Chicken and Wild Rice Salad

I was recently in a café and noticed a lovely wild rice salad in the case.  Or at least I thought it was lovely until I realized it was chock full of raw red onions and some other ingredients I'm not super fond of.  Still, the idea of a wild rice salad appealed to me so I started putting together my ideal recipe.

What I came up with is perfect because it's great both warm and chilled/room temp.  That means, I was able to eat it for supper (warm) AND bring it to work the next day (chilled).  All you have to do is cook the wild rice according to the directions on the box (easy peasy) and then throw in a few other very simple ingredients: chopped/shredded rotisserie chicken, one chopped cucumber, some feta, and a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon, and oregano.  It will take about 20-25 minutes to pull together (the time it takes to cook the rice) but comes together as one of those one dish meals that's nice and satisfying.  Am I the only one who doesn't cook wild rice nearly enough?  That stuff is good, man!

 

Monday Reads

1. On Thursday, Scotland is voting to break from UK.  The United Kingdom has been, well, united for over 300 years so this is kind of a big deal. 
2. Betty Boop did not just emerge from a cartoonist's imagination.  Did you know the inspiration for the animated sexpot was actually an African American woman?
3. You know that ISIS kidnapped and publicly beheaded two people recently.  What you may not realize is that the activities of these Islamic terrorist groups are funded by the ransoms they collect from these kidnappings.  What you also know is that the ransom industry goes beyond terrorists and governments.  There is also a major insurance biz going.
4. We all watched Sesame Street.  So did some of our parents.  And I know my nephew will be learning right along with Big Bird, Snuffleupagus, Grover, and the rest of the gang.  The folks over at Sesame Place are committed to not letting the show get stale, which is how they are entering their 45th season.

Book Review: The Arsonist

Frankie Rowley describes herself as "temporizing."  Though she has steadily held a job as an aid worker in Africa, she never felt it was her true home.  In search of something more permanent, she visits her family in New Hampshire, unsure if she will leave.

The town of Pomeroy, New Hampshire is a sleepy town with a major divide between the locals and the "summer people" who live there for the season only.  Frankie and her family were one of those summer families until her parents decided this season to retire in the town.  Just as they do, an arsonist begins setting fire to empty homes of those summer people, putting the whole town on edge.

I enjoyed watching the characters settle into the roles they define for themselves.  Frankie at first seems upset to be little more than a wanderer, but by the end of the novel is satisfied not to have planted any deep roots, just as Sylvia is content to not be swept off her feet.  I did, however, think the book was seriously lacking tension.  There is a string of fires, yet I never felt thrilled or tortured like I should.  In the end, nothing much seemed to happen and the pace of the novel seemed much like that of a sleepy New Hampshire town.

2 out of 5 stars.

 

Pork Chops with Cauliflower Mash

I almost didn't post this meal.  It's not a "real" recipe and it's almost too easy.  But then I remembered how much I enjoyed eating it and figured, hey, my loyal, deserving, super dee duper readers may not have discovered this preparation yet and probably want as many easy recipes as they can get.

For this meal I used my go-to marinade.  It's so simple and is made from ingredients I always have in the house so it's always what I go for when I'm a) pressed for time b) too stressed to think about what I'm doing or c) lazy.  It's soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic (or garlic powder), dijon mustard, and olive oil.  I don't measure any of it.  I just throw it all into a ziplock bag along with the pork chops (or steak because this is great on steak, too) and let it sit while I pull together the rest of the meal.  The marinade was so easy, even Albert was able to prepare it...and he had to ask me how to close the ziplock bag.

While the pork chops were gettin busy with their new saucy friends, I cooked some cauliflower in boiling water for about ten minutes until it was fork tender.  Once that was done, I got the pork chops started.  Put them in a hot pan and pour some of the extra marinade over the top (the extra sauce will help give the chops a nice crust).  The pork chops cook for four minutes on each side.  While they're cooking, drain the water out of the cauliflower pot and start mashing.  I'm a fan of mashing right there in the pot.  I started by using a potato masher but then quickly switched to my immersion blender.  Blend it with butter, salt, and pepper til it's the consistency of mashed potatoes.  I also like to add in a little parmesan or asiago.  Rosemary would be nice too.

Pile the cauliflower mash on a platter and top with the pork chops.  The juice from that pork chop sauce will seep into the cauliflower, giving it even more flavor.  That marinade is good.  I mean, I know I kinda made it up with pantry staples, but it is good eatin.  And the cauliflower is all the comfort of a potatoes, but way healthier.  It's your starch and your veggie all in one.  It's like the Pert Plus of side dishes.

