Recipe Review from 10/26/2020

This past week started out with a birthday dinner for my Dad, then book group, and a bit of a sim-calculation with leftovers. While the baklava wasn't a "new" recipe, it's been at least a decade since I've made it so I figured it warranted a shout out. Weather-wise we're sitting in the high 20's low 30's, ending with two days of 20-30 mph winds. The Gales of November have arrived.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) out and about! (S) take n bake pizza
Sun (L) leftover soup and grilled cheese (S) Dad's B-day dinner (chicken and squash)
Mon (bkgrp) For the Husband: leftover pizza
Tues - leftover chicken and squash
Wed - Better than take-out Noodles
Thurs (yoga) - leftover take out Noodles
Fri - leftover noodles

Lunches: sandwiches (Husband); Lentil and barley soup (me)


Two recipes from the Falastin cook book - I'm going to point you toward the library for the full recipes. It's a lot to type out. So very much to type out...


Roasted Squash and Zucchini with whipped Feta and Pistachios (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe Blurb: This is great as either a starter or as part of a spread. It also works as a side dish, served alongside meatballs or roast chicken. Use yellow zucchini if you can; the clash of color looks great wiht the butternut squash.

I was making the roast chicken dish [below] and thought this would be a good side dish. I had half a butternut squash in the fridge, the flavors would compliment, so why not?

When all was said and served, *I* didn't care for this as made. I found the room temperature squash off-putting over the cheese mixture. My Folks claimed they liked it a lot while the Husband was quiet on the subject, which tells me he thought it was so-so.

So! For the leftovers, I warmed up the squash, put a dollop of the cheese mix on top and sprinkled with pistachios. Much better. If I were to make this again, I would offer the cheese on the side and make sure the squash was piping hot.

Speaking of leftovers, that's one thing I am finding with the side dishes in this cookbook - many sides are not meant to be leftovers. As a household of two, that's something I need to take into account.

Lemon Chicken with Za'atar (Falastin cookbook)
Recipe blurb: As anyone who as cooked the chicken sheet-pan recipes from Sami's previous cookbook - Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Jerusalem - knows, the secret weapon behind so many (seemingly) effortless dinners is a make-ahead chicken dish that can just be put into the oven when needed. All the work is done in advance, which means that at dinnertime there is little fuss, and happy feasting.

This was easy and very good. As the blurb noted, this is a make ahead dish. The chicken should marinate a minimum of two hours or overnight. I did about 6 hours and it was about perfect. I assembled the whole dish at that point and set aside in the fridge and pulled out about an hour and a half before cooking to bring close to room temp.

Everyone enjoyed this - the tart lemon, sweet onion, and flavorful za'atar are a fantastic combination. My only comment is cutting the garlic heads in half didn't do much that I could tell - the dish doesn't bake long enough to allow the garlic to soften. When I make this again (and I plan to!) I will use individual peeled cloves and toss right into the dish.

Baklava (source unknown, found it on the internet years ago)
And to round out the meal I made baklava. No, not quite Palestinian, but the flavor profile was close enough for me and, honestly? I was craving a pan of baklava and I had made this recipe at least once before.

Baklava is easy enough - finely grind nuts with orange zest and brown sugar, set aside. Make a simple syrup of orange juice, honey, sugar and water, set aside. Now the putzy part - slather melted butter over 6-8 sheets of phyllo dough one at a time, stack, put in a baking sheet. Put nuts on top, repeat with remaining 6-8 sheets of phyllo. Score, bake, and pour the last of the syrup when it comes out of the oven. Enjoy!

Lot's of recipe on the internet with variations on spices and flavorings. Find one that grabs your fancy and give it a go!

Persian Barley-Lentil Soup with Spinach (modified from Milk Street: Fast and Slow) vegetarian
This was very good. I ended up making this in the morning so the "50 minutes" start to finish is accurate. I kinda felt like I should have slammed the kitchen towel to the floor while shouting "Bo-YAH!" and dancing around when done. Alas, didn't have the time - toss into a to-go container and run out the door.

This is a very hearty and comforting vegetarian soup that uses ingredients on hand. I did have to buy a lime and the veggie broth. Normally I would substitute chicken broth as I make that, but I didn't have enough this go around. I subbed kale from the garden for the spinach, making sure to chop into bite sized pieces. This was great for lunch during the workweek, and would be delishious after skiing or for company with some artisnal bread or flatbread.

