I had every intention of commencing my Go Veg Pledge this week. I really did. However, my crooked leg and accompanying limp prevented me from making the trip to the grocery store to purchase veggies and phony meat. I have to say, I was not terribly disappointed. Hopefully this week will be different. As for this week, I experimented with three new recipes. Two were dynamite, one was immediately thrown in the trash.
I had lunch at my mom’s house recently and completely fell in love with the chicken stew and biscuits she made. I have had a weakness for good old home cooked comfort food since I was a little girl. I asked her how she made it and after further inquiry, I discovered it was a recipe she learned from my father’s mother over 20 years ago. Thank you Grandma! All in all, it was easy as pie (why do I keep saying that?!) However, from prep time to the time it landed on my plate was about 2 hours. Not so great. At this stage in the game that’s fine. I wasn’t busy that night. However, down the road, I anticipate that being able to spend two hours in the kitchen after a long day at work, with a hungry family, nearly impossible. The process consisted of cooking water (or chicken broth if you have it on hand), three boneless, skinless chicken breasts, celery, and 2 bay leaves on low heat for an hour. Then, remove the chicken from the water and shred it, add diced carrots, potatoes, onions (or onion powder), garlic, basil, oregano, and a can of cream of chicken soup, and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Lastly, add 3-4 Tbs. of baking powder to cold water, stir vigorously, and add the mixture to your stew to thicken it. If you can keep busy in between, by all means, go ahead. However, if you’re pressed for time, before you cook the chicken into little pieces before , and your cooking time will be reduced by half. Make sure to pick up a package of Pillsbury Butter Tastin’ biscuits to serve on the side. Flaky, buttery, goodness.
Next up, cinnamon streusel muffins with a cinnamon, sugar, and margarine crumb topping. Store bought of course, but I added the oil, eggs, and milk, so give me a break. After putting the batter in the cupcake pans, I set the timer for 16 minutes and returned to my room to finish up some homework while they rose. Nine minutes later, the blaring smoke alarm almost made my heart jump out of my chest. What the hell was going on?
I diffused the alarm with a dirty T-shirt that was lying on the floor, entered the kitchen, opened the oven, and quickly slammed it shut after a wave of smoke came rushing out, sending a gray gas throughout my entire apartment. No struesels for me this evening. They looked like they had been pulled out of a bonfire. I was particularly confused because not only was the smoke coming from the oven, but also from the back right burner. The stove was not turned on, so why was the burner hot? Strange. Once Adam returned, I informed him of the catastrophe and told him to call maintenance first thing in the morning. Apparently that was not the answer. He could fix it. Fine, just don’t break the oven while doing so was my only request.
The next day Adam’s cousin came over and together, they dissected and solved the situation. As it turns outs, it was my fault. You can imagine my embarrassment. Earlier in the week I needed a 3-hole-punch so I borrowed one from my mom, brought it home, and pulled it out of a bag which happened to be on top of the stove. Hundreds of small paper circles burst out like flames from the bottom and fell into the burners. I thought I had gotten most of them out. I was wrong. The oven was not broken. The paper left inside set on fire when the oven was turned on. Just my luck.
Let’s fast forward to today. I made salmon for the first time. I was amazed at how easy it was. Honestly. I bought two salmon fillets (on sale at Kroger for just $6!), and decided to prepare them the best way I knew how. Cook them Red Cedar style. For those of you that don’t know, Red Cedar Grill is the restaurant where I work. Adding S&P, lemon juice, and olive oil to the fillets and cooking them at 450 degrees for 15 minutes was the easy part. I made one with a sweet honey bourbon glaze and one with a grainy mustard sauce. Here’s how I made the sauce. I grabbed two ramikens at work that day, asked the wonderful chefs to fill them with the sauces, threw lids on them, and tossed them in the same bag that contained the sweet potatoes I was going to serve as a side dish. Yes, the sweet potatoes were made there as well. This meal was going to mirror Sandra Lee’s “Semi-Homemade” style of cooking. I asked Adam if he wanted four cheese rice or garlic cheddar mashed potatoes, both from a box. Poor guy. He chose the rice.
So you bring water to a boil, then add the rice, right? Wrong. I was supposed to saute the rice in butter until it browns, then add water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for twenty minutes. Word to the wise, always read directions. I boiled water and butter and was less than pleased when I realized I had to start over. I pulled the salmon out of the oven for a few minutes so it wouldn’t overcook while I fixed my mistake. I mixed cinnamon and brown sugar in with the sweet potatoes, opened a can of green beans (my favorite), and added butter, salt, and pepper, and tossed those bad boys in the microwave. After my not-so-instance rice was prepared, I added the questionable “cheese” powder, and hoped for the best.
It was like a little taste of heaven in my mouth. I was impressed, as was Adam. All I can say is after a meal like that, I was glad that I had not started my vegan diet.
