One-Pan Pork-Sausage-Cabbage Saute (a.k.a. Pseudo-Choucroute)

This dish, inspired by the fact that I had in the fridge half a cabbage, half a red onion, some Dijon mustard packets from the cafeteria at work (because, gentle reader, I am now gainfully employed!), and three sausages of different types left over from dinner at a German restaurant (where I could afford to eat, because I am now gainfully employed!), is kind of like an Ignorant American Fusion take on choucroute—except that uses sauerkraut, which is a bit much. It’s very easy and quick and takes only, as you may have gathered from the post title, one pan. Even factoring in the time it took to grocery-shop for the pork chops, I had everything ready within about an hour of returning from my place of gainful employment. (Did I mention I am now gainfully employed, gentle reader?)

This would serve 3 or 4 people, but of course I made it for 2. There were leftovers. Lots of leftovers. Sandwiches will be had.

Start by melting 2-3 Tbsp. butter and a splash of olive oil over medium heat in a large wide pan, then adding 3 packets of Dijon mustard, about 1 Tbsp kosher salt, pinches of cumin and paprika, and a very wee pinch of cinnamon (these spices are negotiable).

Drop in 2 to 2 ½ pounds of thin-cut bone in pork chops (about 4 big chops), turn the heat up to medium-high, and brown on both sides.

Turkey-Mozzarella Meatloaf

O hai, gentle reader ... I GOT A JOB!

Let’s forget all those things I said about the C train. I’m not saying they weren’t valid, because they were. But the important thing is that the C stands for Commuting, as in, TO A JOB. THAT I HAVE. I have had it for a few weeks now, which you may have noticed coincides with my abrupt dropoff in posting frequency. PRIORITIES, PEOPLE.

So, I'm still committed to home cooking as often as possible, but now when it comes to preparing meals, I just have to be a little more, well, prepared. My newfound obsession with the slow cooker should serve me well—as should my long-standing propensity for getting dishes ready the night before cooking them.

Adventures in Semi-Homemade Ignorant American Fusion Slow Cooking: Korma Is Not a Bitch

Gentle reader, I’m not gonna lie: I have not been employed full-time for some time. (What, how did you think I made time to suddenly and vociferously resurrect this blog?) And while I was extremely, extraordinarily grateful to have scored a week’s in-house freelance assignment in Manhattan, I was unprepared to be thrown back into the cowpen of personal-space violation that is the C-train morning commute. (Pro tip: Ladies of the C train, if you have ever lamented aloud to your significant other that you’d like to spoon more often, BE MORE SPECIFIC about whom you'd like to spoon with, because if you don’t, all I have to say is, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.) Mind you, this was morning time I would ordinarily spend Instagramming my breakfast while watching "In the Papers" on NY1, then observing the progress of Jamie Shupak's baby bump, then wondering just how drunk everyone on the Today show is, then maybe throwing some stuff in the slow cooker, then maybe going back to bed until like 11. Okay, fine, noon.

Anyhoo. I determined to still make at least a couple of weeknight dinners in the course of the week, even though I would probably not be able to get home before 7PM, given the bashful C train's tendency to wait for FOUR FREAKING A TRAINS TO GO BY before it works up the courage to pull up into the station.

But oh right, the slow cooker—that part of my morning ritual could actually carry over! This, I realized, would be a good opportunity to continue evolving my slow-cooking skills, which I will definitely need to rely heavily on if I am ever again gainfully employed full-time. I resolved to purchase a jar of premade Indian sauce, slather it on a chicken, and call it a day before starting my day. I figured, hey, if the semi-homemade approach is good enough for the plucky unofficial First Lady of New York, Sandra Lee, it’s good enough for me.

I also thought that leftover chicken could be used for lunches, because another traumatic memory that came rushing back this week was HOW FREAKING MUCH A MEASLY SOGGY SANDWICH COSTS IN MANHATTAN! (Don’t get me started on what happens if you want a salad. Let’s just say it’s a good thing that I never want a salad.)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

'Nuff said.

Cooking Funemployment

Hello from your other Brooklyn Girl Cooking!

I, like many of us over the past year+, have been experiencing some ups and downs on the employment front. One of the benefits of not having to get up and go to work every day is having the time to play more with food and do some things I don't always have (or make) the time to do. Don't get me wrong, I always try to make time to cook, but I don't always make time to cook everything I have available. For example, a few days ago I took advantage of some over-ripe bananas, and made (an incredibly simple) blueberry banana bread (recipe from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook), the last piece of which is pictured here. I can't even count the number of times I have allowed bananas to go beyond even banana bread ripeness, something I think happens to all of us. As my friend Julie who is currently living in Brazil with her family just wrote me about making her own blueberry banana bread: "Alyce, this... inspired me. I have a loaf in the oven right now. It's super special since the Brazilians are not a blueberry-eating people and they're hard to find. Plus, I usually let my bananas rot to the point that we have a major bug infestation before I think to make bread."



Another fun recent experiment came about because, as usual, when I go to the market, I buy potatos. One of my weird shopping quirks is that there are certain things I feel I should always have in my kitchen, but that I may not always use. Potatos are one of those items I feel are mandatory, but I don't often cook potatos, I am much more a rice girl. (I say that with trepidation, knowing Kitty's penchant for potatoes might result in a rice v potato post? ooh, i like that idea) But then here I am at home with time on my hands, chilly rain outside my door, a hankering for something starchy and salty, and potatos for the taking. So I went on epicurious.com and found a recipe for French Fries. They were baked, and called for a post-baking swim in parsley, garlic, and salt (cue: These are a few of my favorite things). The results were tasty, although I will definitely alter my cooking strategy the next time around: Having two layers of sheets of fries baking at the same time served to trap, and thus magnify, the heat on the lower oven tray, which made them cook faster. It wasn't necessarily bad in terms of taste, but a few of the thinner fries had 3rd degree burns and had to be laid to rest, unfortunately not in my stomach.