Guess what Beni made!?

Procrastination stinks... Borscht doesn't. And malanga root is awesome.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:36:00 +0000

Oh, I've gotten SO behind in my blogging! Beni has been making these 'to die for' meals, and I eat them and then fall into a pleasure-coma. Meanwhile the pictures and the flavors just build and build and the pressure behind the blog-damn is building and building! So today comes the FLOOD.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter, whether you celebrate it religiously, commercially, or just for the candy. We had a gorgeous day of sunshine here. We started the day with some fantastic french toast casserole, bacon, scrambled eggs, and fruit salad. I made my first attempt at homemade mascarpone cheese, and it actually turned out pretty well. I mixed it with powdered sugar and lemon extract for a yummy fruit dip and french toast casserole topping. I think it would have come out better with actual tartaric acid, but I substituted lemon juice, and it worked pretty well.
Then we hunted eggs in the backyard. We couldn't hid the real eggs, because the dogs kept trying to eat them, but the plastic ones filled with candy were a hit with the kiddos anyway. The boys even banded together and each donated an egg to their sad 4-yr-old cousin who found the least. It made her day.
For dinner tonight, Beni "whipped up" some borscht using only what we had in the house. We were out of cabbage, so he used kale. And we had no beef, but he did use some beef bone to make the broth. Even without the meat, it came out very savory and delicious. The texture and bite of the kale was just perfect.

From Unblogged Food

And here's the highlights of additional meals that boarded the train at procrastination station the last couple of weeks...
Pork Stuffed Pork: Pork tenderloin stuffed with pork sausage, capers, feta, and other things...

From Unblogged Food

Corn cakes topped with steak, eggs, and hoi-sin barbeque...

From Unblogged Food

Smoked Steelhead Trout made 2 meals... The fillets themselves and then smoked fish salad...

From Unblogged Food

And finally (for now) Ahi tuna with sauteed squash and malanga root fritters...

From Unblogged Food

Still more to catch up on, but I don't want anyone out there having seizures from all the flavor stimuli.

Home made sauerkraut - Take 2.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:56:00 +0000

Just in case it was keeping anyone up at night... "Have they eaten the rancid cabbage yet?"
...the first batch of sauerkraut got tossed. Everything was going as it should, but when we took a nibble of the cabbage before the brine was about to be boiled, we could totally taste laundry detergent from the towel that was used to hold the kraut in the brine.
DOH.
So Beni got some cheese cloth this time, and batch number two is fermenting happily in the cabinet in our dining room. I'll be sure and keep everyone informed of the olfactory assaults as they occur.

Meanwhile, Beni has just left for the store to pick up a couple of things for today's brunch... Stay tuned to see what he's going to do with cornmeal, hoisin sauce, steak, and eggs.

Kababs and Hummus. MORE Pastrami! And a Sauerkraut update.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:46:00 +0000

I dread the sun going down on Sunday evening... It means Monday morning is very very close. But I'll squeeze out the last couple of hours of this weekend to tell you about a couple of the superbly savory meals Beni made this week. Friday night was Mediterranean inspired. I told Beni I was in the mood for chicken and kabobs, and he took it from there.
I'm not sure what got into Beni, as neither of us had eaten grilled artichokes hearts before, but something told him to include them with this meal, and the combination of artichoke hearts, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and chicken proved to be fated. It was supremely delicious.

Beni also grilled the flatbread, which we dipped in a tangy black bean hummus.Some delicate cous-cous tossed in olive oil, lime, and garlic rounded out the meal.

Pretty healthy compared to Saturday night. The home made pastrami made it's second appearance in the form of hot sandwiches Saturday.This time Beni grilled some onions to go with it, and tossed the sauerkraut in at the last minute.

The melted provolone and some more home made thousand island dressing made it picture perfect. Beni topped his with a pickled carrot, chili pepper, and green olive. On the side we had New York Cheddar Kettle Chips.

The pastrami made its third and final appearance this morning for Sunday breakfast, and I must say, its most exciting appearance yet.

Yep, that's home made pastrami tossed with cabbage, sweet potatoes, onion and garlic. Add some whipped eggs, and you've got the most amazing hash of your life. Beni served it over a corn cake, topped by another corn cake, topped with MORE HASH, and finally a cracked olive for garnish. By the way, the corn cake was made with cheddar and provolone cheese... Oh yeah.

