Recipe Review from 10/11/21

With the Husband out of town for three days, and needing to juggle work, yoga and the puppy, I stuck with tried and true recipes to keep things simple. The Husband brought back some handmade pasties from MI so I slid those into the meal plan.

The Little Rockies, MT 2020

The Meal Plan
Sat (yoga) (L) leftover squash soup (S) Burgundy ala Malachosky w/Bear over egg noodles
Sun (L) leftover soup (S) leftover bear
Mon (yoga) leftover bear
Tues (Husband in MI) Gnocchi with sundried tomatoes and beans
Wed (Husband in MI) Gnocchi
Thurs (Husband in MI) Gnocchi
Fri - Stuffed pepper soup leftover pasties from MI

Lunches - Quiche


Venison Burgundy ala Malachosky (made with Bear) - North American Hunt Club
White Bean and Sundried Tomatoe Gnocchi - Eating Well, Oct 2021
Mushroom and Swiss Quiche - Original Moosewood Cookbook

A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb: One of the greatest satires in American literature, Mark Twain's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' begins when Hank Morgan, a skilled mechanic in a nineteenth-century New England arms factory, is struck on the head during a quarrel and awakens to find himself among the knights and magicians of King Arthur's Camelot. The 'Yankee' vows brashly to "boss the whole country inside of three weeks" and embarks on an ambitious plan to modernize Camelot with 19th c. industrial inventions like electricity and gunfire. It isn't long before all hell breaks loose!

Written in 1889, Mark 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' is one of literature's first genre mash-ups and one of the first works to feature time travel. It is one of the best known Twain stories, and also one of his most unique. Twain uses the work to launch a social commentary on contemporary society, a thinly veiled critique of the contemporary times despite the Old World setting.

While the dark pessimism that would fully blossom in Twain's later works can be discerned in 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, ' the novel will nevertheless be remembered primarily for its wild leaps of imagination, brilliant wit, and entertaining storytelling.

Read as an audio book.

This past spring The Husband and I took a jaunt down to southeaster Missouri for a late-winter (for us) get away. It was nigh spring in Southern Missouri, and while the trees were quite leafed out nor the early flowers blooming, there wasn't any snow. We stopped in Hannibal, MO, and spent part of a day immersed in Mark Twain's world. Which lead to the realization that I've only read Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. The Husband noted A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court was an enjoyable read. It took a few more months, but I slid it into the lineup.

First noting - I greatly enjoyed the narrators performance, cadence and voices. It was a delight to listen to and I was quite bummed when the book concluded. He had the perfect voice for a commute read.

The story itself was fascinating. Despite being written nearly 100 years ago, it amazed me how much of the authors political commentary was still apropos for today. The astute reader will pick up on Mark Twain's observations and viewpoints from the late 1800's, but gosh darn if some things just don't change.

I did look this up, and while not the "first" science fiction book (that is still thought to be Frankenstein), this is considered the first time-travel book. This was well executed - probably more so than some "modern day" time travel books I've read. This isn't to say the book is perfect in all regards, it's not by any stretch of the imagination. The feasibility of one person being able to re-create the telephone, trains, gas lines, bombs and more did push the bounds of reality a tich. From a 21st Century standpoint. From a 1800's or early 1900's view? Maybe it was more believable.

This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think. I'm glad I read this and I regret not picking this up earlier, but perhaps I would not have enjoyed it as much as I did. Recommended from a historical perspective.


View all my reviews

Recipe Review from 10/4/2021

The slow cooker was pulled out this weekend - being 50*, foggy with rain and generally overcast, it was the perfect weekend to cook up something in the slow cooker. We start off Fall with a big ol pot of jambalaya!

On the project front, a couple of finishes that I could squeeze inbetween watching the pups. At 4 1/2 months, Chet is in full puppy mode with all the joy and frustrations that come with a very active and energetic pup.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) fruit and cheese (S) leftover pizza
Sun (L) grilled sage grouse (S) slow cooked jambalaya
Mon (yoga): leftover jambalaya
Tue - salmon
Wed (yoga) leftover fish
Thurs: leftover jambalaya
Fri - leftover jambalaya

Lunches - Coconut Curry Squash Soup

Slow Cooker Jambalaya (Simply Recipes)
An easy recipe to assemble, chop, plop, stir and walk away. Don't be tempted to add the shrimp early, it will get over cooked. You can also adjust the heat to your own taste buds by making your own Creole Seasoning, or use your favorite pre-made blend and add extra cayenne. Or, put that bottle of hot sauce on the table and enjoy!

I do like my jambalaya served over rice so that's what I did. Recommended!

Photo from simplyrecipes.com

Serves ~6 without rice
Made about 4 meals for two with rice (8-10 servings).
1 white onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced about 1/4 inch
1 pound boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning (I like Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning)
1 pound large shrimp, shell on, thawed
1 cup long grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, sausage, chicken, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, and Creole seasoning to a large slow cooker. Stir together well.

Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 4 to 5 hours. You are ready to move onto the next step when the veggies are very tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Leave the shells on the shrimp, but use kitchen shears to cut up the backs; this will make them easier to peel later.

Add the shrimp to the slow cooker. Stir it in, cover, and cook on high for another 30 to 45 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through.

