C'est La Vie

I'm discouraged.

All summer I had time to plan elaborate meals, to shop at all the farmers markets and specialty stores, and to cook elaborate, tasty meals.

Right now I'm lucky if I have enough time or energy to wash, spin dry, and fry an egg and some kale in a skillet.

Between prepping to teach, teaching, conferencing with students, going to committee meetings, volunteering, grading, writing, editing, and just plain getting by, my meals are suffering.

Let me clarify. I've been throwing together the good ole standby--Lentil soup--and roasting a chicken on Sunday that we use in tacos, wraps, sandwiches, salads, soups, pastas, etc., but I really want a day to slave over the stove. Seriously, it's fall, my favorite season. I should be braising meats, roasting veggies, and simmering sauces. I should be homemaking pie crusts and spending hours peeling and thinly slicing apples.

Or do I just think I should be doing those things because I'm a self-pronounced food writer and food lover?

I just feel as though I'm letting down my readers (and my husband) by not serving up goodies that are blog worthy. Really, do you want to read about the turkey burgers I made Monday night or the Chipotle burrito I scarfed down 7:30 after teaching and  before I walked the dog and started grading at  9 p.m.?

I want to promise better blog posts from here on out, but until winter break, it's just not possible.

What is possible, though, is a sharing of our go-to foods when we're in a hurry and don't have a lot of time to cook. Ground turkey tacos are one of our favs. But what I've really been loving lately are the quick pasta dishes we whip up by using the tomato sauce I made this summer and froze. And I've been loving the joy of autumn fresh apples, which have been lifesavers for snacks and side dishes.

What are your go-to dishes? What do you make when you have only 15 minutes and barely anything in the fridge? I need ideas!

Now back to grading...

Goodbye Summer & Picnics at the Quarry

Tomorrow  the semester starts and summer ends.

While I really excited to get back in the classroom with my students, I'm a little sad too. It means I'm going to have a lot less time to cook.

One of my favorite summer activities has been going to the Portage Quarry with our friends N & I. They are as food obsessed as me.

So really, while swimming was totally fun, what was even more fun were our picnics. All of us brought A game to every meal. We're talking spreads that would shame wedding buffets. And what a better way to use up all that fresh produce that was overtaking our refrigerators' crisper drawers?

Also, what picnic days taught me was how to think outside the box of what was picnic food, and they forced me to experiment more with grains, chilled salads, and sides, most of which could easily become main dishes.

I had a blast spending the whole day before our outings scouring through online and magazine and cookbook recipes, creating various flavor simple syrups, testing adult lemonades, finding plastic containers with tight fitting lids, and cooking.

Thanks to our picnics I've learned to love lentils even more, and I feel much closer to N & I (and our friend J who joined us once too!), who were rad to begin with but who are even more rad after I got a chance to chill, swim, and eat with them.

As homage to the last of our picnic days (and summer, in general), here are photos from our summer of good eating, good swimming, and good friends.

Homemade grape leaves, homemade hummus, egg salad, chicken salad, coleslaw with beets, beet salad, etc.

N & I made their own pickles. True love at first bite.

A lot of our produce came from the community garden and farmers markets.

N's baking is divine. This is her cupcake with mint (or basil?) frosting. It's hard to remember everything...

Lentil wraps, fried chicken, bbq chicken & tofu, pasta salad, kale salad, roasted potatoes, peach crisp, etc.

Green bean and cherry tomato salad with onion--produce from my friend Sarah's garden.

Who In Their Right Mind Craves Lasagna In the Middle of July?

So begins the season of summer squash, and this year I'm devoted to trying to doing more with it than the run-of-the-mill zucchini bread. (Though I am trying to find a new recipe for zucc bread, if you come across one...)

In the meantime, I made Vegetable Lasagna from the Cook's Illustrated Light Cookbook, and it was divine. I recommend, though, carving out a lot of time to focus on this recipe. You begin it by making your own sauce (make a double batch!). It's time consuming and worth it, especially if you're trying to use up some of those endlessly harvested summer crops.

Postscript confession: I used Canal Junction's Gruyere cheese with a bit of mozz, but I did use a "light" ricotta and cottage cheeses. The WW exchange points are a 7, if you stick strictly to the recipe. I gauged my revisions would be 10 points.

Another consideration: Only make this if you have A/C; otherwise, the kitchen could get a little hot.

I promise "cool" recipes for summer squash in the near future.

Serves 6 to 8. Published September 1, 1997.

