Because it's the weekend

Today is Friday. Today is a great day to make the following delicious, heart-stopping appetizer for someone you love. I have come to believe that imitation cheese is the cure for anything that ails you; kind of like Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

I am moving today. I am moving out of my hobbit hole in Heather and Nick's basement. I am moving into a very small, very cute studio in a renovated historic building downtown. There are few in things in life that I hate more than moving: balloons, someone chewing ice or hard candy within earshot, left lane drivers. Moving, though, is loathsome. I think the reason it is so painful for me is that I realize how truly unorganized my life is. It is a rude awakening to the fact that I have piles of shit EVERYWHERE. Organization is something I strive for . . . in fact, it will be something I must implement into my life very quickly or my 451 sq. ft. living space will not be a place of refuge. Squalor is not invited into my new home.

You know what will be invited into my teensy little space? The following easy, incredibly fast and horrifying cheese dip. There is something wrong with a food material that does not require any refrigeration and returns to its original consistency in seconds. Please, don't let this sway you from making this dip. It's one of those things you can make occasionally. Like today. Friday. Make it for me knowing I'll be packing and unpacking and shlepping boxes for the next several days.

I buy generic.

Nice'n Cheesy sounds so much sexier than Velveta.

This little gem is super versatile.

In addition to making cheesy goodness of death,

it makes great salsa, too.

BLOCK of "cheese." I use the word cheese loosely.

Action photo :)

"Cheese" dip of goodness and cardiac arrest

1 block Velveta or other similar cheese

1 can Rotel

In a large pan, heat "cheese" over medium heat. Stir to be sure not to burn. Melt the cheese completely and pour in the can of Rotel. Don't bother draining. Stir well to incorporate. Serve in a microwave bowl, as you will find yourself reheating and reheating and reheating. Serve with tortilla chips.

I should have learned French

In a past life I spoke Spanish. I spoke enough Spanish to avoid being mugged, kidnapped and maimed in some seedy places in Central America. However, with the addition of my new favorite pan, I wish that I spoke French, as everything I want to cook hails from the land of Sarkozy.

If you have been reading my site for any amount of time, you know that I cannot follow a recipe -- probably why I stink at baking. Measure? Hell no! My palm works just fine. Thanks. The following recipe is not without exception. I peruse other food sites for inspiration, keeping in mind what I have in the fridge and pantry, or in this case, a pan that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and would take to bed with me if that wasn't really creepy.

Epicurious was the springboard for the following delicious concoction of stewed veggies, beans and pork. It was kind of a classed-up version of pork and beans . . . kind of. It's a dish called a cassoulet, which is "a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat (typically porksausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white haricot beans." Thanks wikipedia. Usually cassoulets cook for hours. When I say hours I don't just mean for an afternoon, I mean for over TWELVE hours. Who has that time? I don't, and I know you, fair readers, do not either.

I found a recipe that was as close to my liking and then I tweaked it. Namely, I cut out an enormous amount of meat (I have to include a funny typo -- I initially wrote mean. The N and T aren't even close. hmmm?) It called for a 3.5 lb pork shoulder, five slices of bacon AND a pound of kielbasa. No thanks. I left the veggies and the rest of the ingredients alone, less the fancy crusted topping. Again, time is a valuable commodity. If you have company and want to dress it up, I'll include it for you.

Nonetheless, served with crusty bread, this was awesome! Heather concluded that you will need: a fork, a knife and a spoon to efficiently eat this fine meal. Bread was certainly my fourth utensil. Pour yourself a glass of vino (don't know the French word for wine!) and enjoy. Buen provecho.

Sweet Italian pork sausage.

Turkey sausage was nowhere to be found.

Country ribs instead of pork shoulder:

cheaper and cooks faster.

Lots of veggies.

The meat should be fork-tender.

This photo is missing the fork, the spoon,

the knife, the crusty bread and the smiling Hailey.

Shortcut pork cassoulet

adapted from Epicurious

2 lbs boneless pork country ribs

1 lb sausage

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 carrots, sliced

3 celery spears, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 14 oz cans great northern beans (little white ones)

1 can low-sodium chicken broth

1 14 oz can low-sodium diced tomatoes in juice

2 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt

1/2 pepper

for the breadcrumb topping:

2 cups breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tbs olive oil

1 small red pepper, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rounds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large ovenproof stockpot with a lid, cook sausage over medium heat until browned. Remove and set aside. Season the pork ribs with salt and pepper. Cook pork until brown on all sides. Reserve with the sausage.

