Swedish Meatballs, December 13, 2017

Being of Swedish stock, I like to celebrate St. Lucia Day. St. Lucia is the patron saint of Sweden and her feast day is traditionally celebrated there, in part, with the oldest daughter of the family, clad in a white gown with a red sash, wreath of candles on her head, starting the day by bringing special coffee cake to the family in bed. I didn't get my act together to make the coffee cake (I actually usually do sweet buns) this morning, so I decided to skip the Van De Kamp fish I had planned for dinner and make the Swedish meatballs we picked up the last time we were at IKEA. I'd also gotten the sauce packet they sell, so I was able to use that cheat, too. I usually make my meatballs and sauce from scratch, using my cousin Lenore's recipe. However, it was great to be able to throw this together in no time, with very little effort. 15 minutes in the oven for the meatballs, 5 minutes to mix up the sauce, boil some egg noodles & season them with butter & dill, toss a bag of salad in a bowl, and done.

Chile Cheese Egg Bake, December 12, 2017

It was breakfast for dinner last night, with a scrumptious and super cheesy egg bake, sausage patties, fresh fruit, and maple cornbread with molasses maple butter. Boot adores cornbread--I wish y'all could have seen the two giant wedges he has. One great benefit about having your kids move back in with you for a bit is that there's much, much less food waste. Honestly, I would skip the maple syrup in the cornbread next time and just serve it with the butter, which is sweet enough for anyone. The bread and butter recipes came from Bon Appetit, although I modified the butter.

Chile Cheese Egg Bake

10 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Pinch of salt

Grinding of pepper

8 oz. diced green chiles (I prefer Hatch chiles)

16 oz. lowfat cottage cheese

16 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add dry ingredients to eggs. Mix in everything else. Place in greased 13x9. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cut into squares for serving. Serves 8-10.

Maple Cornbread

2 1/3 c. cornmeal

1 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 1/3 c. buttermilk

4 eggs

3/4 c. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 12" cast iron skillet (you can also use a 9x9 baking pan). Pulse dry ingredient briefly in a food processor or mix well by hand. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and syrup together. Add dry mixture and stir just until moist. Put in skillet. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serves 10-12. 

Maple Molasses Butter

1 stick butter, softened

1/8 c. maple syrup

1 tbsp. dark molasses

Mix well and serve with the above cornbread or any other sturdy bread. 

Orecchiette with Garden Sauce, December 11, 2017

I very seldom make pasta sauce from scratch. I almost always get a jar of Newman's sauce of some sort or another, brown some ground beef, and add some parmesan and extra seasonings while warming the sauce. I really like my pasta that way. However, I was inspired by an Ina Garten recipe from her Cooking for Jeffrey, orecchiette with farm stand pasta sauce. I am a much lazier cook than Ina, however, and she would probably be appalled to see what I did with her creation. Ah, well. Sorry, Ina! I served it with a complete bastardization of her kale salad, as well as some crusty Pugliese bread from the local grocery. It was tasty and made a ton. Luckily, Boot really loved it and made it vanish in just a couple days. I'd been looking at it, as I put away the leftovers, and wondering how on earth we were ever going to eat it all. By all means, try her recipe, but this is quite serviceable.

Orecchiette with Garden Sauce

Good olive oil

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

4 small carrots, peeled & finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (or a couple tbsp of the pre-chopped stuff my wife likes to keep on hand)

28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes

14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1/2 c. dry red wine (I used Pinot Noir)

6 oz. tomato paste

A handful fresh basil, cut in chiffonade

A handful Italian parsley, minced

1 tbsp. sugar (normally, I would be resistant, but I've been reading about how it helps tame the acidity of the tomatoes)

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper

24 oz. orecchiette

Good quality parmesan, shredded

In large, heavy pot, heat some olive oil on medium heat. Add onion, celery, & carrots, cooking until they are tender, 10-15 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, basil, parsley, sugar, red pepper, a pinch of salt, and a good grinding of black pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer about an hour. Cook the pasta, drain, and add to sauce, stirring to mix completely. Heat through. Serve with cheese. Serves 8-10. 

