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The Best Dinner I've Ever Created

I made food last night that makes people say, "Holy God!" Well, at least one person said that. All right, it was me. But I'm serious... this was THE BEST chicken I've EVER concocted. I don't typically follow recipes or write down the ingredients after I invent something seriously delicious... but this was too good not to record. So here is the recipe:

chicken parts (legs, thighs, breasts, whatever you have - skin on).
olive oil
2 small onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 plump, juicy garden tomato (2 if the tomato is small)
3 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
half a small bottle of capers
4 or 5 calamata olives
fresh lemon
water
white rice

Drizzle the pan with olive oil (don't be chintzy now - we're going for flavor) and add the chicken parts, onion and garlic pieces. Get this to sizzle up a bit, then add the tomato and let that sautee a bit longer. Pour in enough water to mostly cover the chicken and add your 3 bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Keep the heat on medium-high until it boils, then lower to maybe medium or low if you have more time. Halfway through, remove the chicken skin and any stray bones if you can.

Add capers and olives and then pour in a few handfuls of the white rice (don't you love the precision?). Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and rice is of edible consistency. Remove from heat, cool down for a while and try to skim some of the fat that's collected in pools on the surface. (Mmmmm... FAT.)

Slice the lemon into quarters and squeeze into the mixture, then stir thoroughly.

Is this chicken cacciatore, or some Spanish recipe, or perhaps both? I don't know what it is but BOY IT'S GOOD! I'm eating it cold and my mouth is having multiple orgasms. Not that I know what those are, but, you know.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

Easter Dinner

So, about six months ago I said to myself, "You are going to post something about Easter dinner." After all, I took all these fabulous photos of my mother's Italian meal. However, guess what? I rarely feel like writing about food. Honestly and truly... I love food, but I think the planets have to be aligned in a certain way in order for me to want to write about it. I would much rather write sales copy about food and get paid for it than sit here blathering on about, say, a steak dinner when I could be cooking and eating a steak dinner.

Ah, but why do I have a food blog, you wonder? Well, I launched this blog in an effort to help Ann Zuccardy of the Vermont Shortbread Company promote her gourmet food business, plus I thought it'd be a nice meeting ground for those of us who like to cook and eat. Well, the food blog hasn't exactly taken priority in our lives, but it is a nice, err, side dish.

Meandering back to my first thought... I have these photos of Easter dinner that my mom cooked last April. You should probably take a look at them.

Slow Cooked Pork

A couple of weeks ago was my last "memorable" trip to the supermarket. The weather was rainy and slightly chillier than usual, which of course got me and my feller talking about slow cooked pork. So I pulled on a pair of faded jeans with shredded bottoms and splashed my way to the store.

There I was, standing in the Pork Aisle, pondering the many glorious cuts of meat. Everything looked plump and succulent, marbled with fat that promised savory mouthful after mouthful of deliciousness. What to buy, what to buy? To my right, there was a youngish man wearing corporate attire and pawing his way around. He wore a permantly perplexed look that I later figured out was merely the positioning of his eyebrows.

I said, "Excuse me," and proceeded to ask him what cut of meat he thought would be appropriate for slow cooked pork in the crock pot. Then he opened his mouth and a slightly gravely sound emerged that suddenly made him much more attractive to me than he was three seconds earlier. He said, "Well, I used to be a chef, so you'd think I would know this, right?" We then had a brief discussion about parts of the pig and he finally said, "I was planning on putting mine on the grill but I think I like your idea better... slow cooked, why not!"

With the ex-chef's blessing, I settled on a thick shoulder round cut, he informed me of his plans to head over to the produce aisle, and we parted ways. Shortly after that, I passed him again while picking through the locally grown tomato and pepper area in search of ingredients for my rice. I felt like maybe I should say something else to him but instead I just pondered what he had been up to the night before to make his voice so raspy and full. Maybe glugging beers, smoking cigars and yelling at sports on television? All good things.

So this meeting in the pork aisle was a very brief and fairly insignificant interlude, and yet for some reason it made my day. Thick slab of pork, well-dressed man with a great set of vocal chords, talking to me emphatically about food... my, my, my. I know I am not exactly Venusian in my looks, but for some reason I left the store feeling more attractive and kind of spunky. And some may say, "Wow, that's pretty sad" but to me this is the stuff of life. Please sir, may I have some more?

So, I got home and improvised a delicious brew for the pork to steep in for the next 5 hours. First I seared the pork with some onions, then transferred that to the crock pot and added a dollop of molasses, a generous squeeze of honey, a glug of apple cider vinegar, a small can of tomato sauce, a squirt of hot sauce, and some salt and cayenne pepper. Then my dad dropped in to visit and sat around chatting with me and my mutal food-loving dude while I prepped the ingredients for fresh salsa - piles of diced tomato, onion, cilantro, green peppers, fresh lime juice. My dad was apparently so impressed that he repeated what he saw to my mom who became fascinated to know the outcome of this inspiring culinary effort. And I know in her head she was thinking, "She gets it from me!" which perhaps I do.