Before I go enjoy the last few bits of the weekend with my family, I'll give you an updated on Beni's homemade 'kraut... It's living in a cabinet in our dining room. (Literally, living and breathing) The smell is completely rancid. Eli has already declared that he will not be eating it (but considering his love of all foods bizarre, I'm sure he'll at least taste it once). Every once in a while you can hear the lid of the container rattle when gasses are escaping. Saturday morning, I forgot it was there when I reached down to get the griddle for the french toast, and got a nose-full. It wasn't pretty... My gag reflex kicked in slightly.
I keep reminding myself that Sauerkraut actually has many healthy qualities because of the way it is fermented. I won't get into all the details. You can check out Wikipedia or the macrobiotic websites on your own time, but I do keep reminding myself of that fact so I won't be scared to try it when it's done next weekend.

Goodnight and have a pleasant week, from the Helfs and their fermented cabbage...

Another delicious bit of rare tuna and What became of that pastrami

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:36:00 +0000

Two meals to post tonight. I am MOST excited to brag about how the Pastrami that went in to cure last week turned out, but I'll start with the tuna, because I'm so type A, I can't go out of chronological order.
Last week Beni made a version of a standard favorite at our house, rare Ahi tuna. This time he spiced it with sesame, ginger, and garlic, giving it an Asian flare.

The tuna was served over a bed of spinach and mung bean sprouts as well as a mandarin orange and pear juice vinaigrette with red onions and sugar snap peas. Here's a close up of the vinaigrette followed by the finished product:

The meal was light but filling and perfectly savory.
Speaking of savory... Let's talk cured meat! Remember that Pastrami I mentioned was going in the fridge last week after the corned beef came out?

Well this pretty little thing came out today and went straight into the smoker. When it came out, it looked a little like this; covered in smokey goodness.

Inside this charred slice of beef is some of the juiciest, tastiest pastrami that ever existed (I swear). It's nothing like the solution filled pastrami slices you get at the Walmart deli.
Beni chopped it up and got all the flavors of the smoked exterior mixed in well with the beef muscle and fat.

Then we piled it high on rye bread with provolone cheese, sauerkraut, red onion, lettuce, and home-made thousand island dressing.

Paired with salt 'n' pepper chips, it was a Rueben fit for a king!! Beni has really found his calling in Charcuterie. The next experiment? Home made saurkraut.

Eggs in red sauce never get old and Seven days is the cure

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:41:00 +0000

The weather lately has been nearly Arctic, it seems, and I think all of us have a little cabin fever. Saturday we got out and about and visited the Arkansas Air Museum at Drake field for a tour. It was really interesting. I haven't been in there in years, and they have lots of new exhibits. They still take several of those plane out to fly! The Military Museum was cool too.
After our tour, we had a birthday lunch at Aunt Nan's for my step-mom. I was in charge of the cake, and actually forgot to take any pictures! I was too distracted by the fact that I completely destroyed the layers while trying to get them out of the pans. I have vowed never again to shoot tequila while baking.
We have since discoverd my oven is on the fritz, so the cake and the babka were NOT ALL my fault! I was able to salvage the red velvet cake though, and made a Trifle. I layered the crumbled cake with cheesecake flavored pudding, shaved chocolate, strawberries, and homemade whipped cream. It was a hit even after the tragedy.
After lunch, I was able to kick the boys and the dogs out to play for about an hour, and they blew off some steam. Unfortunately, they also blew mud all over their clothes, but half a bottle of stain treatment took care of it.
I can't wait for warmer weather and cook-outs!
In the meantime, cooking indoors is alright too, especially if Beni is in your doors.
For Valentine's day I got a beautiful card, flowers, and a double strand of pearls! What a sweetheart. Beni also made may favorite, baked eggs in red sauce, and I think it was the best sauce to date. (I also think I say that ever time). He served it over toasted French bread this time, rather than Ciabatta, and I think that was the game changer. The soft bread soaked up the sauce creating a much more delicate texture. It was fantastic.
Here's some pics of the process... (Notice how he does NOT crowd the mushrooms).

For dinner we had our second round of Beni's self-corned beef. He's nearly perfected his method, using a seven day cure. He served it with some VERY fresh steamed cabbage and little purple potatoes that were going to be roasted (before the oven went out), but ended up being cooked in a pan with some red wine. I think they turned out perfect, even with the mishap.

