A Semi-Homemade Reflection

There is a show on the Food Network called Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. It has been on-air for at least a few years. The first time I saw the show I'm not sure which bothered me more, the personality of the host or the concept: take something that is boxed or halfway-prepared and present it as a unique dish. In reflecting on this concept, I'm not sure why it is so bothersome. In fact, I frequently turn to Hamburger Helper and jars of pasta sauce for dinner and manipulate cake mix into cheap cookies.

I suppose the pretentious culinary in me abhors the thought of not making everything from scratch, but it is not always practical for me to soak dry beans or prepare my own cake mix. The truth is that I really have no problem with using canned or pre-packaged ingredients...or at least not nearly the qualms that chefs on shows like Chopped or Top Chef display.

My monologue really has no purpose other than to serve as a preface to my latest culinary "adventure."

Once a year I try to enjoy the flavor of a stereotypical Irish dish commonly referred to as "Corned Beef." I'm not particularly interested in expounding on the history or flavor of this dish but only to state that I like beef brisket and enjoy the unique cured flavor that the Irish have contributed.  However, I don't particularly like the aroma from preparing this dish. So...I opted to just make the brisket.

Barbecue-Glazed Beef Brisket with Orzo Macaroni and Cheese

I took a packaged, pre-seasoned brisket from the grocery store and braised it for a few hours in the oven. I removed the deckle and grilled half of the meat with some Famous Dave's brand Sweet & Zesty barbecue sauce. The meat was tender enough and didn't have the texture of shoe leather like I've experienced brisket to be. The barbecue sauce is relatively sweet and provided some balance to the saltiness of the beef.

On this occasion I had leftover orzo pasta from the Tuscan Salmon dish I made the middle of last week. I made a quick cheese sauce and baked a basic macaroni and cheese with a little black pepper and chili powder. The dish was a hybrid of macaroni and risotto. The texture was relatively creamy and smooth but the cheese sauce was somewhat grainy. I took care to slowly melt the sharp cheddar to prevent the sauce from breaking; unfortunately the texture was not exactly what I hoped for. That said, my judgement might be somewhat impaired after so many years of eating creamy boxed macaroni and cheese.

The cheese sauce was a basic bechamel comprised of the following ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tbsp. Flour

1 Cup Milk, warmed

1 Cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp. Black pepper

I didn't take the time to check on the proportions for this recipe as it was a spontaneous preparation. The butter was melted in a small sauce pot and the flour was mixed in. The mixture was "cooked" for a while before the warm milk was slowly whisked in. On low heat, the cheddar cheese was added 1/4 cup at a time as the cheese melted. Black pepper was added to taste. The cooked orzo pasta was added and the mixture was transferred to a baking dish and cooked for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. The taste was a 2.5 out of 5. Not particularly interesting but enjoyable enough.

Baked Orzo Macaroni and Cheese

I understand the merit in cooking with fresh ingredients all the time but being able to successfully manipulate pre-made ingredients in a pinch or for convenience is an equally valuable skill, in my opinion. So, as my conflicting opinions on using semi-homemade preparations continue to war within me, I will concede to the boxes, cans, and jars in my pantry to prepare something to appease my curiosity and imagination.

Remove your mental boundaries and you will open yourself up to unlimited possibilities... cook something new and tell people about it.