After the crock pot had become a bubbling cauldron of sweet and tangy, falling-off-the-bone tender meaty goodness that permeated the house with a hearty, drool-inducing aroma, my fellow did his part by cooking up a side of white rice and warming some mini corn tortillas. I popped some pre-soaked, fresh corn on the cob into the oven, husks still on, for about 20 minutes and then we laid the whole presentation out on the table, picked up our forks and nearly lost our minds over the whole thing. My dad had left by then but I know he coveted our meal.

And that's the whole pork story.

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

What I Eat When the S.O. is Away

I'm finally getting around to answering the question that Cynthia posed back in February: What do you eat when the S.O. is away?

First, it's truly rare that my significant other is not here. But there was a short period of time when I did not have a significant other to brighten my days, stick my ice cold feet on under the covers, and commune with over delectable homemade creations - and I didn't have roommates, either. At that time, I discovered something interesting about myself. That is: without other people, I'm No Fun at All. I don't know how to relax unless I'm doing it for the benefit of another person.

During my brief solo career, I ate like a Spartan - one-pot, gruel-like concoctions that I'd cook on a Sunday, store in a Tupperware in the fridge and slowly work my way through as the work week wore on. Sometimes I'd even eat said gruel for breakfast.

Yep, I'm incredibly boring without a partner, or even another person or small group of people to bring out the Lighter Side of Me and help me watch a good movie, kick back with beer and perhaps divulge a few sordid tales from my wilder days. The truth is, that when I'm alone, I'm a grim, workaholic curmudgeon who can't make the time to treat myself to fun and frivolity, and eating fancy meals is included in that category.

Here are a few samplings from the Single Dina Menu - the Dina who will not shut off the computer because there is nothing to pry me away from work:

• lentils, rice and onions
• split pea soup, with or without ham bone or pork butt (okay, who am I kidding here - when do I have a ham bone sitting around if it's just me?)
• chicken soup with brown rice (works as a nice Penicillin to cure what ails ya)

I guess I do eat other things besides soup, but not with the fanfare that I would if cooking for a crowd or even the S.O. as Cynthia refers to him.

So, I'm lame, and that's the story.

:)

Dina at Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing

What Do You Eat Part Deux

We're getting a lot of airplay on the topic that fellow Lemongrass Girl Cynthia McKenna err, brought to the table. The question being, "What do you eat when your S.O. is Away?"

This response was submitted to our happy little blog by "Debbie." Thanks Deb, for giving us a chuckle today!

Debbie Writes:

Too funny.... When Ken leaves on a river trip and we are apart for about 3 days to a week, I start my foraging by eating fried chicken  from our local Popeyes..... not because I necessarily like that chicken  from Popeyes, just because it is a taboo food that he would not approve of.....

Not that he is such a healthy eater but he would scoff at my total disregard for fat content..... all the while he has candy wrappers floating on the floor board of his truck........

and I eat this chicken while I watch some chick flick that he would never watch in a million years.....My ritual of eating the fried chicken while watching a chick flick (in my pajamas) is a total rebellion thing.....

then the dinner for the next night will be a huge..... and I mean a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese..... Now that is my comfort food... I totally melt with that food.... And if my mother makes it, it is orgasmic.....

I have two comfort foods.... well maybe 3 if I count mashed potatoes.....and I guess I should since we are confessing here....

But my other comfort food is a huge, and again I mean a huge bowl of buttered popcorn with a gigantic glass of cold, cold milk.... When I eat that, I can go into a drug like stupor.....

Growing up, every Sunday we would have a huge afternoon dinner..... so That night, we would all gather around the TV and watch Walt Disney and just Eat buttered popcorn and (so we were doing a healthy thing), drink milk......The whole family..... no responsibilities, no worries..... And so if I am totally freaked out about something, I can eat popcorn And  drink milk and find nirvana and become so relaxed, you would think I had just had half of my brain removed.....

For some reason and perhaps  the root of my weight problems, it is not Just the comfort food itself but the quanity that I need to injest.... which could also merely be the fact that I over exaggerate my need for the comfort food, believing that my stress is so large that it needs to be matched with the correct size bowl.....

Ken will be leaving on March 18th for a week long river trip..... I have joined Weight Watchers (lost 17.5 pounds so far) and it will be interesting to me to see how I will react..... Through WW, I am trying to manage my quanity problem..... and am more aware of my mindless, continual grazing..... For some reason, I don't feel like I will go off the deep end when he leaves..... but then I don't know...