Here's a pic of the corned beef fresh out of the fridge, before cooking:

And here's a pic of the prepared dish with potatoes and cabbage. Talk about comfort food!

As one piece of cured meat comes out of the fridge, another goes in... Next Sunday, homemade pastrami!

Have a good rest of the week and stay tuned until next week to found out how the Pastrami turns out... After the seven day cure it will hit the smoker!

No business like Pho-business

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:17:00 +0000

I LOVE magic soup night. It's never been the same Pho twice, but it's been magic soup every time. I can't even begin to name ALL the ingredients in Beni's magic soup, but I'll try and cover most of them.
Beni made an aeromatic broth of beef and vegetables and added clams and beef shank. He also prepared some rice noodles, which the kids love. Then he created a tray of fresh herbs and vegetables to dress the soup "to taste"... This included basil, cilantro, lime, paper thin mushrooms, mung bean sprouts, jalepenos, and green onions.

On the side, Beni made FROM SCRATCH, curried shrimp filled dumplings. Pan fried and then steamed to give the dumplings that perfect, slightly chewy, texture, and filled with flavor.

I'm a woman of few words tonight... I just wanted to share with the world how DELICIOUS and spiritually satifying dinner was. Now, movie night... Zombieland.

Attention Vegans: Avert your eyes, this post is red meat-o-licious.

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:27:00 +0000

Last night, Beni and I found ourselves home alone without the children, which is an extremely rare occurance. With both boys at their cousins', we debated for just a few seconds what to do with ourselves. Quiet night at home it was.
To mark the special occasion, Beni prepared the most delicious cut of steak ever prepared in the history of man-kind. No lie. This is definitely "last meal" material.
It started as a simple yet beautiful cut of meat from Richard's they call the 'Razorback'. It's essentially a gigantic ribeye with bone-in. Beni spiced it up and proceeded to smoke it into submission.

While the meat soaked in the smokey goodness, Beni prepared the sides. Roasting in the oven were a medely of fingerling potatoes, carrots, sweet potatos, turnips, parsnips, and LOTS of garlic. The method Beni uses to roast vegetables gives them the perfect texture. The outside is just slightly crispy so your teeth pop through the skin, and the center is light and fluffy. The natural flavors of these roots are amazing. They were seasoned very simply with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Behold, Smoked Razorback with Roasted Roots and Blackened Snow Peas:

Seriously, if I am ever on death row, this would be my last request.

Bad Bad Babka, Mighty Muffelletta, and Tantalizing Tuna

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:43:00 +0000

I'm struggling keep up with my 2010 resolution to stay up to date on Beni's culinary creations. He just make so many of them! It would be a full time job. Here's three memorable meals from the last couple of weeks, and the first is actually one of my own...

A couple of weekends ago, we had Beni's sister Terra and our friend Megan and their kids over for breakfast. The plan was to serve Babka French Toast.
Lesson #1: Never invite people over to eat something that you are making for the first time.
I thought the babka turned out great... Don't these look yummy?

From Guess what Beni made!?

One was made with Ghiradelli dark chocolate, and the other was cinnamon and sugar.
But when I began to slice them for the french toast, I was so disappointed. I told Beni to call our guests and tell them not to come.

From Guess what Beni made!?

They were still raw in the middle.
But of course Beni refused to call and cancel on our guests (15 minutes before they were supposed to arrive), and offered to run to the store and get some Hawaiian bread.
I was so flustered, I failed to get any pics of the final product, but I did manage to make some delicious french toast with my special egg dip, and sandwiched them with some super sweet mascarpone filling I had whipped up. Between the decadent french toast, the fresh fruit, the mimosas, and the company, it turned out to be a very pleasant breakfast, indeed.
And we were even able to enjoy a little bit of the babka (tops) dipped in mascarpone.

Next stop, New Orleans... Not really. It's just our kitchen again, but Beni sure did bring an authentic taste to the table. This Muffelletta is full of shaved ham, shaved bologna, hard salami, provolne cheese, and a homemade olive relish that knocked our socks off.

He served it on ciabatta bread with a side of kettle chips and salad. Full of flavor!

Last week we also had a savory light meal, rare tuna on salad. As is common practice in our house, the tuna was seared to perfection and served rare, but this time served with a seasoning of black pepper.

