Steele (the Day)

Functional Foodie Friday: Iowa Corn Casserole

// June 24th, 2011 // No Comments » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

Where else but Iowa can you find the perfect sweet corn? Nowhere, I tell you. Everywhere else it’s just…corn. I was so tempted at the grocery store the other day, knowing full well this isn’t IOWA corn. After all, we’re at least 5 weeks before “the season.” It’s probably from Misery Missouri. But still. I bought it anyway.

And then you add bacon and what do you have? Bliss. And cheese? Heaven. Yep, this is a “farm” dish. Or perhaps a church potluck dish. Not exactly “light” fare, but here’s where you get to practice your portion control.

Yeah, good luck with that one.

Next time I will add 2 jalapeños instead of one. It needs a little extra zip, but it’s still suitable for most palates. I just like to pack a little heat in my dishes, even though this has a LOT of pepper. Real Iowans eat lots of pepper with their corn.

Leftovers are really good, too. Maybe even better.

Iowa Corn Casserole

6 slices center-cut bacon
1 medium yellow onion
1 (or 2) jalapeños
5 cups sweet corn, cut from the cob
5 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup corn meal
1 cup cheddar cheese (divided)
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 375°. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain well and crumble. Set aside. Remove all but a thin coating of bacon fat from the pan. Saute corn and jalapeños for 5 minutes until corn turns bright yellow. Set aside to cool a bit.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Whisk in corn meal. Stir in cottage cheese, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, corn mixture, and pepper. Pour into greased 9×9 pan. Top with remaining cheddar.

Place this pan in a larger pan and add very hot water so it goes about half way up the casserole pan, otherwise your eggs aren’t going to cook right. I used a small roaster.

Bake until top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tea today: Trader Joe’s White Pomegranate

In search of the perfect dress

// June 20th, 2011 // 8 Comments » // Family, My Fabulous Life

We’re coming up on another life-changing event in our family as our daughter will succumb to the season of wedded bliss this fall. This has meant multiple trips to DeMo (now called Harperville), stops at Trader Joe’s (nothing to do with a wedding, everything to do with food), and innumerable bank transfers, down payments, and decisions.

Wait … wedding. Trader Joe’s. Two Buck Chuck. I see another trip on the horizon.

Kate found her dress on the first shopping trip. She had bridesmaids dresses narrowed down to two within a few weeks. Flowers were easy (a rose is a rose). Cake was, well, a piece of cake (sorry). It actually looks a lot like her dress.

No, not this. Don’t ask. It’s hard to explain.

Image: Photobucket

On one of our excursions, I found the near-perfect dress.  It wasn’t the exact color I wanted, but the clerk assured me it came in the darker shade. As I emerged from the dressing room, both my daughter and DIL said “It makes you look really skinny!”

Sold.

Upon placing my order, however, we discovered there were none of the darker color available. I was so disappointed, but kept thinking I’d find it somewhere. On the way home, it occurred to me.

Ebay!!

I couldn’t wait to get the “model” number of the dress and enter it into Ebay’s search engine. Right away, two hits. SCORE! Numbers are pretty unique things to Ebay products.

Unfortunately, my results were two of these:

It’s pretty obvious this won’t make me look all that skinny. And where am I going to put my kleenex?

When you get exactly what you’re looking for, it may not be what you want after all.

Tea today: Trader Joe’s Pomegranate White

Functional Foodie Friday: Bean, Quinoa & Citrus Salad

// June 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // Functional Foodie, My Fabulous Life

After seeing versions of this recipe on three different foodie blogs over the past several weeks (which this is not), I decided I had to try something similar. It includes some of the most awesome textures and fresh flavors – a perfect summer salad. I made a batch, then took off to Harperville for a couple of days, stupidly saying to RB “Go ahead and eat that salad” knowing full well he wouldn’t touch it. It has no sugar, no meat, no potatoes, no bacon. When I got back it was GONE!

He said he couldn’t stop eating it once he started. So there you have it. I dare you to give this a try.

I would have liked this better with red quinoa, but it wouldn’t have been as pretty. Hint gleaned from experience: rinse your quinoa well before cooking under cold running water. Sometimes it can be a little bitter. Like, you know, ME – when I found it had all been eaten, and I had to make it again.

The first day it’s really good.

And even better the next day. The avocado stays bright and gets really creamy.

And even the day after – it stays really fresh and gets even more flavorful. The fresh cilantro really makes this salad. And the sweet chew of the dried fruit. Or maybe it’s the chickpea texture that I love.

Three days in a row. I just might be sick of it. Guess I can take it out of hiding now.

Bean, Quinoa & Citrus Salad

1/2 cup white quinoa
1 cup water
sprinkle of sea salt
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups fresh sweet corn (I used peaches & cream)
1 red grapefruit, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup diced dried apricots
1 avocado, diced
1/3 to 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (please, not the bottled stuff)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Mix quinoa, water and salt. Bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from burner and let it rest for 5-10 minutes, then fluff.

