Debbie & Harry's Kitchen

Cleveland's West Side Market - A Midwest Food-Lover's Fantasy Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 13:43:00 +0000

A gorgeous April sky behind the Clock Tower of the West Side Market

We just returned from our second trip to Cleveland's West Side Market. We aren't newbies anymore, overwhelmed by all the options. We knew exactly why we were going and the lessons learned from our rookie trip made this trip SO much more enjoyable, stress-free, and relaxing.

Even before our first trip, we knew it needed to be an overnighter. It's not that Cleveland is all that far for a day trip - two hours to the market from our front door. The "problem" lies in the fact that Ohio City (the neighborhood that is home to WSM) is wickedly full of craft brewers. I like beer. I love good beer. So, a hotel room and proper use of Cleveland's RTA make for a food and brew weekend so we can both imbibe and discover.

Budget tip: If you're staying overnight, you need refrigeration for at least some of your West Side Market finds. We had reservations at the Best Western Airport. We drove in on Friday morning, and they let us park before checking in, plus their shuttle took us to the airport to catch the RTA. We checked in Friday afternoon with our WSM haul in our hands, then took the shuttle back to the airport to take the train back into Ohio City for an evening of wandering. All together, room, shuttle tips, and RTA all-day passes for 2 cost less than $125.

If you can swing it, I highly recommend NOT going to WSM on a Saturday. Neither of us (mostly me) play well in huge, tightly packed crowds. That was the one thing that led me to not be crazy about our first trip. We couldn't move. I would feel like I was always in the way, not able to take my time to really look at the vendor's offerings. Getting to the market at around 11:30 on a Friday morning? It was pure pleasure! Yes, it was busy, but once we ate our brunch, I never felt like I needed to rush my selections.

Brunch! OK, Harry had hot dogs, but I hit up Crepes de Luxe. If you are searching through reviews, you'll read that the crepes are delicious. Very true! I had the smoked salmon (with spinach, capers, and creme freche on a buckwheat crepe) and it was more than I hoped for. A perfect blend of savory, smokey, salty, earthy, with gently steamed spinach. I could eat this many more times. In reading reviews, you will also find comments that the crepes' chef isn't pleasant. I don't think that is true. She wasn't overly chatty, but look at the line forming behind you. There was one lady in front of me when I approached. By the time my crepe was in my hands, ready to burn my mouth because I wanted it so badly, there were at least 8 people in line behind me. I don't think those reviews are a fair assessment based on the volume of business that must be completed very quickly.

We made a quick trip through the market to see if anything caught our eye that wasn't on our "must" list. We bought some pretzel hoagie rolls from Michelle's Bakery to go with our intended sausage haul. We found Wellfleet oysters at Classic Seafood and had a great chat with the guy about learning that we were all wrong in thinking "an oyster is an oyster".

Tub butter was on our must list. For general cooking and baking, I keep standard sticks of both salted and unsalted butter on hand. For spreading on toast, or warm bread, or biscuits, or finishing a dish, or many other drool-worthy reasons, we love better butter. Without going into too much detail, we tasted the salted tub offerings at Irene Dever and bought 7 pounds. Delicious, with just a hint of tang that you expect with a cultured butter (although she gave me a strange look when I asked if it was cultured and then explained that it was only butter, a little salt, with no oil or other ingredients).

Now, for the primary purpose of our sojourn. Harry lived in Akron and was familiar with the sausage-makers in Barberton. He grew to have a fondness for the Eastern European sausages, and that is something that I've learned to enjoy as well. As much as I love some of the local purveyors in Columbus, I haven't yet found the variety of house-made sausage such as we found at the West Side Market (in my defense: I've not yet tried Thurn's so I might be surprised). On this trip, we brought home 11 varieties of sausage of various ethnicities and heat levels. Mix in the various styles - links, fresh, smoked, and bulk, we find the selection at Czucraj Meats to fit all of our needs.

On our first trip, we were overwhelmed at all of the offerings of animal flesh. The market was packed on that Saturday, and I'll admit that we probably stopped at Czucraj because we could actually see the offerings. We bought about 12 pounds that trip, and we weren't disappointed in anything we brought home. We did decide that the Double-Smoked Hot Hungarian was just a little hotter than we would want, but that didn't mean we didn't like it.

30.06 pounds of sausage heaven!

So - we bought a little more than that on this trip. The sausage we bought on our first visit lasted us 8-9 months. During football season, we made samplers - chunks of several types of sausage, broiled in the oven, with a selection of mustards and other companions. We used it in a variety of dishes and also hoarded it, because "there's only so much down there". This time, we'll be a little less stingy with our sausage dinners. (Note: we did the vacuum packing at home).

Our selection includes Garlic Knockwurst, Smoked Slovenian Sausage (links), Mild & Hot Hungarian, Andouille, Hot Italian (fresh ropes), Chorizo (fresh rope and bulk), and Smoked Mild & Hot Hungarian. We also brought home 4 white brats (pork and veal) that we'll have tonight with our pretzel hoagie rolls.

The only other tip I'll leave you with is regarding the produce barn. We don't buy produce there only because I can get all my veggies here in the area. Take the time to visit the review sites, specifically searching for produce vendor reviews. Some are better than others, to be sure. We saw some beautiful fruits and vegetables as we walked through. I have read (within the last 6 months) that WSM has cracked down on the allegations of bait/switch in the produce stands. I just think it's best to be informed before someone drives 2-3 hours, only to arrive home with over-ripe produce.

There are SO many more options than what we brought home. Visit the West Side Market website here for days and hours of operation (no, they aren't open 7 days). You can also read about all of the vendors' offerings and plan your march through the market. Bring along reusable shopping bags, or a backpack. Locals have wheeled carts. Currently (April 2015), the Ohio City RTA station is NOT ADA accessible (construction) and it's a very long trip up and down 3 flights of stairs to the platform. Pay attention to the parking lot signs (some lots are restricted to vendors) to avoid tows. If you drive and park, bring along a cooler to stash your purchases while you visit some of the other gems in the neighborhood.

Hemp Seeds - Room for them in Your Diet? Promo Code

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 03:45:00 +0000

We bought a Ninja Bullet back in the fall and I immediately started making smoothies a couple of times a week for breakfast. I went pretty basic - frozen fruit, yogurt, and orange juice. I'm not quite to the point of going to a green smoothie. But, I really wanted to add more protein into my smoothies, maybe cut back the yogurt.

I started reading about the different seeds you can add to your smoothies, exploring the protein benefits and wondering which seeds I would like the best. I narrowed it down to choosing between chia seeds or hemp seeds, and I was leaning to hemp because I couldn't get the thought of Chia Pets out of my mind. Harry gently reminded me that I should probably check for chia because they would more than likely be more readily available than hemp seeds.

An important note: hemp seeds will not give you a buzz. They are not from the exact same plant as marijuana. Rather, hemp is a cousin.

Shortly after I started looking for seeds to add to my breakfast smoothies, I had the opportunity to try Super Hemp Raw Shelled Organic Hemp Seeds in exchange for my unbiased opinion. What a great way to be introduced!

Hemp seeds are tiny - smaller than sunflower seeds. They have a nutty, almost buttery flavor and an awesome crunch. I immediately started adding about a tablespoon of these morsels to my breakfast smoothies. To me, the mixed texture was nice.

So - what else can you do with hemp seeds? The nutty/buttery flavor makes them an awesome topping for steamed veggies or baked potatoes. Sprinkle some hemp seeds on top of your muffins before baking for an added crunch. Or, stir about a half-cup into your muffin batter. I've been adding a handful to my lunch salads.

Would you be interested in trying Hemp Seeds if you received a 50% discount?

If you've been considering adding more plant-derived protein to your diet like I was, hemp seeds aren't a bad route to go. When you order the Super Hemp via Amazon, you'll also receive a lot of great information and suggestions as to how to use them.

Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters - Product Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 15:57:00 +0000

We don't snack a lot. Even the majority of our holiday baking went to work with Harry - we love to make it, we just have one or two nibbles then we're done. But, every once in awhile I'll get this wanting - it might be a simple salt craving that a cracker will satisfy, or a single piece from the candy basket Elliot always checks to make sure isn't empty. (He's SO smart!) (OK, not gonna lie - I'm totally the passive-aggressive Gramma making sure there's something he doesn't eat very often in a low enough space he can see it.)

As a member of CrowdTap, I was given the opportunity to sample the new Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters in exchange for my unbiased review. I was familiar with the Brookside Brand and had sampled many of their chocolate and fruit blends during Costco trips. Competitive grazing - greatest date night invention ever!

I knew that the quality of Brookside was amazing. Their dark chocolate creations have the perfect blend of bitter and sweet that I want in a dark chocolate. I only had one concern in advance of receiving my complimentary sample pack. With my teeth, I prefer to not eat anything super crunchy - I broke a tooth on a corn nut a million years ago.

I gently bit into my first nugget of Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters, ready to stop if I had any concerns. This is the first "crunchy" snack I've tried in years that I didn't worry about breaking a tooth. The "crunchies" are more like crisp cereal bites - think along the lines of the crunch you get with a Krispy/Crunch bar (comparisons for both my Canadian and American relatives - but don't confuse it with a Krispy Krunch bar, because this is nothing like that).

Concerns alleviated, I sampled a few clusters with gusto! When you open the bag, you get a beautiful aroma of fruit with just a hint of chocolate in the air. The dark chocolate and fruit flavors, as with all of Brookside's products, are perfectly balanced. There is a nice balance of textures with smooth chocolate, chewy dried fruit, and crispy multigrain nuggets.

Originally, when participating in pre-campaign questionnaires, I thought the Brookside Dark Chocolate Crunchy Clusters would be a great addition to a cup of yogurt. Maybe I would eat them alongside some popcorn. My first taste made me think of a wine tasting we went to at a vineyard in Indiana. The final tasting was a sweet wine and they made sure we had a little nibble of chocolate to go with the wine. THAT taste became my perfect pairing.

Shawn brought us a bottle of Marion Mead from Superstition Meadery. This is a nicely balanced mead and the dark chocolate and fruit flavors of the clusters were the perfect nibble with a small glass of mead.

I'm a fan. I haven't seen the Crunchy Clusters in the store yet, but I'll be keeping an eye out for them. The zip-seal package means I can nibble on a few pieces when the urge strikes, but they won't go stale

Kiss Me Organics Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder - Product Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 21:03:00 +0000

Our blender broke several years ago. We tried to get by with an immersion blender, but the darn thing didn't do well with frozen fruit. We finally broke down and picked up a Ninja at Kroger so I could make smoothies for my breakfast.

I'm not a "greenie" yet, but my basic breakfast smoothie is some vanilla yogurt, frozen fruit, and orange juice. Over the last month or so, I've been adding Matcha Green Tea Powder for a little extra detox and energy. I received a package of Kiss Me Organics Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder in exchange for my inspection and unbiased review.

I'm new to Matcha Green Tea Powder but have long known the benefits of green tea and drink it often. I've tried the powder several times now and am very happy with it. I do feel better longer through the day after I've had my smoothie with an added teaspoon of matcha. I've also added about a 1/2 teaspoon to my bowl of morning oatmeal. Mixed with items like this, there's no real noticeable taste change to foods I was already eating.

I was given a tip that plain hot matcha might taste a little bitter, so I add just a bit of honey to sweeten it. I didn't read the recommended dosage on the package (1/2 - 1 teaspoon per day) before I tried it, so I accidentally added 2 teaspoons to my first smoothie. I didn't suffer any ill effects. I haven't had the mid-afternoon nap craving since I've started using the matcha.

Kiss Me Organics has sent me several digital pamphlets and recipes via Marketplace and the information in there is invaluable. There's even a few cocktail recipes!

The only slight side effect I might be noticing is an enhanced sensitivity to citrus flavors. Because Matcha's absorption rate is increased when consumed with citrus, I almost always mix it with some orange juice. I'm not saying this is a "bad" side effect, but it's the only thing I can connect it to.

Our Breakfast Casserole and the Danish Dough Whisk - Recipe and Product Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 21:02:00 +0000

We've only been making this casserole for about a year, but it's in our monthly rotation. The great thing about this breakfast casserole (for us) is that it heats beautifully. A couple of minutes in the microwave or crumble it up in a skillet for a few minutes. The eggs don't get overcooked and it's a great blast of protein. It also works great if you put it together the night before, then refrigerate and bake in the morning. Munch on some fruit while the casserole is baking and you've got a full meal. Wrap up the leftovers and freeze to add to work meals later.

I received the Danish Dough Whisk in exchange for my inspection and unbiased review. I became a fan. I've always kept a variety of balloon whisks in the kitchen, so this was a new tool for me. It's design helps break up the lumps in pancake or muffin batter quickly, so you don't have to over-mix, causing tunnels and bubbles. Our first batch of pancakes using it were super fluffy! And, the Danish Dough Whisk also works great beating large quantities of eggs.

The handle of the Danish Dough Whisk fits both of our hands well and it is very sturdy. I've also incorporated it into our bread-baking now that I am experimenting with biga. It's also very easy to clean. You can find the whisk at Amazon if you follow this link.

Back to the breakfast casserole:

It took a little experimenting to get the right proportion of all the ingredients for our tastes. I'm not an omelette fan because I don't like snotty eggs, but this breakfast casserole cooks completely through. You might like a couple more eggs, or different veggies, or maybe ham. We like pork sausage, but feel free to use turkey or chicken sausage - whatever YOU like!

Breakfast Casserole - Serves 10

1 pound bulk sausage, browned, drained, cooled
10 eggs, beaten well
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced sweet pepper
1 20-ounce bag refrigerated hash browns (we LOVE the Southwest flavor)*
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

You'll want to cool the sausage prior to adding to the eggs - the eggs will start to set if they get too hot. I usually put it in a paper-towel lined bowl (to absorb the grease) and then set the bowl in a sink partially filled with water to speed up the process.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Then, add the veggies, hash browns, and cheese, then mix well. Add the cooled sausage and mix well.

Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and pour the mixture in. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, until a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting to serve.

*You can use your own fresh-shredded potatoes, also. If you'd like to assemble the breakfast casserole the night before baking, you can blanch your shredded potatoes for about 3 minutes in boiling water, then drain and shock with cold water. This will keep the potatoes from turning to mush overnight.

AYL Silicone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves Set - Product Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:25:00 +0000

Pot Roast and AYL Silicone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves

After receiving the AYL Silicone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves in exchange for our inspection and unbiased review, we put them through the paces. While we didn't get pictures of them in action outside with the grill and smoker, Harry made good use of them.

We heated up the smoker one day, but forgot to remove a couple of the extra racks. Rather than trying to finagle the racks out with tools, or just leave them to get greasy from what was cooking above, Harry used the gloves to remove the racks for safekeeping. There was a slight smudge of soot on the silicone gloves, but rather than have to send them through the laundry, we just rinsed them in the sink and let them dry in just a few minutes.

If you know us, you know that neither of us are petite people. Harry has huge hands and I don't have dainty, girly hands. Exhibit A:

While the fit was a bit snug on Harry's hands, they weren't so large on my hands that I couldn't use them.

Accessorize Your Life offers a 12-month warranty when you purchase the AYL Silocone Heat Resistant Grilling BBQ Gloves via this link at Amazon.

Chef Proven Zester/Grater - A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 15:36:00 +0000

Shredding Aged Parmesan Cheese is a Breeze with the Chef Proven Zester/Grater

We were given the opportunity to review the Chef Proven Zester/Grater in exchange for my inspection and review.

We bought a microplane several months ago when we had problems creating a large amount of lemon zest to make homemade limoncello. It's divine, by the way - especially after it's been aging for a year. The microplane worked much better than our box graters - we were able to get more of the zest without the white pith. However, the microplane is about 2 inches wide, and we still didn't have as much control working around the fruit.