Made about 6 servings.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
2 medium carrots, diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 bay leaves
salt/pepper
1 tbsp grated lime zest
3 tbsp lime juice
3/4 pearled barley
1/2 brown or green lentils
1 1/2 qts vegetable broth
4 cups (3 oz) baby spinach chopped (I used kale)
1 cup cilantro

For the Instant Pot:  Select SAUTE/HIGH. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, tomato paste, bay leaves, and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime zest, barley, lentils, and broth, scraping up any browned bits.

Cancel SAUTE. Lock lid in place and move pressure valve to sealing. Select PRESSURE COOK/HIGH. Set cooking time for 15 mintues. When pressure cooking is complete, quick release the steam by opening the vent. Press cancel and open.

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the greens. Serve drizzled with olive oil, a dollup of plain yogurt, and extra limes.


Rice Pilaf with Spiced Beef and Veggies (greatly modified from Milk Street Fast and Slow
Whoo-boy. I really did NOT do due diligance and visually check to see that I had everything on hand for this one. I *thought* I did...I did not. That bag of basmati rice? Not enough. That box of golden raisins? Was a box of spice mix for guacamole. I already knew I was subbing frozen mixed veggies for the green beans.

I did take issue with the directions calling to cook the meat till no longer pink, which is impossible to tell when covered in cinnamon, turmeric and tomato paste. I just went for 5 minutes. Then I had problems with the meat mixture burning to the bottom of the pot. At least I'm assuming it's the meat mixture. I shut off the pot, set a separate timer for the amount of time left, and let the internal pressure do it's thing. Worked perfectly.

So some major alterations and one very tasty dish. The Husband went back for seconds.

Serves 4-6

8 oz 85% lean ground beef (I used bear meat)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 3/4 tsp tumeric
salt/pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz mixed veggies, thawed
1 1/2 cups brown basmati, white basmati, or white rice (I used a mix of white basmati and white rice) rince and drain the rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup raisins

In a medium bowl, combine meat, tomato paste, cinnamon, turmeric, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Set aside.

Using an Instant Pot, select MEDIUM/NORMAL SAUTE. Add 1 tbsp oil, heat to shimmering, add veggies and cook until lightly browned. Set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil and heat to shimmering. Add the meat mixture and cook until the meat is no longer pink (good luck trying to figure that out when the meat is covered in tomaot sauce - but it's about 5 minutes). Press CANCEL. Stir in the water, rice and the raisins, gently scraping the bottom to release any brown bits.

Lock the lind in place and set the valve to SEAL. Select PRESSURE COOK and HIGH. Set time for 22 minutes. **IF you get a BURNED signal, turn off the pressure cooker, set a separate timer for the amount of time remaining.

When cooking is finished, quick release by VENTING. Press CANCEL. Open pot, give the rice mixture a good stir to fluff. Add the veggies and close the lid. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. When time is up, stir in veggies and serve.

Bloodshot by Cherie Priest (Cheshire Red Reports #1)

RBloodshot by Cherie Priest
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: Raylene Pendle (AKA Cheshire Red), a vampire and world-renowned thief, doesn’t usually hang with her own kind. She’s too busy stealing priceless art and rare jewels. But when the infuriatingly charming Ian Stott asks for help, Raylene finds him impossible to resist—even though Ian doesn’t want precious artifacts. He wants her to retrieve missing government files—documents that deal with the secret biological experiments that left Ian blind. What Raylene doesn’t bargain for is a case that takes her from the wilds of Minneapolis to the mean streets of Atlanta. And with a psychotic, power-hungry scientist on her trail, a kick-ass drag queen on her side, and Men in Black popping up at the most inconvenient moments, the case proves to be one hell of a ride.
Read for October 2020 book group. Read as an audio book.

Premise of the book is interesting enough: Raylene is a century old vampire who keeps herself employed by stealing things for other people, or sometimes, herself. Usually very expensive and priceless things. She has been approached by another vampire who wants his records retrieved from when he was held captive under a secret government experiment. When Raylene accepts, this triggers a cascade of events that have her on the run across the States as she works to uncover the truth.

See? Interesting.