Combine onion, corn, grapefruit, both beans, and dried fruits in a large bowl. Toss. Fold in quinoa. Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil and mix thoroughly. Fold in avocado and cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste.

Note: I think next time I might add some nuts, like toasted pine nuts or pecans.

Tea today: Tazo Zen

Snickers Goes Home

// June 13th, 2011 // 22 Comments » // Family, My Fabulous Life

I’m not sure where cats go when they die, other than the city-required 4 feet under ground. The fact that they’re not in heaven has pretty much been established by most men of the cloth. Something about when you get to heaven, it’s so wonderful you don’t need cats. If they’re in heaven, I’m sure their fur won’t stick to your chap stick in the middle of the night when they crawl across your face.

Our cat Snickers went to wherever-is-home last weekend. She was a sweet cat – to us. To everyone else she was 1) non-existent because she rarely made an appearance when others were around or 2) just a grouchy cat. She was the poster cat for conditional love.

We got her from the Humane Society when she was about 5 months old, having spent those months roaming the streets and probably not treated very well. Sort of the Grisabella of the Cedar Valley. She wasn’t all that friendly then (she hissed all the way home) but gradually warmed up to Ron Burgundy and me, becoming the sweetest most lovable thing, and Lucky’s best friend. Almost two years to the day when Lucky went to The Bridge (yes, dogs go to heaven. I read it on the internet), it was her turn.

Because eventually we all get our turn.

She really hadn’t been the same since Lucky left – depressed, I imagine. She really loved that dog, and vice versa. She lost weight and didn’t eat much right after he left, but then seemed to perk back up again. In the past month or so she lost 3 pounds, which is a lot for a 9 pound cat. She got pretty bony and it was apparent that something was up with her breathing. Our vet confirmed on x-ray that she had lung cancer, and we didn’t want her to suffer any more than she already had. Her coughing spells were more frequent and she could only walk a few steps before she had to stop and catch her breath.

And to think she never even smoked.

Helping Ron Burgundy with the Christmas lights...

And then admiring "her" work.

We did take her home from the vet that day, knowing within a couple of days we’d be back. We prepared a place for her, at the top of the hill, pondside, by Lucky. They’ll be happy they’re together again, and though this house will be less hairy, we will miss her. I think we sort of needed her around, even though all she did was lay around all day and rest afterwards.

I snapped this the day before she left. She was staring out the window watching Ron Burgundy dig her final resting place.

RB has promised me a memorial video like he did for Lucky. I have her pictures and music ready to go – hopefully you’ll see something posted here soon, but it won’t be much video. She was a videographer’s nightmare since she didn’t move much.

I had to laugh – one evening a week or so before she died, she was snuggled up to RB on the couch when out of the blue he said “She inspires me. She’s so content being lazy.” No kidding.

RIP, Snickers. You’re home. Up up up to the Heaviside Layer. You were truly “the mystical divinity of unashamed felinity.”

This post is part of the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival hosted by the infamous Peter Pollock. Click here to see the other entries.

Tea today: Trader Joe’s green

Functional Foodie Friday: Fish Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

// June 10th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Family, Functional Foodie

I was certain I had posted this recipe as it’s one of my favorite meals of all time. So when I threw them together this week I was all “Dang, I have no new food for Friday and I never even posted last week!”

Cue the repost. But I couldn’t find it. I’m apparently losing it faster than I thought.

I have a former patient who is an avid fisherman and loves to bring us his catch. So about every other month he comes in with a load of fresh crappies (pronounced CROP-peez for you land lubbers). Ron Burgundy would prefer them battered and fried, but they are such lean, petite morsels, I hate to ruin them with grease and flour.

Hence, yummy fish tacos. RB said they were “kinda hot.” Couldn’t have been that bad – he had four, then ate the scraps out of the pan as he left to go back to work.

This appears complicated. It is not. You can also make the salsa ahead of time if all the chopping is going to stress you out, but that’s the part I find the most fun! It’s imperative that you use fresh cilantro from the pot on your patio (or come and get some of mine) and to use fresh limes. None of that disappointment in a bottle, please.

Fish Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Fish and marinade:
1 lb fish, your choice
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon ancho or chipotle chili powder
1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salsa:
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, minced (include ribs and seeds for a more heat)
1 small cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
1 small avocado, diced
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
pinch of sea salt

Cabbage slaw:
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

6-8 soft corn tortillas

Cut fish into chunks, no bigger than 2 x 2. Mix marinade ingredients and pour over fish for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, prepare and mix salsa ingredients and set aside. Sprinkle cabbage with salt and cider; toss with hands.

Cook fish in a skillet over medium high heat until opaque, using most of the marinade as you add more fish. Most of it will evaporate and concentrate the flavors.

Warm tortillas in a hot skillet. Add a portion of fish, top with slaw and salsa.

Eat. All of it.

There may be salsa left over and it’s perfectly appropriate to finish it off with a spoon. Not that I would know anything about that.

Oh, and did you need a Harper fix today? Me too. I love that she texts and Skypes!

Tea today: Yogi Super Antioxidant