Autumn Turkey Sandwich

One of the dishes that is so simple to make and yet so versatile is sandwiches. This idea came to me as I was making my Harvest Apple Salad below. I love the combination of savory and sweet with apples. For some reason I wasn't able to get a good picture that captured just how yummy this sandwich is. This will have to do.
Ingredients:
Italian bread
Thick cut deli smoked turkey
Provolone cheese
Granny Smith apple, sliced
Apple butter

Directions:
~Spread the apple butter on the sliced bread and then layer with the cheese, turkey and apples.

~In a skillet over medium low heat, toast the sandwich until browned on both sides and the cheese is melted. You can also use a panini maker or sandwich press. Serve warm.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Ingredient of the Week . . . Spinach

The ingredient I choose for this week is something I normally don't work with a lot. Like most kids I was never a big fan of spinach and that has translated into my adult life as well. I have only ever had spinach in two forms - leaf and canned.

I remember the first time I ever had spinach. I was in first grade and my school was having a lunch with your parents day. My mom took time off work to come and eat lunch with me. Already having to deal with sitting at a little table and chair, my mom was then also faced with the daunting task of finding something in the school cafeteria she could eat. Somehow she managed to find a salad that had leaf spinach in it. She gave me a bite and told me what it was. And it was good.

Flash forward two weeks and I was over at my paternal grandmother's house. They were getting ready to fix dinner and asked me what vegetable I wanted. I asked if they had any spinach and my grandmother seemed very happy that I liked spinach. That is until I was presented with a plate of green leafy snot. I stood there confused with a look of horrid disgust on my face.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Spinach," I was told.

"That's not spinach," I replied, trying to clam my gap reflex.

"Yes it is."

"No it is not! Spinach is leaves! That is not spinach!" I started to cry.

"Leaves? Leaves?! What are you talking about? Leaves? This is spinach and since you wanted it, you have to eat it"

Crying. "No."

And that was the last time I remember having dinner at my paternal grandmothers. I never did eat that damn spinach and I am sure my grandmother was pissed about the 89 cents I wasted, but I was convinced they were trying to feed me something other than spinach and were lying about it.

But I have discovered, even if I don't particularly like the taste of cooked spinach, nothing improves on flavor like butter, cream and garlic. Thus, I present: Spinach Gratin.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups chopped yellow onions, I used 4 large shallots, though since TGH is not a big onion fan
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 (10-ounce) packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese, I used Swiss instead

Directions:
~Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

~Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions (or shallots) and garlic and saute until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach (to do this I use a clean kitchen towel. I place the spinach in the middle and bring all four corners of the towel together and ring the water out of the spinach) and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

~Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyere on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

recipe by: Ina Garten

The next dish I used spinach in was a nice simple salad, since leaf spinach is still my favorite. When I worked at a grocery store, one of the perks was getting to read all the magazines when it was slow. I planned most of my wedding that way. Thank you Martha Stewart! Aside from all the gossip I was able to catch up on, I loved all the little recipe books. I have a ton of recipes I wrote on sales receipts that are now stored in my recipe binder. This salad I remember seeing in a magazine but I didn't write it down, since I thought it was simple enough.

Needless to say I think I have modified it beyond the original version. So I just call this salad Harvest Apple Salad.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet apple, chopped, I use Pink Lady apples since I think they are the best ever
8 oz blue cheese crumbles
1 cup walnut halves
2 cups of leaf spinach
1 1-2 cups honey mustard citrus vinaigrette (recipe to follow)

Directions:
~Combine all the ingredients and toss with dressing. Serve as 4 side salads or 2 entree salads.

Honey Mustard Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
~Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl and pour over desired salad.

recipe by: The Good Wife

The Good Wife Potato Salad

The Good Husband called me from work yesterday afternoon to say his company was having a last minute potluck today and he wanted me to bring a dish. My go-to potluck dish is potato salad. It is one of those dishes that I love to make but don't really care to eat. I can eat a small dish of potato salad but it is not my all time favorite. Since I am not tempted to eat most of it as I am making it, it makes for a big dish to bring to any potluck.

But I make this version, The Good Wife Potato Salad, for family get togethers and it is always a hit. Regular potato salad can be kinda blah so I spice mine up a bit. Note: This recipe is for a large serving for a get together. You can easily cut it in half.

Ingredients:
10 large potatoes, I used red
4 eggs
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tablespoon celery seed
1/2 cup mustard
2 cups mayonnaise, I use a combination of both real mayonnaise and Miracle Whip
4 slices of thick cut bacon
1 bunch of green onion, chopped
Paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
~Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 large pinches of salt. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and chop.

~In a skillet over medium heat, brown the bacon. When browned, remove from pan, drain on paper towels and crumble. Set aside.

~While you peel the potatoes, place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover and boil eggs for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from water, cool, peel and chop, reserving one egg for garnish.