Smoked mozzarella, Gruyère, or Fontina can be substituted for the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan. Also, three and one-half cups of your favorite prepared tomato sauce can be substituted for the sauce in this recipe. Because no-boil noodles come twelve to sixteen in a box, we suggest buying two boxes to ensure that you'll have the fifteen required for this lasagne.

Ingredients

Lasagne
2	tablespoons olive oil
2	medium cloves garlic , minced
	petite diced tomato
2	tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves
15	no-boil lasagna noodles (dried, 7-by-3 1/2-inch)
3	cups vegetables , cooked and seasoned (see below)
1	pound mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 4 cups)
5	ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2/3 cup)
	Vegetable cooking spray for foil
Vegetables: Toss with enough olive oil to coat them lightly before roasting or sauté them in a few tablespoons of olive oil.
	asparagus spears - trim tough ends, slice in half lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; blanch until crisp-tender, drain well, and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes
	broccoli or cauliflower - cut into florets, blanch until crisp-tender, drain, chop into 1/4-inch pieces and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes
	eggplant - cut into 1/2-inch dice, roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
	fennel - cut bulb into very thin strips; sauté until tender, about 15 minutes, or roast until tender, about 30 minutes at 400 degrees
	mushrooms - trim and slice or dice; sauté until golden, about 5 -7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
	onions - peel and cut into thin slices; sauté until soft and golden, 5 -7 minutes, or roast until soft and golden, about 20 minutes at 400 degrees
	spinach or Swiss chard - wash, stem and chop; sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes
	zucchini - cut into 1/2-inch dice; sauté until tender, about 7 minutes, or roast until tender, about 35 minutes at 400 degrees
Vegetable Seasonings
	minced garlic (optional)
	minced fresh herbs (optional)
	red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. 1. Heat oil and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil or parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into large measuring cup. Add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.

2. 2. Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over bottom of greased 13-by-9-inch lasagne pan. Lay three noodles crosswise over sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or sides of pan. Spread 3/4 cup prepared vegetables evenly over noodles, 1/2 cup sauce evenly over vegetables, and 3/4 cup mozzarella and 2 generous tablespoons Parmesan evenly over sauce. Repeat layering of noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheeses three more times. For fifth and final layer, lay final three noodles crosswise over previous layer and top with with remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan. (Can be wrapped with plastic and aluminum foil and frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, defrost in refrigerator).

3. 3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Cover pan with large sheet foil greased with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes (30 minutes if chilled); remove foil and continue baking until top turns golden brown in spots, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let lasagne rest 5 minutes. Cut and serve immediately.

For the Love of Kale

The Kale Fairy (Homestead Gardens) has blessed me with the beginnings of a very tasty growing season.

And though I'm drowning in a sea of student essays, rubrics, and portfolio comments, I always find time to cook up some divine greens.

Enjoy my tribute to kale and the other spring greens. It's celebration of local produce! Yay!

Lent: A Challenge in Not Eating Meat

For Lent I'm not eating meat on Fridays and on holy days.

As many of you know, I love meat. A lot.

True to my midwestern upbringing we eat meat and potatoes for almost every meal, as you probably have seen.

And the fallout from being on the Atkin's Diet is I have a fear of pasta.

But I've been pleasantly surprised by the pasta dishes I've started making during Lent.

On Ash Wednesday I cooked up my own spaghetti sauce thanks to a Cook's Illustrated recipe from May 1, 1997. (Old school and delicious!)

I was really pleased with the consistency, texture, and flavor. It's definitely one I'll use again and again.

I've been thinking a lot about the connection between food and religion. But I still have more thinking to do before I can post anything intelligent.

In the meantime, I hope you have as much success with this recipe as I did.

Ingredients

	1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes or 1 can whole tomatoes ( not packed in puree or sauce)
2	medium cloves garlic , peeled
3	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2	tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (about 8 leaves)
1/4	teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2	teaspoons table salt
3/4	pound pasta

Instructions

1. 1. If using diced tomatoes, go to step 2. If using whole tomatoes, drain and reserve liquid. Dice tomatoes either by hand or in workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade (three or four 1/2-second pulses). Tomatoes should be coarse, with 1/4-inch pieces visible. If necessary, add enough reserved liquid to tomatoes to total 2 cups.
   

2. 2. Process garlic through garlic press into small bowl; stir in 1 teaspoon water (see note above). Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

3. 3. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente in large pot of boiling, salted water. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water; drain pasta, and transfer it back to cooking pot. Mix in reserved cooking water, sauce, and remaining oil and salt; cook together over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly, and serve immediately.