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Dinner Tonight: Reuben Sandwich

Reubens can sometimes play havoc with one's intestines. It's all the salt - corned beef and sauerkraut are loaded with it. And you can't have a Reuben without some dill pickles. More salt.

I have to limit myself to just a half sandwich or I pay the price later. It's worth it.

The best sandwich in the world.

Morgana at 11:05AM on 05/11/09

$29.95 for America's Test Kitchen website?

I became disillusioned with CI a few years ago after deciding that too often their recipes are needlessly complicated. They may be searching for their ideal form of a dish, but often I wind up using way too many pieces of equipment, and way too much time for what winds up being only a so-so dish. I cancelled it and never subscribed to the online version. Kimball is a self-righteous cook.

Morgana at 10:58AM on 03/23/09

What are your strange, secret and personal cooking tips?

Always opt for the simplest menu when entertaining folks for the first time especially. Juicy hamburgers, tossed salad, ice cream sundaes - you can' miss. Make the simple dishes great. Season the ground beef before making the burgers, butter and broil the buns, use fresh (not bagged) greens, make your own salad dressing, and whip your own cream for the sundaes. Try your recipes out a week in advance. Use a timer for the buns (no burning allowed), make the dressing and whipped cream in advance.

Morgana at 9:43AM on 03/16/09

I rediscovered _______, and now I love it!

It's not a food, but it is a kitchen item - Waxtex waxed paper sandwich bags. I use them for all sorts of storage when I just don't want plastic on the food. Cheese, half an onion, sandwiches, etc. They are hard to find but I bought a case from the manufacturer. My mom used to use them for packing our lunches before plastic baggies were introduced. Much more ecologically friendly and no health concerns as far as I know.

Morgana at 2:52PM on 03/02/09

Cook the Book: 'Kneadlessly Simple'

Sorry, should have included this link.
No-Knead-Bread

Morgana at 2:44PM on 03/02/09

Cook the Book: 'Kneadlessly Simple'

NYTimes no-knead bread is my favorite to bake. I make about 3-4 loaves a week.

Morgana at 2:42PM on 03/02/09

I don't go there, because I can't eat the food

My MIL's family picnics at their summer cottage (no A/C, windows kept closed to "keep the hot air out") always had as part of the menu a "Cheesy Potato Casserole" baked in a hot over for an hour or so. Add to that "Sloppy Joes" cooking in a crockpot. Naturally, the table was in the kitchen, with the temperature near 90. It was unbearable in that room with 16-20 people gathered around two picnic tables end to end. On the few occasions when FIL cooked burgers on the charcoal grill, he would put the meat on before the lighter fluid had burnt off. Petroleum flavor, anyone? Yuck.

Morgana at 10:04AM on 02/23/09

The 20 Dishes you need to know

Beef Stew (of boeuf bourguignon for special days)
Fried/baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy
Good steaks (grilled or pan-fried)
Homemade salad dressings (one creamy, couple vinaigrettes)
Desserts: Apple Pie, chocolate Cake/Brownies, custard/cream pies
Soups (vegetable/minestrone, creamed soups)
Johnny Marzetti
Chili, cornbread
Roast chicken, vegetables, potatoes and pan sauce
Lasagne
Couple different spaghetti/linguine/fettucine recipes
Sauteed chicken breasts (and/or fish fillets) with pan sauce
Tacos
Enchiladas
Pot Roast (with carrots, taters and onions)
Pork chops, sweet potatoes
Composed salads (Nicoise, antipasto plates, tuna and greens)

Morgana at 9:56AM on 02/16/09

I don't have a ___ in my kitchen and I don't want one.

Electric can openers can disappear for all I care. My Swingaway manual is perfect. Takes up little space, easy to wash, and ready for duty when the power goes out. I don't know why so many people think they need electric ones.

No pressure cooker - scared of them!

No toaster oven.

Morgana at 10:01AM on 02/09/09

Le Creuset: Is it worth it?

I have 2 Mario Batali Dutch ovens. They are great and I've had absolutely no problem with either one. I use one to bake my no-knead bread and it works great (the 5 qt. size). They are heavy, of course, so you have to build up some muscles if you want to move them around a lot.

Morgana at 9:57AM on 02/09/09

Weekend DVD Giveaway: 'Bottle Shock'

California's
Fess Parker overcomes a
Chateauneuf du Pape.

Morgana at 11:53AM on 01/19/09

absentminded kitchen disasters

Be sure to grab the correct ingredient!
(1) I used corn syrup instead of cooking oil to make popcorn. Kept smelling candy. Then I lifted the lid to find burnt syrup and popcorn kernels stuck to my mom's best heavy-bottomed pan. Oops.
(2) I grabbed baking soda instead of cornstarch when making an oriental stirfry. It fizzed up and smelled horrible. We had to throw away the food. Oops.

Morgana at 10:18AM on 01/12/09

Cook the Book: 'How to Cook Everything, Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition'

No-knead bread. Since I stumbled upon that video in May, 2007, I've made on average 4 loaves of it per week. That's a lot of flour, but not much yeast. I also made a convert of my daughter who makes 2-3 loaves per week. Easy, forgiving recipe that puts grocery bread to shame.

