Drink It Simple - What's In YOUR Cabinet?

Well, it's been a while since I've posted, and I actually have 2 or 3 recipes that need I need to get going on, complete with pictures.  But I've been busy.  Work busy.  Children busy.  House busy.  Cake busy.  But mostly... children busy.  Having two, really takes it out of you. So, on a Friday night, when I need to relax, I open the doors to my liquor cabinet. 

I try to keep it stocked with one of everything.  Dark rum, Light Rum, Spiced rum, flavored rum, Vodka, Flavored vodka (this varies), Bailey's, Tequila, Whiskey, Vermouth, and of course, anything left over from the last party we had.  This means that at any given time, I have the good makings of just about any drink (traditional) that you could make.  Now, I don't stock the schnapps, the liquors and mixes for all these new fangled "in" drinks. But should I come across one I like, of course I stock up on the ingredients.  But regardless, when I need a cocktail, my liquor cabinet can serve me well.  Now, that's not to say that I stock my cabinet solely for drinking.  A well stocked liquor cabinet can also be good for cooking, which I often will toss in a splash of this, and a splash of that.  Think Rum, Whiskey, Vermouth, Marsala, and so on.

But tonight, I didn't cook.  No, tonight my husband was sent down to the local taco take out to pick up a few burritos.  I started to reach for the Tequila, yes, yes I did.  But what stopped me was knowing.. I have a really good purple juice in the fridge.  Blueberry and Pomegranate.  Now, my initial thought, was to pair this with rum, perhaps a coconut rum... hrm, but no that wouldn't do.  Vodka, yes vodka should serve my purpose.  But alas, I have BLUEBERRY vodka in the cabinet.  Oh swimmingly perfect.

So, I produced this.  Blueberry, Pomegranate cocktail.  So simple, so under the radar, but yet, it's perfect for tonight.  Let's play.

3 parts vodka
2 parts juice
into a shaker with ice
shake
pour
consume

Voila.

Don't like the whole "martini" aspect?  Too strong for your tastes?  No problem.  Pour this over ice in a rocks glass and add a splash of seltzer.  That's officially makes this a "spritzer."

Roasted Veggies a Go-Go

Apparently, I have a problem.  An addiction really.  Some might just call it an obsession.  A need to always be doing something.  A need to always be planning something.  A requirement to provide food, drink and good company to a crowd.  That's right, I LOVE to throw parties!  If something's not on the horizon, I feel empty.

At work, I am the lead planner for a Halloween party we have for the employee kids; it's called Trunk or Treat.  (ToT)  At the ToT event I provide pizza, salad, chicken nuggets, drinks and desserts for about 850 people, plus activities and trick or treating.  I am also on the holiday party planning committee for the employees that sit in my building, it's called Festivus.  This party serves up 350 people, we have it catered, it's potluck dessert, and oh yeah, there's a 40+ participant Yankee Swap and a 9 hole mini golf course setup by departments in the building.

At home, I have a Luau every year in my back yard.  Fully decked out and themed, I provide most of the food, people bring sides, we've had a live band a few years now; a guest list of 40-150 depending on the year.  I've been known to throw a "Last Holiday Party of the Year" party the end of January and open my house to 100 people.  Oh yeah, and one more, my husband has lots of 1st cousins, so we open our doors to a potluck that hosts 30 people in February.  And I love it.  I don't typically stress about it.  Key word there being "typically" because there's always something to stress about.  And not to mention the occasional family birthday or anniversary party I get to dig into from time to time.

 
But anyhow, I threw yet another party this past weekend.  Menu included pulled pork, baked macaroni & cheese.... and.... yep, you guessed it, roasted veggies.  Now, roasted veggies can come in all shapes, sizes and varieties.  Everyone has their own mantra on how they should be roasted, and what they should be roasted with.  I've roasted veggies on the grill, in the oven, on the stove-top.  Inside tin-foil, on the broiler pan, over a hot fire, on the grill.  And I always experiment with different flavors, oils and spices.  But this weekend, yeah, this weekend, I hit the mark.  These veggies were awesome!  And I loved my variety.  They were so colorful.  So let's play.
 


