suzy covets a foreman

a george foreman, that is.

not one of those jeans-and-leather-belt wearing construction managers. never did fully appreciate the village people, to tell you the truth.

a george foreman, on the other hand! even the older models are pretty in the way that iMacs are pretty, no matter how impractical white is for a kitchen appliance that will routinely spit out grease and fat. and the older models have the additional attraction of being very very cheap, since mr. foreman himself is now pushing a new line that, i swear, is called something like the "next grilleration". wow. marketing.

why the sudden coveting for a large hunk of metal that will sear meat and meat-like products?

partially it is the abundance of giant portobello mushrooms at the grocery stores, just begging to be turned into portobello steaks marinated in... well, something. probably not lawry's, and definitely not in a crockpot. possibly red wine vinegar? or some combination of herbs and broth? or some other amazing marinade liquid i have yet to discover?

the other part is my husband. after he was done with his second and a half helping of crock o' havana, and in a meat-induced bliss (did i mention we don't eat meat very often? partly because i was a vegetarian for 13 years, and partly because it's expensive, and also partly because i don't know how to cook it) was envisioning tuna and salmon (and probably in his head pork or beef, but he knows better than to mention those in front of me), and i for the life of me could not imagine putting either of those in a crockpot.

after slyly putting the idea in my head (well, ok, the portobello's started it, but he's only encouraging it now isn't he?) he said the magic words, "and then i could make dinner!"

oh, the beauty of those words. it's not that i mind -- cooking has become my new stress relief. but it's really only possible for me on the weekends; my weekday hours just don't allow me to feel good about coming home to chopping, sauteeing, and the like.

sneaky and underhanded he is, but he also knows me very very well.

so we shall see. budget, fear me, for i will now attempt to eek $40 out of where formerly there was only $2.13!

suzy feels reasonably successful

the best part is, i forgot to mention one other recipe that i was planning on making as well -- a "vegetable paella" recipe from bettycrocker.com. but let's begin at the beginning, shall we?

purple mashed potatoes

my friend wasn't kidding when she said these were purple. neither was the guy at whole foods (i couldn't find them at my grocery store or at wild oats, otherwise i wouldn't have gone to what my friends and i affectionately refer to as "whole paycheck") when he told me they were deep purple. the photo really doesn't do them justice.

these are potatoes that are purple. naturally purple! sadly, wikipedia has nothing useful to say on the topic. but take my word for it. if you thought purple ketchup was fun, you will love these things. they are purple peruvian potatoes (i found them fingerling style, but i imagine normal looking ones are out there as well).

the mashed potatoes are excellent! i'm not sure if it's the potato or the fact that i started using half and half, but they have the smokiest taste, and the skins are a great crunch factor.

the crunch factor is very important, by the way. i'm thinking of going back to school just so i can write a thesis on the two texture factors i have just identified this week: the crunch, and the pop. you will all be the first to read it, i promise you.

next up? ah yes, marinated chicken with vegetables. this was not exactly a recipe; more of a throwback to how i first started cooking. my very first recipes in married life were of the chicken-in-the-crockpot variety. you can't really mess that up, can you? this time, it was actually the tastiest i think i've ever done. i call it crock o' havana:

1 pkg boneless skinless chicken breast filets
1 bottle Lawry's Havana Garlic marinade
1/2 pkg mushrooms, sliced
1/2 jar silver/pearl onions

-Layer marinade, filets, and onions in the crockpot, reserving some marinade for the mushrooms
-Plug in crockpot, let sit for 5ish hours
-Immediately before serving, saute mushrooms in marinade and spoon over filets on the plate
-Serve with purple peruvian mashed potatoes

the only thing i wish were different is how salty Lawry's marinades are. if only i could figure out how to make them minus the intense sodium... something for a rainy day?

crab cakes italiano have already been documented extensively. my only addition to that topic is, use actual breadcrumbs (i used Progresso) instead of smushed-up croutons. the patties stay together much better.

