Thansgiving Day Foods

You know you are a fucking adult when it is your turn to host Thanksgiving. Now I know why my grandma was always pitching a huge bitchfit for the holidays and why the normally dry house had 3 boxes of wine. This is the second Thanksgiving I have hosted and last year was such a mess that we ignored it. This year we hosted for my mom and dad, so it was a small affair. We had stuffing and taters and gravy and green bean casserole and rotisserie turkey breast. I like doing the turkey breast on the rotisserie because you can just turn it on and walk away and don't have to bother with basting. 

Everything is fairly typical and boring.

For sides, we had the ever popular Cowboy Sushi, homemade french onion dip and stuffed mushrooms.

Homemade French Onion Dip

I like to make simple, homemade versions of traditional Thanksgiving foods. One of the easiest things to make was onion dip. The Good Husband will eat an entire container and bag of chips in one sitting, if allowed. So instead of buying a container at the store, I wanted to make my own this year.

With everything else I had to cook this year, this one was actually one of the easier ones.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

2 cups thinly sliced onion 

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves 

3/4 cup mayonnaise 

3/4 cup sour cream 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Potato chips, for serving 

Directions:

~Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and sage. Cover and cook until onions are deep golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

~Remove from heat and let cool. Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in the cooled caramelized onions, salt, and pepper. Cover dip and refrigerate until flavors blend, about 2 hours. 

recipe by: The Food Network

Fried Okra

So this week, I got okra in my CSA. I mentioned that I only had it once before and it was slimmy. I don't like okra and for the first time I actually thought I would see if I could trade with somone so I didn't have to eat it. But I sacked up and took it home. But was at a loss on how to eat it.

So how do you eat a veggie you're not sure you like? You fry the shit out of it. At least that's what we do in the Midwest and most of the South.

I have a friend that lives in TN and she gave me her tips for fried okra. She also told me her basic recipe, so than you so much V!

These turned out way better than expected. First off, I have never fried in straight cornmeal and that added a unique flavor and crunch. I also tried to slice the okra thin. I found the pieces that were a little thick leaned towards the slimy side. But overall, I would give this dish a 8 out of 10 with room for improvement. If I make them again, I might make a spicy dipping sauce to go with it.

Ingredients:
10 pods okra, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
~In a small bowl, whisk egg and soak okra for 5 to 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, and pepper.

~Heat oil in a large skillet (I used cast iron) over medium-high heat. Dredge okra in the cornmeal mixture, coating evenly. Carefully place okra in hot oil; stir continuously. Reduce heat to medium when okra first starts to brown, and cook until golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Taste of Downtown

I don't get to make it to downtown often for several reasons, the biggest being there is usually only street parking and I never learned how to parallel park. So I haven't been to a lot of the great restaurants downtown has to offer. Most of them aren't open early in the morning when The Good Daughter and I go to the Farmer's Market. But even if they were, I would feel a little awkward with my stroller among the white linen tablecloths.

So the Taste of Downtown is a great opportunity for me to get to sample food from all the great vendors and do it in a kid friendly and relaxed environment. The Taste started at noon and we got there soon after in an attempt to beat the heat and the crowds. While it was crowded, I didn't have to wait in line at any booth at all. The heat, I wasn't able to avoid.

The first thing we sampled was a lobster corn dog with a spicy mustard sauce. I really liked this and so did TGD, who ate the entire thing after I had the first bite. Very tasty with a mild lobster flavor. The sauce was a little too spicy, though.

Next were chicken pot stickers with a sweet chili sauce. These were just ok. TGD liked them though.

Next was bacon wrapped shrimp. $6 for three shrimp. I was more than a little disappointed about this overpriced dish. The cocktail sauce seemed to lack any flavor other than tomato paste. I love my cocktail sauce with a hearty dose horseradish and this had none. I wish I would have skipped this dish.

TGD had a orange dreamsicle cupcake. I only got a taste of the frosting which was good. She didn't share the rest, so it must have been good.

The next dish was a sample of "cuddlers" - a meal in a pie pocket. Fillings are stuffed into dough and baked for a crispy take on a pierogi. I had wanted to eat at this cafe before but couldn't find it the last time I was downtown (I also have a horrible sense of direction to complete my lack of parking skills). I had low expectations going in for this dish, but it was one of the highlights of the day.