The great thing about WW is that it doesn't actually forbid you to eat certain foods, you just learn that if you HAVE to have something, you just learn to adjust your points to take it in.... More like a normal eating habit..

I enjoyed your article.... Been there.... thanks for sharing.... debbie

What do you eat when your S.O. is away?

My partner travels a lot, and when we are together, we eat beautiful, healthful meals. When I am home alone, I eat – well - junk.

Sometimes I don’t eat much at all – not quite pining away for my love, but more not pining away for anything at all.

The week at home alone almost always begins with a trip to Taco Cabana for some Bean & Cheese Nachos with a side of Guacamole. I don’t really like the tortilla chips that TC uses, but the nachos are definitely a comfort food, and they are filling. And since my appetite is usually down, I can get 2 or 3 meals out of them.

Once the nachos are gone, then I move to pizza.

Sometimes it is an Ultimate pizza pizza from Little Caesar’s (without pineapple and anchovies) and sometimes it is a frozen cheese pizza from our foo-foo grocery, Central Market.

Once pizza = about 4 meals.

Now, if I am still batching it by the time the pizza is gone, then I move on to hamburgers and fries.

I live right around the corner from a funky, down-home style restaurant called PoPo’s – it has a giant red neon sign that says, ‘EATS” The walls are covered with those little commemorative travel plates you can buy in truck stops – you know the ones with little scenes on them with the state flower, state motto, etc.

Besides travel dishware décor, the Restaurant has pretty good food. They make the best hamburger in town, and have these spicy French fries that I love. So I call them up and order a cheeseburger, cooked medium, and fries. They say, “It will be ready in 15 minutes” That is kind of the mysterious part about PoPo’s, 15 minutes is sometimes 7 minutes, and sometimes 35 minutes. So I take something to read and sit in their small waiting area while I watch the regulars sit at the bar and talk about sports and enjoy adult beverages. The wait staff hangs out with them, chatting while they wait for their orders to come up. It is a very friendly place, and they have really delicious homey foods that are dependably good.

Back to my burger, I get it home, add the mustard & ketchup plus all the lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, etc., and enjoy. Please note, this is the first fresh veg I have had in a week.

It is a pitiful cycle, but very predictable.

This week, it was nachos + chili con queso from Chaco’s – a really good fast food Mexican restaurant in San Antonio. Last night the nachos were gone, and I wasn’t ready for pizza or hamburgers, so I ate some naan type bread with copious amounts of a good sharp Cheddar Cheese.

When I was a child, my father had terrible allergies and illness that required bland food When he traveled for business, my mom and sister and I would load up on pizza, spaghetti, and barbeque (from Powdrell’s in Albuquerque). It occurs to me that my current eating habits might be tied to these early forays into forbidden food.

I also try to eat very healthfully in my day-to-day life. We are both good cooks and enjoy delicious meals on a regular basis – but now and then, I cross over to the dark side.

Contributed by Cynthia McKenna
http://CynthiaMcKennaCounseling.com

Stuffed Pork Chops

I made this for dinner one night when it was still summerish out, and have been meaning to blog about it for ohh, the past five weeks? I had a couple of those succulent, super-thick pork chops, ringed with a big strip of tasty fat sitting around. They were begging to be split and filled with some type of buttery, herbed breading, popped in the oven and cooked til golden brown with the juices running out, and the porkfat all crisp and crackly... and umm... oh, excuse me for a moment while I wipe away the drool.

So I found an interesting-sounding recipe that involved pork, breading, peppers, and a can of tomato sauce among other things... and then I proceeded to create a dish that included none of these ingredients. I'm famous for Googling recipes and then not following them. What can I say? Sometimes you just want a little inspiration or at the very least, to sneak a peek at portion sizes. I've been known to take the scientific approach: "Oh, so I need about 2 cups of a liquid, something salty, something tangy, something savory..." Once I made an Asian sauce for tilapia that had (swear to God) a secret Tootsie Roll melted in for the sweetness factor.

So, my pork chop stuffing was prepared with cubed bread, a small pat of butter and some olive oil, onion, celery, fresh sage and parsley from the herb garden, golden delicious apple, allspice, salt and pepper, and a handful of raisins.

What you do is chop that all up and sautee it in a pan with the butter and olive oil. Herbs go last - in fact, I'm not even sure if I put these in the pan at all - maybe I just mixed them in the bowl afterward? No matter. Stuff the pork chops with this aromatic mixture, arrange in a baking pan, pour apple juice over the top to half-fill the pan and cook at 350 until they seem done. (I'm terrible at this - I have no idea how long I cook things for. I just do the fork-test.)

This was probably one of the best dinners we've had in the last month. That, and the Indian feast I just whipped up on a whim tonight. But you won't get to hear about that until at least mid-November! :)

Another delicious meal brought to you by Dina at Wordfeeder.com