Cream Cheese Corn and Sandwiches

I had half a block of cream cheese left over from the chicken recipe a few days ago and went looking for a vegetable dish to use it. There were a dozen or so dishes that made a creamy corn deal and I figured, hey, why not? Result? I should have listened to the Texans and added some spice. Otherwise, it was interesting.

I used about 1 pound of frozen sweet corn, half a block of cream cheese, 2 T butter, plus some garlic, onion powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika. I think some hot sauce and black beans might be a good addition.

With school about to start again, I need quick meals that I can take with me if I get hungry. So the old sandwich it is. Actually, this isn't as bad as it sounds because I hardly ever get sandwiches. I never buy bread or lunch meat or sliced cheese. This also marks the first time in my life that I haven't had mustard in the house. But I was super excited today to have my first homemade sandwich in... probably close to a year? Maybe. My memory sucks. Sourdough, pastrami, wasabi mayo, lettuce, and a bit of shredded cheese. My stomach was so happy. I can't wait to experiment with bread-y goodness again.

Masoor Daal

Oh my god. This is amazing. I wanted a quick, simple dish that had what I hoped to be an authentic Indian flavor. I think that's exactly what I got. The ingredients list for this one isn't very scary either. I couldn't find cumin seed, but I found a list of substitutions here. I added a teaspoon of pepper corns and a dash of ground cumin instead of the seeds for mine and it turned out fine.

I think the secret here was the teaspoon or so of garam masala that I added. Garam masala is a popular Indian spice mix that can be found in most ethnic grocery stores and even some of the larger chain stores as well. There was a bit of worry since I had my bag of lentils for at least two years now, but they tasted fine. It finished it off anyways, so I can buy more knowing I'll actually use them. Next time, I'll half the cayenne because this was pretty spicy for my taste. Use extra rice to tone it down if you must, but try this recipe. So worth it.



Also, if you're in the Fort Collins, Colorado area and want Indian, try Taj Mahal in the downtown area. So good. I had the chicken tikka masala and he had the spicy chicken vindaloo. With a side of butter naan and a cardamom spiced iced tea, we made ourselves sick on it. Completely worth it, but ouch.

Cheesy Chicken Biscuits

Kay. I do have a recipe and everything, but I want to start by warning everyone to STAY SAFE FROM EVIL BUGS. I was driving to the grocery store and felt something digging into my back. Okay, it must be the tag to my underwear. Not that I pull it up to the center of my back or anything, but you know what I mean. Anyway, I reach back to move it when I grab something. Wad of scratchy paper? No. Bug. Big, sharp, earthy-toned bug of doom. In my car. Sliding down the back of my jeans.

It tried to eat me.

Do you hear me? Eat. Beware.

I bet you're wondering what that has to do with food. Well, I was on my way to the grocery store. There. All connected now. Anyways, wanted something simple and quick, so off to the church cookbooks I ran. This is actually a recipe submitted my one of my cousins. Next time, I'll cut up all my pieces of chicken and cheese smaller. I also halfed the recipe, but I would keep the full amount of biscuits, especially if you bick up the butter and garlic cresent rolls because they're SO good.

Cheesy Chicken Biscuits

2 cans refrigerated biscuit or crescent rolls
1 8 oz block cream cheese
2 8oz blocks cheese, any kind (I used sharp cheddar)
1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used thighs)



Cook chicken and cut into pieces. Set aside
Flatten one can of biscuits in a baking dish. Cut all cheese into 1 inch cubes and place over biscuits with chicken. Flatten the other can of biscuits on top. Bake in a 350F for 30-40 minutes or until top is brown. Remove from oven and top with butter. Cut and serve.

Stuffed

Well, vacation's over. All the unfun stuff is about to begin. The upside is that I missed my kitchen. Don't get me wrong. Eating out at least once a day for two weeks left us fat and very, very happy, but I was with bachelors. You know what that means: crap kitchen. Whereas mine is so organized and fully stocked. I've got lots of fun gadgets. I've also got the almighty dishwasher that is not cleverly disguised as a two dudes drinking beer. I might actually cook again. Imagine that! Will be checking in soon to let you know of progress and to brag about everything I ate and you didn't. Later.

On Vacation

In case you didn't know already. The last few days have been awesome and full of great food. Of course, my camera decided to be ticky and not work half the time. I'm sure I'll have a few to share when I get back. Also, Fort Collins has a Whole Foods and I'm living it up to the fullest extent. Meaning expect product reviews soon. I'll be officially back early August, but I figured checking in now would be nice. Especially since this town is wireless friendly and I'm sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a delicious latte and chocolate dipped pretzel. I hope you're all enjoying your time as much. We'll talk soon.