Select Your Veggies:


I went with the following:

• Carrots, shaved, rough chop into same sizes
• Turnip, shaved, rough chop into same sizes
• Baby Redskin Potatoes, diced to match the carrot sizes
• Baby Portabella Mushrooms, diced to match the carrot sized
• Broccoli, chopped to match the carot size, roughly
• 1 Red Onion, nice big pieces
• 8 gloves whole garlic, peeled

Place in baking dish.  Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees

Now your flavorings:

• Olive Oil, very generous drizzle
• Basil, even sprinkle
• Oregano, even sprinkle
• Salt, generous
• Pepper, generous

Put on center rack in your oven, roast for 30 minutes.  Toss veggies around, return to oven for another 15 minutes.  Remove, cover with tin foil and let sit for another 10 minutes.

Voila!

Not Your Mama's Meatloaf!

Ok, let's be honest here, no kid likes meatloaf.  Growing up, I can remember slathering my slice of mushed meat with ketchup and showering it with salt in order to choke it down.  When mom made meatloaf there was always a standoff and an extra glass of milk to help make it go down.  But I think it's a requirement that mom's make meatloaf, and that they force their children to eat it.  I also grew up in a household where you ate what was on your plate.  None of this "I'll make a second meal crap" 'cause my kid is picky.  Honestly,  yes, there are a few meals that aren't worth the battle and I toss nuggets or fish sticks in the microwave instead.  I know my daughter will never eat "red sauce" on her spaghetti, but that doesn't require a second dinner, just omit the sauce and add butter to hers.  But for some reason, I allow certain battles at dinner to commence.  She must try everything, even if it requires tears and sitting there for 30 minutes.  She will learn eventually that she is of my genes and hence I am just as, if not more, stubborn as she is.

Funny enough, my daughter won last night's meatloaf battle by falling asleep at the table.  Four straight days without a nap, and late nights will do that to a four year old.  There she was refusing to eat the meatloaf one second, and the next her eyes were closed and she was snoring.  Kassidy 1, Meatloaf 0.  There will be a rematch.  And it was to her loss, since last night's loaf was surely a winner!!

I base my meatloaf recipe, of course, off my mom's.  I don't veer TOO far off the original, but I add a few extra ingredients to make it my own.  And for mystery sake, I'm not telling you what's original and what's not.  Personally, I like a meatloaf full of flavor, much like a meatball, only... in a loaf.  And I'm a strong believer that my meatloaf should not crunch when I bite into it, so no celery or fresh onion for me.  I also never make the same meatloaf twice.  I'm always changing something.  But last night, winna winna meatloaf dinna!  Let's play.




Ingredients
Put all this in one big bowl.

• 1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
• 1/2 pound ground pork (a must, no substitute)
• 1/2 pound ground veal (a must, no substitute)
• Salt/Pepper
• 1T ground Savory, although I typically just dump a quarter size into my palm and toss
• 1/4 cup ketchup, estimated, I just squirt what looks good
• 2T Worcestershire sauce, estimated, I just put in 5 or 6 good shakes
• 1/4 cup milk, estimated, I just pour for 2 seconds
• 1 egg, exact
• 2-3 shakes garlic salt
• 2-3 shakes onion powder
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (Italian, add flavor every where you can), honestly, this is an estimate, I just cup my hand and fill my hand, could be almost a full cup
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, again, I'm estimating, beucase I really just sprinkle a good layer over the top of the bowl I'm mixing things in

Run the water in your sink and get it nice and hot, run your hands under it and warm them up.  Remove any rings you're wearing.  The only way to properly mix is to get in there and do it by hand.  Why the hot water?  There's something about cold ground meat that just chills you right to the bone.  You're going to want to do this at least twice while you're mixing to reheat your hands.  Start rolling it around and squishing and get all the ingredients incorporated nicely.  I mix mine a little longer than my mom would, as I prefer a solid structure loaf, while she likes one to kind of fall apart.  The longer you "play" with raw meat like playdough, the consistently will change once cooked. Play with it less, you get more of a chunky loaf, play with it more, you get a solid structure.   Get it mixed up well and form a large meatball.

Select your pan.  I like to use my broiler pan.  Big enough to hold the loaf, but the slits also allow the juices to run down.  Plus, you don't feel like you're pushing to squish it into one of those traditional meatloaf pans.  This allows your loaf to "breathe."  So, prep the pan with a spray of cooking spray so it doesn't stick later and drop your big meatball down on top of it, form it into a loaf.

