I was checking out CowTv today and found their video tour of the Cajohn facility. Being a chili head, I love CaJohn's products, even though I haven't tried their new line of sauces made with the infamous Ghost Chilis. Maybe I can get some and our little group of chil heads can have a "bonding" moment.
This is a long video, so I recommend getting settled in before you fire it up...
1.19.2009
1.17.2009
The truth about "surprise" visits or Bamboo Cafe redux
When I was in college, I shared a apartment with a female roommate. Sad to say, we were both total slobs - lazy drunken slobs. It was shameful. You wouldn't think two gals could live in such a trash heap, but to my chagrin, we did. Instead of cleaning, we spent time drinking $2 pitchers of Old Swill at the Beer Stube. My roomie - we'll call her Betty to protect the not so innocent- had parents who were very generous with the monetary gifts - allowing us to "further our studies" of cheap beer and cute guys on her parent's dime. The only catch was that twice a year, Betty's parents would come down and spend the weekend in Columbus. Part of the visit included stopping by our apartment before taking us out to dinner. Since we KNEW when they were coming, we would spend the two days before the visit cleaning our pad from top to bottom, making sure that everything was spic and span, that we strategically placed our textbooks and "notes" from class where they could be easily spied and that our fridge was totally empty of anything except a bottle of ketchup and an expired yogurt - since we were starving college students. When Betty's parents appeared at the appointed hour, we were the neatest, most upstanding, hardworking co-eds that ever attended OSU.
So what does that have to do with restaurant reviews?
Imagine that a restaurateur knew that a reviewer and a photographer from a local newspaper were coming for a visit. Don't you think that the restaurateur would make sure everything was spic and span - just like Betty and I did when we knew her parents and their checkbook were coming to visit?
I read Jon Christensen's review of Bamboo Cafe in this week's week Dispatch. Amazing how Bamboo Cafe went from a one star restaurant to a four star restaurant when The Dispatch food critic and a photographer showed up. Do you think there was an advance phone call? Did the folks at Bamboo Cafe get a chance to hide their dirty laundry before the man with the credentials showed up? I am going bet on one of two things - either there was an advance call or someone at the Bamboo Cafe ran a psychic hotline before they opened the restaurant. I know where I would put my money.
My question is:
Will you - the man on the street - have the same dining experience as Jon the Dispatch reviewer?
It depends on two things
a) are you a paid restaurant reviewer?
b) Do you have any way to influence the public's opinion of this restaurant?
Since I doubt that most you get paid to eat out, I will guess that the answer to question A is "No!".
However,the answer to question B is "Yes"! The Internet gives you - the average person - power to let others know of your "covert" visits to the various restaurants you patronize. Any restaurant who trots out their A game for a KNOWN reviewer is not a good place to patronize. You will only end up being disappointed and have a kid who dropped out of college after three years (Poor Betty!)
Instead, find a good restaurant that you like and vote for them with your wallet. Let people know through sites like Urbanspoon or Columbus Underground. The everyday experience is what counts in the long run, not what any reviewer - including me - says. Your experience will determine how you should feel about a restaurant. You should only use a review as a guide, not words from the burning bush.
So what does that have to do with restaurant reviews?
Imagine that a restaurateur knew that a reviewer and a photographer from a local newspaper were coming for a visit. Don't you think that the restaurateur would make sure everything was spic and span - just like Betty and I did when we knew her parents and their checkbook were coming to visit?
I read Jon Christensen's review of Bamboo Cafe in this week's week Dispatch. Amazing how Bamboo Cafe went from a one star restaurant to a four star restaurant when The Dispatch food critic and a photographer showed up. Do you think there was an advance phone call? Did the folks at Bamboo Cafe get a chance to hide their dirty laundry before the man with the credentials showed up? I am going bet on one of two things - either there was an advance call or someone at the Bamboo Cafe ran a psychic hotline before they opened the restaurant. I know where I would put my money.
My question is:
Will you - the man on the street - have the same dining experience as Jon the Dispatch reviewer?
It depends on two things
a) are you a paid restaurant reviewer?
b) Do you have any way to influence the public's opinion of this restaurant?
Since I doubt that most you get paid to eat out, I will guess that the answer to question A is "No!".
However,the answer to question B is "Yes"! The Internet gives you - the average person - power to let others know of your "covert" visits to the various restaurants you patronize. Any restaurant who trots out their A game for a KNOWN reviewer is not a good place to patronize. You will only end up being disappointed and have a kid who dropped out of college after three years (Poor Betty!)
Instead, find a good restaurant that you like and vote for them with your wallet. Let people know through sites like Urbanspoon or Columbus Underground. The everyday experience is what counts in the long run, not what any reviewer - including me - says. Your experience will determine how you should feel about a restaurant. You should only use a review as a guide, not words from the burning bush.
1.11.2009
Cuca's
I've been looking for a non-chain Mexican restaurant to go to for a while now. While the El Vaquero chain is OK, its not the best I've ever had, plus they are all invasive - kinda like kudzu. They have other restaurants under different names that use the El Vaquero menu...Cazula's Grill on campus is an example of that practice. I feel it is my duty to support the little guy who is making good food and takes personal pride in what he is making, so I try out all kinds of small out of the way joints...
Enter Cuco's on Henderson Road. I stopped in a few months ago to grab some carry out during a grueling double shift at work. At the time I chose a tamale with beans and rice for sides...$5.95 carryout. The beans were tasty. The tamales were homemade, and the rice was moist. A big plus was that the whole meal came with a big bag of fresh cooked tortilla chips and homemade salsa.
I went home and raved about Cuco's to the hubby. He was skeptical. The last time I took him to out for Mexican at Aztecas and it was awful, so once bitten - twice shy. Plus, the bar has been set pretty high since we went to Las Palmas in St. Louis - which is fantastic.
After much wheedling, I talked him into stopping for lunch while we were out grocery shopping. He went from not happy to ecstatic in the course of the next 45 minutes. First, our waiter brought a big basket of homemade chips and salsa. Tony complained that the salsa wasn't hot. So I went up to the salsa bar and got some of their other homemade hot sauces, a red and a green. While not incendiary, they were both very flavorful.
Vats of homemade hot sauce - made me wanna go for a dip!
They also had some pico de gallo and a pickled onion dish which I can't remember the name of. All were very good - the pico de gallo would have been better with summer tomatoes, but you have to work with what you have...
We also ordered guacamole - which was fresh made to order by mashing the avocados with a helping of pico de gallo. It was pretty decent.
I ordered carnita tacos - the lunch special for $5.95. Tony had commented on the fact that cheese, sour cream and guacamole were extra. I told him I would reserve judgment until they came.
Tony asked the waiter what he would recommend. "The fajitas" came the answer. Recommending fajitas to us was a risky thing - with us thinking back to all the tough flavorless meat and mounds of burnt veggies we had been served in the past. Tony looked doubtful, but being the brave soul that he is, ordered away. (We ask for recommendations from the staff to see if they know their food - its a good way to get a handle on how well the front of the house knows the back of the house.)
A few minutes later - out came our main meals. Yes - my tacos looked plain, consisting of nothing but warm tortillas, meat, and a sprinkling of white onion and cilantro. But when I picked them up and took a bite, the meat was the star. It was perfect - moist and flavorful. The only addition I made was to sprinkle a green hot sauce on them for a little punch. The beans and rice were spot on as before. I asked the waiter if the beans were homemade and he indicated that they were - a big plus in my book.
$5.95 - can you beat that?
Tony was reticent about eating his fajitas. He looked suspiciously at the sizzling plate. He stabbed a piece of beef off of the pile and bit an end. Then he ate the whole piece. Then he started loading up the tortillas and tearing into his lunch with gusto. Yes - it was good. Some of the best I've had in years. The steak was tender and not overdone. The veggies, while charred a little, were not burnt or bitter. The sides were generous and included guacamole and sour cream. I stole some as well - there was plenty to go around.
Sorry I couldn't wait!
Churros - wow. Hot, deep fried dough with caramel inside, covered with dulce le leche and cinnamon sugar with whipped cream on the side. Damn. That is all I can say. Damn.
We were so impressed that we took our friend Eric out to eat there the next night. It was still good then too... even though they were busy as heck.
So if you are looking for a reasonably priced Mexican place that takes pride in their food- I say give Cuco's a try.
Enter Cuco's on Henderson Road. I stopped in a few months ago to grab some carry out during a grueling double shift at work. At the time I chose a tamale with beans and rice for sides...$5.95 carryout. The beans were tasty. The tamales were homemade, and the rice was moist. A big plus was that the whole meal came with a big bag of fresh cooked tortilla chips and homemade salsa.
