Recipes of an Aspiring Pachyderm

I’ve received a couple suggestions on how to improve this blog.

My brother Dave told me to become a pachyderm (thick-skinned animal) and take on more political and social issues.

Meagan suggested I post about cooking because I love to cook (but she was quick to add that she loves my blog just the way it is.)

I think I’ll take on the topic of cooking for now, and leave the transition to pachyderm for later.

However, the truth is, while I don’t mind cooking, I can’t say I like it. I like planning meals even less. And grocery shopping is the worst.

The problem is I like (love, actually) to eat, and I have specific requirements for what I eat.

• It has to taste really good. If it doesn’t, it’s not worth consuming.
• There has to be variety to what I’m eating.
• It has to be healthy-ish, most of the time. (I’m willing to forgo this, if the first two requirements are met.)
• If a recipe takes too long to prepare or requires the use of too many pots and pans, it gets tossed even if the above requirements are met. Because I don’t like cooking.

I’d say 90% of my recipes come from Cooking Light. I’ve been a subscriber for years and years, and I find it fascinating how the science of cooking keeps changing. Back in the 80’s, I had a recipe that called specifically for the addition of MSG. I had a small spice-type container of it. Can you imagine?

I use an app (My Recipe Book) to download recipes straight from Cooking Light. Right now, I have close to 300 recipes stored on my iPad and iPhone. The app also has a “Surprise Me” button. When I need something for dinner, I head to the grocery store, hit this button until something I’m in the mood for comes up, and then go get the ingredients. This solves my problem with menu planning.

The recipe I’m sharing here, however, is not from Cooking Light. It is my mother’s, and I made it yesterday for the big win. (I’ve also made it for the big losses, so it can be considered neither a good luck charm nor a jinx.)

Pluses to this recipe: it tastes great (award winning actually), it takes one pot, and I was able to make it during half-time.

Minuses: I’m not sure how healthy it is, as is.

What makes it my mother’s recipe: The baked beans. She used those rather than the kidney or cannellini beans the original recipe called for to get us kids to eat it.

And for those of you who want a little chuckle, here’s a short video Heather took of me during the game. Note the just-so attire, hair, and makeup.