Eating from our plenty

OK, I can’t go grocery shopping anymore, because I have no where to put the food. Now, that doesn’t stop my boys (15, 13, 9, and 42;-) from saying, “There's nothing to eat in this house!” (Of course, 42 also says, “You went grocery shopping again?!” every time I walk into the house with food, so I can’t win that one anyway.)

Since I can’t go shopping anymore or fit food in my fridge, freezer, or pantry, we’re going to get creative (and by “we’re” I mean “I’m”). Now, my challenge will be two-fold, to make things exclusively out of what we have in, and to make them palatable enough that the boys aren't complaining. (And when I say I can't go shopping anymore, I’m not being unrealistic; of course I’ll have to replace the essentials, after all, we went through 7 gallons of milk last week when the boys were home from school!)

Day 1: We’re cleaning out the fridge for dinner. Everyone will likely have something different, the only rule will be they must have 1 protein and 1 vegetable, the rest will be a free-for-all. There’s 1/2 serving of Indian chicken, a nice salad, 2 servings of lubee (Lebanese beef stew with green beans over rice pilaf), 2 servings of pulled pork, a couple of grilled Italian sausages (I can already predict the squabble those will cause, maybe I’ll serve them as dessert for anyone who eats their dinner without complaining :-D)

Once I have all that food out of the fridge, I’ll be able to pull other things out of the freezer and start to get creative. Stay tuned.

The little black dress of sides

I look for certain specific things in my side dishes:

1. They need to be easy and hands-off (for the most part).
2. They need to be kid-friendly. I have 4 of my own, I feed nieces, nephews, clients' kids, neighbors' kids, friends' kids and kids' friends. They need to be kid-friendly.
3. They need to be versatile. Dress them up; dress them down. Serve them with with burgers or chicken fingers, serve them with scallops or NY sirloin.
4. Bonus points if they fit foods with different flavors: Mexican, Italian, Indian.

In short, I want a go-to side for every occasion, just like the little black dress. So, I was thrilled when I came across a recipe for Crispy No-Fry Fries in The Sneaky Chef cookbook. I've adapted it in so many ways I can't count. Steak fries, below, is my norm. New potatoes (great at this time of year!) cut into quarters so they're nice roasted potatoes that dressed up our lamb on Easter Sunday (please note, my sister who was hosting Easter doesn't like cornmeal, so we tried some without. Don't. They add the texture that's so important to the finished product.) Sweet potatoes (peel these first), and add a 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and a touch of curry with the olive oil, egg white, and salt. And as far as flavors go, the possibilities are limitless: Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning or 1/2 teaspoon each chili and cumin to the oil, egg white, and salt; or sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on with the cornmeal. What's your favorite? Work it in!

Bear in mind that the recipes call for you to keep the skin on when you cook these potatoes -- which is great, because that's where all the vitamins are (according to potatoes.com, 1 potato has 45% of the daily value for vitamin C and 620 mg potassium (comparable to bananas, spinach, and broccoli)). However, potatoes, when eaten with the skin on, are one of the "dirty dozen," fruits and vegetables that the US Department of Agriculture has found that, even after scrubbing, consistently contain higher levels of pesticides. So, it's a good idea to buy organic potatoes for this recipe.

Steak fries
serves 4

1 lb russet potatoes (for steak fries), new potatoes (for roasted potatoes), or sweet potatoes, peeled
1 large egg white
1 T olive oil
1 t kosher salt
1 T cornmeal

Preheat oven to 400°. For steak fries, cut each potato into halves, and then into thick slices; for roasted potatoes, cut into quarters.

Whisk together egg white, oil, salt (and any seasonings you might be using). Toss potatoes in a mixing bowl with egg white mixture.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place potatoes in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Dust with cornmeal (and Parmesan cheese, if using).

Bake 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

Sweet memories

I just grabbed the Boston Globe from the front porch and there is a huge picture of fruit slices on the front page of the Food section. Boy, does that strike a sentimental chord. My Grandma Morrow loved those fruit slices. Truth be told, Grandma loved anything that was sweet: jelly beans were a big favorite, Pepperidge Farm loaf cake was always in her "Frigidaire". I didn't get my love of cooking from her (to be fair, by the time I came along, she had raised 8 children, and I was 14 of 33 grandchildren, she was probably just tired of cooking, and was happy there was someone else to do it), but I do love Grandma's fruit slices, and I can bet I'll be stopping to buy some today.

The gift that keeps giving

I receive the iVillage Stuff We Love e-newsletter, and today they had a really amazing find! Plates With Purpose™ are beautiful, handcrafted, recycled glass plates and platters made by Riverside Design Group. These plates come in various designs of natural beauty: Forget-me-not, heart, ladybug, wheat, stars, and trees. 15% of the proceeds of these plates go to local (Pennsylvania) chapters of various non-profit organizations: Alzheimer’s Association, Habitat for Humanity, United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, Community Food Bank, and the AIDS Task Force, for example. What a great gift idea! It's not even like giving twice, it's like giving over and over again!

I can just picture this great appetizer on the red ladybug plate. Bring it to a party, leave the plate as a gift, and feel good all over.Marinated goat cheese with peppercorns

8 oz. goat cheese, formed into 4 rounds
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
3 T multi-colored peppercorns
1 T pink peppercorns
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 t thyme, crushed

Combine oil, peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic, and thyme in saucepan and heat over low heat, just until oil "pops", but do not let garlic brown. Let oil cool some, then pour over goat cheese rounds . Let sit at room temperature for several hours, or refrigerate over night.

Before serving, bring to room temperature. Plate on a decorative plate with upturned sides (to keep the oil in place). Serve with crostini.

If there are any leftovers, this goat cheese is perfect on fresh bagels the next morning!