Kale Salad with Pancetta

1 tsp. anchovy paste

1 large clove garlic

1 tbsp. Dijon

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt & pepper

2/3 c. olive oil

1 bunch Lacinato kale, stems removed

2 oz. pancetta, diced

A handful of garlic croutons

A handful of shaved parmesan

Whiz everything up to the kale in a food processor until it emulsifies. Stack the kale leaves and slice them into thin ribbons. Toss with just enough dressing to coat the kale. Cook the pancetta in a little hot olive oil until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Add croutons to the pan and toast. Toss pancetta, croutons, and shaved parmesan with the kale. Serves 2-4. 

Kielbasa and Kraut, December 10, 2017

My wife and I spent Sunday afternoon trying to wrap up shopping for Wee Boy. When we arrived home and realized we needed to figure out supper, neither of us could figure out anything that sounded very good. She'd been talking about getting barbecue and I pored over the menu online, trying to find one thing that didn't make me feel ill just thinking about it. I often enjoy barbecue, done well, and especially pulled pork. When we lived in Cleveland, we'd often venture out to Bubba's Q. In Columbus, it was trips to City Barbecue (with their alluring banana pudding). In Michigan, we'd discovered Union Woodshop, in Clarkston, and were impressed. However, I just was not feeling it, even though I think Dickey's is okay. I finally decided I could manage a kielbasa sandwich, even though I was secretly (okay, maybe not so secretly) hoping she'd just bring me a chicken sandwich from Burger King.

What she came home with, however, was something that made me very happy, indeed. She'd managed to stumble upon something we both actually felt like eating. Kielbasa and kraut! She got two different kinds of smoked sausage, actually. She and Wee Boy cut them up and chucked them into a pan with a big ol' jar of Vlasic sauerkraut. She was sorry she forgot to put in the apple. I was relieved! I don't like apples in my kraut. She served it with leftover mashed potatoes and more corn. Y'all should have seen Wee Boy shoveling in the potatoes, the kraut, the corn, the sausage! He completely loved the meal. I expect him to be a big fan of my annual New Year's Day White Dinner, too.

Oven-Fried Chicken, December 9, 2017

By Saturday, Jeannene was feeling well enough to cook. I think the cold affected what she was hungry for because all she wanted, all weekend, was comfort food. Saturday night, that turned out to be oven-fried chicken, with Bob Evans mashed potatoes and corn. She loves to mix the corn and potatoes together. In this case, they were all mixed together and covered in chicken gravy! She was in heaven! Me, I like to keep mine separated and I am happy as a clam.

The chicken was incredibly flavorful. She usually does Shake & Bake, which I don't find terribly memorable. She tried a different kind, one we'd never seen before, because neither of us can resist trying something we've not had. I think it was maybe called "Kentucky Colonel's" or something along those lines, just hinting at the 11 herbs and spices without slipping into the dangerous territory of copyright infringement. The coating tasted delicious, but didn't quite achieve a crisp texture. It was a bit floppy and my wife was disappointed with it until she tried it and realized the chicken inside was very juicy and the coating tickled the tastebuds very pleasantly. Me, personally? I would definitely use it again, but for chicken that's actually fried. I think it would be the perfect combo of great taste and pleasing texture.

Taco Loco, December 8, 2017

My wife arrived home from work on Friday completely bushed. She's been fighting a sinus infection, but hasn't been willing to miss work. By Friday, typically her night to make or obtain dinner, she was totally done. She walked in the door and asked if I'd be willing to run out for Mexican food, she didn't care where. The easiest thing to do would have been to head for the 24-hour drive-thru Mexican place in town. However, I've been wanting to take her to Taco Loco ever since Wee Boy and I met Barbara & Les there before going to the concert on the lawn with them over the summer.

Barbara says each place in town is good for a particular thing. For me, Taco Loco is definitely a carnitas joint. I was so impressed with their deliciousness! So, I got a carnitas platter, a chicken chimichanga with sides of beans and rice because Wee Boy adores beans & rice, an order of chips & salsa with guacamole, and a chorizo and cheese dish I thought was going to be like the cheesy dip you usually see at Tex-Mex places. It was not at all like that, but it was yummy tucked into a tortilla. The carnitas were as luscious as I remembered. The chicken chimi, on the other hand, was not very great. It was fine, but nothing special at all. I wasn't nuts about the salsa, either. It was the very liquidy sort that's brownish and vaguely red. But those carnitas! Worth the trip!