I went home and raved about Cuco's to the hubby. He was skeptical. The last time I took him to out for Mexican at Aztecas and it was awful, so once bitten - twice shy. Plus, the bar has been set pretty high since we went to Las Palmas in St. Louis - which is fantastic.
After much wheedling, I talked him into stopping for lunch while we were out grocery shopping. He went from not happy to ecstatic in the course of the next 45 minutes. First, our waiter brought a big basket of homemade chips and salsa. Tony complained that the salsa wasn't hot. So I went up to the salsa bar and got some of their other homemade hot sauces, a red and a green. While not incendiary, they were both very flavorful.
Vats of homemade hot sauce - made me wanna go for a dip!They also had some pico de gallo and a pickled onion dish which I can't remember the name of. All were very good - the pico de gallo would have been better with summer tomatoes, but you have to work with what you have...
We also ordered guacamole - which was fresh made to order by mashing the avocados with a helping of pico de gallo. It was pretty decent.
I ordered carnita tacos - the lunch special for $5.95. Tony had commented on the fact that cheese, sour cream and guacamole were extra. I told him I would reserve judgment until they came.
Tony asked the waiter what he would recommend. "The fajitas" came the answer. Recommending fajitas to us was a risky thing - with us thinking back to all the tough flavorless meat and mounds of burnt veggies we had been served in the past. Tony looked doubtful, but being the brave soul that he is, ordered away. (We ask for recommendations from the staff to see if they know their food - its a good way to get a handle on how well the front of the house knows the back of the house.)
A few minutes later - out came our main meals. Yes - my tacos looked plain, consisting of nothing but warm tortillas, meat, and a sprinkling of white onion and cilantro. But when I picked them up and took a bite, the meat was the star. It was perfect - moist and flavorful. The only addition I made was to sprinkle a green hot sauce on them for a little punch. The beans and rice were spot on as before. I asked the waiter if the beans were homemade and he indicated that they were - a big plus in my book.
$5.95 - can you beat that?Tony was reticent about eating his fajitas. He looked suspiciously at the sizzling plate. He stabbed a piece of beef off of the pile and bit an end. Then he ate the whole piece. Then he started loading up the tortillas and tearing into his lunch with gusto. Yes - it was good. Some of the best I've had in years. The steak was tender and not overdone. The veggies, while charred a little, were not burnt or bitter. The sides were generous and included guacamole and sour cream. I stole some as well - there was plenty to go around.
Hot Sizzlin' Meaty Goodness
Tony insisted that we order dessert and asked for flan. The waiter said - no you want the churros. So we ordered the churros. He had been right so far, why doubt him now?
Sorry I couldn't wait!Churros - wow. Hot, deep fried dough with caramel inside, covered with dulce le leche and cinnamon sugar with whipped cream on the side. Damn. That is all I can say. Damn.
We were so impressed that we took our friend Eric out to eat there the next night. It was still good then too... even though they were busy as heck.
So if you are looking for a reasonably priced Mexican place that takes pride in their food- I say give Cuco's a try.
1.09.2009
Bamboo Cafe
We have been driving by Bamboo Café on Bethel Rd for the past month or so– the spot they now fill has been empty a while. The reason – it is located behind a McDonald’s. Not the best location for any business, much less a restaurant. However, Annie was intrigued by the “curtain” of live bamboo that screen the window and the very beautiful décor within. Much begging ensued and we reluctantly gave in.
The Bamboo Café promises both Vietnamese and Thai food. We like both. We have our favorite places to go for each cuisine, but there is always room for one more restaurant on our list. MiLi’s (MiMi’s) is my normal go-to place for pho and sets the standard by which I judge all others. We have also become big fans of Tai Thai in Grandview for Thai curries.
We came into a nearly empty restaurant on a Thursday lunch. There was a single waitress on the floor and one other couple at a neighboring table. As we sat down, we admired the scenery – bamboo walls, a bamboo archway over the entrance to the kitchen, rich textiles under the glass of the tabletops. It looked nice.
The menu was limited, but offered a sampling of standard dishes from both cuisines. The prices were a little on the high side - $10.00 for a bowl of pho, $9.50 for curry.
After looking over the menu, I decided to get the Pho. Annie chose a Thai red curry. Tony asked the waitress what she recommended and she pointed out the same pho dish that I had ordered, so that is what he ordered. Tony and Annie asked for water, and I ordered hot tea.
The whole group started to get bad “vives” when the add-ins for the pho came out. The Thai basil was wilted and bruised, as was the culantro. The sirrachi and hoisin sauce bottles were kind of “gnarley” and needed a good wipe down.
Yummmm - rotting vegetation!
The food arrived quickly. Much to our regret. It was terrible. I know that is brutal – but true.
The worst bowl of pho EVER!
First the pho. For those of you who have never had pho, I need to explain a basic technique that goes with the dish. Thinly sliced raw beef is placed into the bowl, then very hot broth is poured over the top. This cooks the beef quickly, and it is very tender. I’ve heard it termed “shaboo-shaboo style”. Not so with the Bamboo café. The meat had been precooked, re-warmed (possibly in a microwave) and then put in the soup. It was like chewing on old shoe leather. The same was true of the tendon meatballs. I had never had a tough meatball before – but I can no longer say that. To top all this off – the broth was straight out of a can. Nasty, metallic beef broth. The whole dish was inedible.
My daughter’s curry was the wrong dish. She had ordered the red curry. What she received was a pale yellow in color. The beef was the same as in the pho – pre-cooked, re-warmed and dumped into re-warmed curry base. The curry sauce had no real flavor other than that of coconut milk. So, tough nasty beef in a bland sauce.
Does this look red to you?
The meal was so bad we didn’t finish it. The waitress asked if we wanted to take the leftovers home and we said no. In most restaurants with an experienced wait staff – this would have been a tip off something was wrong. Fat people who didn’t want to take the extras home. We tried to explain that the food was not good, but the explanation appeared to be lost on her, as her English vocabulary was not very strong.
We were presented with the bill. I asked her to take off the tea – which I had never received. All told, our lunch came to $35.00 with tip. That is a lot cash for bad food and mediocre service in a pretty setting.
So, in summation, I would rather have bamboo under my fingernails than ever eat at Bamboo Cafe again.
Read my reactions to the Dispatch Review here
1.04.2009
Happy Holidays! Even if they are over by now...
I hope everyone had a great time – visited with family and friends (without drama), got everything you wanted (including usual socks and underwear), ate lots of great food (without gaining an ounce) and drank mass quantities (without any hangover).
We went kinda light on the presents this year. My hubby did splurge and buy me something interesting to play with in the kitchen – an Orion Smoker. He saw a good deal on it, did a little internet research and took the plunge. I have some pork I am going to turn into a “smoking hot butt” soon should the nice weather hold…
Our holiday feast had a southern theme to it– simple baked ham, sweet potato casserole, mustard greens (with a ton of bacon in them!!), green beans, homemade rolls and bourbon pecan pie for dessert.
The homemade rolls were from an old handwritten card buried my mom’s recipe file. Named 60 Minute Rolls, they are exactly that. How is this achieved? By adding a HUGE amount of yeast (two 1oz packages) to a relatively small amount of flour (four cups of AP).
I remember my mom making great rolls every Sunday after church – and at one point she told me this was the recipe. Well these weren’t that great…they were way too yeasty plus they didn’t have enough salt in them. I think the major problem is that the recipe is so old that the types of yeast may have changed. All it said was “2 packages of yeast”. That could mean the old school blocks of yeast from the refrigerator section or just two packages of the old school dried yeast. I substituted the new “super yeast” and it may have been too much for the recipe. The salt issue is most likely a guess-timation issue – my mom was notorious for pouring a little bit of stuff in her palm and guessing the amount when she was marking up recipes.
I hope to try them again soon once I get the whole thing figured out.
I tell ya –fixing up these old recipes is driving me to drink!
I also received several board games from my friend Tate to add to my ever growing collection. New Year’s Eve was dedicated to eradicating zombies and Cthulhian horrors while ingesting massive amounts of food and drink.
As far as eats went - the menu was split. We had lots of “normal” people showing up so we had to have some “safe” food for them. They got hot dogs, baked beans and a veggie tray. For all the adventurous folk in the crowd, I “created” some Middle East inspired dishes, such hummus with pita chips and lamb “burgers”. Eric also brought a cone of gyro meat which we slivered off and cooked up on the griddle. Damn it was good!
