Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Wild Rice & Portobello Salad

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:15:00 +0000

Mushrooms... such a delicious fungus! To highlight the Pacific Northwest in our Regional Thanksgiving menu this year, I wanted to prepare a dish using Chanterelle mushrooms, a mushroom variety that's found in this region of the country. However when I went to the store, I had a heck of a time finding chanterelle mushrooms. Typically, they are available from September through February but I had no luck finding them at the grocery stores I went to. So as a substitute, I used portobello mushrooms. It worked just as well with a rich, meaty flavor. The salad was hearty enough to be a meal all in itself! This dish is also one that can be easily made in advance and so easy too...

2 Days Before:
- Prepare the rice and cool.
- Chop up the dried fruits and toss with the cooled rice. Wrap and store chilled in the fridge.
- Prepare the vinaigrette and store in a salad dressing bottle or small jar; store in the fridge.

1 Day Before:
- Saute the garlic, onions and mushrooms. Cool and toss into the rice and dried fruit mixture. Wrap and store chilled in the fridge.
- Toast walnuts, cool and store at room temp.

Day of:
- Combine the vinaigrette with the rice mixture and place into a serving dish. Top with fresh watercress, toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese.

Wild Rice & Portobello Salad
recipe adapted from Sara Multon

3 boxes of long grain & wild rice mix
chicken or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 bay leaf
12 sprigs thyme
4 teaspoons canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound portobello mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped

To prepare the rice: Prepare the long grain and wild rice box mix by place the rice mix in a pot. Prepare as directed by substituting the water called for with chicken or vegetable broth. Add the salt, bay leaf and thyme to the pot. Do not use the seasoning packet included in the rice mix (either save it for something else or discard.)

Cook the rice on the stovetop as directed or in a rice cooker/steamer. Once cooked, allow the rice to cool and set aside.

To prepare the mushrooms:In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions and saute until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat, drain well, and set aside.

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mixed dried fruits, such as cherries, cranberries, raisins, chopped figs, chopped apricots or a combination
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 pound watercress
8 ounces fresh white goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

To make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallots, cumin, thyme, and pepper and season with salt. Add the dried fruits.

In a salad bowl, combine the cooled wild rice, cooked mushrooms, and walnuts. Toss with the vinaigrette and fruits.

To serve, portion the salad onto a large platter, top with the greens, and sprinkle with the goat cheese.

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes with Candied Pecans

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Sweet potatoes are a favorite on Thanksgiving and are a must on a traditional holiday table. To make things a little more interesting, this version won't include any gooey marshmallows. Instead, I made the following recipe with some Kentucky bourbon whiskey and candied pecans. This dish represents the south of our Regional Thanksgiving this year and as they say, a little alcohol makes a party!

My favorite Kentucky bourbon whisky is Maker's Mark. This added a really nice flavor that was used for the flavorful and sweet topping. For added texture and crunch, I also made some candied pecans which I chopped up and topped the dish before baking. You can also make this dish a couple days ahead...

2 Days Before:
- Boil or bake your sweet potatoes until soft. Peel and mash until smooth. Season with salt and place in a baking dish, then cover.
- Make a batch of candied pecans. You can use a portion for the dish (chopped up once cooled) and serve up the remaining pecans as an appetizer or snack, or even add to salads.

1 Day Before:
- Combine the two corn syrups, maple syrup, and bourbon whiskey in a small jar or salad dressing bottle to make the sweet bourbon sauce. Store at room temp until ready to use.

Day of:
- Preheat the oven and pour the sweet bourbon over the mashed sweet potatoes in your baking dish.
- Top with your chopped candied pecans and bake in the oven until hot.

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes with Candied Pecans
recipe adapted from Taste of Home

6 to 8 large sweet potatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 Tbs maple syrup
1/4 cup Kentucky bourbon whiskey (I used Maker's Mark)
Candied pecans, chopped (store bought or homemade)

Cook sweet potatoes; peel and mash.

Place the mashed sweet potatoes in a buttered casserole pan or dish.

Combine the remaining ingredients except nuts and pour over potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbling hot. Garnish with nuts and serve.

Butternut Squash & Sage Dinner Rolls

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:23:00 +0000

Dinner rolls are a great addition to the table to any holiday feast. Rather than serving up the usual white or wheat rolls, I wanted to prepare something more flavorful and colorful as well. Continuing with our Regional Thanksgiving theme we prepared this year, I looked to the New England state of Connecticut for inspiration.

Connecticut has major crops in winter squash including acorn, butternut and buttercup squash. For the following recipe, I used butternut squash and fresh sage to prepare a yeast dough for my rolls. The squash adds such a beautiful orange hue and subtle sweetness to the dough and the sage gives it a nice herbal touch popular in Thanksgiving foods.

Out of convenience, you can use canned butternut squash but I found it tastes much better roasting squash and using that instead. If you want, this could also be prepared ahead, saving you time on the day of...

2 Days Before:
- Roast a small butternut squash with oil and sea salt. Allow it to cool and scoop out the flesh and set aside.

1 Day Before:
- Prepare the dough as written in the recipe below. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill overnight or until ready to proof and bake.

Day of:
- Allow the chilled dough to come to room temperature... and it will proof a bit.
- Break off pieces of the dough and form into small boules or into knots as indicated in the recipe below.
- Allow to proof for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven and bake.
- Keep the rolls warm in a bread basket, covered with a tea towel before serving.

Butternut Squash & Sage Dinner Rolls
recipe adapted from Country Living

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope instant rapid-rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup mashed cooked butternut squash or canned pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
1 large egg, for egg wash

Make the dough: In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse together flour, yeast, salt, and sugar until combined. Pour milk into a 2-cup glass measure and add the melted butter and squash. Whisk to mix and, with the processor running, add milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Process until the mixture forms a soft ball that rides the blade -- about 60 seconds. Add a small amount of flour through the feed tube if the mixture sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Knead the dough: Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 times, adding sage leaves while kneading. Form into a ball and place in a large, lightly buttered bowl. Cover and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk -- about 45 minutes. Punch the dough down, turn the bowl over it, and let it rest under the bowl for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces.

Bake the rolls: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 2 baking pans. Roll each dough piece under the palm of your hand to form a long, skinny string about 10 inches long. Tie each into a knot and space them loosely on the baking sheets.