You didn't put the ketchup and Parmesan cheese away yet, did you?  If you did, get it back out.  Sprinkle the top with cheese, just a light dusting.  Then squirt on your ketchup.  Not too much, it's really for decoration and just a smidge of flavor.  (Hm... did you make breakfast this morning and not use the whole pound of bacon?  Here's a variation I've done once... before the Parmesan, lay the bacon across)

Your oven should be preheated to 350 degrees.  Place your pan on the center rack and let it go for 1 hour, 15 minutes.  Don't open the door.  When it's done, take it out, let it rest.  Very important to let it rest!!!  Just like a fine steak, all those juices are running wild inside and you don't want to lose them but cutting it open and letting it bleed.  By letting the meatloaf rest, the juices redistribute and calm down.  Give it 10 minutes, at least.

Good time to whip up your side dishes, or at least finish them up.  I always grew up with peas and mashed potatoes with meatloaf, so that's usually what I make.  And I got lazy last night, for some reason was really feeling the need for instant mashed potatoes.  Betty Crocker makes a good "butter" flavor.  And after letting it sit according to directions, add another tablespoon of butter, a dash of salt and a splash of milk, voila, no one knows the difference.  Hey, it's Christmas weekend, I had a lot going on, I deserve a cheat.

So, as we sit down to eat and commence the meat battle with Kassidy, she falls asleep.  I of course have my cell phone at hand and snap a picture.  The meatloaf battle in our house as a kid is a truth that both my sister and I share, so I sent her the picture and comment about the meatloaf battle.  She texts me back..... "wait, you made meatloaf with peas and potatoes????" - yes, there were four question marks.  Upon inquiry, I find out that she too, had made meatloaf, with.. peas and potatoes.  Now, ok really strange since we both detested it so much as children but now find that we actually kinda crave meatloaf once in a while.  And with this recipe who wouldn't?   At the same time, I had messaged my parents, the same said picture.  Yeah, turns out... they were having meatloaf too!  Really, it's funnier if you're one of our family, but it was worth mentioning.

So there's your meatloaf.  Makes a great meatloaf sandwich the next day too!  Enjoy!

Let's Holla for Challah Bread!

Alright, this all started several weeks ago around Thanksgiving time.  The Food Network aired an episode of Unwrapped and featured Challah Bread.  (See Video)  Challah bread is a Jewish bread, a special bread made for celebrations and holidays.  (Wikipedia)  It just looked SO YUMMY that I wanted to bake it.  Why bake when you can buy?  Well, my home town is very much an Italian and Porteguese fishing port, our bakeries are pretty much going to carry Italian style loaves only.  And I didn't want to have to go "out of my way" to get it.  So.. why not bake it?  I've baked.....um... well.... I've used my bread machine for raisin bread!  Hrm... that never comes out right though... but I've used my bread machine for pizza dough, does that count!?  Hardly.  So why experiment with baking bread now?  Well why not!?  And besides, I'm a converted Catholic, raised Lutheran, trying to make Jewish bread, what could POSSIBLY go wrong??

Bread is actually quite easy to make, is just time consuming.  And now that (just about) everyone has a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook.. kneeding by hand is a thing of the past!  So, I started my search for the great recipe.  Gotta find a Jew.  But alas, those of the Jewish faith I know... turns out... they all BUY their Challah bread from local bakeries, or.... BJ's/Costco!  No one had a tried and true recipe for me.  I got all sorts of tales about blessings, including one from a co-worker.... it involves flinging a live chicken around your head in the kitchen, over the unbaked bread.  This is to ward off bad spirits and evil mojo or something.  Sounded more like Voodoo than a Jewish blessing/prayer to me, but I found it comical.  And not to worry, I worked it into my recipe.  Anyhow, when recipe by association failed, I headed to the internet.

Searching for a recipe took about a week.  I knew what the bread was supposed to look like, and according to the Food Network, it was supposed to be yellow and eggy and sweet, but cake like.  Right.  So, I knew the recipe needed lots of eggs, had to include sugar, and needed to be from a valuable resource.  Just as I was about to give up, I fell upon Chabad.org and what looked like a good recipe.  It also had several replies and comments of success.  Bingo.  Here we go.

