A Caesar Salad Worth Sharing

Flavor reigns supreme in this surprisingly simple salad with multiple layers of well-balanced flavors. My friend Max got this recipe from his friend Justin, who got it from his father, showing that there are several stamps of approval that brought it to my plate. With a few adaptations, this recipe is all about mincing finely and mixing well – resulting in every bite having the same balance of flavors.

This salad is also a great example of how simple, whole foods made fresh at home are within reach of anyone looking to live a healthier lifestyle, or can round out a fitness plan no matter what your goals might be.

Ingredients for one medium-sized salad:
2 cloves of garlic 
1/3 cup of olive oil
 ½ teaspoon of dry mustard
 ¼ teaspoon of pepper
 ½ teaspoon of salt
 ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1.5 ounces of anchovy fillets
1 lemon – juiced
 2 ounces of parmesan cheese
1 head of romaine lettuce
 Croutons to taste

Preparation:

• Infuse the oil with garlic – begin by finely mincing the garlic and then heat the oil-garlic mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the infused olive oil and the Worcestershire sauce and mix well with a rubber spatula.
• Mince the anchovies as finely as you’re able and add those to the mix, making sure all ingredients
  
  are as evenly spread about as possible.
• Grate the parmesan cheese with a fine-gauge microplane and add it to the mixture – again, mixing well so it’s evenly distributed.
• Just before serving, add the lemon juice and once again, mix it well so as much of the juice stays emulsified in the oil-heavy mixture.
• Dice the lettuce in mouth-sized pieces so as many pieces as possible
  
  get both crunchy spine and soft leaf and there’s plenty of surface area for dressing without needing to cut the pieces to eat them.
• Pour the dressing over the lettuce, and (yes) – mix it vigorously. You want to be sure every piece of lettuce in the bowl gets some of this delicious dressing on it.
• Add croutons last (so they don’t get soggy) and serve it up.

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Serves two.

Note: other Caesar salad dressings include egg. Max is not a big fan of eggs, so he just leaves them out. That simple omission doesn’t compromise the flavor, and it shows how being willing to “go off script” with recipes occasionally leads to great results.

Sometimes you simply don’t have an ingredient, or you simply don’t like it – in either case, it’s no big deal and you’ll soon discover how important (or not) that ingredient is to getting the result you want. In this case, leaving the egg out does not affect the flavor one iota, and it also gives this dressing a shelf-life in case there’s any leftover.

Enjoy!

Carol's Vegan Chocolate Cake

Our dear friends Carl and Carol moved to North Carolina, which of course, means more opportunities to enjoy their company and Carol's outstanding cooking. A few weeks ago, they had us over for lunch, and I was reminded that they have some of the family with food allergies to eggs, milk, peanuts and tree nuts. Considering how prevalent those ingredients are in prepared foods, that means a lot of cooking from scratch, and often the safest recipes are the ones developed for ovo-lacto-vegans (no eggs or milk).

So there we were, catching up over a lunch of multiple platters of meats, vegetables and starches and all of it was delicious. Since I am fortunate to not have any food allergies, it's not something I need to think about. And it's a testament to Carl and Carol's hospitality that nobody noticed the allergy accommodations. But when Carol announced that she'd be serving a chocolate cake for dessert, we all wondered how show could make a cake without milk or eggs. And of course, we asked her.

It turns out there's a wonderful vegan cake recipe that works beautifully, and the rising agent is the tried-and-true elementary school science fair staple for erupting volcanoes: baking soda and vinegar!
I insisted on getting the recipe so I could share it here, and it's online at SparkRecipes.com so here it is for you to enjoy!

Magic Chocolate Cake (Vegan)

** Makes enough for one 9-inch single-layer cake or 8 cupcakes

CAKE INGREDIENTS: 



Carol Nelson and her Vegan Chocolate Cake.



•    1-1/2 cups unbleached flour 
•    3/4 cup sugar or other sweetener 
•    1/2 tsp. Salt 
•    1 tsp. Baking soda 
•    3 tablespoons cocoa powder 
•    1 tsp. vanilla 
•    1/3 cup vegetable oil 
•    1 tablespoon vinegar 
•    1 cup cold water 

ICING INGREDIENTS:
   2 tablespoon softened margarine (Earth Balance) 
   1-1/3 cups powdered sugar 
   1/3 cup cocoa 
   1/2 teaspoon vanilla
   2 - 4 tablespoons water (use as needed)


CAKE INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a bowl and stir with a


Serve with whipped cream and fruit. Delicious!
fork until mixed. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla, oil, vinegar, and water. Stir with a fork until well mixed. Pour into a 9x9-inch baking dish (or cupcake pan), and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely, then frost with the Icing.


