I've been cold, grouchy, horribly unmotivated and suddenly I'm feeling on top of the world. In fact I'm feeling rather like superwoman. And all because of food. I probably need to seek counseling.
There's something so magical to me about food. Growing food in the garden is down right miraculous. Transforming food from simple ingredients like a little flour, butter, salt, and water that will become pie crust or bread (add yeast), I marvel at what heat does to these simple combinations. I mean, cookies! Come on.
Today was NO SPEND day number 8 for the year. I think the frigid cold and the seemingly endless snowfall have a way of compounding anxiety for me. Maybe the being trapped indoors causes a trapping of sorts of stressers in my brain. The past few days I've been finding myself sitting and stressing about little things that really are not a big deal as if the sky were falling and life was about to cease. I'm surprised that I don't gain fifty pounds every single winter because food really makes everything seem so much better.
Today after another white knuckle drive home from work I wanted to make something really delicious but to be honest pickings are slim. This is where my super powers emerged and I became wildly triumphant. There was browned ground beef in the fridge and frozen homemade chicken stock in the freezer. There are apparently a pretty good assortment of veggies around our house (you don't realize these things until you start to scramble for a delicious off the cuff meal).
I frantically chopped up onion and garlic and began to saute these in a little butter. While they were getting yummy in the pan I diced up carrots and celery and one potato. Those joined the party and then I dumped in some flax seed (I've been adding flax seed to practically everything I eat lately for the Omega 3 because my doctor said there was virtually no omega 3 showing up in my blood work several months back). In a separate pan I thawed some of the stock which was slowly added to the veggies with a good helping of flour to give the whole bunch a gravy.
Then I made the pie crusts; flour, butter, salt and water, whala! The whole thing went into the oven (after I added the ground beef and some peas and corn to the veggie delight). I now have a fabulous beef pot pie, the fist I've ever made, totally thrown together on a whim, without a recipe and that, THAT is how I kick the winter blahs in the rear while rocking out the eighth no spend day of the year (that was not intended to rhyme). Plus, this was my best pie crust to date.
Sadly I will not be sharing a photo of my beautiful pie (I'm really in love with it) because the flax seed makes it look like its filled with bugs. No one needs to see that.
People delight in so many different things. Some people seek out adrenaline rushes. Some people delight in fame, recognition, or notable accomplishment. Some people find joy in decorating or fashion. I on the other hand am very content today, simply happy to the core because I cooked delicious food. That's me.
I can understand. Making something, and then that something being terrific, from practically nothing is the heart of superwomanness! I still suck at pie crust, but making a stew of sorts with biscuits on top or on the side makes me feel that way-and soup.
ReplyDeleteI'm rubbish at pastry too but I like my pies potato topped. Mashed spud is lower fat than pastry so I can even feel virtuous, but no-one else is fooled.
DeleteI came REALLY really close to doing this one potato topped instead of with crust but apart from french fries little Abe is NOT a fan of potatoes (he didn't know I'd diced one up really small and put it in the pie filling). So I opted for crust this time figuring he'd be more likely to eat it that way.
DeleteSam, I love a stew with homemade biscuits on the side!!! That's another one of the dishes that I feel really proud of when it's done.
Way to go!! I'd say you definitely earned your superwoman cape today! Great job- and the pie sounds delicious! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's already gone (and it was a big one/ very full). My son and husband both loved it. Yay!
DeleteCan I come? It sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteYou are most certainly welcome... to bad there's an ocean in the way.
DeleteI have the same problem with flax seeds in my oatmeal. They look too much like bugs in there. It's too bad because they're tasty and healthy, but not worth the ick factor for me. I've read that they should be ground before being eaten anyway, or we can't really digest them, so maybe I'll try this.
ReplyDeleteI had been using ground flax seed but I feel like that's less universal because it's like putting straigt fiber in everything. I bought the bag of whole flax seed on sale and THEN I read that the ground flax seed are a billion times better. Oh well, I've just been putting whole flax seed in practically everything I make.
DeleteLuckily the bug factor doesn't gross me out at all but they sure do look like bugs. I spilled a few seeds on the floor in front of the fridge and I seriously thought for a second that we had an infestation. Also with the pie, I cut it open and though, "ew, it looks like it's filled with bugs." Haha!
"No one needs to see that" :))) funny
ReplyDeleteSo glad you made this pie!
I wish it would have lasted a little longer (whole pie gone in under 24 hours) but it was a very uplifting experience for me :)
DeleteSounds amazing - nice work! If there's a pie crust recipe, I'd love a pointer!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I don't think I'm anyway near giving pie crust pointers but I always make mine with cold butter and cold water/ cut the butter in. I never have margarine or shortening in the house so I personally look for recipes that call for butter and not a combination of both or just shortening. And it does work better if you chill it like all the recipes say (yes, I tend to take short cuts in the kitchen but I'm learning to let the pie crust dough chill for a bit before making it into pie).
DeleteI can't find the recipe I just used but I'm pretty sure it was 1 c. flour, 1/4 cup butter, a little salt (I don't usually measure salt in my dough, just give it a good pinch), and 3 to 5 TBL. of ice water for one pie crust (I doubled it to make the top and bottom of the pot pie). Both crusts were a little thick so this recipe is a strange ratio and I had some to spare so that the edges ended up great (in other words I wasn't short on crust at the edges which is a problem I run into a lot).