Confessions of a Middle-Aged Fan Girl

I woke up with an idea for a dish. It's similar to another one I'd had, but I think I like this one better... I just think there's something missing.

Slice up several potatoes, a medium to large onion and several apples (sans skin, I think - rings would probably be best).

Lightly oil a baking dish. Put down a nice thick layer of potato, then onion, then apple and top with a layer of pork chops. Cover and bake at 350 until done (probably an hourish or so).

I'm thinking of using rosemary, sage, thyme and dry mustard for the seasoning.

Here's my question. I feel like there's something missing from this. I don't know if I should be topping the chops with something or if there's another seasoning I should use (I think garlic might be too much and overpower the more subtle flavors I'm trying to encourage - I might even have too much onion). Should I add some liquid? (I was thinking the vegetables and fruit would have enough.) If so, what? A little apple juice? Some white wine? Maybe some raisins with the apples?

Thoughts? Suggestions?

So... anyone out there ever make sourdough bread?

I've been pondering and found a great site called Sourdough Home that gives what looks to be wonderful instructions on making, and maintaining, your own starter.

I'm *this* close to taking the plunge (as soon as I figure out what container I'm going to dedicate to starter ;-) and wanted to see if anyone out there has had any experience.

What I'm afraid of is I'll go through all the trials and tribulations only to find the local yeastie-beasties taste terrible. :-) But I won't know that until I try.

... that I have a roast in the oven, but have just ordered pizza due to a sudden craving.

Oh, well, I'll just crank the temp down on the roast and cook it even slower (as it's not the best cut, slower is better anyway). It's too big for my crock pot, or I'd've put it in there to start with.

I was searching for something earlier in the day (I have no idea what) and stumbled across a site that has some antique Roman recipes, complete with modern substitutions.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/ethnic/historical/ant-rom-coll.html

I am now *dying* to try some of these out. :-)

Mustacei, which is a type of roll made with "must" or boiled new wine (or grape juice). I may have to see how to make new wine (which I believe is, essentially, grape juice that's just started the fermenting process) for the full experience, but I'll try the grape juice first.

Then there's Ova Sfongia ex Lacte, which are a type of pancake made from eggs, oil, milk, honey and pepper. Sounds *awful*, but who knows? I'm game. :-)

Oh, and Dulcia Domestica (Housemade Dessert) which is, essentially, nut stuffed dates boiled in honey. They can also be stuffed with black pepper. The former sounds wonderful, but the latter sounds horrible, but might be worth trying... once. :-)

The name of this one puzzles me: Pullus Fusilis (Chicken With Liquid Filling) since the chicken is filled with a mixture of beef, pork, cooked oats and nuts (not to mention various seasonings).

I'm going to have to see if I can get the various odd seasonings (Whole Foods, here I come!) and try some of these out one of these days.

This started life as a comment in or_mabinogi's LJ, but I decided to post it here, too.

Gravy, at its most basic, is equal parts of oil and flour with water added until you get the texture you want. That's it. Not rocket science, folks. Gravy is a *great* tool in the cook's toolbox. It can be used to cover potatoes or dressing or some kind of meat. It can be used to add thickening and flavor to soups and stews and makes a great basis for one of those "what's in the fridge" meals we all end up throwing together from time to time (or four nights a week ;-).

You can flavor it with broth or wine or any combination of seasonings available in your kitchen. Pretty much, gravy is a canvas for you to paint on. Nothing more, nothing less. The only limits are your own imagination and the contents of your kitchen.

Making Gravy.

Gravy is actually very easy. It helps if you've got a good heavy skillet and a whisk, but they aren't essential. As I am whiskless at the moment, I tend to use a wooden spoon. I prefer some sort of non-stick skillet, but I've made gravy in sauce pans and, on one unforgettable occasion, in a cake pan sitting in a larger cake pan with a piece of a brick in it, sitting on a burner. It worked, but I wouldn't advise it. :-)

You start with equal amounts of oil and flour. I find olive oil makes the best gravy of all time but any oil will do. I suggest not using butter due to its low "smoke point".

