Don't Judge Me

This is EXACTLY how I eat

In a world obsessed with food and all the issues that go with it, I'm a fairly healthy eater. The quantity of food I take in is relatively small (portion control is key to weight management) and I try to balance the types of things I eat - although vegetables are often not well-represented and I have a couple of weaknesses that will never go away.

Indulging, on occasion, is necessary for my sanity. Sometimes, mac and cheese or a chocolate milkshake is the only thing that's going to hit the spot. I try to minimize how often I give in to those cravings and I always try to order a half portion or cook only as much as I need for one serving.

And, occasionally, I just go nuts. Today, for no reason other than morbid curiosity, I ate this for lunch:

The famed Midwest Meat and Potatoes Sandwich from Denny's

Yes, ladies and gentleman, that prime rib sandwich has fries on it. And two kinds of cheese. And mayo. And a cheese bun. And, inexplicably, they thought it needed mashed potatoes with gravy on the side.

This is the Midwestern entry on the seasonal Travel Across America menu at Denny's. Now, most people I've spoken to about this sandwich immediately ask, "why is the representative meal from the Midwest so bad for you?" and, you know, I've got no answer. There are all sorts of bad-for-you regional specialties in this great nation but, for some reason, people think of the Midwest and immediately think "fat". And, while I'm the first to admit that we're all a bit "healthier" up here and that cheese is sacrosanct, some of the most innovative and healthy food trends in the world are well-represented too.

It bums me that this is the way Denny's represents our fair section of the country. The Midwest's reputation already suffers from its "fly-over states" status and the misconception by the coasts that we're all just a bunch of "ya! hey der!" hicks. Needless to say, the Midwest Meat and Potatoes Sandwich isn't helping our cause.

So, to off-set Denny's misrepresentation of Midwest eating, here's a short list of healthy regional dishes:

- Tator Tot Casserole

- Deep fried cheese curds

- Bratwurst cooked in beer

- Deep fried cod, walleye, or perch

Kidding!

I am proud to say that Madison has a huge locavore movement and one of the best (and largest) farmers' markets in the country. There are so many restaurants that cook with local and seasonal ingredients that you could eat at a different one every night for a month and never eat an unhealthy meal.

(graphic borrowed from http://lafayettehubcitymarket.com)

At this point, I can only hope that my granola and yogurt breakfast and sushi dinner will offset the insane offense of my lunchtime indulgence. Truth be told, I may have to eat salad with no dressing for a week to make up for it.

Oh...and just in case you're wondering... It was AMAZING and I will not be checking their nutritional guide sheet to see how many calories/fat/carbs I consumed.Although I did, sensibly, leave the gravy off the sandwich and the mashed potatoes. That has to count for something, right?

- "Weak Willpower" Alex

Cold Treats

The heat of the summer can really kill an appetite. As a result, finding the right thing to eat for dinner is often a real chore.

In today's post, I share a few of my favorite summer-time recipes that are quick to make, don't heat up the kitchen too badly (or at all), and are great on a hot day.

Whatever you decide to eat, the best dessert is ice cream! I'm a huge fan of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream from Ohio. She just published a cookbook of her most popular flavors - in case you're feeling ambitious and want to make your own. Stay cool!


 - Alex




Cold Cucumber Soup

When your cucumber vines are overflowing, this versatile and easy soup is a great way to use them up. Get creative and experiment with the ingredients to get the flavor profile you prefer. I've provided some suggested options below.

recipe serves 4

2 medium to large cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and course-chopped
2 cups of plain yogurt
Mint or dill - depending on which flavor you prefer
optional - 1/2 cup of either buttermilk or sour cream depending on which flavor you prefer
optional - scallions, chives, or sweet onion (finely chopped) - reserve a bit for garnish
Salt and pepper

Put the chopped cucumbers and the mint or dill (and scallions/chives/onion if you're using that) in a blender and puree. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream (if using either), and the salt and pepper. Mix well. Fold in the cucumber puree being careful not to overwork the mixture. Chill for about an hour. Serve cold with some chives/scallions/diced onion or a  mint/dill sprig as a garnish. Pairs nicely with a heavier salad, like potato or macaroni.

