One of the best things about going to the dentist is the magazine rack in the waiting room. I don't subscribe to many magazines, so being in the waiting room is like getting a glimpse into other worlds -- Midwest Living, Simple, who knows what I'll find? On Saturday, after chatting with the receptionist a few minutes -- how's the family, how 'bout this weather (snow flurries) -- I settled down with a magazine with lovely pastel Easter eggs on the cover. Partway through, I came across a recipe for beef brisket that looked fresh and different. I showed it to the husband; he agreed. I thumbed through a few more pages. Then I thought maybe I should write that recipe down, so I started to rummage in my purse for a pen and scrap of paper. The door opened. "Come on back." I hastily put the magazine back in the rack and meekly followed the hygienist.
With my teeth cleaned, X-rays taken, and a figurative pat on the head from the dentist, I returned to the waiting room. The husband was still in the back, so I figured I'd get that recipe. The magazine was gone! No pastel Easter eggs to be seen in the rack or on the chairs. Hummpf. Some other middle-aged lady (there had been one in the waiting room) had no doubt taken it with her back to the dentist's chair.
When I got home, I began searching online for the recipe. I didn't know what magazine it was, only that it had Easter eggs on the cover. I searched for a recipe with the ingredients, and I struck gold. I found it in Good Housekeeping. The name of the recipe is a mouthful, Soy-Braised Beef and Tomato-Mint Salad. Here's the link.
I made it for last night's dinner, and it was a hit. It's super easy, too, as the beef cooks all day in the crock pot. I served it, as suggested, with jasmine rice. Next time, both of us agreed, maybe replace the red onion with green onions or shallots. The onion flavor was a little strong. (The husband said this first and he loves onions.) In the magazine, they used whole mint leaves, which looked prettier, but my mint leaves were gargantuan, so I chopped them. One important note: I used low sodium soy sauce and it was plenty salty.
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| photo from Kikkoman web site |
Speaking of soy sauce, did you know that much of the Kikkoman soy sauce produced in the U.S. comes from Walworth, Wisconsin? It's a tiny town just over the Illinois border. We used to live seven miles from Walworth, so I usually buy Kikkoman. I remember the first time we drove north on Rt. 14 into Wisconsin and I saw that big Kikkoman plant sitting out in the middle of a field. Such a surprise. But it makes sense, since the Midwest grows a lot of soybeans. Might as well put the plant near the source, right?
Anyway, next time you're at the dentist, keep your eyes open, be sure to have a pen and paper, and don't let anyone snatch your magazine and carry it to the back before you get your recipe. But if that does happen, there's always the internet.