Menus, February 25, 2014

“To those of you who received honors, awards ,

 and distinctions, I say, well done.

 And to the C students I say, you, too,

 can be president of the United States.” 

George W. Bush

Last Sunday, the world celebrated the giving and receiving of prizes to those who were the very -est. The fastest, the slidiest, the stick and puckiest, the luckiest, the creatiest, the spinniest, the jumpiest...that's right, it was 

the taste season finale.

Wait, you thought I was talking about this?

Here's a funny thing about prizes- they always go to the something-est. Even if the something-est is impossible to measure. There are prizes for the most beautiful dog:

This is Huckleberry, winner of the fourth annual Beautiful Bulldog
competition. Because some people do not consider
 beautiful and bulldog to be oxymoronic.

and prizes for the cutest dog:

this is Boo, who scored a super sonic score
on the awwww meter to win his place in
cute dog history

and even prizes for the ugliest dog:

my personal favorite, and my nominee for
most interesting and funniest.

but there are no prizes for most average, normalest dog. 

For the most brilliant humans among us, there are Nobels and Pulitzers; for the most weirdly brilliant, the Ig Nobel awards, and for the very least brilliant, there are

 the Darwin awards, rewarding those who serve
mankind by  taking themselves out
of the evolutionary gene pool. 

But there are no award for ordinary, or normal, or average. Probably because as soon as we tried to award a prize for most normal, someone would protest and say-

"Wait! She's the weird one! I'm the normal one!"

This Sunday, the movie-going world watches again as awards are given to more of at least some kinds of     est. Not just the movie going world- even those of us who have seen only 11% of the movies up for best picture will probably tune in (that's one movie out of nine, for those of you who have just reached for your calculators. I saw Philomena.). Whether or not I see them in the cinema or at home I love being told a good story by a good movie, and stories about food? Well, they're often good enough to eat.
That's why this week's dinners are prize winning recipes that may also be reminders of the best food movies and food moments in movies that I can remember- and there's hardly anything that would be more fun that hearing about your own favorite food and movie combos. Here's how I'm hoping things reel out around here:

Wednesday: Tomato Basil Soup and Grilled Mozzarella Sandwiches

Last week, the great food movie Big Night got a replay, so all things Italian are sounding wonderful. Today I'll wander into Costco and pick up a favorite treat:

Marinated mozzarella balls

We'll be using them twice this week- first tonight, in grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Don't even think about pouring the oil of this marinade down the sink, unless you're planning on a sink salad- this stuff and a little balsamic vinegar will make the fastest, tastiest salad dressing you've ever had. The soup is, well, super easy. Start it before you gather the ingredients for the sandwiches, and by the time the sandwiches are done, the soup probably will be too.

Thursday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Salad

Here's a prize winning meatloaf from Quaker Oats, and to serve alongside it, some prize winning mashed potatoes. You can sculpt whatever you want to with the potatoes, I'll be recreating the mashed potato mountain from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Just to say there were greens on the plate, I'll be tossing something dark green and leafy with some cherry tomatoes, a little of the mozzarella marinade, and balsamic vinegar.
Don't worry about leftovers- both the meatloaf and potatoes get a replay on Sunday.



Friday: Caprese Cod Sandwiches

Guess what the internet answered when asked for "award winning fish recipes"? This terrific looking sandwich!
 If you're trying to stay away from gluten, serve this as a salad or blow a movie-star style budget on a gluten free bun. Everything you need for an easy, nutritious dinner is here, but if a sandwich on its own just doesn't feel like dinner, try some oven fries or some kale chips for a kick of crunchy salty goodness.



Saturday: Triple Chocolate Beef and Bean Chili

Remember the movie Chocolat? Me too. So I went hunting for ways to use chocolate for dinner, and found this gem in a recipe pile that is a wealth of savory chocolatey goodness. We're a little too beef centric this week, so I'm considering substituting additional vegetables or chicken for the beef in this recipe. If that doesn't happen, we may get the necessary veg with this prize winning coleslaw.



Sunday: Leftover Meatloaf Shepherd's Pie

Look! A thing to do with leftover meatloaf that is not a sandwich! This great one dish meal looks like it'll go together in a snap, and that's a good thing,because I'd hate to be in the kitchen when people start giving out awards for movies I haven't seen...yet.

Whether you watch movies, or award shows about movies
or both, or neither-
This week I want you to know that I know.
I know that there are days when 
you deserve a medal 
for managing somehow to not hurt anyone
with your mouth or your hands or your car.
I know there are days when you deserve an Oscar
for acting like everything is going to be okay.
But I hope that this week 
you'll  find that the rewards you want most
 lay just within your reach
and I hope  this week
surrounds you with so much love and happiness
that you know just what it feels like

to have won first prize.