I like the 1-inch blade width on the Chef Proven Zester/Grater. I have much more control when it comes to zesting citrus. I can move the Zester/Grater along the rind, rather than moving the fruit along the microplane.

The blades are sharp and easily take care of hard, aged cheeses as well as softer, less-aged cheese. Nutmeg went from nut to dust in a flash. The handle fits nicely in both our (markedly different-sized) hands, and it's a breeze to wash in the sink. When I replace my Harry-model dishwasher, I'll be able to let you know about it's dishwasher capabilities.

Chef Proven offers a satisfaction guarantee and you can buy the Zester/Grater via Amazon at this link: Chef Proven Zester/Grater.

Frozen Sweet Corn

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:07:00 +0000

We picked this up at the Farmers Market in the morning...

I feel rather lame with this "recipe". It's not really a recipe, but I've had enough people ask how we got our frozen corn to taste so delicious that I really don't have a choice. No, we don't cook it or add any other ingredients prior to freezing. There is no magic. But, this method is delicious and we've been doing it for a few years. The only change this year was the addition of our vacuum sealer we bought early in 2014.

The key to freezer corn is, well, the corn. Old starchy corn on the cob will give you starchy freezer corn. I know many people that wait until they've had their fill of fresh corn in the summer before they start to freeze. By then it's too late. Of course, it is a matter of preference, I guess. I just prefer the sweet, crisp kernels.

We froze 12 dozen ears over the course of 2 separate weekends. We ended up with about 48 pints of corn. For us, it made sense to freeze in 2-cup batches. A little leftover if we have dinner as a side, but plenty for recipes. An important note: smaller ears yield less corn. That seems like a no-brainer. But, we got about 16 packages out of the first 6 dozen. Yes, your math is correct. Our second 6 dozen yielded more than 30 pints of corn. We bought from the same farmer two weeks apart.

Our process for preparing the corn for freezing is simple. We remove the husks and as much of the silks as we can. We aren't as freaked out about removing EVERY.SINGLE.STRAND.OF.SILK!!!! Yes, you might find a couple of silks in the corn you eat at our house. It will not hurt you. After shucking the corn, we sanitize the sink, then fill it with cold water for rinsing. I know: why are you sanitizing the sink when you're going to wash corn? Because we use the sink for everything, we won't be cooking the corn before freezing, and sanitizing makes sure there's no residue from raw meat in the sink.

Harry is the knife man. We don't have any fancy gadgets for slicing the corn from the cobs. When I was a kid, Mom, Gramma, and Aunt Brenda would use their electric knives to cut the kernels from the cob. We don't even have an electric knife anymore. If your knife is as sharp as it should be, you'll have no trouble cutting the corn kernels from the cob.

The picture at the top is a pretty accurate representation of how we work. Harry cuts the corn into a pan, then it's transferred into a big bowl. I measure two cups of corn into the prepared vacuum bags. After we have it all bagged, Harry runs each bag through the sealer. Because I had so many packages during the second round of freezer corn, I divided them among the deep freezer and two refrigerator freezers until they were frozen. By doing it this way, I didn't introduce such a mass of room temperature food at once.

Now, you don't need to vacuum seal this sweet corn for the freezer. We didn't own the sealer until this year and we always used zip bags in the past. The square freezer containers work great, too.

If you DO have a vacuum sealer, you can count on your frozen sweet corn tasting like summer in November or December. Our bags are designed for boiling. So, I cook the corn by putting the sealed bag into boiling water. I'm not water-logging the corn and it tastes just picked.

So, that's it. No special equipment. No added salt. Summer during the winter. Will you be freezing sweet corn next summer?

...and it was in the freezer by late afternoon.

Zester/Grater from Smarty Pants Supplies - Review and Discount Code

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:17:00 +0000

Grated Parm with the Zester/Grater from Smarty Pants Supplies

Harry and I have a problem. We like gadgets. Well, some are gadgets, most are tools. Our scary drawer gets cleaned out about once a year, and we fill it again with different tools. I was recently given the opportunity to try the Zester/Grater from Smarty Pants Supplies in exchange for my inspection and review.

I'm old school - Harry honestly is, too. We've had two sizes of box graters in the kitchen for years and that pretty much covers our shredding needs outside of the food processor. Harry takes great joy in shredding cheese and cabbage without shredding his knuckles. But, that box grater has its limits. We can't properly grate nutmeg with it, and even the smallest holes don't work well for finely grated aged Parmesan. Citrus zest doesn't come away as nicely with the box grater.

The timing was perfect because we were just starting our holiday baking and liqueur making. While I forgot to take pictures, I used to Zester/Grater for the nutmeg and orange zest for some Cranberry-Orange Cookies. The ridges are sharp enough that it doesn't take much pressure to remove the zest and leave the white pithy part behind. As for the nutmeg, the smaller width gave me more control and I didn't get any fingernails while grating the hard nut.

The Parmesan in the picture is an aged parm, so it was rather hard. This was a garnish for some tortellini soup and it melted so nicely.

Smarty Pants Supplies offers a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. I can't verify the dishwasher-safe-ness as advertised, but the handle is very comfortable. I tried to bend it, but the whole tool is very sturdy.

You need a Zester/Grater in your kitchen because they have multiple uses. If you order via Amazon via this link, Smarty Pants Supplies will reward you with a 20% discount with the code 47I3CE3H. I can't guarantee how long the discount will last.

Sriracha Pickled Asparagus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 17:27:00 +0000

Game Day: Bourbon4Urban and Bloody Marys with Sriracha Pickled Asparagus

I grew to love asparagus later in life. I was thrilled when I learned that it was one of the few cooked veggies Harry would eat, as long as it wasn't cooked to mush. Yes, people still do that. We'll chop it up and add to hot, drained orzo for a quick dinner and it just gets hot - delicious.

We also - obviously - like our Bloody Marys during football season. My base recipe always includes Frank's Red Hot. The garnish is typically a few olives or maybe a dill pickle or celery stalk.

In July, we had a meeting of ~~livers~~ friends old and new in Columbus. My friend Dr. Ivy brought some of her home-canned goodies to share. I'd heard of pickled asparagus, but had never had it. She and her husband (I learned later) had harvested 70 pounds of asparagus from the garden in NW Pennsylvania and needed to find a way to preserve it. We all know it's not a friendly world to eat that much asparagus over a few short weeks of harvest time.

My friend's intentions were to garnish Bloody Marys with the Sriracha Pickled Asparagus. But, one thing led to another and everyone ended up just eating them out of the jar. By the time I arrived on Saturday morning, there was one spear left. I shared it with another gal and fell in love. With the asparagus. I couldn't stop telling Harry about it. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I begged Ivy for the recipe.

Ivy had turned to the interwebz and found The Ward Cannerist. The blog hasn't been active since 2011, but thanks to technology, we were able to use that recipe. I experimented first with a refrigerator-pickled version (see below). After Harry and I were very happy with that, we canned 8 pints following the water bath canning instructions.

We have incredibly black thumbs, so nothing ever grows in our garden, containers, window boxes...I bought our asparagus at Kroger. By the time we learned of this little slice of heaven in a canning jar, it was long past asparagus season here in Ohio.

I've learned that 2 quarts and 8 pints is not enough for my family. I think we have one pint left in the basement, plus a couple of partial jars in the fridge. If you like some spicy pickled veggies, this is THAT good. I did have to change my Bloody Mary recipe just a bit. If we're garnishing with the Sriracha Pickled Asparagus, I leave out the Frank's - we don't need it.

The below recipe makes 2 quarts. We still have some in our fridge, having been opened, after 4 months. The refrigerator method only requires a couple of weeks to brine. If you have a spare fridge in the basement, it's a perfect place to store several quarts to get you through the year. To get the water bath method recipes, head over to The Ward Cannerist. You'll have to scroll down the page for the sriracha variation.

