food | Jenna's Everything Blog

I have a candy drawer.

Ok, well, not ‘me’ personally.

There is a candy drawer at my job. Here it is:

Let’s take a peek . . .

Mmm, look at this little guy. What a tempter.

This candy drawer is kept fully stocked by my boss. The kind of candy that lies therein varies, but my downfall are the Snickers and Reese’s–and recently, the Almond Joys. This drawer has held me in its thrall on and off throughout my employment. Right now, I’m happy so say the thrall is off. Off, off, off! Perhaps because for the past couple months I’ve been bringing homemade cookies with me that satisfy my morning sweet tooth?

Cookies such as these . . .

or these . . .

And even this delightful quickbread (recipe coming tomorrow), which kept me going all of last week:

I only experience the sweet tooth in the mornings–really. Just look at my recipe collection for evidence: it is dominated by savory fare. So if I can make it past about 11am without giving into temptation, I’m usually home free.

I’m glad I’m in a non-candy drawer phase in my life, because almost a year ago I realized this drawer might have been involved in some . . . weight gain. The weight gain that caused me to no longer fit into various and sundry skirts, jeans, and pants. The moment I realized that my most favorite and basic black business pants had gone from a comfy classy fit to a skin-tight version in a matter of months, I chose to start saying: NO! to that drawer. I wanted my pants to fit in the old way. “I’m sorry, honey,” I said to my husband, “I know you don’t mind my new butt, however I like my old butt. I like looser jeans! I want to have a tiny tush again!” So I plugged my ears to the siren call of those crackling little packages of sweetness and I joined the gym, where I worked out on the elliptical 3 times a week for 2 months. Every other week, with hope in my heart, I broke out my black suit pants. And interestingly enough, over 2 months time, the fit of those pants didn’t change one bit.

Let’s pause and take a moment to reflect on the tiny tush that was.

*pause*

The small derriere to which I will probably never return.

*pause*

Now why the elliptical didn’t burn off some of the jigglies, well, it’s still a mystery the likes of which I may never decipher. Never mind though–even if I didn’t lose weight, I had the chance to discipline my mind. Right? And isn’t my mind more important than my tush anyway? Right? Yes? Right? Okay.

So in order to keep my current wardrobe viable, I stay away from the candy drawer. Except for every now and then, when I have a piece of chocolate with my morning coffee. It’s all about balance anyway.

The guys in the plant (yes, there’s a factory attached to my office) go through the candy pretty fast, and since there’s no knowing what may take the place of my favorite treats, I have a second candy drawer at my desk.

Hidden behind the tub of tacks is my ‘in case of an emergency’ stash.

Those candy bars have been in there for a good 6 months, folks. But it comforts me to know they’re waiting, just in case. Just in case what? I can’t quite say. In fact, my secret candy stash is starting to sound eerily familiar. Like I’m in the middle of some kind of deja vu. Like maybe this isn’t the first time I’ve hoarded candy. Huh–weird.

But enough about candy and bottoms. Let’s make a journey to the kitchen area of my little office, where a new treat awaits.

It’s this Keurig coffee maker.

My boss was tired of disgusting office coffee and comissioned me to order something fancy. Thus, the Keurig.

I used it at the Pioneer Woman’s Lodge thinking I would never enjoy its delights again, and now, lo and behold, I have access to it every day. Its flashy blue lights make me feel so . . . sophisticated. Classy. Like maybe I’m wearing fancy pointed snake-skin heels and going to the spa, instead of shuffling around the office in my socks.

Yes, I do that. How else am I going to feel the comforting effects of the foot heater I keep under my desk??

We’re in the process of trying out all the different flavors of coffee, and identifying our favorites. The coffee comes in these cute little pods:

Then there’s figuring out ideal temperature settings, and the perfect brew-size-to-creamer ratio. So much to be analysed.

When I turn it on in the morning, it takes a good 5 minutes to tell me ‘ready to brew’ on the display screen.

I’ve been using those precious 5 minutes to do pushups against the wall, squats, and lunges. Give me a few more months with the Keurig and I’ll be the friggin’ buffest coffee drinker in the office!

Okay, I’m usually the only one in the office. So I guess I’m buffest by default.

Wow! I’ve never been ‘buffest’ before, and I’ve got to say–it feels good!

The exercises continue as I access my stash of creamer:

15 seconds in the microwave is good for at least 5 deep squats.

Why hello little lady! I think I’ll call you ‘The Jenninator.’ Or do you prefer ‘The Jenninatrex’?

Goodbye old and gross coffee pot that we always neglected to wash.

Mr. Coffee will never again have me cringing as I drink my A.M. java.