If you don't want to make knots, you can form each piece of dough into small boules by pulling the dough under itself to form small balls.

Cover and set aside to rise -- about 15 minutes. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush over the tops of the rolls. Bake until golden brown -- 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or warm with butter.

Cranberry Pear Relish

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:37:00 +0000

You know it's fall when those cranberry commercials pop up on the tv! Thanksgiving isn't complete unless cranberry sauce is on the table and so I had to include something prepared with cranberries on our Regional Thanksgiving menu. I was actually surprised to learn that the state of Wisconsin is a major cranberry producer in the United States. With that, the following recipe represented the state of Wisconsin and involves a great variation of cranberry sauce.

This recipe is extremely simple... and can be done well in advance. I found that the more it sits, the better the flavors. Even better is that this recipe doesn't require any cooking! All you need is a food processor to whiz everything up.

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was omitting the orange peels. I found that they made the relish too bitter. Instead, I just peeled the oranges and chopped them up for the relish. Don't throw away the peels though! You can save them to make candied orange peels for the holidays or even use them for their zest in other recipes! If anything, you can always use slivers of the peel and make orange twists for holiday cocktails you may be serving up too...

Cranberry Pear Relish
recipe adapted from Tyler Florence

1 small navel orange
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 Bartlett pear, cored and cut into large chunks
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Pinch kosher salt
3 tablespoons pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)

Wash and dry the orange. Cut the orange into small wedges, removing the peel, and put in a food processor. Add the cranberries, pear, sugar, and salt. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Just before serving, stir in the pecans if using.

Pecan Cornbread Dressing

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The state of Georgia is well known for pecans, even moreso during the month of November!

To highlight the state of Georgia on our Regional Thanksgiving menu this year, I came across the following recipe. I prepared the recipe as follows, using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth since we had some vegetarian guests to cater for our dinner. I also have to admit that I prepared cornbread from a mix (Trader Joe's brand) to save myself from time. You're welcome to use store bought cornbread, but if you are able, homemade is always better. The Trader Joe's brand I used for this recipe worked deliciously since there were some whole corn kernels in the mix and the texture of the cornbread wasn't too dry. The key thing to note about preparing cornbread dressing is to not over handle the cornbread because it will crumble as you combine it with the dressing ingredients. Handle it carefully and gingerly... and cubing the cornbread in large pieces will prevent it to crumble too much.

To make this in advance...

2 Days Ahead:
- If making your cornbread, make it as early as 2 days ahead. Allow it to cool and cube it up.
- Toast and chop up the pecans and toss it with the cubed cornbread.
- Saute the onion and celery in butter, then deglaze with wine until it evaporates. Add this mixture to the cubed cornbread and pecans. Allow it to cool and store in your fridge.

1 Day Ahead:
- Prepare step three of the recipe below to assemble the cornbread dressing. Place in the baking dish, cover and store in your fridge.

Day of:
- Preheat your oven.
- Pour a little broth over the stuffing and bake as directed.

Pecan Cornbread Dressing
recipe adapted from Everyday Food

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
4 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dish
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
16 cups cubed store-bought or homemade cornbread (about 2 3/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, heated (vegetable broth if vegetarian)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread pecans on a large rimmed baking sheet, and toast until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes; set aside.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add onion and celery; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine, and cook until evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; let cool slightly.

3. To bowl, add cornbread, sage, eggs, and pecans. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and teaspoon pepper. Pour 1/2 cup hot broth over cornbread mixture. Toss gently (cornbread will break down into smaller pieces). If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup more broth so stuffing is moist but not soggy.

4. If stuffing turkey, set aside 4 cups dressing. Spoon remaining dressing into a buttered 2-quart baking dish; pour up to 1 cup remaining broth over top to moisten. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes; uncover, and bake until browned, about 15 minutes more. Makes 12 cups.

Cajun Fried Turkey

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Around this time of year, Food Network is a popular cable channel to watch for all their holiday recipe ideas. One show that I always enjoy watching during Thanksgiving season is Alton Brown's episode on Deep Fried Turkey (which you can watch in 3 parts here). Ever since I saw that episode, I've always wanted to try to make a fried turkey.

Since this year we decided to have a Thanksgiving menu that highlights various regions of the country, it was our opportunity to make a deep fried turkey with cajun seasoning. I came across the following recipe online since it makes use of cajun spices and allows us to fry it.

If you wanted, you could even make your turkey in advance... yes, it's possible and a great time saver! To make your turkey in advance, prepare the recipe as written a few days in advance and when it's done, cool your turkey completely. Properly wrap it and store in your refrigerator or even your freezer if making this well in advance. On the day you plan on serving it, all you need to do is heat it up and serve. The beauty of making this in advance is that your oven won't be tied up as long and you don't have to worry about juggling so many cooking tasks on turkey day!

- If you choose to heat up a cooked, refrigerated turkey, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your cooked and cold cajun fried turkey in a roasting pan with a v-rack. Pour in 4-6 cups of chicken broth into the bottom of the pan and cover turkey with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours until heated through. You can then use the drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan to make a homemade gravy.

- If you choose to heat up a cooked, frozen turkey, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place your cooked and frozen cajun fried turkey in a roasting pan with a v-rack. Pour in 4-6 cups of chicken broth into the bottom of the pan and cover turkey with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 4 hours until heated through. You can then use the drippings in the bottom of the roasting pan to make a homemade gravy.

Cajun Fried Turkey
recipe adapted from Real Cajun Recipes & Alton Brown

12-15 pounds turkey
1 1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 stick butter
1 handful Cajun Seasonings
garlic powder and onion powder to taste
peanut oil amount depending on size of turkey

Two days prior to cooking:
Defrost turkey in the refrigerator or submerged in cold water, making sure you change the water ever 30 minutes to one hour.

One day prior:
Sift the Italian dressing to catch items too big for the injector needle. Melt a stick of butter and add to the strained dressing to make the marinade.

Take a handful of your favorite Cajun seasonings and add to marinade (some brands recommended to use include Tony Chachere's (TM) Creole seasoning, Chef Paul Prudhomme's® blackened seasoning, Zatarins® Creole seasoning, Cajun Shake seasonings, and any Cajun spice you can find). You can also purchase Cajun Injector seasoning from the store.

Add onion powder and garlic powder to marinade, to your tastes.

