A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Storing Roasted Garlic for a "Rainy Day"

 

I generally prefer the sweet mellowness of roasted garlic to raw garlic in a lot of my recipes but the problem is the extra time, or lack of, it takes to roast garlic prior to making any dish with it.  A couple of years ago I figured out this quick and easy solution: make a big batch and freeze it so it's available to me any time I want to cook with it.

Doctor's Kitchen Monday: "There's Chicken in my Spaghetti"

 

Chicken, a simple substitution that has much less fat in it than beef in spaghetti, still has all the taste of meat and and the healthy goodness of the tomato sauce.  A perfect dish for the crockpot, it's also easy to throw into a roaster to cook it low and slow while leaving it alone for the afternoon.

I first had this at the soon-to-be in-laws of my friend, Shawna, 20-something years ago.  I'd flown to Calgary to attend her wedding and we got snowed in, blizzarded in I should say, at her wonderful in-laws where we were served this for one of the dinners. 

Let's talk the weather in Canada for a second, shall we?  I'm from Missouri, although I have lived in Washington (state) and Utah but that still didn't prepare me for Canadian "spring".  The wedding was in April and I remember Shawna saying about clothes "wear whatever you would normally wear in spring".  Hmmmm...what she meant to say was "wear whatever you'd wear for Missouri winter". Although we get a few snows over the winter, our snow is usually gone within a few days. I wasn't prepared for snow that stayed on the ground until almost summer and the freezing temps that accompany that snow. At the time I freaked out in my light sweaters and khakis but now I look back and smile and am warmed by the memories of spending time with my dear friend and the hospitality of her new family.

This dish is my entry this week in Ruth's, of Once Upon a Feast, wonderful Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Graziana of Erbe in Cucina .  Be sure to drop by her "place" on Friday to see all the wonderful pasta dishes rounded up this week.

Happy 4th of July!

 

We're off tomorrow to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for an Independence Day cookout bash that also just happens to be our dear friends, David and Becky's 40th Wedding Anniversary! Happy Anniversary to the Siscos!

I'm taking little flag cupcakes made by striping a bag with blue and red gel before adding the white chocolate/marshmallow buttercream (recipe following). 

A Weekend's Worth of LunchBox Ideas that Equal Good Eatin'

I don't know about you, but one of my biggest problem areas for eating healthily is WORK.  It's just to easy to let the stress and middle-of-the-night caffeine jonesing take over and suddenly I've racked up 500 calories of nothing good.  Not to mention that the hospital crapeteria sucks.  Maybe during the day it's great but all nights gets is the leftovers warmed up, half a salad bar, and sandwiches.

I've recommitted myself to taking lunch and making sure I have plenty of healthy snacks available. Another of my weaknesses is my tummy. I have a really touchy stomach, especially after going eight or nine hours without food between leaving the house for work and lunch time at 2am.  Around 11pm or midnight is when the siren song of the vending machines usually stomp all my good intentions to the ground.

Below is the food from the last of the three nights worked and it is a winning combination.  I had the pasta with broccoli, vegetable juice, and fruit for lunch, but the other three I doled out to myself before and after lunch and , for once, avoided the middle of the night nausea and/or vomitting.  Yeah, I know. Vomitting isn't a pleasant subject on a food blog but it's a problem for me and I have more than a couple of times thrown up from acid stomach in the middle of the night and then gone back to whatever I was doing.  I'd like to stop that little game and this worked for me the other night so I'm going to continue with the good snacks.

 

Caprese Salad with Pickled Green Tomatoes

 

Auntie Miranda went with friends to The Keeter Center in Branson for dinner the night before last night.  The Keeter Center is the small hotel and dining room run by the Hospitality Dept of School of the Ozarks.  And run very well.  We have a respiratory conference down there that's dynamite as a conference and The Keeter Center as a venue is superb.

In the dining room, Auntie chose this Caprese salad with fresh red and pickled green tomatoes.  She said she took one bite, rolled her eyes in delight, and said to the waiter "Can I get one of these to go?"  I went to bed early that night but it was waiting for me in the fridge when i got up the next day. 

Wow. I don't know how much better it could have been fresh because it was still incredibly fresh, crispy, and wonderful the next day.  This is definitely a do at home thing too. I know you can buy green tomato pickles, or even better would be to can them from the garden.  I'm thinking even fresh green tomatoes mixed with red tomatoes and fresh mozzarella would be wonderful fresh out of the garden....maybe drizzle a little honey across the top with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to add that sweetness from the pickling syrup.

Thanks Aunti Miranda! What a lovely and healthy lunch. We'll definitely be working on a home recipe for this one!

Cake Boss: The Bridezilla

 

Has anyone else watched this show? And specifically the Bridezilla episode?

I can't get the actual video to embed but here's the link to view the entire episode:

 

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/cake-boss-bi-plane-bridezilla-busting-buddy.html

I was shocked by that young lady's behavior.  Seriously in shock. And you know what?  Even after reading other people's reactions and speculation that she had been encouraged by the producers to act out to create buzz about the show...I'm still shocked.  It wasn't just her destroying that cake and saying deadpan "Well maybe now you have a better idea of what I want." 

It was also the way she and the mother disrespected each other all during the meeting about the cake design. I don't believe for second they were good enough actresses to fake that dysfunctional relationship.  If I were the bride I would have been upset, too, by my mother's complete dismissal of my desires.  The mother even admitted "I was married at city hall so this is going to be nice."  Okay, so basically, the mom is reliving HER wedding, not trying to please her daughter.

On the other hand, when your parents are paying for a function for you, I think it's at least appropriate for you to show a little gratitude and flexibility, or at least graciousness.

During the meeting, Bridezilla did express that she didn't want traditional but she also said "Yeah, that looks good" when Buddy did the drawing and she did leave him with the impression that she was fine.  It's not his fault she and the mother have relationship problems.

I couldn't believe it when he said he'd do another cake EXCEPT the mother did say she'd pay for another cake.  So at least he was paid for it.  But I was still shocked that the parents would even ask him to rebake the cake the day before the wedding and even more shocked that the mom didn't seem upset with the daughter about her behavior. How can you be surprised that a young woman is a selfish, disrespectful brat when you've let her get away with it her whole life?  So I'm not just appalled by the bride's behavior but by how the mom was just like "Oh honey, come look at the new cake..." and when the little witch wouldn't, she just laughed it off to Buddy.  I'd be so embarrassed to have people see what a horrible person I raised I wouldn't have let them show us in that episode.  If that would have been my kid, for one I wouldn't have totally ignored her wishes, but also I would never have rewarded that kind of behavior.  I would have said "Fine. We'll have no cake or serve the cake you "redecorated"."  And if Buddy had volunteered to remake it I would have paid him extra and said to the surly piece of shit I raised "Get you butt in here and thank this man for being nice to you when you don't deserve it."

Loved the line from Buddy about "I only have one thing to say to the groom:  Good luck, brother."

No kidding.

Knitting for the NICU: June '09

It's nearing the end of June and we all know what that means:  4th of July is just around the corner!  It wouldn't be fair of us to celebrate the holiday without including our little NICU bubbas, now would it?

This is "Hat Baby" proudly displaying the two dozen hats that I'll turn in to the NICU Friday night before work, which has a happy coincidence that I'll finish my training that night in Pediatrics. So it will be a celebration in a couple of ways.

 

We have traditional flags...

 

We have non-traditional stripes...

 

And now for something completely different....

I like the red hat with the posey. I think that could be cute adapted with other colors.

As usual, all the designs are my own and we send all the hats home with parents to keep as souvenirs to remember the holiday.