~In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 3 of the chopped eggs, celery, onion, celery seed, mustard, pepper, salt and mayonnaise. Mix well to combine.

~To garnish, slice the hard boiled egg into thin slices. Arrange the slices around the edges of the bowl, evenly spacing them. Sprinkle the bacon crumbles over the top and lightly dust the top with paprika. Finish the dish with the chopped green onion. Let sit overnight to combine the flavors.

Meatloaf

As I promised you yesterday, I present to you the most housewifely dish ever: Meatloaf.

Meatloaf is one of those dishes that always feels like Sunday. It does take a while to cook, but not all day, so you can have meatloaf whenever. Meatloaf is also one of those dishes where once you have the basic recipe down, you can modify it in any number of ways. Since I am a cook without a cookbook type of girl, I usually just throw stuff in a bowl and see how it comes out. Every damn time I make meatloaf it tastes different. Every. Damn. Time.

Ingredients:
1 cup bread crumbs, I used Italian seasoned
2/3 cup milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium celery rib, finely chopped
2 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 lb ground beef chuck
1/2 lb ground pork
2 large eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2/3 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~Cook onion, garlic, celery and carrot in butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Worcestershire sauce, allspice, basil, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

~Combine the vegetable mixture with the bread crumbs and add the beef, pork, eggs, milk and parsley and mix together with your hands.

~Shape the mixture into a loaf and place on a broiler pan. Coat the top of the meatloaf with the ketchup and sprinkle with brown sugar.

~Bake for 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Sarah Palin or Am I Still A Feminist

One of the goals of my blog is to share some political musings I have as The Good Wife. As TGW I have to reconcile my life and work as both a die hard feminist and a wife who enjoys cooking and cleaning. Most of the time the task is easy. I mean, isn't being a feminist all about choices and I made my choice to like activities that are ascribed to traditional gender roles? So while I do enjoy being a wife, I know that it is not all that I am and I am not bound by my apron strings.

But then there are days when I question everything I know about being a feminist and a woman. The day of my latest struggle began on August 29. This was the day that Sen. John McCain announced Gov. Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President.

You would think that as a feminist I would rejoice in this news. I mean we could actually have a woman Vice President! But after the first two seconds of something like joy, a deer-in-the-headlights panic set over me and I have not been able to shake it since. It has been growing like a tumor as I struggle to define how I deal with Palin.

How could it be that a feminist would find panic in the nomination of Palin?

This article explains it rather well for me. Zombie Feminists of the RNC

"In this strange new pro-woman tableau, feminism -- a word that is being used all over the country with regard to Palin's potential power -- means voting for someone who would limit reproductive control, access to healthcare and funding for places like Covenant House Alaska, an organization that helps unwed teen mothers. It means cheering someone who allowed women to be charged for their rape kits while she was mayor of Wasilla, who supports the teaching of creationism alongside evolution, who has inquired locally about the possibility of using her position to ban children's books from the public library, who does not support the teaching of sex education.

In this 'Handmaid's Tale'-inflected universe, in which femininity is worshipped but females will be denied rights, CNBC pundit Donny Deutsch tells us that we're witnessing 'a new creation ... of the feminist ideal,' the feminism being so ideal because instead of being voiced by hairy old bats with unattractive ideas about intellect and economy and politics and power, it's now embodied by a woman who, according to Deutsch, does what Hillary Clinton did not: 'put a skirt on.' 'I want her watching my kids,' says Deutsch. 'I want her laying next to me in bed.'"

So if this is the case, I am now labeling myself something that is turning into the exact opposite of what I believe in. Do we need a new word for feminism? Womynism?

There is just something about Palin's nomination that rubs me the wrong way. Is it the fee she charged sexual assault victims for rape kits? Is it the rhetorical questions about book banning? Is the the blatant pandering to the vagina vote? Was it her mocking of the sexism Clinton faced in her primary bid, saying Clinton was whining? Something about this woman just leaves me panicked and fearful.

Some will say that the media is being sexist towards Palin. This is true - to a point. But this is not the sexism we saw with Clinton.

Not quite the same is it?

That is not to say that Palin hasn't faced her own sexist attacks in the media. She has.

But her support of groups like Feminists for Life, abstinence only sex education and her opposition to abortion even in the cases of rape and incest (although she does get some points for being consistent) just makes my vagina sad.

I look at these last weeks leading up to the election with a kind of fear and depression and on the other hand, hope and pride. I hope that I can turn most of my attention to the economy, or saving and looking for a new house, or making some killer sugar cookies for fall. I hope this growing tumor will turn out to be benign and all will be fine.

And to counter this post, tomorrow I will post about the most housewifely dishes of all time: meatloaf.

Tostadas

I love Mexican food. No, make that American Mexican (AM) food because even though I know someone's abuela makes killer corn tortillas, I am not convinced that Tostadas are really a genuine Mexican food. I could be wrong and someone is free to correct me. But I get a feeling Tostadas are like Crab Rangoon. Tasty but nothing like what you would find in China.

