A Jersey Girl in Portland

Tired of (cooking?) (hate?) (Trump?) (hurt?) It’s a thing affecting everyone.

On 9.11.2001 I was writing a restaurant review about a new sandwich shop in Arlington, Texas (I was a freelance journalist).  The magnitude of what happened that morning made my work seem unnecessary. Frivolous, even. I finished the piece and went to the kitchen. To cook.  I don’t remember what I made, but I do remember that cooking was the only thing that eased the knot of dread in the pit of my stomach.

I started this post on Thursday, writing about burning out on cooking

<yawn> #CoronaCooking.

But watching cities burn across the country, aching about the injustice done to POC, and furious about police brutality, the knot of dread in my stomach reminds me of that day, 19 years ago.  I feel helpless, frivolous in the face of such overwhelming awfulness. 

Add to it pandemic and a couple of personal problems and — yup — that familiar knot of dread is back.

Who knows if it’s the change of seasons or the pandemic-related social restrictions, or people getting killed, but I’m hearing from a number of people that they are Tired Of Cooking.  Weary of three-meals-a-day. Burned out on baking.

It looks like even the professionals are digging deep for inspiration.

To wit: I can’t find the column Carla Lalli Music (of Bon Appetit) wrote about pointedly glaring (and publically chastising) her family when they complained about leftovers.

And then Bon Appetit touted Gourmet Pop Tarts like it was the latest thing.~  

The New Yorker Magazine dining critic penned a column about frozen food (6.1.2020). It was very well written but, really?

The cherry on top is a recent spread by wonderfully international Saveur digital magazine about the humble hamburger. 

If the professionals are burning out, what are schlubs like us to do? 

Well, I can’t make cops sweet or Trump disappear so I’ll do what I do and talk about food. Then head to the kitchen to bake something. Or make soup or maybe garden.

Here’s the plan.

Cook More!

Cook Extra!

Burgers!

Grain Bowls!

Interesting garnishes!

Cook More:  Roast two chickens instead of one. Roast chicken for dinner. Then soup. Gotta love chicken as it’s the easiest go-to animal protein there is. It’s a blank canvas that can be made into so many different meals. Enchiladas, add a jammy egg and ramen noodles and broth, turn into an omelette with gruyere (or cheddar or jack or whatever cheese you have), and spinach (or any green you have) with a dab of Dijon mustard. The protein portion of a grain bowl.

Cook extra of versatile starches.  Spaghetti is great with marinara. But cook the whole box and toss the noodles with a dash of soy and sesame oil, sesame seeds, and a scallion. Potatoes - doh! Roasted or boiled they can be the starch portion — fry them with butter. Mmmm with scrambled eggs.   Potato salad could be more than just mayo and celery.  Toss diced potatoes in vinaigrette with veggies for a salad. And don’t get me started on rice.  Make a big batch of brown rice and use it thrice (sorry). Chilled rice salad, fried rice, melted in the microwave with a slice of cheddar and some soy sauce.  

Burgers: you can put anything on a burger! Condiments are toppings. Horseradish, cream cheese, kimchi, pesto. All great toppers. Add cooked veggies and a bun (even a square bun — two slices of bread). Make pesto from carrot greens and pile it on the burger. Kimchi, cheddar and an egg on a burger.  That last piece of turkey lunch meat in the fridge would be great on a burger with a little marmalade and a slice of whatever cheese.

Ha ha ha only kidding with the In n out photo. —->

Grain Bowls: Remember cooking quinoa or barley ahead to make grain bowls last winter? Well, grain bowls are still delish. Now you can use radishes (or carrots or whatever), & greens from the garden.  Make a little pesto mayo (thinned with a little vinegar), or tahini-lemon-soy-water dressing.

Garnishes: Put nuts on everything you can.  Crushed peanuts on strawberries and whipped cream. Pecans on any salad. Try nuts in a ground chicken burger. 

I often cruise the International markets for inspiration. I love dried seaweed on chicken salad and it adds a great crunch (if maybe the celery isn’t very crunchy …).  Mexican chili peanuts are perfect atop mole enchiladas for an Aztec kick.  Chinese Spicy Chili Crisp will change your life. It’s crunchy, salty, oily and amazing on chicken salad.

And guess what?! Mayo and yogurt or cream makes a damn fine sauce/dip. Toss in some herbs, or Spicy Chili Crisp and WOW it’s great on everything. 

Well, I feel better.  If you’ve read this far, thanks for listening.

Love big and eat well

This won’t last forever

xoxo Nancy

 

~ Been there, done that August, 2011 Pop Tarts.

Peanutty banana bread #CoronaCooking

if peanut butter on a banana is da b0mb (and you know it is) how ‘bout peanuts in banana bread?

