Monday, April 11, 2011

One of the Best Meals Ever

Tonight I had one of the best meals I've ever had. Some of you are going to laugh at me about this and my choices, but what else is new?!? Long story short, I raided the produce aisle at the grocery store, drove home, and served up this: Corn on the cob - I know. It's not in season. But whatever Shop N Save had did the trick. Not as sweet as the fresh kind will be this summer, but still sweet. White and yellow kernels. A little butter. A little salt. A little pepper. Voila! Brussel sprouts - Most people don't like them at all. As early as I can remember, I've loved them. Mom usually bought them from the freezer section, and I need to get those more often. But, I spied the fresh ones while grabbing some broccoli, and they would not let me go. Those delicious miniature cabbages. (Come on. That's basically what they are.) I didn't know how to cook them without boiling them to death. And, I don't have steamer. So, I put on my thinking cap and found the perfect way: using my egg poacher. Those little egg cups are perfect for holding 3 or 4 tiny sprouts. Topped with a slice of low-fat American cheese that melted all over them, they were delicious. Avocado - Yep. I cut it open, made a little criss cross design with a knife like Mom always has, squeezed on some fresh lemon, a dash of salt... and ready to eat! Thankfully, they were not outrageously priced like they usually are and there were actually some ripe ones for a change. So I can look forward to 3 more nights of this treat. I couldn't wait to sit down and scoop out those little squares of avocado with my spoon. Hard boiled egg - Nothing exciting about this. I just need protein. Plain old egg. Boiled. Simmered. Cooled. Peeled. Sliced. Ready to eat. Kiwi - Soft, but not too soft. Fuzzy skin peeled back to show that gorgeous green. Cut into slices. Lemon Shake-up with Splenda - I found some recipes on line, and I decided I don't need to wait for the fair once a year to have my favorite drink. Especially when lemons were on sale for some reason. (I thought this was supposed to be a high priced lemon year?!?!?) I'll keep experimenting. But the recipes I've found so far are soooooo good. I already dance in my kitchen. I just need to find a good shaker to perfect this while making shake-ups. I set all of it out on the big dining room table. I don't know if it is the change of the weather, the breeze blowing through the window, the sounds of children playing in the neighborhood or what. But, the meal made me think back to times when we lived on the farm or when we were at Grandma and Grandpa's house and almost everything that would have been on the dining room table would have been from the garden. Good, clean, fresh food. I miss those days and long for when I will have the time and the sunny space for a garden. The only thing that would have made tonight's dinner better would have been to have some of you family and friends here to share it with me. Instead, I just thought of each of you and prayed for each of you as I enjoyed the peaceful evening and wonderful meal. Now I've settled on the couch for a bit of reading, and I'm enjoying my dessert: a huge glass of ice water and a pear. I dug all of the way to the bottom of the heap to find the ripes one so I could eat them right away. They don't look too pretty, but they're scrumptious. Nothing like the DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies I made for church this weekend. But, thankfully I had some forethought about me walking to the kitchen ever 5 minutes to retrieve one, so I gave the leftover cookies to the neighbor family. So, in their absence, I'm going to try to convince myself that the pear is a close second. :)

7 comments:

strem said...

I do not know why. But, Blogger will not allow me to create paragraphs. So, this is why my post is just one big blob. Hopefullly, it will be fixed tomorrow. :)

Kelly Spezzano said...

sounds like a very healthy and yummy meal. I love corn on the cob too. And i have acquired a fondness for brussel sprouts. One of my fav methods is roasted (this only works with the fresh ones) and then I really enjoy a little bit of parm cheese sprinkled on top. The only thing you were missing (IMO) is some fresh sliced tomatoes! :) PS- I wasn't able to create a paragraph today either... wierd!

His Mercy Endureth Forever said...

That sounds quite yummy! But I just heard some very sad news that corn is at it's lowest surplus ever since the early 90's and thats going to make our summer corn rather expensive! BOOO

strem said...

Kelly: Do you roast them on the grill? Or is there a way to do that in the oven that you suggest? I had some tomatoes and almost dug them out. But I looked at all I had on the table, and I was already feeling stuffed. :)

I say BOOOO to the expensive corn too. I am looking forward to going to the local vegetable stands. I'm wondering if the shortage will cause their prices to go up too.

lydia said...

Sounds like a delicious meal! I love fresh corn on the cob...making my mouth water just thinking about it. I haven't ever tried brussel sprouts, but it's on my list of vegetables to try soon! And the lemonade shake-up sounds super yummy! Wish I could have joined you!

Kelly Spezzano said...

Strem, the brussel sprouts can be roasted in the oven! Here is the recipe from Ina Garten (Food Network TV)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. (she leaves them whole, but they can be cut in half lenthwise too) Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt, and serve immediately.

strem said...

Kelly: This looks delicious. This almost exactly like the way I cook my fresh broccoli in the oven. Thanks for the tip and the full recipe. I sure appreciate it.... and I have a few little sprouts left over, so I hope to try it this week.

Lydia, it's an acquired taste... sort of like cabbage. I don't often eat them plain - even though I'm ok with that. Most think they have a really strong taste. But, the low-fat (or full fat) American cheese is a great topping!!!