ICING INSTRUCTIONS: 


Cream the margarine in a small bowl then add the sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and enough water to make a thick but spreadable frosting. 


** This recipe was submitted to SparkPeople by user IDGURL.

Snow Cream - a Southern delicacy

I'm learning that Southerners and snow have a complex relationship - part fascination, part dread and part unfettered joy. Sometimes all 3 at the same time.

Where I live in North Carolina, we'll get a little snow once or so each winter, and it's now something we look forward to because it usually means a day or two at home and some frolicking in the snow. Now I have another reason to look forward to it - snow cream.

It turns out that when it snows, Southerners make snow cream. They venture outside with a bowl and fill it with snow, bring it inside and drizzle it with vanilla extract and sweetened condensed milk (or evaporated milk and sugar) and then eat it.

What you can do is take about 8 - 10 cups of snow, 1 tablespoon of vanilla and a small can of sweetened, condensed milk and - voilá! Snow Cream!

I've attached a short video about snow cream by the über-talented Michael Fortson. It's short and fun.

Go give it a try - it's fun and delicious.

Enjoy!

Hungarian Garlic Soup

Known as Foghagymás Leves, this recipe is an old favorite of mine because it’s warm and flavorful, and most of all because it reminds me of my grandmother. Like much of home cooking, I am not sure you could ever order this in a Hungarian restaurant, so here is the recipe for you to enjoy.

                                                      Ingredients

2 whole heads of garlic

1 large onion

¼ cup of olive oil

1 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp paprika

1 gallon of Swanson’s chicken stock or broth

½ package of linguine

Start by peeling the garlic – it needs to be fresh garlic or the taste will not come through. Once peeled, mince them finely and set them aside.

Next, make the “rántás” – the basis for all Hungarian stews and savory soups.  Rántás” is finely minced onion, slowly sautéed on a low flame with 3 – 4 tbsp of olive oil. The French and foodies know this as "roux." 

Once the onions are ready, raise the flame, sprinkle in the paprika and mix it up so that the paprika gets toasted to bring out the flavor. Then, sprinkle in the flour (hand sifting with a wire mesh strainer works great) and mix it very well with the spatula. It comes out better if you first mix the flour into a runny paste with a little water and a hand blender and then pour that mixture into the sauteed onions and paprika to finish the rántás. The correct consistency of rántás is thick and pasty, and it should be reddish-orange in color.

At that point, add the minced garlic and lower the flame, stirring occasionally as it cooks slowly for about 10 – 15 minutes.  Once the garlic is soft and transparent, then add in the chicken broth and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, break the linguine into thirds (so each piece is about 2 inches long) and add them to the pot. Lower the flame and cover the pot – let it slowly boil for 10 minutes or so until the linguine is cooked through. The finished soup has a bisque-like pinkish color.

Serve hot to warm up even the coldest nights.  Jó étvágyat!  Enjoy!

Restaurant Spotlight - The Waverly Inn

I recently was treated to a nice surprise on a business trip to New York City – dinner at The Waverly Inn.

This cozy restaurant is located on a side street in The West Village and occupies the ground floor of two adjacent brownstones and a garden area in the rear area.

The restaurant is owned by Graydon Carter, Editor of Vanity Fair magazine and I confirmed the hard way that they don’t allow photographs inside the restaurant. Huh? Yes – that’s right. It’s an establishment that is frequented by celebrities and others whose pictures are sought out, so NO PICTURES is a house rule of this restaurant.

When I asked my waiter if I could just take a picture of my plate (thinking it was understood that I was not a paparazzo), he politely but firmly informed me that pictures were not allowed in the restaurant.

As you might imagine, the photograph prohibition became a discussion topic at our table that inevitably led to (you guessed it) picture taking. Well, I forgot to turn the flash off on my iPhone, so taking a picture of my plate caught the attention of the maitre d' and his response was swift and sure. So, I responded with an apology and told him I'd delete the pictures, which I proceeded to do.

I can’t even remember anymore what was on the plate,

but I do remember getting my hand slapped for taking a picture of my food.

From there, we continued to enjoy the good food and wine, and one discussion theme became the way I immediately deleted the photos.  I joked that the dim lights and picture phobia surely meant the restaurant barely passed the latest restaurant inspection.  Comments around the table varied between “you shouldn’t have deleted the picture - who are THEY to tell you that you can’t have a picture of your food” to “Wow – that was admirable. It really says a lot about you, John.”

On that last comment, I just have to publicly admit right now that I am an incurable and unabashed rule-bender. So my deleting the picture was not so much due to my being “a man of honor” per se, it’s that I was being respectful of my hosts and a well-known author who was also at the table with us. And yes, it just so happens that the VP of my division was also at the table and I like (and need) my job.