Got home, cleaned up the kitchen, occupied the kids, time to bake, recipe -> Print.  Ok... 5lbs of flour.  POUNDS!?  Wait a second... just how much bread is this going to make????  2oz of fresh yeast.  FRESH YEAST?  Where in the world does one get that?  Can I substitute, all I got is Active Dry and Rapid Rise... oh jeeeze and how does one measure one half of 1/3 cup?  So, last minute scramble with yet another internet search on how to convert this to that and that to this.  And oh yea, Rob I'm getting flour on your mail scale.

Phew.  Ok.  Recipe found, math done, kids still occupied, Karsyn's getting fussy, must act fast, here we go, let's play.  (The original recipe can be found here.)

This current recipe will make a giant loaf of Challah.  If it rises correctly, you will get loaf that should just about fill your cookie sheet it's being baked on.  Double the recipe by making it twice, and you'll get two loafs that size.  Or, you can cut this ball into even smaller  pieces and get 2 small loafs out of it.

Ingredients
     I cut everything from the original recipe in half in order to get it into my Kitchen Aid mixer, and below are those conversions.
 
2.5lbs sifted all-purpose flour
1oz fresh yeast (or .4oz Active Dry yeast) - get a scale, I didn't convert to tsp or T
1T course salt, I didn't have course salt, so I used 1.5T of table salt
2 1/4 cups warm water
1/4+1/8 cup of vegetable oil
1/2+half of 1/3 cups sugar (yea, estimate that half of 1/3)
2.5 egg yolks (this was just about 1/4 cup of yolk)
(keep those egg whites aside for later)

1. No need to dissolve the yeast, we have Active Dry, which means it's going to activate once the water hits it while its rising in your bowl.  Or something like that, I'm no chemist, but I know this works.  It's how the bread machines do it!
2. In the mixer, add in this order:  salt, 2/3 of all the flour, oil, sugar, yolks, water, yeast.
3. Put your mixer on 2 or 3 and let it go for 12 minutes while everything is combined.  You may need to scrape the side at least once.
4. Add the rest of the flour while the mixer is on speed 1, let it incorporate and up speed back to 2 or 3 let the dough come into a ball.  Don't over mix.  Just as it looks like a tangible ball, stop the mixer.
5. Prepare a well greased bowl that is twice the size of your current ball of dough and transfer the dough into that bowl.
6. Cover with saran wrap and let it sit on the counter for 2 to 3 hours so it can rise.  It will double in size.
7. Repeat steps 2-6 if you want to make more dough.

Let it rise.............. 3 hours, what to do with all that time?  Well, you can make dinner, watch the Survivor finale a day late, and put you little one to bed while the dough rises.

Ok, it's risen!

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spill the dough onto a VERY lightly dusted flour surface.  
3. Separate into 6 pieces and roll into your traditional play-dough snakes.  
4. Line them all up next to one another and start braiding.  Now, I did a weave because that made sense to me.  The website I got the original recipe from tells you how to do the 6 strand braid, but it was all Latin to me so I just guessed.  
5. Braid it all up nice and tight, tuck the ends under, and place it on a greased cookie sheet. 

• Let it sit, 20 minutes.  What to do.... how about all the dishes?  Yep, that worked.  Set the timer, get going.
• Ok, now what?  Oh right, co-worker mentioned his grandmother would fling the chicken around the kitchen over her head.
• No chicken... not happening... now what?

•  Chickens...check.

1. Remember those egg whites? Yeah, give them a good whisk.  Break out that basting brush you never use and slather those egg whites on the dough generously.  Now, the recipe calls for more egg yolks, but really, must we waste more egg whites?  Let's just use them.  Should be the same result.
2. Put the bread on the middle rack of your oven at the pre-heated 400 degrees and set timer for 10 minutes.
3. 10 minutes done, set the oven down to 340 degrees and set timer for 30 minutes.

and wait.....

Ding!!!!  Oven says the bread should be done.  But how do you know it's really done?  Well, another Google search... take it's temp.  Apparently 190 degrees internal temp for bread is the correct doneness.  So, find that meat thermometer you just had to have but never use, and take the temperature of the bread.  190?  good, take it out and let it cool!

