False Bravado

All day long, wearing a mask of false bravado 
Trying to keep up the smile that hides a tear 

I had some serious cooking plans for this weekend, even after paring down the list once I gathered all available ingredients.  There were two shopping trips, one to BJs and one to Publix, but that's pretty standard  But coming on the heels of my freaky Friday which ended with me crashing on my couch for 6 hours, I should have known better.  All my brave words about telling fibromyalgia to kiss my grits were for naught.

The beef stew went swimmingly, but by the time we hit the produce section at Publix, my legs felt as heavy as tractor-trailers attached to my hip bones, and my back was hurting.  So was my head, but these days, that's standard.   Once home, I researched the best way to peel beets in anticipation of a dish I call Oven Roasted Russets, Beets, and Sweets, and armed and ready to do battle with root vegetables, promptly landed back on the couch in pain and frustration.  And exhaustion, did I mention exhaustion?

So as I sit here right now, there will be no sweet and tangy chicken, fall harvest manicotti, pickled pasta salad, roasted root veggies, or apple cake.  Not that my family will starve, far from it, and considering the multiple world crises of Ebola, ISIS, economic recession and the Ukraine, this is hardly a big deal. Well, the cooking is hardly a big deal.  The fibromyalgia had been giving me a pass recently, and I guess I got used to feeling normal.

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Until next time ...

Pork Belly Politics - Root Beer Braised Streak o' Lean

I am so sick of good cheap foods being suddenly and dramatically overpriced because celebrity chefs are (wisely, for them) finding ways to use them in their high-end restaurants.  The only exception to this is chicken liver, and I don't want to say that too loudly, because my husband and I love chicken liver.  But beef short ribs, lamb and pork shanks, pork belly, a simple beef brisket, and even the humble oxtail are being priced right out of my food budget.  If my grandmother could see the current-day price of brisket, she would roll over in her grave, but for the fact that she was cremated at her own request.

Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to savor absolutely sublime pork belly prepared in different ways at different venues, including Emeril's Tchoup Chop, Artist Point at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, and at an incredible Savannah treasure with the unusual name of a.lure. Served with seared foie gras and a deep-fried Krispy Kreme doughnut, that dish has made the menu of my Last Meal, which contains elements such as lobster, chocolate, and even osetra caviar.  Pork belly is a formerly super cheap cut, used in Chinese cuisine for a dish called Shanghai-style braised pork belly, red braised pork belly, crispy pork belly, and the like.  I love love LOVE it, and that means I really want to be able to cook it at home.  But I have yet to see pork belly in the meat refrigerators at Publix or BJs or Walmart, at any price.

On our way home from Georgia, we stopped at Carroll's Sausage and Country Store in Ashburn.  Besides an amazing selection of fresh and smoked sausage, I picked out a small piece of streak o' lean to experiment with.  I had never heard of streak o' lean until, years after my relocation to Florida, I happened upon My Mother's Southern Kitchen by James Villas.  He explains how his mother, like s many other southern cooks, uses streak o' lean when cooking green beans, baked beans, and leafy greens southern style.

What I found, after a little online research, is that cuts like pork belly, salt pork, and streak o' lean are all related to our American bacon, cut from the same or close to the same part of the pig.  Bacon and pork belly are actually fraternal twins. Streak o' lean is very similar to salt pork, except it has a higher meat-to-fat ratio.  Both streak o' lean and salt pork are salted, which pork belly is not.  So what I wanted was to try a little Harry Potter magic and turn the streak o' lean back into pork belly.

Prior to developing my cooking strategy, I cut off a very thin slice of the pork and fried it briefly.  There's a pretty good meat-to-fat ratio, and nice texture, but without a doubt, it was too salty to be used without a culinary intervention.  So I soaked it overnight in milk; if I was to try this again, I would soak it longer, and would change the soaking liquid a few times, much like you would do with bacalao (salt cod).  I would also switch to a salt-free seasoning, or just combine a few spices like black pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, and sweet paprika.

I cooked this in the crockpot, but you could probably cook it, tightly covered with foil, in a slow oven as well.

Root Beer Braised Streak o' Lean

1/2 pound square chunk of streak o' lean
2 cups of whole milk (plus more for repeated soakings)
Crystal hot sauce (to taste)

2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Emeril's Essence (spice blend)
small amount of Wondra flour
1/2 tablespoon olive or canola oil

1-12 oz. bottle A&W root beer (I had diet in the house)
Worcestershire sauce
a few drops of Crystal hot sauce

I removed the skin carefully, leaving the top fat layer intact. and then placed the pork in a ziptop bag with the milk and enough Crystal hot sauce to turn it a very pale pink.  I soaked the pork overnight, then removed it from the bag, patted it dry, and discarded the milk.

