Category: Main Course

Chicken, Main Course

Simplicity

by Wendi7 Comments on Simplicity
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 7/6/09 at Exit 51.

Simplicity

My friend Merriam-Webster defines simplicity as:

  • the state of being simple, uncomplicated or uncompounded
  • lack of subtlety or penetration
  • freedom from pretense or guile
  • directness of expression
  • restraint in ornamentation

In most things, I would never be associated with any of those definitions.  On my best days, I am anything but simple or uncomplicated.  But when it comes to cooking, I am consistently drawn to recipes that are simple, direct, and even restrained.  Maybe it’s an attempt to bring a small bit of balance into my life.  Or maybe it’s just that I don’t buy into the notion that all good things come at a high price whether that be monetary or otherwise. Continue reading “Simplicity” →

Main Course

Weird Science

by Wendi6 Comments on Weird Science
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 7/13/09 at Exit 51.  Clearly, this was back when CI and I were on friendlier terms.

Weird Science

Remember how you were always told in school that math and science were important in life?  Me, I didn’t believe it for one second.  I think my response was something along the lines of “yeah, whatever”.  But if I could, I would go back and tell my adolescent self to sit up and pay attention because, I swear, it’s true.

I use math in the kitchen constantly.  Want to scale a recipe up or down?  You’ll need to know your fractions.  Planning on putting a turkey on the table for Thanksgiving?  You’ll need to tap those times tables to figure out how much oven time Tom’s going to need.  That’s the easy side of things.  The science of cooking, I leave to the experts to figure out for me. Continue reading “Weird Science” →

Main Course

GOOPy

by Wendi4 Comments on GOOPy
image from http://www.istockphoto.com

While I’m away on my imaginary vacation, I’m leaving the pantry stocked with posts from Exit 51 that would have been part of the Flashback Friday series. The following originally appeared on 7/27/09 at Exit 51.

GOOPy

Dear Gwenny,

You really do make it too easy to pick on you.  You can’t help the fact that you are genetically blessed, so I won’t hate you because you’re beautiful.  I also won’t hate on you for your career success (truth be told, I really enjoyed you in  View From The Top and I was sorry to see you lose your head in Seven) or for landing a rock star husband.  Some people are just lucky. Continue reading “GOOPy” →

Main Course

Pot Roast Carbonnade

by Wendi11 Comments on Pot Roast Carbonnade

On the 4th of July while many Americans were grilling and chilling, I was peeling and chopping and sweating and braising.  Even if our grill were ready for action, it was too freaking hot to stand out in the blistering sun flipping burgers and dogs. I’m not complaining about pulling kitchen duty on a holiday though because without meaning to, I found my ultimate pot roast/beef stew hybrid.  Continue reading “Pot Roast Carbonnade” →

Main Course

Flashback Friday – Kitchen Karma

by Wendi2 Comments on Flashback Friday – Kitchen Karma

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 5/29/08 at Exit 51.

Kitchen Karma

I can’t very well tease you with references to recipes that not only work but impress the heck outta folks and then leave you high and dry, now can I?

No, that would be bad.

Bad kitchen karma.

And all my future cooking endeavors would be doomed.

So to appease the Kitchen Gods…not to mention my own personal St. Anthony of Bacon…I give you the main course from Win Some, Lose Some. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Kitchen Karma” →

Fish, Main Course

Grilled Cilantro Fish in Coconut Broth

by Wendi18 Comments on Grilled Cilantro Fish in Coconut Broth

image from http://www.istockphoto.com

I have a problem buying fish.  Actually, I don’t have a problem buying fish.  I have a problem buying fish that I like.  Most times I buy any old fish, am not happy with it, then forget what kind of fish it was and I end up making the same mistake over and over again.  I think I’ve bought cod three or four times and still can’t make myself remember that I don’t like it.  Or maybe that was haddock.  See what I mean? Continue reading “Grilled Cilantro Fish in Coconut Broth” →

Chicken, Main Course

Quick Coq au Vin

by Wendi6 Comments on Quick Coq au Vin

Quick Coq au Vin

According to Cooking Light, this SHOULD have been a super quick dish.  However, in my kitchen, nothing is what it SHOULD be.  In my kitchen, as in my life, it just is what it is.  Which is usually me making things harder than they really have to be just because I’m stubborn like that.  And what this is, is a pretty easy chicken in wine sauce.  It won’t necessarily knock your socks off.  But it won’t require you to spend hours preparing it either.  It’s a trade off I can live with. Continue reading “Quick Coq au Vin” →

Main Course

Meat Loaf Muffins

by Wendi20 Comments on Meat Loaf Muffins

Meatloaf Muffins

Facebook has an annoying habit of suggesting that I may “Like” certain things based on what my friends like.  To which I said “Dear Facebook, would you stop with the suggestions already? If I wanted to “Like” random crap, I would have done so already. Please and thank you.”  Somehow, it hasn’t gotten the message because every time I visit Facebook, it has new suggestions for me.  Now, if meat loaf had a Facebook page, I would “Like” it in a hearbeat. Continue reading “Meat Loaf Muffins” →

Main Course

Flashback Friday – Love/Hate

by Wendi7 Comments on Flashback Friday – Love/Hate

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 5/14/08 at Exit 51

Love/Hate

I have a confession to make. I have a relationship with another man. Maybe you’ve heard of him – Mark Bittman of the New York Times, otherwise known as The Minimalist.  Shhh, don’t tell SFC.

He embraces a lo-fi approach to cooking…it’s not about fancy gadgets or exotic ingredients or esoteric techniques. It’s about plain and simple good food which only seems to be fancy or exotic or esoteric. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Love/Hate” →

Main Course, South Beach Diet

That Was Easy

by Wendi10 Comments on That Was Easy

One thing I left off my “Perfect World” list was an Easy Button.  Or maybe I just assumed that because it was a Perfect World, that it would automatically come with both an Easy Button and an Undo Button.  How great would that be?  Like that time when I was 17 and I asked the wife of my brother’s friend when her baby was due?  I totally could have used an Undo Button right then.  Or the earth could have opened up and swallowed me whole.  Either one would have been preferable to my size 7 Sebago firmly lodged in my big, fat, stupid mouth. Continue reading “That Was Easy” →