 Now, I'm told that there are two GREAT ways to eat Challah.  The first, is you just pull the braided chunks and dive right in, eating in plain.  One variation of this is to serve with a little whipped cream cheese and smoke salmon.  I will be apparently trying both methods tomorrow with my co-workers providing said means of consumption.  The other great way I'm told to eat this... and if this is the case, I just might have to make this again after the holidays when I have another 4 hours of time on my hands... is to make FRENCH TOAST.  Now, if you could smell my kitchen right about now, you'd realize just how AWESOME this idea of french toast out of Challah bread really and truly sounds.

Now... I have yet to take a bite of this bread, so while I'm writing this, I can't tell you how successfull this recipe really is.  So, an update tomorrow I'm sure.  For now, they are cooling and making my kitchen smell divine.

Happy Hanukkah everyone as my timing for baking is just right.

----------------------------------------------------
OK, totally couldn't wait, I just had to pull a chunk from the side as I was wrapping one up....
OH
MY
GOODNESS
I'm never eating real bread again,
ever.

My Goodness, My Greenbeans!

Somehow I made it through Thanksgiving weekend without having to really cook anything.  I did make homemade cranberry sauce, but that's super simple.  And I was left on Monday after the holiday with not a single left-over.  No "Gobbler" sandwich for me!  That just wouldn't do.  I must have turkey leftovers.

So that Sunday I bought myself a turkey.  Hey, they were on sale!  W00t!  But.... after doing the math, a 20lb turkey would not cook in enough time for the day that I had left myself.  Booooo.... Yes, you read that correctly, a 20lb turkey... for 2.5 of us.  It was the smallest Market Basket had...  So... into the freezer the bird went for a few days to be cooked the following Sunday, this past Sunday.

To go with it?  Mashed Yukon Gold potatoes cooked in 50/50 water/chicken stock.  Mashed butternut squash.  Stuffing, inside the bird.  And green beans.  But not just ANY green beans.  Recently, at a holiday meal at work, they had made Green Beans with sliced almonds.  They were awesome!  And during that same week, my mother-in-law made a similar recipe.  They were awesome!  So, now, I must make green beans, with almonds.  Oh no, but I don't stop there.... let's add bacon, and cook them in the bacon grease, with garlic.  Yep, I used bacon grease again!  Does life get any better?  Let's play!

Ingredients:

• Several Handfuls of fresh green beans.  Washed and trimmed.
• 3-4 slices of crispy MAPLE bacon, roughly chopped into bits, you want to be able to see and bite them, not disappear so chop accordingly.
• Small handful of salted, roasted almonds.  I just chopped mine.  Pre-sliced cost more.
• 1 medium clove of garlic, smashed and finally chopped

Time to Cook:

• Have a nice big breakfast that morning, eggs and maple bacon, go head, cook a whole pound.  Set 3 or 4 slices aside and pour out most, but not all of the bacon grease.  You'll want to leave a small slurry on the bottom of the pan.  Keep it as is, set the pan aside until you're ready later that day to make the beans.
• Ready?  Heat your large skillet with the bacon grease still in it on med-high and add the green beans.  Cover.  Adjust temp as necessary.  Cook and toss occasionally until they are at just under your desired firmness.  I like mine to still be crunchy and bright green (more nutrients retained that way)
• Toss in your chopped bacon, garlic and almonds.
• Continue to cook and move around until green beans are at your desired firmness.

Serve.  Sorry there is no picture of this one, but I wasn't sure how it was going to come out.  And voila, who knew, it's amazing!!!  I find that mixing the bacon and almonds into my stuffing if they are sitting next to one another on the plate was very delicious too.

Enjoy!

Chicken Fingers Aren't Just for Kids

Sometimes, even moms want to eat chicken fingers and french fries for dinner.  But the frozen variety that come out of a bag, just not my style.  Well, OK, maybe sometimes when Kassidy hasn't finished all hers, and I'm really hungry.  But regardless, sometimes we just want that chicken finger feel, but as a parent, not the chicken finger experience.

Walking around Market Basket last night, all I had on my mind really was asparagus from yesterday's entry.  And along with that I was hungry for chicken fingers.  How on earth do you combine the two?  Easy, make your own.  So, I grabbed a package of chicken breast, a bundle of asparagus and potatoes.  I took a white russet potato for Rob, and sweet potatoes for me.