Once it was dry, I rubbed it with a spice paste made by combining the brown sugar, Emeril's Essence, and the oil.  Next, I dusted all sides of the pork with a very small amount of the Wondra Flour, and placed the pork at the bottom of a crockpot.

I poured the A&W into the crockpot around the meat, and added about two or three glugs of the Worcestershire and a few drops of the Crystal hot sauce.  Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is meltingly tender.  Don't cook any longer than that, as the pork will become more like corned beef, which isn't bad, but also not the purpose of the recipe.

You won't need any kind of sauce to enjoy this.  Trying serving it as a lunch or appetizer with a starchy side like rice and some fresh green beans that have been steamed or cooked in a little butter.  If there are any leftovers, do not store the pork in the cooking liquid, as it retains a good part of the salt.

I liked it, and next time I can find a piece of streak o' lean, I will definitely try it again.

Rock Around The Clock - Beef Stew in Red Wine and Sofrito

I had trouble sleeping for the stupidest reason imaginable - I was cold.  My feet, my hands, my whole being, all uncomfortably freezing cold.  Every part of me except for the back of my neck, and that was because Woody settled down there to sleep.

I finally added layers to my nightclothes, a sweater, yoga pants, a pair of handknit socks, and crawled under the blanket, covering most of my head in the process.  I would have added a hat to my ensemble, but my superstitious nature would not allow me to put a hat on the bed.  It never got below 55 degrees out there, by the way.  Once I fell asleep, I slept well, especially as I luxuriated through that extra hour that magically appeared about 2 AM.  If I didn't know I have to give the hour back come next spring, I'd be even happier.  But I'm the person who gets jet lag from driving back and forth to the Central Time Zone, and happiness is relative anyway.

This morning, feeling reasonably rested, I set out to tackle some of the items on my cooking list. I had 4 pounds of gorgeous stew meat, already cut into nice big chunks, and some fresh vegetables I picked up at BJs yesterday, and other vegetables in my fridge - those were looking a little limp, past their prime, so to speak, which made them perfect for the stew.

I must have a dozen different recipes for beef stew, but I felt like doing something a little different, and that was where the sofrito and the Tuscany chicken broth came in.  This is the result, and it is quite tasty.  I cannot, incidentally, emphasis enough the need to taste and season throughout the entire cooking time.  According to my own personal cooking god, Emeril Lagasse, this creates layers of flavors which you can't achieve by seasoning just at the beginning or the end.

Somewhere out there rages a huge debate over whether to include potatoes in beef stew.  Potatoes stretch a stew to feed even more people.  They taste good, having soaked up some of that luscious sauce, but they also thicken the stew more than desirable by soaking up the same sauce.  Most importantly, potatoes do not freeze well at all.  If you do freeze leftover stew containing potatoes, once it defrosts you will be left with pockets of watery, unappetizing potato sludge.

I would rather choose from any number of side starches to accompany the stew, like poppy noodles with peas, kasha varnishkes, arroz con gandules (keeping with the sofrito mood), homemade spaetzle, or any of their less ethnic cousins.  If it is potato you crave with your stew - and I often do - boil, bake, roast or mash them and let the gravy flow.  Anyway you choose, you are going to end up feeding a lot of happy people.

Beef Stew in Red Wine and Sofrito

4 slices bacon, large chop

2 tablespoons butter

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, large chop

3 celery stalks from the heart (center - this will use up any remaining stalk)

3 carrots, large chop

2 parsnips, large chop

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

Seasoning - all to taste:

kosher salt

ground black pepper

granulated garlic

onion powder

dried thyme

dried rosemary

sugar

paprika

Goya sofrito, tomato cooking base

4 pounds beef stew

1 cup red wine

1 - 32 oz. container Progresso Tuscany Broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 bay leaves

1 large green bell pepper, cut into large squares

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, halved and sliced

1 pound whole baby bella mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large deep pot, over medium high heat, render the bacon until a good amount of fat appears.  Do not brown the bacon all the way.  Add the butter, then add the vegetables. Lower the heat to medium and cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes.  Add about 1/4 cup of sofrito and 1/4 cup water and cook another 2 minutes until the vegetables are coated with the sofrito.  Remove from the pot and set aside.

