Lunchbox Liz

Thanksgiving—being a day to dedicate ourselves to a sense of gratefulness—is my favorite holiday. It is also not a holiday without its anxieties as we strive to time an elaborate meal of turkey with all the trimmings for either a gathering of one or of twenty. I usually use this day to take stock (and make stock) of my life’s inventory and begin planning for the New Year. I relish this day of contemplation and grace. And speaking of relish, my favorite dish of the day is the humble cranberry sauce. Once of the easiest dishes to prepare, it adds that desperately needed bit of color. (If you are wondering about the photo it is a very simple tapestry that I have finally completed for a friend nearly a year late. I am so grateful that it is done!)

Today’s Lunch
Cranberry Sauce
1 package of 8oz fresh cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar
Grated zest of one orange

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan (when those berries start popping it is nice to give them plenty of room to roam!). Heat on medium high until the contents come to a boil and the berries start to pop. Reduce heat to medium-low and let cook for another ten to fifteen minutes stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the burner and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Note: A coworker who is not a very experienced cook has been cruising my blog for ideas. She has shared her adventures with me as she has tackled a few of the recipes. I have decided to change my ways and write more conventional recipes with lists of ingredients followed by instructions as well as attempting to be more specific.

Kevin O’Keefe wrote a book about his quest to find the average American. To start his quest he had to determine what traits the average American has. Then he set out to find someone who typified these traits. I took a pop quiz on line at his website (www.theaverageamerican.com) and it said I was exactly in between average and not so average. I am like the average American because I live within 20-minues of a Wal-mart, can name all three Stooges, and have lived in my home for at least five years. I’m not so average because I like chunky peanut butter, can name all three branches of the government, and would rather be president than in prison. If you are wondering who O’Keefe determined is the nations most ordinary citizen it is Bob Burns of Willimantic, Connecticut.

Today’s Lunch
Not So Average Banana Ice Cream

I freeze gobs of chopped up bananas that are almost past their prime in order to have fodder for this frequent treat. Place 5-6 banana chunks in a food processor and pulse until the banana is granulated. Add 4 tbsp coca power and pulse one or two more times. Switch the process on and pour a steady stream of milk into the mixture until it reaches the desired consistency, usually about a half a cup. It is really easy to pour too much milk and end up with a smoothie! Optional items in clued adding coconut, other frozen fruit (with or without coca powder) and substitution soy or rice milk for milk.

A Brief History of Medicine

2000 BC: Here, eat this root.
1000 AD: That root is heathen. Say this prayer.
1850 AD: That prayer is superstition. Drink this potion.
1940 AD: That potion is snake oil. Dwallow this pill.
1985 AD: That pill is ineffective. Take this antibiotic.
2000 AD: That antibiotic doesn’t work anymore. Here eat this root.

The Ecologist December 2004/January 2005 (The photo is from the door of the State of New Mexico's Archives in Santa Fe.)

Today’s Lunch
Buffalo and Beets

Scrub 3 beets and peel. Chop into bit-sized pieces and steam. Chop 1/2 of an onion and sauté on medium in 1 tsp of oil in a skillet. Add buffalo in quarter-sized pieces and reduced heat to low. Cook for about 10 minutes or until meat is brown throughout. Add beets and 1 tbsp cumin. Cook for another five minutes. Serve with rice or toast.

My coworker gifted me a jar of her tomotilla salsa (see post from October 5). I told her that we would take it with us on our weekend trip to Santa Fe. It never made it that far. We ate it with a fabulous batch of tamales from the Mexican grocery store down the street just before we left. That is the problem with good food. It never lasts.

Today’s Lunch
Zingy Holiday Jello

1 6oz box of cherry Jello®
2C 7-up
2 cans Ocean Spray Cranberry and Orange Sauce (Safeway has it)
1 can pineapple bites

Bring 7-up to a boil, pour in 9x13 dish. Stir in cherry Jello® until completely dissolved. With a fork mix together cranberry and orange sauce with pineapple then slow add to 7-up. Refrigerate for 3hrs.

Notes: Another coworker, Jason, brought in some leftover Jello salad to share with us on Friday. It didn’t last long either! This is really good stuff. I could offer some substitutes to make it healthier, but I’m sure it would ruin it.