midwest neurotica

can’t. find. time. to. blog. do anything.
still. not.packed. moving. in. 3. days. eek.
sad. to. leave. some. happy. to. be. home. soon.

Sometimes you just need a quick, comforting barely-homemade meal….

There are basic truths that foodies know and cherish - the pure pleasure of real whipped cream, the simple heaven of cornichons and butter on a baguette, the perfection of a baked brie. How come no one told me not to buy salmon in a can? In all my years lovingly devoted to Jeff Smith and Cooking Light and what FoodTV used to be, this seems to be an essential point for a cook. “Under no circumstances shall ye purchase salmon in a can” should be a warning in the front of On Food and Cooking. Thanks for nothing Harold! Even my cat would not eat the vile mess.

In lieu of the salmon cakes I wanted to make, I sought out a replacement of chickpea cakes. My roommate reminded me that these would be called falafel. Duh! I followed the suggested recipe pretty closely, but did not use parsley. I prepared a lovely creamy dill sauce by combining 1/4 whipped chive cream cheese with 1 T dried dill and 1/2 cup sour cream. Should you make salmon cakes from fresh salmon, I am sure this sauce would be perfect company.

Update: I ventured over to the BumbleBee website to see about writing a letter. Turns out my experience is perfectly normal. Either way - ick!

Like those fabulous Indian flicks, this dish is a little over the top… in flavor! I started with a rotisserie chicken, contemplating the best usage. In hindsight, I used too much of the chicken, and have adjusted the recipe accordingly. Savor every last bite, especially of the sunshine-in-your-mouth raita.

Mango Chicken with Curry Rice and Banana Raita
Serves 2-3

1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup mango chutney
2 T dijon mustard
1 package yellow rice
1 T margarine
1 t curry powder
1 over-ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 t salt
1 t cumin

Start rice according to package directions, adding in curry powder for extra flavor. Combine banana and remaining ingredients, refrigerating until ready serve. Shred chicken and combine with chutney and mustard in a skillet. Heat until cooked through, adding water if needed. Top rice with chicken and raita.

This relentless heat has left me craving vegetables and good-for-me foods, but my midwest sensibilities still has to cover them in cheese. My meals today were quite satisfying - scrambled eggs, baked potato and enchiladas. Two of the three contained spinach - one fresh and the other frozen - can you guess? I do love me some spinach!

Breakfast was an easy scramble of fresh spinach, chive cream cheese, tomatoes and 2 eggs. Topping 2 slices of buttered toast, this was the perfect start to my long day.

After waiting for my roommate to wake up and move his stick-shift car, I headed over to the store - for more spinach. I knew exactly what I wanted to dish up tonight - enchiladas. While I’ve made a lot of enchiladas, this was the first time to make them “a la florentine”.

Classic Spinach Enchiladas
Serves 3-4

1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 box frozen spinach, cooked
4 T chive cream cheese
2 T sour cream
1/2 cup + 1 cup shredded mexican cheese
8 small flour tortillas, softened
1 can green enchilada sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute onion in butter or oil over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and spinach. Cook for 2 minutes more. Turn off or remove from heat and add in cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Soften the flour tortillas and filling each with 1/8 of the filling. Arrange in an 8×8 baking dish. Broil enchiladas (without sauce) for 5 minutes until tortillas are crisp and starting to brown. Top with green sauce and remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve with additional sour cream.

Last night I cooked a package of Green Giant broccoli with cheese sauce - and then decided that my baked potato was fine with copious amounts of butter and grated cheese. I spent the entire metro ride home devising a way to use up this orange and green glob sitting in my fridge. I began thinking about broccoli cheese casseroles - you know the ones with rice and crunchy water chestnuts. Except I had neither of those. Then, I was reminded of that hashbrown casserole at Cracker Barrel thats so not vegetarian they even say “not vegetarian” on the menu! Now what would happen if Grandma’s broccoli casserole mated with that CB goodness? Broccoli Tot Casserole with Cheese - more please!

Broccoli Tot Casserole with Cheese
Serves 4-6

1 bag mini tater tots
1 can 98% fat free broccoli cheese soup
1 package frozen broccoli with cheese sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Combine first three ingredients and turn into greased casserole dish. Bake at 400 degree for 45 minutes. Top with cheese and cook just until melted and bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes - else the tongue scorching is your own fault.

Now that was not enough. I needed some protein in this meal besides cheese. This dish seemed vaguely Southern, though my Midwestern comrades may want to stake claim on the tasty delight. My mind started wandering towards the shrimp and grits I had on a visit to Charleston. But I was feeling more of a breakfast vein. Hold your horses kiddos….