Pizza & Wings, December 7, 2017

We had this great plan to have every Thursday be Leftoverpalooza night. We would waste less food & clear out the fridge for the weekend grocery shopping. I came up with the idea a few months ago, but hadn't written it into my formal menu planning until this month. We have yet to do it. Either we end up with no leftovers or we don't feel like eating them or something else comes up.

Last Thursday, when I told my wife it was Leftoverpalooza, she said, "I've got dinner." She came home with two huge pizzas from Papa Murphy's, one with spinach, chicken, and sausage, the other with pepperoni. She added extra cheese. She loved the chicken one, I loved the pepperoni one. Boot's girlfriend and I often joke about how similar Boot and his mother are--and how much alike we two are. Sure enough, she loved the same pizza I did, while Boot sang the praises of his mom's favorite. However, she and Boot were aligned on the hot wings Jeannene brought home from the grocery to have with the pizza--they weren't that hot and they didn't know what we were talking about!

Puerco Asado, December 6, 2017

Yesterday, I remembered in time that I meant to marinate my pork roast so we could have puerco asado for supper. The smell permeated the kitchen even before I started cooking it, making it smell like nochebuena, Christmas Eve. My wife had urged me to buy some plantains and hoped I would make something yummy and Cuban. Fried pork chunks, masitas de puerco, is my very favorite Cuban dish, but this one is much less labor-intensive, so I tend to make it a lot more often. As usual, I served it with black beans, white rice, fried ripe plantains (maduros)--although, they could have been sweeter and more to my liking if they'd had a few more days to ripen--and a butter lettuce salad with avocado slices and sweet onion slivers. I could just put the dressing in a glass and drink it--or pour it over my pork, which is what I did last night. This pork is also great with mojo criollo to accompany it. Yum! For the dressing, simply whisk together about 1/2 c. Spanish olive oil with the juice of 1 lemon until it emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper.

Cuban Puerco Asado

5 lb. pork loin

4-5 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. oregano

Salt & pepper

1/4 c. lime juice

1/4 c. orange juice

1/4 c. Spanish olive oil (non-Spanish okay, too)

1 c. dry red wine

Several hours before cooking, score the pork all over with a knife. Pound the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper into a paste. Rub all over pork roast. Add juices, oil, and wine to the roast (I use a large ziploc bag) and marinate a minimum of 2 hours. Overnight is even better. Make sure you turn it every so often. 

I love black beans over white (usually jasmine, for me, but I used basmati last night because we find ourselves with oceans of it and I was able to locate it more quickly than the jasmine rice) rice. I would cheerfully eat it with a salad as a tasty lunch. I like to sprinkle mine with some chopped onions. My wife likes shredded cheese on hers. I very seldom make my black beans from dry beans. If that's your thing, go ahead and start them soaking when you start the pork marinating the night before. Otherwise, here's a cheater version I usually use:

Quick & Easy Black Beans

1/2 c. Spanish olive oil (again, any good quality olive oil is fine)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cans blqck beans (not drained)

1 tsp. cumin

A few dashes hot sauce (if you like it)

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar (also optional, but I think it really brightens it)

Salt & pepper

Chopped onions (garnish)

Heat oil. Cook the garlic, onions, & pepper until they are soft. Add rest and heat through. Serves 4-6. 

Pumpkin Pancakes, December 5, 2017

I'd intended to make roast pork, Cuban-style, for dinner Tuesday night. However, I completely forgot, until about half an hour before I needed to start cooking, that I needed to marinate the meat. Whoopsie! Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand for Wednesday night's planned dinner and it required no advance prep at all, so I was able simply to flip the nights.