Sriracha Pickled Asparagus - Refrigerator Version (makes 2 quarts)

Sterilize 2 quart canning jars and their rings. You can do this by covering with boiling water in a large kettle and simmering (bubbles breaking surface) for 10 minutes. Place the seals into a bowl and cover with boiling water.

Clean and trim 2 pounds of asparagus.

In a medium saucepan, combine 3 cups white vinegar, 3 cups water (we use bottled spring water for canning), and 1/4 cup pickling salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to boil for 5 minutes.

Divide the asparagus evenly between the two sterilized jars. Then, add to each jar the following:

1/2 cup sriracha
6 cloves garlic, peeled, halved
8 peppercorns
2 teaspoons dill seed.

Pour the hot brine over the asparagus mixture in the jars. Add the seals and rings, but do not over-tighten the rings. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in refrigerator for at least two weeks.

This will keep for several months in the refrigerator.

Edamam Nutrition Wizard - Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 19:37:00 +0000

One of the hardest battles we fight in the kitchen isn't against each other. The battle we wage is trying to eat more healthy. It's obvious from our posts that we enjoy food. Harry's not a fan of veggies. I love to bake (fortunately, neither of us really likes to eat sweets).

I was given the opportunity to review the Edamam Nutrition Wizard in exchange for my inspection and review.

I've used many nutrition analysis websites in the past. Usually, I find them very slow and difficult to work with - especially because we cook primarily from scratch. One of my favorites was SparkPeople, but it worked best with packaged foods. I tried one a few weeks ago through another website. I gave up after entering just my beverages, breakfast, and lunch. It was so slow and clunky.

Edamam Nutrition Wizard is not clunky. It is only similar to others in that it is a web-based nutrition analysis program. The Nutrition Wizard not only analyzes your recipes, you can save them within the system as well. The Plus Version that I tried out also gives the option of exporting your recipes and analysis.

I already have so many of our recipes saved in Word documents, it was easy for me to copy and paste my recipes into the website. A click of the button not only gave me the calorie counts, it confirmed that my recipe was low sodium and free of many dietary restrictions others might have, including gluten, dairy, shellfish, and soy. There is also a breakdown of fat, protein, carbs, and numerous minerals.

You can also use the Eamam Nutrition Wizard to analyze recipes you find while surfing the web or Pinterest. Simply copy the ingredient list into the Wizard, let it know how many servings, and you'll know if that fad "low-fat, low-carb" recipe is as healthy as the poster claims it to be. For the record, our Summer Rice Salad is a very healthy side dish. On the other hand, I'm not sure I'll ever make our Grill Roasted Stuffed Peppers again in their current recipe form.

The Edamam Nutrition Wizard is available for $2.95 per month, and the Plus version - with the ability to print and export the information - is $5.95 per month. I think it's worth $36 a year for any family to learn a little more about the food they are preparing. The system would also be helpful for home-based food businesses to learn a little more about the products they are selling.

Avocado Toast - Simplistic Decadence

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Dec 2014 16:35:00 +0000

If you know me, you know that I'm not always the first kid on the block to try something new. The smarter-than-me phones? Harry forced my iPhone 4s on me Labor Day, 2013. I only agreed because I drowned my flip phone the week before while fishing on Georgian Bay near Parry Sound, Ontario. I'm pretty happy with my phone now that I have it, but notice I have a 4s. Yes, there was a big release of the iPhone 6 a couple of months ago. So, still behind the times.

Given this, it should be no surprise that I had never heard of avocado toast until sometime after Labor Day, 2014. I came across an article via Yahoo Food explaining variations of avocado toast. I wondered "how can you modify something no one has ever heard of?" Apparently, I was quite wrong.

I could not name one thing wrong with the concept of avocado toast. I love avocado and don't eat it nearly often enough. Toast made from hearty, crusty bread? Sign me up. A drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper - maybe throw in a swipe of a garlic clove on the toast or a small squeeze of lemon or lime juice and I can't find anything to complain about.

I became slightly obsessed. For several weeks, avocado toast was my Monday lunch. A smoothie instead of cereal or oatmeal for breakfast to allow myself the toast for lunch. I learned that if I was at the store on Saturday, I could buy an under-ripe avocado and it would be perfectly ripe by Monday's lunchtime.

Then, the unthinkable happened. For a few weeks, every avocado was too ripe on Saturday. Maybe because it was the height of college football season and everyone wanted guacamole for the game. Or, was it because everyone else in central Ohio had read the article on Yahoo and decided they wanted to jump on the bandwagon?

I fell into a funk. I would pack my lunch with a sigh and resigned myself to waiting for avocado toast until Cinco de Mayo.

Then, last Saturday, a miracle of sorts occurred. We were getting our groceries on Saturday morning and there it was. The perfectly under-ripened small avocado. I saw the green showing through the flesh and I knew.

It was meant to be.

We already had crusty bread on our shopping list because we were having steak on the grill Sunday and I wanted bruschetta. We can't possibly eat a whole loaf of crusty bread during one meal, so I needed to plan a few other things to use it for.

Avocado toast. Only I didn't eat it for lunch on Monday.

Toast IS a breakfast food, after all.

Cranberry-Lime Infused Vodka - Great Last Minute Gift!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 16:01:00 +0000

Last year, while perusing Pinterest looking for ideas for the kids' gift baskets, I came across a beautiful pin. Cranberry Lime Vodka. Well, let's see what's wrong with this idea. Cranberries? Nothing wrong. Vodka? Nothing wrong. Hey, lime works with it. I got so excited after we made our bottles that I took it into work to show the others. One of gals even made several for her family. If you do a web search, you will find a lot of blog posts about it, but I think the pin I originally saw was from Fancy Napkin.

Our labels included a simple martini recipe. I also admonished my kids for their lack of proper bar implements.

Making the Cranberry-Lime Infused Vodka was simple. I had a more difficult time finding a template for all of the gift tags we needed to print. I think we made 3 large bottles and 3 small bottles - all of which I found at The Container Store. Last year, we made the infused vodka the weekend before Thanksgiving because we were traveling to my daughter's home in South Carolina 2 weeks before Christmas to celebrate Thankschrismahannukwanzaakah. It had been a few years since we were all together, so I was determined to make it special.

There really is no recipe to follow. Fresh cranberries, lime peel, a wee bit of granulated sugar, and enough vodka to fill the bottle. Some of the blog recipes I've seen suggest any old vodka. While I wouldn't go Grey Goose on this, you really don't want the low-proof grocery store vodka. We used 80 proof Smirnoff and the end flavor was very smooth.

The most important suggestion I followed from Fancy Napkin was to pierce each cranberry with the tip of a knife. Wash your fresh cranberries, then allow to dry (you don't want to dilute the vodka). We had rinsed our bottles the night before, so they were completely dry, as well. I used a very sharp knife to peel the limes, being careful to limit the amount of white pith. The white is bitter and only gets worse over time.

Harry and I pierced each cranberry as we put it into the bottles, and it really didn't take an awful amount of time. We layered the lime peel at about 1/3 full, then at the 3/4 mark. Once you've completely filled your bottles with the cranberries, add just 1-2 teaspoons of granulated sugar (depending upon the size of your bottle). The sugar will balance the bitterness of the cranberries, but not make it sweet. Fill the bottle completely with vodka. The top cranberries will attempt to float, so just push them back down. Put the cap on and let it steep for at least 2 weeks. If you're reading this on December 23, get ye to the store for your supplies, then tell your recipient to wait a couple of weeks before drinking. We did shake it every few days to keep the flavor mixing around.

I found the template for the labels free online at the MS store, and printed them on some light card stock I found at Pat Catan's. I cut them apart with some scalloped scissors intended for scrapbooking. We tied them on with some rough twine.

We were wrapping and packing the baskets in our hotel room the morning of our gift exchange. I had forgotten to take a picture in better light. But, I think you can see below how pretty of a red the vodka became from the cranberries.

Harry and I held onto our bottle of Cranberry-Lime Infused Vodka for a few months and it was delicious. Yes, we kept the cranberries in and there was no bitterness. In fact, I drank it with just tonic. I plan to make a few bottles this year, but I will probably go with a different bottle. I didn't have the patience to pull all the cranberries out with tweezers, so I ended up throwing away the bottle. A bottle with a more open neck would have been a better choice.

