dcandohio

4/1

Sunday gravy. Hot Italian sausage, chunks of pork, and about 3/4 of a pound of leftover smoked brisket went in along with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and a jar of unremarkable grocery store brand pasta sauce. I added some Cabernet, typical Italian spices, onions, garlic. Simmered it forever. Served it with a simple green salad and a glass of Merlot on the balcony overlooking the ocean. It was a delicious meal, but I was sad not to be able to share it with someone. #SocialDistancing

I broiled salmon with a mustard barbecue sauce from a takeout place that I didn’t like very much (The sauce, not the barbecue), but I added some Sriracha and it seemed like a good idea. And then I sprinkled it with black sesame seeds, and that made it look fancy. I served The fish with French green beans from the frozen section at Trader Joe’s, and some boiled little potatoes from one of those fancy bags of mixed potatoes from the grocery store. social isolation, day 637.

I used some of the leftover taco meat from Tuesday’s tacos to make taco salad. For dressing I mixed spicy salsa into sour cream, and then thinned it with a little olive oil. I dressed the greens, added cheddar cheese, and then put the meat on top. I should have crushed some tortilla chips on the top, but I totally spaced on that.

American style turkey tacos. Seasoned ground turkey, salsa, sour cream, shredded romaine, grated sharp cheddar.

Inspired by many of you who are so creative with leftovers, I made black bean soup out of the black beans I had smashed and seasoned to use in tacos. I reseasoned the beans and thinned them out with chicken stock. I topped it with chopped tomatoes and sour cream. I found hatch chili corn muffins in the freezer. So I had one of those.

Tuna salad on a whole-grain toasted English muffin. Crudités and Trader Joe’s hummus.

Friends who live in my building, and who are more like family, decided it was very low risk to get together for dinner last night, since we had been seeing each other every day before the social distancing order. We have all been behaving properly since then. So... A salad of arugula and Romaine with grape tomatoes and homemade Caesar dressing plus Parmesan cheese. Chicken paprikash served over egg noodles. Lovely Italian pastries brought over by the neighbor. Corona beers and cheap white wine!

Black bean and potato tacos. I roasted tricolor baby potatoes with smoked paprika and cumin till crispy. I had mashed some black beans for dip (garlic, cumin, smoked paprika) and I put those in the bottom of the tacos. Then I added the crispy potatoes, sour cream mixed with salsa, grated cheddar cheese, and shredded lettuce. Quite successful.

Two slices of leftover pizza and an arugula salad with homemade Caesar dressing.

I’m at my Mom’s, and she wanted chicken gumbo. I used thighs and quite a bit of hot, smoked sausage. No okra. It’s a nice gumbo when we don’t have crabs handy, but I prefer the seafood version.

I’m in my hometown with friends. We are not doing a proper eating tour (finicky eaters, one of whom is scared of spicy). However, I offer the following brief reviews: Liuzza’s by the track is still reliable. Great turtle soup and fried catfish. Anything fried here is a winner. Tiny, cramped, worn. I love it. Napoleon House makes a decent muffaletta, a great Pimm’s cup and the patio is delightful. Marjie’s on Broad near Canal is a treat - Louisiana classics with Asian touches, smoked meats, pig knuckles, ears etc. The restaurant is In an old house; it is casual and unpretentious. Prices are good. Portions are generous. Big flavors. The Sculpture Garden in City Park continues to amaze. This is a must-do (it’s FREE). The Audubon Zoo is fantastic even if you are not a zoo fan. The setting is magical, among centuries-old live oaks. It’s well curated with lots of shade and places to sit. Take a picnic and make a day of it.

Pasta recipe, please!

Six of us worked together to create a Mardi Gras feast last night: Gumbo, roast beef Po boys, eggplant casserole with shrimp and sausage, collard greens cooked with fatback, cornbread, king cake, and bananas foster. Oh, and daiquiris made with fresh strawberries. Also some Abita Purple Haze beer.

Linguine with sautéed cherry tomatoes, chili flake, and homemade pesto.

