Mood Food

Hello fellow foodies my name is Meegan and I am a relatively new resident here in North Canton. I work for North Canton City Schools as an IT specialist however technology, as much as I love its practical and valuable applications, it was not always my love. Before IT, in what seems like another life, I was a chef. I started my career in pastry, wonderful to learn, not so good for the waistline. I loved the science of pastry; it was always exact, no spare parts. Also the infinite number of creative ways to express yourself and your mood with cake is truly startling.

After some time I tired of the quiet locations allocated to the pastry chef and decided I wanted to move to the "guys line". That being the frantic part of the kitchen, ruled by swift men, cooking food to order and sloshing out 350 covers a night to hungry guests. Hovering above them was some maniac in a chefs hat screaming all night long, usually in French, about things like ticket times. Why would I want this you ask? Well I am a glutton for punishment of course. Really, I had to do it, the passion that I felt for food made me. I don't really mean eating the food; I mean the combinations of ingredients and flavors that come together to create joy in the end user (or end eater as it is).

Food is such a  part of everyday lives. I really don’t mean our need to eat, or the fifty plus Twizzlers we can put down while trying to concentrate on a creation or project (not that I regularly do that or have a pet name for them “sizzle twizzle’s”) There is a reason that channels like the Food Network and The Cooking Channel are so popular, we are interested in the how’s and whys of those stunning culinary creations. We want to know how a chicken, a potato and and two pieces of asparagus cunningly tied together with a blanched carrot string can get the reactions that it does, why creating it ourselves makes us feel as though we just climbed Mount Everest. It is because for many of us the creations in the kitchen are reflections of ourselves. A way for the less than artistic of us to express our creative side. However it really expresses something else, our moods, our personalities and our lives. What I bring to you is food for your mood. Well my mood I suppose; what I am hoping is that at least one of you shares that mood. So my effort will be to bring one recipe or maybe two a week; something to combine the moods of the day with flavors I love.

The kitchen is not a only a place to toss down our bags at the end of the day it is a part of home; a part of us.

So let’s get started...food for moods and lets start simple. For me this week has been less than fantastic however it’s hot and muggy outside and the kitchen will heat up like the jungle in no time, so lets keep the ovening to a minimum. The following recipe is really good...I mean really really good. It also accomplishes another lofty but admirable goal; taking a reasonably healthy meal and turning it fatty and delicious in no time.

                       When Life Gets Vicious Bacon Is Delicious

                                                         BLT

                                Foccacia Bread (or your fav) 2 slices per sandwich

                                           3 strips of bacon-per sandwich

                                           3 slices tomato-per sandwich

                                 Munster cheese (optional, I just like to say Munster)

                                                         Boston butter lettuce

                                                         ½ cup Brown sugar

                                                   2 tblsp. Balsamic Vinegar

                                                                       Mayo

                                                         S&P, a little olive oil

You can of course start by toasting the bread if you like your BLT’s crispy, I like ‘em chewy so I leave my bread alone. Prepare a baking sheet with a piece of parchment (optional if you like scrapping sugar off of pans) and heat the oven to 375. Take your brown sugar and dump it in a shallow bowl. Take your bacon and press one side of each strip into the brown sugar lay the plain side down on the sheet and bake; about fifteen minutes or until done to taste. Always bake you bacon, less grease and nice and flat. Lay your sliced tomatoes out on a plate and cover with the balsamic vinegar and a little S&P and let soak. Apply lots of mayo and salt and pepper to both sides of the bread, lay on the lettuce and the cheese and patiently await your caramelized bacon. When the bacon is done stack it up and enjoy. Very simple but a crowd pleaser; or just a you pleaser whatever you like. Leave the oven on for step two.

                                                    Roasted Corn

I would try to come up with a semi clever rhyme for both recipe's but you really are asking a lot

Now you may know how to roast corn in the oven. If so disregard and proceed to the seasoned butter. This is really all about the butter anyway. To roast corn just peel back the husk far enough to remove the silk and then pull the husk back up. soak it in water for a few minutes and then put on a sheet tray in the oven for thirty five minutes. A little less for only a couple ears or if your oven runs hot. Now the butter.........

                                                            ½ cup butter or margarine

                                                                       2 tblsp. Brown sugar

                                            1 tblsp. Creole seasoning or other spicy favorite

                                                                                 S&P to taste

Just mix together and spread on the hot corn. If you are really adventurous then you can take the dry ingredients (sugar and Creole)  and rub them on before baking.

This is really something that the whole family can love and will wow guests at picnic or BBQ. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.