The main character? Not so much. She grated on my nerves, switching whiplash like between a strong, independent, kick-ass vampire-ess, to a panicky, indecisive, uncertain vampire in the space of a few breaths or sentences. The use of snark as a self-defense mechanism and humor to offset the indifference didn't quite work. I will add here, my dislike could be a response to the narrator of the book. The performer did a most excellent reading, maybe too well, and that much added vocalized emotion might have contributed to my annoyance.

The sub-characters I quite liked. Ian and Cal were intriguing, I wanted to know more about Antonio, and even Pepper and Domino were interesting.

The antagonists were, well, typical government subversive antagonists right down to wearing black and sneering. Nothing new there.

There was one small plot surprise toward the end of the book that had me nodding in appreciation, but while the book does not end on a cliff hanger, it does firmly set up the next book in the series. I'm really on the fence if I want to read book two. My opinion: recommended with reservations.


View all my reviews

Recipe Review from 10/19/2020

Snowed again this week. Thankfully it was not the 8" they were predicting, but enough to make it look like Christmas. Even the weather is starting the Holiday season early. Poor Halloween...

South of Malta, Montana

The Meal Plan Sat (L) leftover lasagna (S) chicken and wild rice casserole
Sun (L) leftover zucchini soup (S) chicken and wild rice casserole
Mon - tomato soup and grilled cheese
Tues - leftover casserole
Wed - leftover tomato soup and grilled cheese
Thurs (yoga) leftover casserole
Fri - brats and beans

Lunches - Better than takeout Udon Noodles


Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole (Well Plated blog)
I found myself in need of an extra meal, saw I had saved this on Pinterest, and knew I had everything on hand to make it. Yay!

This can best be described as a Minnesota (or Midwest) Thanksgiving in a casserole. Rice as stuffing, turkey or chicken, squash, onion, thyme and or sage - yup. Reminiscent of Thanksgiving and pretty darn good. I did do some notable alterations. I used:

• leftover cooked turkey, cubed
• all wild rice, cooked ( cup dried = 3 cups cooked)
  
• dried thyme and some dried sage

Since the turkey was pre-cooked, I was able to skip that part of the recipe (confirming, works great with leftovers or rotisserie). Rice I made ahead in the instant pot so it would be ready when I wanted to make dinner. Assembly goes fairly quickly and it's easy to do clean-up while waiting for the squash to cook and then again while everything bakes.

Serves 6-8
1 cup uncooked wild rice blend (about 3 cups cooked)
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds) peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 cups cubes)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme plus additional for garnish
3/4 cup dried cranberries I prefer the ones with reduced sugar
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided (about 2 ounces)

Cook the rice according to package directions. Drain off any excess cooking liquid and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced chicken and sauté until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink on the inside, about 6 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

With a paper towel, carefully wipe the skillet clean. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the diced squash, onions, salt, and pepper. Sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender but still retains some chew, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the thyme, cranberries, reserved chicken, rice, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish (my notes: cover with aluminum foil for the first part). Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven (remove foil)and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake 5 additional minutes, until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with additional chopped fresh thyme and serve warm.


Better than Takeout Udon Noodles (Bon Appetit) vegetarian option
I made this for lunches for the week. To be determined if it works. I hope it does. Sure tasted really good as I was assembling. I couldn't keep my fingers out of the noodles!

I deviated from this recipe in several ways, but the base aspects and flavors remain the same. I used regular udon, and cooked according to package directions, then tossed with the sesame oil. I omitted the pork and used 1/2 package of firm tofu and 4 oz mushrooms. I should have used the whole package of tofu and mushrooms. And based off of recommendations on the Great Food Forum (where I found this recipe) I cut back the mirin and soy sauce to 1/4 cup each.

This is kinda a fridge clean-out recipe - use what you've got. Or not. I did pick up some ramen noodles to make round two with later in the week.

As written, serves about 4.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups very coarsely chopped green cabbage (from about ¼ medium head)
2 7-ounce packages instant udon noodles, flavor packets discarded
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
8 ounces ground pork
5 scallions, white and pale-green parts coarsely chopped, dark-green parts thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (from a 1-inch knob)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
⅓ cup mirin
⅓ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for serving

Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cabbage and cook, tossing often, until edges are browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, tossing often, until thickest parts of cabbage leaves are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set skillet aside.

