Cooking for Fun

I made tilapia with a dill, lemon sauce and fresh green beens, frenched in the food processor with sweet onion and sliced almonds for dinner tonight.  My "fella I love" has been telling me I should write a food blog.  Not an adjunct to my blog, but an ACTUAL food blog.

Not sure I'm ready to do that at this juncture, as I'm crazy busy with work, wedding plans, new house decisions, moving and trying to get out kayaking a few times before the snow flies.

Here is a picture of the finished plate:

The sauce is minced garlic, a couple of Tablespoons of dill (I buy the dill in the tube in the fresh herb section when they are on sale), 3 Tablespoons-ish of olive oil, juice of one lemon, a LOT of fresh pepper. salt, and mayonnaise as well as a bit of left over cream cheese and a bit of milk to get the last of the mayo out of the jar.  Added some kosher salt just to bring the flavors out.  Chilled that while I prepared and baked the tilapia.

I heavily salted the water and once it boiled, added a couple of cups of fresh beans.  I chopped off the ends, sized them, laid them in the food processor chute on the horizontal and ran them through with the chopper blade attachment.  I then boiled them for about 6 minutes, drained them into a colander to stop the cooking without rinsing (didn't want them cold).  Put it in a large bowl, drizzled a bit of olive oil, added a couple pats of butter and tossed.  Then I tossed in lots of sliced almond and dropped it in a casserole dish for serving.

Baked the tilapia on foil covered cookie sheet for about 13 minutes at 425 degrees.  Added the sauce and had a lovely white wine standing by to enjoy.

That was dinner tonight.  Also used the food processor to cut 2 cucumbers and a half a large sweet onion, whisked together 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 cup warm water, I Tablespoon freshly ground pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of celery seeds, whisk until sugar dissolves and add 1 1/2 cups cold water.  Cover the cucumbers and onions in a glass bowl with the dressing and refrigerate overnight.

Meat . . . in a can

What can be more fun than meat in a can?  My previous meat in a can experience has been limited to tuna and the like.  I’ve never eaten actual red meat out of a can.  Even saying it makes me feel like laughing out loud.  I have no idea why it tickles my funny bone so much.

I love to cook and somehow meat from a can just feels . . . wrong.  I have tried Vienna sausages in the past and if you haven’t tried them – don’t.  They ARE just wrong.  Pale, too salty, slimy and vaguely phallic.

Some time ago I came by 2 cans of corned beef.  The way they came to be with me is a different story for a future blog. They have been languishing in the back of my cupboard, untouched and ill considered for what turns out to be not quite long enough. 

Yesterday, desperately hoping to avoid a trip to the store and somewhat fascinated by the opening process pictured on the side of the can, I ventured into the rich and aromatic land of processed, meat-like, food.   Who can avoid opening something that comes with a key?  You take it off the side of the can and then insert the small tab of metal left on the side of the can into a hole in the bottom of the key.

Wasn’t sure what to do with it once the can was opened and I shook the gelatinous contents out.  It was shaped vaguely like a pyramid . . .

I sliced it, fried it and slapped some mayo on two pieces of bread.  I managed to eat the major portion of the sandwich but the rest was enjoyed by Dexter and Wilbur at dinner with gusto.  

Anyone want a can of corned beef?