Yesterday I decided to take a little ride out west to an Asian shopping center and I picked up a pound of “honey roasted pork,” aka char siu. As in previous stirfry meals, I cooked ginger and garlic in a little bit of olive oil, sesame oil, and hot chili oil, and then added a big handful of trimmed green beans. After the green beans started to get cooked, I threw in a lot of chopped bok choy. At the end, I added diced up pork and finished with a splash of soy sauce and some white pepper. I was perhaps a little too generous with the hot chili oil, but otherwise, tasty. I didn’t feel like making rice, but it would’ve been wonderful with some rice.

I have been kind of in a rut lately, relying on my wok for stir fry: greens and other vegetables with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, hot chili oil, and a bit of soy sauce. Served over rice. Trying to cram more vegetables into my diet.

Things like soup and stew freeze quickly in Ziploc bags, if you lay them flat on a cookie sheet to freeze them. Then, you have nice flat portions that stack easily and create no dishes the new parents must wash. another good idea is to look on the Google for recipes that can be made in muffin tins. Things like crustless quiche, loaded mashed potatoes, meatloaf, mac & cheese… All made in individual portions, wrapped and frozen in individual portions. They defrost quickly, heat quickly, and are good when someone just wants a quick meal or snack and doesn’t want to defrost or bake an entire casserole.

SuperBowl chili. South Florida cooperated with a cool, dry day which made chili seem perfect!

I riffed on a recipe that has been floating around on Facebook:easy “dumpling” soup. The dumplings are really the frozen mini chicken cilantro wontons from Trader Joe’s. This product is low fat and low sodium, and the dumplings themselves are quite tasty. I simmered good quality chicken stock with some chunks of ginger and toes of garlic until the broth was infused, and then removed the big pieces. I added a splash of low sodium soy sauce, some sesame oil, and some hot chili oil. Then I threw in some leftover cabbage, sliced thinly, and when that started to get soft, I added in a bunch of chopped baby bok choy. When the bok choy was almost cooked, I added the dumplings, which take only a minute or two to heat through. I only wish I had cilantro for garnish, but it was still really tasty.

Sheet pan meal: chicken, red peppers, cubanelle peppers, potatoes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and carrots roasted with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and lots of olive oil.

To Joe Burrow, Ed Orgeron, and the LSU Tigers. My two time Alma Mater deserve this win tonight. Go Tigers.

I have not cooked in a while, and tonight I had friends over. It’s been a little cloudy and windy here in the very deep southern part of United States, so hearty food was appreciated. 😉 Salad of baby kale and mixed greens with Caesar dressing and grated Parmesan Reggiano. Chicken paprikash made with white meat chicken, onions, sweet Hungarian paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic, flour, chicken stock, tomato paste, sour cream. Kosher egg noodles. Sauteed cabbage. Organic cinnamon marshmallows coated in chocolate (purchased from my local hippie grocery store). This was a very homey meal, easy to make and lots of fun.

It’s an interesting story. My dad was born in Akron, orphaned, ended up in New Orleans, met my mother, never returned to Ohio. Nevertheless, he was always a huge Ohio State fan. I have very early memories of watching Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and dad talking about the band doing script Ohio and dotting the I. After my 2 Degrees at LSU, I worked for a while, and then decided to get my PhD. I ended up at Tennessee. No reputable business school hires its own graduates. So I started applying for jobs at schools, and I was very surprised Ohio State was interested in me, because they never hired people from southern schools. I ended up getting the job at OSU and when I told my father, who died this year, he burst into tears. It was one of my most fabulous memories of my dad. So yeah, I’m a moderate Tennessee fan, a loyal LSU fan, and a rabid Ohio State fan.

Those Ohio State fan boards can be vicious. I stay away. As a former professor and faculty representative (later president) to the University athletic Council, I had to be very, very careful about how I interacted with the public regarding Ohio State sports. It became a habit. I thought Ryan Day made some poor calls, especially all of the up the middle runs on first down, which Ohio State often flubs. Our own legitimate penalties caused self-inflicted wounds And Dabo did a great job of adjusting at the half. But if the refs had been accurate and fair, the game might very well have ended differently. A great game like that should be won or lost on the field, not in the replay booth. Anyway, I have an undergraduate degree and a Masters degree from LSU, so I can be happy with the playoff outcomes. Good luck in the championship game!