Place udon in a large heatproof bowl (or pot if you don’t have one) and cover with 6 cups boiling water. Let sit 1 minute, stirring to break up noodles, then drain in a colander. Transfer noodles back to bowl and toss with sesame oil. Transfer cabbage to bowl with noodles. Wipe out skillet.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in same skillet over medium-high and add pork, breaking up and spreading across surface of pan with a spatula or tongs. Cook pork, undisturbed, until underside is brown, about 3 minutes. The pork will never brown if you’re fussing with it the whole time, so when we say “undisturbed,” that means keep your paws off it and let the heat of the pan and the pork do their thing. When pork is browned, break up meat into small bits. Cook, tossing, just until there’s no more pink, about 1 minute. Add chopped scallions (the pale parts), ginger, and red pepper. Continue to cook, tossing often, until scallions are softened and bottom of skillet has started to brown, about 1 minute. Add udon mixture, mirin, and soy sauce and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are coated in sauce (be sure to scrape bottom of skillet to dissolve any browned bits), about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and fold in 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds and dark-green parts of scallions. Top with more sesame seeds before serving.


George’s Creamy Tomato Soup  (G. Hirsch Lifestyle)
I caught an episode of G. Hirch Lifestyle the week previous where he made tomato soup and a "fancy" grilled cheese sandwich. I've been looking for a decent tomato soup and this seemed like it might be worth a try. A bit of modification was necessary - I'm not going to find San Marzano Plum tomatoes in my corner of the world, so I picked out a local, hydroponically grown tomato. I have no idea what "sweet butter", used regular. Skipped the basil as I didn't want to pay $3.00 to use four leaves.

This was pretty close to my idea of a good tomato soup. If I were to make it again, I would saute 1 tbsp tomato paste with the onion and garlic. I would probably pull out the blender as well, as the immersion blender didn't get it quite smooth enough. Recommended.

Makes 6-8 servings

photo from G. Hirsch Lifestyle

5 large ripe San Marzano Plum tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons sweet butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
2- 15 ounce cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, basil
hot sauce, sea salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 cup half-and-half

Pre heat a large 4 quart soup pot.

Add olive oil, onion, garlic and fresh plum tomatoes. Stir and sweat 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the butter and when melted, then add the flour, sir and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the canned San Marzano tomatoes, stir, and simmer 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, and dried basil, simmer for 5 minutes.

Add fresh basil and simmer for 5 additional minutes.

Remove bay leaves and take the soup off the stove. For a creamier soup use a food pulser and puree slightly leaving a few chunks of tomatoes. Return back to stove and bring back to a boil, and add the optional half-and-half.

Lower heat and simmer 2 minutes.

Add hot sauce, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Served topped with crunchy croutons and a few drops of olive oil.


Grilled Cheese with Cheddar and Ham (modified from G. Hirsch Lifestyle)

From G. Hirsch: The recipe is simple, fresh farm house white pullman bread, sliced and brushed with melted butter, sharp farm house cheddar, and cured French ham all toasted on the griddle until the cheese begins to melt. The result ia a cheesy goodness that can be enjoyed any time of day. Today, mini grilled cheese toasties are even being served during cocktail parties as hors d'oeuvres.

The benefit of this recipe is there is no one right or wrong way. Change up the bread, the fillings, or expose your fillings as on open face sandwich and toast it up!

TIP: Butter the bread on the outside when assembling the sandwich before placing on griddle or sauté pan for toastie crisp goodness.

photo from G.Hirsch Lifestyle

My Notes: I used sourdough bread, the thinnest ham I could find in the deli that still looked like ham, really thin sharp cheddar cheese slices (for the husband) and cheddar and Swiss cheese on mine. Absolutely YUM! When combined with the tomato soup (assuming they like tomato soup, this is good enough for company. Recommended!

Recipe Review from 10/12/2020

Saturday we took a small day trip around the Bayfield Peninsula, enjoying stops at Amnicon Falls State Park, Hidden Falls Park in Iron River, and the fish store in Cornucopia.  The fall colors were absolutely lovely - great day to get out an enjoy fall!