Tate asked me to make some cookies for the party as well – mostly so he could
bite the heads off of them. But he specified that they could not be made of gingerbread. So I ended up with chocolate chip shortbread zombies, Cthulhian monsters and their ilk.
I got the recipe from the Nestle site, but it really needed some help. When I followed their exact proportions of butter to flour, it ended up being way too dry and crumbled away when I tried to shape it after refrigeration. I ended up having to add an extra egg so that it would hold together enough to roll out. While the concept is worthwhile, I think I am going to have to work on getting the right dough for the job.
So the food got ate, games got played and everyone had a good time… I hope this starts a new tradition…
12.18.2008
Eat Christmas Cookies and Be Happy
I am happy to be participating in Eat Christmas Cookies 2 being hosted by Food Blogga. As you all know, this is the time of year when I pull out my collection of cookie cookbooks and plot the ruin of other peoples' diets. Yes - I am the evil little Christmas baker! I hide behind the bright smile of an chubby, middle-aged matron but, deep within my heart, I am plotting the expansion of your waistline. Muhahahhahhahahahhahaha!
Other than that, I just really like baking cookies. They are little packages of flavor with happiness and love hiding on the inside. (As far as you know!)
One thing that sets Christmas apart from the rest of the year is the opportunity to make lots of "fancy" cookies. The rest of the year it seems like you are making everyone else's favorites - usually involving chocolate chips, oatmeal and/or peanut butter. Not that I have anything against those types of cookies, but occasionally it just nice to stretch your culinary wings and make something else.
In past years, I've shared some of my "fancy" cookies. I tend to lean towards spice, nuts and fruit when I make my cookies.
Here are some of my past entries -
Pecan Tassies and Spiced Cranberry Apricot refrigerator cookies
Stroopwaffles - which I am preparing to make this afternoon
Lebkuken - from Gail's Heirloom recipe
This year I would like to feature a cookie I found in Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter . A quick word about this book - I love it. Not only do the recipes produce great cookies, Carole also spends the time classifying each cookie by type, but also by their characteristics - such as versatility or fragility. Plus - and a big plus for me - she gives you a shelf life for each recipe. An immense help when plotting the diet downfall of some distant relation.
Now introducing - Chocolate Snowcaps! Everyone wants chocolate chocolate chip - so this appeases both my family and friends' desire PLUS I get to make a really pretty cookie. This will be the second year I am making these - the hard part has been finding the nonpareils. I eventually located a brand called Bazzini at my local Pepperidge Farm outlet store. (Yes there is one in Columbus - and they carry large boxes of puff pastry at a great price as well!) The outlet store only carries the Bazzini brand during the holidays - so if you want to beat me to them, you better hurry.
The other secret to this cookie is that you have to use the best ingredients. It's a simply cookie. If you use poor quality ingredients, it shows in the finished product. I once again indulged in a high fat cocoa powder - Ghiridelli this time. Be aware that high fat cocoa powder is likely to go rancid quickly - so store it in a cool dry place and test it before you use it. Even a "new" can from the store can be rancid if it has sat too long on the shelf or been mishandled in transit. The same is true of things like butter - please taste your butter before you use it. If it tastes of anything other than sweet creaminess - get another pound for this recipe.
Oh - and just in case you wanted to know - there cookies were deemed by Carole to be versatile, have a long shelf life and are temperature sensitive.
Chocolate Snowcaps
from Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter
These chocolate shortbread cookies are topped with disks of semisweet chocolate nonpareil candies. While nonpareils are available in most supermarkets, those purchased from a specialty candy store will be well worth the investment. Not only are these candies available in assorted flavors of semisweet, milk, and bittersweet chocolate, but some are covered with rainbow nonpareils.
Because these cookies are made with a shortbread-style dough, take care not to overwork the mixture, otherwise the dough will become too soft to handle.
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons seedless raspberry preserves
48 semisweet chocolate nonpareil candies
MAKE THE DOUGH
1. Strain together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
3. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix briefly to incorporate. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the remaining dry ingredients by hand, working the mixture just until the dough is smooth. Do not overmix.
BAKE THE COOKIES
5. Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°. Butter the cookie sheets well.
6. Using a pastry scraper, divide the dough into 48 I-inch squares. Roll each square into a ball and arrange about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Place the granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Dip a flat-bottomed glass into the sugar, then press down on each ball to form a 2-inch disk. Using a small spatula, spread a dab of preserves on the bottom of a nonpareil and lightly press the candy, topside up, into the center of each disk.
STORAGE Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.
One last note - if you really want to see some other folks fantastic cookies, then check out the Eat Christmas Cookies round page. Don't forget - if you don't have enough time before the holidays to try them all, you can always come up with other excuses!
12.09.2008
Cookie Confab 2008
I am sad to report that Debbie, Gail and I have decided that we would not have a cookie confab this year. We are heartbroken, but there was really nothing else to do. I now work the weekends. Debbie and Gail have weekends off. I work swing shift, Gail works second shift and Debbie works first shift. So even on my days off, it would be impossible for us to even squeeze in an evening of cookie making, much less a couple weekends like we have in past years. But we have made a pact to make cookies on our own and trade out some of our specialties to the others so that we can have the best of all worlds. (Oh God - I sound like Candide!)
Since I am not working with the other cookie ladies this year, my hubby has declared that I am allowed to break the rules. Actually just one rule - he wants chocolate chip cookies. And so do all his friends. They have actually been calling me asking when I will have the chocolate chip cookies ready! It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! They managed to separate me from the rest of the group and I am now their helpless cookie baking thrall.
I am always on the lookout for more cookie recipes - especially those that promise not to make my butt wider than the Grand Canyon. If anyone has any other cookie suggestions, drop me a line. You know me - no cookie will go uneaten!
Here is a partial list of cookies I am going to start making this coming "weekend"
Stroopwaffels - I picked up a pizzell maker at New Uses this past spring for all of $10.00. True they will be HUGE cookies, but they will taste great. As part of my revenge, I plan on forcing Tony to sit at the kitchen table to make the cookies while I relax on the veranda (IE: play computer games).
Baby Fruitcakes - Specifically the recipe from The Cookie Lover's Cookie Book by Richard Sax . I used to love regular fruitcake. Olde fashioned fruitcake is awesome when an experienced cook (like my mom) makes it, but about fifteen years ago I got tired of having eight metric tons of fruitcake around the house after the holidays. So when I saw this recipe, I knew it was for me. The only bad thing is that they are not keepers unless you freeze them.
Chocolate on Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies - This is a new one that I am trying from Maida Heatter's Brand New Book of Great Cookies. (I picked up both her older book of cookies and her newer book of cookies at Half-Price this past year. And yes - they are different.) The thing that really intrigues me about this recipe is that you make dough logs as in a typical refrigerator cookie recipe, then put chocolate between two slices of raw dough and bake it all together. I figure it will be a love 'em or hate 'em situation with the folks on the receiving end - but they should remember they are getting them as a present and if they bitch, I will put the smack down on them!
Pecan Diamonds - I lost my favorite recipe a few years back. Isn't that always the way? I had photocopied it out of a book and laminated it so I could reuse it in the kitchen. All that time and effort - POOF!! Gone! Of course that is the way it always works. I can't even remember the book they came out of, since it was over twenty years ago when I found it. (OMG - I just wrote that and felt sooooooooooo freakin' old.) This past year, Gail found me a recipe in an old magazine that she had used before and gave it to me. It is turned out pretty damn good. Here is the recipe in case you want to try them.
1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons whipping cream
TO STORE: Layer between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Since I am not working with the other cookie ladies this year, my hubby has declared that I am allowed to break the rules. Actually just one rule - he wants chocolate chip cookies. And so do all his friends. They have actually been calling me asking when I will have the chocolate chip cookies ready! It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! They managed to separate me from the rest of the group and I am now their helpless cookie baking thrall.
I am always on the lookout for more cookie recipes - especially those that promise not to make my butt wider than the Grand Canyon. If anyone has any other cookie suggestions, drop me a line. You know me - no cookie will go uneaten!
Here is a partial list of cookies I am going to start making this coming "weekend"
Stroopwaffels - I picked up a pizzell maker at New Uses this past spring for all of $10.00. True they will be HUGE cookies, but they will taste great. As part of my revenge, I plan on forcing Tony to sit at the kitchen table to make the cookies while I relax on the veranda (IE: play computer games).