Use injector to inject marinade into the turkey breasts, thighs, and wings. Stick the needle all the way in. As you slowly pull out, slowly press and inject spices into the turkey. Inject from multiple angles for maximum coverage. The more you use, the juicier the turkey will be when you cook it. Also, rub seasoning on the outside of the turkey, under the skin, and the inside cavity as well.

Place turkey, legs up, on holder and place inside plastic oven roasting bag. Keep overnight in an ice chest with a little ice.

Morning of:
Figure out how much oil you will need to fry your turkey. In order to determine the correct amount of oil, place the bagged turkey into the pot that you will be frying it in, add water just until it barely covers the top of the turkey and is at least 4 to 5 inches below the top of the pot. This will be the amount of oil you use for frying the turkey. Remove the bagged turkey from the pot of water. Mark the level of water in your pot so you know what point to fill your turkey with oil.

Dry your fryer pot and fill with enough oil to your marked water level. (You don't need peanut oil, but it is recommended since this type of oil smokes less).

Bring the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 250, slowly lower the turkey into the oil and bring the temperature to 350 degrees F. Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. Cook 2-3 minutes per pound. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer. Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving. The bird will reach an internal temperature of 161 degrees F due to carry over cooking. And never, ever cover pot with lid!

Remove and let the turkey rest before carving to allow the juices to redistribute. Carve as desired and enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:35:00 +0000

This past weekend my husband and I hosted a very special Thanksgiving dinner for our friends of What's Cookin, Chicago. It was a wonderful event full of food, fun and seeing our friends and family who we haven't seen in quite a while. Thankfully I got my cooking and baking mojo back because I prepared quite a few things for our holiday feast.

Each year we try to come up with an interesting theme in which our Thanksgiving menu can be inspired by. This year we decided to do a Regional Thanksgiving around the U.S., paying homage to the popular regional ingredients of the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, South, New England and Midwest states. Be sure to check back often all this week for the recipes of the following dishes I prepared!

Representing the Pacific Northwest...

Wild Rice and Portobello Salad
with Dried Fruit, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts (Oregon)

Roasted Salmon
with Horseradish Creme Fraiche (Alaska)

Green Bean & Portobello Mushroom Casserole
with Crispy Fried Walla Walla Onions (Washington State)

Representing the New England Region...

Butternut Squash & Sage Dinner Rolls
(Connecticut)

Traditional Crab Cakes
with Lemon Dill Sauce (Maryland)

Maple Braised Short Ribs
(Vermont)

Representing the Southern States...

Cajun Fried Turkey
(Louisiana)

Bourbon Candied Yams
(Kentucky)

Cornbread Pecan Dressing
(Georgia)
Representing the Midwest...

Apple Cider Glazed Pork
(Michigan)

Creamy Herbed Mashed Potatoes
(Idaho)

Cranberry Pear Relish
(Wisconsin)

Representing the Southwest...

Guajillo-Tamarind Glazed Chicken
(Texas)

Chipotle Corn Salad
(New Mexico)

Cauliflower Gratin with Queso Cotija
(Arizona)

With so many dishes on our holiday table, we served everything as a buffet and set it up accordingly using chafing dishes I usually have on hand for the catering events I do. The chafing dishes also allowed all the dishes to remain warm throughout the entire service. Since we had a few guests that had some dietary restrictions, I made sure to label each dish indicating whether they were also vegetarian and included dairy and/or seafood. This avoided our guests from guessing whether or not they could eat it and made it clear for everyone.

Our guests also contributed to our holiday feast by bringing appetizers, desserts and lots of wine to share... (These pictures were taken very early in the party but once everyone got there, this table was overflowing with good eats!)

Winner of Foodie Freebie Friday: Cuisinart Mini Prep Processor

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:11:00 +0000

Happy Happy Friday! I can't believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away... and that means lot of good eats! Hope you're getting into the holiday spirit and have some delicious plans for the weekend. The past few months have been a bit rough for me and I haven't had the energy to cook (much less eat) but all that's about to end. I've got my cooking and baking mojo back and tomorrow is a big Thanksgiving party I'm catering for friends. Be sure to check back next week because I'm sharing our Regional Thanksgiving recipes I've preparing!

For this week's Foodie Freebie Friday, I wanted to learn more about what your favorite Thanksgiving dish is... and reading through them has got me so hungry and excited about Thanksgiving! Everything from mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey and all the delicious desserts are reasons enough for Thanksgiving to be my favorite holiday of the year. With food on the brain, I'm giving a lucky reader a Cuisinart Mini Prep Processor to help them get through the holidays!

The Cuisinart® Mini-Prep® Processor is the perfect kitchen helper for your small food preparation tasks. This compact processor occupies minimum counter space yet offers major advantages: more power than other choppers, 2-speed operation, large 21-ounce capacity and several colors to choose from.

Product Features

Powerful chopper/grinder
21-ounce work bowl
2 speeds for precision processing
Patented reversible blade
Dishwasher-safe parts
Stainless steel blade with sharp and blunt edges
Spatula
Instruction/Recipe Book
Limited 18-month warranty

Ready to find out who won this week's Foodie Freebie Friday?...

Comment #45 comes from Lindsay who said...

Pumpkin praline cake!!
November 17, 2009 11:44 AM

Congratulations to Lindsay! Please email me at itsjoelen@gmail.com so I can have your new Cuisinart Mini Prep Processor sent to you!

Thanks again to all those that commented and stay tuned to the next Foodie Freebie announcement on Monday, November 30, 2009! We're taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday! Don't feel discouraged if you haven't won yet - I have a whole year's worth of freebies ahead and next week is one that you won't want to miss!

Restaurant Review: Sullivan's Steakhouse

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Last week, my husband and I went out on a dinner date and dined at Sullivan's Steakhouse. We were given the opportunity to check it out, compliments of the restaurant, since we've never dined there before and surprisingly, the restaurant is less than half a mile from where we live!

Sullivan's Steakhouse is a 1940's Chicago-style steakhouse offering the finest certified angus beef, select seafood, veal, pork, lamb and chicken entrees, appetizers, soups, salads and side disges (including Sullivan's renowned horseradish mashed potatoes). Sullivan's House Specialty is the 20oz. Bone-on Kansas City Strip. Desserts are made in-house and they also have an extensive wine list and complete inventory of bourbon, single malt scotch and cognac.

