Root Veg

Adapted from page 435 of "The Joy of Cooking": Winter Root Vegetable Braise.

This differs considerably from the Joy recipe, mainly because my cooking method was in the oven instead of on the stove. As always, do it your way! I will let you know the essentials to making a dish taste good. Also, I don't follow measurements very carefully, because who knows how much is a pound of turnips? So again, do it your way. Because I know y'all know how to cook.

INGREDIENTS

root vegetables (I used parsnips, potatoes, japanese yams, and onions)
garlic
butter, olive oil
herbs
white wine
chicken stock
flour
cream
dijon mustard
chopped parsley
s&p

PROCEDURE

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut vegetables as you wish. I cut large pieces. Place in a baking dish. Add 2-4 T butter, and some olive oil. Include about 4 whole cloves of garlic (no need to peel! I love that!)

Shove some herbs in there. I used fresh tarragon, dried thyme, and a bay leaf. Oh, and some dried dill.

Bake until sort of bubbling/sizzling but not burning, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir. Add 1/4 c wine. Stir. Cook until alcohol cooks off. Stir in 1 T flour.

Add 2 - 2 1/2 c. chicken stock. Stir. Bake about 20-35 minutes. Cooking time totally depends on your baking dish, oven, amount of veg, etc. You know this. You want the veg to be tender. This is great if it turns out like a meatless stew.

When looking good (I mean the dish, not you. Of course, you may be looking real good by now if you are drinking the wine. Whatever!), reduce heat to 310F. Combine 3 T cream + 1 T dijon mustard with chopped parsley. Add to pot. Stir. Cook about 5 minutes. Taste & add salt & pepper to taste.

It's done!

Truly, you could make this dish countless different ways. Honestly, it's the flour thickener and the cream/mustard/parsley that really make it. If you skip that, you are making something different.

Bon appetit!

P.S. Still taking contestants on the turnip butt pun contest.

A Post on Seasonal Disorders

I had lost my way. I stopped posting on facebook, quit checking email, and even told the preschool co-op that I really do NOT want to be part of a yahoo group. I lost touch with the world on the Internet, only occasionally posting on this blog, and doing it reluctantly. I confess, I am Old School. I prefer to call people on the phone, and I prefer that they call me (on my land-line, please). I'm sorry; I just got so bored with all the trivialities. I got a new iPod so that I could listen to podcasts in the kitchen, and hell if I can figure the damn thing out. I start to relate to "old people" who think computers are just too hard. I'm a slow-paced gal. I read books. I rest. If I'm up in the middle of the night, I worry. I don't get on my computer and do stuff. I don't sew cute clothes until I drop from fatigue.

Then autumn hit. Suddenly. And I, suddenly, went into Winter mode. Laying in bed, doing nothing. I was in shock. My personal problems seemed about a hundred times amplified. Scared, tired, scared. Winter is coming.

If you live here in Minnesota, you know that the coming of winter is very, very scary. We don't go around exhibiting these fears out loud, like, "I am so frightened! Do you know what's coming?! Shut all the doors and batten the hatches! Aghhhh...!!!!!" But deep down inside, that's what we are feeling. We communicate about it by saying, "Boy, it's gettin' cold out," or "Yeah, fall's on it's way," or "Soon, we'll be raking all these damn leaves." And as you know, I am very in touch with myself, and so I, like, FREAK OUT when something disturbs me. And then I get over it.

I'm over it now (hey, only 2 weeks)! Also, I get to go to North Carolina to see my new niece this weekend, and it's hot there. Yay! I watched NewScandCook and learned about fall root vegetables. I bought this crazy-ass turnip at the farmer's market. (Note the pun. If you mention the pun in a comment, I will send you an original artwork made only by me. I promise.)

I have been thinking a lot about you, and how to help you with dinner. My experimentation lately has been rather unsuccessful, and yet, fun! You will be the first to know when I have a recipe that will actually help you in your day-to-day life. I promise.

Actual Recipes

Oh, you wanted some recipes?

CHICKEN IN A CROCKPOT

Sear chicken parts until brown on both sides. Saute onions. And some garlic.
Put in crockpot. Add water (or broth).
Spices: turmeric & paprika, and green olives.

Yum yum yum 6-8 hours later!


CAMPFIRE BURRITOS

Make burritos. Wrap in foil. Place on camp stove or fire or grill or whatever heat source.

Serve. Careful, they're HOT!


FRESH CORN, GRILLED

Buy fresh corn. DO NOT OPEN THE CORN UNTIL READY TO COOK.
Heat grill (or whatever heat source, etc.). Remove excess husk that might burn; cut off tips of corn (where the silk is & worms might be).
Grill about 30-44 minutes, remembering to turn the corn for even cooking.
Find yourself a really good way to butter the corn on the cob. If you look it up on the Internet you will find many patents for corn butter applications. I prefer the device featured above.

Cutting Fruit is About All I Can Muster Up

Folks, I have been really struggling with keeping my interest in cooking. It feels very tedious a lot of the time. And when I do get inspired to make a new dish, well, it doesn't seem to turn out right. I am not zenning it.

(Note: "zenning it" is to be in zen. Zenning it is absolutely essential for, say, grilling a steak. Zenning it really makes food turn out well. And if you don't have it, well, you don't have it.)

It's just been so hot. I don't really want to sweat while working in the kitchen, or to faint and hit my head on the granite island. Ouch! So, I have been rather lame and neglectful of this very important part of my life and my identity. Oh, well!

I am, however, making a better effort at taking pictures. Today I display for you some recent results. Also see my friend Jeanette's picture of cute bento rice balls, which she made for her child's entire classroom. Wha?!