Hopefully you're inspired to go make something flavorful! I'm inspired to go eat something...

Tongue in cheek?

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:01:00 +0000

This week the Helf family has been traveling ALL OVER Flavor-town, USA. Last weekend we had another fish fry and invited my dad, step-mom, and little sister over to help us polish it off. Dad brought some jalapeno hush puppies and an amazing coleslaw. They made the mayo from scratch, and it had all sorts of yummies in it including red onion and spinach.

Monday also happened to be my mother's birthday, and we visited her beautiful home and enjoyed some fantastic and beautiful cake from Chuck's Cake Shoppe.
Mom got a new apron and a slicer attachment for her Kitchen-Aid among other things.
>

Tuesday night was probably our most extreme flavor adventure of the week... Cold Pickled Tongue sandwiches... Sounds TOTALLY disgusting, right? WRONG! It was DELICIOUS! Beni cured the tongue himself for ten days in a special brine, then boiled it Monday night, trimmed it, sliced it up, and refrigerated overnight for us to have the next day. Granted, coming home Monday night and hearing:
"The boys and I already ate the salivary glands, but here, taste this"
was a little disturbing at first, but as soon as I tasted the meat, I was converted. It was like the most flavorful corned beef I've ever had, and more tender than any cut of beef ever. Tuesday night we served it on hoagie rolls with horseradish, cheese and cabbage. On the side is a greens mix from Wynn's Tomato Ranch winter market topped with an avacado and corn salad; the perfect cooling compliment to the spicy horseradish.

Beni was very pleased at how it turned out... And the boys LOVED it!

Last night we FINALLY polished off the last of the Dauphin Island fish in one of Beni's most pleasing creations; Smoked whitefish salad. This fish that he drove all the way to Alabama and caught, cleaned, and brought home made its way from the freezer into a smoker fired by some Arkansas hickory. Beni then chopped the fish and mixed it with celery, onion, dill, and some other magical ingredient and served it on buttered rye bread with provolone, and salt 'n' pepper chips and a pickle. A important key in making this fish salad is to keep it fluffy! This was another meal I would have been ecstatic to be served at any deli.

My last meal for this post is tonight's dinner... Lamb Chops and roasted potatoes with fresh green beans. Oh yeah.
The new potatoes were roasted with carrots and spiced with garlic and oregano...

...and the lamb was seasoned perfectly, grilled, and finished with balsamic vinegar, which gave it the most wonderful lingering taste.

Thanks for reading! Hope everyone has a great weekend. Stay tuned to find out how the latest chunk of meat curing in my fridge turns out... Home-made corned beef! (Regular cow parts this time... no tongue. =)

The beach, borscht, baked duck eggs... And the bathroom sink?

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:58:00 +0000

Today's post is going to catch up on a few notable meals over the last couple of days. Enjoy!

Last summer we went to Dauphin Island, AL with my family for a whole week. It was FANTASTIC and so relaxing. Just what everyone needed. We played and swam all day and chased sand crabs all night, and of course with both Beni and my dad in the house, we ATE like royalty.
One of the days, Beni, my dad, and my sister went out on a charter fishing boat, and came back with quite a haul. They caught a ton of whiting and a little ground mullet, and my sister, the master-angler, caught an eel!
Well some of that fish came out of the deep freeze last Thursday night, and Beni beer battered it up Great-Britain-style and we had Fish'n'chips! It was, of course, superb.
The batter was just perfect. It fried up nice and hard with the perfect crisp, and then just melted in your mouth with every bite. We sprinkled it with vinegar and Beni made some tartar sauce. I'm inclined to say it was the best batter ever. I'd like to deep fry some more stuff in it... Snickers maybe?

Friday night was a bubbling borscht celebration of beets, turnips, and beef.