Baby Fruitcakes - Specifically the recipe from The Cookie Lover's Cookie Book by Richard Sax . I used to love regular fruitcake. Olde fashioned fruitcake is awesome when an experienced cook (like my mom) makes it, but about fifteen years ago I got tired of having eight metric tons of fruitcake around the house after the holidays. So when I saw this recipe, I knew it was for me. The only bad thing is that they are not keepers unless you freeze them.
Chocolate on Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies - This is a new one that I am trying from Maida Heatter's Brand New Book of Great Cookies. (I picked up both her older book of cookies and her newer book of cookies at Half-Price this past year. And yes - they are different.) The thing that really intrigues me about this recipe is that you make dough logs as in a typical refrigerator cookie recipe, then put chocolate between two slices of raw dough and bake it all together. I figure it will be a love 'em or hate 'em situation with the folks on the receiving end - but they should remember they are getting them as a present and if they bitch, I will put the smack down on them!
Pecan Diamonds - I lost my favorite recipe a few years back. Isn't that always the way? I had photocopied it out of a book and laminated it so I could reuse it in the kitchen. All that time and effort - POOF!! Gone! Of course that is the way it always works. I can't even remember the book they came out of, since it was over twenty years ago when I found it. (OMG - I just wrote that and felt sooooooooooo freakin' old.) This past year, Gail found me a recipe in an old magazine that she had used before and gave it to me. It is turned out pretty damn good. Here is the recipe in case you want to try them.
Pecan Diamonds
Prep: 25 min. Bake: 12 + 20 min.
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup shortening 1 egg1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 x 1inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan; set aside. In large bowl, combine 1/3 cup butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and the shortening; beat on medium speed until combined. Beat in egg, vanilla, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Stir in any remaining flour. Pat dough evenly into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes or until top is set.
2. In saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup butter, the brown sugar, honey, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bring to boiling over medium heat; boil gently 3 minutes. Add nuts and cream.
3. Spread hot nut mixture onto crust. Bake 20 minutes; filling will still be soft but bubbly all over. Cool in pan on rack. Use foil to lift from pan. Place on cutting surface. Using sharp knife, cut lengthwise into six to eight strips, then cut diagonally to form diamonds. Makes about 40.
TO STORE: Layer between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
12.08.2008
You know what will get people riled up at Thanksgiving?
Stuffing Vs Dressing
I am betting Becke and I would come to harsh words over the whole thing. She, a tried and true stuffing gal, would never think of of anything other than cramming the cavity of her bird with bits of dried bread, diced veggies and buttery goodness. I, on the other hand, make an argument for baking the mixture in a separate bowl. I think that my turkey comes out so much better because I can control the cooking method.
In fact, this year we purchased a 23 pound bird from Kroger. Nothing fancy. I just can't bring myself to spending $35.00 on a Kosher bird when money is tight. My store brand bird cost me all of $7.50. Easy on the wallet - tasty in the tummy. I had the hubby butterfly out this big old bird. That way I could monitor the temperature of the white and dark meat separately and pull out pieces parts as they got done. No Normal Rockwell moments around my Thanksgiving table - the resultant bird looked like something Victor Frankenstein would have served. Not that my family would have been depicted anyway - when we eat it looks more like a scene from a show on Animal Planet. "The three predators are now moving in quickly - their prey no longer capable of resisting attack. Notice how the big male dismembers the large bird, making way for its mate and offspring to pick the choicest morsels before he too falls upon the helpless turkey."
So - let's return to this stuffing vs dressing debate. In my household growing up, we had both - mostly because there was never enough stuffing to go around. We would get a 16 pound turkey for six people and the cavity just wasn't big enough to hold the monumental amount of bread-y goodness for everyone. My dad got first shot at it - and then it was catch as catch can. I don't think my younger brother ever got any stuffing until he was old enough to fend off the other attackers. My mother was forced to supplement with a big bowl of dressing - usually oyster dressing.
I had two problems with this. 1) I hated getting pieces of shell. My mom would miss some of the tinier bits when she cleaned the oysters. and 2) It was dry as hell. The stuffing was always nice and moist and the dressing needed a ton of gravy to make it palatable.
It wasn't until I worked in a restaurant that I learned a good way to make stuffing. Delores had been cooking in restaurants for many years. She wasn't a chef, she was a cook. And there in nothing wrong with being a good cook. Chefs couldn't be chefs without competent people under them. Delores only worked three days a week - Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Wednesday she was responsible for making the daily special and all the regulars knew they had better show up early to get some. Italian wedding soup, stuffed green peppers, Swiss steak, roast pork - every single dish was good. And in the process of helping her between tables, I got to learn how to make a lot of her dishes.
Every year Delores would make a big batch of dressing for the owner to take to his family gathering. Cheating I know - but hey, he was a man who knew how to manager his resources. That meant I got to see how someone else made this required holiday dish. It was nothing like I had seen before, but it has been the technique I've used ever since. The technique is not revolutionary, but its more akin to a savory bread pudding than the dried out stuffing that my mom would make.
My recipe goes something like this.
2 loaves of quality white/wheat bread, cubed
4-5 stalks of celery, medium dice
2 medium onions, medium dice
1 medium carrot, medium dice (optional)
1/2 stick butter
4-6 cups of broth, warmed
herbs and spices
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1) Start the night before. Take the cubed bread and let it dry overnight. It should be fairly crumbly. If you don't have the time or inclination, you can also dry out the cubes in the oven set on low. The whole idea is to get out as much moisture from the bread as possible so it can soak up the broth and spices. When dry, put the bread in a really large pan or bowl. I usually have to break out a huge bowl I got from Tupperware.
2) In a large pot, melt the butter and saute the onions, celery and carrots until the onions are transparent. Add 4 cups of the stock, and allow to simmer. This is also where you add the dried herbs and spices. What I add varies depending on what I am serving this with and what I have on hand. For the Thanksgiving batch it went like this - 2 T of rubbed sage, 2 bay leaves, a little seasoned salt, pepper, 1/2 t of dried chipolte pepper, 1/2 t of Spanish smoked paprika, 1 t of Mural of Flavor (some new stuff from Penzey's), 1/2 t garlic powder and 1/2 t onion powder. The idea is to make the flavors very intense in the broth. Remember, this is getting mixed in with tons of really bland dried bread. If you have fresh herbs, then you would add then to the bread mixture just before you pour the hot broth/spice/veggies over top. You don't want to over cook them.
This is the right texture.
It's kinda hard to tell, but hey its a tactile thing not a visual thing.
3) Pour the veggie/spice/broth mixture over the dried bread. Mix. You want to distribute the broth evenly over the dried bread. Here is the tricky part. The bread should be fairly moist. Almost like a thick slurry of bread. If it isn't moist all the way through, then you might need to add a little more liquid. (Here are my thoughts on this: When you go to put the stuffing into the bird, you make it dry so that it will soak up the juices coming out of the meat. This means you need to compensate for that extra moisture. Also, when you are baking the dressing, some of the liquid will evaporate. So you have to make it just a bit more moist than you think it should be so that it will "dry out" just enough to make it tasty. Its a fine balance. I ruined a couple of batches before I got the knack of it.) When the texture is right, add one beaten egg and mix well. Pour into a greased oven proof bowl bowl. I use an old 4 qt Pyrex bowl I bought at a garage sale for $.25. It's ugly, but it works.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. You will know when its done because the top with be all brown and crusty and the inside should be set and moist.
My apologizes for the lack of photos. The final product was eaten rather quickly and pronounced to be "very good - the best you ever made" by the family.
I am betting Becke and I would come to harsh words over the whole thing. She, a tried and true stuffing gal, would never think of of anything other than cramming the cavity of her bird with bits of dried bread, diced veggies and buttery goodness. I, on the other hand, make an argument for baking the mixture in a separate bowl. I think that my turkey comes out so much better because I can control the cooking method.
In fact, this year we purchased a 23 pound bird from Kroger. Nothing fancy. I just can't bring myself to spending $35.00 on a Kosher bird when money is tight. My store brand bird cost me all of $7.50. Easy on the wallet - tasty in the tummy. I had the hubby butterfly out this big old bird. That way I could monitor the temperature of the white and dark meat separately and pull out pieces parts as they got done. No Normal Rockwell moments around my Thanksgiving table - the resultant bird looked like something Victor Frankenstein would have served. Not that my family would have been depicted anyway - when we eat it looks more like a scene from a show on Animal Planet. "The three predators are now moving in quickly - their prey no longer capable of resisting attack. Notice how the big male dismembers the large bird, making way for its mate and offspring to pick the choicest morsels before he too falls upon the helpless turkey."