I got the mini sampler of 4 different kinds. This first one was a spinach artichoke cuddler. Very tasty.

The second cuddler was a BBQ Chicken. The BBQ was sweet and mild and the chicken was tender and juicy. Very good.

The third cuddler was a pizza supreme. Sausage in pizza sauce with pepper and onion. Very good but ugly, so no photo.

This was the best cuddler out of the four. It was a quiche with spinach and mushroom. It was the most flavorful of all the cuddlers. I will have to go back and order some of these to go. They were great.

This was the other highlight of the day. This is a local, organic micro brewery beer.

IT WAS AMAZING. I tried to get bottles of it on the spot; it was that good. Unfortunately, bottles aren't available for sale just yet.

Here is the description from their website: This brew boarders on an imperial hefeweizen with big citrus note from the wheat used in the recipe, so there's no need for a stupid lemon slice or orange slice ( n.f.l.s. / n.f.o.s. ). There is also a banana flavor from the fermentation. Bringing a balance to these sweet and citrus flavors are our farm grown hops, a bitter note in to the flavor profile.

All these flavors together serve to balance each other in a harmonious blend, with a start, a middle and an end. The start, an initial nose of banana and clove with a taste to match. The middle is a soft citrus, flowing and slowing the sweet of the banana start. The end is a finish of citrus-like bitterness. This comes from our central Illinois farm grown whole cone hops, grown on Rolling Meadows Farm, where our brewery is located.

I had high hopes for this dish too and was disappointed. This was from a vendor that isn't actually downtown, but rather, owned by the owner of downtown restaurant. It is a concept restaurant whose goal is to "offer our guests a dining experience that encompasses quality food and service from start to finish. It is our mission to use only the freshest ingredients, sourced from farmers right here in Illinois. We want to encourage the sustainable movement happening in our community by endorsing farms that are locally owned and family operated, and grow beautiful products without the use of pesticides."

The Good Husband and I went there in May for our anniversary and we both really enjoyed it. So I was happy to see them at the taste. However, this dish was only ok. It was a chicken confit taco with buffalo corn salad. The chicken was watery and a little bland, and the corn tortillas would have been so much better toasted. The salad was the best part of the dish.

So overall the entire thing was ok. There weren't a lot of crowds, it wasn't too hot and the beer and cuddlers and lobster corn dog were the best part. I won't devote my social calendar to it next year, but if I am already downtown, I might go again.

Taking The Good Baby to the State Fair

This year The Good Baby celebrated an important milestone here in the Midwest - her first State Fair.

Usually it is unbearably hot during the fair and it always rains for at least one day. The day we went was hot but nothing like previous summers. We decided to go after TGB had her morning nap so we could eat lunch and explore for a few hours before she needed her afternoon nap.

While TGB sat happily in her stroller people watching, I had chocolate covered bacon and deep fried key lime pie.

The bacon tasted more like a salty chocolate covered pretzel. I didn't taste too much of the bacon. The deep fried key lime pie just wasn't good. The batter was too thick, I couldn't actually use the stick to hold it and I hate powdered sugar. Since this is the second time I have had something deep fried that was bad, I think my deep fried dessert days are over.


This is the part of the fair I really like. Every damn year I forget what building the produce and food contests are in and I kinda wander around aimlessly until The Good Husband remembers. By this time we are usually on the other side of the fair grounds, so by the time we find it, we are thankful it is one of the few buildings on the grounds air conditioned.

Notice the blue ribbon and champion winners are in a refrigerated case. The runners up have to withstand the elements for 10 days.


On to the animal barns. I feel bad for the sheep since it is so hot and for whatever reason, they have to sleep in coats. The pigs were not dealing well with the heat. TGB got to pet a friendly goat. One of the sheep nipped at her, so she was happy the goat was kinder.


Awarding winning foods. Look at that pie crust. I can never make mine look so pretty.


TGB had a mini donut for the first time. The thing is covered in sugar and while it is definitely not organic or healthy, we let her have a few since it was her first fair. Other than her birthday cake with organic sugar, she has never had so much sugar at once. At first she was skeptical. But in the end, she liked it.

