An Appetitive Decision: Staying Put

Last Thursday, with a total of two acceptances, one rejection, and one who knows, I put in my final choice for the local school over the ivy, and I’m thinking of it as the road less traveled. Academia is a funny profession, and I don’t have the all or nothing mentality to getting the Ph.D.: it’s something I definitely want to do, but it’s not the only thing I want to do, or even my main goal out of life, and I think I've chosen a program that appreciates that. I love the area I’m currently in and I love the idea of being close to those I love. I’ve always excelled at being a student and I’m still naïve enough to think that I can make it in either program, and the material here will be less social neuroscience and more social choose-your-own-adventure. I still need to get out of thinking that this program will be easier – in very many ways I certainly hope it will be but a dissertation is still a dissertation, and awful daunting at that. On some days I still have my doubts as to whether I’m completely crazy to spend the next five years on a crap stipend working statistical equations and preparing for oral presentations. But overall, I feel this is one of the best things I could have done at this point. So come fall, I’ll be back in school, starting in on more research (some of which may possibly be under my avenue of interests), and not moving five hours away. This is absolutely positively thrilling.
With that in mind, the future of appetitive behavior is uncertain. The blog has, at this time, over 100 posts and one year under her belt, and I could not have done it with the wonderful visitors who over that year have offered feedback, encouragement and inspiration. Thank you, thank you, thank you for leaving your kind words and making me a part of your world. The next year remains to be seen: as much as I enjoy my little blog here, I know I’ve become derelict as of late and I also know that (a) I’ll be eating a lot more pb&j than I do now and (b) if psych hwk calls, this’ll be the first free-time to go. I’m really hoping it won’t come to that, and in the meantime, I plan to do a lot of cooking.

Sunday actually I did quite a massive lot of cooking. Being that it was complete crap outside in South Jersey, Sara and I didn’t meet up like we were going to and consequently I had a lot of free time. During the course of the day I crock-potted a chicken with lime and cilantro (from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook, Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufman, which I am really enjoying. the chicken is hands-down simplistic and returns big for minimum cost and effort, and came out absolutely freaking awesome. I am amazed at what you can put in a crock-pot) to shred for tacos. For this week’s lunchbox I roasted sweet potatoes in the oven, parcooked some haricot verts, and pounded a pork tenderloin (cut one pound into five; you’ll get about a 3-ounce protein serving and stretch the meat) for pork medallions with chili-maple sauce, straight from this month’s Bon Appetit. Lunch has not been this exciting all month. And for this week’s breakfasts as a respite from eggs, I stuffed pears with sausage.

These are D’Anjou pears, which were a lovely green-skinned pear when fresh and somehow turned rather brown during cooking. Ignore it: these little guys are tasty. The original recipe is here at Chow.com and I think their pears look better but maybe some lemon juice brushed on would eliminate some of the browning. I used lean maple sausage and threw in a bunch of Bell’s poultry seasoning, sage, and some fresh parsley. I also skipped the egg because I didn’t have one but I think it would help the consistency, and went with about half or less the amount of breadcrumb. For breakfast, one small pear (two pear halves) with the sausage stuffing keeps me pretty full and is a really nice make-ahead hot breakfast. I was tired yesterday after a full day’s cooking, but oh-so-grateful this morning. If you're looking for something a bit different and savory and sweet all at once, I recommend giving it a go.

Cure Nostalgia with Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings is not something I ever ate growing up, so I’m not sure you can call it nostalgia per se (which interestingly, according to Wiki, was once a medical condition - I love the random things I learn when blogging) when it’s not a childhood fondness like that. I did have it a few times out at college, when a housemate used to spend her afternoon kindly cooking a house dinner, and she would make the Rachael Ray 30-minute meal version.
But when you want comfort food, this is about it. I’d been thinking chicken soup and somehow wound up wanting this big-time. It’s relatively quick and cheap and easy, but what I also remembered is how the chicken always seemed a bit tough. With all due respect to Liz and Rachael, I kept everything but the chicken for this dish. The chicken I went with whole breasts for poaching. It won't keep you within the 30 minutes, but this, I am convinced, is the ideal in every sense: you’re poaching chicken as you would in a more traditional recipe, which keeps it moist and juicy, but because it’s just the breasts you cut back on the time that a whole chicken would take, plus it’s leaner from skipping the dark meat. Bonus points in that you can buy whole breasts for about half the cost of tenderloins, and if you poach them you take the meat off afterwards which means no raw chicken to handle. I have a thing about raw chicken: I don’t like it.
Bisquick dumplings, I don’t know how to explain. Yes, they’re quick, but logically probably not much less time than from scratch, and I actually do rather like the way they taste, sacrilege or no. They do fall apart made according to the box, especially if you reheat it later on, which is perhaps why RR calls for less liquid in her recipe. Suit yourself on the dumplings. They look rather mushed up in the picture below, but actually they come out quite fluffy, which is a good contrast to the vegetables and creamyish sauce.

