Eight

Happy birthday to

the incomparable Charlie.

Friday Food: Store Meat and Summer Sickness

Most of the game meat I have left in the freezer is long-cooking stew-type stuff, and I really do not want to be doing that when it's 100 degrees every day. So I've been using more of the store meat A. has found on his forays to the Outside World. It's like we're Modern Americans or something.

Friday

Short version: Antelope backstrap, garlic bread, roasted sweet potatoes/onions/bell pepper, frozen green beans

Long version: Okay, not all the way modern.

For the antelope, I just seared it, took it out and sliced it, then put the pieces back in the pan with some basil pesto.

Does that sound familiar? Yup. I am definitely a one-trick meat-cooking pony.

That doesn't sound quite right.

Anyway.

I had to bake bread anyway, which is the only reason I made garlic bread. But you know the exciting thing about baking bread this time? I could also roast the vegetables at the same time, because I now have two whole oven shelves.

Oh, the luxury.

Saturday

Short version: Pork carnitas tacos with homemade corn tortillas, pinto beans

Long version: A.'s brother and his family arrived this day for a short visit. Making tortillas requires high heat on a large cast-iron surface for a long period of time, and thus, does not happen when it's too hot outside (and inside my kitchen). But the high this day was only about 87 degrees, so I could make tortillas without feeling like I was going to combust.

You may have noticed there is nothing patriotic about this Fourth of July meal. Too bad you couldn't see the inadvertent fireworks when I was frying the pork on the griddle pan and some of the grease got in the burner flame. There was a fire at least ten inches high. It was pretty impressive.

I immediately turned the burner off, of course, and before I could get the baking soda out of the cupboard, it was out. And nothing was damaged.

I'm sure our guests found that little pyrotechnic display at the stove very festive.

Random photo break!

Nothing like some bubble-wrap popping in footie jammies first thing in the morning.

Sunday

Short version: Pulled pork sandwiches, kielbasa, coleslaw, Grandma Brown's baked beans, leftover boiled potatoes, banana fake ice cream

Long version: I didn't fry all the pork on Saturday after it was cooked, so I shredded the rest of it and mixed it with barbecue sauce for sandwiches. And yes, I have zero problem serving leftovers to guests.

A.'s brother brought the kielbasa, and I made that, too, to make sure there was enough meat. There was.

I used some of my frozen Sysco bananas to make the ice cream and was congratulating myself on having the foresight to get such a large quantity and freezing it in chunks for future fake-ice-cream-making. Too bad the school Sysco program isn't offering bananas anymore.

Monday

Short version: Roasted chicken with pesto, roasted potatoes, leftover coleslaw, leftover baked beans, frozen peas

Long version: It was a bit too hot to be roasting chicken at high heat for two hours, but still only around 90 degrees, so I made it anyway. We had one of those big chickens, which I salted in the morning and put back in the refrigerator. Then I just rubbed some basil pesto I had on hand all over it and put it in a 475 degree oven for a couple of hours. It came out well.

Random photo break #2!

When your mean mom refuses to put the sprinkler on the hose because she insists on watering the boring plants instead of catering to her hot children, you can always make do with a leak in the perpetually punctured hose.

Tuesday

Short version: Beef steaks, rice, steamed carrots and broccoli

Long version: My brother-in-law also brought some steaks with him. They were labeled "chuck tender steaks," but I know the chuck isn't really that tender--I usually pot roast it--so I cooked them more rare than I normally would so they wouldn't get tough. So, about medium. I really don't like rare meat.

This was the first time we've had beef steaks in about a year. Exciting.

Wednesday

Short version: Pre-seasoned chicken drumsticks, leftover rice, potato soup, frozen peas

Long version: A. found these seasoned drumsticks on a clearance shelf in the grocery store meat section. I was afraid, this being New Mexico--Land of Enchantment and Chili Everydamnwhere--that the red seasoning on it would be some kind of burning chili powder.

It wasn't. I think it was paprika.

Anyway. They were okay. I asked A. to cook them because I was in bed with Poppy crawling all over me while I continually blew my nose and bore with great fortitude the cold that Cubby, Jack, Poppy, and I all came down with simultaneously.

I made the soup earlier in the day because Cubby had a terrible sore throat from the cold. It was really much too hot for soup (85 degrees in the kitchen at 5 p.m.), but potato soup is Cubby's preferred illness comfort food--and, not coincidentally, mine too--so I made it anyway. Just onion, garlic, potatoes, carrots, Better Than Bouillon chicken broth, and milk blended to make it smooth.

Simple, but appreciated. I put some bits of chicken in it for Cubby, too, and he was very happy. He had two bowls. And I got to eat the leftovers cold for lunch the next day, which was also quite nice.

