Real Simple: Week Four

This is the last week of my self-imposed Real Simple challenge. And, thank God for that. This has been probably the worst month of eating I’ve ever had. Seriously. From the bland to the weird, in 20 different recipes, I found maybe two worth making again. Pretty bad ratio. If you’re interested in past weeks, you can read them here:

• Week One (back when I was eager to try new things)
• Week Two (then I started to feel a bit irritated)
• Week Three (the week of starvation

For those of you who love to see me in pain, my last week will not disappoint.

Monday: Tilapia with Pecan Brown Butter

• 1 C wild and long-grain rice blend
• 1 lb  green beans, trimmed
• 4 T unsalted butter
• ¼ C chopped pecans
• 2 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 t fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 t canola oil
• 6-oz tilapia fillets, halved lengthwise

Cook the rice according to the package directions. Steam the green beans until tender, 6-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until foamy, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the pecans and cook, stirring, until the butter is golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice, and ¼ t each salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the tilapia with ½ t salt and ¼ t pepper. In two batches, cook until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Drizzle the tilapia with the sauce and serve with the rice, green beans, and lemon wedges.

Results

Em said that the best part of this recipe was the rice… which was Uncle Ben’s wild rice from a box. Pecan butter is fun and easy to make, but it just kind of sat on the fish and beans. Honestly, I think a crushed pecan crust over the fish with a pecan butter on the green beans would have been an improvement.

Tuesday: Turkey Cutlet Sandwiches with Oven Fries

• 3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1½ lbs), cut into ½” wedges
• 3 T olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• ¼ C mayonnaise
• 1-2 t hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
• 1 t sugar
• ¼ head red cabbage, shredded (about 3 C)
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 4 turkey cutlets (about 1 lb total)
• 8 slices pumpernickel bread, lightly toasted
• 4 dill pickles, sliced lengthwise

Heat oven to 450°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with 2 T of the oil and ¼ t each salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until browned and crisp, 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, hot sauce, and sugar. Add the cabbage and carrot and toss to combine.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the turkey with ¼ t each salt and pepper. Cook until cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Form sandwiches with the bread, turkey, slaw, and pickles. Serve with the fries.

Results

The weird thing on this was forming the sandwiches with pickles cut lengthwise. I like my spears on the side. But, let’s not stop the weirdness train at the pickles. Let’s talk about this slaw. Or rather the blandness of the turkey with the slaw. Real Simple, would it kill you to maybe marinate or cook the meat in something other than salt and pepper? The slaw also didn’t have enough of anything to really have a flavor. It either needed more vinegar or rather it needed vinegar. Sigh.

Also, you’ll notice from the picture that I didn’t have pumpernickel bread. I went with rye. Sue me. By this point, I figured the bread choice didn’t really matter much.

Wednesday: Steak with Peppers and Polenta

• ¾ C instant polenta
• 2 t olive oil
• 1½ lbs skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• ¼ C red wine vinegar
• 2 C baby spinach
• ⅓ C pitted kalamata olives, halved

Cook the polenta according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with ½ t salt and ¼ t black pepper and cook, 3-5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Add the bell peppers, shallot, and ¼ t each salt and black pepper to the drippings in the skillet. Cook, tossing frequently, until beginning to soften, 3-5 minutes. Add the vinegar and ¼ C water and cook, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is almost evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and olives and cook, tossing, until the spinach begins to wilt, 1-2 minutes more.

Serve the steak and vegetables with the polenta.

Results

I didn’t even take a picture of this one. That’s how disgusted I was by the entire thing. Let’s talk about skirt steak. The beauty of this cut of meat is that it’s hugely flavorful but a bit on the tough side. That’s why normal people marinate the heck out of it before cooking it in a pan. Or, they slow cook it at low temperatures in a crock pot or Dutch oven for an afternoon. They DO NOT pan sear it with a bit of salt and pepper. Barely edible, folks at Real Simple. Am I angry? A bit.

As a bonus, polenta should have something in it. Like butter or cheese or an herb. For crying out loud, throw a thyme sprig in that pot. This was a horrid example of a meal. Oh, and let’s not even talk about the olives. You need to get over olives, people.

Thursday: Pork Ramen Soup

• 1 T canola oil
• 2 boneless pork chops (½” thick; about ½ lb total) I used that pork tenderloin I had in the freezer from last week.
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 8 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
• 1 2″ piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 6 C low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 3-oz packages ramen noodles (discard the seasoning packets)
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
• ½ C fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the pork with ¼ t each salt and pepper and cook until cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing.