So - let's return to this stuffing vs dressing debate. In my household growing up, we had both - mostly because there was never enough stuffing to go around. We would get a 16 pound turkey for six people and the cavity just wasn't big enough to hold the monumental amount of bread-y goodness for everyone. My dad got first shot at it - and then it was catch as catch can. I don't think my younger brother ever got any stuffing until he was old enough to fend off the other attackers. My mother was forced to supplement with a big bowl of dressing - usually oyster dressing.
I had two problems with this. 1) I hated getting pieces of shell. My mom would miss some of the tinier bits when she cleaned the oysters. and 2) It was dry as hell. The stuffing was always nice and moist and the dressing needed a ton of gravy to make it palatable.
It wasn't until I worked in a restaurant that I learned a good way to make stuffing. Delores had been cooking in restaurants for many years. She wasn't a chef, she was a cook. And there in nothing wrong with being a good cook. Chefs couldn't be chefs without competent people under them. Delores only worked three days a week - Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Wednesday she was responsible for making the daily special and all the regulars knew they had better show up early to get some. Italian wedding soup, stuffed green peppers, Swiss steak, roast pork - every single dish was good. And in the process of helping her between tables, I got to learn how to make a lot of her dishes.
Every year Delores would make a big batch of dressing for the owner to take to his family gathering. Cheating I know - but hey, he was a man who knew how to manager his resources. That meant I got to see how someone else made this required holiday dish. It was nothing like I had seen before, but it has been the technique I've used ever since. The technique is not revolutionary, but its more akin to a savory bread pudding than the dried out stuffing that my mom would make.
My recipe goes something like this.
2 loaves of quality white/wheat bread, cubed
4-5 stalks of celery, medium dice
2 medium onions, medium dice
1 medium carrot, medium dice (optional)
1/2 stick butter
4-6 cups of broth, warmed
herbs and spices
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1) Start the night before. Take the cubed bread and let it dry overnight. It should be fairly crumbly. If you don't have the time or inclination, you can also dry out the cubes in the oven set on low. The whole idea is to get out as much moisture from the bread as possible so it can soak up the broth and spices. When dry, put the bread in a really large pan or bowl. I usually have to break out a huge bowl I got from Tupperware.
2) In a large pot, melt the butter and saute the onions, celery and carrots until the onions are transparent. Add 4 cups of the stock, and allow to simmer. This is also where you add the dried herbs and spices. What I add varies depending on what I am serving this with and what I have on hand. For the Thanksgiving batch it went like this - 2 T of rubbed sage, 2 bay leaves, a little seasoned salt, pepper, 1/2 t of dried chipolte pepper, 1/2 t of Spanish smoked paprika, 1 t of Mural of Flavor (some new stuff from Penzey's), 1/2 t garlic powder and 1/2 t onion powder. The idea is to make the flavors very intense in the broth. Remember, this is getting mixed in with tons of really bland dried bread. If you have fresh herbs, then you would add then to the bread mixture just before you pour the hot broth/spice/veggies over top. You don't want to over cook them.
This is the right texture.It's kinda hard to tell, but hey its a tactile thing not a visual thing.
3) Pour the veggie/spice/broth mixture over the dried bread. Mix. You want to distribute the broth evenly over the dried bread. Here is the tricky part. The bread should be fairly moist. Almost like a thick slurry of bread. If it isn't moist all the way through, then you might need to add a little more liquid. (Here are my thoughts on this: When you go to put the stuffing into the bird, you make it dry so that it will soak up the juices coming out of the meat. This means you need to compensate for that extra moisture. Also, when you are baking the dressing, some of the liquid will evaporate. So you have to make it just a bit more moist than you think it should be so that it will "dry out" just enough to make it tasty. Its a fine balance. I ruined a couple of batches before I got the knack of it.) When the texture is right, add one beaten egg and mix well. Pour into a greased oven proof bowl bowl. I use an old 4 qt Pyrex bowl I bought at a garage sale for $.25. It's ugly, but it works.
4) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. You will know when its done because the top with be all brown and crusty and the inside should be set and moist.
My apologizes for the lack of photos. The final product was eaten rather quickly and pronounced to be "very good - the best you ever made" by the family.
11.24.2008
Current Events
Well, I got good news and bad news...so to speak.
The Good News - I will now have more time to cook and blog (hopefully). I accepted a transfer to a smaller store within my company. While it means that I have to travel a little further, I will be working less hours overall. That means more quality time with family and friends.
The Bad News - Less Hours=Less Pay, plus my days off are now Thursday and Friday. Ah well - life is a big compromise sometimes...
Last night I drove to Nelsonville to see the Asylum Street Spankers perform at Stuart's Opera House. I love the Spanker's music - it cuts across a lot of different styles plus it's funny. For those of you who haven't heard of the glorious Spankers, here is a little taste from their kid's album, Mommy Says No.
When I was growing up, November was the birthday month in my family. Me, my mom and my dad were all November babies - the lone exception was my brother who was born in October. The 23rd would have been my father's 85th birthday if he were still with us. My dad loved Thanksgiving. Once every seven years or so, his birthday fell on Turkey Day and he was in hog heaven. You have to admit - that would be the rockin-est birthday dinner ever.
My father could not cook at all. He was from a generation that did not teach their men to cook. When I was about eight, my mom was hospitalized for a week and my dad was in charge of feeding us kids. He asked us what we wanted and we said "Tomato soup!!"
So Dad got the can of Campbell's out of the cupboard and looked at it. "How do I make it?" he asked me.
"The instructions are on the side, Dad." I said.
He studied the can for a moment. "How about McDonald's?"
"YEAH!!!!!!"
Problem solved. We ate out the entire week.
The one thing I remember my dad actually cooking was soft boiled eggs. I was impressed. It required boiling water and a timer. Like my dad, they were not refined in any way. No egg cups or toast soldiers.
A Tasty Mess! I used to eat these all the time in college.
His recipe was this:
1) Butter two or three slices of bread liberally on one side. Tear into pieces and mound on plate.
2) Make three minute eggs. Crack open on top of buttered bread.
3) Mix up. Salt and pepper liberally.
4) Eat quick before it gets cold.
I woke up this morning cold and hungry. So I made a big plate of soft boiled eggs on buttered bread and though about my dad.
Me (age 2.5) and my Dad
The Good News - I will now have more time to cook and blog (hopefully). I accepted a transfer to a smaller store within my company. While it means that I have to travel a little further, I will be working less hours overall. That means more quality time with family and friends.
The Bad News - Less Hours=Less Pay, plus my days off are now Thursday and Friday. Ah well - life is a big compromise sometimes...
Last night I drove to Nelsonville to see the Asylum Street Spankers perform at Stuart's Opera House. I love the Spanker's music - it cuts across a lot of different styles plus it's funny. For those of you who haven't heard of the glorious Spankers, here is a little taste from their kid's album, Mommy Says No.
When I was growing up, November was the birthday month in my family. Me, my mom and my dad were all November babies - the lone exception was my brother who was born in October. The 23rd would have been my father's 85th birthday if he were still with us. My dad loved Thanksgiving. Once every seven years or so, his birthday fell on Turkey Day and he was in hog heaven. You have to admit - that would be the rockin-est birthday dinner ever.
My father could not cook at all. He was from a generation that did not teach their men to cook. When I was about eight, my mom was hospitalized for a week and my dad was in charge of feeding us kids. He asked us what we wanted and we said "Tomato soup!!"
So Dad got the can of Campbell's out of the cupboard and looked at it. "How do I make it?" he asked me.
"The instructions are on the side, Dad." I said.
He studied the can for a moment. "How about McDonald's?"
"YEAH!!!!!!"
Problem solved. We ate out the entire week.
The one thing I remember my dad actually cooking was soft boiled eggs. I was impressed. It required boiling water and a timer. Like my dad, they were not refined in any way. No egg cups or toast soldiers.
A Tasty Mess! I used to eat these all the time in college.His recipe was this:
1) Butter two or three slices of bread liberally on one side. Tear into pieces and mound on plate.
2) Make three minute eggs. Crack open on top of buttered bread.
3) Mix up. Salt and pepper liberally.
4) Eat quick before it gets cold.
I woke up this morning cold and hungry. So I made a big plate of soft boiled eggs on buttered bread and though about my dad.