Morgana at 6:52PM on 12/08/08

Too Many Veggies from the CSA?

By the way, it was a flat fee of $25 per week, payable monthly, with a $100 surcharge (rebated as payment for the last month) due to financial constraints with some participants delaying payments to the struggling CSA. Also, you could skip up to 6 weeks by notifying them in advance but I am waiting to see how they account for that in their billing. We have skipped two weeks but our bills never reflected a deduction. Hmmm...

I found that the overall value (over 20 pounds of produce delivered to my home for $25) a good deal, but only if we ate it all.

The worst part (one that had me really ticked off sometimes) was that the deliveries were always Friday night, around 6:00. This is one of my busiest evenings. We often go out to dinner on Fridays, or have friends and family over. Regardless of that, I am usually fixing dinner around that time and have to stop to deal with 20 pounds of fresh produce. It is all packed in Rubbermaid containers, 7 of them, in a big box. All the boxes have to be gone through in order to get our what needs to be washed right away, what needs to be stored in the refrigerator, and what can stay on the kitchen counter or in the boxes for a day. The timing is terrible for us. Any other evening would be better, or any other time of the day would be great.

Morgana at 11:31AM on 10/27/08

Too Many Veggies from the CSA?

After one year in our CSA, we were disappointed, not in the quality, necessarily, but in the strange selection and amounts of food. We get no choice in the items that are packed for us. What is grown locally is supplemented by the CSA's purchases from other organic sources. We get such things as 2 beets, 1 radish, tons of oranges, greens, eggplants, most of which taste great. Granted, we are a 2 person household, and 2 heads of iceberg lettuce would never be used in one week. We rarely eat iceberg. We get 6 or so bananas a week and I usually give them away, because we don't like bananas and, after all, how many weeks in a row does one want to fix and eat banana bread? I was really looking forward to tomato season but the tomatoes were a disappointment. The skins were very tough,and the tomatoes were often over-ripe. Russian kale has been supplied several weeks in a row. After fixing it one week, I wasn't ready to have it again. The leaf lettuces have been great, however, as has been the basil and parsley we often get. We still had to go to the farmer's market throughout the summer for tomatoes, zucchini and corn. I had assumed we would be overwhelmed with zucchini, but never got any because their fields of cucumbers and zucchini were flooded twice. So there was no savings in gas costs. I wound up throwing a lot of produce away which was a crime.

Our CSA is organized and run by people who prefer to eat raw foods and the selections seem to run to items that could be juiced alone or in combination. I will not be joining again next year but appreciate their endeavors and wished for good health for the community. We will go back to growing our own tomatoes and supplementing our produce needs from visits to the farmers' markets in the surrounding area.

Morgana at 11:12AM on 10/27/08

What is your worst cooking disaster hosting a dinner party?

I fixed sauteed chicken, rice pilaf, and mushrooms. Everything was tan. I would have sold my baby for some color on the plate! Embarrassingly monochromatic, but it tasted good.

Morgana at 11:35AM on 09/08/08

Cooking from the Glossies: Salad with Pancetta Crisps, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Pear

I love Brussel Sprouts and will fix this as soon as I get some fresh ones. I also like to roast them as a vegetable.

Morgana at 9:50AM on 09/02/08

French Gin

Citadelle is #1 in our book of "Gins We Know and Love". We have trouble finding it in Dayton, Ohio. My sister "bootlegs" it in from New York, one bottle at a time, whenever she comes to visit. Trouble is, she likes it too and the bottle is always gone by the time she goes home.

Morgana at 9:19AM on 06/02/08

Question of the Day: What's Your Favorite Kitchen Tool?

Wooden toast tongs - used every day - great for getting mini-bagels out of the toaster.

Also, thick rubber bands and clothes pins for closing all those vegie bags, cereal bags, etc.

Nonstick egg skillet.

Morgana at 10:59AM on 04/29/08

Mario Batali's Pork Chops with Cherry Barbecue Sauce

I really liked this recipe and have prepared it a few times. I cook it a bit longer than Mario. Probably about 2 hours on low heat. I like it thick rather than thin. It's great on chops or ribs or chicken! Or by the spoon!

Morgana at 4:33PM on 04/28/08

Cook the Book: Lidia's Italy

Black and white creme brulee - a layer of chocolate and a layer of vanilla. It wows them every time.

Morgana at 3:37PM on 04/28/08

Your best gourmet burger recipe?

Sorry - I goofed in the above comment. For the homemade catsup recipe check here.

Morgana at 12:15PM on 04/28/08

Your best gourmet burger recipe?

We make burgers (and converts along the way) with 50/50 ground sirloin and ground chuck. Serve with dill relish or hamburger dill slices, toasted buns and our favorite homemade catsup. Easy, make ahead sauce that our friends love. You can find it here.

Morgana at 12:11PM on 04/28/08