As loyal readers of this blog know, Katie and I each gave up all meat for Lent. Needless to say, this is takes a lot of willpower, and there are definitely a lot of temptations along the road (I suppose that’s the point of Lent, but I’m not a theologian, merely a cook). With that said, we both agreed that over the course of Lent we could allow ourselves one indulgence, especially if it made for a good Foodventure. St. Patrick’s Day seemed like a logical time to break down, and the plan for the Great Corned Beef Experiment was hatched.
There are plenty of critics of St. Patrick’s Day. Some say that its not really Irish, others bemoan the fact that corned beef and cabbage is about as Irish as lasagna. To those people I say this: get over yourselves. Corned beef is delicious, and St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the Irish in America, Katie and myself included (25% each).
Like I said, to justify breaking our Lenten commitment, the St. Patrick’s Day meat Foodventure had to be pretty over the top. Corned beef was obviously going to be on the menu, but that somehow seemed too easy. For those who have never cooked it, corned beef is the easiest thing on earth: put it in a pot, cover it with water, and boil slowly for a few hours until it falls apart. In our minds, this was selling out, plain and simple. Read more »
Knowing I had some odds and ends at my house that didn’t amount to much in and of themselves, I stopped at Trader Joe’s last night to pick up some things to supplement what was already in my pantry and fridge. I had big plans for a fun meal that would make for a great post, but I was too hungry to engage in a big project, so I went with Plan B. I picked up frozen shrimp fried rice and vegetarian egg rolls, in part because I was craving Chinese takeout but didn’t want to pay for it and in part because I wanted immediate gratification. In the end, I was less than satisfied.
The egg rolls were supposed to cook for 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven and be turned once after about 10 minutes. I put them in a lightly oiled pan, as instructed, but when I went to turn them, they were stuck in a bad way and fell apart. When the entire cooking time was up, they were not crisp and the insides that ended up on the pan were burned in such a way that made the pan almost impossible to clean.
The shrimp fried rice wasn’t terrible, but it took much longer to cook through than the bag said it would. After heating a little butter in a pan and getting the pan very hot, the food should only have taken about 2-3 minutes to cook, but after 3 minutes, the shrimp were still frozen solid. Plus, I’m not sure why this didn’t occur to me before I bought it, but the idea of frozen egg pieces did not sit well with me and I never got past that. I was too filled with anxiety wondering if the shrimp were really cooked enough and praying that I didn’t bite into a semi-frozen piece of egg to enjoy what was otherwise an ok meal.
What’s worse though is that because this was all so unsatisfying, I’m still craving Chinese.
Yes, I’m embarrassed to admit all of this, but I promised Frank a post about my Tuesday dinner. It was an official Foodventure Fail. But hey, for those of you who don’t like pretentious food blogs, know that I’m big enough to admit that I’m not above a fast, frozen option, particularly on a weeknight.
If you have a better suggestion for a cheap, takeout alternative–or weeknight meal in general that doesn’t disappoint–please pass it along in the comments section.
Greatest Hits | Frank | 
March 12, 2009 7:53 pm | 
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