Why not me

I love to cook, and as people often ask me about what I cook and how to do it, I thought I could make that available here. Mostly though, if I feel the need to right it down here, I probably liked it a lot, and it will be available to me! Since I don't usually follow recipes, and seem to have next to no memory anymore, it is so easy to forget what I did, and not remember the little things that I put into a dish to make it great.

"Rice-and-salt days" refers to that time in a woman's life when she has left her family and is making her own home and family--between the "hair-pinning days" of a young woman's life, preparing to be married, and the "sitting-quietly days" of the older woman, the widow. These terms come from traditional Chinese culture, but reflect the trajectories of many women's lives, all across the world.

In that vein, I would like to share a variation on a recipe my family uses every Thanksgiving. I just made a bunch of it, divided it into containers, and left it in the freezer for my husband, Josh, so he can have it when I am gone.

Rice and Sausage Dressing

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
leaves of 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1-2 leaves of fresh sage, finely chopped
1 lb. andouille sausage, casings removed
1 c brown rice medley--I like the one from Trader Joe's, but any will do
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

Cook rice as instructed by package. While the rice is cooking, in a medium sized skillet, saute the vegetables and herbs in oil over low/medium heat--just until translucent--adding a touch of salt to help veggies release their water and soften. Scoop veggies into a large bowl and set aside, return the skillet to heat. Crumble sausage into pan and cook all the way through. Gently scoop cooked sausage into bowl with veggies, leaving excess fat in pan. Once the rice is finished cooking, add to sausage and veggies in bowl. Mix the ingredients together and let cool a bit. Note--if you are in a bit of a hurry, put it in the freezer, and pull it out and mix every couple of minutes. It does not need to be cold, just cool enough that the egg will not turn into scrambled eggs when mixed in!
Once mixture has cooled, add Parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste. Combine well, add egg and combine again. At this point, it can be put in pan and baked at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When I do it this way, I like to sprinkle a little extra Parmesan on top to give it a nice crust. This can also be used to stuff a bird--turkey, chicken, turducken, etc., or can be frozen before it is cooked. Just thaw and cook through when you are ready for it.

This is a great recipe to make if you have leftover rice and some sausage in the house--I mean, who doesn't just have sausage hanging out, right? I made this last week with Cornish game hens, and served it with a salad of spring greens. We ate at the theater on Josh's dinner break, but I would think a non-oaked Chardonnay would go really well with it if one didn't need to return to work and use heavy machinery. Yum!

Cornish Game Hens

2 Cornish game hens-butterflied or cut completely in half
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 sage leaves
8-12 sprigs fresh thyme

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 1/2-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of all hen pieces. Before oil begins to smoke, put hens in skillet, skin side down, and brown for 4-5 minutes. If you have a press or weight, put it on top of the birds, as this helps get the whole thing browned better. When the first side is brown, turn over, press birds down with spatula, and remove pan from heat. Lay one sage leaf across the top of each hen half, and 2-3 sprigs of time to each. Place in oven and roast for 20 minutes or so--until juices run clear when you poke it in the meatiest part of thigh.

This is crucial--when you remove hens from oven, place on serving platter and LET SIT for 5-10 minutes. The hen stays super juicy this way.