How long can you leave an egg in the refrigerator? How long will your floor stay clean? How long will you live? How long will the world continue on as it is? This question (“How long?”) is one of the most difficult because, generally, you never know the answer ahead of time. You only know it looking back, if looking back is even possible. In the case of one’s own life it isn’t. But when the answer is certain, peace accompanies it, most of the time. In the case of the egg, the answer is certain: 3-5 weeks in the refrigerator after it is purchased. But vary that in one or more ways and that number changes dramatically, especially if you freeze it. This question matters now because Gordon is currently making Fried Rice, using the last two remaining eggs in the refrigerator. They are outdated by a couple of days. Does it matter? Generally I don’t eat eggs, but I know that I will want to share in the feast of his Fried Rice when he is done with it, so it matters. Thus, when I discover a new website about the shelf life of various foods, (StillTasty website), I search the egg first. Why? Not because it will affect the current meal. Gordon finished cooking the Fried Rice while I was writing this blog, so I stopped and ate with him. Delicious. No, I search the egg first because I have always wanted to know. Knowing the answer will not help me personally at this point, but I want the answer for “How long?” and the egg seems the context in which to do it. The same website has a section entitled Your Questions Answered. Here the question of whether an egg is good after its expiration, along with many other questions, is answered. Answered! I also discover that potatoes should not be refrigerated since the cold affects the sugar content, causing them to taste different, and that keeping them at 45-50 degrees F will help them last up to three months. Now that’s an answer worth knowing. In fact, I should have known it already. There was a reason my parents kept (and still keep) the potatoes in the potato cellar or the “root cellar.” The point is, there are answers and they are easily accessible, once you find the right source. But other questions are not as easily answered. I participate regularly is an internet program called Searching for Answers. Notice the difference. Your Questions Answered versus Searching for Answers. The first sounds like an event, the second like a process. The first is about food; the second is about God. Perhaps some questions are more easily answered than others. Perhaps, even if we had the choice, we would prefer it that way.

Fried Rice – from the Scotsman’s hands

Ingredients

Directions

We wanted something light and refreshing for supper dinner supper tonight, along with the watermelon in the frig and Gordon’s “steak fries” that he bakes every now and then (they’re like old friends that come around often). I LOVE macaroni salad, but it is often too goopy for me, so this recipe is my attempt to solve that. As I review this entry I suddenly insert “dinner” where the word “supper” was in the first sentence since a friend heard me say “supper” recently and wondered what the word meant. She chalked it up to my Southern upbringing. What? Supper is not known and loved? Growing up, we ate the largest meal at noon (thus “dinner”) and a lighter meal “supper” in the evening. If “dinner” and “supper” mean the same thing, then I wonder how I will talk about the light meal we had tonight? “Dinner” is too formal a word for macaroni salad, watermelon and steak fries. So I Google the word. That’s what we do these days when we have questions. More on that in another “recipe.” Anyway, I found a site – a Harvard research study  – that addresses the issue. It seems there are many ways of thinking, so I go back to the first sentence and reinstate “supper.” All seems right with the world. I guess I know where that puts me in the Harvard study…It reminds me of the time a friend (different friend) asked why I pronounced “ask” and “asked” the same way. I was gobsmacked. I never realized I did that and it stunned me that I could have mispronounced a word as pervasive as “asked” for so long. Being a public speaker, it completely baffled me that nobody had said anything until then. So, I was “gobsmacked,” “stunned” and “baffled” – the first of which is my favorite word – for now. I learned it from my Scottish father-in-law and it works so well. With the word “smacked” embedded in the word, it says exactly how it feels to be that surprised – gob”smacked” in the face by awareness. Even to this day I have to slowly pronounce “ask-ed” to say it correctly, sounding like a child learning phonetics. Anyway, we had “Tangy Macaroni Salad” and it was great, a perfect “supper” dish. And don’t forget the spring salad part of it since it adds to the taste of the salad. In this case, the greens are not just there for looks.

Ingredients

Directions

Homemade pizza is tricky, unless you have a Trader Joe’s nearby and can use their Pizza Dough (Plain Vegan), Then its easy and the “homemade” crust is perfect. When I went to cut the pizza my dear husband had the entire pizza in his hands and “going down” before I could even cut it. There’s the proof of success! As he grabbed the pizza I grabbed the camera…Mmmmm….I heard the low humming of gastronomic satisfaction. Then I turned the camera on the dog sitting nearby. Even Cypher, our Weimaraner, was enthralled by the scene, eternally waiting for a share in the human enterprise…. and eternally disappointed. I knew what he was thinking, “Why you and not me?! Why would I be left out? When is it coming my way?” The existential questions abounded. Wait, that’s what I would have been thinking. Here’s what he was thinking, “Mmmm, me, me, me.”