Me (age 2.5) and my Dad11.17.2008
Nazareth Restaurant and Deli
A couple months ago, the hubby and I were looking for some place to eat a quick dinner, and since we were near Cleveland and 161. I asked to stop in at Nazareth Deli. Becke from Columbus Foodie had recommended the restaurant a while back. I am always interested in trying new places - especially if they come highly recommended. So the hubby agreed.
We were seated and started looking at the menu. The gal who sat us forgot to tell our waitress we were there. We ended up waiting about 10 minutes before we flagged someone down to place our order. Not an auspicious start to our dinner... I order several appetizers: hummus ($3.95 for a full serving), falafel ($2.75 for three patties) plus the "Special Maza Plate" ($5.50 for a whole serving) . I figured if dinner took as long to come as it did to get noticed, I had better have some fortification.
Yummy - burnt falafel
The appetizers came pretty fast, but they were disappointment. The falafel was overcooked to the point where the outside was almost black, the hummus portion was extremely small for the price, but the item that took the cake was the Maza Plate.
Special Maza Plate
The "Special" consisted of 7 Kalamata olives, a couple of chopped up sweet pickles, a few peices of feta, some cucumber, some pickled eggplant and hot sauce. $5.50? Give me a break!
My hubby ordered the Super Gyro and fries for his main dinner and I ordered the lentils and rice with spicy grilled chicken - a dish that had been recommended by Becke. I also asked for tabbouleh as my side salad.
The food came quickly. The gyro was certainly large and the fries were pretty decent - nothing to write home about, but adequate. The gyro sauce was really runny though and didn't stay on the sandwich. At the end of the meal, Tony had a huge puddle of sauce in the bottom of his basket. Speaking with the waitress, I learned that the sauce was made on site - a definite plus -but that the owner insisted that it be thinned to a milk-like consistency to help control costs. A false economy if you ask me, since most of the sauce served with our meal ended up being wasted in the end.
The lentils and rice with chicken was good. It was very homey. I did a little research online and found out that lentils and rice is a down home staple in the Middle East. The chicken was not bad - white meat, spicy, but a little on the dry side. I think that thighs would have been a better choice. For $8.75, I don't think it was worth what I received.
The tabbouleh was ok - it lacked the traditional lemon based vinaigrette that you find in most versions of this salad and was replaced with the watered down gyro sauce instead. Also, I like a little more bulgar a general rule and flat leaf parsley instead of the curly type.
We declined dessert.
Overall, I don't think we will be returning to the Nazareth Deli anytime soon. The gyro was ok - I like the Gyro Shop on Henderson better. The lentils and rice, while very tasty, will be something that I will attempt to recreate at home. I might be tempted to return if I was in the area and didn't have any other prospects for dining, but considering that MiMi's (MiLi's) cafe and Smackies is right around the corner, I kinda doubt it.
We were seated and started looking at the menu. The gal who sat us forgot to tell our waitress we were there. We ended up waiting about 10 minutes before we flagged someone down to place our order. Not an auspicious start to our dinner... I order several appetizers: hummus ($3.95 for a full serving), falafel ($2.75 for three patties) plus the "Special Maza Plate" ($5.50 for a whole serving) . I figured if dinner took as long to come as it did to get noticed, I had better have some fortification.
Yummy - burnt falafelThe appetizers came pretty fast, but they were disappointment. The falafel was overcooked to the point where the outside was almost black, the hummus portion was extremely small for the price, but the item that took the cake was the Maza Plate.
Special Maza PlateThe "Special" consisted of 7 Kalamata olives, a couple of chopped up sweet pickles, a few peices of feta, some cucumber, some pickled eggplant and hot sauce. $5.50? Give me a break!
My hubby ordered the Super Gyro and fries for his main dinner and I ordered the lentils and rice with spicy grilled chicken - a dish that had been recommended by Becke. I also asked for tabbouleh as my side salad.
The food came quickly. The gyro was certainly large and the fries were pretty decent - nothing to write home about, but adequate. The gyro sauce was really runny though and didn't stay on the sandwich. At the end of the meal, Tony had a huge puddle of sauce in the bottom of his basket. Speaking with the waitress, I learned that the sauce was made on site - a definite plus -but that the owner insisted that it be thinned to a milk-like consistency to help control costs. A false economy if you ask me, since most of the sauce served with our meal ended up being wasted in the end.
The lentils and rice with chicken was good. It was very homey. I did a little research online and found out that lentils and rice is a down home staple in the Middle East. The chicken was not bad - white meat, spicy, but a little on the dry side. I think that thighs would have been a better choice. For $8.75, I don't think it was worth what I received.
The tabbouleh was ok - it lacked the traditional lemon based vinaigrette that you find in most versions of this salad and was replaced with the watered down gyro sauce instead. Also, I like a little more bulgar a general rule and flat leaf parsley instead of the curly type.
We declined dessert.
Overall, I don't think we will be returning to the Nazareth Deli anytime soon. The gyro was ok - I like the Gyro Shop on Henderson better. The lentils and rice, while very tasty, will be something that I will attempt to recreate at home. I might be tempted to return if I was in the area and didn't have any other prospects for dining, but considering that MiMi's (MiLi's) cafe and Smackies is right around the corner, I kinda doubt it.
11.14.2008
Randazzo Run
A long while back, Gail sent me this report on one of her favorite place of all time - Randazzo's. She has been talking about this place since I met her about ten years ago.
I will admit to being very tardy with posting her report - these pictures are from about a year ago - but better late than never. If you are near the Detroit area, this could be worth a visit.
Randazzo Report by Gail
I will admit to being very tardy with posting her report - these pictures are from about a year ago - but better late than never. If you are near the Detroit area, this could be worth a visit.
Randazzo Report by Gail
One day I noticed some building going on and decided to make an effort to notice what was going on with that corner. The lot was cleared, a building went up then the sign went up on the side of the building "Joe Randazzos". What is a Joe Randazzo's I wondered. The next time I went to my Mom's I made a point to leave much earlier than I needed to so I would have time to investigate.
On the way in to the store I grabbed a cart, I didn't anticipate buying anything, but you never know. As I walked the store I noticed the prices and nearly swallowed my tonsils. The entire store was produce. Produce at prices so much lower than the grocery where I shopped that I began to wonder what was wrong with it.
I grew up on a farm, and on that farm we grew potatoes, (EIEIO,- oops got sidetracked there for a minute). When we took our potatoes to the processor they were all dumped into a multi-tiered machine, each tier having different size holes in its board. When they turned on the machine, potatoes would drop through the holes by size. The potatoes that would not drop through the holes rolled off the end of the machine through a chute and into baskets. Those were the ones we kept, the nonconformist sizes that just wouldn't settle for average, the rest we sold.
Well I noticed that the potatoes were many different sizes in one bag and realized that these were the naughty non-conformist potatoes. The green peppers had black streaks (normal), or were curved or warped in some way. WOW non-conformist Green and Red peppers too. At that time they were 7 for $1.00 as were the curved cucumbers etc.
Well I went completely crazy and filled my basket to overflowing with various lettuces, fruits, veges and herbs. Going through the back and outside I discovered they were selling trees, rose bushes, flowers by the flat, etc. Also priced irresistibly well. I further loaded my cart. When I got to the check out, shaking in my shoes hoping my check book balance would handle the excesses, I discovered I had spent a little over $20.00. I decided "I LOVE RANDAZZO'S".
Now living in Ohio it is a bit too far away to go to every week but when we go for holidays or to visit relatives I do a RANDAZZO run. If I have room in my car I go completely nuts and buy for Rosie and Debbie too and seldom spend over $30. I've tried to get Rosie & Debbie to make a trip to MI to do a Randazzo run with me but we seldom get a common day off. I'm sending these pictures to you Rosie, so you'll see what you are missing and we'll make a greater effort to go.
We need one of these here!!!!
As always, Love & Joy; With a Gail Twist
11.08.2008
Book Review: The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry
I love a good adventure story. I love putting myself into the shoes of the protagonist - filleting fish, breaking sauces and struggling with the local lingo...What kind of adventure story is this you ask?
It a tale of a American gal in London who, finding herself without a viable means of support, runs off to Paris to attend the Cordon Blue cooking school. There is love, intrigue, passion, pain, suffering, great food and best of all - its a true story .
Yup - It's for real! Kathleen Harris takes the reader along for the ride as her story unfolds in The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris at the World’s Most Famous Cooking School (Penguin Books).
After my last book review experience, I was a little reluctant to plunge into another book - even if this was a autobiography, one of my favorite things in the whole world. So consequently, the paperback sat on my nightstand for about two months before I worked up the nerve to dive in.