Our dinner started off by having the pleasure of meeting Brad Alaoui, the restaurant's general manager, and Laura was our server. Although our dinner was compliments of Brad, here's a breakdown of our meal and experience with our unbiased review..

Appetizer - Calamari
This was an appetizer that my friend had suggested. She raved about the calamari when she dined at Sullivan's (Baltimore location.) Trusting her judgement, we ordered that. Brad came by our table and shared with us that they use parmesan cheese and a touch of paprika in the batter used for the calamari. My husband *loved* the calamari and even proclaimed that it was some of the best calamari he's had. As for me, I thought it was okay. I'm not into seafood lately but managed to give some a try. The calamari was accompanied with a dipping sauce which tasted like a mixture of seafood cocktail sauce and perhaps relish? It had a nice tang and bite to it and went well with the calamari.

Husband's Order - Susan B Komen Prix Fixe Meal

We figured the meal would offer a nice sampling of dishes and support a worthy cause. He ordered:

Asparagus Bisque - We thought the chilled bisque was delicious. It was very refreshing and had a very distinct asparagus flavor. The bisque also had the additional texture from jumbo lump crab which garnished the soup and a few drops of chive oil which gave a nice subtle flavor that paired well.

Salmon Filet - It was a very generous size that was done nicely, if not slightly under done. Part of it was slightly undercooked for his taste but overall it was nicely seasoned and the lemon butter sauce offered some nice bright notes.

Crab Fried Rice - The rice was slightly mushy/moist than we expected and my husband thought some of it was cooked al dente. It was the least liked dish on his plate. I though perhaps the rice was made with some seafood stock - maybe too much - which was why the texture was slightly mushy. There wasn't much color to the fried rice and if I were to recreate this, I would have added some diced carrots, peas or maybe a melange of diced bell peppers.

Skillet Steak Mushroom Caps - These had a rich flavor and good texture - not too rubbery and nice portion amount. I believe button mushrooms were used and I wonder if using cremini would make this side dish even richer in flavor.

My Order - John L Prix Fixe Menu

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge w/Blue Cheese Dressing - This was probably one of my favorite salads. My only concern before ordering this was whether the blue cheese was pasteurized. Once I was told it was, I was thrilled and it was a great dressing. I was told it was made in house and had a nice balance of flavor. Even my husband who isn't a fan of blue cheese really enjoyed the salad.

Filet Mignon - I requested the steak to be cooked medium well and it was done nicely. There was a portion that was too pink for my taste but overall, it was succulent and lightly seasoned so that I could taste the quality and true flavor of the steak.

Asparagus & Horseradish Mashed Potatoes - These accompanied my steak and was a nice pairing. The asparagus were crisp and fresh - not overcooked and had still had a bright green color to them. The mashed potatoes were okay, but somewhat too smooth. It made me question whether they were real mashed potatoes. If so, what's their secret for making them so smooth and creamy?! The potatoes also had a nice hint of horseradish that wasn't too overpowering.

Dessert - We were served a platter for 4 specialty desserts which we enjoyed with Lavazza coffee.

Key Lime Pie - my personal favorite on the plate. Perfectly tart with a nice buttery crust

Creme Brulee - beautifully done with the vanilla bean specks clearly visible

Espresso Mocha Mousse Cake - My husband's favorite. The cake was a little dry but the mousse made up for it. Regardless, my husband loved this cake.

NY Style Cheesecake - our least favorite of the desserts. The texture was a little soft for our taste and slightly too "eggy"

Overall it was delightful evening and we enjoyed our meal. We have already shared our experience with some friends as well as informed them of the happy hour specials they offer during the week. I hope to plan a girls night out soon and take them to Sullivan's so they can try out their specialty martinis.

Sullivan's Steakhouse has quite a few locations around the country and if you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it!

This Week's Foodie Freebie: Cuisinart Mini Prep Processor

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:08:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday and hope everyone had a great weekend. My apologies for another delayed announcement for this week's Foodie Freebie. I'm still feeling a bit icky and had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Thankfully things are looking better and I'm starting to get some energy back... which is a good thing. I've got a huge Thanksgiving party I'm hosting and catering so I'm back in the kitchen this week whether I like it or not.

With a big cooking task ahead of me, having time management skills is key. One way to make things easy is to have some tools that will help save me some time so I can focus on more complex cooking and baking tasks. A tool that I've found super helpful in the kitchen is a mini prep food processor. It allows me to prep ingredients for dishes all throughout the year and comes in even more handy during the holidays. So this week, a lucky reader will be receiving a Cuisinart Mini Prep Processor.

The Cuisinart® Mini-Prep® Processor is the perfect kitchen helper for your small food preparation tasks. This compact processor occupies minimum counter space yet offers major advantages: more power than other choppers, 2-speed operation, large 21-ounce capacity and several colors to choose from.

Product Features

Some guidelines:
- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States - my apologies to my international readers!
- You must check back on my blog on Friday to see if you've won so you can claim your prize!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:

- What's your favorite Thanksgiving food?

Deadline: Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

ONE WINNER will be randomly chosen by Random. Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, November 20, 2009. Good luck!

Winner of Foodie Freebie Friday: Pie Set

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:09:00 +0000

And we made it to the weekend - Happy Friday! This weekend is one where I take some time for myself and get some much needed rest and relaxation. Hopefully doing so will help me feel better these days so I can get my cooking and baking mojo back in full swing! What are your weekend plans? Anything deliciously exciting?!

This week I asked readers to share their favorite pie flavors and a few popular choices were apple and pumpkin. Sounds like many will have their fill this holiday season with all the great pie options to indulge in! For me, it's hard to choose just one but a definite favorite of mine is key lime pie. There's something about the tartness that gets me every time!

So with pie on the brain, I'd love to help a reader have some memorable pie this year with this week's giveaway - a beautiful 9 inch pie plate and a great pie cookbook filled with 300 tried and true pie recipes!

Red glazed exterior and cream interior
Oven to table design
Microwave, freezer, oven and dishwasher safe.