Naturally, the next thing that happened was more picture-taking and giggling about it, but with our flashes off. Having to snap the pictures surreptitiously, only a few of them came out clearly. But we had a good time being reckless. So I’m pleased to share a few of the purloined pictures in this post.

My name doesn't figure anywhere in the world of food writing. I am just a guy in North Carolina who likes food and enjoys a good restaurant experience.  So I share my recipes and food experiences with my friends on this little blog.


And aside from the whole picture taking thing, dinner at The Waverly Inn was really nice. It has a cozy, clubby atmosphere with low ceilings and dim lights, attentive waiters and good food. I had a nice roasted chicken with perfectly cooked green beans. Some of the shared appetizers included a truly delicious truffled mac and cheese. Other folks ordered salmon or a steak and everyone was very pleased with their meal.

For a special occasion, I’d recommend the Waverly Inn. It’s fun and different. I think part of their cachet is that they’re even secretive about their menu, so don’t expect to find the full menu online anywhere.

 

The Waverly Inn website is unexpected for a restaurant’s site because it’s basic and informative but there’s no evidence that they’re trying to entice you to stop by or make a reservation - for instance, the site has no photographs and the “reserve now” button doesn’t actually let you make a resevation (I’m more amused than offended by that). Zagat’s publishes a Waverly Inn menu on their site, but notably missing from the menu is that amazing truffled mac and cheese. 

So come to this place intent on having a good meal and a nice time and you will - but do your best to follow the rules. And then on the way out, please do me a HUGE favor:

Shout "SAY CHEESE!" at the maitre d'.

Then snap a picture of him and run like hell.

It will be an unforgettable evening for all involved.

My experience at The Waverly Inn was unforgettable because I particularly remember thoroughly enjoying myself. And for that I thank my gracious hosts, Gail, Angelia, Maria and MaryAlice at Harvard Business Review.

Favorite Food Spotlight - GoPicnic

I've been on a journey the last few months to exercise every day and to be more mindful and healthy about what, when and how I eat. At the same time, I think I've pretty well established that I'm a food enthusiast, so I guess I'm learning that moderation is a virtue worthwhile embracing.

That's all background to explain the dilemma I faced in the Lambert St. Louis Airport yesterday during a layover and how my new focus on moderation led me to a wonderful new product: GoPicnic Ready-to-Eat Meals.

 At that moment in the airport, I was not entirely hungry, but I also knew it would be a while before I could eat so I looked around at my options - the usual variety of fast-food restaurants and a few other "airport" restaurants. They're all geared toward convenience and taste and offer few (if any) options that are truly healthy, so I thought a package of nuts could tide me over. So I looked for one of those newsstands that also sell packaged snacks and tchotchkes and found a "Paradies Shop," all happy with my packet of almonds and a diet coke. (Moderation is still an effort for me - so go with me on this)

Then I glanced around at the souvenirs and I stumbled on a display of "GoPicnic" options and was floored when I found one of my favorite new healthy snacks - hummus with whole-grain crackers. I saw the variety of the contents and then saw that it was selling for $5.99 (about what a fast-food meal would cost). To me, it was a no-brainer. I put the almonds back, then paidfor my GoPicnic and diet coke and went back to my gate.  As expected, about 30 minutes later on the flight I got hungry, so I opened my GoPicnic. 

Wow! There are many nice things about what they have in the package, like the Hummus being sealed in a package that opens with a little tear at the top, so you can squeeze the hummus onto the crackers. That's very important considering how little space you have in a plane seat.

Each of the other packages were easy to open and enjoy by pouring into your mouth - an advantage again because of the space constraints in a plane seat, but also because there's little need to directly touch the food so you don't need to worry about washing your hands before or after your meal. The dry-roasted edamame were crunchy and flavorful, the fruit & nut mix had a nice sweet-savory balance to it, and the dark chocolate square was 72% cacao - high enough to be healthy, low enough to taste good.

The clincher for me was the nutritional profile of this great new product - the whole thing has 400 calories, 18g of fat, 350mg of sodium, 39g of carbs, 25g of protein and 12g of fiber.  Low enough on the "bad" stuff - calories, fat, sodium and carbs; high enough on the "good" stuff - protein and fiber (with iron and calcium to boot!). Whether those numbers fit within your target criteria, one thing's for sure - it's a far healthier option than any fast food meal. I found it both tasty and filling, so I will not look for GoPicnic whenever I fly and hope some of the airlines start carrying it.