I am really sorry I waited that long. Kathleen has a nice clean writing style. Her story moves along without getting bogged down in self-pity or false modesty. I love the way she talks about her fellow students, her professors and the shopkeepers she meets during her tenure in Paris. My envy was aroused by her descriptions shopping for food in Paris - the wine shop near on of her apartments where the owner chats with her and makes recommendations to go with her dinners, the bakeries where she picked up fresh bread every day and the other small shops that clustered along a street close to her house.
However, her description of the Parisian branch of the Cordon Blue made me quake in my shoes. The description of her struggles with puff pastry was enough to give me a case of the nerves. I think if you plan on attending culinary school, you should read this book first. True - you may not have to master French to attend the school of your choice - however, the books gives you a very good look at the types of curriculum that you would be following. Personally, I know that I would crap out during the sauces - my Hollandaise usually breaks.
And just in case you like interactive storytelling, Kathleen also includes recipes, so you can eat along with the story. I personally would like to try the rabbit in mustard sauce since I recently located a source for fresh rabbit.
So my recommendation is to grab a copy of The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry. It will make a good read while you are curled up on the couch this winter drinking you hot tea and dreaming of your own personal rebirth.
10.28.2008
More Meat Deals
A couple weeks ago, I went to the Restaurant Depot with Moose and Eric in preparation for a horror movie marathon that Moose and Tate are hosted last weekend. I offered to become the "concession stand" for the 12 hours of scary goodness.
Some of the other folks attending thought all they would be getting to snack on was popcorn and candy, but personally, I think anything is fair game. Tony and I have been attending the horror marathons off and on for almost twenty years and you never know what you will be eating.
When the marathon was at the Drexel North, we used to go across the street and get G.D. Ritzy's hamburgers and shakes. Later on, when the horrorfest was at Studio 35, we would get pizza and subs,along with plenty of beer. When the marathon moved out to the Drexel Grandview (recently deceased), we would pack a cooler full of sandwiches and snacks to eat while shivering in the cold.
Besides chips and candy, I wanted to make a big pot of chili plus Texas queso dip. I could see lots of possibilities along with tortilla chips and possibly Fritos. Frito Pie anyone?
Once we got out to the Depot, we found that they had some really great deals on all kinds of meat. Between the three of us, we got 40 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $.60/lb, 40 lbs of chicken leg quarters for $.35/lb, 40 lbs of chicken wings for $.75/lb, 15 lbs of bacon for $.99/lb and 15 lbs of pork butt for $.99/lb.
I will tell you guys right now - I know the big push is to eat local, eat organic and grass fed, but when money is tight you gotta do what you gotta do. Split three ways, these prices just couldn't be beat. True - the bacon wasn't up to Thurn's quality, but when I am feeding 10-15 hungry movie hounds, I am not going to buy them $5.00/lb bacon.
So I spent the next 6 hours breaking the meat into portions and vacuum sealing them with my FoodSaver (recently purchased from New Uses). Our freezers are now full of chicken and bacon.
The pork butts I kept out in anticipation of making something tasty. I had really wanted to make some sausage. I am envious of Dave and his experiments. However, I was pressed for time and needed something that would taste great, feed a crowd and be quick to fix. So I ended up with two creations: Pulled Pork and Rosie's Burrito Filling.
These are, once again, not really recipes. They are more like gestalt cooking: something read here, something half remembered from there, add a little of the stuff you have in the pantry and voila! You have dinner.
Rubbed Butt
The Pulled Pork was something I made up based on all the recipes that I have read over the last couple years. I rubbed the butt (hehe) with yellow mustard, then coated it with a basic rub: 1 part salt, 1 part brown sugar, .5 part black pepper, some garlic powder, and ummm, I think, some onion powder. I was flying by the seat of my pants. Whee!!! I then let the butt bask in the coating for about an hour while I fired up the grill.
The grill? you say! Why yes. I had an evil plot. I didn't have time to screw around with watching the Weber all day, so I devised a plan. First I would smoke the pork butt using an indirect method on the grill. Then I would finish it off in the oven.
I can hear the anguished cries of the purists now! "No Rose No! How can you do this?!" Will Dave come over and take my Weber for committing such sacrilege? Well, I figure not - I can bribe Dave with some excellent beer.
I think I saw this technique on tv, most like America's Test Kitchen. Yeah, I am a big enough whore that I'll steal from them. Hell they steal from other people - oh wait. They call it research. Yeah that's it! I "researched" this technique from them.
Smoked Butt
So I did a heavy smoke on the pork and let it form a nice brown crust. Then I tossed the bad boy into a 250 degree oven and baked him until he was really tender maybe 2-3 hours more. I kinda lost track of time, 'cuz I was also doing laundry and other stuff. The key to this is to keep testing it with a fork until it gets to the tenderness that you want. This was pretty soft, I should have pulled it out of the oven a little earlier, but I got into the Zen of Ironing.
Pulled Butt
Now while Mr. Pulled Pork was in the oven, I rubbed the other butt down with a mixture of freshly ground chilies (Guajillo and Ancho), garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. I then threw him in the crock pot and cooked him long and slow with a couple whole onions.
Chili Butt
Once the pulled pork was done, I then moved this butt to the oven. I love to braise in the oven over the crock pot. I think that the slow cooker really dulls down the flavors. When I finished, I shredded the meat, and set it to one side. I then took the braising liquid and reduced it to about half its previous volume. I also cheated and added a little bit of liquid from the pulled pork pan. It gave it a mild smokey, sweet undertone. I then mixed the liquid back in with the burrito filling.
Ohio-Mex Butt
I know neither of these are authentic, but I will tell you they were damn good. My husband suggested some titles for this column. Among his suggestions were "Smoke my Butt", "A Tail of Two Butts" and my favorite "Spicy Butt Love". Ahhhhhhhhhh I love it when Tony waxes poetic.
So that was my meat field trip to Restaurant Depot. It was a lot of freakin' work, but now I have my freezer stocked full for the next few months. With the economy the way it is right now, I know that my hours at work will be cut back, just like a lot of other folks. So time to hunker down and get ready boys and girls. Time to put in the staples and prepare to conserve that cash.
Some of the other folks attending thought all they would be getting to snack on was popcorn and candy, but personally, I think anything is fair game. Tony and I have been attending the horror marathons off and on for almost twenty years and you never know what you will be eating.
When the marathon was at the Drexel North, we used to go across the street and get G.D. Ritzy's hamburgers and shakes. Later on, when the horrorfest was at Studio 35, we would get pizza and subs,along with plenty of beer. When the marathon moved out to the Drexel Grandview (recently deceased), we would pack a cooler full of sandwiches and snacks to eat while shivering in the cold.
Besides chips and candy, I wanted to make a big pot of chili plus Texas queso dip. I could see lots of possibilities along with tortilla chips and possibly Fritos. Frito Pie anyone?
Once we got out to the Depot, we found that they had some really great deals on all kinds of meat. Between the three of us, we got 40 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $.60/lb, 40 lbs of chicken leg quarters for $.35/lb, 40 lbs of chicken wings for $.75/lb, 15 lbs of bacon for $.99/lb and 15 lbs of pork butt for $.99/lb.
I will tell you guys right now - I know the big push is to eat local, eat organic and grass fed, but when money is tight you gotta do what you gotta do. Split three ways, these prices just couldn't be beat. True - the bacon wasn't up to Thurn's quality, but when I am feeding 10-15 hungry movie hounds, I am not going to buy them $5.00/lb bacon.
So I spent the next 6 hours breaking the meat into portions and vacuum sealing them with my FoodSaver (recently purchased from New Uses). Our freezers are now full of chicken and bacon.
The pork butts I kept out in anticipation of making something tasty. I had really wanted to make some sausage. I am envious of Dave and his experiments. However, I was pressed for time and needed something that would taste great, feed a crowd and be quick to fix. So I ended up with two creations: Pulled Pork and Rosie's Burrito Filling.
These are, once again, not really recipes. They are more like gestalt cooking: something read here, something half remembered from there, add a little of the stuff you have in the pantry and voila! You have dinner.
Rubbed ButtThe Pulled Pork was something I made up based on all the recipes that I have read over the last couple years. I rubbed the butt (hehe) with yellow mustard, then coated it with a basic rub: 1 part salt, 1 part brown sugar, .5 part black pepper, some garlic powder, and ummm, I think, some onion powder. I was flying by the seat of my pants. Whee!!! I then let the butt bask in the coating for about an hour while I fired up the grill.