Cheers!!

Thanksgiving Wines - Tips and Suggestions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 20:52:00 +0000

Thanksgiving wines have a lot of competition at the table. There are so many flavors in a relatively small area, it is impossible to find just one Thanksgiving wine that will complement all of the dishes. When buying Thanksgiving wine, it is important to find a balanced wine that will not be overwhelmed by all of the seasonings and rich food so often prepared. Avoid a super-dry wine, as the taste of these will be lost. Also, a very heavy-bodied wine will overwhelm some of the lighter dishes available. In this list of 10 Thanksgiving Wines, I have included some general styles of wine as well as specific wines that we enjoy. The specific wineries I've linked to are places we've visited in our travels or wines we have purchased retail. We've received no compensation for this post.

10 Thanksgiving Wines:

1. Pinot Noir - This can be either a red or white wine, and is sometimes included in champagne. Most pinot noir wines I've tasted have been semi-dry and medium bodied, successfully converting this former white zinfandel-only drinker.

2. Riesling - It is possible to find German Rieslings in the United States priced under $20 per bottle. Avoid dry or sweet Rieslings. A lighter Riesling with a medium body will satisfy those who can't drink red wines.

3. Rose - The universal wine. Please avoid boxed varieties.

4. 7 Deadly Zins - This zinfandel blended by Michael-David, while a little heavier than many, and has a balance of several flavors. We've been able to locate this wine during our travels around the United States.

5. Stone Hill Winery's Chambourcin - From Herrmann, MO hails this medium-bodied wine that complements heavy and lighter dishes. Stone Hill Winery will ship to several states.

6. Breitenbach Wine's Roadhouse Red - We enjoy this wine from the heart of Ohio's Amish Country with many types of food. Don't let the semi-sweet designation fool you. This is not a syrupy wine and will appeal to either merlot or semi-sweet wine drinkers. Breitenbach Wine's will ship, with a 21 year old signature required.

7. Ridge Winery's Switzerland County Red - From the birthplace of commercial wine-making in the United States comes another wine that will please semi-dry or semi-sweet drinkers. The Ridge can ship only in Indiana, but is conveniently located between Cincinnati and Louisville, just 15 minutes from I-71.

Completely worth the stop at The Ridge Winery Tasting Room, right on the banks of the Ohio River. They've expanded the tasting room and offer a lot of special events.

8. Lanthier Winery's Cranberry Grande - Cranberries. Thanksgiving. Perfection. Unfortunately, Lanthier Winery does not have an online store. Plan a road trip from Cincinnati or Louisville and follow the Indiana Wine Trail to Madison, IN. As a bonus - they offer a free bottle for every five you buy.

We love to visit Lanthier during the holiday season because they always have dozens of beautifully decorated trees.

9. Breitenbach Wine's Cranberry Wine - Sweet and tart, this wine is always available in mid-November.

10. Ice Wine - A very sweet and decadent dessert wine, ice wines are made from grapes that have been permitted to freeze on the vine. The majority of ice wines are produced in Canada, but it is possible to find good, affordable ice wines from the Great Lakes region.

Don't be afraid of wine. In the words of William Shakespeare "Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used."

Fast, Easy Homemade Marinades and Rubs

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Nov 2014 19:28:00 +0000

Our first night vacation meal every time we rent a cottage or condo - Marinated Steak, baked potato and 3G Salad!

In our kitchen, meat is the centerpiece of meals. While I have a few basic techniques that haven't changed much in 25 years - frying chicken is one example - we do like to play with flavors. Creating rubs and marinades takes almost no time at all, yet can completely change the taste and texture of old favorites and standbys. With a few simple standard ingredients kept on hand, anyone can create a marinade or rub to rival expensive packaged convenience items. All of these recipes can be increased for larger quantities.

Steak Marinade - serves two

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

4-5 cloves garlic, finely minced (adapt to your taste)

several grinds black pepper

pinch sea salt

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 - 10 oz. ribeye steaks

Combine all ingredients, then pour the marinade over the steaks that have been placed in a zip-top bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but it will be fine for several hours or overnight. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before grilling in order to let the meat lose its chill.

Rub for Pork

2 tablespoons ground sage

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients. This will rub all sides of 3 pound pork loin roast or both sides of 8 thick-cut boneless pork chops. The rub can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Dry Rub for Smoking Pork Shoulder or Ribs

You can make the rub in larger quantities and store in an airtight container.

4 tablespoons paprika

4 tablespoons ground sage

3 tablespoons sea salt

2 tablespoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1/4-1/2 cup prepared yellow mustard

an 8-9 pound pork shoulder/Boston Butt

Combine paprika, sage, sea salt, garlic and pepper in small bowl. Rinse pork with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on baking sheet. Rub yellow mustard over all sides of pork. Then, completely coat mustard with dry mixture. Place in refrigerator to allow crust to "set", until smoker is ready. Follow manufacturer's instruction for indirect cooking.

Ummmm.....pork

Kabob Marinade - serves 2

¼ cup canola oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

pinch sea salt

several grinds black pepper

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

Whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Brush over 4 10-inch vegetable or meat and vegetable kabobs placed in shallow baking pan. Place in refrigerator, turning occasionally until ready to grill. During grilling, baste kabobs occasionally with leftover marinade.

Pesto Chicken Roulade

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 10:00:00 +0000

Chicken has found a larger presence in our diet over the last year. We both enjoy it, but sometimes it's just hard to come up with something different. A gal I work with mentioned buying some stuffed chicken breasts at the store, and one of them was a pesto and something. I mentioned it to Harry and we decided to give it a try.

Roulade is simply a fancy term for "roll-up". The chicken breasts we buy at Lanning's are HUGE and this would easily serve four people. In fact, I think I made it one night when we were kind of tired and it was the only thing we ate - and still had leftovers. I've taken the leftovers to work and heated in the microwave with no issues.

This isn't really a recipe that can be measurement specific. Count on one large breast for every two people you plan to serve.

I trimmed the extra fat from each breast, then put it inside a zip bag. It's great therapy to pound the dickens out of a piece of meat.

I use the zip bag because I'm not fond of raw chicken juice flying around the kitchen.

After the chicken, the ingredients are pretty simple. I used about a half-cup of pesto to cover both breasts, about a half-cup of parmesan-romano blend, one-third of a cup of mayo and just enough panko to coat. Use your own homemade pesto, mayo and crumbs, along with your fresh-grated cheese. We've had to make some sacrifices (read: cut some corners when we don't have hours to spend in the kitchen) since we both went back to work full time.

The pesto isn't coated too thick, nor the cheese - go with your own tastes. In the end, we found a nice balance between the chicken and the filling. I learned by error that pesto can be overwhelming if I use a too-heavy hand.

Then, roll up the chicken from the long side. Place seam side down on your work surface. I did all of this on the paper that the chicken was wrapped in.

I might have gone a little heavy with the mayo on this try. Trust me when I say the mayo does nothing more than seal the moisture in and keep the crumbs attached. After this was cooked, we didn't taste the mayonnaise. The chicken, however, was SO juicy.

Sprinkle on a coating of panko (I've also used regular dried bread crumbs with success) and place the breasts in a pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until your thermometer reads 160 degrees.

The crust browns nicely at 350. I wouldn't recommend going much higher - the crust might brown too quickly and the chicken get dry before the inside is cooked through.

Harry sliced the Pesto Chicken Roulade and it came out rather nicely for our first attempt at something like this. The bruschetta was yummy too!

As I said above, this is more for an idea of what else to do with chicken. Pound your breasts flat, smear them with ingredients you enjoy, roll it up and bake it.

Enjoy!