And Sunday morning was my interpretation of 'Bird's Nests'... Yes, MY interpretation. I made breakfast! My first baked eggs ever. Yes, they were delicious, but no, they were not perfect. I have learned my lesson about forgetting to pour some melted butter over the top to keep the whites from forming too thick of a skin.
I took crescent roll dough and pressed it into a muffin tin, then filled with some diced musrooms, tomatoes, and shredded cheese. Then I topped it off with a duck egg in each "nest". We usually pick them up at the Farmer's Market, and we recently heard about the "Winter Market" that I never knew existed. Please check it out if you get the itch for some Farmer's Market wares this winter. It's best to sign up for the mailing list and order ahead:
Wynn's Winter Market
Here's some pics...
Before:

After:

Inside (a little over-done):

I still have some dishes saved up to write about from while I was on hiatus. I should get those up this week for you all to enjoy.
Meanwhile, since this blog is all about "What Beni made", I'd also like to brag on his carpentry skills. He's almost as good at wood working as he is in the kitchen.
Check out my new bathroom counter! (This bathroom has just recently been rescued from 1974).

Red Sauce Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:38:00 +0000

I've had a post before about Beni's baked eggs, but I just have to brag about them again... Saturday he made a red sauce from scratch that was mega-YUM.

It had a magical ingredient in it...

He baked the eggs in the sauce and then put it all on top of a toasted piece of Ciabatta bread, sprinkled with Parmesan and then stuck it in the broiler for a second (we were out of "real" Parm, so used the powder stuff, which doesn't melt, but actually doesn't taste bad toasted.) On mornings where a hearty breakfast or brunch is called for, this is up there with my all-time favorite things that Beni makes.

Snow Day Suprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:31:00 +0000

What a beautiful surprise to wake up to and see the soft blanket of white snow everywhere this morning. Especially beautiful since I didn't have anything urgent to do that required me to get out and drive around in it.
I was feeling serenely happy and rested since I got to sleep in until 8:00 this morning, which is a rarity. My darling husband had already been up for an hour and gone to the store and back, and they boys were well into their Mario-cart Grand Prix and just happy as clams.
I came into the kitchen and Beni was intensely mashing and stirring something, and after a quick look around I realized we were having bagles and lox for breakfast, one of my favorite things! He was creating a special spread out of lox, cream-cheese, and capers among other things, I'm sure. Then he sliced some ever-so thin red onion to go on top. Of course I devoured it before I remembered I should take a picture of a prepared bagel, but you can probably get the idea from this...

A beautiful snow day, bagels, lox, coffee, orange juice, and the Sunday paper. I really don't think it gets much better!

New Year's Resolution

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:27:00 +0000

I inadvertently took a fourth quarter hiatus from giving Beni's creations their much deserved blog-props, but one of my many New Year's resolutions is to get back in the habit, and post at least one fabulous meal per week. It's the least I can do for all 8 of my loyal followers.
2010 will be an interesting challenge because one of my resolutions nearly sabotages the other...
1) Encourage Beni's culinary delights by bragging to the universe about them and 2) Lose 20 pounds (I know, I'm so cliche).
I have a third lofty goal for 2010 that I will probably be asking you guys for help with as the year goes on, and I'll slowly leak some teaser details about that later.
I know, you're on the edge of your seat, aren't you?!
And fair warning for 2010, I may be adding more of my own adventures in the kitchen along with Beni's perfection to make everyone feel a little better about themselves.

Feel free to share and tell your friends to follow!

See you next year!

I Say Ceviche!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:47:00 +0000

I want to start by saying, I LOVE Ceviche. (or cebiche, or seviche... whatever you prefer)
If I'm forced to eat outside of Beni's kitchen, hands down, the best place in town to get ceviche is El Camino Real on South School Ave. They're actually the best Mexican food in town period, but their ceviche happens to be my favorite thing on the menu.
Ceviche is a pretty general term for any citrus marinated seafood. Typically if you use shellfish, like shrimp, you cook the fish, but finfish is used raw. The citric acid in the lime juice (most common citrus used) causes the proteins in the seafood to become denatured; basically it pickles the fish, or "cooks" it without heat.
Peru is typically credited as the birthplace of ceviche, but that fact is disputed among Latin American countries. They all have variations on a "traditional" ceviche.
Beni's ceviche is closest to the Cuban style, using mahi-mahi prepared with lime juice, salt, pepper, onion, bell peppers, cilantro, and habanero peppers. It's fantastic on it's own, over a salad, with chips... Or as shown here, we topped a tostada and garnished with avacado and sour cream.

I know some of you are going to be skeptical of this dish... I was too, at first. "Pickled fish?" But trust me, if you like seafood at all, you will love this as much as I do.
And if you're looking for a good place to get Mexican food in Fayetteville, and you haven't been to El Camino Real yet, go there now!

