I've lost my kitchen mojo

Settling in this week, a little bit, to being at home full time. Which means that for the first time in quite a while, I made a menu. A menu of foods that are actually sort of cooked from some other ingredients, as opposed to merely being assembled (ala Tinkertoys).

Assembly has been our way of life for a long time around here, but I do remember that I once really enjoyed cooking. I took pride at being able to create a solid meal most nights for my family. This includes one of the meals that made Ian understand that I was a keeper: “stuff”. AKA, the ability to create something palatable, or even really good, from the seeming nothingness lurking in the kitchen and pantry. There are iterations of “stuff” that have been created, eaten, recalled, written down, and made part of the family cookbook. Really!

But, remember, I’m just getting back into the groove. The kids and I shopped Monday and I went by what would be easy, and on-sale. I settled on some basics: turkey burgers, steak, okomiyaki (a super easy savory Japanese pancake), and chicken enchilada bake. Things anyone can cook, right?

This is the week I discovered that I have lost my kitchen mojo.

Monday: turkey burgers. The turkey was actually in the freezer, but so was my favorite side: sweet potato fries. Good. And, our neighbor Jack had brought us a couple lovely zucchini from his garden, so some pan-fried slices with garlic would be super. Easy. But this is how it went down:

·      Too many sweet potato fries on too small of a cookie sheet finished way too soon.

·      Too many zucchini in too small of a pan with too little heat: soggy, barely brown and, according to Will, “it smells like barnacles!”

·      I know that ground turkey is lean and doesn’t hold together well, so I added egg and breadcrumbs. And breadcrumbs. And breadcrumbs. But, when there are too many breadcrumbs, you can’t magically conjure up more turkey. Oops.

·      No propane for the gas grill, too much time for the charcoal grill…no problem, we’ll pan fry! Um, we’re using the big pan for the zucchini. Okay, I’ll use the small one. These are big burgers, but it will be okay. I think your heat is too high (the burger is smoking). Okay, can you finish?

·      Dinner=1, Jen=0.

Tuesday: steak. A little top round, some fresh broccoli, some corn-on-the-cob, rice pilaf from a box. I’m feeling pretty good, so I invite Ian’s mom over for dinner. She is a loving and merciful woman. 

• Follow pilaf directions. Dry rice, with a bunch stuck to the bottom of the pan.
•  6 ears of corn, will fit in this pan, right? Uh oh, not enough water to cover. So, to ensure cooking, left it in a little longer. Result? Squishy, overdone corn. For those of you who understand this, it’s just like Grandma’s, may she rest in peace.
• Fresh broccoli, quickly steamed in the microwave. This I’ve done a million times. Um, this feels a little squishy. Nothing a cold-water rinse can’t fix. Dear Lord, it’s turning gray. Cold, fatigues-green broccoli. Yum,
• Okay, can you do the steak? Sure. Why are you putting it in the microwave? It’s too cold to put under the broiler right now. 15 minutes later, the rest of dinner is lukewarm, but the steak is done.
•  Dinner=2, Jen=0.

Wednesday: okonomiyaki. Sounds intimidating, but don’t let the name fool you: mix the powder with water and egg, and it becomes batter. Into the batter, mix shredded cabbage and bits and pieces of whatever is laying around. Make it into a pancake, top with bacon, and cook it all up. Okonomiyaki is the Japanese refrigerator cleaner. I want to be fancy, so I pick up some seafood.

• This shrimp smells a little rank. Does it? Will it be okay? I’ll be sure to cook it so it’s really hot.
• Oops. I forgot to mention that the squid is whole. Can you pick it out and I’ll cut it up for you? Thanks.
• How old is this miso soup mix? I forgot to check the date, but really, does it go bad? (Answer: yes.)
• I’ll cook the kids some bacon to go with their eggs. I think your pan might be a little hot. You do? (Yes, it is. The bacon is now black.)  
• Dinner=3, Jen=0.

Thursday: chicken enchilada bake. I could do this in my sleep. If I had been asleep, maybe I would have remembered to rip the tortillas into small pieces, thereby preventing anyone from choking. Dinner=4, Jen=0.

I think tomorrow is take out.