No, that number's not a typo: here are 300 recipes for sweet pies, with fillings ranging from fruits to nuts, ice cream to custard. Haedrich, a cooking teacher and cookbook author (Apple Pie Perfect, etc.), shares an astonishing quantity of recipes, advice, pie history and musings on issues such as the butter vs. lard debate and his passion for sour cherries. His zeal and solid expertise make this book a worthy addition to the baker's bookshelf. There are 57 pages of information on pie crusts alone, but Haedrich's tone is clear and encouraging, as he addresses pie pans, rolling pins, pastry edges and more. The recipes range from All-Rhubarb Pie to more exotic offerings such as Watermelon Rind Pie and Carrot Custard Pie (Haedrich also includes 25 recipes for apple pie). Pie snobs, take note: each crust recipe gives instructions for making the pastry by hand, with an electric mixer or in a food processor. Similarly, Haedrich assures readers it's all right to use frozen fruit. Intrepid pie makers will be pleased with the recommendations throughout for other cookbooks and magazines, and the list of resources includes useful information on baker's catalogues, fruit farms and nut growers. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. - From Publisher's Weekly

Ready to find out who won this week's Foodie Freebie Friday?...

Comment #177 comes from Michelle who said...

Apple pie!
November 12, 2009 5:56 PM

Congratulations to Michelle! Please email me at itsjoelen@gmail.com so I can have your new pie pan and pie cookbook sent to you!

Thanks again to all those that commented and stay tuned to the next Foodie Freebie announcement on Monday, November 16, 2009! Don't feel discouraged if you haven't won yet - I have a whole year's worth of freebies ahead and next week is one that you won't want to miss!

Apple Orchard Field Trip with Friends!

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:18:00 +0000

Before we suddenly find ourselves in the middle of winter, I better share one of my favorite fall experiences this year! A few weeks ago, friends and I took a road trip to an apple orchard in Indiana, just outside of Chicago. It was a beautiful autumn day and one filled with some great food finds along with lots of apples.

We started our day at 10am where we met up in downtown Chicago at my place. From there, we took our caravan of cars on an hour drive to Hobart, Indiana. Our first stop was lunch at Marilyn's Bakery and Johnson's Farm Produce.

I chose this spot for lunch because it was very close to the apple orchard we were going to and it also carried some pretty interesting food finds. We all enjoyed some delicious lunch of sandwiches, quiche, chips, and pie!

Marilyn's Bakery is known for their homemade pies and their display case was full of so many varieties. An interesting tidbit I learned here at Marilyn's was about Indiana's state pie:

Indiana State Legislature voted Sugar Cream Pie as the State Pie for Indiana. Marilyn's Bakery hasve been making Sugar Cream Pies by order with a secret family recipe -- this is the only secret recipe they have. Now with its notority, Marilyn's Bakery makes Sugar Cream Pies daily. Stop in for a sample.

I couldn't leave without a slice and when I got home to finally try it, it was heavenly. It was very similar to a buttermilk pie I recently had but much creamier and sweeter!

Aside from pies, Marilyn's Bakery also offered quite a variety of jams, jellies, honeys and even sweet potato butter!

After lunch, we walked next door to Johnson's Farm Produce. Here we found quite a bit of fresh fruits and vegetables, including many varieties of pumpkins and squash I've never seen before...

Of course, we're all familiar with the traditional orange pumpkins, but have you seen any of these other pumpkin varieties before? I can tell you that this was a first for me and it's always fun and interesting to come across fruits and vegetables you don't see too often!

Aside from these pumpkin varieties, Johnson's Farm Produce also carried other vegetables such as this assortment of peppers, blueberry products and these gourds...

Once we had our fill of all the neat food finds here, we headed to County Line Orchards, also in Hobart, Indiana. It was a bustling day full of families and friends enjoying the beautiful fall weather. At the orchard, we all got to pick some apples and learned about some new varieties.

We all went our separate ways in smaller groups into the apple orchard. Joining me was Kelly and Teresa. We decided to focus on picking Gala, Suncrisp and Shizuka apples.

Gala are pretty common apples and are great for eating as is, cooking, sauces, pies, frying, juicing and even for apple butter.
Suncrisp is just as versatile as Galas, only they aren't recommended for sauces.
Shizuka is a new variety to me and are delicious! Just like the Galas, these are great for the same reasons and were my favorite of the three we picked.

I was sure that they would pick more apples than I would... but when we tallied up our pickings, it turned out that I came in the winner with over 14 pounds of apples! (How the heck did that happen?! - lol) After we had our fill of picking apples, we went to check out the orchard store and other treats available such as hot apple cider and kettle corn...

One of the foodie highlights of the orchard was stepping inside their Barn! Here was a treasure trove of fall favorites they made fresh...

Candied Apples...

Apple Cider Donuts & Pumpkin Spice Donuts...
Local honey...

Fresh pies...

Flavored popcorn...

Lots of fudge...
Even apple cider gelato!

It was a perfect day with friends and a great way to celebrate the season. Hopefully you had an opportunity to visit an apple orchard this season and if not, there's always next year!

Easy Apple Cheese Danish

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:12:00 +0000

After making the easy cheese danish, I still had an extra box of puff pastry and some apples to play with. I decided to make another cheese danish and added some sweeted apples to the mix for another variation. Instead of making small danishes, I opted for a large one filled with the same cheese mixture and apples that I sauteed with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. The result was outstanding and it was a big hit at my husband's office!

Apple Cheese Danish
recipe inspired by Ina Garten

Apple mixture:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 firm apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Cheese mixture: (you will only need half of this mixture for this danish)
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

For garnish: powdered sugar

In a saute pan, melt the butter.

Toss the remaining apple mixture ingredients except in a large bowl. Place the apple mixture in the saute pan and cook until apples are softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Transfer the puff pastry onto the parchment lined baking sheet.

Place half of the cheese filling down the middle of the puff pastry square.

Place the cooled apple mixture over the cheese filling down the middle of the puff pastry square.

Brush the border of the pastry with egg wash and fold the sides of the puff pastry square over the filling so the sides overlap.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastry for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

To garnish, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Easy Cheese Danish

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:12:00 +0000

I've been spending a lot of time at home lately mainly resting and taking a slight hiatus from my usual crazy entertaining schedule. Normally, I'm not a big watcher of the Food Network Channel, but the exception is catching Ina Garten. Her recipes have never failed me and I love her style. One morning I was watching an episode where she made three dishes - cheese danish, chicken salad and chocolate cupcakes. For each dish, she prepared them with a base recipe and then halfway through, added a 'secret ingredient' to liven the dish. Both versions of the dish were provided to her staff to decide which was better - standard version or the version with the 'secret ingredient.'