But back to AM food. Besides Italian, AM is the easiest type of food to cook, I find. Some chili, onion and garlic powder, oregano and cumin makes for a mean AM dish. And, just look at how pretty everything is.

They say you eat with your eyes first (this is an important thing to remember when picking out place settings, actually, because you never want your plates to compete with the food. This is why most restaurants have white plates. After TGH and I move, I will break out my all white plates. For now, I make due) and it is true. Nothing is more beautiful to me than a rainbow of colors on a plate. Ah.
Tostadas
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup of water
12 Tostadas
1 can of refried beans, I used vegetarian refried beans
1 small head of lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 cups of shredded cheese, I used mild cheddar
Sour cream
Taco Sauce
Salsa

Directions:
~Heat the oven to 325 degrees and bake the Tostada shells in a single layer on a baking sheet for 6 to 7 minutes.

~Meanwhile, brown the beef and drain off the fat. Combine all of the spices and the water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture has thicken and most of the water has evaporated.

To assemble the Tostadas:
~Heat the refried beans in a microwave safe bowl on high to 2 1/2 minutes.

~Spread a thin layer of beans on the Tostada shell. Top with the seasoned meat, taco sauce, lettuces, cheese, tomato and sour cream.

~Serve with a side of Spanish Rice and Refried Beans topped with Pepper Jack cheese (recipe to follow).

This recipe is very easy to make vegetarian. Just either replace the ground beef with tofu crumbles or eliminate it completely.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Spanish Rice

Photo above.

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper, I omitted because I was lazy
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, cut up
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 4-ounce can diced green chile peppers, undrained, I omitted because I was lazy
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Directions:
~In a large skillet combine oil, undrained tomatoes, water, rice, chile peppers, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and, if using, green onion.

~Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

~Sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

recipe modified from: Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredient of the Week . . . Beef Roast

Now that the days are getting chillier, soups and stews are on the menu. In last week's Ingredient of the Week, I highlighted ground beef and made Chili. That ushered in the beginning of fall menu at The Good Wife's house. This week's ingredient is beef roast, namely Boneless Beef Chuck Roast. The easiest and most tasty soup I make with BBCR is Vegetable Beef Soup.

Again this is one of those dishes I had at The Good Grandma's. It was full of veggies that I normally don't eat and don't really like that much (I mean, Lima Beans anyone?) but with everything else in the soup, it was super tasty and I didn't mind the beans that much.

A tip before you start: The recipe that follows makes almost 3 gallons of soup. I have a large stock pot that will hold that much soup but if you don't you can easily cut the recipe in half.

Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cubed
6 cans of beef broth
2 cans of stewed tomatoes
2 medium turnips, peeled and cubed
2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
4 stalks of celery, diced (leaves too)
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 small head of cabbage, shredded
2 cans of corn (I use one can of golden corn kernels and one can of white corn kernels)
2 cans of green beans
2 cans of peas
1 can of Lima beans ('cos, really, who likes Lima Beans?)
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Directions:
~Cook the beef in a slow cooker over low heat for 4 to 5 hours.

~Add the meat, juices and all, to the stock pot and add the beef broth and tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil and then lower to a shimmer. Add the potatoes, turnips, celery and carrots. Cook for ten minutes.

~Add all of the remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

recipe by: The Good Wife

This Ingredient of the Week should really be about the cooking tools as much as it is about the food. Both of the dishes were made, at least partly, with the slow cooker.

I don't use my slow cooker that much. I kind of forget I have it tucked away in my small kitchen, hiding behind my mixing bowls. But when I use it, I remember how great it is and use it twice the week I remember I have it.

Italian Beef was one of the plate choices we had at our wedding, so it will always have a special place in my heart. It is super to make as well, slow cooker notwithstanding.

Italian Beef
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
1 package of dry Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup banana peppers, juice and peppers (optional) - The Good Husband can't eat anything spicy, so we hold the peppers
1 package of Kaiser Rolls

Directions:
~Pour 1/2 cup of Italian dressing in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the beef roast in the cooker, turning to coat all sides. Sprinkle the Italian Dressing over the beef, making sure all of the roast is covered. Top with the peppers.

~Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Before serving, shred the meat with two forks and stir to combine the juices.

~Serve on Kaiser Rolls with a side of oven fries (recipe to follow).

I like to top my Italian beef with banana peppers (I do like all things spicy), Pepper Jack cheese and horseradish. TGH likes his with ketchup and pickles.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Oven Fries

For photo, click here.

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
Canola or other light oil, about 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Seasoned salt to taste

Directions:
~Slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices and then each slice into 3 strips.

~Place the strips in a bowl of cold water and allow them to soak for 10 minutes.

~Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

~Drain the potatoes and pat dry with a lean kitchen towel. Toss the potatoes with the oil, salt and seasoned salt. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

recipe by: The Good Wife