Amnicon State Park

Hidden Falls Park, Port Wing

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) out and about (S) take n bake pizza
Sun (S) leftover chicken (S) lasagna
Mon - leftover lasagna
Tues - zucchini soup
Wed - leftover lasagaa
Thurs (yoga) leftover soup
Fri - leftover lasagna


Simple Lasagna with Meat Sauce (modified from: Cooks Illustrated)
While I have enjoyed the ATK/CI/Cooks Country franchise for years, they sometimes have a way of making things more complicated. IF you are fortunate enough to live where you can buy a "meatloaf" mix or your meat in nice little .33 pound amounts, go for it. However, you can simplify used 1 pound of your favorite Italian sausage mix. In my case, we used 1 pound of ground bear Italian sausage. Simplify. Plus I think Italian sausage adds more flavor to what can be a bland dish. I also added a tsp of ground pepper flakes to the tomato sauce.

For lasagna, this comes together fairly quickly. I think the most time consuming aspect was grating the cheese, and I did that earlier in the day. I don't care to buy pre-grated cheese because it comes with "anti-caking" agents, which also affect how it melts. A classic lasagna - I would make it again.

Recommended. Makes a robust 9x13" pan.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
6 medium cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 pound meatloaf mix or 1/3 pound each ground beef chuck, ground veal, and ground pork (see note) OR 1 lb Italian sausage (I did this)
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup heavy cream

photo from CooksIllustrated.com

1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
optional: 1 tsp ground pepper flakes
15 ounces ricotta cheese
(whole milk or part skim), 1 3/4 cups)
2 ½ ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8- or 9-ounce packaged
16 ounces whole milk mozzarella,shredded (4 cups)

Recipe notes: If you can’t find meatloaf mixture for the sauce, or if you choose not to eat veal, substitute 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, for the meatloaf mixture. The assembled, unbaked lasagna, if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. To bake, defrost it in the refrigerator for a day or two and bake as directed, extending the baking time by about 5 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Optional: Add ground pepper flakes. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground meats, salt, and pepper; cook, breaking meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until meat loses its raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and only fat remains, about 4 minutes. Add pureed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer slowly until flavors are blended, about 3 minutes; set sauce aside. (Sauce can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat before assembling lasagna.)

Mix ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt, and pepper in medium bowl with fork until well-combined and creamy; set aside.

Assemble first lasagna layer: meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella. Repeat layering two more times. Place 3 remaining noodles on top of sauce, spread remaining sauce over noodles, sprinkle with remaining cup mozzarella, then with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake 15 minutes, then remove foil. Return lasagna to oven and continue to bake until cheese is spotty brown and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes longer. Cool lasagna about 10 minutes; cut into pieces and serve.

Recipe Review from 10/5/20

Fall on the Missouri Breaks in Montana (2020)

I over planned a bit for the week (underestimated just how many meals the grouse and chicken would  cover) and ended up shuffling things around. The squash soup and the kale and lentil stew leftovers went for lunches and the burritos were moved to the coming week.


The Meal Plan:
Fri (back from vacay) (L) out (S) take n bake Pizza
Sat Kale and lentil stew (S) Squash soup
Sun Kale and Lentil stew (S) Grouse and wild rice
Mon - Squash Soup
Tues - Chicken
Wed - Chicken
Thurs - leftovers
Fri - leftovers

Lunches - bean and barley burritos (leftovers)

How to Cook Pheasant in a Pressure Cooker (Rocky Mountain Woman blog)
This was the recipe the Husband found for the sharp tail grouse. I did 20 minutes under pressure and the natural release was 15 minutes (timed it). Rocky Mountain Woman purposely didn't use quantities because your bird(s) may be bigger or smaller. I don't recall if the Husband found a cooking conversion for using a smaller game bird, we did drop the cooking time by five minutes. Five minutes more would have been better for two quartered grouse.

I made a wild rice casserole to go along side, and the sauce this recipe make was drizzled over everything. End result, pretty darn delirious.  I would use this technique again in a heartbeat.

Ingredients
pheasant
eggs
flour
salt & pepper from the mill
Hungarian Paprika
about a cup of chicken broth
2 or 3 T of butter
vegetable oil

Instructions
Beat a few eggs with a little water
Mix the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in another bowl
Dip the pheasant (my notes: cleaned and patted dry)in the egg
Dredge it in the flour mixture
Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in the bottom of the pressure cooker, on the brown setting
Brown the pheasant in the oil
Add the chicken stock
Cover and bring up to full pressure for 25 minutes
Let the pressure release naturally
Remove the pheasant
Add the butter to the pan and whisk in while on the brown setting to make a rich sauce


Kale and Lentil Stew with Mashed Potatoes (Eating Well, Sept 2020) vegetarian with vegan option
This came together fairly quickly with the potatoes taking the longest to prep, though I see now I cut mine smaller than 1 1/2 inches - I probably did 1/2 inches. They steamed in the time allotted though! I also used Yukon Gold potatoes as I find them a bit more versatile than russets.

