablespoons prepared mango chutney.

Then I made the chutney to serve with it: the rest of the prepared chutney and minced onion, chopped cilantro and lime juice to taste. We ate the lamb and chutney in pitas (I added plain yogurt to mine). It was so easy and pretty good.

My parents have never tasted lamb, but they're game to try new things, so we made ground lamb in pitas with mango chutney for lunch the other day. This recipe, from Fine Cooking, is a keeper (even though I took some liberties).

My dad sauteed 3/4 pound ground lamb with 1/4 minced red onion (we minced half the onion and reserved some of it for the chutney), a teaspoon each ground ginger and cumin and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Once it was cooked, we added a couple tablespoons prepared mango chutney.

Then I made the chutney to serve with it: the rest of the prepared chutney and minced onion, chopped cilantro and lime juice to taste. We ate the lamb and chutney in pitas (I added plain yogurt to mine). It was so easy and pretty good.

I think I may have inspired my dad to spend more time in the kitchen. He came to stay with us when I had the baby, and part of the deal was that he had to help out: cooking, running errands, cleaning. I couldn't imagine he would hold up his end of the bargain. My dad didn't seem like the type.

But he really rose to the occasion. He scrubbed the spot on the kitchen floor where my old stove used to sit until you could actually see the floor underneath. He made spaghetti, eggs, Thanksgiving dinner with pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. I guess he went home to Colorado and made a roast for my mom, brother and sister-in-law, and a couple more pies.

Now he's back and he's still cooking and cleaning. We made jambalaya last night (I was his sous-chef).

He's semi-retired and I think he's found a new hobby. Maybe my interest in cooking is genetic?

I think I may have inspired my dad to spend more time in the kitchen. He came to stay with us when I had the baby, and part of the deal was that he had to help out: cooking, running errands, cleaning. I couldn't imagine he would hold up his end of the bargain. My dad didn't seem like the type.

But he really rose to the occasion. He scrubbed the spot on the kitchen floor where my old stove used to sit until you could actually see the floor underneath. He made spaghetti, eggs, Thanksgiving dinner with pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. I guess he went home to Colorado and made a roast for my mom, brother and sister-in-law, and a couple more pies.

Now he's back and he's still cooking and cleaning. We made jambalaya last night (I was his sous-chef).

He's semi-retired and I think he's found a new hobby. Maybe my interest in cooking is genetic?

One of the problems of shopping Fresh Direct is that sometimes you'll order some meat or produce and end up with a cut that weighs way more than you expect. We got a 3-pound cut of London broil in our order the other day, and I had to come up with multiple uses for it.

So yesterday I cut it into three portions: sliced one thinly against the grain for fajitas, cut one into cubes for beef stew and left one whole for shredded beef sandwiches from the slow cooker.

We made the fajitas right away. Seasoned the meat with salt, cumin and chipotle powder and seared them on both sides. Took those out of the pan then added a sliced onion and red bell pepper and cooked until softened. Assembled the fajitas on warmed flour tortillas with cheese and Mrs. Renfro's chile sauce, which is really hot but also has great flavor.

Yesterday I put the chunk of beef in the slow cooker with some seasonings, 1/2 cup water and a sliced-up onion until it was falling apart and the onion was completely soft. Ate that on halved seeded Italian bread with Swiss cheese on top (the bread soaks up a lot of the juices from the meat -- yum).

Tonight is beef stew night. Lucky Todd's a beef-and-potatoes kind of guy.

One of the problems of shopping Fresh Direct is that sometimes you'll order some meat or produce and end up with a cut that weighs way more than you expect. We got a 3-pound cut of London broil in our order the other day, and I had to come up with multiple uses for it.

So yesterday I cut it into three portions: sliced one thinly against the grain for fajitas, cut one into cubes for beef stew and left one whole for shredded beef sandwiches from the slow cooker.

We made the fajitas right away. Seasoned the meat with salt, cumin and chipotle powder and seared them on both sides. Took those out of the pan then added a sliced onion and red bell pepper and cooked until softened. Assembled the fajitas on warmed flour tortillas with cheese and Mrs. Renfro's chile sauce, which is really hot but also has great flavor.

Yesterday I put the chunk of beef in the slow cooker with some seasonings, 1/2 cup water and a sliced-up onion until it was falling apart and the onion was completely soft. Ate that on halved seeded Italian bread with Swiss cheese on top (the bread soaks up a lot of the juices from the meat -- yum).

Tonight is beef stew night. Lucky Todd's a beef-and-potatoes kind of guy.

Last night when I asked, "What should we have for dinner?" Todd realized that he doesn't think of the kitchen when I ask that question; he thinks of the phone and the pile of takeout menus on the desk. And I have discovered that I really hate most takeout.

So the other night I pulled together dinner from what we happened to have on hand: some broccoli, elbow macaroni and strips of chicken from the top of a salad we ordered for lunch. While the macaroni cooked I heated about 1/4 cup oil in a skillet and added some red pepper flakes, then some minced garlic. Then I added the broccoli florets and sauteed them, then the chicken just to heat through. Then I spooned in the macaroni along with some of the cooking water into the skillet, added salt and stirred and heated to meld the flavors. Served it with Parmesan grated on top.