Fried Eggs on Toast with Bacon and Shrimp
Serves 1

1 slice white bread, toasted and buttered
1 egg
2 sliced bacon, sliced
1 cup medium shrimp, frozen
1/4 cup vegetable broth + 2 t Wondra flour
salt & pepper to taste

Fry bacon, adding shrimp just before the bacon is perfectly crisp. Fry egg on the side. Meanwhile toast bread, butter and top with the egg. Add vegetable broth mixture to bacon and shrimp. Bring to a quick boil, making a creamy brown sauce. Finish with butter, salt and pepper if desire. Top egg and toast with bacony shrimps in sauce.

I grew up enjoying BLTs during the summer, with tomatoes fresh from our garden. While I don’t have a garden now, it was a no-brainer to throw together this lunch. I left out the “L” since I’m just not eating things fast enough. Plus, its really the “B” thats the star!

Bacon and Tomato Sandwich
Serves 1

2 slices white bread, toasted
2 T mayonnaise
3 slices black pepper bacon, fried crisp
2 thick slices fresh tomato, salted

On June 27th, I stepped out of Spring Lake Cottage for the last time. Now I have one foot in the future, one in the past, and a stomach firmly planted in a present fondness for quesadillas. I always thought that I wanted to write a cookbook on tacos, but I’ve realized that its really the tortilla, as a perfectly wonderful carb, that I lust after so wantonly. Here in the mid-Atlantic and in my home-to-be the midwest, its nearly impossible to get real tortillas, but we make do.

During my most recent stay in Chambana, I explored the concept of the breakfast quesadilla. As it turns out, creamy scrambled eggs with American cheese and real bacon bits provide the perfect contents for this dish. I spread the egg mixture on a tortilla, topped with shredded sharp cheddar, folded in half and cooked until golden and crisp. I served this with salsa, pleasing the likes of boys 13-44.

Tonight, I had intended to prepare a refried bean, cheese and avocado quesadilla. Unfortunately, my roommate’s leftover beans produced a stench potent enough to shut up Kathy Griffin. I was near square one, but all was not lost. I heated some oil in my one skillet and added Quorn “chicken” tenders, cooked shrimp and corn. This was combined with a shredded cheddar jack blend and quesadilla-fied in the hot skillet. I topped this ‘dilla with fresh avocado and salsa. Yum!

Now I sit in my new-old-temporary digs, the basement living room of my house. I am grateful for my loved ones support, for my cuddly kitty, for my chenille slippers, for digital cable and of course, quesadillas.

This post could also be titled - How I Finally Learned to Make Lentils Taste Good. The secret is drowning them in caramelized onions. Mjaddarah, a Middle Eastern combination of rice, lentils and those sweet and toasty onions is pretty simple, but requires substantial patience. I spent about 30 minutes on the onion process, though I admit to cheating with a little sugar. Meanwhile, my lentils and rice hung out in some olive oil, waiting to join the buttery, brown goodness. (I cooked the lentils in 8 cups water and drained the excess. The rice is instant brown - I nuked it.) At long last, and perhaps 2 minutes too soon, the onions were ready. Tossing the 3 ingredients together, I added salt and pepper while turning up the heat. Little spots of crispy brown are the key to this ethnic comfort food.

As a side note, my list grows shorter!

Putting together my list really offered a fresh perspective on what I have, but I think tonight was the easiest. It’s all down hill from here. Seriously, anyone, what the heck can you do with a bag of dried lentils of unknown age?

My current (vegetarian) roommate requested “something with barbecue sauce” and since I really wanted to mute the taste of barbecue as much as possible, I picked the creamy pasta below. This dish is what CPK’s pizza would be, if it were a pasta.

Barbecue “Chicken” Pasta
Serves 2-4

1/2 box rigatoni
6 T butter
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 box Veat (or other chicken alternative)
1-2 T barbecue sauce, to taste
2 T wondra flour
1 cup milk
salt & white pepper
cheddar cheese, grated

Start salted water for pasta. Melt 2 T butter in sauce pan and begin to caramelize onions over low heat. When onions are nearly done, add Veat. Cook until dry and add 2 more T butter. Saute until Veat is golden brown. Remove from heat and toss with sauce. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain. Using pasta pan, melt remaining 2 T of butter. Add flour and cook our flour taste for 1 minute. Add milk, whisking vigorously. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Add salt and white pepper to taste. Toss cream sauce, barbecue chicken and pasta together. Fold in a handful of grated cheddar cheese.