Thursday

Short version: Pork steaks with pesto, bread and butter, frozen green beans

Long version: And everyone was fed. The end.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

The Newest Member of the Kitchen Team

I've been holding out on you. I mean, we've had a new range for three whole days now and you didn't know about it.

I know. Shameful.

Anyway, I guess it's not really that exciting, because the new range is pretty much exactly the same as the old range. Which was really old. It was a brand called a "Holiday," that is no longer made. It was in the house when we got here, so I don't know exactly how old it is, but I'm guessing about thirty years old.

To replace the Holiday, I purposely bought what is euphemistically referred to as an "entry-level" range, for which you can read "cheapest." I did not want anything with excess electronics and digital displays. Or buttons. Not only does that stuff always break sooner rather than later, but I wanted to be sure that I could use it when the power goes out.

The Holiday didn't have any electronic parts at all. But since it's no longer possible to buy propane stoves with pilot lights--at least not at a standard appliance store--I settled for getting one that only has electric igniters. If the power does go out, I can still light the stove burners with a match.

A. installed this thing in about fifteen minutes, which was something of a miracle. I was sure there would be some mysterious parts that would need to be ordered and would delay the installation. But no.

There was one part that had to be taken from the old stove and put on the new one, but other than that, it looked pretty easy. Possibly because I didn't do any of the work.

Range Senior and Range Junior during installation.

Although they look similar, the new range has several important differences. For one, the burners actually light on their own without the aid of a match. For another, the oven door closes tightly. Also, the burners aren't clogged with decades of grease, resulting in dirty, greasy, sooty stuff getting all over the bottoms of my pots and thus all over the kitchen.

And finally, and perhaps most excitingly, the oven has two whole shelves. I've been working with a single oven shelf for two years now, so this is a very welcome change. 

There are a couple of things that I'm still getting used to with the new range--namely, two of the four burners don't seem to have a low setting, so I have to be careful which ones I use when I want to cook something gently--but overall, it's a great improvement.

There. Now you're all caught up with the excitement at our house.

Carry on.

Friday Food: Now With Very Unattractive Food Photos!

Friday

Short version: Tuna patties, leftover potatoes, carrot sticks with curry dip

Long version: I counted this meal a win because I was totally going to punk out with tuna salad (83 degrees in the kitchen at 5 p.m.), but pulled myself together and made tuna patties instead.

I was going to fry the leftover potatoes, too, but my fortitude didn't extend to that.

Saturday

Short version: Bacon and egg sandwiches, Grandma Brown's baked beans, green beans

Long version: Since I had a supply of bacon grease on hand, I decided to cook the green beans in that. Good call. Way better than boiling them in the microwave, which is what I usually do.

Sunday

Short version: Antelope, lazy German potato salad, green beans

Long version: Let's put bacon in everything!

The antelope was two small roasts, browned in bacon fat, then pulled out, sliced, and returned to the pan with a cube of garlic scape pesto and some heavy cream. Such a good combination.

And for Lindsay, who wants to see what our weird game meats look like:

After browning and slicing, and before going back into the pan.

The finished (and not very photogenic) product. I should've artfully strewn some basil chiffonade over this for the photo, right?*

The potato salad was just boiled, chopped potatoes doused with vinegar, salt, and a very, very small amount of sugar. I have had literally sweet German potato salad before, which I consider unappealing in the extreme. I put in about two pinches of sugar. 

I didn't want to cut into a whole onion for just the bit I would need for the potatoes, so I just used some roasted onions I already had in the refrigerator. Also bacon bits and extra bacon grease, of course, because of such things are a German potato salad made.

And the same green beans as the night before, because again, there was that handy bacon grease.

Monday

Short version: Tuna skillet

Long version: Bacon bits (and the grease from cooking them), diced onion and celery, tuna, cooked rice, frozen peas, mayonnaise, grated cheddar cheese.

Have you ever wondered what three pounds of tuna might look like in a can? Well! Wonder no more!

Same unrealistically inspirational mug for scale . . .

Before A. and Cubby went to see the MiL in New York, she asked me if there was anything she could send back with them. And I said (among other things), "Tuna." 

See, I can't find the bigger, 12-ounce cans of solid white tuna in stores here, so I used to order it online by the case. Then came a global pandemic and panic buying, and just like that, tuna was pretty much no longer available online. It is, however, still available at stores in bigger cities, apparently. So the MiL bought one of these giant cans at BJs for me. 

It's a lot of tuna. You're going to see it again for a few nights coming up.

Tuesday

Short version: Tuna salad sandwiches, carrot sticks

Long version: What does one do when there are still two pounds of tuna in the refrigerator and it's 83 degrees in the kitchen? The answer is obvious.

The big news this day: I harvested The First Tomato, a Stupice. And then I ate it. Without sharing. Because that is the tradition of The First Tomato.

A little (very little) selfishness is a good thing sometimes.