In the same pan, add the veggies and cook until tender, about five minutes. Stir in the thyme, cook one more minute. Add the wine, broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Return the pork and sausage to the pan. Return to a boil and cover with the lid. Transfer to the oven. Bake for about 2 hours or until the pork is tender.

For the breadcrumb topping: mix breadcrumbs, cheese and oil in a bowl. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture over the cassoulet. Arrange bell pepper slices atop the crumb mixture. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture. Bake uncovered until topping is golden and crispy, about 45 minutes.

Breasts or thighs?

The new semester has commenced. I am an official graduate student! One week under my belt and I'm feeling pretty good; a tad bit overwhelmed considering that I have two books to read by Tuesday and Wednesday, but that is the life I have chosen. The coming weeks will be full of exciting new adventures for your humble host: I move into a new apartment! and I start teaching my first set of health education classes. Heather and Nick will be losing their house elf, however, we have decided on a meal exchange/dinner sharing plan that will allow me to continue to infiltrate their happy home :)

This week we gave the theory a dry run. We each chose a meal, shopped for the groceries and prepared it. It took a ton of the stress off of coming up with menu ideas for the entire week with our busy schedules. Nonetheless, we had chicken and pineapple fajitas, steak salad, the following chicken thighs and manicotti for dinners this week. All delicious, all relatively healthy and stress-free!

Santa brought me this new pan for Christmas. Isn't it pretty? It's not one of the uber expensive les creuset pans -- it's Martha Stewart, which allowed Santa to buy me a big one and a little one. Santa is so crafty. I have run out of wonderful words about this pan. I LOVE it. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Thank you, Santa. You should go to Macy's and use any remaining Christmas money to buy one for yourself. It will make you so happy. It will also make the yummiest chicken thighs on the planet.

On most days I am a breast kind of gal. Today, though, I have a dish for you that uses thighs, which are sweet, succulent and require far less pennies than their fair-colored counterparts. This dish is another great one to add to your weekend rotations since it requires some stove/oven time. I like meals like this because it takes minimal effort, but has TONS of flavor. I served this over creamy parmesan polenta. You can find the recipe here. Pop these thighs in the oven, sit back on the couch with a book or a movie and revel in the smells that will waft from your kitchen. You'll wonder why you haven't given chicken thighs a chance before.

The equivalent weight in breasts

was over $7.00 at my fine Winco.

Skin on. Not my normal bag,

but oh so tasty. Just do it.

Joe Blow. Can't get any classier.

Shallots and garlic enjoying their wine bath.

I usually use artichoke bottoms,

which don't have the angry artichoke pokies,

but alas, I couldn't find them.

These guys worked fine. Heather only choked once.

(They really don't have angry pokies -- I just prefer the others).

We devoured this entire pot.

No leftovers = sad Hailey.

Chicken thighs with artichoke hearts, mushrooms and peas

adapted from Epicurious

4 large chicken thighs, 1.5-2 lbs

2 large shallots, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

handful mushrooms, quartered

1 can quartered artichoke hearts

1 cup frozen peas

1 can chicken broth

1/2 dry white wine

1/2 cup flour

1 tbs olive oil

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, whole

1 tbs Italian parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In an oven-safe pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Dredge the chicken thighs in 1 tsp salt and 1/2 pepper and the flour, shaking off the excess. Place thighs in the hot oil, skin side down. Resist the urge to touch and flip -- allow them to sear! Cook until golden in color then flip, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan. Chicken will not be cooked through.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook for about a minute. Add the wine to the pan and scrape up the bits on the bottom. Simmer for another minute or so. Return the chicken to the pan. Place the mushrooms and artichoke hearts on top. Pour the broth over and season with the remaining salt and pepper, as well as the thyme sprigs. Cover and bake for about 45 minutes - 1 hour or until chicken is tender. Right before service, add the peas and the parsley. Allow to heat through and serve. This would be great served with mashed potatoes, too. Enjoy!

Wild game pig out

This past weekend my dad and his great group of friends hosted a wild game dinner at a chinese restaurant in Twin Falls. The dinner was a collection of goose, moose, elk, whitetail deer, bison and salmon provided by members of the group, or namely, Terry. The dinner was also a collection of wonderful people; my parents have surrounded themselves with friends who have become an extension of family. It's like walking into a room full of aunts and uncles. I believe this was the fourth year of this gathering of new and old friends, interesting food and fun times.