3 on Thursday

Football may be in full swing, but UGA actually had a bye for the second weekend of the season.  With the extra time, I headed to Hoboken for a much needed night with my best gal, Steph.  We may have had plans to tear up the town but instead ended up sitting on the couch, drinking lots of wine, and watching a Lifetime original movie.  Boring to you, maybe, but perfect for us.

1. Since I'm new to the running game, I had not heard of Brooks Running, a shoe and apparel company.  My Mom is the one who introduced me after seeing them on one of those deal websites.  When she found out there was a company with the same name as my new nephew (her first grandbaby) she couldn't help but buy me a shirt with their tagline "Run Happy."  It may end up being part of my outfit for my big race that is getting scary close.
2. Albert and I started our Friday night with a trip to one of our favorite spots, Good Beer.  Though we were heading to supper afterwards, we decided to have a snack with our beverages and picked up some of the SlantShack Jerkey from the counter.  I had tried SlantShack at Smorgasburg and have always been interested in making some custom jerky through their site, but that dream was put on the backburner when I tried the Brooklyn Brewery flavored jerkey they had by the register.  Delicious and perfectly paired with our brews.
3. I loved being able to watch the cheese being made at Beecher's before heading downstairs for brunch on Sunday.   

Inspiration Station: The Fault in our Stars

This month's "Inspiration Station" is built around "The Fault in Our Stars."  I tried to wait for the movie mania to die down a bit and now feel like this is an appropriate time to revive one of the summer's biggest hits.

The Dish:

Augustus tells Hazel that he's using his wish on a trip to Amsterdam by taking her on a picnic filled with all things Dutch, including cheese and tomato sandwiches.  So maybe this Inspiration Station isn't a toughie to prepare, but it doesn't make it any less satisfying.  I used heirloom tomatoes for this and instead of turning this into a grilled cheese (which is always my first instinct), I added mayo and left it cold so it would be more true to the movie and actually suitable for a picnic.  I did a Wikipedia search for Dutch cheese and decided to go with Parrano.  It's a semi firm cheese that's not too strong.  The mildly nutty flavor worked well with the sweet and juicy tomato.  When the tomato is firm like that, it's a perfect stand-in for meat.  I was lazy when it came to slicing the tomato and cheese so it's not the prettiest, but it still tasted great.  Using an actual cheese slicer would solve this problem...I just couldn't find mine.  I mixed a little dill in with my mayo and the herb made me feel like I was outside even though this picnic was, sadly, on my couch.

The Doodads:

1. One of the reasons Hazel likes "An Imperial Affliction" is because it's a cancer book that's not really a cancer book.  Since her favorite novel doesn't exist, I recommend reading Carole Radziwill's memoir, "What Remains."  Yes, her husband dies of cancer, but it's about much more than that.
2. Augustus uses cigarettes but refuses to light them so he feels a sense of control over cancer/death.  Instead of buying real cigarettes, do the same thing with candy cigarettes.  I'm not sure these are p.c. anymore, but I don't really care.
3. Instead of breaking trophies or throwing eggs like Isaac, I think a great way to handle stress is by screaming into a pillow or throwing the pillow against a wall.  No damage done and I find it quite cathartic.  Might as well use a cute pillow while you're at it.  I like this one from Urban Outfitters with it's empowering message.
4. Augustus' parents hang inspirational quotes all around their house that they call "encouragements."  I'm a big fan of fun phrasing, especially when written in fun typography so they don't look like cheesy, guidance counselor office art.  Etsy is a great place to find pieces that will brighten up your day.

Fiat Café

I don't usually think of SoHo as a place for cheap eating.  Sure, you can find plenty of cafés in the area that aren't overly expensive...but a straight up deal?  Not so much.  I am singing a different tune now that I've found Fiat Café.  Pretty much nothing on the menu costs more than $8.50.  Considering it costs a minimum of $7.99 for me to buy burrata at the grocery store, an appetizer of burrata with cherry tomatoes, basil, and olive oil for $8.50 is a steal.  Since I can't make it any cheaper myself, paying cash only does not seem like an inconvenience anymore.

In addition to the burrata, we also ordered an antipasto platter (prosciutto, sopresatta, braseola, parmesan, and olives) and two carpaccio salads (one beef, one salmon).  The portions were sizable enough that we couldn't finish all the food, especially after snacking on the bread and very flavorful olive oil.  And everything was good.  For that price I wasn't expecting too much.  Frankly, I just needed to get burrata in my stomach as soon as possible because I'd been craving it for weeks and didn't care about much else.  But all the food was fresh, simple, and seemed like what my [imaginary] old Italian grandmother would throw together for a light lunch when we come inside after a long day of playing outside.