Add the scallion whites and ginger to the drippings in the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring, until softened, 1-2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and boil, stirring occasionally, until tender, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce.

Serve the soup topped with the pork, carrot, radishes, cilantro, and scallion greens.

Results

By gum, this wasn’t bad. (It did not redeem the recipe above… or maybe my expectations are so low at this point… you decide.) I would like to take a few seconds to point out that this past month used a lot of scallions. Go ahead, scroll back and take a look at the scallion numbers. It’s like someone at Real Simple works for the Scallion Board. What do they have against onions? They tend to keep a bit better than their green brethren. (I get it in an Asian-inspired recipe like this though…)

Anyway, this one was a decent soup. It needed a bit of garlic and a bit of Sriracha sauce, but other than that… not bad.

Friday: Mushroom and Egg Pizzas

• 2 T olive oil, plus more for the baking sheets
• All-purpose flour, for the work surface
• 1 lb pizza dough, at room temperature
• 1 C marinara sauce
• 8 oz mozzarella, grated (about 2 C)
• 4 oz cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 5 oz mixed greens (about 6 C)
• 1 T red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 425. Brush 2 large baking sheets with oil. On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into four 8″ rounds and place on the baking sheets.

Dividing evenly, top the rounds with the marinara sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, and onion; season with ¼ t each salt and pepper. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, just until the crust begins to brown, 18-20 minutes.

Carefully crack an egg on top of each pizza and return to oven. Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the egg whites are set, 5-7 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss the greens with the vinegar, the 2 T of oil, and ¼ t each salt and pepper. Serve with the pizzas.

Results

So, when you put the egg on the pizza, crack it into a small bowl first. This way, you will avoid shells on your pizza. Next, as you slide the egg out of the bowl on the pizza, press the bowl into the pizza so as to make a well where the egg can sit. If you do not, you will get this mess:

But, that’s OK because then you can put the fried eggs on top and make a sick looking face.

This recipe was decent. Mostly due to the processed dough and the jarred marinara sauce. So, it actually had a bit of flavor. Whatever. I’m over Real Simple.

What I Learned

• Real Simple recipes are good in small doses—like Monday night for the ease of it all.
• Planning ahead saves money on groceries but forces you to actually cook meals each night.
• I like flavor in my food.

Next challenge? Oh, I’ve got an old cookbook that has a week-by-week menu planner. Just wait for that one…

Lunching in Louie

I like to eat out. (I don’t think this should come as much of a surprise to anyone.) Yes, I like to cook, but I like to eat out more. I really like to travel. And, I really, really like to eat out while traveling.

There was a time (I call it BC… before child) when I traveled and ate out quite frequently. Now, some may disagree with my next statement, but those people are crazy nutters and you shouldn’t listen to them: International travel and fine dining do not mix with a toddler. I don’t know this from experience, because I am not insane, but I have a feeling that after a long flight, the last thing I would want to do is go to a four star establishment with a cranky baby.

So, when I got my annual travel itch, instead of looking across oceans, I settled for something a bit closer to home. Yuppers, we went to St. Louis. But, I can still eat out in the Gateway to the West, can’t I? A few things were against me on that score:

1. I was in St. Louis. No offense to the lovely people of this fine American city. But, you’re not exactly known for street loads of amazing restaurants.
2. The better restaurants in St. Louis are a bit old school, apparently. We went on a long weekend (late Saturday to Tuesday afternoon) and most of the restaurants that I wanted to give a whirl were closed on Monday AND Sunday. I get being closed Monday… that’s traditional. But, Sunday? Come on, people!
3. This was a family trip, so Mr. Moo was definitely in tow.

But, even with our dire circumstances, we managed to not starve. Here are a few thoughts for lunch… we’ll talk about dinner later.

Fitz’s

The menu at Fitz’s is pretty burger heavy with a decent selection of children’s choices. Your general all-American type of restaurant. The food isn’t anything to rave about. (I had the fish tacos… eh. Paul went with the Kobe burger special… again, eh.)

Why would I recommend it? The soda. They bottle Fitz’s Root Beer and eight other soda flavors on the premises. So, you sit down, order, and then you can take the kiddos over to watch the soda being bottled. Obviously, it is also on tap (and for sale in bottles on your way out). And, that is pretty darn good. I had the cream soda and Paul got the root beer. Of course, they serve about 25 varieties of giant floats and shakes made with the same amazing soda flavors. (Pretty much dying to try the Strawberry Pop.)

