Doodling is good. Doodle experts say that doodling keeps our minds from drifting off the subject at hand. But, beware! If we try turn our doodles into art, then doodling is a distraction. For serious writing -- school, business or love letters -- I am a huge proponent of "prewriting," warming up to write in various ways. Doodling is one of those ways.
I'm going to push this technique today; I'm going to start with a kitchen doodle, see where it goes and aim to end with Alphabet Soup with Doodles. Dear reader, please help by finishing off the doodles as you wish. Here's a soup of my recent recollections.
( * * )
When I first laid eyes on a food article by a home economics expert from "the green university," I worried. Being from the "blue university" myself, I was wary. But then again, I had a toddler around my ankles, a newborn in a crib and a hyper 9-year-old throwing Nerf balls at the dog.
The writer, a professional, was single. Some of her advice: Stack similar things together. (Well, I did, had five ketchup bottles in a row in the fridge.) Put things where they belong. (Certainly. The hockey pucks were in the freezer.) Do not stack big plates on smaller plates. (No problem, all the plates were in the sink.) Frustrated, upset and even shamed by the expert's advice, I wrote a rebuttal, a piece on kitchen reality. That was the start of this love of food journalism. The Detroit News published it; many readers were on my side.
$$__! !
Food budgets. He-Who-Must-Be-Fed and I continue to try to find ways to deal with the price of food. We decided how much we could spare this week for an up-and-coming "Caring and Sharing" food problem. So I'm taking $50 to shop carefully for food that the program will give away to the needy later this month -- no strings attached. I think we can afford a lesser amount for the next few months, then we will share our garden's vegetables with many families we know need a little help. Sharing extra seeds is a help, too.
XXX>>>>>>>>
I don't have many expensive kitchen tools. One is my standing mixer (I was married and cooking 25 years for HWMBF before I got it) and another is my chef's knife. A good chef's knife reminds the cook that cooking is an art every time the cook uses it. A good, sharpened knife cuts like a whistle.
Last night, I used my chef's knife on an $8 rib-eye steak, and dinner was so good that I want to tell you, again, how I've been doing steak -- pan frying. First, I cut the rib-eye in two, and wrap half in Freezer Press 'n' Seal. Then I freeze it for a $4 steak. I cut the remaining piece again. Now I've paid $2 a portion for a juicy cut of beef.
I no longer use a liquid marinade, but a little olive oil on each side, then rub a steak seasoning (I like McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning or the plain Steakhouse Seasoning) onto each side. I mince garlic to taste, lots for us -- three cloves, and rub it in, too -- both sides. The steaks can then sit at room temperature, cover with plastic wrap for a couple hours -- or not.
To pan roast: Heat the pan as hot as you can get it, but not to smoking. Scrape garlic off the steak or it will turn bitter. Sear the steak on one side until it is very dark and crusty, 1 to 3 minutes depending on thickness. Turn the steak over, and turn off the heat. Let the steak cook on the still-hot burner until done, checking. I even take the steak out of the pan and onto a breadboard to cut to check for desired doneness. If necessary, return steak to pan, and turn the heat back on, to low, until the steak is done.
Tomorrow I'm going to use a small part of a jar of red pasta sauce to enrich a vegetable noodle soup for lunch. The rest goes over spaghetti for dinner. For now, think of good steak, a good dinner and a good night, too.
~ o ~
Sweet-Butter Cake (Keik Me Fresko Voutiro)
21/2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. sweet butter
4 eggs, separated
11/4 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
5 ozs. baking chocolate
1/2 c. almonds, blanched and chopped
Sift the flour; mix it with the baking powder. Cream the butter very well. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla, then add to the butter and beat it thoroughly. Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, and add them alternately with the flour to the batter, folding in gently.
Pour the batter into a buttered pan. Slice the chocolate and push the pieces into the center of the batter. Sprinkle almonds on the top and bake in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 45 minutes.
Note: This recipe is from a 1967 cookbook that did not say what kind of baking chocolate to use. I used semi-sweet.
-- Sophia Skoura, The Greek Cookbook
Sally Ketchum is a northern Michigan journalist. She is a former teacher who likes to think on paper -- like doodling. Sally can be reached at ketchum1985@gmail.com.
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