Thoughts About Stuff

Monday night is upon me and I find myself snuggled up with my newly acquired Earl Grey tea and adorable yellow mug as I get inspired by contestants on Biggest Loser. Although I enjoy the show, the 2 hour run time leaves me with ample time to focus on other things during commercials and lulls in the show. This evening I have the urge to write and after reviewing my last few posts I decided that I had to write about anything beyond food. I enjoy my trials and successes with my Aluminum Chef challenge for myself, but I need to mix things up now and again.

Goals has been the theme of this week's episode and contestants are setting personal goals and challenging those in their community and America as a whole to set goals and improve their lives with small steps. I can relate to the lack of self control that many of these individuals struggle with except mine is not in the arena of food. I lack self control in other areas of my life such as self improvement, specifically in the spiritual realm.

Overwhelmed. This is the emotion I often feel whenever I attempt to set goals for myself. I start off extremely enthusiastic and ready to take on everything in the world. Lent this year has been a prime example. I felt like I needed to improve my relationship with God and Lent was an ideal jumping off point. Like every other time I set goals, this time I went overboard. I decided to give up several food and beverage items, add daily quite times, fast on Sundays, add more prayer, add more time in the Word, and exercise more.

As I looked forward to the events coming up I began to realize how inconvenient I would be to others if I tried to follow all these rules so I marked off a few. Then Lent began and I did good with no soft drinks, but as they days added up so did the amount of things I needed to accomplish each day. Instead of enjoying reading the Bible and praying I found myself frustrated with the chore ahead of me. I rushed through and got less out of it than before and it suddenly began to dawn on me that this is my pattern. I set too many goals and then when I can't do every single thing on my list I feel disappointed in myself and worthless so I give up on a lot of things.

My approach is what needs to change. I don't have a problem with food because I don't think about it excessively and make it a chore. I eat when I'm hungry and don't count calories or give myself reasons to feel guilty. Finally I am taking a cue from my healthy eating habits and applying it to the remainder of my life. I am happiest when I don't have a set schedule. This freedom allows me to not feel guilty because I don't set myself up for failure. I made a vague goal instead for this Lent to grow closer to God.

I am accomplishing my goal by attending church on Wednesday and Sunday nights every week. I love going to church and look forward to these services. I also am praying when I think about it instead of at a set time. These steps appear small, but they increase my desire to know God better and improve our relationship. They eliminate the mandatory chore feeling from previous attempts.

Now I pray, read the Bible, and attend church when I want to and it happens more increasingly as I am no longer forcing myself to out of obligation. I am so tired of feeling guilty and so I won't do it any more. Henceforth I am going to work on becoming a better person in small achievable steps. I should have known being an avid ready that small goals would work better for me than large ones because the books I read fastest are filled with a multitude of small chapters. When there is an end in sight I can strive forward more easily and with each new success I am more motivated to attempt a new achievement.

I challenge you to pick an area in your life that you want to make better and set a small goal. See what happens; you might just surprise yourself and triumph. I adore good writing and good quotes so I leave you with a few for motivational fodder:

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. -Thomas Alva Edison

You are never too old to set another goal or dream another dream. -C.S. Lewis

Even if you fall on your face, you are still moving forward. -Victor Kiam

Aluminum Chef

Hawaiian Roll Ham Sandwiches:

This relatively simplistic yet highly flavorful recipe is excellent for game days, a small snack, or the perfect partner to a bowl of soup. My mom has made these for our family for many years so I decided to try some different ingredients and mix things up to find the right flavor combination.  

 

Ingredients:

-2 packs of Hawaiian Rolls

-Ham ( I used the sandwich meat version)

-3/4 cup of butter

-1 1/2 tsp of Dijon mustard

-1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

-1 1/2 tsp dried onions

-poppy seed

-12 slices of cheese (the recipe calls for swiss, which is delicious, but I had shredded cheddar and mozzarella at the house and chose to use those)

The first thing you do is halve each roll and place the ham and cheese of your choice down before adding the top half. You then mix the Dijon, Worcestershire, butter and onion and melt until smooth. This mixture you drizzle over your sandwiches. Bake at 350'F for 10-15 minutes. I wanted to experiment so I used mozzarella cheese in one row, sharp cheddar cheese in one row, and added tomato slices to one row. 

I really enjoyed the tomato slices. They added a slightly sweet moistness to the sandwich which counterbalanced the crunch from the baked roll. My favorite was the sharp cheddar because it complimented the glaze nicely and added just enough tang to keep the meal interesting. The mozzarella was good, but offered a much more subdued flavor. In the future I would use either swiss or sharp cheddar and add tomato slices to a couple. As you can see from my picture, the one thing I would do differently is fold my laundry after I pulled these bad boys out of the oven so I can avoid burning them.                                                                                                                      

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup

(Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly)

Aluminum Chef

Okay so I had an eclectic collection of canned goods eyeing me from the cabinet every time I peered in to its depths.