Well, hell son. It’s delish.

And do not tell me you don’t have two overripe, black bananas glaring at you from the countertop. I know you do.

Next trip to Trader Joe’s, get some blistered peanuts. You can thank me later.

Blistered peanut banana bread

1/2 c sugar

4 T soft unsalted butter

2 overripe bananas

2 t milk

1 beaten egg

1/2 t cinnamon 

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 c flour (I mix WW & AP)

1/2 c chopped Trader Joe’s Blistered Peanuts (OMG so good)

Butter or spray a small loaf pan, (8.5x4.5x2.5 is what I used)

preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar.  Add mashed bananas. Add beaten egg. Add cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt & flour and mix until just incorporated. Fold in chopped peanuts.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour.

Yes, I broke my ankle two weeks ago. Since that time, i’ve baked a lot of sourdough and rested or slept for 12 hours a day since. Check it out:

eat well,

watch your step &

love big

xoxo

Nancy

of Nancy’s No-pants Kitchen

#CoronaCooking #Beans edition

I wrote the bulk of this post about dried beans in November — six months ago.  When I began writing this, my mother was still alive (getting sick, but I didn’t know it then), Corona was a beer, and I had a long list of things to do around our new house. #MahKitchen

Social Distancing. Pandemic. #WashYourHands #FlattenTheCurve  

Now, I bake bread and make masks. I worry at every cough. I’m NOT WORKING! I’m OK waiting on line to get into Trader Joe’s. I start looking for flour waaaay before I need it.  I DON’T KNOW IF I HAVE A JOB. My garden is outstanding. I greet weird shortages (olive oil, really?) with a shrug. The bathroom is painted. And my personal grooming is shot to shit. #CoronaLife 

I’m afraid to spend the little extra cash that comes with being laid off (with - it seems - about 25% of Portland).  What if this thing drags on for six more months? #GettingUsedToPerpetualLowLevelAnxiety

But I’m lucky.  I love my partner and being home with him 24/7 has been wonderful. #HoneymoonCoronaStyle

Back to beans and my pre-COVID-19 take on dried beans. Which — with shortages of beef and pork expected — may stand in for “protein” at dinner.

OK, here goes:

I don't know which is better.  The toothsome beans lovingly soaked overnight and cooked in stock and water OR the stock and water “juice” that is bean broth.

When my partner and I bought a house, I knew we'd need to economize. So, I started cooking beans. A lot of beans.  Black beans with tomato and cumin, white beans with peas and asparagus. Lemony beans with thyme and OO. Mixed beans & lentils with onion and herbs, one step away from bean soup.

Beans are frugal. And beans augment a less-animal-protein lifestyle — one of the things I want to turn from novelty to habit (like water aerobics or flossing daily).~

If one likes to cook, beans are really easy.  If one does not like to cook (or require a recipe to cook from), beans can be a flavorless nightmare. A 12-hour flavorless nightmare. I’ll tell you right up front. Add more salt and olive oil. That’s the secret.

#Soaking

Put a cup of beans in a pot, add three or four cups of water, and set it on the back of the cold stove.  The next day, you're all ready to start cooking. 

While some cooks insist on tossing the soaking water, I prefer to drain it out and add it back to the beans so there are roughly three cups of liquid to each cup of (unsoaked) beans.

Beans need just a few things to really sing.  Lots of water, salt and olive oil.  One cup of beans, three cups water, half-cup of olive oil and one tablespoon of salt to start. Use sea salt.  I’m starting to like it (for cooking) more than kosher salt.  But I’ll always use kosher salt for seasoning meats. Bring to a simmer and cook on medium heat for one to three hours, depending on the bean size etc.

With this base layer on the stove, start prepping garnish.  Mirepoix and herbes de Provence? Add a can or a generous cup of light stock — veg or chicken to the pot along with the cut onion, carrot and celery. And a half cup or so of white wine.  If your stock is unsalted, add some (about a two-finger pinch) salt.

Black beans? Add tomatoes and/or tomato sauce (or purée), and a half cup of red wine. Add appropriate veggies — peppers, onion, garlic, oregano. 

Add fresh things like chopped asparagus or peas to the cooked white beans or sliced olives and raw red onion to the red beans. If your beans lack that certain something, add either butter or miso.  Same as wine — red miso in red meaty things and white miso in light chickeny things.

#TestTheBeansThrice

Always test three beans from different parts of the pot. Got that tip from Bon Appetit magazine.

Add more water if you must because it’s all about the bean broth.

Put the beans over rice, if you must, and get all the protein of a meaty meal.

Stay safe &

Love Big

xoxo

Nancy

~ Oh my god I actually cared about crap like this.