What are your morning coffee routines and temptations? And how does that relate to the fit of your favorite pair of classy black business pants? I’m all ears.

Let it be known: for the first time since this blog’s inception, I have posted a recipe every single day of this week. Normally I like to talk at least somewhat about my life, my feelings, the book that’s sitting on my bedside table, or the quality of the Baileys in my coffee. But this week, it’s been all about cookies, chickens, and olives so far.

So in order not to totally confuse you and make you think that “Jenna’s Everything Blog” is becoming “Jenna’s Cooking Blog,” let me provide a summary of the above themes as they are playing out these days.

1) My life.

a) My man turned 28 last weekend and I managed to avoid baking a cake for the 2nd year in a row. His Mom came through this year with his favorite–lemon cake with chocolate icing. Phew! I need to overcome my cake lethargy at some point . . . maybe next year?

b) I’m gigging with my friend Carrie tomorrow at CityGrounds in Lincoln Park starting at 7pm–details are here. I’ve told Mr. Stage Fright he has no business showing his face at all over the weekend or I’ll fling a pie in it, so it should be a fabulous gig. P.S. If you come, please bring a pie since I forgot to bake one. These days Mr. Stage Fright really enjoys a tart lemon meringue with a nice flaky crust.

c) It is my personal job during the aforesaid gig to make sure Carrie does not under any circumstances whatsoever drink a latte. It’s a killer for the vocal chords, and she is very susceptible to temptation. Please come to assist in this effort.

d) To wrap things up on the “life” front, Erica is making beautiful progress with my Regency Gown for the ball in South Bend that’s going down in a couple weeks. Alex, you can stop laughing now, because dorks have real fun. Cool people are just good at pretending to have fun.

Or at least please let me think that’s how it works–it’s my only solace.

2) My feelings. I love olives. Babies sometimes have the most munchable cheeks; others have grabbable little dimply bottoms. I really love fontina cheese. Babies are interesting. I love mushrooms and I want to eat a cauldron full of them. Pregnancy scares me; not-pregnancy also scares me. Strawberry shortcake is like crack, but less expensive. Oh, and babies are frighteningly needy. What the heck is up with babies.

3) The book that’s sitting on my bedside table. To Kill a Mockingbird. All is Vanity. The next installment in the Hannah Swensen mysteries.

4) The quality of the Baileys in my coffee. Alas, I’m out of Baileys. In fact, I’ve been out for nearly a month. I’ve been supplementing with Amarula, but this farce can’t go on forever. Can anyone spot me a 20? Anyone? For some of the creamy Irish stuff?

Alright! Now that I’ve put the ‘everything’ back in ‘Jenna’s Everything Blog’ I feel that I can rightfully proceed with more cookitty-cookery. It’s high time for that cauldron full of mushrooms.

I’m usually a sucker for 1-pot meals, but every now and then I get the itch to bring a kaleidoscope of side dishes into my life. Especially when they’re as easy as this one! This recipe shouted my name from the pages of Martha Stewart Living magazine (Feb. 2011 issue). I switched up the herb from thyme to oregano, but besides that, I remained pretty faithful to it. And it’s a winner. Rich, gooey, and so quick to toss together. Less doo it (slang for ‘let’s do it’ for any confused people).

Ingredients

(Serves 3)

8 oz mushrooms (baby bella and shiitake)

3 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper, freshly ground

3/4 c grated fontina cheese

1 TBS finely minced fresh oregano

Look at this simple little assembly of ingredients.

Let’s start by grating the cheese. I kinda feel like it.

Fontina is a very soft cheese, and if you want to avoid a very sticky grater you can spray some oil on it before grating the cheese. That’s what I usually do when grating mozzarella, so it would probably work with fontina, too.

Being a woman of occasional excess, the 3/4 cup of grated cheese somehow morphed into 1 full cup. And I have to say, I wish I had stuck to 3/4 cup. Fontina is very rich, and it was borderline a little too cheesy in the end, believe it or not. So stick to 3/4 cup.

Now let’s grab that fresh oregano and give it the ole mince.

Clean those mushrooms (I just brush them off with a paper towel) and slice them finely. I used equal parts of baby bella:

and shiitake:

But the sky’s the limit. There are so many delicious varities of mushrooms out there.

Put the mushrooms in a pie plate, and add the olive oil:

and salt:

and freshly ground black pepper.

Freshly ground really does make a difference. Just believe.

Toss them about with your hands so that the seasoning and oil is evenly distributed.

Then move them around in the pie plate so that they are as close to being in a single layer as possible. Broil them for 2 minutes. Remove the pie plate and sprinkle the cheese and oregano on top.