The whole package is light, portable and low-maintenance because it's slightly larger than a paper-back book (about 1.5 inches thick, 5 inches wide and 7 inches long) and requires no heating nor refrigeration.

 

Another nice surprise is the sudoku puzzle on the inside, and their fun nudge inside the flap to "Go ahead - eat the chocolate first!" I'd already eaten the chocolate by time I saw that little suggestion, so I was probably destined to become a fan of this new product. They also appealed to reach out to them via email at feedback@gopicnic.com, so I plan to send them a link to this post.  I am traveling back in a few days, so I will be looking for GoPicnic again and hope to try one of the other options.

 

I encourage you to look for GoPicnic and try it - I think you'll like it.

 

 

 

Restaurant Spotlight - Superdawg

The northwest side of Chicago has a classic 1950's style "hot dog joint" known as Superdawg. It's actually been around since 1948 and probably has not been updated since then.  It has a vintage atmosphere, with the drive-up stalls that you can pull your car into and order off the menu from your car.

The menu is straight-up diner fare with a heavy emphasis on Chicago-style hot dogs, polish sausage and similar items.  Their french fries are crinkle-cut and touted as being "never frozen," in fact you can hear a recording of one of the founders of Superdawg on their website FAQs tell you about their fries.  Whatever the case, they're delicious and you get a bunch of them with your order.

Their items are served in individual boxes that fall right in line with the whole 1950's theme of the place.  What's most noticeable, however, is the cult-like devotion that its patrons have to the place.  My good friend Barry has been a fanatic for Superdawg since he was 9 years old and he says he's never ordered anything but the Superdawg.

The original Superdawg is tantalizingly close to O'Hare airport about 1 mile north of the Kennedy Expressway off the Nagle Av. exit. They've now branched out and have a second location further out in the Northwest suburban Wheeling.  Both locations have the same vintage atmosphere and the same menus.

It's definitely worth a visit when you're in Chicago!

Favorite food spotlight - Sodium-Free Chicken Bouillon

I am one of those individuals whose family health history dictates limiting my sodium intake, so I am always on the lookout for salt substitutes.  Table salt (sodium chloride) has a fairly simple chemical composition - one molecule of sodium (Na) and one molecule of chlorine (Cl), and its effect on the body is also fairly simple.  

Sodium promotes fluid retention, so people who work outside in the summer might take salt tablets to prevent dehydration if they perspire heavily.  Sodium also raises your blood pressure, so it's probably something everyone should minimize.

There are salt substitutes that work well, and almost all of them are made with potassium chloride (KCl).  That seems to work well since the potassium molecule is chemically similar to the sodium molecule. Some people claim that they can taste the difference, and maybe they can, but for me the taste is similar enough that I like potassium-based salt substitutes.

That said, I'm highlighting Herb Ox brand chicken bouillon because of the way it's packaged. It comes in a little box and has little individual packets with enough bouillon for a cup of broth.  It's seasoned with potassium-based salt substitute so it truly is sodium free.

What's really handy is that the bouillon is powdered (so it's not a hard cube), so you can sprinkle it onto your food or into a pot while you're cooking. I like to sprinkle it onto omelettes and it gives it a really flavorful boost. The little packets are about as big as Equal or Splenda packets and they're that easy to rip open and sprinkle. It's available at Harris-Teeter with the canned and dried soups.

Another brand that is similarly packaged and also sodium-free is Wyler's (also sold as MBT brand), which Publix supermarkets carried when we shopped there in Tampa.  Both brands also come in a beef version - also sodium-free!

Hit the mark with an egg in a hole

Egg in a hole with a diamond-shaped hole.

One of the breakfast favorites at our house is the egg in a hole.  It's amazingly simple and somehow different from the routine in a way that makes it special. At its simplest, it's a hollowed out piece of bread with an egg fried in the middle.  Here's how it's done:

• Take a piece of bread (I prefer the wide-pan whole grain varieties) and spread one side with butter or margarine.
• Place the bread in the pan with the buttered-side down.
• Spread the other side with butter or margarine.
• Cut out the shape of your choice - circle, square, triangle or diamond - and place the cut-outs in the pan to the side of the main piece of bread.
• Put the pan onto the stove and turn the heat on high, letting the first side get a head-start on the egg to get nice & crispy.
• After a minute or two, crack the egg over the hole and slowly pour some of the egg white into the hole so it pre-cooks slightly and helps keep the egg all together in the hole.
• Once that pre-cooked layer is down, dump the rest of the egg into the hole.
• Turn the heat down and let the egg slowly cook in the hole.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the egg is mostly cooked and not runny, flip it over and try to get the back side of the bread crispy.
• Remember to flip over the cut-out pieces of bread as well.
• Serve with the little bread cut-outs.