Add a little more butter to the pan, and working in batches, brown the beef cubes on all sides.  Don't worry about washing out the pot first, and don't overcook the beef; you just want a light sear.  When the last batch of beef is removed, pour the wine in and stir to deglaze the pot, and then add the broth and the soy sauce.  Taste and season the cooking liquid (not too heavily) and then carefully return the cooked meat and vegetables to the pot, including any liquid that has collected.  Add the bay leaves.  Cover the pot and simmer the stew until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours, adding the green bell pepper after the first half hour.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onions.  Cook over medium for 10 minutes or until the edges show some browning.  Add the mushrooms and cook another 10 minutes.  Once the stew is at the 1 1/2 hour mark, add the onions and mushrooms, cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

If you have the time, refrigerate the stew overnight and remove the solidified fat layer.  Warm the stew slowly, and serve over the starch-of-your-choice.  Heartwarmingly delicious, I promise.

To round out the meal, start with a wedge salad and hot rolls or biscuits.  Enjoy!

It's astounding, time is fleeting - Maple Barbecue Sauce and a Sweet Sweet Potato Casserole

Whatever my little wake-up-and-feel-awful incident was yesterday, it got worse.  One hour in the office, one hour in my car, eyes closed, but the weakness would not pass.  I went home and crashed on the couch for 6 undisturbed hours.  A truly rotten day.  And it could have been caused by anything, I suppose, because in the past I have tested low for iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B-12.  Low blood sugar has plagued me over the years, as has fibromyalgia, the never-ending menopause, and that pinched nerve in my upper spine.  What a drag it is getting older, eh?

Having said all that, I still consider myself to be in pretty good health.  I hate to be slowed down, and when it became obvious I could no longer take Lyrica, a wonderful drug for nerve pain, because my weight was racing to the top of the charts at an alarming rate, I told fibromyalgia it could kiss my grits, and kept marching forward.  Most days are pretty good, it's just that yesterday was not one of them.

Someone who could use your prayers is my godson Peter, seen here with his sister and their dad, the Headless Horseman.  Monday, Pete is having open-heart surgery up in Tennessee.  Peter was born with a congenital heart condition which has caused him to have to endure multiple surgeries over the years.  Even as I write this, his mom, my cousin Sheryl, his dad, the Headless Horseman (or as we usually refer to him, Gary) and his sister Stephanie, are on their way north to be with him.  Love and prayers for Peter and the entire Depp family.

With last weekend being our wonderful mini-vacation in Georgia, I've let the cooked food supply approach zero, and that means this is a food-shopping and cooking weekend.  Whoo hoo!  The menu is going to be driven by what we find on our shopping expedition in the Expedition, but just in case nothing inspirational jumps out of the case, I pulled plunder from the freezer, a delicious pork loin, and set it out to defrost.

That pork loin was roasted with a generous coasting of my mother's barbecue sauce, which is good enough to serve on wood chips, but does better on succulent pork, as you will see if you try it.  I also found another fine find in my freezer, which will go perfectly with the pork:

That's a sweet potato casserole, sweeter than it probably needs to be - I prefer a baked sweet potato topped with butter - but it happens to be perfect for upcoming Thanksgiving tables, when everyone expects their yams to be topped with a thick layer of melty marshmallow.

Before those recipes, a peek at the rest of my weekend:

There will be some sort of beef stew with baby bella mushrooms, sweet and tangy chicken,  and yet another pasta salad, this one with marinated bocaccini (baby mozzarella).  I'm hoping to do some other stuff; at the top of that list is a very special apple cake, made with the very special apples I picked up in Georgia this past Monday.  So many recipes, so little time ... no doubt my cooking plans will slop over into the work week.  Won't be the first time.

Pork Loin with Maple Barbecue Sauce

I like to buy one of those enormous cryovac'ed pork loins that I find in BJs warehouse.  I cut them right down the middle, and if I am planning on using a fruit stuffing, I freeze one of those halves uncooked.  This time I skipped the fruit stuffing, cooked both halves at the same time, and froze one of them for future use.

Pat the pork dry and season with anything that suits your fancy.  Kosher salt, ground black pepper, sweet or hot paprika, granulated garlic, and the list goes on.  Or pick your favorite commercial spice blend, or google Steven Raichlin and try one of his spice blend recipes.  Pork is so versatile, you can cook it right away or put it into the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.  If you are using my grandmother's barbecue sauce, I would recommend you don't use smoked paprika or any smoke-infused blend, as it will totally override that nice maple flavor.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (375 works also) place the loin on a rack in a nice aluminum tin (I love you, Cousin Steve!) and roast it for about 45 minutes.  Check your temperature with a meat thermometer - it will probably read between 95 and 105 degrees - pour on some of the sauce, and return to the oven.  Check the pork every 15 minutes.  Pour on a little more sauce, and watch the internal temperature.  Once the pork reaches 145 degrees, it is done and you can remove it from the oven to rest.   The sauce should be nicely glazed but if it needs a little nudge, turn on the broiler for just a moment, keeping the oven door open and never taking your eye off of it.   When the sauce is set the way you like, take out the pork roast and let it rest.  I  like to do the slicing with an electric knife, and slice it fairly thin.  Serve the pork with some of the sauce spooned over.

