Menus, March 21, 2013

Insanity is doing the same thing 

over and over again

and expecting different results
????????

 I'll bet you too have smiled at or argued with this familiar definition of crazy- and maybe you even know who really said it. I didn't, so I asked that sly cyberspinner of irony, the internet. I asked the internet repeatedly. It was Einstein. It was Benjamin Franklin. It was Alcoholics Anonymous. No, it was Narcotics Anonymous. I googled over and over and over again, each time expecting a different, definitive answer.

Until the ironic absurdity of the exercise hit me and I wondered if I myself may be.....

 just one cat short of crazy.

The insanity began with Reuben Sandwiches on Sunday night.

This is how they started.....

and this is how they ended. Note the kraut to corned beef ratio.

Three quarters of a jar of sauerkraut, and a week of as yet unplanned meals ahead.

 What to do, what to do....

Before I knew it, I was in imminent danger of twisting my few remaining braincells into an endless leftovers loop:

Now, we love corned beef sammies, but if I allowed us to get stuck in  perpetual Reubenization, it wouldn't be long before cheesy jokes were being served up alongside the sandwiches.

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get away from dinner

A few googly clicks later, and we have a solution. It may not be a good one, but it's worth a try. Desperate times and all that.

Wednesday:Cabbage and Potato soup

Here's hoping that generations of Eastern Europeans and Emeril Lagasse can't be wrong. (trusting dinner to the traditions of Eastern Europe is actually a pretty safe bet- they did after all give the world the potatoes wrapped in pasta carb bundle known as perogi) 

I have the number of a good pizza place magnetized to the fridge.

Just in case.

Thursday: Crunchy chicken cutlets and breaded Brussels sprouts

You know what would be even easier here? If you can afford a blithe disregard of fat and calories, this would be a great night to stop by the grocery store or drive through Whataburger for some chicken strips. Grab a couple of extras, and you'll be set for dinner Saturday night as well.

Two friends of mine who recently ate their way through some of the most interesting food in Denver told me about fried Brussels sprouts. And I really like Brussels sprouts. And I almost always like fried. But in the (sigh) interest of saving a few fat calories, I'm going to try this oven crisped version first.

Andrew, I think the recipe for the                         ones you tasted may be here.

Friday: Tuscan Lamb on polenta 

The home audience has requested polenta, and polenta he shall have. I can get a lamb roast at Costco for a couple of dollars less a pound than I can get chops, so I'll be getting the roast, and cutting it up for this recipe and Sunday night's ragu. I think maybe asparagus with this. Or maybe a salad. Maybe. Because tomatoes are after all, well respected as vegetables even when they're not in the company of something green.

Saturday:Chicken and egg rice bowl

Something about this looks so fun to me! I may just pick up a couple of pairs of chopsticks! and a tray of sushi! Crazy, I know. Sometimes though, even the most sensible person just has to go a little wild.

Sunday: Lamb Ragu

I know that I love lamb ragu, but I've yet to cook it for the home audience. My plan is to use the food processor to chop up the leftover lamb roast into teeny weeny bits, and then throw the ragu in the slow cooker while we go for a nice Sunday afternoon explore. The ricotta will be added at the last minute, and I may cut out some gluten by serving this over rice or potato gnocchi. 

Do you know what? Ever since Sunday night, when I started laughing at the idea of endless Reuben Sandwiches, I've been thinking about the "insanity is..." definition and what it is that we call crazy. It's true that sometimes, trying to get unmuddled by repeating the actions that got you stuck in the muddle is a sort of madness.

But sometimes, doing the same thing over and over and resiliently hoping for a different result is practicing- it's the only way to get good at something new. Like playing the French horn.....

well, ok. Maybe this guy
should've stopped practising.

I hope this week that if (and almost certainly when) you find yourself  teetering on the edge of reason, that you'll take a step back, pour yourself a comforting beverage and sit down with your own particular crazy cake.

I hope you find a way to name the ways you approach your life that make your days harder, and the quirky, inventive ways that you make life more fun.

I hope that as you do, you become less of riddle to yourself, and more of a wonder.

I hope that you find a way to harness all that energy and make it take you where you want to go. 

That you plant your feet firmly on the thin line between crazy and creative and take a step forward. And then another....

 Because I'm hoping that today, balancing on that (sometimes) perilously thin line..

is a walk in the park.