Lilly was the one that brought the egg in a hole to our breakfast repertoire, having learned it from her Aunt Cilla on a beach trip. Alex informs me that his boy scout troop knows this as "Bullseye Eggs." If you haven't served an egg in a hole at your house yet, give it a try some time as a nice surprise.

Enjoy!

Favorite food spotlight - Greek yogurt

The time has come for me to spotlight another one of my favorite foods, and this time I'll sing the praises of Greek yogurt.  The brand shown to the left happens to be a brand they sell at Costco, so we always buy it in a big, 36 ounce tub because that's how it's sold.  Once upon a time, we'd wonder how long it took us to use it up and then we slowly discovered how versatile and healthy it is, so we no longer worry about it going bad before we finish it.

Let's rewind the clocks a few years when Greek yogurt burst onto the scene (that's poetic license for "Harris Teeter started stocking it in Raleigh, NC"). Anyway, these little containers of "Greek yogurt" started to show up in the store, and they were much more expensive than all the other yogurts, so I rolled my eyes and assumed it was another ploy to squeeze more money out of us poor, hapless consumers. It also reminded me of the many times I'd go to my Aunt Olga and Uncle Nick's house to find her making home-made yogurt (he's Greek, so this simply one of the things my Aunt did), but that childhood memory did not help me overcome my consumer skepticism, nor did I ever appreciate what she was doing, but I digress.  Nonetheless, I ignored Greek yogurt for quite some time.

Then one day last year, we were at Joey and Olivier's house and they served up a nice Indian chickpea dish they made with homemade curry and coriander pods.  Then they plunked the industrial-size bucket (yes, from Costco) of Greek yogurt on the table.  So I started asking questions and discovered that they were using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for quite some time.  I decided to try it and immediately discovered that Greek yogurt is a wonderful substitute for sour cream.  The taste is very similar, and since it's thicker than what we know as "regular yogurt," it really holds up when cooked into a dish or even just added on top as when I first ate it.

So why bother?  We'll it's actually a matter of nutrition.  Take a look at the nutritional information in the pictures below. On the left is the Greek yogurt and on the right is "reduced fat" sour cream.

Notice that the serving size of the Greek yogurt used to calculate the nutritional value is one cup (yes, c-u-p. One cup.) and by contrast the sour cream is two table spoons (two itty-bitty tablespoons).  In order to compare, you can multiply the values for the sour cream by 10 to get equivalency.  So here's how the math breaks down for one cup of each:

                          Greek yogurt     "Reduced fat" sour cream

Protein grams             23                                20

Fat grams                     0                                 20

Calories                    130                              350

Carb grams                   9                                30

Cholesterol mg             0                              100

The math is clear and the taste is similar, so for me it all adds up to a better way to enjoy fajitas, stroganoff, pörkölt (Hungarian beef stew) or gulyás (goulash). I also add it to red pasta sauce to make it a rosé sauce (I promise a post on this later).  And Greek yogurt is very filling because it has so much protein, so sometimes I will serve myself a cup and mix in a little Splenda or honey, or grape jelly and it makes for a great lunch or heavy snack.

Enjoy it with impunity!  Tell me what you think.

Spicy kebabs skewer the old dinner routine

I found myself working from home one day last week and it occurred to me at the last minute that if I wanted a fighting chance of everyone eating dinner at the same time, I'd have to hop to it.  So at 4:30, I found myself faced with the prospect of either taking the easy route with some prepackaged something or other, or trying a traditional meat-vegetables-starch dinner from scratch.  I opted for the latter.

So I quickly grabbed some chicken breasts and plunged them into a sink full of warm water, which I find defrosts meat quicker and more evenly than our microwave.  And then I drew a blank. I had an utter void of any inspiration for what I could realistically do with these chicken breasts.  So once they thawed out, I patted them dry and laid them out on the cutting board.  And still had no ideas.

I tried closing my eyes and imagining something we'd not had before at home and that would also fall within the acceptable range of our picky eaters at home, and I still came up with nothing. Then I decided to simply focus on what might simply be tasty, and the next thing I know I was dusting the chicken with garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, cumin and then cayenne pepper for a good kick.  I turned them over and did the same thing and suddenly it hit me - I should put them on skewers!

I started to dice the chicken, and I sprinkled a little more cayenne to be sure they had a kick, and then I skewered them.  I heated the grill so it would sear the meat at first, and then I quickly put the flames on the lowest setting so the chicken cooked slowly.  I rounded out the meal with steamed broccoli and rice, but any other green vegetable would also do nicely, along with couscous or quinoa.