Finding inspiration...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 13:43:00 +0000

It's easy to make excuses. I can say it's because I'm working full-time. I can say it's because our hours are so jacked up that we only have a few hours each evening for Debbie and Harry time. But I know in my heart those are just excuses. I have plenty of computer time every single day. I've been up for a little over two hours. I've just kind of fallen into a (bad) habit of just surfing each morning until its time to go to work. On the weekends, we'll sit beside each other and surf, pointing out cool things we find.

And then this happened:

I have been wanting to do a weekend runaway to Cleveland (yes, Cleveland, Ohio) for ages. I finally pouted long enough that Harry agreed. On the agenda: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, lunch at Bahama Breeze (don't judge me), a winery or two, the casino and B Spot, and Nirvana.

So we planned a weekend in October, found a hotel within walking distance of the rail station and headed north. Friday night, we took the train to the Horseshoe Casino and had burgers and fries at B Spot. Google it. It hurts my heart that we were not impressed. I'll still try a stand-alone B Spot and give it one more shot.

Saturday morning was the day I was waiting for: Cleveland's West Side Market! Our primary mission was all about the sausage. But, which stand to choose? We made a circuit of the entire market looking at the options. Our first stop garnered butter, cheese, gnocchi, and pierogi. We picked the shop we would buy our walleye. And then, and then...we bought NINE different types of sausages. Smoked, double-smoked, hot, mild, fresh.

We visited Great Lakes Brewing Company, Bier Markt and Market Garden Brewery. I posted pictures to Facebook via my smarter-than-me-phone of our travels and finds.

It was fun. I wanted to do more.

We did this:

And we did this:

Then we did this:

Which was part of this:

And I even had a burst of creativity with the labels:

A few other things happened that kept reminding us of what we used to love to do: play in the kitchen and create food. In the real world we live in right now, it's impossible to jump back into the farmers market thing. It just won't support us anymore. But, over the last couple of months we've had many discussions about how to take it to a level that we can sustain while still working full time.

I'll go into more detail in the coming weeks. I'll also do full posts explaining the pictures. Debbie & Harry's Kitchen needs a makeover and some love for the old posts. It feels very good to be writing this. Oh, how I've missed it all.

Heritage...A to Z through our kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:57:00 +0000

Courtesy mmagallan at sxc.hu

In most everyone's kitchen, there are certain intangible objects that influence the way we cook. In our kitchen, heritage plays as much a part of our meal planning as a love of great food or a desire to experiment.

Harry's family is a blend of Danish and hills of eastern Kentucky. On my side of the fence, I have the roots of eastern Tennessee and the Canadian Maritimes. During our childhood years, we've found a constant. We both come from homes where both parents worked. For the most part, weeknight dinner was usually a meat, potatoes and some sort of vegetable. When Harry and I are short on time for cooking, we usually fall back to those heritage meals.

In my house, corned beef wasn't just for St. Patrick's Day. Mom loved a New England boiled dinner and we probably had it a few times a year. The smell of the slow cooking of the corned beef brisket would fill the house. Then, the aroma got turned up a few notches as Mom added cabbage and rutabaga along with carrots and potatoes. In all these years, 2012 will go down as the year that I finally believe I got my boiled dinner to turn out just like Mom's.

There weren't a lot of dinners Harry would like to repeat from his mother. He told me if he judged pizza by the first one she ever made - which was the first time he ever ate pizza - he never would have eaten it again! But, Harry loved his mother's meatloaf. Through most of my years, while I loved Mom's meatloaf, I was just never able to replicate it on my own. I'm sure the reason is that she has a recipe card somewhere that she still follows to the letter today.

Mom blended her fishing-village family's food heritage with that of Dad's family. Slow-fried southern style chicken with milk gravy. In the summer, I always looked forward to fried green tomatoes (just flour, salt & pepper - none of that batter crap!) and fried okra (these were fried in corn meal, salt and pepper - again no batter!). In the summer, we put up food for winter - strawberry freezer jam, green beans, tomato juice, freezer corn, Lady Ashburn pickle relish.

Through our years, our tastes have changed. Our travels have led us to enjoy foods from around the country and around the world. But, our family heritage still finds its way into our kitchen.

Grill...A to Z through our kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Harry Westergaard) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:15:00 +0000

Harry's rolling his pennies for a grill like this! Thanks to Jack880 over at Wikimedia Commons

As a noun, it is a device. As a verb, it is what you are doing.

Grills come in just about every size and shape you can think of. There was a competition where we live, “Monster Barbecue Build Off”. Build or modify an existing grill and then have a cook-off. Voting for the best grill and judging for the best ribs. You can not imagine some of the grills that were built.

With the arrival of warmer weather our cooking moves outside for at least three or four times a week. A grill is not just for meat, we use it for vegetables and fruit as well. Squash, tomatoes, peaches or apples done on the grill lend a unique and delicious taste as a side dish or incorporated in the main dish. You don’t have to buy your fire roasted tomatoes from your local grocer. And a combination of meat and veggies on a stick, (Kabobs) makes a delicious light meal.

But I digress; I often do that where food is involved. The GRILL! Stay within your budget but do not go cheap. This is one where you really do get what you pay for. The most important part of the grill is the burner controls and burners. Or if you are a charcoal purist, the gridiron for the charcoal is very important. We have both; we use the charcoal smoker to slow roast and the gas grill for general cooking. We also have a portable grill for our camping trips, one that folds down.

Pick the right grill for the type of grilling you will be doing. Decide on how many burners you need, do you need a side burner for pots, a rotisserie attachment? (A whole pork loin basted often and turning slowly over low heat…now I am hungry). Infrared warmers, warming racks, the list of features you can have on a grill is extensive and expensive. In one of the stores we shop there was a ready made outdoor kitchen for only twenty seven hundred dollars. Ahh, no.

It is as simple as this, the grill can be used for weekend gatherings of family and friends and/or used for daily cooking, providing and unique and tasty flavor for whatever dish you are preparing.

It is time to break out the grill, buy the charcoal or gas, fire that puppy up and let the neighbors know that summer is here. Good grillin.

And as always, batteries not included.

Crockery, Casseroles and Cookbooks...A to Z through our kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:32:00 +0000

Having a kitchen of my own for nearly 30 years, I've collected an eclectic mix of, well, everything! There's very few items that I could ever need, even for a once-off dish or catering gig, in which I don't have the proper means to cook it or serve it. And many of these items come with so many memories.

In the foreground is a bean crock. I've actually only used it successfully once, for Christmas dinner this past year. The memories belong more to my mother. The bean crock came from Grannie, and Mom can remember beans for supper every Saturday night when she was a kid. Since Mom is, um, 20 years older than me, you can imagine how old this crock is.

With the bean crock are two bowls I received when Gramma passed away. Now, there's a very famous blogger who claims to channel Lucille Ball. Well, I do channel Lucille Wright - except I've never tried to make her banana pudding. While I use the larger bowl in the back for raising bread, I remember Gramma filling either of these bowls with banana pudding with a baked meringue crust. If the dinner was for a big holiday, Gramma used the large bowl. If it was "supper" preceded with a phone call saying "well, I just had a few things that needed to be cooked", she used the small bowl.

Out of all these casserole dishes, only three were purchased during my adult years. The small square in the foreground - great for a chicken pot pie just big enough for Harry and I - belonged to a set of Corelle dishes I needed for my post-divorce kitchen. The top two round casserole dishes on the back/right were purchased in 1983. Everything else came from Gramma's kitchen. They are all so sturdy and lend themselves to baking as well as serving when I feel the need to be proper and serve at the table. Which isn't very often.

I've culled my cookbook collection drastically over the last 18 months. With the dark corners and the strange early morning light, I could not get a proper picture. I have it whittled down to just about 100 cookbooks now. The ones that get the most use, not surprisingly, are some of the old, heritage cookbooks from Gramma's collection.

I have a few "celebrity" cookbooks that I turn to often. Cat Cora, Harry's dream girl, finds her way into our kitchen often with "Cooking from the Hip". I'm particularly fond of Justin Wilson, who was a celebrity cook long before the Food Network made everyone a celebrity. Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist Entertains" taught me that it was possible to serve guests without going overboard.