We also wore her out. Never before has she fallen asleep in her stroller. Thank god we brought the one that reclined and not her umbrella stroller.

County Fair

The Good Baby and I took a little field trip to the county fair last week. It was hot as hell. It was in the 90s but with 75% humidity so very very oppressive. Humidity is the one thing I could do without here in the Midwest.

TGB and I only stayed a few hours since it was so hot and there weren't a ton of rides she could ride on. Also, she couldn't really eat anything there that wouldn't make me feel guilty. She had fun, though and I got sunburned. Badly.

So what did we eat? TGB had a lemonade shakeup while I had a frozen mocha, mini donuts, pretzel with cheese and a corn dog.

I am excited for the state fair later this summer so this was a good trial run.

I also have to say that I love the WTF look on her face while we were waiting for the merry-go-round to start. She did like it once it took off. I think the breeze helped.

Fish, no chips

As a former Catholic, I still miss the fish frys at lent. I remember having a heaping pile of fried shrimp with slices of white bread and butter. Fried walleye was always the most popular fish, but I do remember perfect squares of fried white fish. Oh how I miss all the fried fish goodness.

So when I have a craving for a good ol' fish fry, I just make my own. It beats standing in a long line at the local KC Hall. If only I had made some fried shrimp. Sigh

The only negative I had with this recipe, one I got from Ina, is the batter was a little thick on the fish. It was soft like a pancake batter and not crispy like a tempura batter. I think if I increase the amount of water in the batter, then I will have a more crispy and light crust.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds fresh cod fillets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
1 extra-large egg
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:
~Lay the cod fillets on a cutting board. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Cut the fillets in 1 1/2 by 3-inch pieces. (I omitted this last step and kept the original shape of the fish fillet.)

~In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in 1/2 cup of water and then the egg.

~Pour 1/2-inch of oil into a large frying pan and heat it to 360 degrees F.

~Dip each fillet into the batter, allowing the excess to drip back into the bowl. Place it very carefully into the hot oil. Don't crowd the pieces. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the oil between 360 and 400 degrees F. Cook the fish on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt. Serve with tarter sauce or malt vinegar.

recipe modified from: Ina Garten

Ingredient of the Week . . . Cheddar Cheese

I will admit that this is kinda a lame IotW since I really just used cheese as a topping in both of these dishes but oh well. It is getting colder and casseroles are easy to make and always taste better with cheese.

First up is a dish that made it's debut in the Good Household this week: Cheesy Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole. The Good Husband hates rice. The only thing he will eat it in is Porcupine Meatballs. But a lot of casserole recipes call for rice. The trick, I have found to get TGH to eat something he doesn't like, is to cover it with cheese. He loves chicken and he loves broccoli and cheese, so why not add some rice in there as well?

I must admit that while I don't see this staring in a reoccurring weekly role in the Good Household, it is definitely a "make again" dish.

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of uncooked, long grain white rice
2 cups of cooked chicken breast, cubed
2 cups of broccoli florets, cooked or one package of frozen broccoli
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cup of milk
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

~In a medium saucepan, bring the 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Mix in the rice, cover and simmer for 15 minuets.

~In another sauce pan over medium, melt the butter with the flour to form a roux. Slowly add the 1/2 cup chicken broth and the milk, whisking to break up any lumps. Continue to whisk, in a figure eight pattern, until the sauce is thick and bubbly. Add the cheese and whisk to combine.

~Once the rice is cooked, add the chicken and the broccoli and stir to combine. Pour the cheese sauce over the rice, chicken and broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.

~Bake, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil and top with additional cheese and bake for 10 minutes more, if desired.

recipe by: The Good Wife


The next casserole of the week is a star in the Good Household: The Original Tater Top Casserole.

This dish first made it's debut on the blog under the Ingredient of the Week . . . Ground Beef, in the "sloppy" version. But this is the original, and as TGH would argue, best version of the dish.

The Original Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
Salt, pepper and grill seasoning to taste
1 15-ounce can cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
1 can cut green beans
1 medium bag tater tots
2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:
~Brown meat in a large skillet over medium high heat. Drain off fat and season with salt, pepper and grill seasoning.

~Add the cream of mushroom or celery soup. Drain and add the can of green beans.