When I put it all on the table at 5:45, the broccoli and rice sparked no reaction. But then when I went to the grill and brought in the kebabs, everyone perked up at the novelty of it.  And then we took our first bites - yum!  It's amazing how delicious the simple and straightforward can be!

So it turns out I found a way to skewer the old routine.  Lauren's out of town, Lilly is at a friend's house tonight and I have two of Alex's friends spending the weekend with us, so I plan to skewer dinner for them all tonight.  I expect I'll get the same reaction to the novelty. I'll just have to keep the boys from turning the skewers into weapons and playing at the table. That's a whole different challenge, but I think I'm up to that one, too...

The Massengill Manhattan

I work with a great guy named Russ Massengill, and it turns out that he likes to entertain.  I learned this one day when a group of us went out for some after-work beverages and Russ started boasting about how he had come up with the "perfect" manhattan. As he described it, I became interested because it sounded so simple, and admittedly I've always been a little intimidated by mixed drinks, but I thought I could manage this one. 

We had some of our neighbors stop by this past weekend, so I quickly assembled a "tasting committee" and started pouring.  And we found that this was indeed a mighty good drink. Our committee found the drinks to be a little strong, so I added chilled filtered water and that seemed to take the edge off.  I also have a strong preference for cold drinks, so keeping the booze in the freezer is my tweak to this recipe.

So for your imbibing and entertaining pleasure, I present the Massengill Manhattan:

Put these ingredients in the freezer at least 2 hours before serving:

• 2 shots     Bourbon (preferably Wild Turkey 81)
• 1 shot      Cointreau (orange liqueur)

Put these ingredients in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving:

• 2 shots    Chilled filtered water
• .5 shot     Sweet vermouth
• 1 dash     Maraschino cherry juice
• 4 dashes  Angostura bitters

The Tasting Committee

Pour the above into a stainless shaker filled with crushed ice. Swirl well and then pour into a frozen martini glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and add ice as needed.

To get these ingredients, you'll have to go to the liquor store for the Bourbon and Cointreau. The Vermouth and Angostura Bitters are both sold in the wine section of our local grocery store.

As with any good recipe, you should take this as a starting point and tweak it as you go along, and be willing to make changes based on what your guests like. 

I invite you to share your thoughts with a comment, or if you're active on Twitter, Tweet the URL of this post with a shout-out to @RussMassengill.

Cheers!  JB

Restaurant Spotlight: Everybody's Pizza

Years ago and before having children, Lauren and I lived in an in-town neighborhood of Atlanta called Virginia-Highland and we soon became regulars at an awesome eatery called Everybody's Pizza. Virginia-Highland is recognized far outside Atlanta as a chic center of urban coolness and Everybody's Pizza was one of the institutions at the center of the neighborhood that defined the whole area because (as implied by the name) you could find "all types" in there at any given time. We make it a point to visit Everybody's whenever in Atlanta out of nostalgia, but most definitely because they have incredible pizza.

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Our two favorites are the "Paradiso" pizza and the "Thai Chicken" pizza crisp. The Paradiso is made with chicken, pesto, 4 cheeses, roma tomatoes, onion, house roasted chicken and toasted sesame seeds. The ingredients are nicely balanced so it has a flavorful delivery in every bite, and by toasting the sesame seeds they intensify the sesame flavor in a way that really adds to the mix. The picture to the left shows a pizza that is half "Paradiso" and half "Everybody's" (with pepperoni). We ordered that split to appease a skeptical child, who enjoyed the pepperoni and also wholeheartedly agreed that the "Paradiso" is an outstanding pizza.

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The "Thai Chicken" pizza crisp has a satay-like "Thai peanut sauce" where on a traditional pizza you might have a tomato-based sauce. There's chicken, peanuts and fire-roasted garlic and red peppers where you might find sausage or pepperoni on a traditional pizza. It does include cheese as well, and they finish it off with a sprinking of bean sprouts that make a cool, crisp counter-point to the spice in the sauce. It all rests on a very thin, crispy crust and the overall effect is light and quite delicious. The Thai Chicken Pizza Crisp also received the skeptical child seal of approval, so I present it here as something worth traveling to Atlanta for.

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Another favorite of ours at Everybody's is the Greek Salad. It has a nice vinaigrette, plenty of feta cheese crumbles with kalamata olives and is definitely big enough to share. As if the pizza and salad were not reason enough to visit Everybody's, they also serve Foster's Lager on tap. Great food and great beer - enough said, as far as I am concerned.

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In a sense, this post is as much about nostalgia as it is about sharing a great food find because since our last visit, I've come to find that Everybody's has closed their Virginia-Highland location and now can only be found nearby at Emory University's Emory Village (the original location). I am grateful Everybody's continues on, but I'm saddened because I associated Everybody's with all that was unique and appealing about Virginia-Highland.