I decided to take some basic flavors and combine them into a healthy snack. I really love having something available to munch on since I have odd hours some days and can't always eat meals at their scheduled times.

I grabbed 1 can of black beans, 1 can of pinto beans, 1 can of kidney beans, & 1 can of corn. I simply drained each can after rinsing it with water and mixed the beans/corn together in a bowl. Grab your favorite chip and this minimal munch is ready to eat!

This is great because you can add tomatoes, onions, cilantro, etc. to enhance the flavors and cater to your specific palette.

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup

(Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly)

Aluminum Chef

Ranch Pork Chops:

Last week I whipped up some delicious honey glazed pork chops, but since I am only cooking for one I had extra chops. I popped 'em in the freezer and tonight I used the left over chops to make ranch pork chops.

Ingredients:
-6 pork chops (I only had 3, so I saved the remaining flour batter in a Ziploc bag for another day)
-1 packet Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
-1 cup all purpose flour
-Salt/Pepper
-5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
-1 cup chicken broth

Mix the flour, ranch mix, and salt and pepper together in a medium sized bowl. Dredge each chop in the flour mixture. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Cook each chop until golden brown on both sides. (While doing this pre-heat your oven to 350'F)

Once you have the golden brown pork chops place them on a baking tray and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. During this time take 1 tablespoon of the flour/ranch mixture and pour into the oil left over in your skillet. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Next add HOT chicken broth to the skillet. (If it is cold you will get a pretty nice facial and some sweet grease splatter) Cook for 4-5 minutes, until sauce thickens.

At this point your pork chops should be ready to take out of the oven. Ladle as much of the sauce on your chop as wanted. It is delicious and I added quite a bit and dabbed each bite with the sauce to get as much of that flavor as possible in each mouthful! 

I chose to accompany my ranch chop with Rotel macaroni and cheese. Since this past Sunday was the Super Bowl I had leftover Rotel dip. Anytime I have extra Rotel and no chips I always make Rotel Mac & Cheese. It is a flavorful twist on a classic and extremely easy to make. Just boil macaroni noodles as you normally would. Once they have cooked add the Rotel and serve away. Any pasta would work, but I prefer macaroni noodles.

You can make your Rotel dip as spicy or as mild as you like. The recipe calls for 1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes and 1 package of Velveeta cheese. I always use 2 cans of Rotel to have a hint of spice. The same is true for the Rotel Mac & Cheese. You can use less noodles to enhance the spicy flavor or you could use a 1 pound box of macaroni noodles. I boil the entire box and then stir in a little of the Rotel at a time until all noodles are evenly coated.

Overall this was a wonderful comfort meal. I felt like I was back home as a little girl eating delicious flavors that warm your throat and soul. I wouldn't change a thing about the Ranch Pork Chop recipe.

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup

(Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly)

Aluminum Chef

Honey Glazed Pork Chops:

This meal was insanely simplistic and very affordable.

Ingredients:

-4 pork loin chops

-salt/pepper to taste

-2 tbsp packed brown sugar (dark)

-2 tbsp honey

-Nonstick cooking spray

Directions: Add salt and pepper to both sides of each pork chop. In a large skillet over medium heat cook the chops until brown, flipping once. While you are cooking the chops on the stove preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Also combine the honey and brown sugar in a small bowl. 

Once the pork chops are golden brown (seen on right) place them in a baking pan. Heat the honey mixture in the microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds. Use half of the honey mixture to coat one side of each pork chop. I stabbed holes in each chop with a fork so the honey mixture could better soak into the meat. 

Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the pork chop over and glaze with the remainder of the honey mixture. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. 

This was delicious and the honey gave the perfect hint of sweetness without overpowering the flavor of the pork chop. I enjoy how easy this recipe was to shop for and complete. 

Since the ingredients are minimal this recipe is not hard to change up for different serving sizes. I only cooked two pork chops since I was eating alone. However, you could make this for a large family. I think children would also really like this dish because it has very basic flavors. 

The only note I would add to this meal is that the honey and brown sugar glaze was an adequate amount for 2 pork chops; if I were to cook 4 chops as the recipe suggested, I would double the quantity of honey and brown sugar used.

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup

(Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly)

My original post and my inspiration for Aluminum Chef

Aluminum Chef

Watching Iron Chef is a favorite pastime for my family. Over the years we have been confounded, entranced, and inspired by the wide array of culinary prowess. My Dad and youngest sister, Em, are the main devotees to Food Network and the glories it holds. This year I have decided to challenge myself to attempt one new dish each week. In honor of my beloved Iron Chef I have named the blog posts related to this goal, Aluminum Chef. Aluminum is both durable and malleable, on this journey through the kitchen I hope to embody both. However, there will be no secret ingredients as I am a novice at best when it comes to cuisine.

In the words of the chairman, "Allez Cuisine!"

This week I have started off simply with a crockpot roast. To save cooking time I bought beef loins in small sections that would fit with all my veggies.

