Eating down the fridge

I'm going to list some of what we ate this week because sometimes I think it's helpful just to get ideas of what to eat.

I read about this idea of "eating down the fridge" somewhere last year, and though I'd never thought to call it that, it was something I'd tried to do occasionally. The idea is that you don't shop for a week or however long it takes to eat what's in your fridge. Now, I've already confessed that I'm obsessed with food. A part of that obsession is some food hoarding tendencies. So if I combine what I have in the fridge with what I have in the pantry and the freezer, we could theoretically do this for a long time. My current goal is to try to eat most of what we have in the freezers, at least to the point where I'm more aware of what's in them. I've tried keeping lists, but never seem to manage keeping them updated.

This coincides with another current goal of mine, which is to strictly stick to the current iteration of our budget. I'm really good at making budgets, and not so good at following them. Luckily we sometimes have little injections of extra cash in the form of painting (and now pottery) sales that cover the overspending.

Here's our menu from last week:
Sun: Golden Cheddar Cheese soup, Irish soda bread. I should post the recipe for that soup - it was really good (potatoes, carrots, onions, butternut, pureed with boullion, buttermilk and cheese). I prefer biscuits to the soda bread.

Mon: shrimp and scallop linguini, green salad with nectarines, almonds, cranberries, orange segments and goat cheese, pear tart from Whole Foods (Valentine's Day was an exception)

Tues: burritos. Refried beans and corn from the freezer. Whole wheat tortillas, cheese, cabbage, salsa were in the fridge. Tomatoes and avocado purchased for this purpose.

Wed: leftover seafood pasta

Thurs: shredded pork tacos (shredded pork barbacoa from the freezer)

Fri: Ate out with a Living Social Coupon at Tana Ethiopian. It was good, but for the money, I'd rather have Udipi or Green Mango. If you do go there, we all agreed the spicy lentils were the best dish we had. Then we went to see the animated shorts at Regent Square theater (I had a couple of free passes from PCA)

Sat: lunch: Use-it-up/make-it-up pasta (I had some leftover cooked linguini in the fridge that I mixed with sauteed onions, carrots, and celery and other assorted odds and ends in the refrigerator: black olives, calamata olives, a bit of goat cheese, chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Dinner: vegetarian chili from the freezer and homemade cornbread (used powdered buttermilk, since I didn't have fresh)

Sun: Southwest style hamburgers (ground beef and buns from the freezer, topped with chipotle mayo, canned green chiles, avocado, tomato, lettuce and cheddar), oven fries and sweet potato fries, and roasted turnips (I got them from the farmer and have been postponing using them, but they weren't bad this way).

On the possible list for next week:
*pozole (freezer)
*mediterranean lentil salad
*black beans and rice with a little appetizer of shrimp and avocado ceviche to use some of the *shrimp in the freezer from Valentine's day)
*fresh green pea soup with homemade bread
*shrimp pad thai
*leftovers
*chinese stir-fry if there are enough vegetables left in the crisper, with dumplings (freezer) from TJ's
*maybe cheesy hashbrowns with ham (freezer)
*breakfast for dinner
*frittata with the leftover potatoes from the oven fries

I'll just need to buy some cilantro, but I think I have everything else. I will need more bananas and milk for breakfasts. Creepy, huh? And I think I can do a 3rd week, too. TMI?

Pumpernickel with Olive and Walnut Spread Tea Sandwiches

I think it was a need to do something other than sit at the computer working on taxes and financial aid applications and look out at the grey skies and snowy landscape that led me to issue an open invitation to my bookgroup buddies and their daughters to come have a girly tea party. We ended up with 22 of us, and with everyone's contributions, we had a pretty impressive spread of assorted tea sandwiches, scones, mini muffins, cupcakes, fresh fruit and other goodies. We had a decent showing of tiaras and fancy dresses, too. And, really, I had a lot more fun than it looks like from this photo. It was a good party, and the sun even came out briefly! Thanks, everyone, for coming and cheering me up!

I made my favorite celebratory sandwiches from the original Moosewood Cookbook.

