"I'm kinda making this up"

This is the phrase Spencer hears every so often as I'm making a random dinner to use up on-hand ingredients or approximate some fantasy meal in my mind. Usually, at least according to Spencer, this means it will be AWESOME. I love my husband.

To start, I want to post about a memorable meal from a few summers ago. When we arrived in Austin for summer internships in 2008, our arrival was a little dramatic and not in a good way. Fred's transmission had died in the middle of nowhere Texas (which was actually Roosevelt, TX, population: less than 150) and so we had to get a 170-mile tow to our new apartment. It was after dark on a Friday night and we had no furniture and little food. We found out the next day that there was a grocery store within semi-walking distance but for the night we improvised for our meal: cheesy rice.

Recipe: Cheesy Rice
Cook white rice.
Make a sauce with powdered milk and leftover roadtrip cheese. Thicken with flour.
Combine cheesy sauce with rice.
Gag.

This attempt was a definite failure, and one that has definitely made us chuckle when we reflect on the nastiness that was our meal.


Fortunately I can contrast this recipe with a delicious one I made up last night.


Recipe: Ham/Potato/Corn Casserole that is Yet to be Named

3/4 onion, chopped
1-2 T. olive oil
4 unpeeled potatoes, diced
water
garlic powder
salt and pepper
parsley
*1 1/2 c. diced ham
*1 c. frozen corn
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, heat olive oil. Saute onion for a few minutes (while you are dicing the potato). Add potato to skillet and heat until onions are soft and translucent. Pour water over the potatoes (enough to cover the bottom of the pan but not drown everything). Stir and let simmer until the water all evaporates. Repeat once more until the potatoes soften and the mixture is slightly creamy. Sprinkle in seasonings and mix well.

Spray a casserole dish with oil and pour potato mixture into the dish. Mix in ham chunks and corn. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake, covered, at 350F for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and potatoes are soft. Remove cover for last 10 minutes of cooking.


This dish ended up exactly as I wanted it to - it's creamy and delicious because of the potato without having any dairy (like milk or cream of whatever soup or sour cream) other than the cheese. It had good flavor with the onion and I like mixing vegetables in with foods to spread out the calories and add nutrition. I could easily serve this again for dinner or breakfast/brunch and could make a portion without cheese to serve to Evelyn. Success!

*Note to self: these measurements are approximate