Fiesta Cubana

Well, maybe not terrifically festive, but the supper was built around a packet of supposedly ‘Cuban’ rice and beans.

I’d taken some chicken breast cutlets from the freezer and we doctored those up with the basil/ginger chicken rub then sautéed them in the big iron skillet.

With green salad alongside, the supper was bueno.

North meets South

When we were travelling through more southern parts of the U.S., we had occasion to try biscuits and gravy. What they call gravy there is different than what I'm used to. Their 'gravy' is more what I'd call a white sauce, only it generally has bits of sausage in it. At least, that's my northern perspective on understanding it.

Because I thought we might sometime want to try this 'white gravy' (maybe even with grits), I cheated and bought a tin in North Carolina, I suppose for just such a day as this.

I made a chicken meatloaf (ground chicken, onion, egg, crumbs from some seasoned pita chips) and when it was almost ready, I arranged packaged biscuits around it. I heated the 'gravy' on the stove, along with a tin of corn.

I suppose if this were really a Southern meal, the greens in the salad bowl would have been fried -- and maybe even the meatloaf would've been. Still, it's a fun reminder of some of the places we've been.

Cool/hot and easy

After three days with friends in Saskatoon, the road beckoned, and so did the need for a grocery store.

Because we're on the way to see other friends, we only needed to grab a few things, and were able to be in and out of the store in a flash.

Among our grabs was one of those reliable convenience foods, supermarket-cooked chicken. This one was supposed to be a 'Stampede Smoked' variety, though it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. It seems they'd slathered it with some sort of 'smokehouse' barbecue flavouring, but only at the last second, so the sauce hadn't even been absorbed into the meat -- just floated on the skin like thickly applied too-red make-up.

Whatever. Thick slices of the chicken worked just fine as part of big individual salads, one of the nicest one-dish meals around, especially in warm weather.

As for the hot part of this cool supper was the improvised salad dressing. I thinned out the last of the wasabi mayonnaise with olive oil until it was a good consistency for pouring. Cool and hot at the same time!

With homemade homous (made by Robert, our host in Saskatoon) and a baguette, this was a wonderfully easy Saturday supper -- perfect for while we watched the hockey game.

Soup's on!

We've spent the last few days at a condo with (still more) family, so there hasn't been any 'RV cooking' since Thursday.

Tonight, after putting in a fair share of miles (about 2/3 of the way across Minnesota), I knew it was a night for bowls of soup.

We had terrific leftovers from our weekend at the condo (too many chips and treats, of course, but this is holiday time), including most of the breast of a barbecued chicken.

The Rattler's had a little problem needing some attention, so as soon as we pulled into our site, the Dear Man got out and started conferring with the locals over how best to rectify the trouble.

While all that male bonding was going on outside, I used the chicken to start a pot of soup. I chopped a lot of carrots (maybe it just seemed like a lot, because they're those mini-snack ones) and threw those into the broth, then rustled up a salad as accompaniment.

To fortify what probably would have been a pretty boring soup, I added a packet of one of our assorted Asian soup mixes -- this one had tiny bits of tofu and threads of mushrooms, as well as just the right amount of spiciness. A pack of lasagna worked just fine as a kind of 'noodle' addition, though really, what a combination of cultures in the pot.

Still, nicely warming for a night that promises to be rainy, cold and stormy.

Getting readjusted

After a few days of healthy (and yummy) food at my sister's, we were off to Carolina's Outer Banks, specifically Ocracoke Island. The ferry ride from Cedar Island was smooth as silk, with the water ruffled only by the occasional family of dolphins.

We found a crowded but friendly RV park and pulled out the barbie. We'd bought some pre-cooked chicken, but it was all the better getting reheated on the grill of the little Weber unit.

For our side dish, we had the leftovers from the previous evening's Chinese takeaway (rice and Szechuan chicken, plenty of vegies), along with the usual green salad.

As for the photo, that was appies -- source of a couple of treats, stolen fresh from the sea.

Not Christmas Eve

All that red and green in the photo probably looks more like Christmas than springtime, but this is the night before Easter.

Even though we'd used up a lot of that turkey breast from the other day (the big salad, plus two lunches' worth of sandwiches and wraps), there was still a bunch left, so it went into a tettrazini-ish pasta. Red pepper, basil, and spinach went in too -- along with lots of olive oil and Parmesan.

Because one of the eggs had cracked when I boiled them, I didn't really want to dye it, but it worked out perfectly as part of the spinach salad.

Cool supper for a hot night

Today, we stopped at a supermarket and fell for the idea of a pre-cooked turkey breast. I don't know if it was a matter of just thinking Easter or what.