Location: 6605 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO. Not such a far drive from the St. Louis Zoo.

Dewey’s Pizza

Dewey’s Pizza is a chain, but a pretty localized Midwestern chain. As in, they have locations in Ohio and St. Louis. One of which is near the Magic House Children’s Museum in Kirkwood… hence the reason we stopped in for a bite.

Now, I know I should have looked harder to find a pizzeria that made traditional St. Louis-style pizza. But, coming from Chicago with its “world” famous Chicago-style pizza, St. Louis-style barely registered on my radar as a must-have. I mean, it’s a thin crust with an overly processed white cheese on top (otherwise known as Provel cheese… look it up… it just doesn’t even sound good). I’ll stick to the deep dish, thanks.

But, back to Dewey’s: It’s pretty good for a thin crust. We had a Green Lantern (red sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, goat cheese, artichokes, and pesto). I thought that there was a bit too much goat cheese, but Paul disagreed (almost vehemently, I might add). We also split a strawberry macadamia nut salad which came with bleu cheese and a raspberry poppy seed vinaigrette. Again, your basic non-iceberg lettuce salad.

They have a bar, but our waiter apparently didn’t want us to drink anything alcoholic as he came to our table asking, “Can I get you an iced tea or pop?” Um, yeah, I guess. Thanks.

Location: 124 N. Kirkwood Rd, Kirkwood, MO. But, in addition to several locations in the St. Louis area, they can be found in Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland, and Columbus (all of which are cities in Ohio for the geographically challenged among you).

That’s it for me and lunch in St. Louis. We also went to Grant’s Farm on whim and ended up there at lunch time. Rather than starve, we ate at the “beer garden.” (I use that term loosely as the entire thing is run by the Busch family of that sort of beer fame. Although I do not drink beer, Paul would kill me if I called it a true beer garden.) Anyway, between the piped in oompah band music, sweltering heat, and prepackaged iceberg lettuce salad sans prepackaged dressing, that afternoon ended up being perhaps the worst lunch experience I’ve had of late.

I swear, we got a bit more exciting for dinner… but just a bit.

A Recipe Fell in My Lap

The late-making dinner gods sent me a gift the other day. I had a pretty confluberating day at work and I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in what can be termed forever, but might have just been two weeks. I was just in a foul mood. And, staring at my nearly empty fridge with my so not helpful freezer, when I thought, “I need a bit of inspiration.”

I went to the shelf, closed my eyes, and pulled out the first book I touched. My intent was to find a starter recipe and just add to it until I could call it a meal. I looked down to see The Cook’s Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking. Great, now I have to explain another meatless meal to my ever meat-loving husband. (See? Foul… just foul was my mood.)

I opened it up to a random page (183, if you care) and found an amazing recipe for pizza. Now, the whole point was to work with what I had in the pantry… so, there was a lot of swapping of ingredients. It was also a weeknight, so I wasn’t going to make my own pizza dough—especially since I had a pizza crust in the freezer already. What I am sharing with you is my supremely modified recipe based on the one that the dinner gods bestowed upon me.

Butternut Squash and Sage Pizza

• 1 T butter, cubed
• 2 T olive oil
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• 6 cherry tomatoes, seeded and sliced
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (or just use 1 lb of the pre-cubed squash you can now buy at Costco)
• 12 sage leaves
• 1 pre-made pizza crust
• ¼ C marinara pasta sauce from a jar (more or less depending on how saucy you like your pizza)
• 4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 4 oz firm goat cheese, crumbled
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, toss the vegetables with the butter and oil with half of the sage leaves. Put them on a baking sheet. They will look like this:

Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

Raise the oven temperature to 425°.

Spread the pasta sauce on the pizza crust. Spoon the roasted squash and onion mixture over the top—leaving a ½-inch border for the crust.

Arrange the mozzarella over the squash mixture and crumble the goat cheese on top. Sprinkle with the remaining sage leaves and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Bake for 10-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden.

Results

This pizza brightened my mood considerably. And, I get to add another recipe to the growing list of “I hate squash unless it’s in this form” dishes. The sad part of this whole pizza is that Mr. Moo hated it. He’s going through a phase where he doesn’t like onions or tomatoes of any sort (making pasta a pretty tough sell at the moment).

So, it’s a grown-up pizza. The sweetness of the squash is tempered by the tangy goat cheese. All around a lovely experience.