Foodie Smack-down in Chi-town: Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:01:00 +0000

This post will wrap up our Chicago foodie adventure, then I'll be back to singing Beni's praises in the kitchen!

But first, I'll sing our hosts' praises. Jason and Sarah!

Saturday night we were treated to a home cooked meal of beef tenderloin and some simple farmer's market tomatoes. You know how much Helfs love their summer tomatoes. Paired with a fabulously tender steak drizzled with a rich port reduction, they were extra fantastic.
Here are the fruits of our hard working hosts' labors:

Milo knows what's up...
Our last day in town, we had lunch at Piece Brewery and Pizzeria. We got a great table slightly elevated and next to some nice big windows that were open to the street, perfect for people-watching. It's a huge former roofing garage that was converted to a restaurant with lounge area seating, plasma tv's, a long bar, and a skylite ceiling. They had several micro-brews to choose from, and we settled on a pitcher of Worry'n'Ale, a rye beer that was able to satisfy a table full of diverse beer tastes.

Last time we were in Chicago, we had Pequod's, which is the super deep pan crust you expect to find in Chicago. Piece was a very different kind of pizza; definitely unique and very tasty. The menu said it was "New Haven-style" thin crust... Whatever it was, it was YUMMY. And it was the largest medium pizza I've ever seen. For toppings, we chose pepperoni, sausage, tomatoes, peppers, and jalepenos.

After lunch, we walked off those calories and headed to Retro on Roscoe, a neighborhood street festival, to meet up with friends for a while before we went to see Paolo Nutini at the Vic.

It was definitely a 5 star weekend all around!

Foodie Smack-down in Chi-town: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Hot Doug's:
"The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium"

Sounds tantalizing, doesn't it?

Folks line up around the block and wait for hours to sample Doug's encased meats, and they do it for a reason. It freakin' rocks. Hot Doug's sits on the corner of N California and W Roscoe in an unassuming little brick building. The "patio dining" consists of 2 old-school cafeteria style booths out in the alley, and inside the place is decked out in bright reds, yellows, and black and white checkers. The walls are of course covered in encased meat paraphernalia including one whole wall devoted to the menus along with instructions on how to order (if you don't know your sausage etiquette). Even the bathroom celebrated the dogs...

After waiting outside in the drizzling rain for two hours, it was a pleasure to reach the heart of the beast and witness the folks that had come before us sitting down to enjoy their meals. It was a well oiled machine. As soon as each party finished ordering, a single table would come open, every single time. Some folks opted to order modestly, one dog and some duck-fat-fries, while others wanted to be sure and get a taste of all their favorites; for example a young couple who couldn't have weighed more than 175 lbs combined were served 6 gourmet dogs and 2 baskets of duck-fat-fries.

As we approached the counter to place our orders,
we were greeted by Doug himself, wearing a friendly smile and horn-rimmed glasses.

Beni and I opted for one dog each and to split a basket of the fries. Beni ordered the holy grail of hot dog's, the Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Sel Gris. Holy-cow (or duck), it was extremely decadent...

I asked Doug to help me choose between the Celebrity Special of the day and the Mushroom and Swiss, becauase I just couldn't decide. He steered me toward the Mushroom, "The shitake's are sauteed in duck fat... because we can."

I was not sorry. Doug really delivered the pork sausage with 'ducky' mushrooms, chili mustard, and Baby Edam cheese. It was a spicy and savory taste explosion...

We all left happy and full, and I'm sure gave the folks still waiting in line a look that convinced them the wait would be totally worth it.

Come back later to read about Chicago pizza, Chicago beer, and a Chicago home cooked meal!

Foodie Smack-down in Chi-town

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:22:00 +0000

Last weekend Beni and I took a total foodie trip to Chicago and visited with some of our fantastic friends. We spent approximately 4 hours combined waiting in line for a hamburger and a hot dog... and it was TOTALLY worth it.
I don't know about you guys, but I am a huge Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives fan, so I was really excited to stand in line at two of the show's featured joints; Kuma's Corner and Hot Doug's.
We also had a taste of some Chicago style THIN crust pizza at Piece along with some of their brewery's Worry'n'ale.
And last but not least, we had very fine slice of beef tenderloin prepared with love by our close personal friends at Casa de Smacks.
Here's the juicy details:

First, we'll talk burgers.
We arrived at Kuma's Corner a little after 7:00pm on a Friday night. Sarah, Beni, and I waiting outside while Jason went in to get us on the list. The clientele we waited with were as diverse as Chicago itself, and our hostess was tatted out with tight jeans and a black tank top that had one of the Kuma slogan's on the back "die emo die". From the sidewalk, I could see the t.v. over the bar playing kung-fu movies and tons of people packed like sardines looking like they were REALLY enjoying their food. I loved it already, and hadn't even been inside yet.
The tiny yet fearsome hostess finally called Jason's name and we floated in the door. We were greeted by heavy metal, black and red, divine smells, and a very friendly waitress.
She got us started with some Pabst Blue Ribbon in a bottle and some not too shabby calamari. I've had better, but the rosemary and what I think was red pepper in the batter was definitely unique and flavorful.
All the burgers on the menu were appropriately named after metal bands. Beni ordered the Bongzilla; I requested Neurosis; and Sarah & Jason modestly opted to split Lair of the Minotaur.
While we waited I admired the atmosphere and artwork; especially the painting over the bar of a cutsie-bear and the word "MEAT" written in dripping blood over it. The ladies bathroom was also covered in pinup girl artwork and big city graffitti. My favorite bit said "My mouth tastes like bad choices."
After a reasonable wait, the burgers arrived.
The Smacks' burger, Lair of the Minotaur, was a 1/2 pound patty topped with caramelized onions, pancetta, brie, and bourbon soaked pears (Sorry, I didn't get a pic. I was too mezmerized by my own plate).
My burger, Neurosis, was a 1/2 pound patty with cheddar (the good stuff), swiss, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and horseraddish mayo... It was DIVINE.

Beni's burger was almost painful to look at, but the champ actually ate THE WHOLE thing.
Bongzilla was a 1/2 pound beef patty topped with 1/4 pound Sheboygan bratwurst, smoked gouda, caramelized onions, Dusseldorf mustard, jalepeno chutney, and bourbon soaked pears.
I didn't get a picture of that one either, sadly. Beni inhaled it before I could get the camera on.
Overall, big thumbs up for Kuma's Corner.
Next up, lunch Saturday at Hot Doug's... Stay tuned for details.

I "Heart" Tuna

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:18:00 +0000

I've got TWO fabulous tuna dishes to blog about today. Tonight's dinner and a backlogged dinner from about 10 days ago.
First, a little secret. We get our Ahi Tuna from Sam's in the frozen fish section. No fancy secret tuna source here. While it's not as good as REALLY FRESH tuna, obviously, I can attest it's quite tasty, and safe to cook rare.
"Treasures from the Sea" brand Ahi Tuna is wild catch and a product of Indonesia. The only ingredient other than skinless tuna is filtered wood smoke to preserve the natural coloring. None of those pesky "solutions" Wal-mart is notorius for putting in their meats.
That said, how about little blackened tuna with a baked sweet potato and spinach salad?

I think the sweet potato is highly under-rated. I like them just as much, if not more than regular baked potatoes. They are not only good whipped up with brown sugar and broiled marshmallows at Thanksgiving, but also baked and topped with funky cheeses, or pan fried with curried vegetables.
With the blackened tuna, we topped these sweet potatoes with sour cream and chives.

Tonight Beni put a twist on the blackened tuna seasoning by adding cumin, white pepper and lime. The tangy salad and seasoned black beans complimented the spices very nicely. No dressing was needed on the salad, as it was tossed in olive oil, lime juice, chili and garlic powder. Some super-ripe stripey green tomatoes really made the salad taste like summer.
The plain old canned black beans were livened up with cilantro, red onions, fresh garlic, and of course, a little lime juice.

Tip from Beni: To get a good sear on your tuna, and leave the center perfectly rare, pre-heat an iron skillet in the oven until it's smokin' hot and then use a high temperature oil like vegetable shortening or lard to sear it on your stove top.
Check out this Wikipedia link to learn about oils and smoke points.

What the Helf?

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:40:00 +0000

I've been on hiatus the last few weeks. We had a lot going on with 4 days in Chicago last weekend and a trip down to southern Arkansas to visit family this weekend. I definitely plan to update soon. I've got some backlogged Beni meals as well as some pics of our Chi-town meals of interest.
We've got a trip to the beach planned for September, so hopefully I'll have some bathing suit friendly meals from Beni posted here the next couple of weeks!!