This will easily feed a family of 4, or in our case, a family of 3 (an extra piece for mom, and leftover for Kassidy's lunch)

• 3 Chicken breasts, fillet them into strips, much like chicken finger strips.  Make them as long as the breast itself, no more than 1/2 in thick, and no more than 2 inches wide.  From the 3 breasts I think i got 16-18 fingers.
• Place them all into a bowl.
• Add to this bowl 1 beaten egg and enough milk to just cover all the chicken.
• I add in many shakes of Franks Red Hot as well.  Something I picked up from Paula Dean several years ago on the Food Network.  As Kassidy gets older I will be dumping more and more hot sauce in.  Right now, it was really just used as an acidic seasoning.  You don't taste it in the finished product.  But eventually, I'll add enough so you do.  For last night, it was enough to turn the milk/egg mixure into a pink color.
• Let the chicken sit in this and get happy for 20-30 minutes
• Or, for however long its going to take you to prep the asaparagus and potatoes.

• Wash the asparagus, break them, put them into a frying pan, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.  Don't turn on, that comes later.  Also, while you're waiting for the chicken to get happy, prep your potatoes for french fries.

• Peel skin off the potatoes.  Slice into thin strips that look like french fries.  The thinner you cut them, the less time it takes to cook, just remember that.
• Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil, spray it with cooking spray (so they don't sick) and lay out the fries.  Drizzle with olive oil, generously coat with salt and pepper, get your hands dirty and toss them around.  Pop them into a high broiler and close the door.  Keep a watch on these, you'll want to turn and flip them every so often.  

• OK, back to the chicken.  Time to prep the cooking station.  I use Peanut Oil.  You can use Vegetable, Olive, etc, but I find that Peanut oil for frying gives the most consistent heat and stays a good moderate temperature.  
• You need a sturdy frying pan.  I use a Calphalon 16" skillet, you can also use a well seasoned cast iron pan, or if you're lucky enough to have a deep fryer, you can try them in there too, but this is a pan fried chicken finger recipe.  Results should be the same.
• Pour enough oil into the skillet to give it a good covering.  Let me put it this way, when the chicken is lying it in, the oil should cover just over 1/2 the depth of the chicken.  Remember, you sliced them thin, so 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of oil in the pan.
• Heat the oil on Med to Med-High heat, depending on your range this could vary.  You'll know the oil is hot enough when 2 things happen:  1.)  you start to see rings in the oil and 2.) if you toss a droplet (and I MEAN A DROPLET) of water into the pan and it POPS.  

• Back to your chicken.  Now, I've fried chicken several times, and I go back and forth between a a flour base and a bread crumb base.  It really depends on what you're in the mood for and what type of meal you're making.  In this instance, I used Italian Seasoned bread crumbs.
• In a separate bowl, sprinkle a good layer of bread crumbs in and place 4 chicken fingers onto the bread crumbs.  Pat down, flip, pat down, give them a good covering.
• Using long handle tongs, GENTLY place 1 finger at a time down into the oil.  We're only going to do 4-8 of these at a time, giving them room to cook, not shocking the oil and keeping things at a nice even temperature.
• Let them sizzle and get happy.  You know they're ready to turn when you can visibly see that the chicken is hardening.  Flip them, move to another side of the pan and place 4 more in.  This way, you're always rotating 4 fingers at a time, optimizing your time and keeping htem all warm so they don't end up at the table cold.
• Hey, did you check the french fries?  Open the oven door, give them a toss.
• If you turn your chicken over and find that it's black, then you either left it in there too long, or your oil is too hot.  Adjust accordingly.  Remember, these are going to continue to cook a little once you remove them from the pan, placing them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
• Keep repeating these steps until all your chicken has been cooked.
• Hey, check your fries!  Toss and check tenderness.
• When you have 8 chicken fingers to go, turn your asparagus on Med-High Heat and cover.
• You're basically steaming these like any other vegetable to an al-dente, still crisp state, but cooked through.  Give them a toss about 1/2 way through cooking.

• All your fingers done?  Good, your fries should be too, remove them from the oven.  Check the asparagus, and remove everything.
• Plate & Serve
• I enjoyed these with a glass of Virginia Pearmund Cellars Viognier.  Kassidy chose chocolate Milk, and husband had water.  Very versatile meal.
• Enjoy!