This episode was great to watch and it inspired me to make the following recipe. The lemon zest in this recipe is what made the dish. Not a believer that lemon zest could result in a big difference? Try making the recipe as written below and try it again by omitting the lemon zest... the lemon zest is that 'secret ingredient' that makes all the difference!

Easy Cheese Danish
recipe adapted from Ina Garten

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into 9 equal squares with a sharp knife. Place a heaping teaspoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash. Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm.

This Week's Foodie Freebie: Pie Set

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:18:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday! I'm a day late for our Foodie Freebie this week so my apologies. I haven't been feeling well and it's been challenging to post these days. I hope you can bare with me and hopefully I'll be back to my normal self soon. So let's just jump in and find out what I'm giving away this week!

With the holidays fast approaching, a dessert I look forward to enjoying is pie. It seems pie is a popular treat this time of year. I'd love to help a reader have some memorable pie this year with this week's giveaway - a beautiful 9 inch pie plate and a great pie cookbook filled with 300 tried and true pie recipes!

Red glazed exterior and cream interior
Oven to table design
Microwave, freezer, oven and dishwasher safe.

No, that number's not a typo: here are 300 recipes for sweet pies, with fillings ranging from fruits to nuts, ice cream to custard. Haedrich, a cooking teacher and cookbook author (Apple Pie Perfect, etc.), shares an astonishing quantity of recipes, advice, pie history and musings on issues such as the butter vs. lard debate and his passion for sour cherries. His zeal and solid expertise make this book a worthy addition to the baker's bookshelf. There are 57 pages of information on pie crusts alone, but Haedrich's tone is clear and encouraging, as he addresses pie pans, rolling pins, pastry edges and more. The recipes range from All-Rhubarb Pie to more exotic offerings such as Watermelon Rind Pie and Carrot Custard Pie (Haedrich also includes 25 recipes for apple pie). Pie snobs, take note: each crust recipe gives instructions for making the pastry by hand, with an electric mixer or in a food processor. Similarly, Haedrich assures readers it's all right to use frozen fruit. Intrepid pie makers will be pleased with the recommendations throughout for other cookbooks and magazines, and the list of resources includes useful information on baker's catalogues, fruit farms and nut growers. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. - From Publisher's Weekly

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:

- What is your favorite kind of pie?

Deadline: Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

ONE WINNER will be randomly chosen by Random. Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, November 13, 2009. Good luck!

Winner of Foodie Freebie Friday: Lock & Lock 20pc Storage Set

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:45:00 +0000

Happy Friday to you! It's been a rough week for me since I haven't been feeling well, which explains the lack of blog posts. I hope to recover and bounce back soon because I've got so much to share! This weekend I plan on relaxing a bit and hopefully squeeze in some kitchen therapy. A highlight of the weekend will be a neighborhood tour!

Lincoln Square Neighborhood Tour: Friends will taking a tour of the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago and we're starting out the tour with a Filipino luncheon. I'll be sharing a bit about Filipino cuisine and have set the menu for our luncheon that we'll be enjoying tomorrow.

Tattle Tasters: Friends will also be providing some taste review of some treats this coming week. They're picking up some goodie bags filled with some quick breads I've made and will be sharing their thoughts.

But we all know that you've come to check out who won this week's Foodie Freebie Friday! With the holidays coming up, we're all sure to have some leftovers that will need to be stored away. This week I asked readers to share one dish that they enjoy better the next day as leftovers. It was a great response of answers with chili and soup as major favorites! So even if you don't have leftovers after the holiday parties, you're still able to enjoy this week's giveaway for whatever leftovers you have on hand. One lucky reader will be receiving a set of Lock & Lock storage containers - a brand I personally love!

Made of high grade durable plastic, these stackable, multi-use containers are ergonomically designed with a special silicone sealing ring that works to keep your items fresh and secure.

Optimal stain resistance.
Microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe
100-Percent airtight and watertight
Popular sizes at a great value
Ideal sizes for everyday use

Set includes one of each container with Lid:
16.3 Cup
11 Cup
6.75 Cup
5.5 Cup
3.7 Cup
2.87 Cup
2 Cup
1.75 Cup
Two 3.4 Cup containers with lids

Ready to find out who won this week's Foodie Freebie Friday?...

Comment #137 comes from Carla who said...

Chili!
November 3, 2009 7:11 AM

Congratulations to Carla! Please email me at itsjoelen@gmail.com so I can have a set of Lock & Lock storage containers sent to you!

Thanks again to all those that commented and stay tuned to the next Foodie Freebie announcement on Monday, November 9, 2009! Don't feel discouraged if you haven't won yet - I have a whole year's worth of freebies ahead and next week is one that you won't want to miss!

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:17:00 +0000

When serving up chili, I love accompanying it with a nice golden cornbread muffin. But a plain cornbread muffin just won't do. For a bit of pizazz, I wanted to include some flavor with the addition of chopped fresh jalapeno peppers and shredded cheddar cheese. I came across this recipe that got some rave reviews and decided to try it as well. It came out wonderfully. Soft, flavorful and leftovers make for a great cornbread stuffing or cornbread crumbs to use as a crunchy coating for meats.

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins
recipe adapted from Recipzaar

2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
10 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup corn kernels (frozen or canned & drained)
4 jalapenos, minced

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line muffin tins with liners or spray with butter flavor cooking spray.

Combine the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter in a bowl.

In another large bowl Combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together to blend. Add the shredded Cheddar, corn kernels and minced jalapenos to the dry ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients and mix gently, until everything is moist (do not over mix).

Divide the batter evenly between the 24 muffins. It should be about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:21:00 +0000

It can't be a halloween party unless my guests get a little trick or treat! I made some spice pumpkin fudge for friends to take home. It was super easy to make and has the delicious flavor of spiced pumpkin in a creamy texture. I found this recipe online through Libby's site. This was the first time I ever used marshmallow "fluff" to make fudge and I thought it really added a nice soft and creamy texture to the fudge. One thing I did differently from the original recipe was to use Wilton candy melts in place of the white chocolate chips. I used one package of Wilton's candy melts in the orange color. Using the orange colored candy melts added additional color to the fudge. This would make for a nice treat for the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays too!