Of course, with the Lucy mantra of "We got plenty!", I hope I can be forgiven for always going overboard.

Is there an item in your kitchen that was passed from a previous generation? Or, do your children jokingly fight over who will get a certain item when you are no longer in need of it? I'd love to hear about!

Bar Glass...A to Z through our kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:50:00 +0000

It's just after 5:00 a.m. and still dark outside. With less than a cup of coffee in me, I know this photo isn't great but it's the best I could do.

I have a LOT of bar glass. I can host a wine-tasting party for 24 or Irish Car Bombs for 16. OK, I have way more than 16 pint glasses, but only 16 shot glasses. Martinis? Margaritas? Brandy Alexander? Irish Coffee? I have the glassware for all.

Keep in mind that this cabinet doesn't hold all of our coffee cups, the tea cups from 2 sets of china (8 and 24 respectively) or our travel sippy cups. Other than those few random plastic cups I've picked up along the way, a pewter shot cup that was handcrafted for me in Louisiana, Missouri, and my cocktail shaker, this is nothing but bar glass.

I started bartending in 1987 in a little beer and shot bar my then in-laws owned in Mount Vernon. Through the years, I've worked in just about every kind of alcohol venue you can imagine - nightclubs, full-serve restaurants and the Olympics of bartending in Columbus, Ohio: the Lobby Bar at Holiday Inn on Lane during Hiney Gate (RIP) during Ohio State's 2002 championship season.

I don't know if it's the bartender in me that desires all this bar glass. After all, it's not like Harry and I are actually that social. We did host my entire family for Christmas dinner a couple of years ago and that number didn't hit 20. There was also very little alcohol flowing.

It could be something else that makes me want to collect bar glass. I've had my own kitchen since 1983. In all that glass up there, there might be 2 or 3 pieces that I've carried from my children's teenage years. Yes, teens and dishwashing didn't seem to mix in my house. I can't count the number of glasses I bought during their years at home.

There's something else in that collection of bar glass: memories. There's the hand-painted wine glasses that we actually use for margaritas. I haggled for those in the straw market on our trip to Nogales, Mexico. There are hurricane glasses from Pat O'Brien's in New Orleans. There's the pair of pint glasses from Three Little Pigs, somewhere in Virginia while Trey and I were on a business trip. There are several pairs of wine glasses indicating that Harry and I completed the Indiana Wine Trail.

While most everything in our kitchen is actually used on a regular basis, I know that my collection of bar glass is just that - a collection. I dream of a glass cabinet someday to display it properly. Do you collect anything in your kitchen? Trivets? Salt shakers? Potholders? Le Creuset? Tell me about your kitchen collection in the comments!

Appliances...A to Z through our kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:34:00 +0000

From left to right - ish: Dazey Fondue Pot, KitchenAid Food Processor, Cuisinart Hand Mixer, Breville Immersion Blender, ChefChoice Knife Sharpener, Crock Pot Slow Cooker, TWO Taylor Digital Scales and a Waring Blender

A few months ago, Harry and I decided to add a section called "What's in our kitchen?". Our thought was sharing some of the things that make our lives simpler and lead to us spending so much time cooking - other than a love of food. So, when I was trying to think of a theme for the A to Z April Blogging Challenge, "What's in Our Kitchen" was an easy one.

When most people think of appliances, their minds go to refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers - you know, the big stuff. While we have most of the usual characters (my heavy-duty dishwasher is Harry), it's the small appliances that make our kitchen lives so much simpler and have expanded our kitchen chops. Not to be confused with gadgets, these workhorses are tools, just as a carpenter couldn't get by without a power saw.

If you've been here before, you'll notice that our KitchenAid 600 professional stand mixer is conspicuously absent from the top photo. Please pause for a moment of silence...

Tragically, the KitchenAid 600 died a painful death in the midst of a major baking frenzy on Sunday, March 25, 2012. Four and a half years, thousands of loaves of bread, thousands of rolls and pounds upon pounds of ground meat and pasta. She served us well. And we will welcome a new 600 into our home within the next couple of weeks.

The food processor handles almost every chopping, grinding and shredding duty in our kitchen. But, when it comes to grinding horseradish, Harry prefers to use our ancient blender. A lot of people like to make their smoothies in a blender, but I prefer to make mine with my immersion blender in a cocktail shaker. The immersion blender (or boat-motor) is also handy for pureeing soups right in the pot - and with a quick rinse, it's ready to use again.

Not so conspicuously absent is our POS Mr. Coffee Coffeemaker. We still hate the damn thing, but are saving up for a good coffee/espresso combo machine.

While I've never made true fondue, our fondue pot is the BEST thing I've ever found for melting chocolate for Buckeyes at the holidays. I can melt the chocolate without fear of water possibly dripping in from the double-boiler method. And I don't own a double-boiler.

Harry used to make fun of me when we first started cooking together because my knives were so dull. He patiently sharpened each one by hand. That got old, so in addition to his stones we now have an electric sharpener in our kitchen. He keeps the knives tuned up between full sharpenings with a ceramic rod.

I can't forget our digital scales - they aren't just for diet-related portion control. We weigh our meat as we package it (with our vacuum sealer) and also weigh dough portions. We've learned that when our loaves of bread weigh the same, they tend to bake at the same rate.

While I'm not addicted to my slow cooker, I can't imagine not having it around. There are days when it just makes sense to throw something in it in the morning, and then dinner is ready with no rushing around. I also have a mini-slow cooker for dips and such. In the basement, we have two electric roasters that I love to use to make jam and fruit butter.

While I'm sure I've forgotten a few things, the only other thing I can think of right now is the ancient microwave that's on its final stretch. Honestly, I only use it to occasionally warm up my first cup of coffee and some leftovers for lunch. But, we use it enough that we'll probably replace this old one later this year.

What small appliances make your kitchen life easier? Leave a comment or a link to a blog post extolling the virtue of the small kitchen appliance!

Pink Slime...my thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:10:00 +0000

This is one of Harry's pink-slime-free surprise burgers. For this session of burgers last summer, we used ground chuck from Lanning's in Mount Vernon. Locally owned, they source most of their meat from Ohio. Until I can afford my own grass-fed freezer beef, this is as close as it's going to get unless we grind our own (which we do on occasion).

I wrote a fact box for Yahoo! News this morning about the latest development in the pink slime saga and I'll link it here if they decide to publish it. Without too many details, I awoke this morning to see the news that Beef Products, Inc. had suspended operations in 3 of their 4 plants. The makers of the ammonia-treated lean beef trimmings used in filler in 70 percent of the ground beef in our country, after being badgered in the media, specifically by ABC News, and social media (I can't count the number of #pinkslime related things I've seen in the last few weeks) is, in a word, screwed.

I felt a bit of concern for the people who will lose their jobs if the suspensions become permanent closures. I don't like mass job losses of any sort - our economy is still struggling. But, one thing that has run through my mind several times over the last few weeks is "why now?" Why did it finally explode in the media and cause the purveyors of this crap to stop (or plan to stop) using it to cut costs?

It's not like pink slime is new. It's been around since about 2001 and approved for use as up to 15 percent filler in ground beef without benefit of disclosure. I learned about in April of 2011 during the season premier of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution". Jamie's demonstration is overly-dramatic, but it sent me searching. Yes, it's pretty gross to watch.

So, I did some digging. I put together a Q & A for Yahoo! News and while most of the comments from last year have been removed, it gained a lot of traffic. One of the most frequent comments, after "gross", was that people were unhappy to learn that their ground beef had this filler.

But, the status quo continued until late January. That's when McDonald's announced they would no longer use the filler in their hamburgers. In fact, they stopped using it last August. Other fast food chains stepped up to the plate and announced their own plans to discontinue the use of pink slime. But, that's not what brought down BPI.

I couldn't figure out why ABC was suddenly so relentless in its reporting of the issue over the last few weeks. After all, the New York Times had investigated the process and the company in 2009 and the "stunning" information revealed in the ABC and other media reports wasn't anything new. Why now?