When we stopped for the day, we were in a place that felt too hot to cook. The turkey, along with a bunch of greens, peppers, onions and tomatoes made a heaping big sort-of-chef salad.

Naturally, I wanted something-we-didn't-have to top it off -- ranch-style dressing.

But we did have chive and onion cream cheese, so I used a fork to whip some of that with milk and our usual (homemade) salad dressing. A bit thick, but flavour-wise, it worked.

Even a few sunflower seeds (which seem appropriate for Kansas, where we are) showed up in the cupboard to top it off.

Round and round and round

It's not so much the food going 'round -- the ones going 'round today -- that was us. We're barely 30 miles from where we stopped last night.

We wanted to check out some ruins (worth it) and another national park, and the route worked out to be pretty much a circle.

When we finally circled the wagons (okay, parked the unit) for the night, supper was something that had to come together fast.

I'd had a packet of 'garlic Alfredo' sauce mix in with our camping supplies for almost forever. If it ever had an expiry date, it had worn off.

Cooked up some fresh pasta, whipped up the sauce (with butter, cup of milk) and added chunks of chicken from the other night's bird (the ones left after the big wraps we'd had for yesterday's lunch). Some fresh green beans and salad and we were diggin' in!

The comfort of homely food

After a day of wind and dust, both of us were hungry. A stop at the supermarket only seemed to make us drool.

We loaded up with a few supplies, including the lazy pre-cooked chicken. Along with instant mashed potatoes (complete with skins, no less), peas and a salad full of tomatoes and avocado, we chowed down and seemed to finish in all of three minutes.

Hungry!

Leftovers, with leftovers

For fun, we ate lunch at a funny little old-fashioned diner. While we were there, sitting at the counter, we heard all about last week's evacuation for the tsunami. While there was some damage here (Orick, CA), things were worse up the coast, where a few die-hard (I'll say) photo-seekers were lost.

But back to the source of the leftovers. Because the lunch was too huge to eat, I took my salad-bar salad home to the fridge. Adding the last half of avocado turned it into a yummy salad for two.

And then there was all that chicken from last night (we'd only eaten the legs, the bird was so big). So, with the chicken and a companion packet of wild rice mix, we had plenty to eat.

And plenty to think about as we continue our route down this wildly beautiful but perilous coast.

Lazy Friday night

Store-bought (pre-cooked) chicken, picked up along the way, accompanied by a junky box of kung-pao mix. The noodle mix got the last of the spinach greens added to it -- the ones that wouldn't fit into the salad bowl. They added a nice touch, seemed to make it taste less 'packaged'.

We do what we do, eh.

Guilty pleasures

As the holiday countdown continues, it’s time to indulge in something lazy.

Tonight it’s another of our odd combinations: chicken wings and squash. The wings are a box of pre-made ones pulled out of the freezer, the squash is the standard Acorn variety, slow-baked with butter and salt and pepper.

A super-garlicky Caesar salad keeps the vampires and flu germs away.

The guiltiest pleasure of all? Eating this in front of the tv while we watch the almost-final Survivor.

Colourful!

There's snow falling tonight, and everything outside is turning white, so we're having colourful food.

A pan of chicken thighs baked in a made-up curry sauce, one I hope I can duplicate -- with these thrown-together sauces, it can be tricky. It was a couple of spoonfuls of Thai red curry paste, about the same amount of coconut milk, olive oil, and then a bunch of orange juice to 'water' it down from the pasty state.

When there was about 20 minutes left for the chicken (while the rice cooked), I mixed cauliflower chunks into the sauce with the chicken. This proved to be just the right amount of time, as they came out flavoured with the sauce and cooked, but not mushy.

When I shopped the other day, I discovered that the produce store had local mixed-colour peppers -- mini size, just right for dipping in homous.

Because I didn't have any Naan bread, at the last minute I tossed a tortilla into the oven. It even puffed a bit and was quite a satisfactory substitute. Next time I try this, I think I'll coat it with a bit of oil first -- might keep it a bit softer, from getting too crisp.

A supper with lots of colour, and lots of flavour too!

Holiday Extravaganza

Colleagues from the D.M.'s workplace planned a celebratory meal at a restaurant -- a festive meal to get us into the spirit of the season. The tables were strewn with green and red foil-wrapped kisses; there were shiny ornaments at everyone's place and even Christmas poppers, complete with corny jokes and paper hats.

For starters, there were cups of pumpkin soup. Then came the salad. Mixed greens with shredded carrot and cucumber, mung bean sprouts and a deliciously fresh tasting dressing.