I quite enjoyed this dish with the creamy mashed potatoes (and I could see riffing on these and doing buttermilk instead of milk), combining with the sweet tomatoes contrasting with the greens. If you don't like kale, substitute Swiss chard or spinach.

This could easily convert to a vegan recipe - use preferred milk and butter substitute and skip the cheese in the mashed potatoes.

Recommended!

Serves 4

Photo from eatingwell.com

1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
¾ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can low-sodium fire-roasted diced tomatoes
¾ cup red lentils, rinsed
4 ounces baby kale (5 cups)
½ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Add potatoes, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, tomatoes and lentils and bring to a simmer over high heat. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in kale. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot; add milk, butter and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each pepper and salt. Mash to desired consistency. Stir in Parmesan.

Serve the stew over the mashed potatoes.


Zucchini Bread (Cooks Illustrated)
What I've found with zucchini bread recipes, is the shear quantity of oil that is used.  This only called for 1/4 cup. Now the downside was the cup and a quarter of sugar. Eep! This is, however, one of the better recipes I've come across - it should be since I know the ATK/CI/Cooks Country franchise tests the heck out of every recipe.

Just a couple modifications - I sprinkled the nuts on top rather than mix in. My preference to have the nuts in one spot rather than mixed throughout. I skipped sprinkling the sugar on top (see note above about this already having a cup and a quarter of sugar). If I were to make this again, I would drop the nutmeg or use a pumpkin pie spice instead. Nutmeg didn't work for me.

Recommended! Makes 1 standard loaf.

Photo from cooksillustrated.com

1 ½ pounds zucchini, shredded
1 ¼ cups packed (8 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (7 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (2 3/4 ounces) whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.
Place zucchini in center of dish towel. Gather ends together and twist tightly to drain as much liquid as possible, discarding liquid (you should have 1/2 to 2/3 cup liquid). Whisk brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla together in medium bowl. Fold in zucchini.

Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg together in large bowl. Fold in zucchini mixture until just incorporated. Fold in walnuts, if using. (My Notes: I sprinkled the nuts on top.) Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake until top bounces back when gently pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 65 to 75 minutes. Let bread cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove bread from pan and let cool completely on wire rack. Serve.

Masked Prey by John Sandford (Lucas Davenport #30)

Masked Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jacket blurb: Lucas Davenport investigates a vitriolic blog that seems to be targeting the children of U.S. politicians in the latest thriller by #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.

The daughter of a U.S. Senator is monitoring her social media presence when she finds a picture of herself on a strange blog. And there are other pictures . . . of the children of other influential Washington politicians, walking or standing outside their schools, each identified by name. Surrounding the photos are texts of vicious political rants from a motley variety of radical groups.

It's obviously alarming--is there an unstable extremist tracking the loved ones of powerful politicians with deadly intent? But when the FBI is called in, there isn't much the feds can do. The anonymous photographer can't be pinned down to one location or IP address, and more importantly, at least to the paper-processing bureaucrats, no crime has actually been committed. With nowhere else to turn, influential Senators decide to call in someone who can operate outside the FBI's constraints: Lucas Davenport.


Read as an audio book. I love the narrator's performance for these books and I won't read them any other way.

I'm not going to rehash the plot or premise of Masked Prey - plenty of other reviews to read for that along with the jacket blurb.

I'm at odds with what to write with this latest installment. On one hand, it's classic Lucas Davenport. There's no secret to the what the protagonist is doing, the only "mystery" is in how Lucas is going to solve the problem. And in Masked Prey, even that was revealed fairly early on.

Which brings me round to my conundrum - I could see everything coming down the proverbial train tracks as if I were standing on a hill in North Dakota. There was no "suspense" in this. The mystery of the 1919 Website - obvious. Lucas's intent - obvious. Resolution - absolutely no surprise. Yet...there are a few moral questions that this book raises and our main characters darker side is brought to light which is something the series hasn't shown in a while. So while the story just putters along, there's some interesting undertones happening that take a while to sink in.

