Can I freeze that?

     Today I went grocery shopping, which for me is no easy task. I make a list. It is not just an 'I am going shopping today' list of what I need. It is a cumulative list of my minds menu wandering. Oh sure, when I run out of the basics I, like everyone else, has a list on my fridge or on my phone for reminders. But meal planning is a' passion quest'.

     I hate leftovers and I live alone. That in itself is an oxymoron. 

     The ' I hate leftovers' problem consumes my food choices and keeps my freezer barron, to a point. The things that are in my freezer are thoughtful components of the next meal. The leftovers, which are inevitable, are shared with grateful recipients. 

     I have a craving for split pea soup and go shopping with this desire in mind. One bag of dried peas, one carrot, one onion, one potato, check. Celery is wrapped in foil in the fridge, check. The magic freezer item ham bone soup base, check. 

     The items I do freeze, either have a purpose or are going to be a part of another scratch meal. For example, pitas.They come in a package of five and I only need one for this meal. I take the one I need out of the bag and individually wrap the other four in saran and put them back in the bag to be frozen. This way I can take them out one at a time without them being frozen to each other. The ham base was leftover from a ham dinner I hosted. I cut the extra ham from the bone chopping it into bitesize pieces. Then I boiled the bone to make the soup base and froze in containers with the pieces of ham for soups, as needed. 
     The secret to any good soup is timing and patience. I first boil the peas until tender and then add the frozen chunk of homemade soup base. When that has melded I add my onions, carrots, and celery simmering until the carrots are blanched. I season with fresh ground pepper and add the chopped potatoes last so they do not become mushy. 
     I pair my soup with hummus and pitas and enjoy a delicious fall meal, in the company of food.

Upper Crust coleslaw

     My sister-in-law is a microbiologist and my brother is a trained chef, so it always amazes me when my favorite dish at their home is one prepared by the microbiologist?  Usually, the recipes are on the healthy side, easy to prepare, limited ingredients, and visually pleasing. And so was born what I call Upper Crust cole slaw, discovered on my recent visit to California.
     The purpose of the visit was my nephew's graduation party. The menu was extensive. As my brother manned the grill searing large slabs of sirloin tips and whole marinated fresh salmon, my sister-in-law was busy in their gourmet kitchen preparing the side dishes for the meal. With all the delicious food I devoured that evening the one leftover I craved was the coleslaw. To my delight, it was still very crisp and the flavor was even better than the day it was made. Here is the simple recipe, enjoy!

                                   Bag of broccoli slaw
                                   Smokehouse almonds
                                   Poppyseed dressing

     Place the broccoli slaw in a mixing bowl, add chopped nuts, toss with poppyseed dressing and season to taste. I just use some fresh ground pepper. My only hint is to cut the nuts on a chopping board instead of a nut chopper because you want the pieces to be random sizes.
     Serve. "Simple cooking science."
 
   

   
 

Crappie for Kiki

     My son-in-law, Jake. is a fisherman. Contemplating proposing to my daughter, Jennifer, he requested she sign a contract allowing him to fish if they ever got married. She agreed.
      He asked her to marry him while they were ice fishing stringing the ring inside a fish's mouth.  The man loves to fish!
      I love the fish he catches. He freezes them in water and labels them for a perfect meal portion. Tonight I enjoyed a delicious dinner with 'Crappie's for Kiki".
     Knowing that I love this small fresh water fish, Jake takes the time to filet and package them just for me, making me feel very special. Although they are delicious fried, baked or simply sauteed, tonight I tried a different recipe more Mediterranean and I was delighted. I prepared some white rice for my starch. I sauteed onions, garlic, green peppers and plum tomatoes in olive oil, seasoning with fresh ground pepper, garlic salt and oregano. Lightly flouring my fish, I brown one side in butter. Quickly flipping the fish, I ladle the sauce on each piece adding some juice from the sauce. This allows the fish to finish with steam heat. I turn off the heat and cover the pan. By the time I scoop my rice onto the plate the fish is ready. Delightful!

Minimal Indulgence

      I prefer a little bit of a good thing to a lot of bad. When  New Year's Eve 2017 rolled around I decided to give myself a little treat.  I toasted in 2017 with Lobster.  It was an 8 oz. tail that I baked and paired with a baked potato. The butter warming dish was a favorite find from an estate sale and just added a bit of elegance to the meal. It was the perfect amount of food because my tradition of eating creamed herring on New Year's Eve, for good luck, proceed with this minimal indulgence. 
      Thinking ahead, I purchased four large scallops and some oysters Rockefeller for my New Year's Day meal. I cooked two baked potatoes the night before so I could create an awesome twice baked potato for this meal. Hollowing out the potato I mixed the inside with butter, pepper, salt, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and chives. I spooned it back into the potato and baked it for about an hour. I steamed some fresh spinach and cut up a fresh lemon. While the twice baked potato cooked I indulged in the Oysters. When the potato was golden brown on the top, I lightly floured the scallops and quickly seared them on one side in butter until brown. Turning off the heat on the stovetop I flipped each scallop, squeezed in some fresh lemon juice, and put them in the oven with the potato, turning the oven down to warm. This was just enough time to finish cooking the scallops. Mounding four heaps of steamed spinach on the plate around the butter warming dish and slivers of fresh lemon wedges, the scallops were placed on top of each spinach bed and drizzled with warm lemon butter. Served with the hot twice baked potato this was the perfect minimal indulgence to begin a new year. Happy New Year to all!