Week Seven: Everything Old is New Again

This was exactly the kind of week that spells trouble. Laura had days worth of work at the office and I was headed to meetings in Minneapolis at the crack of dawn on Thursday. I worried a frustrated Laura might break and visit a drive-thru. Laura and JJ are humming along. 

Why tempt fate? 

It took all of ten minutes to search through scraps of paper with recipes from all of the important cooks in my life, including my Italian grandmother. There it was, tucked in the back of my oldest cookbook, a well worn paperback version of Betty Crocker basics somebody gave me almost forty years ago.  

My grandmother always called it Old Italian Meat Sauce, but lots of other Italian grandmothers call it Sunday Gray. My grandmother would push sweet Italian sausage meat out of it’s casing, brown it up in a big heavy pan with ground beef, veal and pork and mix in tomatoes, spices and a generous measure of red wine. But the long slow simmer required vigilance. 

Not that hanging around the house for hours doesn’t sound great but who has time? Not to mention all the cholesterol in the original recipe...a few adjustments and we were ready to rock in Laura’s kitchen not quite as early as we’d planned on Monday morning.

Using a slow cooker accomplishes the long slow cook without tying anyone down.  On Tuesday Laura called to tell me that the sauce was a God send ... she and JJ got home late the night before and it was knowing there was sauce waiting for them that kept them away from the fast food window. This sauce is just as good for topping on a homemade pizza as it is over pasta. 

The 6 inches of snowfall from Tuesday’s midwest storm disappeared from Minneapolis streets before I arrived. I met a wonderful new friend at my meetings - a fellow special needs mom. Funny how people meant to be friends find each other in unlikely places. Back in Chicopee, Laura whisked through the week between her homemade sauce, a home cooked meal at her mom’s house and all natural prepackaged meals by Atkins Farm store that another concerned friend left stacked in Laura’s freezer. 

As for my house, the sauce simmering at Laura’s inspired me to make a batch for JP and Paul before I left for Minneapolis. When I got home late last night there was barely enough left to warrant taking up space in the fridge. By way of explanation, JP said, “We killed it, Mom.”  All good!

OLD ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Active time: 20 Minutes  Cooking time: 7-8 hours on Low 

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 pounds ground turkey

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped (optional)

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

3/4 cup red wine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (1 teaspoon if dried)

1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (1/8 teaspoon if dried)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (1 tablespoon if dried)

1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce (or puree)

1 (29 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (with juices)

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat, brown turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; set aside. In a 4 quart slow cooker, add all other ingredients. Use a potato masher to crush the whole tomatoes as you mix the sauce well.

Add browned meat and stir.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. This versatile sauce can be used over pasta and as a delightful pizza topping. If you feel the need for a bit more meat when making the pizza, just brown up another smaller batch and add it in.

Week Six: School Vacation, Birthday Week and Other Distractions

School vacation week always coincides with my birthday.  It's typically chock full full of activity and meals at restaurants with family and friends. None of that changed this year, except one thing: healthier food choices. Fast food high calorie quickies were out and side salads were in.

From our first springtime hot dog and soft-serve ice cream at Fairview Deli, owned by our good friends Ron and Pam (Pam is Debby's husband's cousin...welcome to Chicopee!) to a meal at a local Thai and Korean restaurant, where the food was made to order with fresh ingredients and not much salt, we ate a little bit of everything.

By midweek, it was a day at the beach...literally.  We had a great day trip to Rhode Island with Debby and her son, John Paul. Debby treated us to a 4 plus pound lobster for my birthday! You have to put fresh seafood into the healthier column, except for the butter and the fried whole belly clams we just had to have at the shore .. yum!

Nobody's perfect. The trip did include a healthy stroll on the beach on a beautiful sunny day. That news pleased my physical therapist.

Other than preparing a simple breakfast every morning, I barely cooked, but JJ took a turn in the kitchen.  My son made pork empanadas with Debby on a day that I had to be at the office. Served with a side salad, a perfect meal after a long day of work and physical therapy.

SAVORY PORK EMPANADAS
Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes
Dough
1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2/3 stick butter, softened
1 large egg beaten lightly with 1/2 tablespoon water (for egg wash)

Sift the flour, then sift it again with the salt, baking powder, and sugar, and set aside. In a large bowl, using a hand or electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter together until well blended. Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Filling
2 cups cooked pork tenderloin, chopped (chicken tenderloins work well, too)
1/2 cup grated Mexican cheese blend
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 pimento stuffed olives, chopped fine
1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
Dash of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine filling ingredients and mix well.

Assemble and Bake
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll 1/2 the dough into a 10 inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining dough, making 15 to 18 circles total.