Rest assured, Rae (sp? downside of audio) and Bob make an appearance. Albeit a short one that serves the purpose of setting up the ending. Still, they come in with guns and snark a plenty which I always look forward to.

Ultimately, I found this to be a middle of the road "read". The plot held my attention, there were no surprises, all the important characters made an appearance, and the narrator continues to do a splendid job. Recommended if you've read the first twenty-nine books.

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Malta, MT 2020

This past week found the Husband and I in Malta, MT, for some bird hunting. Note - he did the hunting. The Husband and Kep-pup went in search of birds while gun-shy (all loud, bang! type noises, actually) Andy-dog and I would wander in a different direction.

BNSF train running west.  Just 'cause I like trains.

We covered a lot of ground, which isn't hard in such wide open places. We explored some Prairie Restoration property (with prior written permission), some Block Management property (you sign in at a designated box), a National Wildlife Refuge (mostly just explored) and some BLM land.

Little Rockies in the distance

We did take part of a day to drive down to the Missouri Breaks and through the Little Rockies.

The "Breaks" from up high

The Missouri

And there was quite the variety of wildlife: sharptail grouse, sage grouse, mule deer (never saw any bucks, just does), pronghorn, elk (in the Missouri Breaks), buffalo, prarie dogs, badgers, one coyote, and pheasant. Not critters we see around our corner of the world.

Weather was a bit all over the place - the Saturday and Sunday we arrived it was 30 mph winds which makes for very difficult hunting. Or walking. Or standing. Monday and Tuesday was absolutely beautiful. Wednesday was back to 30 mph winds and chilly. Brr!

What you don't see is the 30 mph winds that are blowing...

One notable stop - Blue Ridge Brewery. Good beer, good kombucha (I forgot to ask if they make it, but I'm just happy they offered a non-alcohol option), and good company. Recommended if you're in the neighborhood!

Resurgance by CJ Cherryh (Foreigner #20)

Resurgence by C.J. Cherryh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: The twentieth book in the beloved Foreigner saga returns to the trials of diplomat Bren Cameron, as he navigates the tenuous peace he has struck between human refugees and the alien atevi. Bren Cameron, diplomat in residence, usually represents the ruler of the atevi state. But Ilisidi, the dowager, has been known to borrow his services from time to time--and she has her own notions how to solve the simmering hostilities in the south of the atevi continent, playing one problem against another. This time, she is betting the hard-won northern peace--and the lives of the people--on being right. She has commandeered the Red Train, taken aboard what passengers she chooses, and headed for the snowy roof of the world, where a hard-scrabble town and its minor lord are the first pieces she intends to use.

I had speculated at the conclusion of Emergence (#19) that Emergence felt like an ending, a conclusion to the series. It was not. While I am happy to delve back into the world of Bren and the Atevi, I admit I'm beginning to wonder if it's time to bring this series to a conclusion. I honestly don't expect every book to be a "knock my socks off Wow! that was spectacular!" installment, but I would like something other than perceived crisis after crisis.

Resurgence brings Bren back to the Atevi mainland and right into another one of Ilisidi's machinations. As Ilsidi's plot unwinds, I realized Bren's role was actually quite small and, honestly, mostly irrelevant. A crisis where there was no crisis, a Padhai where there didn't need to be one, a terrorist attack to add action and so much repetitive exposition.

What kept me reading was Cajeri's plot line - his success from Tirnamardi and his relationship with his Mother, his interaction with his household, his father and the (finally) decision to re-home Boji. I found myself wanting to skip Bren's plot line to get to Cajeri.

Ultimately, when all was said and read, this is a straight-up transition book. Characters were maneuvered into place for the next installment. That's it, nothing more.

And yet, this is still a good read. It's a Cherryh book through and through. Recommended if you've read the first 19 books.

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All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Murderbot #1)

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jacket Blurb: In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn't a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied 'droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as "Murderbot." Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

Read for September 2020 book group.

General consensus from the book group was this was an enjoyable, quick, and interesting read. For myself, this was just the length I needed at this moment in time. And being a short story, this is going to be a short review.

I've said this in the past, a good short story can be difficult to write as you need to engage the reader within the first couple of pages and keep their attention with a minimum of background "fluff". I thought the author did that - this is a character driven story and there is just enough background to provide the setting. A couple folks did note in book group that they would have liked more background information, and a couple of us thought it was good the way it was.