~Pour mixture in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish. Layer the tater tots on top.

~Bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 425 degrees. Remove from oven, top with the cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.

recipe by: The Good Grandma

Porcupine Meatballs

Thanks to The Good Grandma, I was introduced to this strange dish a while back. It might look like a regular meatball, but no, this is a Porcupine Meatball. It is basically your basic meatball but with white rice added so that when the meatball cooks, the rice pokes out like a porcupine quill. Thank god for google too, since a quick search assured me that TGG was not, in fact, crazy and others had heard of this dish before.

Now, the recipe calls for tomato soup. We hate tomato soup in The Good Household so I never have any on hand. No problem, I thought, since we always have tomato sauce on hand. But always failing to check to make sure I have all the ingredients before I start to cook, I already had the meatballs formed and in the pan before I realized we had no tomato sauce. No problem, I thought again, since we had a can of Italian diced tomatoes and some tomato paste. I placed the diced tomatoes into the food processor and added 2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste and blended. The sauce therefore, turned out a little chunkier but it still tasted the same.

You would think lesson learned - to always check for all the ingredients before you start cooking - but no, I am sure I will do this again in the future. Such is life.

Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted OR 1 can tomato sauce (see note above)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
~In a bowl, combine the egg, rice, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Add beef and mix. Using your hands, shape into 1-1/2-in. balls.

~In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil (I use canola) and drop the meatballs in the hot oil. Brown for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

~Add the tomato soup or the tomato sauce, water and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover and cook for 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the beef is cooked through.

recipe by: The Good Wife

Cowboy Sushi

I know that foods differ by region, ethnicity and family. This is one of those dishes that seem to be a regional favorite and family specific. This little delight is something I was introduced to the first time I went to a family reunion for The Good Husband.

If you can't tell what it is, it is cream cheese, Budding Beef and pickles. My family served something similar but our version was cream cheese, salami and green onion. This is a popular appetizer 'round our family and I have seen uncles fight over the last pickle.

This is a relatively new dish to me and no one seemed to have a name for it. I have heard it called "the pickle dish" and even "oh, you know, those things". So I figured since this might be the only time this dish has been on a food blog, I will give myself the honor of naming it.

I give you: Cowboy Sushi!

Ingredients:
6 large whole kosher dill pickles
3 packages Buddig Beef
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

Directions:
~Spread a thin layer of cream cheese over one slice of beef. Top with another slice of beef and spread cream cheese over the second layer.

~Roll the two slices of beef around one whole pickle.

~Repeat steps one and two so that the pickle ends up with four layers of beef and cream cheese.

~Slice the pickle into thick slices and serve cold.

~Repeat all the steps until all the pickles are covered.

If your family has something similar and you call it something else, please email me and let me know. One of the things I love about cooking is that every family and region has their own version of basic dishes. I get a feeling The Good Family is not the only one to enjoy this cowboy sushi.


recipe by: The Good Wife

Ingreident of the Week . . . Ground Beef

This week's ingredient is a basic staple in most kitchens, I would assume, save for my favorite veggie Annie. Ground beef is usually cheap if you get the full fat mix. We try to get lean ground beef so it is slightly healthier.

But what can you do with ground beef besides hamburgers and meatloaf? Well thanks to some uber-Christian, homeschooling, procreation friendly Southern family, the world has been introduced to Tater Tot Casserole (TTC). But in The Good Wife's house, we knew of this culinary delight long before the Duggars popped out number 1.

See, The Good Husband was raised by The Good Grandma. TGG is in her 80s and was raised during the Great Depression. So she knew how to eat on the cheap (as well as live on the cheap. You should hear her tell the story about how her Dad only made one dollar a week and because the fee for licence plates was .25, they had to drive on back roads and only go to town at night because they couldn't afford to pay the quarter). She also had 8 kids and had to feed a family on the cheap. Out of necessity TTC was born.

TTC, along with a collection of family recipes, was given to me when I got married. This version is "Sloppy TTC" since instead of using cream of mushroom soup with the ground beef, I used sloppy joe sauce.