Arrange each round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with egg wash. Place one heaping teaspoon of filling mixture in the center of the round.  Brush dough edges with egg wash. Fold the dough over the filling, then press the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds and filling mixture. Assembled empanadas can be refrigerated overnight or frozen up to 1 month.

Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. If baking after freezing, place frozen empanandas on prepared baking sheet and allow to defrost about an hour prior to baking. If desired, brush tops with egg wash. Place empanadas in the preheated 400 degree oven, immediately lower heat to 375 degrees F and bake for 15-17 minutes. Serve hot with favorite BBQ sauce for dipping (if desired).

Week Five: Stress Free Cooking Matters

First, Laura's description of having a “mini-meltdown” last week got me laughing. All's well that ends well, right? Next, I started thinking that her confidence level needed more nurturing. So back to the crock pot.

Then I ran across an even better reason; an illuminating and sensible online article about how slow cooking can help reduce arthritis pain, and chronic inflammation. The kind of low, raw discomfort exacerbated by stress; the kind of chronic pain Laura deals with daily from her lupus arthritis. Here is a summary of what I read.

An important advantage to slow cooking is healthy eating. Veggies and/or meat are the stars of most slow cooked meals. Low on carbs and high in nutrient value. Not to mention 99% of slow cooker recipes involve water, and lack of water can contribute to fatigue and stiffness. But more important is the substitute for fast food–if you eat one delicious meal a day from a slow cooker, that is a meal a day that you are not as tempted to grab take-out or junk food that is really terrible for chronic pain.

Slow cooking means that there are less advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and less advanced lipoxidation endproducts (ALEs) on your meat, compared to higher-heat cooking methods. AGEs and ALEs may contribute to pain from arthritis and other conditions through inflammation.

Less chopping means less joint strain. With a slow cooker, all it takes is a couple of chops to favorite veggies - just throw them in with some meat and herbs and spices and Voila! Dinner.

Another big plus is that slow cooking combines flavors in an interesting way, and it makes meat super tender. Time will come when Laura will be able to take up bigger challenges but for now: lowering stress = less pain...and this peachy pork recipe is a lot less stress than any 30 minute meal!


Peachy Pork Chops
Active time: 10 minutes  Cooking time: 6 hours on Low

Ingredients
2-1 inch thick boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 small can peach halves, drained (reserve 1/4 cup of the syrup)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Brown pork chops in a heavy skillet on medium high heat. Place browned chops in crock pot; season with salt and pepper.  Place peaches on top of pork chops.  Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, tomato sauce, reserved syrup and vinegar. Pour over pork chops and peaches. Cook on low for 6 hours. Thicken sauce with a teaspoon of arrowroot or cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of white wine (or water). Enjoy!

Serve with cooked instant brown rice and any green vegetable. Two portions.

Week Four: A 30 Minute Meal

Up to now, Debby has been teaching me the joys of crock pot cooking - perfect for me.  A generally stress free way of cooking, slow cooker recipes require little effort to put a home cooked meal on the table at the end of a long day when I am exhausted.

Then came Thursday and new territory. I was left on my own with a simple pasta recipe. Sausage, Meatball and Broccoli Pasta - a way to use turkey meatballs frozen the prior week.  No problem! I can boil pasta!

Well, I boiled the pasta and broccoli, cooked the meatballs and sausage and combined the rest of the ingredients as directed. But when I had to turn some pasta water and an egg into a sauce, I suddenly remembered why I don't like to cook.

Stress! Inevitably followed by swearing - loud swearing! My poor son rushed into the kitchen to make sure I was okay. He rubbed my back to calm me. I took a deep breath, added some cornstarch and somehow a sauce emerged ... SUCCESS!

This hearty, tasty pasta dish took exactly 30 minutes (mini-meltdown included) and got us out the door in plenty of time to make soccer practice. It was a quick make meal, so fast that I didn't have time to make a salad. Next time, I'll do that first!


Stir Fry Sausage, Meatball and Broccoli Pasta
Active Time: 25 minutes  Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups tortellini pasta
1 cup frozen broccoli pieces
2 sweet Italian sausages
1/2 pound pre-cooked turkey meatballs (defrost if frozen)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling if desired)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 large egg
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese mix (about 2 ounces)
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs, adding the broccoli during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup cooking water in a small bowl, then drain the pasta and broccoli.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes.  Cut cooked sausages into bite size pieces and reiurn to pan with meatballs. Once heated through remove meat from skillet and set aside.

Now comes the stir fry part. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, and red pepper flakes to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, sausage chunks and meatballs. Keep stirring. Heat through another minute. Whisk the egg with the reserved cooking water in the small bowl, then add liquid to the skillet a little at a time. Don't stop stirring yet! Stir gently until the sauce thickens slightly. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Divide the pasta mixture among bowls. Sprinkle liberally with cheese and drizzle with olive oil.