This tasted exactly as I remembered it, except much much better. I’m already wanting to make another batch as I write this up.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
adapted from Rachael Ray and FN

Chicken
Optional: tops of celery leaves, handful baby carrots, 3 garlic cloves (peeled and split), several sprigs fresh parsley, 1 Tbsp butter
4 c fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1 c white wine
about 1.5 lbs split chicken breasts with skin and bone

vegetables (or use pkg frozen mixed vegs, or mix of vegs of your choice)
1 c sliced baby carrots
2 ribs celery, diced
half of a bag frozen whole baby onions
1 heaping cup frozen corn
1 c frozen peas

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
2 medium bay leaves
2 Tbsp flour
salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste (I like Bell’s)
reserved quart of poaching liquid (if you do not have a full quart, make up the difference with additional broth or water)
poached chicken

dumplings
2 c bisquick mix
½-2/3 c 1% milk
handful fresh parsley, chopped
tsp or so dried dill

To poach the chicken: if using the optional ingredients, melt the butter in a 3 ½-4 qt pot. Add the carrots, garlic and celery leaves and pan-fry in the butter for about 4-5 minutes (if they start to brown a bit, so much the better). Remove from heat, let cool several minutes.
Scoot the pile of carrots and such to the sides of the pot and place the chicken, skin side up, on the bottom of the pot. Pour the chicken broth and wine over and add in the parsley. The liquid should at least cover the chicken; if not, add a bit more of whatever – broth, wine, water. Remove the chicken to a bowl and place the pot of liquid over medium-high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, immediately reduce heat to a very gentle simmer, and add in the chicken. Keep at a very low simmer – you should see bubbles in the liquid but they should not break the surface – for 14 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let cool in the liquid in the pot for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove chicken from liquid. Strain and reserve the liquid and discard solids; you should have about 1 qt. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and chop or shred into small pieces.

Melt oil and butter together in a large stockpot. Add the carrots, celery, onions and bay leaves and sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and vegetables are tender. Season mixture with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Add in the flour and stir for 1-2 minutes. Add in the reserved quart of poaching liquid and bring to a boil. Add the poached chicken pieces and stir.
To make the dumplings: stir bisquick mix, parsley and dill together in large bowl. Add the milk and stir. Dollop dough by spoonfuls on top of boiling chicken stew. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 8-10 minutes.
Just before serving, mix in the frozen corn and peas and stir gently to warm vegetables and thicken mixture.

Skillet Frittata

Monday night, Sara stopped by after doing a catering job for my boss. Seeing as how she scored me brownie points - my boss said she was "perfect" - for being able to help her out on such short notice, the least I could do was offer Sara a couch for the night and breakfast for the morning. And I did the least: she came in around midnight, and I promptly went to bed. I am such a lousy hostess.
But the frittata I left for breakfast went over well. Normally, I'd do quiche, seeing as how we both love it. But frittata works much better when you have a lot of eggs, no milk, and vegetables. I had some frozen spinach I just subbed for fresh, either of which you could throw in as you please, but also had some sauteed fresh zucchini I was going to take for lunches and ended up not liking. I have come to the conclusion that almost any leftover vegetable in the refrigerator may be saved by going into quiche or fried rice, and with a little bit more salt to counteract a bitter note and some nutmeg, it ended up on the end of really quite good. This was my first frittata experiment, which I like a lot better than traditional rolled omelets because I don't have to roll it, and the filling is more dispersed so it doesn't have those annoying 'eggy' spots.
I've been reheating leftovers in the morning in the microwave, which suits me well enough. It's a good breakfast/brunch dish (which you could make better-for-you with egg substitute or more veggies), but it could very easily make the transition to the dinner table or fancy-schmancy appetizer parties.