I made a big ol' pile of pumpkin pancakes, an entire package of bacon, and an entire package of sausage patties. I also handed out Cuties to anyone who wanted them, in a nod to healthfulness. I'm so happy they're back in season! May I pause for just a moment to gripe about my local grocery not carrying Bob Evans sausage, though? Not that Jimmy Dean is horrible, but, for this Ohio girl, Bob Evans is the best. I could quit griping and submit a product request for that, lacinato kale, Italian parsley, and Goya Spanish-style chorizo (so I don't have to go to World Market every dang time I want chorizo), I suppose. Anyway, it was a mountain of food and, at the end, the only scrap that was left was a lonesome half piece of bacon. The pancakes vanished particularly rapidly, largely down Boot's gullet. I had no idea he would be so crazy about them. Personally, I thought they needed a bit more of all the seasonings and a bit more pumpkin. Next time, I'll up the amounts. You maybe should, too, but here's what I did. It was a good thing for Boot's girlfriend, who is not a big fan of pumpkin.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/4 c. flour

3 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. each cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

Pinch salt

Pinch cloves

4 eggs

1 stick butter (plus more--or oil--for cooking)

3/4 c. pumpkin purée

1 1/4 c. milk

Dash vanilla

Whisk dry ingredients together. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Set aside. Melt the stick of butter and gradually stir into egg yolks. mix in pumpkin, milk, & vanilla. Add to flour and mix well. Fold in egg whites. Heat a little butter or oil in a skillet or on a griddle. Drop batter by 1/4-1/3 cup measures into skillet/onto griddle, a few pancakes at a time, & cook through until lightly browned on each side. As you finish pancakes, remove them to a 250 degree oven to keep them warm. Serve with warm maple syrup. It also occurs to me that some toasted pepitas would be lovely sprinkled on top. 

Chicken with White Wine Sauce, December 4, 2017

I love food with a nice, tart punch to it. Last night's dinner was a completely luscious rendition of that sort of dish. I made chicken cutlets with a lemony white wine sauce, accompanied by baked potatoes so enormous none of us could finish ours and a green bean succotash. I cooked the potatoes extra-long in the oven and the creamy, fluffy interiors were a perfect counterpoint to the tang of the chicken. There's nothing like a perfectly baked potato and having two leftover means I'll be making some fried potatoes to go with tonight's supper.

Chicken with White Wine Sauce

6 thin chicken breast cutlets

Salt & pepper

Flour

2 tbsp. butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 c. dry white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)

2 c. chicken stock

A handful of chopped parsley

Some capers
Juice of 1 lemon

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with flour. Heat 1 tbsp. butter in a skillet. Sauté chicken in butter until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. I needed to do this in two batches, keeping the chicken warm in a 250 degree oven until the sauce was done. Add shallots to same skillet and cook until softened, just about a minute. Add wine and stir to deglaze pan. Add stock and bring to a boil. Let bubble until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Add the second tablespoon of butter, cut into small bits. Stir to melt the butter. Add parsley, capers, & lemon juice. Spoon over chicken when serving. Serves 4-6. 

Green Bean Succotash

1/2 lb. green beans

2 tbsp. olive oil

 1 c. cooked lima beans

1 c. corn 

1/4 red pepper, diced

1 tbsp. butter (this may be easily omitted)

1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

Salt & pepper

Cook green beans in boiling, salted water about 4 minutes, just until they're crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Sauté beans a minute or so. Add the rest of the veggies and sauté until everything is hot and tender. Add everything else. Serves 4-6.

Steak with Tarragon Melting Sauce, December 3, 2017

My wife loves to cook and eat steak. She is, in fact, positively steak-mad. Lucky us, then, last night, when she made some beautiful steaks, using a Paula Deen recipe featuring a glorious, green, herby sauce. I know she tinkered with the sauce, but I don't know what alterations she made, except she definitely used less butter because she kept saying, "This is too much butter. This can't possibly be right,' while I thought, "Um, it's a Paula Deen recipe." Whatever she did, the sauce came out tasting fresh and bright. She says she followed the marinating directions to the letter.

She accompanied the meat with some Near East quinoa (I wish I knew what variety--it was delish), a Taylor Farms chopped kale salad, and perfectly cooked broccoli, which was especially terrific with the steak sauce. I love having a wife who loves to cook and is great at it.

Old Chicago (Plus Gingerbread Muffins), December 2, 2017

The wife suggested an early dinner before Christmas shopping on Saturday. We'd fortified ourselves with gingerbread muffins I made in the morning and a little nibble of lunch, but sure didn't want any hangry grumpiness to mar our fun excursion. I thought pizza sounded good and was glad she agreed. So, off to Old Chicago we went. This location is fairly new and has previously left a whole lot to be desired, service-wise. The pizza was okay, though, so we hoped the service issues were ironed out.