Heat the pan (medium heat should work), then put in the oil. Get the oil nice and hot. Then sprinkle in the flour (and don't stress over "sprinkle" :-). Whisk, if you've got it, or just get in there and stir with a wooden spoon. It's going to be a clumpy mess, but that's okay. That's what it's supposed to look like. Let it cook for a little bit, stirring constantly. A couple of minutes would probably do until you feel more confident that you can keep it from burning.

Then, start adding the water (or wine or broth or whatever - I'd start with the hot water, though). Hot water from the tap is great. You'll want to add it a little at a time, stirring it in (this is where the whisk really comes in handy since it helps reduce the risk of lumps). Just keep adding water and stirring until you've got it well-thinned.

Add any seasonings you might want and if you're using it as a base for a dish, this is when you go ahead and add any meat and or vegetables.

Add liquids as needed. If it clumped, the longer you cook it, the more likely the lumps will cook out.

It's gonna lump at first, until you've got more experience, but it's one of those handy cooking skills that can be *very* useful in so many different settings. And at first, feel free to use cheaper vegetable oil until you feel like you've got the knack. You may end up dumping it a few times and starting over. :-) Or not. More liquid and longer cooking can solve a lot of gravy troubles. :-)

I have nothing sweet in my kitchen. No cookies, no candy, no ice cream, no pudding, no snacks, no desserts of any kind.

Now, I don't tend to keep a lot of stuff like that around, but we usually have *something* available for when the Sweet Tooth Attacks.

Nada.

What I *do* have are a bunch of Corn Kits brand cornbread mix packets. I considered baking one of them and having some cornbread covered in molasses to calm the beast, but that's not quite what I'm looking for.

I've got rice and Half & Half, but no raisins, so rice pudding doesn't seem to be in the offing (I *need* raisins for rice pudding :-).

So... what are *your* favorite "OMG I NEED SWEET NOW!" recipes?

ETA: Ah, well. I'd decided to try this Chocolate Mug Cake only... no cocoa. Or rather, none any more. There wasn't much left in the box and then there was none left when I accidentally dropped it and it spilled out all over the floor.

*adds cocoa to the never-ending shopping list*

I've got a dish I used to cook a lot and then after my kid turned her nose up at it when she was little, I stopped. As it's just the two of us, it has never made sense to me to keep cooking things that only half the diners loved and half the diners detested. But she's older now and last night I rediscovered an old favorite... and the kid has a new favorite. (She also loves my meatloaf. ;-)

Time: 30 to 45 minutes (the potatoes are the major time sink here - if you use instant, you can shave time off... but then, y'know, you're eating instant potatoes :-)

Ingredients:

1 pkg kielbasa, sliced in thin rings
1 med. onion, diced, or sliced in strips
1 bell pepper, sliced in strips
garlic to taste (there's no such thing as too much garlic)
cayenne to taste
olive oil (opt.)
wine (opt.)
potatoes

Prepare potatoes as desired for mashed potatoes. I prefer to stew them, chopped, but with skins on, until they're soft and most of the water has boiled away, then stir in butter until I have something approaching mashed potatoes but still with recognizable chunks of potato included.

While the potatoes cook, slice the sausage. Put the sausage in a large skillet to brown. If your skillet needs it, coat the bottom with a little olive oil, first. While the sausage is browning, prepare the onion, pepper and garlic.

When the sausage is ready, remove it from the skillet to a paper towel covered plate to drain. Toss the vegetables into the skillet to brown (add more oil, if required - I can't remember the last time I had to). When browned, add just enough wine to deglaze the skillet (water can be used just as well, though the wine adds a little something to the overall flavor). Add cayenne - a little goes a long way with this. Once complete, add the sausage back in and and add enough additional water to cover. (Do NOT try to add the full amount of water before you return the sausage to the skillet - not just a health and safety hazard, but it's guaranteed to make a huge mess. ;-) Simmer until the peppers are soft and the liquid has begun to thicken a bit. If the onion doesn't have enough starch, dissolve a little flour in about a quarter cup of hot water and add that to the mixture. Cook for a bit until it thickens and the flour has been fully incorporated. The result should be more of a light sauce than a gravy.

