by Sam Tackeff | Jul 21, 2014 | Meat
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Yeesh, y’all. Another weekend passes by without a weekly meal plan. I swear, I have an excuse: my very first triathlon which took up most of my weekend! Race recap forthcoming! Fortunately, I have a list for emergency dinners that I’m always fond of here, and I’m always trying to add to it! Tonight’s dinner is filed under emergency quick and easy.
Pork chops + asparagus. Season boneless pork chops on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You’ll likely want one or two per person. [We spilt three, just over a pound] In a large skillet, heat a few glugs of olive oil on medium high. Put the pork chops in the pan, and let them sit for 6 minutes without touching them. Resist the urge to fidget and touch them, they’ll be just fine without interference! After six minutes flip the chops, and move them to one side of the pan. Add in a large handful of cleaned asparagus (usually I trim the stalks in one fell swoop while the elastic band is still holding them together.) Cook the pork chops for another six minutes, while flipping the asparagus with tongs or a fork. Test the pork for doneness, then remove the chops from the pan to a plate. (Usually I like them just slightly under my preference, and I’ll let them rest for 5-10 minutes to reach full doneness.) While the chops rest, turn up the heat and cook the asparagus through, tossing gently. Serve as is, pure meat and veg, or round things out with a side of refried beans.
Here’s me crossing the finish line!
Recovery was a long nap yesterday afternoon, and a long walk today after work.
Here’s the best flower I encountered:
Happy Monday!
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 2, 2012 | Quick and Easy
It’s cold.
I thought I’d be used to it again, or at least tolerant by now. I was deluding myself.
One observation of the season is the ritual progression of coats. I started out with the fleece, quickly moved up to my cheerful red peacoat, and then to my more stylish puffy coat, then to my “prepared for a trek to the Arctic” puffier coat, and today I had the fleece under the puffiest puffy coat and I was still cold. Ah, New England. I remember the days where I used to wear my flip flops past first snow. What has become of me?Oh yes, I’ve become weak.
What, you ask, have I been busying myself with in this frigid weather?
School! Boston Startup School. I alluded to this a few weeks ago before I dropped of the face of the earth – it’s a six week program to sharpen your skills, network with fantastic people, and make deep connections with the Boston startup scene. It has been busy.
Spending my entire day in school has shifted my cooking schedule, so I’ve been making many meals in advance to make sure that we are well fed. I roast vegetables every week, and I always try to hard boil a dozen eggs. When I’m in the mood, I’ll bake them in the oven, but this week they went in a pot on the stove. After they were cooked, I rinsed them in cool water, dried them off, put them back into their carton, and made sure to label them! Usually they last me until the next weekend.
This week I also roasted some carrots for lunches, and steamed a pot of cauliflower which I blitzed into cauliflower mash with a large knob of butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Our dinners have been mostly simple: chicken thighs with sautéed broccoli, a pot of chili that lasts a few days as needed.
One night I roasted sausages from the butcher shop and served them with some broccoli that I steamed and finished off in the sausage pan-drippings.
Another meal was a bowl of ground beef seasoned with cumin and chili powder, sautéed spinach, salsa and avocado. Devon’s favorite meal is refried beans with all the fixins’, so he got the same dinner plus some bonus beans nestled in two grilled tortillas. I typically like serving us both the same food, but I don’t mind tweaking like this for our preferences.
Another night we had pork tenderloin seasoned with herbes de Provence, mashed sweet potato, cranberry sauce and some out of season asparagus. While I used to have panic attacks about eating out of season vegetables, I now do so unapologetically if it means something green other than leafy greens and root veg in this northern climate.
And sometimes, fatigue wins out.
Yesterday, there were these green beans which I roasted with olive oil, salt, thyme and lemon slices at 400 for about 35 minutes. I wish I could tell you I ate a rounded meal, but they ended up in a bowl with some leftover ground turkey, and a large spoonful of yogurt. It was a little weird.
Dessert was in order, and included a run to Target which involved picking up not one, but two pints of Ben and Jerry’s: Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, and the curiously good Strawberry Shortcake Greek Frozen Yogurt. Yes, I know, it isn’t health food.
Here’s one last picture for you – Boston Harbor, taken from the Waterfront by the ICA. That water is not warm.
Hope you all have a lovely Monday!
by Sam Tackeff | Apr 13, 2009 | Holidays
Spring! Spring! Spring!
One of my favorite parts of this season, aside from all the blooming, sprouting, and renewed sense of joy that people seem to have, is the opportunity to cook spring holiday food, even when the holiday isn’t exactly mine to celebrate. (This seems to be a national trend: I was more than excited to see the Obama’s hosting the first White House Passover Seder.)
Here is a sneak look at last night’s passover friendly Easter dinner: Trader Joes rack of lamb, mashed sweet potatoes with maple syrup and cinnamon, and steamed asparagus, baked for ten extra minutes with some grated cheese on top.
This entire meal was put together and finished in twenty five minutes, and while quick cooking is not normally a priority for me, sometimes I just want to be out of the kitchen relaxing… participating in another of my favorite spring activities: watching the end of basketball season, and the beginning of the baseball season. Go Sox!
::Mashed Sweet Potatoes:: Peel a few large sweet potatoes and cut into rough inch sized cubes. Place the cubes in a microwavable bowl, add a few tablespoons of maple syrup, and a quarter cup or so of water, cover with saran or a microwave lid, and cook on high for about 12 minutes, or until soft and drain. Mash with a fork or a masher, add a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of cream (or half and half, or milk), and sprinkle with cinnamon.