Mains meant a choice of pork, salmon or chicken. I chose the chicken rounds, which were delicious. Especially nice was the loosely (lumpily?) mashed potato wrapped in a thin layer of filo -- something I will have to try at home.

Dessert was a no-flour chocolate cake, complemented by unsweetened whipped cream and blueberries. Definitely a special meal!

Noodley

Tuedly, er Tuesday night -- time for an easy, cooperative effort at supper. Turkey bratwursts baked in the oven, while we chopped garlic and mushrooms, and caught up on the news of each other's day.

While the fettuccini cooked, we mooshed up avocado with lemon juice. Magically, a salad came together.

Lots of Parmesan cheese over top is always the crowning touch.

It's a picnic!

Overall, it's been a miserable November. So tonight we're breaking the dread of it with a picnic.

Somehow, one of those pre-cooked supermarket chickens snuck in here and tonight we've heated it up in the oven so it's cozy and warm. Into the pot with it went some mushrooms the D.M. found yesterday. The crossing-over of flavours is excellent: chickeny mushrooms, mushroomy chicken.

I used the last of the 'found' cabbage to make a slaw and whipped up a plate of devilled eggs (how else could it be a picnic?). Fresh homous and some sliced up bread and we're happenin'.

subStantial

After last night's feeble fare, tonight we're having lusty canneloni from the freezer. Besides being stuffed with lots of spinach, the filling also has ground turkey in it. Chunks of turkey are also in the sauce. So, I guess it's foreshadowing for the leftovers our American cousins will be eating this weekend and maybe into next week.

The little tomatoes on top are the last of the cherry tomatoes that finished ripening in the laundry room. Aside from parsley, chives and rosemary, we're about finished as far as fresh produce from the yard goes.

Lots of cheese (even a sprinkle in the salad) make this a satisfyingly subStantial make-up meal.

Odd combo

But then, odd combinations always happen around here when I haven't been shopping for a while.

Between the freezer and the fridge and the pantry, there's usually the possibility of an interesting meal.

From the freezer came chicken wings, as well as a dessert. The fridge had a jar with the tiniest bit of homemade quince syrup, too small an amount for pancakes or French toast, so that's what went onto the chicken -- along with a bit of olive oil and soy sauce. Sort of a sweet and sour, but not really.

The veg crisper had a single lonesome carrot, so that got grated into a pot of quinoa (pantry food). The stub of cauliflower steamed up as the side veg. And there was still enough pepper, onions and lettuce to make a salad.

The dessert must have been one I made with leftover filo from a spanokopita. A sort of strudel/pie filled with blueberries, blackberries and a bit of nectarine.

If nothing else, an interesting combination of flavours and textures and colours.

In honour of...

...one of the many people I learned to cook from, Kathleen, a person who should have been celebrating her birthday today.

Instead, I honour her memory by making a poor imitation of her chicken stew, which she always served served over rice.

"For supper, cut-up chicken,
the comfort of stew, thick
and flecked with golden carrots."

In keeping with her traditions, the salad should be made from iceberg lettuce. Since I don't have any, the leafy green stuff has to substitute. I did at least slice the greens into almost-shreds as she would have. I also topped it with the dressing she would have made -- plain oil with a dash of white vinegar, then salt and a whole lot of black pepper.

This supper has a couple of additions -- horseradished beets, the way she would have made them, but something else that's our own distinctive addition. When we went for a walk this afternoon, we found quite a few parasol mushrooms. Fried up as a side dish, they're a treat worthy of a birthday commemoration.

Coincidental

This morning I finished reading a book called Trauma Farm.
It’s a memoir of living on a farm on Salt Spring Island, but also a rambling treatise on what we eat and how it’s grown.

We still had some of those windfall Brussels sprouts I wanted to use, so the whole idea of foraged or pure foods gave me my theme. I must have had the sound of the clucking chickens from Salt Spring in mind, as I decided tonight was the night for one of the free-range birds from the freezer.

I wanted to make something different, so browsed through a couple of cookbooks. Coq au Vin sounded like a dish worthy of these special birds, so I set about compiling a reasonable facsimile of the ingredients and cleared out a jar of last year’s dried chanterelles in the process.

Two cups of wine sounded like a lot, but then I remembered a less-than-successful batch of port from a few years back – something I wouldn’t mind using as much as a bottle of drinkable wine. I figured that using it might also solve the problem of adding bourbon, as specified in the recipe I’d found.

And then wouldn’t you know it, rinsing out the empty bottle, I remembered helping with bottling it. Where else, but Trauma Farm.

Cheers.