Here's my easy version:

3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup black olives
8 oz. cream cheese
1 scallion stem, chopped
1 red bell pepper
mesclun greens or spinach leaves, washed
cucumber (optional)
1 loaf pumpernickel bread

Toast the walnuts in the microwave for 3 minutes. Pulse to chop in the food processor. Remove to bowl. Pulse black olives to lightly chop. Add the cream cheese and chopped scallion and walnuts and pulse until blended but not too pureed. Spread on pumpernickel, top with red bell pepper (I diced it first, but slices work fine), greens and optional cucumber. Cut as desired. (I cut off the crusts and cut them in triangles).

Five-Spice Salmon and Sesame Green Beans

I thought I had about the best honey/lime/soy glazed salmon recipe ever, but this new recipe made all of us question that. It's a healthy meal served with brown rice, and really, when you find your family picking at the bits of crusty salmon left on the serving plate and rubbing their green beans against the salmon skin hoping to get a bit more sauce on them (that kind of grossed me out a little), you know it's good. This one is from Fine Cooking, issue 107.

This is fast and easy, and it's great that you do it all in one pan. Don't make the mistake I did and forget to start the rice until after you put the salmon in the oven, or you'll end up eating all the salmon and having none left to eat with your plain brown rice. Start the rice first. And if you happen to substitute frozen green beans, thaw them first or start them before the salmon. Another note is that I found the salmon needed more time to cook through, and using the broiling method meant that the top was over-done before the fish was opaque. I might switch to a high oven temp to finish it next time. Oh - and I'd make a little extra sauce to set aside and drizzle over it after it's cooked to avoid that whole practically licking the salmon skin thing.

Five-Spice Glazed Salmon and Sesame Green Beans

1/4 cup honey
4 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp. five-spice powder
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Four 6-oz. skin-on salmon fillets (preferably wild), pin bones and scales removed
Nonstick cooking spray
1 lb. slender green beans, trimmed
2 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp. lemon juice

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In a small bowl, whisk the honey, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and garlic. Put the salmon skin side down on a large plate and pour the honey mixture over it. Flip the fillets so they are skin side up. Let the fish marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss the green beans with the canola and sesame oils. Arrange the beans on one half of the prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the salmon skin side down on the other half of the baking sheet. Brush the salmon with any remaining marinade from the plate.

Broil the salmon and green beans for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, toss the green beans with tongs, and reposition the salmon pieces as needed so that they cook evenly. Continue to broil until the salmon is just cooked through and the beans are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss the green beans with the sesame seeds and lemon juice and serve.

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

On request, I'm posting the recipe for these decadent morsels that I made for book group last week. I got this recipe from my sister Becky. The recipe I first got from her called for rolling the cookie dough balls in orange peel infused sugar, which makes them pretty and sparkly, but I didn't think the extra sweetness added much to the flavor. I like to make them with mini chocolate chips and roll them in waxed paper, freeze and slice them for a different look. You can shape the log in a square by packing into a wax-paper or aluminum foil box lined with plastic wrap.   Or just make them round.  The freezing step means they work really well as make ahead cookies for the holidays (or any other time of year). I also usually drizzle them with a bit of semi-sweet chocolate for drama. I just love orange and chocolate together. These cookies are nice and buttery and nutty, too.

Orange Chocolate-Chip Cookies

1 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter
1 Tbs. grated orange peel (I'm generous with this)
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. chocolate chips

Cream together sugar, butter, orange peel. Beat in the egg until fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Either roll into bar cookies in waxed paper and freeze or roll into 1 1/2" balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten to about 1/2" thick. Bake 350 for 9-11 minutes. If desired, when cooled, drizzle with chocolate. Just melt about 1/4 c. chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds. Place in plastic baggie, cut off a tiny bit of the corner and drizzle over cookies placed close together.

