Food for Thought

In preparation for St. Patty's day, we just seasoned 3 beef briskets. Two of them we submerged in a brine, and the third we did a dry rub. This is probably the easiest thing there is to do. The brine is just 1 1/2 cups salt, 1 cup sugar, a couple tablespoons pickling spice, two tablespoons dry mustard, and three crushed garlic cloves all brought to a boil in 6 quarts of water then cooled. Find a plastic or glass container big enough to submerge the briskets and store is a cool place for 3 weeks or so. My Grandfather, who was a butcher in the old days, used to take dark meat from the sales case and toss it is a big barrel of brine in the cooler. When the meat floated, it was corned beef. No kidding! The dry rub is similar ingredients, no water of course , rubbed all over the brisket and stuck in a ziplock. The only thing different here is you need to find something really heavy like a brick and weight it down. This causes the meat to purge and forces the rub in through the meat helping the curing process. Every couple of days massage the meat and that is it. Do this now and you will have homemade corned beef for the holiday. With both methods you must rinse the meat prior to cooking. Some carrots, potatoes, and cabbage in the cooking pot round out this traditional meal, and of course, a pint of Guiness is a must.

Posted by Susan Colby at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

It’s been a while since I have written anything; I have gotten involved with the exciting political events that have been happening and have spent my leisure time glued to the television listening to all the pundits, pollsters and primary returns. Additionally, I have been trying to lose some weight, so my ventures into the kitchen are not as robust as usual. Nevertheless, I still cook good food, so I thought I might just pass along some things I have prepared, being mindful of keeping down the fats and the carbs.

One of my favorite things, regardless of whether I am on a diet or not, is mashed cauliflower. It has much fewer calories and carbs and fat than mashed potatoes and is just as good.

Separate a cauliflower into flowerettes, remove the woodiest parts of the stems, and put in a large saucepan with enough chicken broth to provide steam and prevent burning. Cook over medium high heat until the cauliflower is soft. Put the cooked cauliflower in a food processor, add salt and pepper to taste and a tiny bit of nutmeg (you can also add chopped garlic). Process until it resembles the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Another good way to fix cauliflower is to separate it into the flowerettes, put on a baking sheet, spray with vegetable spray and bake in a 400 degree oven until it just begins to turn brown. Season with salt and pepper and a some curry powder.

Another dish that I have prepared is prawns and lettuce.

Buy large prawns (there are some great ones in the frozen seafood section at Winco). Do not peel. Heat a skillet and spray with vegetable spray. Add the prawns, douse with a little hot sauce of your choice, and cook until they have just turned pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK SO THAT THEY HAVE THE TEXTURE OF RUBBERBANDS! Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce that has been tossed with some low calorie dressing. Since you have to work a little to eat this dish (peeling the prawns, so don’t forget plenty of napkins) it seems as though you are having more food.

Cooking while you are trying to watch your weight does not have to be dull and boring—try your ingenuity and let me know if you have any ideas.

Posted by Susan Colby at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you have read my last few entries, you know I have been on a bit of a diet. I lost the winter weight I accumulated by wathching my carbs, portions, and fat in-take. But did I keep that "Diet Glow" gowing? NO! Superbowl Sunday was my demise. I had a few friends over to watch the game and they all brought fantastic, fat full, beautiful snacks. Between the eight of us, we consumed a family size all meat pizza, two sausage rolls, ten pounds of Buffalo wings, 40 meatballs, two abalone, a homemade apple pie, chips, pork rinds, a veggie tray (with dip of course), and ample beer and wine. I HURT all over monday! The ten ponds I lost have been found unfortunately. Again it is time to manage my intake until the next excuse to binge.
If you are in a similar situation, I have a suggestion that we have all heard before, but rarely heed. DRINK WATER. That's it. Water fills you up, gives you energy, helps with concentration, cleanses the system, and helps with digestion. I know reports say eight glasses of water a day are optimal, but that is hard if you are not used to it.Start with one more than usual and work your way up. Coming soon...Homemade Corned Beef.

Posted by Susan Colby at 06:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (422) | TrackBacks (0)