Your Mom Made WHAT for Dinner?

Today's meal is good "5 ingredient fix" and great for leftovers.  I can take absolutely no credit for this dinner, whatsoever.  This one comes straight from my mother in law. 

Back in the 90's when dating my husband, then boyfriend obviously, we came home to his house one night to his mom cooking this in the kitchen.  Now, my own mom is a great cook and experiments a good amount and I grew up with a decent variety of food.  But when you're introduced to another family, you're introduced to a whole new culinary experience too.  I was also brought up on the philosophy that you eat what is placed in front of you, all of it.  And if you are a guest in the house, you choke it down and compliment it like its the best thing you ever tasted.  Thankfully, I do have a pretty varietal palette and have yet to really come across something I can't choke down.  Example:  I had asparagus the first time ever with my husband's family.  Smothered them in ketchup of course, but ate them nonetheless.  Today, they are a regular vegetable in our house, and I have my mother in law to thank for that.  But this isn't about asparagus.  This particular meal is simply referred to as "that ham, egg and pea thing."

The "ham, egg and pea thing" was boiling away that fateful night when we came home and I wondered just what I was in for.  Chopped up pieces of what appeared to be left over ham, peas (oh God), hard-boiled eggs (hrm) and... some kind of white sauce.... poured over spiral noodles.  Everyone seemed pretty excited they were having this meal, particularly my husband, while my mother in law just matter of factly placed the mixture on the table and we all dug in. 

I proceeded with caution.  Noodles, check.  And this mixure of ham, egg, peas (?!) and sauce over it.  How, on earth, was this going to come together in my mouth and taste good?  If you've ever watched me eat; I'm known to eat the contents of my plate from smallest to largest, one item at a time, and I twist my plate towards what I'm currently consuming.  Yeah, not really an obsessive compulsive, just a quirk.  My sister gets a kick out of it.  Anyhow... I like my foods separate.  Prime example, Thanksgiving dinner.  Each food group gets a corner of the plate all to its own.  And certain foods are actually required to be next to one another. Stuffing must be placed next to potatoes, which must be placed next to turkey, and so on.  As a child I watched my great-grandfather put it all on the plate and then scoop it all into a pile and mix it up.  I think it was this horrifying experience at the tender age of 8, that I now must eat things separate, but equal.  But I digress.  So here are these ingredients which typically would be served scooped on the plate separately, being served to me all on one spoon.  Sitting down, hoping no one sees my trepidation, I take my first bite, and voila, who knew... it's awesome!  I ask, what do you call this?  The answer is just "the ham, egg and pea thing."

I have yet to really play with this recipe, since I find it's pretty perfect.  The combination really needs no added flavor or changes.  While I've often thought about what I could do with it, I hesitate in fear of truly ruining it some night and finding I have a pot full of it, and a husband who won't eat it.  Why mess with something that works?

There is no measuring in this.  Just eyeball how much you need for how many you need to feed and make.

• Leftover cooked ham.  Cut into 1 inch chunks.
• Pasta
• Frozen or leftover peas
• Hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• White Sauce - Milk/Butter/Flower/White Pepper/Mustard Powder

1. Boil water, pour in pasta, about 1/2 way through cooking, add your peas to cook them if frozen, and cook until pasta is just al dente
2. Strain into colander, let sit, return pot to burner on med-high
3. Melt ~6T of butter, sprinkle in white pepper to taste (later you can add more), add ~1/4c flour and a good shake of the mustard powder - keep stirring, don't let it sit, you'll burn it.  cook for a minute or two to make the flour taste go away.. this is a rue
4. Add to the rue, 2 to 2.5 c milk, whisk and keep whisking until it comes to a slight boil and starts to thicken -> White Sauce
5. Turn down to low, keep a watch and stir often
6. Fry up your ham so it's warm
7. Cut your boiled eggs (about 4).  slice and dice, so the pieces are large enough to find, but not giant
8. Put the eggs into the white sauce and whisk up well until all the yolk is dissovled and mixed in
9. Add the ham to the pot
10. Add the pasta/peas to the pot
11. Mix until all items are coated in white sauce
12. Serve

I like mine with a sprinkle of black pepper over the top.
This is something that even my 4 year old picky eating daughter will consume with glee.