Serve:

Place mashed potatoes in center of each plate. Create a well in the center of the potatoes and then ladle the sausage/vegetable mixture over them, including sufficient sauce to mix with the potatoes. Prepare to never have enough to serve however many people you're feeding. :-)

(Comment!Fic to be committed to the first person who recognizes the reference in the subject line. ;-)

I try to steer clear of fried foods for the most part, but sometimes, I can't resist. I could blame it on growing up in Texas or on being born in '60 and so having set my food preferences before the concept of nutrition beyond "Three square meals" hit the public consciousness. But the fact remains. I really *really* like fried foods.

One of the ways I steer clear of them is I don't fry stuff at home. I don't even *own* a deep fryer (I used to, but got rid of it ;-).

However.

I have rediscovered my cast iron skillet. It's a small one, but oh, such a joy. It's still 'new' enough (only about 25 years old and rarely used) that I need to reseason it from time to time. I did that the other day.

And it's been sitting in my oven ever since. Waiting. Taunting me with its superior heat retention and even cooking abilities. I thought baking cornbread in it would sooth the savage cookware, but no, that wasn't enough. It kept whispering to me, reminding me of the potatoes I'd bought on sale last week and the Crisco sitting in the pantry.

*sigh*

*crunch* *crunch* *crunch*

They're soooo crunchy and golden brown and tasty.

If only I had some apples, I'd make fritters tonight.

*sigh*

I need a cooking icon.

I was hungry, but not dinner-hungry. Kid ate at a friend's house, so I was on my own. I poked around in the pantry ("Kitty, the pantry is for food. You're not food. Get out of the pantry." rinse and repeat far too many times) but didn't find anything that just screamed "EAT ME!".

Stuck my head in the fridge. GAH! I really need to clean it out. But while I was in there, I noticed the partial jar of Ragu. And then there was the grated mozzarella. Umm... Ooh! I popped two pieces of bread in the toaster and turned on the oven. When the toast was up, I spread them with the Ragu the piled cheese on. Popped them onto the pizza stone (which lives in the oven) for about 5 minutes and viola! Fake pizza. :-)

I need to try it on corn tortillas one of these days.

This has nothing to do with writing or fandom or anything else.

This is about FOOD! :-)

Before I toddled off to bed around 3 this morning, I put some beans in the crock pot. I have a jar in the pantry of mixed beans (picked up a bag of each type one day and mixed 'em together). Being lazy, and since it *was* 3 AM, I tossed in some crushed garlic and powdered onion along with the cayenne and chili powder.

Slept.

Got up to find they were cooking nicely. The only problem with the crock pot is that the liquid really doesn't reduce very well. So, I dipped a bunch out, put it in a pot on the stove (the same one I'd started them in earlier - boiled them briefly to start and then drained the water to carry off the gassy enzyme ;-), added the Rotel tomatoes and proceeded to reduce it. At some point, I remembered I'd forgotten the chocolate, so I tossed a couple of tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa into the reducing liquid before dumping it all back into the pot.

Time passed.

Found there was still too much liquid (but getting close), so I dipped out some more and put it on the stove to reduce. Wavered between cooking risotto and opening a can of corn. Opening a can won out. ;-) Dumped it into the reducing liquid to heat (after draining it). Once it was as thick as I was going to get it and the corn was hot, it all went back into the pot.

More time passed.

Couldn't stand it any more and got a bowl. ;-) This is, undoubtedly, one of the best pots of beans I've ever cooked. Got my second serving at my elbow. As soon as it drops below temperatures best measured in kelvin, I'll dig in. I know what I'm going to be eating for a couple of days. :-)