ZUCCHINI AND SPINACH SKILLET FRITTATA
adapted from Joy of Cooking

2 Tbsp olive oil (may need more if skillet is not nonstick)
1 small to medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 lb zucchini, thinly sliced
1 c frozen chopped baby spinach
salt and pepper
5 eggs
pinch of nutmeg
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese (yup, the kind in a shaker jar)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley

In an ovenproof skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Add the zucchini and cook until lightly browned, about five-seven minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the frozen spinach and stir until warmed through. Remove to a strainer to drain and let cool. Do not wash the skillet.
Whisk the eggs with a tiny pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg and the red pepper flakes. Add the cooled vegetable mixture and mix with a fork gently. Add in the cheese, basil and parsley and mix to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 F or preheat the broiler.
In the same skillet used to cook the vegetables, heat the remaining Tbsp olive oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom and a bit of the sides. When hot, pour in the egg mixture. Reduce the heat and cook until the bottom is set. Place under the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds to set the top or place in a 350 F oven for about 12 minutes until cooked through. Loosen the frittata with a spatula and slide onto a plate.

Questions of Science, Science and Progress

Oh blog, it's good to be back.
Lately, the grad school search seems to have sapped all my energy, and with it all my wanting to cook. For someone who likes cooking, and loves eating, this is a pretty major deal. Last week I didn't even try: at one acceptance, one rejection, and 9-hour round trip drive to Ithaca to check out campus and back, cooking and feeling like cooking were not on the agenda.
But then a happy thing happened: Thursday morning, just as I was tired from driving back Wed, angsty about having one school that didn't seem to fit, and so frustrated I was going to swear off psychology altogether and go into something really drastic that I know nothing about rather than something I'm actually good and accomplished at . . . the phone rang and I got my second acceptance. And just like that, my mood switched, and the day - and life - got better almost instantly. It's not a perfect match. It's a place I almost didn't even send in the application. It will give me a really crappy stipend. It's a recognized name, but it won't have the same allure, resources, or credentials as the Ivy. But it feels better, and I credit gut instinct with a lot. I'm still not always sure I'm doing the right thing, but I didn't quite realize until I'd driven five hours away how long five hours can be. Staying local is a big deal, and this would enable me to stay in roughly the same area - though I'm not sure I'll still be a Jersey girl, what with rent on a grad school budget. I am STILL waiting to hear from one place, but given they have eleven days I'm not holding my breath.
But perhaps the best news was that since then, I've felt like cooking and I've enjoyed it. Hurrah!
I do not get the Food Network anymore since I canceled my cable, and most of the time it doesn't bother me, except that immediately after that they put Nigella on. I am slightly enamored of Nigella Lawson ever since I received How To Be A Domestic Goddess from Sara and have aspired to be Nigella Lawson, or at least a domestic goddess, ever since. The other one I miss is Alton Brown. I don't care much for his cookbooks but I adored Good Eats. Rob gets cable and dutifully reports on Alton back to me, and last week he apparently spent a whole show on how to make a tuna steak.
Right then, I wanted a tuna steak. The idea did not go away. I dreamed of gorgeous red ahi or mellow yellowtail, raw or just lightly seared. So Friday night I went off in search of fish over at the local Asian market, and sadly there was no tuna to be had. But they did have a very nice piece of salmon, and I ended up making it the same way I would've done the tuna. And we loved it. Short of eating it in uncooked slices (we're sushi fiends), this is a great way to do it . . . the fish has loads of flavor and doesn't dry out, and it's superquick. I can only imagine how good this recipe is with just-seared tuna.

TOASTED NORI AND SESAME SALMON
adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com and Joy of Cooking

1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 nori fumi furikake (a toasted shredded seaweed and sesame seeds seasoning mix for rice; available in Asian markets)
1 1/4 lb salmon fillet
2-3 chopped scallions

In a measuring cup, mix together the soy sauce, mirin, honey, and 2 Tbsp sesame oil. Pour about half into a bowl large enough to accomodate the salmon. Reserve the rest in the refrigerator, covered.
On a large platter, mix together the sesame seeds and nori fumi furikake.
Carefully dip one side of the salmon into the soy mixture, let drip, and press into the sesame and nori mix to coat. Repeat with the other side. Lay on a plate and drizzle the used soy mixture over and around the salmon and press additional sesame and nori mix onto the salmon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Brush the bottom of a Pyrex baking dish large enough to accomodate the salmon fillet with the 1 tsp sesame oil.
Heat a skillet (I used nonstick; if you use anything else heat with some oil; be sure to turn on the kitchen fan either way) over medium-high to high heat. Carefully place the salmon into the pan and sear for about 45 seconds on both sides. Immediately remove to the prepared baking dish. Place in the oven and bake at 325 for about 12-14 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet and how well you like fish cooked.