(#10) Master 25 New Recipes
1. Stuffed Peppers
2. Risotto
3. Polenta
4. Beef Brisket
5. French Onion Soup
6. Chocolate Chip Cookies
7. Lentil Soup
8. Macaroni & Cheese
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Chicken Piccata
11. Moussaka
12. Chocolate Cake
13. Zebra Cake
14. Chili
15. Cornbread
16. Steamed Artichokes
This Monday I woke up with a feeling of intense dread. It was Monday. I had to get up and go to work at a job where I was slowly becoming obsolete (long story) and pretend that the meaningless projects I was working on were actually worth my time.
So I told myself, I will lay in bed until I can think of something that I am looking forward to doing today.
Also, holy crap those little points are sharp! I thought I’d be smart and remove the leaves I wasn’t using before trimming them. Big mistake. Ouch!
Anyway, despite the technical difficulties and the fact that Ronnie upon tasting the artichoke didn’t “get it,” my day was much improved by this little adventure. And I realized that challenging myself every day would always be something to look forward to.
So on this Monday I learned that it is important to know yourself, and respect yourself for what you are able to do each day. One day you will challenge yourself to write the great American novel, or go for that promotion, or take that spontaneous trip. Some days it will be a challenge just to put your two feet on the floor in the morning. And on days when you’re feeling somewhere in between, you can challenge yourself to try steaming your first artichoke.
Tick, tick, tick.
Nothing.
Ronnie was already up, so I told him of my bargain with myself. He suggested “going back to bed tonight” as something to look forward to. This idea was so depressing that it actually did work because if I sat in bed and thought about it for another second I would probably have exploded. So I got up, took a shower, faced the day.
Nothing.
Ronnie was already up, so I told him of my bargain with myself. He suggested “going back to bed tonight” as something to look forward to. This idea was so depressing that it actually did work because if I sat in bed and thought about it for another second I would probably have exploded. So I got up, took a shower, faced the day.
We wound up going out to lunch for a coworker of mine who’s last day was yesterday, which I could’ve looked forward to if I had known about it. We went to an Indian restaurant and I tried new food #20- rice pudding.
I realized that without my list I never would have tried something that looked so goopy. But it turned out to be sweeter than I expected. Not exactly crave-worthy, but not horrible either.
I stopped at the store to pick up something for dinner. Ronnie was staying late at school so I took some time to browse around for ideas. When I saw the artichokes sitting in their bin, glaring at me intimidating, I said to myself, “Yes, this is it. I will do something today. I will cook you.” Feeling empowered, I dropped it into my basket.
Of course I have eaten artichokes before (hello Applebee’s spinach and artichoke dip) but I have never attempted to cook them. Thank God for Google because I had no idea what to do with the artichoke once I got it home. I didn’t even know which parts I was supposed to eat (hint: not the leaves). I found these instructions and got to work.
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| I should mention the real star of this plate were the chick peas. |
I stopped at the store to pick up something for dinner. Ronnie was staying late at school so I took some time to browse around for ideas. When I saw the artichokes sitting in their bin, glaring at me intimidating, I said to myself, “Yes, this is it. I will do something today. I will cook you.” Feeling empowered, I dropped it into my basket.
One thing I would like to note is that every step of this process was a lot more difficult than I initially expected. Maybe my artichoke was not ripe but I really had to hack and the stem and the tip to get them off.
Next, cut off the tips of all the leaves.
Also, holy crap those little points are sharp! I thought I’d be smart and remove the leaves I wasn’t using before trimming them. Big mistake. Ouch!
Next, the steaming. Fill a pan with an inch or two of salted water, bring to a boil, and stand the artichoke up
in the center. Cover and steam for 20-40 minutes until the leaves pull off easily.
I either had my burner up too high or my lid wasn’t fitting snugly enough, but before I knew it I was smelling something burning. All my water had evaporated within 10 minutes, which is certainly not long enough to cook an artichoke. I added more water to the slightly scorched pan and hoped for the best.
I either had my burner up too high or my lid wasn’t fitting snugly enough, but before I knew it I was smelling something burning. All my water had evaporated within 10 minutes, which is certainly not long enough to cook an artichoke. I added more water to the slightly scorched pan and hoped for the best.
Next peel off the leaves. I served with a side of melted butter.
Due to the initial scorching I wound up having to take the artichoke out probably before it was done. The leaves pulled off fairly easily but the “meat” didn’t quite want to come out. Also when I got down to the heart I realized it was barely edible- and not worth eating due to the intense warnings about choking on the choke.
Due to the initial scorching I wound up having to take the artichoke out probably before it was done. The leaves pulled off fairly easily but the “meat” didn’t quite want to come out. Also when I got down to the heart I realized it was barely edible- and not worth eating due to the intense warnings about choking on the choke.
Maybe it’s my asthma talking but the word choke doesn’t really help my appetite.
Anyway, despite the technical difficulties and the fact that Ronnie upon tasting the artichoke didn’t “get it,” my day was much improved by this little adventure. And I realized that challenging myself every day would always be something to look forward to.
So on this Monday I learned that it is important to know yourself, and respect yourself for what you are able to do each day. One day you will challenge yourself to write the great American novel, or go for that promotion, or take that spontaneous trip. Some days it will be a challenge just to put your two feet on the floor in the morning. And on days when you’re feeling somewhere in between, you can challenge yourself to try steaming your first artichoke.
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