While the shrimp cooks, cook the rice either according to the package directions or following this boiled rice method. When done, set the rice aside, covered, until ready to serve. (This makes about 4 cups of cooked rice.)

Remove bay leaves from the jambalaya and taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Either peel the shells off the shrimp now, or serve with the shells on and instruct guests to remove the shells as they eat.

Stir the cooked rice into the jambalaya (as pictured), or serve the jambalaya ladled over top the rice.

Leftovers will keep in the fridge in air-tight containers for 2 to 3 days and then the shrimp start to really break down. This dish doesn’t freeze particularly well. The combination of rice, shrimp, and sauce doesn’t reheat easily without making the shrimp very rubbery.


Coconut Curry Squash Soup with Pumpkin Seeds (Eating Well, Oct 2021)
vegetarian/vegan I made this for lunches for the week. This is a brothy soup with chunks of squash, carrots and celery, not a thick blended soup, but it could easily be blended if that's your preference. I loved the flavors in this - a hint of heat to warm the sinus's, a hint of creamy coconut, and sweatness from the squash and carrot.

As a brothy soup it was a bit more difficult to transport so I made sure to cover with sticky cling-wrap and put in a veggie bag in case of leaks or spills.

Photo from eatingwell.com

Serves 4 (I got six servings out of this)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 teaspoon, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium stalks celery, chopped
3 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon hot Madras curry powder plus 1 teaspoon, divided
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed
½ cup unsalted pepitas
lime wedges (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and scallion whites and cook, stirring often, until very tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, 1 tablespoon curry powder, cumin and salt; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add squash, broth, coconut milk and chickpeas and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss pepitas with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and 1 teaspoon curry powder in a small bowl. Spread in a small baking pan and bake until toasted and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes.

Top the soup with the pepitas and scallion greens. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Recipe Review from 9/27/2021

A bit of a short week as we were in Minoqua, WI, to check out Beef-a-Rama and the surrounding area. I picked out a couple easy recipes then filled in the blanks with a frozen pasty and leftover pizza.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (Minoqua)
Sun (Minoqua) (S) pasty with veggies
Mon (yoga/bkgrp) leftover pizza
Tues - gnocchi
Wed (yoga) gnocchi
Thurs - salmon
Fri - salmon take-n-bake pizza

Lunches - sandwiches with fruit

White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi (Eating Well, Oct 2021) vegetarian
I really liked this and plan on making it again in the next month or so when the Husband heads out bird hunting. I did have a couple of modifications: I used frozen gnocchi that I cooked according to the directions on the package, then set aside to "dry" until proceeding with step 1. I used Swiss chard instead of spinach (had the chard in the garden) and I used water instead of chicken broth because it's only a 1/2 cup. Not worth to thaw out a container nor buy a can of broth for a half cup.

So my two modifications added a tich of prep time, but this still came together very quickly. I loved the flavors, I loved the gnocchi, I just loved how comforting it was to eat. Recommended!

Photo from eatingwell.com

Serves 4

½ cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes plus 2 tablespoons oil from the jar, divided
1 (16 ounce) package shelf-stable gnocchi
1 (15 ounce) can low-sodium cannellini beans, rinsed
1 (5 ounce) package baby spinach (I used Swiss chard)
1 large shallot, minced
⅓ cup low-sodium no-chicken broth or chicken broth (I used water)
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add beans and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add sun-dried tomatoes and shallot; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Increase heat to high and add broth. Cook until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and stir in cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Return the gnocchi mixture to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve topped with basil.


Salmon with Smokey Mayo and Quinoa (Eating Well, Oct 2021)
Another very tasty dish that I hope to make again.

Modifications: I cooked the salmon on the grill, skipping the oven completely. You do need to thaw the salmon first, prep the grill (I do 325-350*), and start the salmon skin-side down. At the halfway point (time will depend upon the thickness of your fillets) I added the smokey mayo and let the fish finish cooking. Here is where I pre-heated the broiler, and after the fish came off the grill, I added the panko topping and broiled for just a moment(watch to make sure they don't burn!).

For the quinoa mixture I ended up using a stalk of kale (minus the stem) in place of peas because I forgot I used up the peas when I made the pasty. Still good and showed how versatile the mixture can be.

Much to my chagrin (and lack of proper meal prep planning), I had enough salmon and quinoa for only one meal. My fault for not checking how much salmon, quinoa and peas I had in the freezer. Still, super tasty. Recommended!

Photo from eatingwell.com

Serves 4

1 cup water
4 frozen salmon fillets (about 1 1/4 pounds)
½ cup quinoa
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ¼ teaspoons grated garlic, divided
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
2 cups frozen peas
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 425°F. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

Place salmon in a baking dish (skin-side down, if not skinned). Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add quinoa to the boiling water, cover and reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer. Cook until most of the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Combine mayonnaise, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon garlic in a small bowl. Combine panko, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic in another small bowl.

Uncover the salmon and spread each fillet with about 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture topped with 2 tablespoons of the panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Continue baking, uncovered, until the fish is opaque in the center and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes more.

Add peas and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic, 1 tablespoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt to the quinoa. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the peas are hot and the water is mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in dill, lemon zest and lemon juice. Serve the quinoa with the salmon.