"Sloppy" Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
Salt, pepper and grill seasoning to taste
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can corn kernels
1 can cut green beans
1 medium bag tater tots
2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:
~Brown meat in a large skillet over medium high heat. Drain off fat and season with salt, pepper and grill seasoning.

~Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until bubbly and thickened. Drain and add the can of corn and green beans.

~Pour mixture in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish. Layer the tater tots on top.

~Bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 425 degrees. Remove from oven, top with the cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.

recipe modified from: The Good Grandma

Now that the days are getting shorter and cooler, a big bowl of chili really hits the spot. For every person that cooks there is a different chili recipe. This is actually one TGH taught me and it never fails. It is simple and easy to make.

Chili
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 46 oz can V8 juice
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can dark red chili beans
1 small can mushrooms, sliced

Directions:
~Brown the beef in a large, deep stock pot. Drain off fat.

~Add all of the following ingredients. Do not drain the liquid off the beans or the mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

~Serve with oyster crackers, cheese and/or sour cream.

recipe by: The Good Husband

Eggs and 'Taters 2

I know I have eggs and 'taters already, but it is not the typical eggs and 'taters that The Good Husband eats. That version is a "low fat" version of this original recipe.

Cooking eggs and 'taters is really more about technique than anything else. It has taken me 6 years to finally master the 'taters so they are even in the same ballpark as The Good Grandma's 'taters. TGH was raised by TGG who made every single thing from scratch and also made eggs and 'taters better than anyone else.

You would think that frying 'taters wouldn't be all that hard, right? I mean you get those little "Southern Style Hash browns" or "Country Fries" when you go to any good diner (or after a night of drinking so heavily you will eat at Denny's). How hard can it be to cube and fry up some 'taters? Well, as it has taken me six years to finally get the 'taters how they should be, I can tell you that it is harder than it looks. Kinda like html code.

The trick to making 'taters the way TGH eats is to not really fry the 'taters. Seems odd, doesn't it? You mean you don't really fry your fried 'taters? Yes. Yes, I do.

See, I used to crank the heat up to high and wait for the cast iron skillet to get super hot and then I would fry those little suckers up until they were a deep golden brown and crunchy. But, alas, that was not the way TGH likes his eggs and 'taters. So after one weekend at TGG's I finally cracked the secret to good fried 'taters.

The trick is to keep the heat on medium and cover the skillet so that the 'taters sort of steam in the pan and only get slightly crunchy on the outside.

This is good for two reasons - 1.) It allows me to make the eggs in the same pan as soon as the 'taters are finished and 2.) I don't have to dirty up a different pan.

Before, when I would cook the 'taters on high, I couldn't cook the eggs in the same pan. If the heat is too high and you try to fry an egg, it will all bubble up and stick to the pan. You then can't flip the egg without breaking the yolk and ruining the whole dish.

But with cooking the 'taters on a lower heat and for a longer amount of time, you can just scoop out the 'taters and drop in the eggs.

So lesson learned on how to fry 'taters. Never did I think I would have to spend so much time perfecting something so easy as eggs and 'taters. But dish 1 out of 32,165,133,494 that TGG makes that I will have to learn to perfect.

Trip to the State Fair

Every year The Good Husband and I go to the State Fair. And every year I act like Templeton the Rat. For the last few years, though we have been taking The Good Niece with us, who is five.

When you have a 5 year old with you, you get to see different parts of the fair then what two adults would normally see. This includes a lot of animals, mostly baby animals.

Chicks, a five day old calf and sheep

Pigs, horse and a sleeping goat

A sheep getting shorn, sheep in coats and yes, a life sized cow made entirely out of butter

But there is food at the fair, and arguably, it is the only reason to go. The first kind of food is award winning food.

Tomatoes, lettuce and a farmer's basket

Coffee cake, peach pie and German chocolate

And now for the great, mostly fried things, TGH, TGN and I had.

Pork skins, funnel cake and corn dogs.

Mini donut goodness

Tzatziki chicken, a fried snickers and a lemon shake-up to wash it all down.

Just to make sure you know you are in the Midwest - airbrush t-shirts, the God Mobile and Fried anything

I think TGN had a great time

Thank god the State Fair is only once a year. We need all that time to flush the grease out of our system, forget how hot it was, forget how much the pig barn smelled and how much money we spend. See you next year, butter cow!