same goes for ruth's mushroom soup. make this recipe NOW! it is the perfect fall recipe. warm, soothing, comforting, infinitely tasty... but hey, you already know i'm obsessed with it.

green bean casserole? what, that thing that comes out of the microwave thanksgiving day because you're pressed for time? yeah, that.

it turns out that, the way that i am obsessed with mushroom soup, my husband is obsessed with green bean casserole -- only he's been that way apparently since childhood. i should have remembered the casserole incident last thanksgiving: this is one of my aunt's pride-and-joy dishes. she's wonderful in so many ways, just not gourmet. she is also consistently mocked for her pride in this recipe. last thanksgiving, there was quite a lot left over, and my husband begged to take it home with us. ah, the tears of joy....

in any case, i thought this one would be a snap. little did i know that the fresh green beans at the supermarket would be, ahem, less than fresh (read: covered with white slime). also, i don't feel like the small can of soup plus milk cut it--they seem a little low in sauce to me. in any case, he's eaten it all already, so i guess his obsession is not exactly picky. i think i found the recipe on allrecipes.com, but i wouldn't swear to it. in any case, my only advice is don't EVER used canned green beans. that is just wrong.

stay tuned for: suzy wonders about paella!

suzy needs a role model but has a good recipe

a friend of mine is getting married next summer -- actually two friends of mine are, but i was only talking to one of them -- and it came up in conversation that she felt the same way i do. we are both twenty-something, both driven career-wise to make good choices and hopefully find something both fulfilling and worthwhile, both desparately in love with the idea of making a home, and both completely unsure as to how to go about that.

"i want to be the kind of woman who has a great career and makes a difference, but also be home all day making cookies," she said (or something close; she'll forgive me the paraphrase).

why, i wondered to myself and to her, is it so hard to believe the things we want are compatible? and why do we want things we consider incompatible in the first place?

it's pretty much entirely the reason i started writing this blog. i have never been so confused in my life as about a month after i got married and started a new job. i was happy with my marriage, and happy with my job, but unsure how to make them fit together. i wanted nothing more than to make our new apartment a home. it's the first apartment we've ever had to ourselves, the first time for both of us that we don't have roommates, and therefore the first opportunity to really claim a space and make it our own.

i have my very own kitchen, my very own pots and pans that no one else will spoil by using metal spatulas on non-stick surfaces, our very own very small living room to decorate... but then, it turns out that even on weekends, the last thing i wanted to do with my free time was think about decor. i wanted to read, i wanted to spend time with my husband, i wanted to learn exciting new recipes that would actually turn out edible.

and there's another part of the rub. i feel defensive about how good my relationship is. when did that become something to be ashamed of? i mean sure, we've had very rocky moments, but we've had very good ones, and the good ones outweigh by far the rough ones. and i'm not talking about yelling matches, or declarations of hate and frustration. i'm talking about quiet conversations where we both attempt to put into words things that are difficult to say, without unduly hurting each other.

i am inclined to blame it on society -- sex in the city, friends, and then all those terrible family life sitcoms like everybody loves raymond and married with children, where everyone is miserable all the time and the good moments are just icing on the misery cake.

but then again, i've never actually sat down and watched an episode of sex in the city. i have watched a decent amount of friends, but the show stopped when everybody got married/serious so who knows what their relationships would have been like. i have a deep and abiding hatred for ray romano, so that may be more to the point than my attempt at social criticism.

i guess what i'm trying to say is, i'd love a role model. my marriage is nothing like my parents, and my mother truly was a homemaker and housewife, so not much help there. and while i can come up with tons of examples of relationships or women that are not helpful, i can't come up with a single one that is.

so while i'm elbow-deep in mushrooms, preparing to make and share a new and exciting recipe from above-mentioned friend, and meanwhile juggling six different projects at work, i guess i'll try to make some time to go role model hunting in there somewhere.

here's to my favorite in-the-kitchen role model!