The grill? you say! Why yes. I had an evil plot. I didn't have time to screw around with watching the Weber all day, so I devised a plan. First I would smoke the pork butt using an indirect method on the grill. Then I would finish it off in the oven.
I can hear the anguished cries of the purists now! "No Rose No! How can you do this?!" Will Dave come over and take my Weber for committing such sacrilege? Well, I figure not - I can bribe Dave with some excellent beer.
I think I saw this technique on tv, most like America's Test Kitchen. Yeah, I am a big enough whore that I'll steal from them. Hell they steal from other people - oh wait. They call it research. Yeah that's it! I "researched" this technique from them.
Smoked ButtSo I did a heavy smoke on the pork and let it form a nice brown crust. Then I tossed the bad boy into a 250 degree oven and baked him until he was really tender maybe 2-3 hours more. I kinda lost track of time, 'cuz I was also doing laundry and other stuff. The key to this is to keep testing it with a fork until it gets to the tenderness that you want. This was pretty soft, I should have pulled it out of the oven a little earlier, but I got into the Zen of Ironing.
Pulled ButtNow while Mr. Pulled Pork was in the oven, I rubbed the other butt down with a mixture of freshly ground chilies (Guajillo and Ancho), garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. I then threw him in the crock pot and cooked him long and slow with a couple whole onions.
Chili ButtOnce the pulled pork was done, I then moved this butt to the oven. I love to braise in the oven over the crock pot. I think that the slow cooker really dulls down the flavors. When I finished, I shredded the meat, and set it to one side. I then took the braising liquid and reduced it to about half its previous volume. I also cheated and added a little bit of liquid from the pulled pork pan. It gave it a mild smokey, sweet undertone. I then mixed the liquid back in with the burrito filling.
Ohio-Mex ButtI know neither of these are authentic, but I will tell you they were damn good. My husband suggested some titles for this column. Among his suggestions were "Smoke my Butt", "A Tail of Two Butts" and my favorite "Spicy Butt Love". Ahhhhhhhhhh I love it when Tony waxes poetic.
So that was my meat field trip to Restaurant Depot. It was a lot of freakin' work, but now I have my freezer stocked full for the next few months. With the economy the way it is right now, I know that my hours at work will be cut back, just like a lot of other folks. So time to hunker down and get ready boys and girls. Time to put in the staples and prepare to conserve that cash.
10.20.2008
Ribeye Stew
Tony and I have membership to the Restaurant Depot. I've mentioned it before a long long time ago when I was a happy little blogger, not the ass dragging overworked wage slave that I am now. The recent increase in food costs have driven a few of our friends to inquire about buying costly items like meat in bulk, then divvying it up amongst the group. In particular, steaks and bacon were at the top of the list. (Single guys...go figure.)
As those of you who buy at places like the Depot know, the wholesale cost isn't always as good as a loss leader at a regular store. For example, ten pounds of 80/20 ground beef was $1.99/lb at the Depot. I recently purchased a ten pound bag of 80/20 at Schumann's for $1.79/lb. Not a huge savings, but the quality at Schumann's was better to boot.
Today I picked up a whole ribeye. At $4.99/lb it was not a huge steal, but still good. I spent the afternoon trimming the primal and cutting it up into steaks to be vacuum sealed and put in the freezer against the long dark winter. I had lots of little pieces of meat left so I decided to try my hand at crock pot beef stew.
I will admit to lifting a tip from America's Test Kitchen. Well, they actually got it from someone else. I found lots of references to it on the internet once I looked. The biggest problem with crock pot stews is that they get really watery. With a heavy tight fitting lid, the water never has a chance to escape, plus you have lots of liquid coming out of the foods in the pot - you can see how it would end up meat-flavored water real fast. The instant tapioca was a great fix, and it left no floury aftertaste as if I had poured the broth into a pan on the stove and thickened it with a slurry, which is what I have done in the past.
True, I think its a huge cheat. I would must rather do it the old fashioned way, stews and soups taste so much better on the stove. Of course, when you still have to do things like run your 17 yr old daughter to the store to buy $100.00 worth of shoes, crock pots look real nice. (You still owe me $50 for those boots Annie!!!)
The recipe went something like this:
2 pounds of ribeye scraps, generally about 1" square
3 medium onions, fine dice
4 cloves garlic, squooshed
2 T tomato paste
2 pounds of potatoes, cut into large dice
1 pound of turnips, cut into large dice
1.5 pounds of carrots, cut into large dice
4 oz of dried mushrooms, re-hydrated and rough chopped
4 cups beef broth, from the freezer (yes, some of my stuff was saved!)
3T instant tapioca
Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 2 bay leaves
Sprinkle a little salt onto the meat. Put a couple of tablespoons of oil into a pan - I used a cast iron skillet. Get good and hot; brown off the meat. Remove to slow cooker. Lower heat to medium. Add onions to skillet and cook until transparent. Add in garlic and tomato paste. Cook briefly until you can smell the garlic. Remove to slowcooker. Add broth to pan and deglaze. Pour into slow cooker.
Add veggies and tapioca. Season to taste and throw in the bay leaves. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Taste towards end of cooking and adjust seasoning. I've been known to saute up another onion and a couple more cloves of garlic to toss in towards the end. The stew tends to have a flat taste after cooking so long and you need to brighten up the flavors. A shot of Tabasco or Worcestershire isn't bad either.
The stew went into the fridge overnight. We'll see how the tapioca reheats. Also, I plan on freezing half for a future dinner, so we'll see how the tapioca freezes as well.
News Flash: The stew reheated fine - but it never got frozen due to the fact that it was eaten very quickly. I also never got a picture of it. My camera is having issues. Ah - when it rains it pours!
As those of you who buy at places like the Depot know, the wholesale cost isn't always as good as a loss leader at a regular store. For example, ten pounds of 80/20 ground beef was $1.99/lb at the Depot. I recently purchased a ten pound bag of 80/20 at Schumann's for $1.79/lb. Not a huge savings, but the quality at Schumann's was better to boot.
Today I picked up a whole ribeye. At $4.99/lb it was not a huge steal, but still good. I spent the afternoon trimming the primal and cutting it up into steaks to be vacuum sealed and put in the freezer against the long dark winter. I had lots of little pieces of meat left so I decided to try my hand at crock pot beef stew.
I will admit to lifting a tip from America's Test Kitchen. Well, they actually got it from someone else. I found lots of references to it on the internet once I looked. The biggest problem with crock pot stews is that they get really watery. With a heavy tight fitting lid, the water never has a chance to escape, plus you have lots of liquid coming out of the foods in the pot - you can see how it would end up meat-flavored water real fast. The instant tapioca was a great fix, and it left no floury aftertaste as if I had poured the broth into a pan on the stove and thickened it with a slurry, which is what I have done in the past.
True, I think its a huge cheat. I would must rather do it the old fashioned way, stews and soups taste so much better on the stove. Of course, when you still have to do things like run your 17 yr old daughter to the store to buy $100.00 worth of shoes, crock pots look real nice. (You still owe me $50 for those boots Annie!!!)
The recipe went something like this:
2 pounds of ribeye scraps, generally about 1" square
3 medium onions, fine dice
4 cloves garlic, squooshed
2 T tomato paste
2 pounds of potatoes, cut into large dice
1 pound of turnips, cut into large dice
1.5 pounds of carrots, cut into large dice
4 oz of dried mushrooms, re-hydrated and rough chopped
4 cups beef broth, from the freezer (yes, some of my stuff was saved!)
3T instant tapioca
Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and 2 bay leaves
Sprinkle a little salt onto the meat. Put a couple of tablespoons of oil into a pan - I used a cast iron skillet. Get good and hot; brown off the meat. Remove to slow cooker. Lower heat to medium. Add onions to skillet and cook until transparent. Add in garlic and tomato paste. Cook briefly until you can smell the garlic. Remove to slowcooker. Add broth to pan and deglaze. Pour into slow cooker.
Add veggies and tapioca. Season to taste and throw in the bay leaves. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Taste towards end of cooking and adjust seasoning. I've been known to saute up another onion and a couple more cloves of garlic to toss in towards the end. The stew tends to have a flat taste after cooking so long and you need to brighten up the flavors. A shot of Tabasco or Worcestershire isn't bad either.
The stew went into the fridge overnight. We'll see how the tapioca reheats. Also, I plan on freezing half for a future dinner, so we'll see how the tapioca freezes as well.
News Flash: The stew reheated fine - but it never got frozen due to the fact that it was eaten very quickly. I also never got a picture of it. My camera is having issues. Ah - when it rains it pours!
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