Stay tuned.

Sweet crepes or Savory crepes? Both please!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:41:00 +0000

Saturday mornings are my favorite time of the week. Cartoons o'plenty. No rushing around. The whole weekend ahead. This morning Beni woke up with a wild hair for some crepes. After briefly discussing whether we should have fruit filled or go the spinach and cheese route, we decided we really wanted both. Beni first prepped the fillings; chopped strawberries and apricots for the fruit filled, and seasoned steamed spinach with shredded cheese. Then came the soft and tasty wrappings.

The spinach crepes went into the oven for a bit to melt the cheese on top, then were sprinkled with onion.
Put 'em all together... Voila!

The strawberry apricot crepes were filled with some cream cheese and the fruit combination, then topped with "organic" strawberry syrup and fresh blueberries. The kids loved these and so did I!

Ancho Mahi with Peachy-Pico

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:37:00 +0000

Well this is what happens if I don't blog right after the meal... I forget the fun details!!
At least I remember the TASTE!
Below are pics of Mahi Mahi on a bed of rice topped with some funky (in a good way) Ancho pepper sauce Beni invented.
To balance out the strong pepper taste, we had a side salad topped with a peachy pico de gallo.

Sushi take-out

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:56:00 +0000

Not a lot going on in the Helf kitchen the last couple of days. We're a pretty busy family.
Last night was a dual effort for dinner. I boiled some angel hair pasta and heated up some Bertolli 'Organic' (3 packs on sale at Sam's), while Beni grilled some Italian sausage and steamed the farmers' market brussel sprouts. The brussels got tossed in a little butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, and fresh dill.
The Bertolli label was refreshing to read. All whole ingredients. No additives or preservatives. Tomatoes, olive oil, onions, sugar, sea salt, garlic, basil, black pepper, and oregano. Home-made sauce is the best, but that jar was not bad at all.

Tonight I was craving sushi, so I stopped off at Ichiban on the way home. The boys devoured their California rolls. I had Nigiri Hamachi and Sake (Yellowtail and Salmon) with a salad, and Beni had the Curried Beef "as spicy as it comes" per my request. Beni gave it a big thumbs up as the sweat poured down his face. I was terribly sad when Rice Village closed, but Ichiban's sushi was really good and apparently so is the curry. We'll be going back.

I'll be doing some grocery shopping in the next few days to restock the kitchen. Check back this weekend to see what Beni cooks!

Monday Night Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Tonight we had a hearty greek chicken salad, and it really hit the spot;
Crisp red and green lettuce, summer tomato from our visit to the farmers' market, red onion, and artichoke hearts.
The chicken breast meat was sauteed with roasted pine nuts, capers, balsamic vinegar, and of course, plenty of garlic.

Our weeknights get pretty hectic, with me not getting home from work until around 6:00 and Beni having to head off to bed around 7:30 due to waking up for work at 3:30am. I'm so grateful to be able to sit at the table with my family for however brief a time it may be and enjoy a good meal and some lively banter. Beni's meals make it happen.
On a good night there's even time to go out in the backyard together and swing or play baseball, while the days are long anyway. It's hard to get the boys in bed before dark, but I'll go give it a shot. I'm beat.

Life Happens

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Well, we had a pretty good run of it. 4 exceptional dinners in a row.

Unfortunately, our plumbing had other plans for us Sunday night. Meet the culprit:

Thanks to this little rusted out havoc reeking pipe, Beni's evening was spent in the water heater closet. Well, except for when I was in the closet catching water with a bowl and a pitcher while he ran around frantically trying to get the water shut off and the pipes emptied out. It was quite a scene.
So the family fended for themselves for dinner. I ate some left over potato salad and coleslaw, and later came back to the kitchen for a spoonful of cashew butter dipped in powdered sugar. Eli had a bean and cheese burrito. Wiley had a veggie burger and some pretzels.
After Beni got cleaned up, he sat down to a nice plate of microwaved burritos and a Busch Light. Eat your heart out Emeril.

Did He Just Say Ribs Benedict?

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you. That is a picture of Ribs Benedict...

Red onions sprinkled over 2 poached eggs atop shredded smoked pork rib meat tossed in hickory-hoisin sauce and a nice chunk of corn bread.

Is that manly or what?