No recipes?

I've been getting feedback that my blog could be greatly improved if only I posted recipes...well there are no recipes...I just make it up as I go along.  I am losing a bit of authenticity because I have been hybridizing my technique.  Most of the dishes start with sautéed onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, seasoning....then I usually cover and simmer...the quantities are based on how it looks and smells.

My daughter has been trying to help me out by sitting in the kitchen writing the steps in a "blue book" for fear that I will not be able to recreate her favorites.  It's a lot of trial and error.  I will say that most of the flavor comes from the food and not dried spices, I find that I'm using fewer spices than before.

Yesterday for example, I discovered that my husband had bought two 2lb chuck roasts and hadn't mentioned that they were in the refrigerator.  This was odd because he knows I'm trying to do this lentil expedition, but whenever he goes to the market, he always picks up beef in addition to forbidden snacks.  I thought, gee, how will I prepare this...it seemed so lame to just do a roast beef or a pot roast.  One of the roasts was rectangular and the other more round...I definitely wasn't going to cook the rump because I wasn't going to be home to carve it...there's nothing that I despise more than a 'butchered' roast...one my friends is the worst, she does a job on meat, I bought her an electric knife to help her out, to no avail.  I put the rump in the freezer and cooked the rectangular piece.

I decided to go with the oxtail technique.  That gravy was so rich and delicious that with a few adjustments, I thought would be excellent for a pot roast...so that's what I did, and it was a toe tapper...the difference is after searing the meat and sauteeing the veggies, I put it in the oven for 2.5 hours instead of cooking it on the stovetop (partly because I had to mozy out to Cherry Hill).  As an accompaniment, I made okra, tomatoes, and corn.  My husband referred to this as succotash...the only vegetable that I hate is succotash - a terrible green lima bean and corn concoction...this was not succotash...I remember my mother making okra and tomatoes when I was younger.  It was quite simple, sauté onions and garlic, add tomato, simmer, add okra and corn, season to taste.   I was able to eat a bit of that before I left last night.

Apparently my mother-in-law enjoyed the meal.  Usually she says "that wasn't bad" but last night she told my husband that I make interesting things and use a lot of vegetables.  She said she's tired of eating the same thing over and over.  Aren't we all?