hot weather meal

Now that the weather has turned, I can barely convince myself to turn on the stove. Our kitchen has a big, beautiful skylight through which the sun pours in, which is lovely, but also hot. Once the temperatures get up above 85 or so, the kitchen stays hot. That's when I turn to our little countertop grill ( a George Foreman model we bought a couple of years ago).


Lately my standard go-to meal has been turkey burgers with crudites. The burgers only take about seven minutes on the grill, and I use that time to prep the veggies. They are nice and cool and crunchy - perfect for a hot evening like tonight.

Comfort Food

I have a cockroach of a cold - it just can't be vanquished. It's like the horror movie killer that roars back to life every time you think that you can relax, that he's finally gone. I woke up Friday to find my throat under siege, and even though I managed to be productive, by dinner time, I was completely wiped out. I almost succumbed to takeout but after December's convenience-food spree, we're trying to cut back. I definitely needed comfort food, and after rifling through my pantry, one option jumped to the fore: American chop suey.


Chop suey is a comfort food for me because I ate it a lot growing up. I used to have dinner at my grandparents' house once a week, if not more, and chop suey is one of my grandmother's classics. Luckily it is simple and requires few ingredients, so even in my exhausted state, I was able to throw this together. Eaten on the futon, next to my hubby, while watching mindless TV, it was the perfect ending to a long and tiring week.

***This recipe is an approximation, thrown together with what I have, but the result tasted exactly like Grammy's. I'm not sure, but she might use some tomato paste as well - Mom, if you're reading, can you weigh in in the comments and let me know if I'm missing anything?

Grammy's Chop Suey

1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (I used three or four shallots)
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
28 oz can whole tomatoes
2 teaspoons Italian herb blend
pinch of sugar
4 cups cooked macaroni (about 2 cups dry)
salt and pepper, to taste

Add olive oil to saute pan and warm over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic 3-5 minutes. Add ground beef, crumble, and stir occasionally until meat is cook through and onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, herbs, and sugar. Add up to half a can of water if necessary - it depends on how much juice was in the can with the tomatoes. You don't want the mixture to be dry but you don't want soup, either. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. This is a good time to cook your macaroni if you haven't already. When tomatoes are good and cooked, stir in cooked macaroni and season to taste. Top with grated parmesan or asiago if desired. Serves 4.

Sorta-Stuffed Squash

Here's the stuffed squash post I mentioned last Friday. I call it Sorta-Stuffed Squash because every stuffed squash recipe I've ever seen involves stuffing the squash and then baking it. Sometimes the squash is partially baked first, but it always ends up in the oven after being stuffed with some sort of mixture, usually rice-based. This recipe cheats by cooking the filling separately from the squash and just throwing them together at the end.

You might think cooking the squash and the filling separately is more complicated, but both steps are actually very easy and totally hands-off once you've got them on the heat. After halving the squash and scooping out the seeds, put a pat of butter in the hollow of each half and roast them, cut side up, for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. The exact time will vary from squash to squash, but they should be tender when you stick a fork in them.



Once the squash is in the oven, make Rebecca Blood's brown rice and lentil recipe, which I've mentioned before. It couldn't be simpler - just lentils, rice, and water - then add salt and/or a little red wine vinegar when it's done. The lentils take about 25-30 minutes to cook, so your squash and your lentils will be done around the same time. Meanwhile, rinse and spin your lettuce, make your dressing, and you've still got twenty minutes to check email, watch the news, or - my favorite - enjoy a glass of wine.

When both the squash and the lentils are ready, scoop the lentils into the squash hollow. Tada! You're done. The rice and lentils absorb some of the melted butter from the squash, and the sweetness of the roasted squash nicely complements the salted, earthy taste of the lentils. This meal is a hat trick: easy, healthy, and cheap.