Meet Bettina at The Lunch Tray. Food blogger, activist and creator of an online petition to remove pink slime from school lunches. When she launched the petition on March 6, Bettina hoped to convince the USDA to reconsider their decision to buy 7 million pounds of the filler to add to the school lunch program. She had over 100,000 signatures in four days. And, when something goes viral in social media, the mainstream media has no choice but to cover it. The petition worked in a way. The USDA will give school districts the choice to opt-out of the pink slime-filled beef. And, nearly every grocery chain in the country will discontinue selling pink slime-filled beef in response to customer concerns.

I picked the picture of Harry's surprise burger for a reason. That's how I felt last spring when I learned the government didn't think we needed to know that our ground beef contained this filler. It's not a matter of wanting the lean beef trimmings banned - I wanted them disclosed.

I learned something else when I stopped buying Kroger ground beef in the rolls and switched to Lanning's. We were in a pinch and had run out of ground beef and Lanning's was closed on Sunday. We decided to go ahead and run to Kroger because, as Harry had said months earlier, "We were already eating it all these years."

Harry makes GREAT burgers! He's a little unconventional, but they are always juicy and he grills them perfectly. These burgers, even though the only variable was the source of the beef, were practically inedible. They shriveled to nothing. The great beef taste we enjoyed from the Lanning's ground beef and our own ground beef was non-existent. Sometimes, you don't know what you're missing.

BPI, I sincerely hope your attempt at re-creating your image saves your company and all those jobs. I think you've got a hard row to hoe. If I can offer one piece of advice, it would be to regret all that lobbying you did 10 years ago to convince the government to not require labeling of your process and filler. Let the consumer be informed and let the consumer decide for themselves. If lean beef trimmings were so healthy and delicious, why would you be ashamed of labeling them?

Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 12:07:00 +0000

When I was a kid, I can remember a couple of my friends' mothers making chicken and dumplings regularly. I still remember Mrs. Altizer whipping together a batch in no time at all one Sunday after church. Mrs. Kerschner made dumplings to serve with mashed potatoes on a week night!

The first time I ever made chicken and dumplings was after I'd been married for about five years. I used a recipe called "Chicken Fricassee and Dumplings" from a Betty Crocker cookbook that was a gift when I first got married in 1983. The ex-husband didn't like them because the chicken was still on the bones. I didn't like them because the dumplings were like biscuits - they weren't like the slippery dumplings I remember from my youth.

For years, the slippery (noodle-like) dumplings eluded me. I would occasionally make the drop dumplings, but I never found a recipe that told me what I was doing wrong. I had to satisfy that slippery-dumpling-craving with occasional visits to Cracker Barrel.

When I saw the picture for this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had found the dumplings of my memories. The recipe, from the Tasty Kitchen, is easy to follow and a bit different from standard noodles. When I make homemade noodles, the dough is very stiff. I mistakenly used the food processor the first time I made these dumplings but it wasn't necessary. I used the pastry cutter (sorry Alton Brown) to blend the butter into the dry ingredients and it's easy to stir the milk in with a silicon spatula.

The dough will be very soft and you need to use a lot of flour with this recipe to keep it from sticking to the work surface. Someday, when I'm all grown up, I'll remember to buy a pastry mat. Just a few light strokes with the rolling pin and I had a uniform thickness of about 1/8". Uniformity is NOT required when you cut the dumplings with a knife or rolling pizza cutter. Useless trivia: Cracker Barrel uses a special tool to insure uniform dumplings. The prep cook uses a sugar packet to size the cuts.

This day happened to be "Harry's making homemade chicken stock" day. I pulled about four cups from the huge, simmering stock pot and poured it into the smaller pot, added 4 cups of water and about one pound of cooked chicken.

Once the stock and meat was at a strong simmer, I added the dumplings. Go ahead and add the leftover flour from the table - it will help thicken the stock or broth into a nice stew-ish consistency. Simmer for about 20 minutes, taste checking the broth and dumplings.

I forgot and added my black pepper before I took the picture. I love lots of black pepper on anything creamy, so adjust accordingly.

You can use leftover chicken or maybe a deli-rotisserie chicken, along with packaged broth or chicken stock to speed up the process. Because we already had our chicken stock and picked meat, these homemade chicken and dumplings took me about 40 minutes to make.

Chicken and Dumplings from Scratch - serves 6

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup of milk (you might need a little less)
2 quarts chicken broth OR 1 quart of chicken stock and 1 quart of water
1 pound cooked, boneless chicken

While you are mixing the dumplings, bring the broth to a strong simmer over medium heat.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, pair of knives, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently stir in 3/4 cup of milk. The dough should be very soft, like biscuits, so add the remaining milk until you have the proper consistency. It will be sticky!

Spread a generous amount of all-purpose flour on your work surface and dust your rolling pin liberally with flour. Pour/scrape the dumpling dough onto the flour. Use light strokes to roll the dough into a uniform thickness, about 1/8". You might have to dust your rolling pin with flour more than once.

Using a knife or a pizza roller (my choice because it was so fast!), cut the dough into square-ish shapes about 2 inches by 2 inches. Don't worry about perfection - the dumplings will change shape while they are cooking and won't be the same size no matter what you do!

I use a slotted spatula to transfer the dumplings from the table into the simmering broth. You want to add most of the flour you have left-over from the rolling to thicken the broth. Stir the dumplings gently and add the chicken meat.

Continue to simmer the dumplings for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Usually, I add a few chopped veggies to our chicken and dumplings. Diced carrots and celery add a great flavor. Simply saute them in a splash of extra virgin olive oil or canola oil in the bottom of the stock pot before you add the broth. I like to saute the carrots and celery just until they start to color to add more flavor to the broth. They will finish cooking as you simmer the dumplings.

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:08:00 +0000

This, my friends, is about 5 pounds of slow-roasted pork shoulder. Harry did a great job of hand-pulling the meat and now it's ready for a variety of recipes - or just nibbling on it until dinner is ready!

When we find a great deal on a huge piece of meat, we can't pass it up. While we would prefer to smoke it, Harry's cooking hours are severely limited. That doesn't mean I can't have juicy, tender pulled pork that I can use in ways other than sandwiches.

I like to keep slow-roasted pork in the freezer for a quick start to a meal. We use it in a lot of our Asian-inspired dishes such as Hot & Sour Soup or stir-fry. It's super-easy to make a quick Pork Fried Rice when all I have to do is chop the meat. When we roast the pork, I also get a large amount of pork broth that I can use to make pork & noodles or simple open-faced pork sandwiches smothered in gravy.

The prep work for the pork takes about as long as it takes for your oven to preheat to 250 degrees. Low and slow is required to keep the shoulder from drying out. Someday, when I plan far enough ahead, I'd like to experiment with oven-smoking.

The rub for this pork shoulder is simple. We started with close to seven pounds of raw meat (bone-in), so I went a little light with the rub. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of sage, 1 teaspoon each of Kosher salt, granulated garlic and ground black pepper, and one-half of a teaspoon of paprika.

You can see that I didn't build up a crust on the pork, but rather a nice, light seasoning. You don't want to mask the flavor of the pork by going too heavy with the rub. Add about a half-cup of water or beer, cover the pan with foil, and walk away for about 6 hours. ~~Do the laundry~~. ~~Clean the bathroom~~. Sit on the porch with cocktails and watch the clouds pass by.

I never peek before the pork shoulder has been roasting for at least 6 hours - constant checking will allow the moisture to escape. Since we will remove the fat when we pull the pork, I'm not concerned with getting a crispy crust. You want the pork to test at at least 180 degrees Fahrenheit before you remove it. I've gotten distracted and let it go to about 200 degrees without losing any flavor or tenderness.

Once the pork has cooled enough to handle, you can use your clean hands or a pair of forks to pull the meat from the bone. Package the cooled pork and freeze for later use. OR - mix up a batch of it with your favorite barbecue sauce for sandwiches immediately - do NOT forget the dill pickle slices. They are very important.