Watermelon Agua Fresca

You will all be proud to know that I am in fact using up my perishables. I say I'll do this every time I leave the house for a few days, but this is the first time I'm actually making the concerted effort to do so. I think I'm a reincarnation of a great depression era person shoved into a modern body that has learned how to be lazy. The thought of throwing away food and not using every scrap turns my stomach, but it happens to often. Maybe this is the start of being less wasteful? Let's hope so. Not only have I made another bout of macaroni and cheese from this recipe to use up some cheese, but I've used half my watermelon making agua fresca. This is a beverage made popular in Mexico that has come to my attention within the last year or so. It also made an appearance in one of my recent magazines and hey! Watermelon!

Now I must say that I was very critical of the recipe I chose. One tablespoon of lime juice? Are you kidding? Now, I don't know about you, but I am the lime-lovingest person I know. If it doesn't kick me in the teeth, there's not enough lime. So I ended up using about a 1/4 cup (the rest of my bottle) because I didn't have fresh limes. I'm still not enough either. Overall though, this is a decent way to use up watermelon if you have it. I'm just not sure I'm sold enough to make it again. Plus, it's a bit unsettling to go back to the frige a few hours later and find it looking like this.



Watermelon Agua Fresca

Eggplant with Pomegranate Molasses

My best friend, the Bringer of Produce, has again gifted me with fresh food. Which means that I've had it staring at me to cook it for too long now. And seeing as how I'm about to leave for Colorado again, I should probably cook it. You know, before it glares at me with its rotten eyes. This is also the perfect opportunity to try a cookbook that I've had on my shelves. It's called Arabesque. Beautiful book, but not one you may have ingredients handy for. Unless you're me and you pick up things like pomegranate molasses on a whim. I had no idea what I'd use it for. Now that I've got two eggplants, I've got a plan for adventure.

If you've never had pomegranate molasses, here's the scoop. It's a syrup obviously deriving it's flavor from the fruit juice itself. While not quite as thick as traditional molasses, it has a clingy consistency but is still easy to pour. The flavor is sharp and tangy like the fruit, and can easily be sweetened up for dessert or used in a savory dish like this.

I'm not sure where I first encountered eggplant or why I remember liking it even though I've made several recipes with it that turned bad. I am reminded again though while roasting them because they smell like heaven. Not something I'd usually associate with this particular vegetable, but my whole apartment smells like green, fresh, satisfying food. I've really missed that.

I think my eggplants were too ripe when I cooked them, so instead of cubes of mushy vegetable, I got something more like eggplant hummus.



The only cure for this, of course, is to toast a bit of bread. I used less olive oil and probably less lemon juice than was called for but it still tastes tangy and... eggplanty. It's nothing spectacular, but it's one of those things that you eat like this: "Well, it's not really that great. I'll just take one more bite. Nom nom nom nom. Hey... where'd it all go?"

Oh yeah. And the recipe calls for fresh, flat-leafed parsley.



Ahem. Moving on.



Eggplant with Pomegranate Molasses
Serves 4 to 6

2 to 3 eggplants (weighing about 2 pounds)
juice of 1 lemon
1 T pomegranate molasses
1 to 2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and black pepper
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
seeds of 1/2 pomegranate (optional)

Prick the eggplants in a few places with a pointed knife to prevent them from exploding. Place them on a sheet of foil on an oven tray and roast them in an oven preheated to 475F for 45 to 55 minutes, until the skins are wrinkled and they are very soft.

When cool enough to handle, peel and drop them in a colander or strainer with small holes. Press them very gently to allow their juices to run out. Then, on a serving plate, cut them into large pieces and dress them quickly so that the flesh does not have time to discolor.

Mix them lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil, pour over the eggplants, and turn them to coat them all over with the dressing. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley and, if you like, pomegranate seeds.

What's Eating

Well, a visit from my mother prompted me to spiff up the dinner menu.

*cough*frozenpizzabitesandsalad*cough*

Okay, fine.



But I did make roast chicken, garlic bread, and soggy roast pototoes the second night. Promise! I just didn't take a picture. Well, if it makes anyone feel better, I've got cakes to bake coming up soon. Of course, if it works like planned, Photobucket won't let you see it either. Let's see how this all works out.