SC - Dinner makeovers - OOP - with recipes

[Kerri Canepa]

Having spent the afternoon at my apprentice's home creating pennants from blue
polyester lining fabric and a wood burning tool (don't ask), I was asked to have
dinner with her and her family. Dutifully, I come into the kitchen and ask that
ever important question "what would you like me to do?" At that moment, she
asked me to make the salad and handed me the remnants of a head of iceburg
lettuce. 

I asked "are there any tomatoes?', "no", "are there any onions?", "no, I'm the
only one that eats them in this house."

The look I gave her was something like incredulous but at a much greater
magnitude. Here is a woman who cooks wonderful, authentic foods, knows her way
around the kitchen, and her family wants macaroni and cheese out of box and
canned green beans. If they were mine, I'd disown them on the spot, but they are
a really good family, food prefences notwithstanding.

Okey dokey. At that moment I'm became KITCHEN GODDESS and began questing for
various things that might be made into tasty morsels. The original menu:

Pork ribs baked with bbq sauce
A mashed potato like casserole with cheese in it
Salad with bottled sauce

When I began channelling the KITCHEN GODDESS, all sorts of things started to
happen. First, we ransacked the pantry and located a small can of sliced olives
and a boxed rice, wheat, grain stuff in a roasted garlic flavor. After
discovering olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, commercially prepared sliced sourdough
bread (frozen), dried date pieces, blueberries, currants, raspberry preserves, a
small can of french style green beans, and a jar of chopped garlic, things
started to liven up.

To begin; cubed two slices of sourdough bread. Heated about a 1/4 cup olive oil
in a pan and sauted 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic until the aroma was released.
Removed garlic and added it to the cooking water for the roasted garlic grain
dish. Tossed bread cubes in garlic oil to coat and then sauted them until they
were browned on two sides. Removed and reserved.

In a small bowl put 2 tablespoons of dried chopped dates and 1 tablespoon each
of currants and blueberries. Covered with boiling water to sit. Took olive oil
and balsalmic vinegar (1/2 cup oil and 1/4 cup vinegar?) added 2 tablespoons
raspberry preserves and a couple of shakes of ground black pepper and whisked it
thoroughly together. Drained soaking fruit and whisked into liquid mixture.

Opened and drained green beans. Heated 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and
added 1 teaspoon chopped garlic. Sauted for a minute or two and added the beans.
Sauted beans for a couple of minutes and added ground black pepper.

The final meal:

Pork ribs baked with bbq sauce (very tender!)
Mashed potato casserole
Iceburg lettuce with raspberry vinagrette, sliced olives, and garlic croutons
Mixed grains with roasted garlic
Garlic green beans
A bottle of merlot made by family friends

For dessert: I had brought over a solid milk chocolate valentine heart my
husband's aunt gave to me and we asked her husband to pick some strawberries on
the way home. You guessed it; chocolate dipped strawberries.

The family's response:

The kids tried the dressing but weren't too impressed. However, they LOVED the
croutons and begged their mother to make them next time they had salad. The
daughter tried a bit of everything but the son had the meat and the salad
(soaked in ranch dressing! ick!). The strawberries were a hit. Big surprise
there.

Now her husband ate all the creative stuff and enjoyed it. A confirmed meat and
potatoes kinda guy. The same guy who came to one of our 12th Night taste tests
and enjoyed compost but has a self professed aversion to vegetables. He liked
the green beans, even doctored up. 

All in all, it was an exciting and fun challenge. Tonight I'm cooking up some
tortellini that I unearthed out of my pantry to be served with some of my
homemade tomato sauce (dug out of the freezer) topped with diced pork chops
(left overs from another meal) with either garlic broccoli or garlic asparagus
and buttered, toasted whole wheat bread heels that my husband won't finish from
a loaf of sliced bread. Yum-yum!

Cedrin
Princess Oertha by day
KITCHEN GODDESS when necessary