Sausages and Home-Grown Peppers

Goodness!  It's been a week since I last took a picture of dinner!  Yes, we've been eating, but the meals have been a bit different.  Victor's mom has been staying with us as she recuperates from a bit of a hospital stay.

Fortunately all is swell, she's feeling great, getting around fine on her own, and familiarizing herself with the HD channels of our remote control, but we thought it prudent to have her stay here for a while just to make sure everything was okay.  Everything is, and she's heading home on Wednesday.

It's funny how one more person in the house changes the routine.  Dinner is still at the same time, but there's a bit of pressure to make sure it really is at the same time because of medications.  And while we will eat just about anything, an 86 year old has slightly different taste buds.   Chicken cutlets, pasta, and more familiar foods have taken precedence over our more exotic fare.  She's not a fussy eater and she would eta anything I made, but it's about having her enjoy the food - not just eat it.

So it's been fun and it's been a bit of a challenge, but none of us have lost any weight this week, so something must have been working.

I actually made a huge batch of macaroni and cheese last night and baked off a separate casserole for her.  Victor made stuffed peppers and we froze some of those for her to take home.

Actually, they went over today before I did her shopping.  Unbeknownst to Mom, Victor gussied up her kitchen a bit this week - new kitchen towels, dish drainer, canisters... I went in today and got rid of all the old condiments and a few other things that had seen better days, so she now has a sparkling refrigerator/freezer with all new goodies.  And a few home-cooked meals for good measure.

And cheesecake.  She's diabetic and supposed to watch her desserts, but I make them for her, anyway.  Small slices and made with just a bit of sugar.

At 86, quality of life  is more important than quantity.

by Tim Dineen

Sausage Pasties

Victor came into the kitchen yesterday and asked what I was making for dinner.  I replied "Pasties."   He said "Oh!  Those things that twirl..." as he started moving his index fingers in opposite directions...  Have you ever wanted to pick up a bag of flour and cover someone with it from head to toe?  And would you do it if you didn't have to clean up the mess?!?  I said PAY-stees, not PAA-stees.  I should have just said a meat pie.

On the other hand...  have you ever seen a really talented set of pasties in action?!?  Awe-inspiring.

But I digress.

I had taken some sausage out of the freezer thinking I might just do sausage and peppers and onions.  Simple enough.  But when I got home, I decided I wanted something different.

Out came the aforementioned bag of flour.

Pie Crust

• 2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup pastry/cake flour
• 2 sticks butter, frozen
• pinch salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup ice water

Using a food processor, add flours, salt, and sugar. Pulse to mix.

Chop up frozen butter and add. Pulse until butter is incorporated and mixture looks grainy.

Slowly add ice water and pulse until mixed.

Turn out onto counter. Press and form mixture into two disks . Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about an hour to allow the flour to properly absorb the water and to relax the gluten.

Roll out crust and place in pie plate. Crimp edges and fill.

Pie crusts made, they went into the 'fridge

Then I made the filling.

It was a throw-together.  I used 4 links of hot Italian sausage, casings removed,  one peeled and diced potato, about a half-cup of chopped onion, 1 clove garlic, minced, a cup of peas, 1/2 cup grated asiago cheese, 4 oz cream cheese, salt and pepper.

I crumbled and cooked the sausage and added the onions, garlic, and then potatoes.  When everything was cooked, I added the peas, heated them through, and then stirred in the cheeses and then let it cool.

I used a bowl to cut out the individual pasties.  I brushed the edges with egg, filled them, folded them over and crimped with a fork.

They were brushed with egg and then went into a 425° oven for 30 minutes.

It was fun way to use otherwise ordinary ingredients.

by Tim Dineen

The Last Supper

Tomorrow morning will be what would have been my mother's 85th birthday.  All four of my sisters - also all born in May - and my sisters-in law are in Hawai'i celebrating their birthdays.  And tomorrow morning, I get to have a bit of knee surgery.

Yes, tomorrow morning I'm getting the ether and having my knee ripped apart while my sisters are gallivanting around Hawai'i, drinking big drinks with little umbrellas, sunning themselves on the beach, toying with the pool boys, and otherwise having the time of their lives.

But I'm not bitter.  Not at all.

Friday the Thirteenth.  Thank goodness I'm not superstitious. (Knock wood.)

It's arthroscopic surgery to repair a medial tear.  Two itty-bitty incisions and 30 minutes later, I shall be in the recovery room.  It's a very simple procedure.

But in medical parlance I'm NPO after 11pm tonight.  No Product Orally.  No food, no water, no lovely breath mints.  Nothing.

No morning coffee.

No bacon and eggs with buttery toast.

Nothing.

So...  I decided that tonight I wanted something a bit different for dinner.  It had to be fairly quick and easy, however, because this %$#@& knee has been bothering me to no end.

The April issue of La Cucina Italiana magazine had some pretty interesting recipes, including one for a Rabbit Roll stuffed with Asparagus.  Now, I'm not rushing to cook Thumper, but the roll was served atop a disk of bread roll, not unlike a savory bread pudding or stuffing.

It looked intriguing.  And easy.

Bread Roll

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 6 cups 1/2-inch cubes rustic bread
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and pinch salt; cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add bread cubes; continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until cubes are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup cream and eggs; stir together to combine. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a low boil. Fold cheesecloth into a 12- x 12-inch square. Cut a 12-inch length of parchment paper; place on top of cheesecloth. Mound bread mixture on parchment; shape into a 6-inch-long log. Roll parchment and cheesecloth around log, gently pressing to shape bread roll (maintaining 6-inch length). Twist ends of paper and cheesecloth, then tie ends and center of cylinder with kitchen string to secure. Cook bread roll in the boiling water, 20 minutes, then remove pot from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Remove bread roll from water, unwrap and cut crosswise into rounds.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides; add bread rounds and cook until golden, about 2 1/2 minutes per side.

This really was easy.  And what a neat idea!  I can see something like this being used in any number of different ways.  I bet it would make a great eggs benedict.  Or toppped with beef or chicken stew.  Lots of different things.

I mean...  It's fried bread.  How can it be bad?!?

Tonight I topped it with grilled Italian sausages, onions and peppers. It worked really well.

Later on we have chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting.

In honor of all those May Birthdays.

And poor Victor is going to have to cook for the next couple of days while I recuperate.

He's a great cook and I'm actually looking forward to him being in the kitchen.

I just feel sorry for him because I'm such a miserable patient.

Yes.  It's true.

I am not a good patient.  I tend to get cranky and like to be left alone.

I brought home lots of goodies for him - root beer and his favorite sodas and some easy foods since I don't know what I'll want.

There's also a big bottle of Chopin Vodka for him if I get too out of hand.

Hawai'i sounds like such a better time.

And Happy Birthday, Mom!

by Tim Dineen