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. 

Breakfast for Dinner: Scrambled Eggs, Sweet & Spicy Bacon, Cheddar Muffins

Breakfast for dinner is quite popular at my house, as I expect it is at many of your homes. Sometimes when we have it, it's because other plans fell through, because nobody really feels like cooking, because I forgot to thaw the chicken for the stir-fry we'd planned to have. Other times, breakfast for dinner is 100% planned and intentional. This particular one is that sort of meal. However, it really doesn't take long to pull together and you likely have most of the ingredients already on-hand. It really is a scrumptious combination, especially if you like cornmeal muffins (if you don't, just sub all white flour)! I assume y'all have your own preferred way to make scrambled eggs. They were the very first thing I learned to make all by myself, standing on a chair in our tiny kitchen at the age of 5 or 6. So, I will leave you to your own methodology (or to Google) on that.

Cheddar Muffins

1 c. flour

1 c. cornmeal

1/4 c. sugar (me, I would go a little scant on this)

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (and I would lean more toward the 1/2 tsp. personally)

2 eggs, beaten

1 c. milk

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 c. shredded cheddar

Toppings (I left some plain---with a little extra cheese on top---and put pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds on others---not all together, but that'd probably be great)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 12 muffin tin cups. Mix the dry ingredients and make a well in the center. Mix the eggs, milk, and melted butter. Add to the well in the dry ingredients, then stir in. Add cheese, mixing well. (if you'd like, it wouldn't hurt to add some chopped scallions) Stir until just smooth. Fill muffin cups almost to the top. Sprinkle with desired toppings. Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool on racks 5 minutes before serving.

Sweet & Spicy Bacon

1 lb. thick-sliced bacon (I used center-cut)

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. crushed rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bacon in an even layer on a baking sheet (rimmed, please!) and cook 10 minutes. Combine the other ingredients until well-mixed. Turn over bacon and sprinkle evenly with the mixture. Cook until crisp & browned, another 5-7 minutes. Remove from oven and drain on paper-towel-lined plate.