WRONG!
BOTH of my tutees are taking summer courses and want me to tutor them through it. Which is both exciting and exhausting at the same time. The beauty of it is that one of my students pays me with a trade for massage (she's an orthopedic massage therapist - ouch!), which will come in marvelously this summer.
While my tutoring will NOT be slowing down. This was the last week for Food Guy, which means I won't be cooking anymore. Yes, you may let out a sigh of relief if you have absolutely no interest in cooking and thought this was supposed to be a dude ranching blog. Hopefully, it will be again soon... Hopefully.
But for now, you're stuck with one more food blog and I'll be honest with you...the food isn't very exciting (except for the risotto). However, it is great freezer food (except for the risotto), so when Food Guy's desperate he'll have something to eat (except for the risotto). In case you weren't sure, the risotto was fabulous! But I didn't make it for the Food Guy. It doesn't reheat well. At all.
Before we discuss food, though, let's talk about more important things. The whole reason I was cooking for Food Guy was so he could have healthy meals while training for a marathon. Aaaannnnddd....he completed his first marathon this past Sunday! Congrats Food Guy!!! Come on, let's hear it, everyone!
YAY FOOD GUY!!!!!!
Ok, back to food.
When I was a kid, my parents made bierocks. When I say "my parents", I'm assuming my dad since there was yeast bread involved and let's face it...my mom can't make bread. I, on the other hand, have been practicing all winter, so I'm starting to have more successes than failures. See?
If you don't know what bierocks are, they're also known as runzas (there's even a Nebraskan fast-food chain of the name) or krautburgers. I'm not sure if there are other names, but I'm sure there are. And I'm sure someone will let me know. But basically, they are ground beef, onion, and cabbage baked into a bun. Delicious when served with about a cup of ketchup. Ok, so most people don't use a cup, but I reeeeeeeeeaaaaalllly like ketchup.
The other great thing about bierocks is that they store VERY well in the freezer and can be pulled out one at a time when there is absolutely nothing else in the house to eat. And you live 45 minutes away from the grocery store. I might have made a triple batch so Dow and I could have some in our freezer, too.
I also made him 2 Chicago Deep-Dish Pizzas for his freezer. And I won't go into those details here because you can see them at the favorites week posting.
Since I still had his 9x13 pan in my possession, I figured a casserole would be another great freezer food and I love this Green Chile-Chicken Casserole. Now that I think about it, this might have been MY favorites week.... Anyhow, I think next time I make the casserole, I might throw some more stuff in, like chopped red bell pepper, black beans, and corn. That way it's an all encompassing meal. But that's just me. And I live 45 minutes from the grocery store.
Also, I forgot to take a picture of it when I put it together. When I baked it. When I ate it. (I made one for us, too.) And honestly, the half pigged-on refrigerated version really doesn't look good. So, just click on the link above and have a gander. It looks WAAAAAY better than what's in my fridge right now.
I did, however, remember to take a picture of the risotto and I have to tell you, this might be the best picture ever taken by a cheapo-point-and-shoot camera. Ever.
Or maybe this Pan-Seared Shrimp and Arugula Risotto was just that good. I think my picture was even better than the picture on the recipe. But maybe it's just because I added grape tomatoes.
Ok, ignoring the picture for a second, have you ever had risotto? I don't think I'd even heard of it until I was an intern in San Francisco a few years ago (and by a few, I mean about 8). It's basically rice that is cooked slowly, liquid added little by little, and stirred constantly so it has this amazing creaminess to it. That rich creaminess disappears with refrigeration and reheating, which is why I couldn't make it for the Food Guy.
Risotto has a bad reputation for being extremely time-consuming, but that's just a bad rap. This was a one-dish wonder and was ready in just about 45 minutes. Yes, you do have to do a lot of stirring, but you chop something, stir, stir, stir, wash up a dish or two, add liquid, stir, stir, stir, wipe the counters, add liquid, stir, stir, stir, etc. So it's really not that bad. In fact, I was encouraged to try my hand at it because of this radio piece. The Autumn Risotto with Apples, Pancetta, and Sage is, as Lars would say, "to die for".
And if you were dying for one more thing to try, this Cucumber, Apple, and Mint Cooler was delicious. And green. And refreshing. And green. And easy. And...green.....
Alright, enough food. Go forth and enjoy!
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