Ruth's Mushroom Soup
adapted from Comfort Me with Apples

1/2 lb whole mushrooms (i've been using white ones, but i think any will do)
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
1 small onion, diced
4 tbs flour
1 1/3 c beef broth
3/4 c half and half (i believe the original recipe called for 2 c half and half and 1/3 c broth)
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg

-thinly slice mushrooms
-dice onion
-melt butter in deep pan over low heat
-after foam subsides, add butter and saute until golden
-add mushrooms and saute until brown
-stir in flour, SLOWLY, distributing evenly and stirring immediately
-add broth VERY SLOWLY, stirring constantly
-heat half and half, then add
-add spices
-cook over low heat for 10 minutes; do NOT let boil

enjoy!

suzy gets a self-esteem boost

so i've been completely taken over by the need to read food writing -- calvin trillin, ruth reichl, ed levine... that is, i would read some ed levine if only the library had it. i am severely handicapped, in fact, by the library system. so far i've managed to unearth Garlic and Sapphires, Comfort Me with Apples, Feeding a Yen, and The Tummy Trilogy, but that seems to have exhausted the possibilities.

of course, part of the problem is that i have no idea who to look up in the catalog. i love my library, it has been very good to me. i just don't know where to look (or at least, that is what i will assume until further notice).

hopefully some diligent online research will tell me who else i should read. it will be hard to find someone to match the insights of reichl and the down-to-earth humor of trillin, but it can't hurt to try.

but i digress. last night, as we sipped our (cheap but tasty) wine and watched Leaving Las Vegas (cinematography: excellent; direction: pretty good; acting: great except for elizabeth shue), my husband turned to me and said:

you know, if someone had told me that getting married would mean eating at a four star restaurant every night, i would have done it a lot sooner. i hope you know how much i love your cooking--i feel like maybe i don't express that.

i am, quite possibly, the happiest woman alive. despite the stomach virus and interminable mediocre dishes of cous cous, i am appreciated and making some progress with my cookery.

the recipes that provoked this outpouring of support? tune in next time...

suzy and the stomach virus

i guess that's the problem with advanced cooking: life gets in the way. you spend lots of time shredding imitation crab, slaving over a hot sauce pan, praying for things to form cakes instead of lots of little separate lumps of crab and breadcrumbs, and what happens?

your husband ends up not being able to eat them, because he's got the mother of all stomach viruses. all he could eat this week was bread and cashews (don't ask, i don't know). as if by sympathy (unwonted, i guarantee it), all i feel hungry for is cous cous, bread, and the occassional bean burger.

so what happened to the crab cakes? i guess i'll discover how well they freeze.

so, in tribute to the past week, here's a recipe straight from my brain:

Suzy's Stomach Virus Friendly Cous Cous
1 c uncooked cous cous
fresh mint leaves, chopped or shredded
1 medium-sized ginger root, chopped
1/2 c almond slivers
1/3 c cashew pieces

-Cook cous cous according to package.
-Sautee mint, ginger, and nuts in olive oil for 5 minutes, or until the mint leaves shrivel up.
-Pour entire mixture, including any extra olive oil, into cous cous.
-Mix well.
-Eat in good health!

introducing suzy

once upon a time, i was your average female twenty-something -- single, bitter, unfulfilled, over-worked, college graduate with a useless degree. or at least, that's how it felt. of course, it wasn't all bad. every now and then there would be those rare moments: recognition from the boss, a good date for once, the right outfit (finally!), the perfect apple turnover and chai. but for the most part, things were... well, blah.

know what i mean?

and now? well, i'm still an over-worked college graduate with a useless degree. but i've managed to lose the bitter and unfulfilled, and replace them with married and happy, over-tasked, under-budgeted, and plain going bonkers trying to keep it together.

and that's what this blog is about. i know there are others out there in the same boat--never thought you'd be married, never imagined the tribulations of budgeting, not sure how to go about making a home, and MOST OF ALL: no idea how to cook.

next post: stay tuned for "suzy meets a kitchen"