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When we lived there, our house was just a short stroll away from Everybody's, and we were only the second owners of the house. Being young and motivated, we tackled the renovation of our 1939 bungalow in such a way that we did not have a fully functioning kitchen for almost two years. As a result, it's no understatement to say we were "regulars" at Everybody's and other places nearby. When not in Home Depot, we'd be around the corner at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in the pottery studio. We'd often show up ravenous at Everybody's in studio clothes and covered in clay, but never feeling out of place because we'd also see other people dressed similary (the neighborhood is known as an enclave for artists and writers).

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On our last visit with the kids, I came to realize in retrospect that we were part of the "local color" that makes the area so appealing. The kids were not impressed, but I can only hope that at some point they have the opportunity to become part of the "local color" somewhere. I think "local color" is what makes memories more vivid and life more interesting.

Favorite Product Spotlight: Egg Patties

I'm sharing a wonderful product that I was introduced to by Lauren's sister, Becca. It's a brand called Good Food Made Simple and this is their Egg Patties product.
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They are frozen patties of mostly egg whites mixed with a small amount of milk for texturing. They're basic and flavorful and super-easy if you need a quick breakfast on the run or any other time you need a good protein-filled snack.
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Here in North Carolina, you can find them at Harris-Teeter in the frozen breakfasts area (by the Eggo waffles and Jimmy Dean Sausage Biscuits). At $3.69/box it seemed a little pricey to me at first, but I figured the 6 patties in each box equal about 1 dozen eggs, but this way there's no cracking, not yolk separating, no heating and no pan to wash. I'm liking this deal!
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I usually microwave them up at about 35 seconds, flip it over, and then another 35 seconds. Then I eat it with two pieces of whole wheat toast, which is truly my kind of quick meal - fast, easy and delicious!
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I've included a shot of the nutrition information panel here to help you decide if this product is for you. Good Food Made Simple also has an oatmeal product line, which I have not yet tried. My main obstacle there is just how fast easy and convenient instant oatmeal already is. I may end up eating my words and coming around, but I just can't go there yet with oatmeal.
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Let me know what you think, and especially if you've found some similar products out there.

Swiss Cheese Fondue

This is the best cheese fondue I've ever tasted and it is absolutely perfect cold weather food. Before we had kids, Lauren and I went to visit Michelle while she was studying in Switzerland and we actually went to the town of Gruyere. While there, we tried fondue at "the best restaurant for fondue," and also at Zermatt and a few other towns. We always found it disappointing because we were already used to this phenomenal recipe.

So please take that as a warning that this recipe may make eating fondue anywhere else than at your table always a little disappointing. As a positive, though - it's actually easy to make. Lauren's mom Nancy added this to their family cookbook after she got it during the 1970's from "The Cheese Shop" in Georgetown, Washington, DC (which has long since closed).

You will need a fondue pot, so if you don't have one, then see if you can borrow one. If you can't do either, then make do with what you have and think about how you're going to keep the mixture heated. One option is to put the pot on your table on top of a trivet, and then take it back to the stove to reheat when needed. Another option is to use a pyrex or a stoneware bowl that can be popped into the microwave when the cheese gets cold. I don't recommend either option and would suggest you just get a fondue pot because fondue is a social occasion that's fun and you don't want to interrupt it every few minutes.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. Gruyere cheese
3/4 lb. Emmenthaler cheese
1/3 lb. Appenzeller cheese
2 cups Chardonnay wine
1/2 cup Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. flour
1 clove garlic
2 french baguettes (day-old if possible)

More about the ingredients: this is a very easy recipe, but you need to be precise. There are very few opportunities for substitutions because each ingredient has a specific flavor and/or function, so make sure you have all the exact ingredients and the exact proportions. Believe me, it's really worth getting it right.

• The flour helps bind the ingredients as the cheese melts so the oils in the cheese do not separate. Do not leave the flour out or the whole pot will be a separated mess of cheese solids, oils and heated white wine.
• The kirschwasser has to be cherry brandy and cannot be "cherry flavored brandy" because the latter tastes like cough syrup and will ruin the whole pot.
• The wine must be chardonnay because it needs to be very dry - a fruity white wine like a riesling or even a pinot grigio will make the whole pot sweet and not fit for eating.
• Even the lemon juice and the garlic add flavors that are noticeably missing if you leave them out.
• Each of the cheeses have their own wonderful flavor and this is one place you might use substitutions. While Appenzeller is harder to find, it's worth searching for. If you cannot get Gruyere, you can consider using Comte but try that substitution after first having made it with Gruyere. If you cannot find Emmenthaler (also known as "Swiss Cheese" - the kind with the holes), try Jarlsberg. But again, it's worth making the exact recipe the first time so you know how the substitution changes the fondue.
• The baguettes should be crusty and the reason why day-old bread is better is because it's firmer and can be cut more quickly and precisely into quarters. For variety's sake you can try boiled new potatoes, apples, broccoli or anything else that's chunky and can be dipped. In my opinion, there is nothing better than the crusty baguette because of the texture and the way it holds onto the melted cheese.

