what's for dinner tonight?
we are at msac.
young d and i are watching his 2 sisters in their swimming lesson.
young d asks me: what's for dinner tonight?
me: guess
young d [eye's lighting up]: pizza!
me: nope
young d [eye's still afire]: lasagne!
me [eye's getting twitchy]: no
young d: [still hopeful]: tacos!
me: no! i'll tell you... COUS-COUS!!!! [voice is very excited, kind of like "wow wouldn't that be the best thing ever that you would like to eat?"
young d: oh.
and note he says this not as "oh" as in simple disappointment; he also adds a twist of comedy to it, making it a comedic "oh", and that makes it worse than just a disappointed "oh".
[someone once told me ages ago, oh alright it was my ex-husband, that when he was less than complimentary about the food i cooked, i shouldn't take it personally.]
NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY?
how can a woman who has cooked for her loved ones, and then had a nose turn up or similar, not take it personally?
i am sure i represent all women and/or cooks when i say this.
[insert little vignette here: princess just came in the room "ooh, something smells nice, what's for dinner...
me: COUS COUS
[pause]
me: WITH CHICKEN!!!!!
princess: yum
me: and i left the carcass out there for you to strip
[princess makes sound of ravenous beast, does something dramatic with her arms, and runs to the kitchen. there are now the sounds of feasting from that direction, like some sort of stephen king monster.]
----------------------
cous cous is really really easy if you get the instant cook sort. even though i am a purist when it comes to all things slow-food, i really think some things are ok. like tinned tomatoes, frozen peas and instant cous-cous. but everything else pretty much has to be traditional.
tonight i had some left-over chicken from a roasted one we bought on fitzroy street. it's the first pre-cooked chicken shop i've seen that does lilydale chickens, which are free-range.
woah, giddy-up, i said when i saw the sign.
so i got all the bits off, but leaving some for the beast.
i chopped mushrooms, spring onion and sauteed while boiling carrots. usually i would steam but i have a saucepan crisis in which the bottom part of the steamer is soaking after being encrusted with baked beans last night.
i put in some fresh rosemary also, along with salt and pepper. to the mushroom thing, then i added the chicken to heat through.
next, making the cous-cous. just follow the directions on the packet, but seriously it's about as hard as lifting a glass of nice chardonnay to your mouth.
now i am going to go and stir some beurre into the cous cous, and then toss the musroom, chicken, carrot and spring onion mix through it.
last word: i wouldn't have used carrots, i don't think they really match the other ingredients, but they were old, in the bottom of the fridge and needed to be used. i think tomatoes would have gone better with this ensemble.
now, chew slowly.
oh, almost forgot. a squeeze of lemon is very nice.
young d and i are watching his 2 sisters in their swimming lesson.
young d asks me: what's for dinner tonight?
me: guess
young d [eye's lighting up]: pizza!
me: nope
young d [eye's still afire]: lasagne!
me [eye's getting twitchy]: no
young d: [still hopeful]: tacos!
me: no! i'll tell you... COUS-COUS!!!! [voice is very excited, kind of like "wow wouldn't that be the best thing ever that you would like to eat?"
young d: oh.
and note he says this not as "oh" as in simple disappointment; he also adds a twist of comedy to it, making it a comedic "oh", and that makes it worse than just a disappointed "oh".
[someone once told me ages ago, oh alright it was my ex-husband, that when he was less than complimentary about the food i cooked, i shouldn't take it personally.]
NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY?
how can a woman who has cooked for her loved ones, and then had a nose turn up or similar, not take it personally?
i am sure i represent all women and/or cooks when i say this.
[insert little vignette here: princess just came in the room "ooh, something smells nice, what's for dinner...
me: COUS COUS
[pause]
me: WITH CHICKEN!!!!!
princess: yum
me: and i left the carcass out there for you to strip
[princess makes sound of ravenous beast, does something dramatic with her arms, and runs to the kitchen. there are now the sounds of feasting from that direction, like some sort of stephen king monster.]
----------------------
cous cous is really really easy if you get the instant cook sort. even though i am a purist when it comes to all things slow-food, i really think some things are ok. like tinned tomatoes, frozen peas and instant cous-cous. but everything else pretty much has to be traditional.
tonight i had some left-over chicken from a roasted one we bought on fitzroy street. it's the first pre-cooked chicken shop i've seen that does lilydale chickens, which are free-range.
woah, giddy-up, i said when i saw the sign.
so i got all the bits off, but leaving some for the beast.
i chopped mushrooms, spring onion and sauteed while boiling carrots. usually i would steam but i have a saucepan crisis in which the bottom part of the steamer is soaking after being encrusted with baked beans last night.
i put in some fresh rosemary also, along with salt and pepper. to the mushroom thing, then i added the chicken to heat through.
next, making the cous-cous. just follow the directions on the packet, but seriously it's about as hard as lifting a glass of nice chardonnay to your mouth.
now i am going to go and stir some beurre into the cous cous, and then toss the musroom, chicken, carrot and spring onion mix through it.
last word: i wouldn't have used carrots, i don't think they really match the other ingredients, but they were old, in the bottom of the fridge and needed to be used. i think tomatoes would have gone better with this ensemble.
now, chew slowly.
oh, almost forgot. a squeeze of lemon is very nice.
posted by Melba at 7:11 pm
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