Maple Barbecue Sauce

2/3 cup Log Cabin Original maple flavored syrup

3 to 4 tablespoons Heinz ketchup

2 tablespoons French's yellow mustard

2 scant tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

a few drops Tabasco sauce, optional

kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Place all the ingredients into a screw top container.  Shake well to combine.  Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before using.  Always shake the container before using the sauce.

Don't bother trying this with real maple syrup, it doesn't work.  It's got to be the maple flavored syrup and it's got to be Log Cabin.  Also, don't put this in a blender nor use beaters or a whisk to combine.  That will cause the mixture to emulsify, which will turn your nice pourable barbecue sauce into edible sludge.

The sauce works on any kind of pork dish, and on chicken as well.  And now, the sweet potato casserole.  I found this in a cookbook written by Carnie Wilson.  I'm not sure if anybody except other post-surgery gastric bypass patients ever bought it, but it has quite a few delicious recipes in it, and almost none of them are dietetic.  This is one of them.

Sweet Sweet Potato Casserole

2 large cans cut yams (Bruce's), drained

1 - 21 oz. can apple pie filling

1 - 21 oz. can cherry pie filling

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 bag of small marshmallows

dried apricots, prunes, and/or raisins, to taste (I like raisins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a greased baking dish, layer the sweet potatoes with the apple and cherry pie fillings.  Dot with butter, sprinkle with some of the cinnamon, and throw some of the dried fruit and marshmallows over, then sprinkle with some of the brown sugar.   Repeat the layers until everything is used up, ending with marshmallows.  Bake for an hour; if the marshmallows get too dark or start to burn, cover with some aluminum foil to finish baking.  Let this cool down a bit before serving.

Morning Has Broken

Another Friday morning in paradise ... I watch as Anakin Skywalker, The Last Cat Standing, stretches his way out of his bed on the floor by my side to begin his morning routine.  An extended morning greeting follows, complete with head bumps and loud purring.  I swallow a hydroxyzine, which is supposed to give me some relief from the chronic itching in my hands and arms, without knocking me on my ass.

There seems to be an insurmountable distance between my eyes and my brain, as though my senses are operating on automatic while my brain remains disengaged.  I have been awake since 5:30, and have crawled back into bed to soak up those last precious minutes of semi-sleep.  From under my eyelids I can see Anakin riding my husband's shoulders as they head downstairs for tea and kitty treats.  In my half-wake, headachy state, Anakin resembles an Egyptian Pharaoh, borne upon the Royal Litter to the Nether Regions of my home's first floor.  He plays his part with panache, his silky black-and-white head held high and proud, perusing his kingdom.

Comforting rituals which do nothing to assuage that vague feeling of dread that causes me a stubborn reluctance to leave the sweet emotional safety of my bed.  My "boys" - Woodrow, Indiana, and Romeo - are prowling the halls and stairway, heading first to the kitchen to stand in line for their morning snack, and then back upstairs to check on my progress.  Chelsea sleeps through everything, that lucky dog.  Eventually Chelsea and I make our way down the dark stairway.  I am carrying her, all six pounds of short-legged little Yorkie, teetering on the edge of early old age.  We teeter together.  She is rewarded with extra treats for using the pee-pee pad,  For me, it's all about that first cup of coffee.

My weight, which I monitor daily, is like an old Barry Manilow song:  "I'm lost, I'm found, I'm up I'm down, but somehow I survive ..."  I understand my sudden rapid weight loss even less than I understood the sudden rapid weight gain.  Could it have all been related to the start and stop of the Lyrica?  Is my body undergoing another one of those momentous hormonal shifts so prevalent among Woman of a Certain Age?  Have the scars from my 2003 gastric bypass surgery woken up and rearranged my digestive system yet again?

There are no court hearings scheduled today, but a truckload of office work which must be addressed expeditiously.   I sense a disturbance in the Force, and try to beat down my anger at the recent advent of the office dementor ("sucking the joy out of people's lives since 1632.")  And worst of all, the coffee is not working.  My eyes continue to spin in their sockets, while my eyelids droop uselessly.

Happy Halloween.  Let's have another cup of coffee.