Cold Tuna Salad

An extremely simple, cold version of a tuna-noodle casserole, the minimal ingredient list belies the wonder of this salad. It's just right when you want something that fills you up but doesn't compete with the summer heat. You'll find yourself eating this over and over again.

recipe serves a lot

1 large can of white (albacore) tuna packed in water
1 box of elbow noodles
1 medium to large red onion (vidalia will work as well) diced finely
Mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
(optional: some fresh, uncooked sweet peas are a nice addition if you have them)

Cook the box of macaroni until al dente (usually about 15 minutes - follow the box directions). Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Let the macaroni stand in the colander for a minute to drain off as much water as possible. Transfer macaroni to a bowl. Drain the tuna and stir into the macaroni. Stir in the chopped red onion. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away. After storing leftovers in the refrigerator, you may find that you need to refresh the dish with a little more mayonnaise before serving.


Caprese Salad

I love going to the Farmers' Market and getting the really interesting heirloom tomatoes. And, my favorite thing to do with them is make Caprese Salad. Everyone's seen a traditional Caprese - slices of tomato with a bit of mozzarella and basil on top - but I like mine to be more of a meal.

recipe serves 6

2-3 cups of large-diced tomatoes (use any fleshy variety, including cherry tomatoes!)
1 cup of medium diced fresh mozzarella cheese (you can also use those little marble-sized balls and not even cut them up)
10 leaves of basil - chiffonaded (rolled up and cut into very thin strips)
A large bunch of arugula
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Set aside. Mix the tomatoes, cheese, and basil together. Cover with the dressing. Serve the tomato mixture on top of a bed of arugula. 

Sweet-Tart

Lately it seems like the entire blogosphere has been taken over by posts about strawberry and rhubarb. Totally understandable. Everyone gets so excited about the advent of summer that we can't keep a lid on our trips to the farmer's market or the blooming peonies in our yards. I know here in the Midwest we have a precious few months of pure summer, so we hold them dear.

Lilacs at the Madison Farmer's Market.

And this isn't even a crowded day.

So, I'm going to add to the many posts about strawberry and rhubarb...

This weekend I did something new - I made jelly (strawberry-rhubarb, of course!) Now, many of you are probably seasoned jelly-making veterans but  I'm a complete newbie. My only resource was my cousin Julie who has a thimbleful of knowledge on this subject so she invited me over to help with the sweet, sticky mess.

This is the brand we chose to run with.

We followed the directions for cooked jam by the trusted experts at the Sure Jell company. Since neither Julie nor I are particularly good at math, deciphering the ratios of the fruit to pectin caused a little bit of heartache, but we didn't let that stop us. (I am the queen of "eyeballing" it, btw.) I don't really have a recipe to share with you since, like I said, we just followed the instructions on the box but I can tell you that one of the modifications we made to the original recipe was to not add the butter. It seemed arbitrary and in the end our finished product was just fine without it.

Cutting up pints and pints of strawberries.

Cooking down rhubarb until it became mush.

The other recipe alteration we made was to cut way back on the sugar because we were trying to achieve a jelly that is a little bit more tart. I think we added half the amount that was called for on the box.

Skimming, skimming, and more foam skimming.

 Neither of us has a proper canning pot with a basket (I am going to remedy that shortly) so we made "freezer jelly". That means that, once the jars are filled and cooled, they were popped into the freezer - except for one that went in the fridge for immediate use. And wow! It is seriously tasty! Sweet, tart and curiously fresh tasting compared to store-bought jelly.

Jars of goodness waiting to be frozen.

The effort was enough of a success that I now have the jelly-making bug. I would really, really, like to try this again - and get better at it. Since this adventure, I have been browsing for recipes on the web and dreaming about all sorts of flavors. Overall, the process was pretty easy and yet it helped satisfy that "pioneer" urge I get to make things from scratch.

–Cassandra (aka Half Pint)