Now that I’ve finished bingeing on Hot Cross buns
and Cherry Ripes until next Easter, and Clint Lindt retains his secure position as a long-term, non-rent-paying
resident in my fridge, please sit down; prepare yourself. The shock you receive from what I’m about to
confess might knock the wind out of you. Perhaps have a bottle of brandy nearby.
There is no escape. I’ve nowhere in which to hide. The time has arrived... I must come clean.
No! I’m not
about to have a shower...that will happen later after I’ve laid everything
bare. Uh-oh! I’m digging myself a deep
ditch here. It seems I can’t help myself
whatever I say; whichever way I say it! Perhaps
I’d best grab myself a pair of gumboots to enable me to plough forth through
the mire before I get bogged. A shower will definitely be on the cards after I
lift the lid on the truth; after I finish flinging the dirt.
Don’t jump to unfounded conclusions – presumptions I’m
about to dish the dirt on someone. I am not. This is all about me. As self-centred and egocentric it may sound, I
have to spill the beans. The reality
will be revealed. I can’t go on living
under this cloak of falsehood. Guilt is
eating away at me – eroding my being. It’s
nagging me at every turn, refusing to halt the torment.
You may be living under fallacious assumptions about
me. If I’ve misled you; if you feel I’ve been duplicitous, dishonourable; of
unsound mind – the latter could be true – it wasn’t my intention...I cross my
heart.
With heart crossed, in complete sincerity, wholeheartedly,
I apologise. Now that’s done and dusted, it sure is a load off! I know it’s taken a while, but finally, the
air has been cleared. I can breathe
easily once more.
Oh! The realisation has hit me...I’ve not
given you the reason for my profound, earnest, complex, lengthy apology. Sorry...I got carried away, and ventured off
track. It’s something that happens as
one grows older if you believe what those “in the know” tell us. Repeating one’s self is another affliction to
which I’ve succumbed.
Here I go! Onward and upward! No more procrastination...bite
the bullet, Lee. I’ll try to prepare for the consequences ahead....
I confessed my sins to a lovely gentleman – a
complete stranger – while he and I stood pondering in an IGA supermarket aisle
the other day. We both were ruminating over gravy mixes. If I had the guts to tell the courteous stranger, it is time you knew the truth, too.
The recipes herein are not my creations. There! I’ve
said it!
Also, I rarely
prepare them for myself – or anyone else, for that matter.
With head lowered, I humbly accept the castigations
you deem applicable. I won't even duck for cover.
In past years, too many to count – I’d run out of fingers
and toes - I cooked for the masses in various commercial venues throughout this
state of ours, and received payment for doing so. Also, through the years I hosted myriad private
dinner and luncheon feasts, playing hostess to personal guests...friends. Enough cooking to fill two, perhaps, three lifetimes!
Being in confession mode, I don’t do much cooking at
all nowadays. Have I become lazy in that
department? I guess, in truth, the answer
is “Yes”!
“Easy and fast” is my motto. “Simple, quick, no-fuss” is another.
If you’ve been living under the false impression every
day I’m cooking up a storm, please erase the thought from your mind. That does not happen.
The truth is, most days I’m on a “raw diet”. Frequently, my regular daily fare consists of
fresh fruit along with raw mixed nuts, with a few or more dried cranberries; a choice I thoroughly enjoy.
One or two days a week
I prepare a cooked lunch for myself. Doing so is solely dependent upon my mood on the day. Lunch is my main meal - whatever is the makeup of that meal may be. I’ve not prepared a meal
at night for quite a number of years now. The status quo shall continue....
The good old standbys....toasted or grilled cheese
sandwiches are on my list of “Easy and fast”/“Simple, quick, no-fuss”, too.
They were my late night snack choices after I arrived
home at the end of long days and nights cooking in restaurants. I still regularly lean towards them to satisfy my lunch needs. They can be
dressed up, or dressed down...not dissimilar to me, I suppose.
I’m busted! The truth has set me free, or has it? Will I be arrested for fraud - led away in
handcuffs?
One good way of looking at it...I’ll get free board and
meals, if that were to be my fate.
I won’t
be putting my hand up, volunteering to work in the prison kitchen, though.
Eggplant-Bean Casserole: Chop 1 eggplant
into ¼-inch cubes. Sauté in pan over med-heat with a little olive oil a few mins
until it starts to turn golden. Add 1 can cannelini beans and 1 can chickpeas
(drained and rinsed), 1tsp chilli powder and 1-1/2tsp smoked paprika; mix to
coat. Add 1tbs tomato paste, 2 cans chopped tomatoes and 1tbs tahina; simmer
5-7mins until completely heated through; season to taste. Serve with rice or
baked potatoes.
Kidney
Bean Soup: Heat 2tsp olive oil in pot. Sauté 1 chopped onion over
med-heat, about 5mins, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add 2 grated garlic
cloves, 1 chopped carrot, 2tbs tomato paste, or 1/2c tomato puree; sauté 1min..
Add 2c chick/vegie stock, 2 cooked kidney beans, 1tsp cumin, 2tsp chilli
powder, 1tsp oregano; bring to boil; reduce heat to med-low; simmer uncovered
15-20mins, or until vegetables are tender. Add 2tsp lime juice; season to
taste. Carefully blend hot soup.
Blue Cheese-Avocado
Grilled Sandwiches:
Preheat oven 204C. Grease baking tray; add 1c halved grape/cherry tomatoes.
Toss with tbs olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast 25-30mins; remove from oven;
set aside. Turn oven to grill. Lightly
mash 1 avocado with salt and pepper. Spread one side of 4 thick slices of seedy
bread with butter. On the unbuttered sides evenly spread the avocado among
insides of all 4 slices of bread. Add crumbled blue cheese right on top of
avocado. Place the slices of bread on a baking sheet; grill 30secs to 1min
until cheese begins to melt. Remove from oven; heat pan over med-heat. Divide
1c rocket in two; place on top of melted cheese; add a handful of roasted toms.
Place other bread slice on top. Place sandwiches in pan. Cook until cheese is
melted and both sides are golden, about 3mins per side.
Fruit & Nut
Salad: Combine
1 peeled, seeded, cubed rockmelon (cantaloupe), 450g halved strawberries, 1 peeled, cubed
pineapple, 2 cubed Granny Smith apples, 2c seedless red or green grapes, 1/2c
dried cranberries and 1c raw nuts of choice. Whisk 3/4c orange juice, 1/3c lemon
juice, 2tbs minced fresh mint and 1tsp cinnamon. Drizzle over fruit; toss
lightly to coat. If desired, top with shredded coconut before serving.