The chef was very gracious to let me sneak into the kitchen and snap a few photos. I wish I could have been there to watch him make the salmon finger steaks. They were WONDERFUL! The breading was crisp and light -- not greasy at all. Usually chinese meals like this leave me doubled-over in MSG misery, but these dishes were lovely, each with their own unique flavor. I have to take into account, too, that we were eating very lean meat.

I would love to contribute to this feast next year. Now that I am back in Idaho I will work on embracing my inner hunter-gatherer-goddess :)

Typo on the menu: whitetail deer and bison were forgotten.

Not sure which was which.

The judge was muy happy.

Beer of choice.

Some friends liked having their photo taken.

Other friends did not.

He's just mad because I catch more fish than he does.

Other friends wore really cool shoes.

How cute is this garnish?

Adios pequena casa

I live in a state that lacks a professional sports team. Because of that void, the good people of Idaho are FANATICAL about college sports. Case in point: Bronco Nation. I attended a game with my dad on the famed blue turf earlier this season, and I am quite certain we were the only fans not wearing blue and orange from head to toe. I was in fact wearing canvas coveralls and my dad was donned in camouflage, which was hysterical in its own right, but we stuck out almost as much as if we had worn the Wolf Pack's blue and silver.

None-the-less, people of Bronco Nation are insane. Tailgating at BSU should be added to your list of things to do before you die. I will be so brazen to say that BSU fans are the most passionate and diehard folks on the planet. I think some bleed blue.

Which leads me to the Fiesta bowl 2010. Suck it BCS. Just saying.

We hosted a delightful gathering of nibbles, beer, and you guessed . . . CHEESE DIP! I'll post recipes soon. As we watched the game, or to be more realistic, shouted, cursed and squealed like little girls, we came to the conclusion that if BSU won we would make a sacrifice.

Remember those lovely little houses Heather and I made before Christmas? These houses. Delicate, intricate, detailed. Well, they were the items of said celebratory sacrifice.

As if I need to refresh your memory, I live in Idaho. We grow potatoes in Idaho. We also have brothers-in-law named Nick who make potato guns. Here's an example of the most badass potato gun on the planet:

From a distance of thirty yards, this tater gun will put a hole in a cedar fence. This tater gun put holes in both of our mini houses. No fences were harmed in the filming of this video.

Until next year BSU football.

Um, I would like . . . a happy New Year with a side of angiogram

Friends! Happy 2010 or twenty ten as the cool kids are saying it. I rang in the new year with one of my nearest, dearest friends Liz. We attended a vintage NYE party and had entirely too much fun, but if my 2010 is indicative of the party, I am due for a fabulous year! Here's a photo of Liz and my bangs attacking her loveliness:

As for the rest of my new year, it is been epitomized by items such as this:

My fingers are typing slower than normal because my arteries are clogged by all the cheese dip and beer I've consumed the last few weeks. However, the clean living started yesterday when I attended water aerobics at my local gym. Perhaps another reason why my fingers are having trouble typing because my ARMS ARE SO SORE. Water aerobics is not for the faint of heart . . . or those who eat jars of cheese dip -- like me. This class kicked my arse. I could hardly wash my hair this morning.

Moving on . . . I have a few wonderful, high-fat, DELICIOUS meals for you that you should make before you kick-start your clean living -- you can always start tomorrow. Right? The following recipe might be the best sandwich that ever touched my lips. Was is it the caramelized onions and peppers? Maybe. Was it the ooey, gooey cheese? Probably. Actually, I am certain it was the very expensive leftover Christmas prime rib used to make these Phillies. Heather and Nick and I were oohing and awing at how good these were. AND. Guess what I drizzled on our fries? TRUFFLE OIL!!! Decadence. Pure and utter decadence. Don't judge me.

Idaho taters. Cut in wedges,

drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bake 30-35 at 400 degrees.

If you are food slut like me,

drizzle with a bit of truffle oil. HEAVEN.

Fry sauce components:

equal amounts ketchup and mayo.

Add a bit of sriracha, s/p, garlic salt.

Sweet, sweet prime rib.

Drool.

Leftover prime rib Philly cheese steak sandwiches

leftover prime rib, sliced

one onion, sliced

one green pepper, sliced

sour dough buns

canned cheese, like Cheese Whiz

sliced mozzarella cheese

1 tbs olive oil

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Remove and set aside. Add peppers to the same pan. Saute until cooked through. Remove and set aside with the onions. Add the beef to the pan. Cook until just heated through. Return the onions and peppers to the pan. Prepare the buns with two slices of mozzarella, the beef/onion/pepper mixture and heated Cheese Whiz on top. Serve and eat immediately, napkins within arm's-reach.