And let the cooking begin....

What? Already? You betcha. The frozen bird has been in the fridge since Saturday and is thawing nicely thank you. Tomorrow he gets brined along with the extra breast I thawed out.

Yesterday, I made the gravy stock by roasting a turkey wing (the wing  weighed about a pound and a half, a formidable bird) and a garlic bulb. After roasting, I placed these and some carrots, onions and celery (all unpeeled) into a pot and covered with water. To this I added salt, peppercorns and poultry seasoning. Simmer away for several hours then strain, mash the solids and collect the goodness in a bowl for the fridge. Gravy is just a roux away. The complete recipe is on the blog, search for "Turkey".

 I opted for store bought pies this year to relieve some of the fuss and the rest is gonna have to wait until Wednesday. So much to do and so organized this year.

Eating Omaha....The Bohemian Cafe

Dumplings and kraut today! Who in Omaha of a certain age does not remember that tune played on the radio as an ad for the Bohemian Cafe? Such nostalgia it had to be our destination for our restaurant tour of famous eateries.
Very old school. My memory did not serve me last night as I took a left off of Martha Street instead of a right and we went several miles out of our way deep into South Omaha before turning around on P Street and heading back north. Funny how you drive by a place so many times and misplace it in your mental map.
We started off the evening with a charming waiter and a Dirty Martini made with premium spirits for just $5. Matt had a Czech Beer that was really tasty.


The ladies ordered first. Brenda had the Jager Schnitzel with dumplings, Sweet and Sour cabbage  and egg drop soup. Lori had the Goulash, Matt the Schnitzel too, I had the duck.
So much food to enjoy, so little stomach left everything was delicious but not altogether expected. Brenda generally likes the veal as cutlets deep fried to a golden brown and smothered in gravy. Her dish was slices of veal braised in sauce. Very good but not her favorite gravy. She liked the gravy of my duck better. The dumplings were pillows of heaven and were sliced off a giant dumpling and covered in gravy this fare is not for the faint of heart! We are both big cabbage fans so the kraut was fantastic, I loved every bite.
Lori's tender chunks of beef in a paprika flavored gravy was tender and moist. My 1/2 duck was golden and crisp, cooked just right, the dark meat falling off the breast. I brought 1/2 of it home as well. Each of us had a different sauce or gravy over our meal. The dumpling portions were too ample and we had to leave one behind. It is very old world and quaint inside and has not been updated in years but I am not sure what I would update at this late date.

Tasty Jager Schnitzel

Goulash

Pot Luck at work... Beef for Tacos for a crowd

We had a reason to gather and gather we did. Every so often and much more frequently lately, we are organizing Pot Lucks at work. They are a lot of fun, a little work and plenty of eats, usually for 2 days. Our local food supply here in the hospital has become prohibitively expensive and most of the choices are somewhat less than healthy. I signed up for some Nacho Cheese and Taco Beef. I found the recipe below on All Recipes and adjusted it for 25 folks or about 3 pounds of ground beef. It went pretty far actuallyy although it did not look like much at first. 

I also bought a gallon can of "concentrated" cheddar cheese sauce. This was actually not too bad. With a can of Rotel and a pound of Chorizo it was actually quite tasty. We would definitely do this again.

Restaurant Style Taco Meat

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons corn

flour

4 1/2 teaspoons chili

powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon seasoned

salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried minced

onion

1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon

granules

1/4 teaspoon ground red

pepper

1 1/3 pounds lean ground

chuck

1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a medium bowl, combine the corn flour, chili

powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoned

salt. Stir in the paprika, cumin, garlic salt, and sugar.

Blend in the onion, bouillon, and ground red pepper,

stirring until all spices are well blended.

2.

Crumble the ground chuck into a large skillet over

medium heat. Cook, stirring, until browned. Remove

from heat, rinse meat with hot water, and drain water

and grease from beef.

3.

Return meat to skillet, and pour in seasoning. Stir in

water. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until

most of the liquid has cooked away, about 20 minutes.

Game Day snacking!

Its another Saturday in the Big O and the game is on at 2:30 p.m. today so that means a kitchen tailgating extravaganza.

Started digging in before photos  but still delicious.

Stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar then wrapped in Bacon. How bad can that be?

Starting with Teriyaki Ribs, Chicken Wings (of course), Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers, various dips and stuffed acorn squash since pumpkins are hard to find anywhere this year in Nebraska or at least here, in Omaha. All the recipes are here on the blog already except for the Corn Dip.

Corn Dip

1 can drained Fiesta Corn (has red and green peppers in it)
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/3 c Mayo
1/3 c Sour Cream
1/4 cup Chopped Chilies
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix and chill.

San Marzano in reach

Ok so I know this weird and nothing to get excited about but....my local Walmart is carring San Marzano's! Yay!

Swiss Tomato Soup

This soup, quick and easy and great with a good old grilled chesse is better than just tomato soup.

Swiss Tomato Soup

1 can of diced tomatoes and juice
1 can cream of mushroom
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 c sour cream
pepper to taste
chopped chives
5-6 slices of processed swiss cheese

In a sauce pan, mix the tomatoes and soup, sugar and pepper. Heat till boiling, turn down heat, add the chesse and sour cream. Do not boil but after the cheese melts, use you immersion blender and make the soup smooth. Add chives and serve.

Homemde Marinara....thanks to the Italian Dish

Marinara Sauce

makes 2 cups

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/8 cup grated carrot
• 1 28-ounce can San Marzano Tomatoes
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoons dried thyme
• a few fresh basil leaves (optional)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

In a large heavy pot, gently heat olive oil, onions, sea salt and a little freshly ground pepper (and the chili pepper, if using) and saute over low heat until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add carrots and saute another 5 minutes. Add the San Marzano tomatoes and their liquid and break up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon (or just crush them with your hands, like I do). Add the herbs and sugar, if you are using it. Simmer gently, uncovered, for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Puree the tomato sauce either with an immersion blender right in the pot, or transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth.

Cancun dining and play

I love lonely beaches

grilled seafood lunch at the buffet

Mexican sunrise

Beach seafood grill

al fresco dining at it's finest

Martinis at 6 every evening before diner

 

We have been enjoying full days of fun and sun and the food offered here at our favorite resort here in Cancun. The Excellence Playa Mujeres has 9 restaurants available but the average stay is somewhat less than that. So far we have been to the Agave which serves mostly authentic Mexican fare, the Lobster House and the Basmati which serves Indian food. So far all three have been excellent. We went to the Lobster House twice it was so good the first time.  Funny but we have never been to the resort on a Tuesday and what a great surprise! They had a beach cerviche bar and served your choice of grilled seafood. Crazy good.

Seared Ahi Tuna and Aloo Gobi

Yum I do love my Ahi Tuna. I came home and marinated 2 fillets in mayonnaise and stir fry sauce before placing them on a screaming hot cast iron pan for 3 minutes per side. I had to make the Aloo Gobi beforehand since the tuna cooks so quickly.  Recipe for the veggies is under Vegetables. Great dish with seafood as a matter of fact we had it with Mahi last time. So tasty and unusual paired with a nice Cabernet.

The Birthday Girl....

Now, normally we are in Mexico for Brenda's birthday but due to circumstances beyond our control we are headed out a bit later this year so I get to cook for her. Her favorite food besides Veal Saltimbucco? Meatloaf. Yes I rarely make a meatloaf but for her...anything. I decided to take it up a notch and stuff it with Swiss and mushrooms like our favorite eatery, Runza.  And, surprise, mashed turnips again. Yes we just had them Sunday but no mashed taters in this house due to the extraordinary carb load.

So to get started:

1.5 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 8oz package baby bellas
1 medium onion eggs
1/2 c bread crumbs
3 cloves of garlic
10 or so slices of baby Swiss
salt and pepper

I sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil. I set them aside and sauteed the garlic and onions till translucent.

Combine the meats, eggs, bread crumbs and onions and garlic. Flatten on a sheet of wax paper to a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Cover with cheese slices and mushrooms.

Roll up jelly roll fashion. Bake at 350 for about 90 minutes. I use a glaze made with ketchup, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce during the last 15 minutes.

Rolling the meat loaf

 

Ready for the oven

 

Dinner is served