Herbed Turkey Breast with Bacon

So, I couldn't resist buying a turkey back at Thanksgiving, and ended up cooking it in parts instead of as a whole roast bird. I poached the legs in a seasoned broth and used them in mole and chilaquiles and turkey soup (made with that broth), and I boned the breast, rubbed it with herbs and wrapped it in bacon and made this fantastic roast chicken breast. It was dramatic and delicious the first evening, and the leftovers made great sandwiches with avocados, tomatoes, and lettuce. I was very happy with the results. I think it was the best turkey I've ever had. I'm fairly traditional when it comes to Thanksgiving, but I think I might have to give up the whole roast bird in the future for this. It cooks faster, too!

from a recipe in Fine Cooking's November issue:

Roasted Turkey Breast, Porchetta Style

1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
3 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 whole skin-on turkey breast (5 to 7 lb.), boned or 2 boneless skin-on turkey breast halves (2 to 3 lb. each)
Eight 1/8-inch-thick pancetta slices, unrolled into strips, or 8 strips thick-cut bacon (I used the bacon since that's what I had)

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In a large mortar, pound the coriander and fennel seeds with a pestle to form a coarse powder. Add the rosemary and sage and pound to crush and bruise the herbs. Add the garlic and 1 Tbs. salt and pound until a paste begins to form. Stir in 2 tsp. pepper and 2 Tbs. of the olive oil and set aside.

Pat the turkey breast dry with a paper towel and lay it skin side down on a work surface. Rub half the spice paste over the meat. Turn the turkey over and carefully separate the skin from the meat without tearing the skin. Rub the remaining spice paste under the skin. Reform the breast and tie with 4 to 6 loops of butcher’s twine to make a roll. (If you’re using boneless halves, season the two halves, lay them on top of each other skin side out, and tie them together.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey breast and cook until golden-brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the breast seam side down to a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Crisscross the pancetta or bacon over the top of the breast. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Let the turkey breast rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pancetta and chop or crumble it. Remove the strings from the turkey, slice into 1/4-inch slices, and serve, sprinkled with the pancetta.

Is it possible to have too many truffles?

I think the answer might be yes. Most certainly, it's possible to make too many. Remind me never to make so many in one day ever again. It stopped being fun about halfway through. However, I'm sure I'll start to forget that by tomorrow when I'm enjoying eating them. We followed the recipe in Fine Cooking, and used Ghirardelli's dark chocolate chips in the ganache and Trader Joe's pound plus chocolate bars for dipping. They take a lot longer to make than I expected, but then we ended up making more than I expected, too. About 200? Plus dipped strawberries and ginger and dried apricots.

We just had to try all our flavor combo ideas:
mint with peppermint on top
dark chocolate orange
Mexican (cinnamon almond)
hazelnut
Irish creme
Ancho chile
wasabi and ginger

If I ever do this again, I'm not doing more than 2 flavors.

Here's Fine Cooking's interactive create your own truffle recipe.

Merry Christmas!

A Lighter Macaroni and Cheese

No bunless hotdogs this week. I even tried some new recipes and started replenishing my freezer stash.

You'd never guess this recipe from Ellie Krieger has a substantial amount of butternut squash in it. It has all the comfort of homemade mac and cheese without being so heavy. It is lightened up a bit with ricotta cheese and the butternut, which adds to the orange color. It's actually easier than traditional homemade mac and cheese (if you don't make the pureed squash from scratch like I did) because you don't have to make a roux for the white sauce base. I didn't have the jack cheese, so I substituted sharp cheddar. I would use extra sharp cheddar in the future for a stronger cheesy flavor, as directed. I put it in two 8 in. square pans, baked one and froze the other (lined with foil so I can pull it out and put it in a plastic bag in the freezer) to bake and eat another week. Broccoli makes a great side dish.

Macaroni and Four Cheeses

16 oz. elbow macaroni
two 10 oz. packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups lowfat milk
1 1/3 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
2/3 cup grated monterey jack cheese (2 oz)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs. plain dry bread crumbs
2 Tbs. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a 9x13 inch (or 2 8x8 in) baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook the macaroni according the package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk in a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until almost simmery, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar, jack, ricotta, salt, mustard, and cayenne. Pour over the macaroni, stir to combine, and transfer to the prepared baking dish(es).

Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheeses are bubbling around the edges, about 20 min, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.