I haven't read any reviews on this selection, and I'm sure this has been discussed at length, but the notable lack of gender reference was quite interesting. For those in the group who "read" this as an audio book, they assigned a male gender because the narrator was male. I read on my e-reader and I thought the character came across as female. When really, the character is gender-less. Fascinating. This lead to discussions on Ann Leckie's books and similar.

Overall, a good read and I plan on picking up the next few books in the series. Recommended.

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Recipe Review from 9/14/20

Two hard frosts have done in the garden this past week. The Husband picked the last of the zucchini - of which there was a surprising amount - and the squash. The squash we got was not what we thought we planted, plus we got some strange cross-hybrids. But the big question is, did they get enough time on the vine to ripen? The cherry tomatoes are finished - no saving those. The Swiss chard and kale we can baby along a bit longer. So, basically gardening is done for the year and we can start to take things down for winter.

The other exciting news for the week is my friend and I did get out wild ricing! We were about a week late, so "knocking" was a bit slim. It was a beautiful day to be out on the water so I have no complaints.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) sandwiches (S) zucchini soup
Sun (L) sandwiches (S) zucchini soup
Mon - Maque choux
Tues (Ricing) Maque choux
Wed - Lamb Ragu
Thurs - Lamb Ragu
Fri - Maque choux


Lamb Ragu over Pasta (Cooks Country)
This was a simple dish that came together very quickly and had enough for leftovers for a couple meals.  I did do one mistake - I misread the fennel and bought a fennel bulb.  Since I don't have ground fennel on hand, I thinly sliced the bulb and sauted it with the rest.  Worked just fine.  My main objection with this dish is it was a tich on the bland side - if I were to make this again (and I would), I would add some red pepper flakes for a bit more background heat. 

Serves 4-6 (6 if you serve with a salad and some crusty bread)

1 pound ground lamb 1 onion, chopped fine
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 ½ teaspoons ground fennel
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon table salt, plus salt for cooking pasta
½ teaspoon pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 pound pappardelle
½ cup torn fresh basil

Combine lamb, onion, carrots, garlic, fennel, oregano, salt, and pepper in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until meat is cooked through and carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

Add sauce and ¼ cup reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Maque Choux (Milk Street Tuesday Nights)
This was fast, especially if using frozen corn, and tasty. I did do two substitutions: I used some chorizo I had in the freezer instead of andoullie sausage, and I used a poblano instead of an Anaheim as the store was out of Anaheim's. I think this was on the table in about 45 minutes from opening the fridge door to plating, plus I had time to tidy. Flavors are bright, this is a great way to use some summer produce, and honestly, I think you could use just about any kind of meat here: andoullie, chorizo, kielbasa, shrimp, or even chicken. I will be making this again.

Serves 3-4 (I got three servings).

1 tbsp grapeseed or neutral oil
12 oz andoullie sausage (Chorizo or Kielbasa would also work well)
halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tbsp salted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 Anaheim chili, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dreid thyme
3 cups fresh corn OR 1 lb bag frozen corn (do not thaw)
1 tbsp cider vinegar

In a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a papertowel lined plate and discard any fat in the skillet.

Return the skillet to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onions, bell pepper, Anaheim chili and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, scraping up any browned bits and stirring occastionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5-7 minutes. Increase to medium high and add the corn, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, until the corn is crisp-tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Return sausage to skillit, stir and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Crafts 2020 - knitting

Last week I did a post on sewing, so this week I thought I'd do a post on a few of the knitting projects I've finished to date. It's been a good year for knitting with fun patterns and reducing the stash at the same time. Not that my stash is all that robust, but I like to keep the skeins on hand manageable. So far I've only purchased one skein this year, and that's already been turned into a scarf (Easy Goes It with Three Irish Girls yarn).   All patterns can be found on Ravelry.com.

In no particular order:

Pattern: Easy Goes It
Yarn: Knitty Gritty yarn (from Oregon), one skein

Pattern: Easy Goes It
Yarn: Three Irish Girls (from Duluth), Park Point Lilacs (one skein)

Pattern: Out Cattin' Around
Yarn: Malabrigo Mechita (one skein)

Pattern: Therapy
Yarn: Schaeffer Yarn Company, Diane (3 skeins)

Pattern: Beachcomber
Yarn: Knit Picks Cotlin (4-5 skeins)