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge
recipe adapted from Libby

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) canned evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips or Wilton's orange candy melts
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

LINE 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil.

COMBINE sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter and spice in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234° to 240º F (soft-ball stage).

QUICKLY STIR in morsels, marshmallow crème, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigoriously for 1 minute or until morsels are melted. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Let stand on wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate tightly covered. To cut, lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Makes about 3 pounds.

Halloween Party Recap

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:43:00 +0000

I' ve been feeling blah lately and as a result have been slacking some on the blog front. However here's a recap of the Halloween party we through last weekend. We kept things small and to make it easier for myself, I treated our guests to a chili and baked potato bar, with all the fixings! Ideally I wanted to do more Halloween themed food but I haven't had the energy lately. Here's what I served up and I'll be posting the recipes all this week!

Chili Beef con Carne
(picture coming)

Spicy Green Chicken Chili
(no picture unfortunately - they ate it up before I could take one!)

Baked Potato Bar

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins

Beer Cheese Fondue
Warm Chili Cheese Dip & Chips

Dusty Chocolate Cupcakes

Homemade Kettlecorn

And for my guests, I made these for their 'Trick or Treat' favor bags...

Caramel & Pecan Covered Apples

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge

We didn't dress up for Halloween but our friend Christine arrived with her costume (since she came from another party prior to coming to ours). I love this creative idea and it was definitely a hit and conversation piece for the night!

Christine as a Chicago 'Pay Box'!

November Tasty Tools - Rolling Pins

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:18:00 +0000

For November's Tasty Tools, we're highlighting rolling pins! With the holidays around the corner, perhaps you'll be making a pie, some festive cookies or a recipe calling for the use of a rolling pin. There might even be some folks out there that use their rolling pins in other creative ways for recipes. Regardless of what you make using your rolling pin, submit it to this month's Tasty Tools blogging event along with a picture of your tasty tool!

BLOGGERS:

1) Make a recipe using a rolling pin and create a blog post about it from now (the date of this post) until midnight, November 30, 2009. Any previous blog posts you have where you've created a dish using a rolling pin (with pictures) are happily accepted.

2) Add a link back to my blog within your blog post, Joelen's Culinary Adventures

3) Send an email with the following information to itsjoelen [at] gmail.com:
- November Tasty Tools in subject line
- Your first name
- Your food blog name & link to your event entry that includes pictures

You can participate even if you don't have a blog. Non-bloggers can email the above information (sans blog details) and I'll include it in the round up.

This Week's Foodie Freebie: Lock & Lock 20 pc Storage Set

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Hello and welcome to November! Amazing how time flies when we're cooking, baking and talking about food! I hope you had a great weekend and had some culinary adventures of your own, especially with Halloween goodies. I hosted a Halloween party and because I've been so tired lately, it was a lot of work but worth it. I'll be sharing pictures and recipes of my Halloween goodies all this week. Sunday was a date with me and the couch. I loved just hanging out and having myself a lazy Sunday.

But since it's now officially November, everyone must have Turkey on the brain. I can't believe Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away! If you're like me, you're probably looking over recipes to serve for the big day and ways to use up leftovers. However, I'd like to help out with someone's Thanksgiving leftovers this year. Heck, it doesn't even have to be Thanksgiving leftovers - it could be leftovers of next week's dinner! This week, I'm giving away to a lucky reader a Lock & Lock 20 piece storage set. I'm a fan of Lock & Lock storage containers because they do a fantastic job of storing leftovers and food... both in and out of the refrigerator. They're safe to use in the microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe.

Launched in 1997, Lock &Lock is a totally new concept in air &liquid tight containers. Since the introduction of plastic storage ware, there have been minimal changes in the fundamental design. There were two major problems with current plastic storage ware, imperfect sealing and difficulty in opening and closing lids. Researchers at Hanacobi have recognized the problem and after intensive research and development, Lock & Lock was invented.

With revolutionary four locking mechanism and a resilient silicon seal, food is kept fresh for longer without having to worry about any spillage. With storage saving design and Microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe, Lock &Lock is a convenient way to organize any kitchen. Since its launch, Lock &Lock has acquired 1022 patents, trademarks and registration of design in 68 countries and is sold over 100 countries world wide. Lock &Lock aims to continuously develop quality products that meet and exceed expectations of consumers.

Made of high grade durable plastic, these stackable, multi-use containers are ergonomically designed with a special silicone sealing ring that works to keep your items fresh and secure.

Optimal stain resistance.
Microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe
100-Percent airtight and watertight
Popular sizes at a great value
Ideal sizes for everyday use

Set includes one of each container with Lid:
16.3 Cup
11 Cup
6.75 Cup
5.5 Cup
3.7 Cup
2.87 Cup
2 Cup
1.75 Cup
Two 3.4 Cup containers with lids

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering:

- What is one dish you enjoy better then next day as leftovers?

Deadline: Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 12 midnight CST.

ONE WINNER will be randomly chosen by Random. Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Friday, November 6, 2009. Good luck!

Tasty Tools Round Up: Crock Pots & Slow Cookers

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:26:00 +0000

For October, we highlighted crockpots and slow cookers! Fall is a great time to dust off your crockpot/slow cooker if you haven't been using it throughout the year. Not sure what recipe to get your crockpot/slow cooker cooking? Perhaps one of these recipes will work or inspire you. And if you don't have a crockpot/slow cooker, maybe this Tasty Tools post will encourage you to get one... look at all the wonderful recipes you'd be missing out on! Besides, the holidays are coming up and you might want to add a crockpot/slow cooker to your wish list! Thanks to all that participated. If you missed this month, check back tomorrow to see what Tasty Tool we're highlighting for the month of November! Now let's get cooking by clicking the recipe links to these fellow bloggers...