The kitchen has certainly gotten faster, but, man, the service still lacks finesse. The young man who served us was, I suppose, pleasant enough, but he didn't strike me as particularly ept. I'm finding, in general, that much of the service in Colorado, is a bit on the relaxed side.

However, the boneless wings were serviceable and the artichoke bread quite tasty. You should have seen Wee Boy when he tasted it! I guess that means I should definitely make my artichoke dip for our annual tree-trimming celebration. My Chicago 7 pizza (think "supreme") on their ale crust was yummy, although I will probably get the thin crust next time. Wee Boy thought it was lots better than his plain sausage kids' pizza, especially the green pepper bits! Have to remember that for future visits! Sadly, the margherita pizza my wife ordered fell far short of expectations. We were assured that it truly was fresh mozzarella on the pizza, and that it just isn't spread all over the pizza. It was, in fact, spread over far more of the pizza than it should have been and was not like any fresh mozzarella we've seen. Perhaps they define "fresh mozzarella" as "not stale mozzarella." Anyway, it was basically a cheese pizza with a few tomato slices and a smattering of basil. My wife sent it back, as it wasn't what she wanted, and took over Wee Boy's pizza, instead. While I definitely prefer Ben's Brick Oven Pizza to Old Chicago, it's closer and the food is fine. I would never send someone there on purpose, but neither would I dissuade them.

Oh, and if you'd like to make some gingerbread muffins at your house, here's the recipe. I make them often, especially in December. If you don't already have a traditional Christmas morning sweet, these are perfect. Thank Nigella Lawson, who developed the recipe.

Gingerbread Muffins

1 2/3 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 egg

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

1/3 c. light brown sugar

3/4 c. milk

1/4 tsp. balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp. oil

4 tbsp. dark corn syrup

4 tbsp. molasses

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together. Whisk the egg, then add the sugars to it. By the way, I only had dark brown sugar this last time I made these and it was stellar with all dark. Add milk and vinegar to egg mixture. Add oil, corn syrup, and molasses. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir to mix, leaving it fairly lumpy. Place in muffin cups (I use cupcake papers when I make them) and bake 20 minutes, until tops are dry. Nigella notes that they'll still feel a bit "squidgy." Cool on racks. Makes a dozen. 

Gunther Toody's, December 1, 2017

In our family, when a birthday comes along, the person we're celebrating gets to choose whatever they want for dinner, whether at home or out. It's been interesting to see how the desires for birthday dinner have evolved over the years. Pie wins for both the most expensive (elaborate sushi meals out, lobster/crab/steak meals at home) and cheapest (gas station food, at least 3 years). My wife wins for most consistent (very, very often, steak or pasta, although she asks for the occasional dinner out or beef bouguignon at home). I nearly always want to go out, usually to a farm-to-table sort of place or, if that's not an option, The Melting Pot.

Boot has usually requested either wings or my chicken pot pie. His evolution into a more worldly eater was apparent this year, when he wanted to go out for bulgogi. However, by the time of his dinner, he had decided he wasn't in the mood for a 45-minute drive to his chosen restaurant. So, he asked us to suggest some local spots. Thinking he'd like the 1950s design ethic and the simple food, I suggested Gunther Toody's diner as an alternative the very crowded chains. He ended up really liking it, as did the rest of us.

He had a Hang Ten burger, starring pineapple, teriyaki, & grilled onions. My aversion to mixing sweet & meat made that repulsive to me, but he declared it great. He was also happy to have gravy on his fries. I really enjoyed my pork tenderloin sandwich and mashed potatoes. It's not easy to find a really good pork tenderloin sandwich, but this fits the bill. I also indulged in a chocolate malted, as this is one of the few places I've found where a malted actually tastes of malt. My wife & Boot's girlfriend both chose spicy burgers, my wife enjoying the green chile burger & his girlfriend opting for the chipotle version. Wee Boy dug into his macaroni & cheese with glee.

I was frankly, surprised he had room for anything, given the tremendous amount of sweet potato fries he gobbled before the main course arrived! They were just about a perfect rendition of the dish, with chipotle ranch for dipping. We also shared a plate of their delightful chicken tenders, which are so delicate and tender as to be nearly ethereal. Of all their terrific menu items, these are my favorite.