This Is How I Cook: Curry Chicken Salad Edition

So.  Cooking.  Some people like it, some people hate it.  I cook for a living every day, so honestly, I don't get super excited about making dinner for myself all the time…But when I do, I don't use recipes, or really measure anything.  Cooking for me means throwing things in a bowl/pot/pan/what have you, and mixing, tasting, adding, repeating, repeating, repeating.

Today, I was toddling around in the Whole Foods, and the idea of curry chicken salad got into my brain.  All I wanted, nay needed, was some curry chicken salad.  So I went over to the deli case: $10.99/lb.  Ugh.  I'm sorry, but that's absurd.

So I turned myself around and picked up a rotisserie chicken (ok, truth: I got two, but only because they were buy one get one half price, haha).  I could definitely take 20 minutes or so to pick a chicken, and save all that money on pre made chicken salad that would cost too much and be gone too soon.

Are you craving curry chicken salad yet??

Make it.  Bethy-style.

Ingredients:
1 rotisserie chicken, picked clean, and in smallish pieces
Mayo
Curry powder
Turmeric
Celery
Sliced Almonds
Raisins
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:
(this is where it gets pretty Thug Kitchen-esque)  What?!?  You don't know what Thug Kitchen is??  Oh dear me, that is sad if you don't.  This is perhaps the most amazing website/organization out there.  Love it.  And I think if all people listened to TK's instructions on life, the world would be a better place.  But I digress…

Put your chicken meat in a medium size bowl.  Add enough mayo to it so it mixes well.  Chop some celery into pieces that are as big as you want them (I mean, generally smallish is better in this case, but you do you…).  Add curry powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper to taste.  (Generally this means add a little and then taste it.  And then add some more and then taste it again, and so on and so forth).  Add the raisins and almonds.  I'm not going to tell you how much to add.  I don't know what you like, and I'm not going to assume that you'll like what I like.  So add a little, and then see if you feel moved by the spirit to add some more.

When the chicken salad seems right (and your tastes are super delicious!), it's right.  Eat it.  On a sandwich, or on a cracker, or, as it usually happens in my kitchen, straight off a spoon.  Yum.

Straight up modeling with the chicken salad :)

TL;DR
Put chicken, mayo, curry, turmeric, salt, pepper, celery, raisins, and almonds in a bowl.  Mix.  Eat.  Never pay $10.99/lb. for curry chicken salad again.

-Bethy

Acorn Squash Deliciousness

I know.  I need to catch up my blogs to my life.

But, for now, a placeholder.


Has fall gotten to you?  Did you pick up a squash at the grocery store because you were caught up with the explosions of fall that happened as soon as you walked in through those doors?  Or did you get an acorn squash in your CSA box, and not have a super good idea on what to do with it?  Are you intimidated by something that has such a thick skin that you don't eat raw?

Well, do I have the recipe for you...

Now, bear in mind, when I say "recipe," I don't mean 1/2 tsp of this and 2 cups of that.  This is what I mean:

1.  Wash off the squash.
2.  Cut in half (I cut mine lengthwise, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't cut yours the other way if that's your jam.)
3.  Scoop out the seeds and stuff on the inside so you you have a fun indentation to put things in!
4.  Make cuts into the squash - 3 or 4 lines diagonally across.  (You'll see what I mean when you see the picture).  This helps the flavor to seep into the squash, and makes it easier to eat later!  You don't have to cut all the way down to the rind, just a shallow cut is fine.
4.  Add flavor!  I put a little pat of butter, some maple syrup, a sprinkle of raw sugar, and some salt in mine.  You can add that, OR, whatever the hell you want.  Seriously.  Want a sweeter snack?  Put some brown sugar in there.  Want something savory?  Try some of your favorite herbs.  I personally think that curry powder makes most things delicious, so maybe next time, I'll try some of that.  Do what makes you feel good!  I would make sure that you've got some sort of fat (butter, oil, etc) in there, as that is what will make the liquid in the middle that you'll dip the squash into.
5.  Put in a pan.  Add a cup or two of water in the pan (so the squash halves are sitting in just a little bit of water.)
6.  Cover with tin foil.  Bake at 400 degrees.  I baked mine for maybe 30 minutes?  This is definitely something that you can put in the oven and forget about.  Do something else.  Then after you remember about it, take a look.  Poke at the edge with a spoon.  Is it getting a little bit soft?  If yes, proceed.  If no, do some more dishes or whatever, and check a little bit later.
7.  Take the tin foil off.  Whatever you put in the middle of the squash should be a delicious looking, delicious smelling soup of flavor goodness.  Check after 10 minutes or so.  Are the edges starting to get a little bit brown?
8.  Remove from oven.
9.  Procure a spoon.
10.  EAT.  SWOON.  REPEAT.  (I mean, I guess you can put it on a plate or something, but let's be honest, I ate mine right off the baking pan.)

You're welcome.

-Bethy

Sandwiches

Let’s talk about sandwiches for a second.  I really like a good sandwich.  But the key word there is “good”.  You can’t make a good sandwich without good ingredients.  Anyway – we’ve had a hot July here in Boston.  Really hot.  Hot hot hot.  And I do not do hot well.  And I do not have air conditioning in my apartment.  So you’ve got to know that there was NO WAY I was heating up ANYTHING in my house.  I was sweating just standing there, hot food wasn’t going to be any part of that equation.

When I was working on Meyers Farm in Bethel, I used to eat lunch with the Meyers family every day.  Lisa used to come up with some of the most creative delicious meals that I have ever had – she had a way to make a pot of beans taste like heaven – but one of the most memorable meals that I had on the farm was one day when Lisa was out of town. 

Tim had been working with me all morning in the field, and as we went into the house, I saw him carry in a bag with cucumbers, a head of lettuce, and a bunch of cherry tomatoes.  I washed my hands, and Tim sliced the veggies thickly, slathering mayo on homemade wheat bread, and piling them on.

He placed a sandwich on a plate and handed it to me.  I’ll admit, I was skeptical.  There was no meat.  There was no cheese.  Veggies were great….you know….to go with something.  Right??

WRONG.

I took a bite, and was in sandwich heaven.  I couldn’t believe the taste.  The crunch.  The juicy tomato melding with the mayo.  (I’m getting hungry just thinking about it).

So a few weeks ago, when I opened my CSA box and discovered lettuce, cucumbers, and a tomato, I knew I had to get my hands on a good loaf of bread. 

I walked around the corner of my house to Clear Flour Bread – a delightful bakery that just won the 2013 Best Bread in Boston award from the Improper Bostonian, and was instantly overwhelmed (in a good way!) with all my choices.  I would like to say that I asked the ladies working there to fully explain each breads’ ingredients before choosing one.  I did not.  I picked two at random, asked what made them different from each other – and chose one of them.  I ended up with pain meunier – an incredibly tasty bread that has a funhistory.

Bread in my bag, I walked home, and set to work. 

Bread – check.  Mayo – check.  Tomato, cukes, lettuce – check.

  

BEST. SANDWICH. EVER.       CHECK.