Wednesday

Short version: Pork chops with cream gravy, boiled potato chunks, green salad with ranch dressing

Long version: We very, very rarely have pork chops, but A. found some boneless center-cut ones in the clearance section of the meat department last time he was at the grocery store. These I browned and cooked through, then removed to make a gravy with finely diced onion, milk, and cornstarch.

I oversalted it a bit, but it was still pretty good.

Thursday

Short version: Pork slop for A., tuna salad sandwiches and frozen peas for the kids, salad for me 

Long version: The MiL used to make a combination after Thanksgiving of leftover turkey and gravy served over mashed potatoes that she called Turkey Slop. I made a combination of leftover pork and gravy, but then I just mixed in leftover rice and some frozen peas. It was still pretty sloppy.

This meal probably would have finished up the giant can of tuna, but then when I was making the tuna salad, I overdid the mayonnaise and had to add another 12-ounce can of tuna to it so it wouldn't be so gloppy. And so now, there is more tuna salad in the refrigerator. Forever.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

* Ha. That'll be the day. If you could see and hear what my kitchen is like right before dinner, you would know that I literally do not have time for that nonsense. Too busy yelling at kids to wash their hands and shaking clutching children off my legs while I dish up food. 

Making Do

At various times, I have considered buying a small wading pool for the children to play in. But you know what always stops me?

The plastic.

Those things are nothing but plastic, and I HATE plastic. So why would I saddle myself with a giant piece of plastic that I will eventually have to dispose of, probably sooner rather than later?

No. Sorry, kids. No pool for you.

Luckily, they don't know what they're missing.

Also luckily, when presented with no ready-made accumulations of water, children are very capable of manufacturing one.

In Charlie's case, that meant digging out the dirt right underneath the drippy outdoor faucet while A. was watering to make a suitably muddy pool.

And no plastic in sight. Hooray.

A Garden Revelation

We are inundated with squash plants this year. One of the things we learned last year is that squash is happy to grow here. This is sadly not the case with all vegetables (alas for the leeks), but squash can handle our climate. So we figured we should roll with that.

A. planted some saved squash seeds* back in January as an experiment to see if they would perform like a volunteer and come up early. They did.

Then I planted half a dozen out in the pasture.

And we have at least three volunteers in the back garden where we had many volunteers come up last year thanks to an old compost pile.

Last year's volunteer squash that ate the back yard. (It got even bigger than this in the end.)

All together, I'd say we have at least 14 squash plants. And as everyone knows, squash plants are very, very prolific. It is not unusual to get half a dozen squash on one plant. So 14 plants times 6 squash per plant is . . .

Well, it's a LOT of squash. Way more than I would be able to eat as winter squash in one season. Or even give away, I suspect.

However.

At least a couple of our plants are from seeds we saved from Rafael's calabaza that he gave us last year. We know, thanks to Rafael, those are calabazas when allowed to ripen fully on the vine, at which point they are a hard-skinned winter squash. But they are calabacitas when harvested at an immature stage in the summer, in which form they are cooked like zucchini.

None of the calabacitas have appeared on those plants yet, but it made me think: If the calabaza can be eaten at an immature stage, why not other winter squash? Like, say, the unidentifiable volunteer in the middle of my tomato plants that already has two baseball-sized squash on it?

Why not, indeed.

So I pulled those two squash off, chopped them up, and sauteed them in olive oil.

TA DA! Bonus garden vegetables!

I had to remove some of the seed part, because even the immature seeds in a winter squash are fairly big at an early stage, and I think this would only work when the skins are still thin and tender enough to be easily poked with a fingernail, but still. Early garden vegetables from a plant that I have not had to tend, and a way to use some of the avalanche of squash before it smothers us this fall.

Garden victory is mine. At least, when it comes to the squash.

* Every single one of the seeds we saved from various varieties last year and planted this year germinated. I purchased exactly one packet of squash seeds this year--Delicata--and of the six seeds I planted, only ONE germinated. So annoying.

Here Come the Mega Cabbages

Hey, anyone remember Cubby's Megaton cabbages?

Yeah, he doesn't get to claim them anymore, because after planting the seeds, he pretty much lost interest.

So would you like to see my and A.'s Megaton cabbage?

The mug I put in there for scale is a free one from Penzeys Spices that says "Heal the world . . . make dinner tonight." It's gonna take a lot more than cooking dinner to heal the world these days. 

Full disclosure: That's the biggest of the nine cabbages we grew. It's pretty big, though. It's just a hair over five pounds and yes, I weighed it.

Even though that's a big cabbage, it is definitely not as big as the Megaton was advertised to get. However, given our hellishly hot and windy spring and summer, I'm happy to have anything that just survived, much less produced usable vegetables. 

We've given away four cabbages already, leaving four still in the garden, which means we actually have about fifteen pounds of cabbage on hand. 

It's been awhile since I've used my kraut crock, but it looks like this is the year.