Ingredients:
-beef tenderloin (pre-cut)
-small potatoes (cut into fourths)
-5 medium carrots (peeled and cut into one-inch segments)
-2 small onions (peeled and sliced)
-1 packet of instant gravy
-1 cup of water

I pre-mixed the gravy before adding everything to the crockpot. I set it to low and waited 3 hours (I stirred every 30 minutes just to ensure even cooking). I love how low maintenance this was.

In the future I would have used 2 packets of instant gravy or I would have used 2 bottles of Guinness beer to enhance the flavor. The only issue I could take is that the meat was a little dry because there wasn't enough sauce for it to soak in. Adding either extra gravy or substituting with the beer would alleviate that problem.

Overall, the meal was juicy, tender, and fulfilling. Not a bad start to this dinner challenge. 

I would love any suggestions or tips from those of you in the kitchen who have more experience! Also, if you know of any delicious, somewhat healthy recipes that I should try out please add in the comments section!

In honor of the chairman I feel that Aluminum Chef needs its catchphrase as well. I'll stick with French:

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup

(Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly)

Major Robert Westin

Challenge #12: Connect the following in an 800 word story: 

1947 convertible, switchblade, and parachute.

Wind whipped through the C-47 and slapped the buckle straps against Robert's face, jarring him from his transient daze. He went over each connection on his parachute in a systematic manner, drawn from dozens of previous jumps. Each thought was routine, ingrained. His complete cognizance was unnecessary as he noted the fraying shoelace of his right boot, the bristling blonde hair on the neck of the private before him, or the pallid coloring of the first jumper's face.

His mind was now sharply focused as his body floated above the dirt owned by Italy, specifically Gela, Italy. Earth crumbled beneath his brown leather boots as he slid to a stuttered halt. Robert was grateful for the modified Type T-5 parachute he was wearing with the quick release box. Not every serviceman was as lucky and several were gunned down while attempting to escape their chutes. Captain Westin used the high grass of the fertile plain as his cover as he crawled toward the tree line. 

Twenty-eight men remained of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Captain Westin determined the route his men would take to link up with the 1st Infantry Division in Sicily 80 kilometers north. An hour outside of Gela dust clouds alerted the 504th of incoming vehicles. The men crouched on the east side of the road lying prone. Instead of a feared enemy tank they were met with one of their own, a beloved "Deuce and a Half" known to civilians as the GMC CCKW. The nickname originated from the 2.5 ton weight of this military supply truck.

Westin and his men rode into camp at Sicily the following day with enough time to shovel down c-rations and a gulp of black coffee, cold. Exhaustion loomed over many of the mens' heads as they trudged toward Italian troops and certain death for many. Robert fought valiantly and was awarded the Silver Star, but his treasured possession gained during the fight was an Italian switchblade he stripped from a fallen adversary. The blade was known as the Italian stiletto for its design. The blade came to a point and was engineered brilliantly for a thrusting motion. Another memento he carried was shrapnel buried in his left thigh. Robert wasn't enthusiastic about this souvenir, however it was the one that granted him a trip home to Chicago. 

Life picked up once he landed in O'Hare and he started on a speaking tour selling bonds. Robert was promoted to Major to help win over donors. Major Westin was a natural at public relations and after the war he used his knack for talking to people to earn a living. Selling cars was something he was very passionate about and followed naturally his passions from youth. Growing up he idolized his mechanic father and loved all things cars. That passion never waned and was thriving as he opened Westin Motors in 1946.

Business was steady and Robert felt satisfied, but he longed for companionship. He viewed women like the automobiles on his lot: shiny paint didn't mean a quality engine, fast ones are fun but not reliable for everyday, and a dream car, just like a dream woman, was worth the wait. Little did he know that with his latest shipment of Buick Roadmaster convertibles his story would change once more. His lot proudly displayed three of these brand new cars, one black, one gray, and one red to match the "fireball dynaflash" under the hood. Robert loved the pearl gray version and daydreamed of cruising that 8-cylinder beauty down a country lane at sunset as the wind tickled his neck.

Major Westin was closing up one Thursday in June when Eva walked onto the lot. She was a thin brunette with ruby red lips and a twinkling smile and she wanted a test drive. Eva explained that her family lived west of Chicago in Brookfield and this car would be driven on mostly dirt roads, the type of road where she intended to take her test drive. They coasted kicking up a trail of dust. Wind danced through Eva's hair and carried her melodic laughter with it. The setting sun was eclipsed only by her exquisite aesthetic.

When they arrived back on the lot, Eva had a determined look and informed him the car was overpriced and she would offer him $1895 and not a penny more. Robert offered her a different deal: the car was free if she agreed to marry him; if she didn't agree to the terms, he vowed to sell her the car for the exact price she quoted and spend the remainder of his days convincing her to be his wife. Luckily for Major Westin, Eva took the deal and they were married that August.