Ingredients

• Pizza dough – one plain Trader Joe’s pizza crust (bagged and in the refrigerator section) – You can also make your own or use an already prepared crust (such as Boboli Pizza Crust).
• Olive Oil (enough to lightly brush on dough to help it become crunchy)
• S & W canned tomatoes – petite cut (drain liquid and discard; slightly mash the tomatoes)
• Fresh pineapple – cut in small pieces
• Green pepper – cut in small pieces
• Savoy Savory Italian Dressing Seasoning (I purchased this seasoing in Chicago, but I’m sure you can get it online or use regular Italian seasoning). The Savoy seasoning has a slightly sweet taste, which goes well with the pineapple/pepper pizza. If you use regular Italian seasoning, you may want to add a little sugar to it.
• Mozzarella or vegan cheese (optional – I like my pizza without cheese)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Place a pizza stone in the oven unless you leave yours in the oven all the time like I do. If you are using a pizza stone, it must heat for about 30 minutes.
2. Separate the pizza dough into three equal pieces (if you want smaller pizzas, or leave as one piece if you want a larger pizza).
3. Roll out on parchment paper (as thin or thick as you want it).
4. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil.
5. Spread enough tomato on the dough to reach the edges. Sprinkle Savoy seasoning on it.
6. Place pineapple and green pepper pieces on the tomato layer and sprinkle more seasoning.
7. Place the pizza and parchment paper on the pizza stone and cook for 8-10 minutes (if on pizza stone) and longer if not on a pizza stone.
8. Enjoy and remember that every meal is the opportunity for another story.

This morning I wanted to make a hearty Sunday breakfast and had some frozen vegetarian meat that could be used (veggie meat that I made and froze). Looking through cookbooks (an exercise I love about as much as I love reading books of any kind – perhaps more so), I got this idea for a Shepherd’s Pie. It fit perfectly with my husband’s Scottish background, but I hesitated to go this direction since Shepherd’s Pie is known as a mechanism for using leftovers (“dump and bake”) and I didn’t want that. So here’s what I did. My best critic (my husband) LOVED it. Since it passed the taste test, I thought I would share it here. We had it for breakfast, so it was not actually served with peas. I added them for the photo afterwards. While my various cookbooks gave me ideas, this recipe is all mine….

Ingredients

Potato/Cauliflower Layer

Potatoes: 6 large potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
Cauliflower: 1/2 head (chopped into 1 inch chunks)
Butter (vegetarian): 1 Tablespoon
Soymilk (unsweetened): 1/2 cup
Chicken seasoning to taste
Salt to taste

Veggie meat/vegetable Layer

Grapeseed oil: 1 Tablespoon
Onion: 1 medium onion chopped
Garlic: 3 cloves minced (or two large cloves)
Veggie meat: 1 1/2- 2 cups crumbled
Mushrooms: 2 cups sliced white mushrooms
Red pepper: 1/2 cup chopped (about 1/2 of one red pepper)
Brussels sprouts: 1/2 cup chopped fresh (optional) – This is about 3 brussels sprouts
Water: 2 cups
White flour: 1/4 cup
Chicken seasoning (vegetarian): 1 tablespoon
Thyme: 1/2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Top potato/cauliflower layer

1. Place chopped potatoes and cauliflower in a saucepan covered with water. Boil until soft (about 20 minutes). Drain.
2. Mash together with butter, soymilk, chicken seasoning and salt to taste.

Bottom veggie meat/vegetable layer

1. Place grapeseed oil in frying pan and add onions. Cook until tender (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Add veggie meat, mushrooms, red pepper, and brussels sprouts to the skillet. Simmer until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Mix together the water, chicken seasoning, thyme, and white flour. Blend in a blender. Pour over veggie meat mixture, adding salt and pepper for more taste (if needed) and simmer to thicken.

Putting it all together (in a casserole dish)

1. Pour the veggie meat layer on the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
2. Scoop the potato/cauliflower mixture on top of it and spread to the sides of the dish.
3. Bake 20-25 minutes until the top browns a little. You may want to briefly turn the oven to “broil” in the last few minutes to give it a browned top.

Notes and future ideas

• You may wonder what the need is for baking this since everything is already cooked. Baking it allows the flavors to mix throughout. Besides, there’s something warm and wonderful about a baked dish, especially for breakfast. It also yields a browned top.
• What I would like to try next time is adding a THIRD layer of Tofu scramble on the top to make a thoroughly breakfast dish.