Rustic Chicken
shared by Mylinda of Sweet Tea in Texas

Best Beef Stew - EVER!
shared by Kelly of Kelly Cooks

Crockpot Applesauce
shared by Karen of Loves to Eat Weblog

Crockpot Vietnamese Chicken
shared by Cathy of Cathy's Kitchen Journey

Potato Soup Plus
shared by Kelly's Kitch

Chicken Tortilla Soup

shared by Jennifer of Home is Where the Holman's Are

Southwest Spicy Chili
shared by Jennifer of Home is Where the Holman's Are

Slow Cooker Goat Bourguignon
shared by Rebecca of Woman with a Whisk

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
shared by Melissa of Lemons & Love

Homemade Caramel Apples
shared by Niki of Big City Cooking

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs
shared by Suzanne of My Adventures In Food

Zigeuner Schnitzel (Schnitzel with Mushooms, Peppers & Onions)

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:48:00 +0000

The German Schnitzel is a common dish found on most if not all German restaurant menus. Traditionally, Schnitzels are made with veal or pork. My friend Maria prepared this recipe for our recent German Wine & Dine at the request of her dad. Her dad explained that when he was stationed in Germany, he recalls ordering this dish at a restaurant. Ever since, he's tried to find this dish on German restaurant menus here in Chicago with no such luck. Maria did some sleuthing and found this recipe. Her dad completely approves of this dish since it tastes just as he remembered when he first had it in Germany...

Zigeuner Schnitzel
(Schnitzel with Mushooms, Peppers & Onions)
recipe adapted from German Grandma

4-6 thin boneless pork chops or pork sirloins
1 c flour
3 eggs
1/3-1/2 cup milk
2 c bread crumbs
1/3 c vegetable oil

To Make the Schnitzel: Tenderize the chops or sirloins with a meat mallet. Set out three shallow bowls. In the first, put the flour, which you’ll use to dredge the pork. Next is the eggs and milk, beaten together. Dip the floured pork into this mixture. Put the bread crumbs into the third bowl, and use it to coat the floured and battered pork.
Let the pork sit about 15 minutes before frying. Heat the oil in a skillet, and brown the chops on both sides. Serve with the sauce (recipe follows below).

Sauce:
2 T vegetable oil
2 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 sm. onion, sliced vertically
Bell pepper, ( preferebly different colored peppers) cut in strips about 1” long
1/4 c flour
1 1/2 c beef broth
1/3 c Kruegermann’s Pickle-Salad Mix
/(note: if you can’t get this ingredient, use dill pickles, cut into strips about 1” long)/
1 t Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce salt to taste

To Make the Sauce: Heat oil in saucepan; sauté mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper until tender. Sprinkle with the flour and stir to blend.
Cook, stirring, another minute or so. Add beef broth, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Add Kitchen Bouquet (it adds good color and a bit more flavor to the sauce) and pickle-salad mix. Taste and add salt, if necessary. Serve over schnitzel.

Winner of Foodie Freebie Friday: Chicago Metallic Roasting Pan

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Happy Spooky Friday! What a great day to get pumped up for Halloween. Do you have any special Halloween plans in store for the weekend? I'm keeping it pretty low key this weekend by hosting a halloween party with a few friends. Aside from the halloween party, I'm doing some kitchen therapy on Sunday and making a few meals for the week ahead. Be sure to check back to see what I serve up at my halloween party and the recipes I'm making for next week too!

This week I asked readers what they enjoy roasting or baking in the oven during the fall. Thank you for all the responses as you've inspired me to make some of those dishes in the future! And because our readers certainly love roasting and baking, one lucky reader will be receiving a Chicago Metallic Commercial Large Roaster with handles and rack:

Large roaster pan crafted from heavyweight aluminized steel
Folded corners add triple-thickness strength; reinforced rims eliminate warping
2 stainless-steel riveted handles for safe transport; nonstick roasting rack included
Dishwasher-safe; oven-safe to 550 degrees F; corrosion-resistant
Measures 14 by 11 by 3 inches; 25-year limited warranty

Perfectly sized for baking lasagna or roasting meats or poultry, this large roaster pan from the Chicago Metallic Commercial line features heavy-duty aluminized steel construction to ensure durability, superior heat conduction, and corrosion resistance. Folded corners add triple-thickness strength, while reinforced rims eliminate warping. The pan comes equipped with two stainless-steel riveted handles for safe, secure transport, and a nonstick roasting rack to keep meat up and away from fat and drippings is included. Designed for bakers who prefer the tradition of baking on uncoated pans, the bakeware's surface offers good reflectivity for even dispersion of heat, which means more consistent, even baking and gradual browning. After repeated use, darkening of the metal will actually enhance baking performance. Dishwasher-safe and oven-safe to 550 degrees F, the roaster pan measures 14 by 11 by 3 inches and carries a 25-year limited warranty.

Ready to find out who won this week's Foodie Freebie Friday?...

Comment #100 comes from Angel who said...

I love to roast sweet potatoes!
October 28, 2009 2:58 PM

Congratulations to Angel! Please email me at itsjoelen@gmail.com so I can have the Chicago Metallic Commercial Large Roaster with handles and rack sent to you!

Thanks again to all those that commented and stay tuned to the next Foodie Freebie announcement on Monday, November 2, 2009! Don't feel discouraged if you haven't won yet - I have a whole year's worth of freebies ahead and next week is one that you won't want to miss!

Sauerbraten (German-style Pot Roast)

ItsJoelen@gmail.com (Joelen) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:04:00 +0000

During the fall, a good pot roast is a great comforting dish to enjoy. For my recent German Wine & Dine event, I wanted to attempt a traditional Sauerbraten, which is a German style pot roast. It took about 3 days to prepare but worth every minute.

The roast is marinated in a combination of cider and red vinegar, along with water and a few spices. Traditionally, juniper berries are used in making this dish. I didn't get a chance to pick any up at my local spice shop but even without the juniper berries, the dish was delicious! The roast marinates for 2-3 days (I marinated for 2) and then sugar is added to both the marinade and meat. It's covered and baked at a low temperature for about 4 hours. It may seem like it takes up quite a bit of time, but the results definitely pay off.

Once the roast has baked up, the marinade is strained and then placed in a pan to boil. It's such a acidic mixture that to balance it out, some sugar and spices are needed. What was interesting about making a gravy from the marinade is the addition of powdered gingersnap cookies. After it boiled a bit, a gorgeous, thick and rich gravy was made and perfectly complimented the roast.

I plan on making this again despite the amount of time it takes to prepare... and my guests loved it!

Sauerbraten (German-style Pot Roast)
recipe adapted from Alton Brown

2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional for seasoning meat
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) bottom round
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
18 dark old-fashioned gingersnaps (about 5 ounces), crushed

In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, and ground mustard. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.

When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.

After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.

Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.