Once you have all the ingredients, see if you can sweet-talk someone nearby into doing the tedious task of cutting the baguettes into bite-sized chunks. If nobody is around to delegate to, do it yourself in advance and consider pre-testing the wine for quality assurance purposes while you do that. Depending on the girth of the bread, you can cut it into half-inch slices that are then cut into either thirds or fourths.
Then, pour the wine into a pot and let it slowly heat it to just shy of boiling. While the wine heats, peel the garlic clove and slice it in half. Rub the garlic clove all around the inside of the fondue pot. Then, shred the cheese into a big bowl. Sift the flour onto the shredded cheese and dredge it thoroughly by mixing it all together by hand.
Once all that is done, turn back to the pot and add the lemon juice. Slowly add handfuls of cheese while constantly stirring, making sure the cheese is melting. Once all the cheese had been added, keep stirring until it has a uniform off-white color and consistency that's not runny and not lumpy (a little thicker than split-pea soup). Transfer the mixture to the fondue pot and call everyone to the table to enjoy.
I strongly recommend serving this foundue with a salad chaser for roughage. As you can imagine, all this cheese is a sure-fire way to slow down your digestive system and following up with a nice, leafy salad is a great way to help move things along, if you know what I mean.
Give this a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Southern Chicken & Dumplings

Here is another recipe to make when the weather is cold, or for whatever reason you want comfort food. It's basically a big pot of hot, steamy lovin' that's nutritious and fits the bill for this blog - it's easy to make. It's a staple of southern cookin' just as sure as grits and black eyed peas & greens on new year's.

Think of this dish as chicken pot pie without all the fussy crust. The dumplings are actually big, flat noodles without any filling, which I suppose technically means the crust is actually mixed in with the rest of it. But this is not a dish for analyzin' and thinkin' too much about - you eat it. And trust me - you will enjoy eating this.

Ingredients:

36 oz of chicken broth (3 cans of Swanson’s)
1 – 2 boneless chicken breasts½ package of Annie’s Frozen Dumplings (or any similar brand)
½ cup sliced carrots
½ cup of sliced celery
1 chopped onion (1 pkg frozen pre-diced)
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
Salt & Pepper to taste
Begin by boiling the chicken, and once its cooked, either dice it or shred it with a fork. Then, slice the carrots and celery while you bring a pot of chicken broth to boil. As the ingredients are diced & sliced, add them to the boiling pot. Break the frozen dumplings by hand (they come all lined up and fused together like a sheet) and add them to the pot as well. Let it simmer just above boiling for about an hour or so, stirring occasionally. It needs that long to get the flavor and consistency you want - something thicker than soup. One other thing - it needs to be tasted frequently along the way to make sure it tastes right ("wink-wink").
If you're like us and everyone is scattered hither & yon, arriving home at different times, you can leave this on the stove simmering and it's ready whenever you want to eat. While it's cooking it fills the house with warmth and good smells. Yes - it's really that easy.


Enjoy!

Hungarian Lentil Stew

The Hungarian name for this dish is Rántott Lencse Fözelék (say THAT three times fast!)

Anyway, you don't have to speak Hungarian to enjoy this dish. It is one of the all-time family favorites in my family. The scents and flavors take me right back to my grandmother's table - where everyone was welcome and had no doubt that she showed her love with food. This is good comfort food that's also perfect for cold weather because this is stick-to-your-ribs stuff that warms you up. The best part is that it is very easy to make (see below for a tip on how to make it vegan). Here's how:

Ingredients:
1 12oz. package of dried lentils
1 large onions
1 package of Healthy Choice Smoked Turkey Sausage (or any kind of smoked meat)
3 – 4 packets of MBT low sodium beef boullion
2 – 3 tablespoons of flour
2 – 3 tablespoons of paprika
Bay leaves (I often forget and it still tastes good anyway)
Olive Oil
salt to taste
6 – 8 cups of water

Lentils:
Set the pot to boil with the boullion, while you hand-sort the lentils (sometimes rocks or twigs end up being harvested with the lentils). Rinse the lentils in the sink and then put them right in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat and cover the pot so the lentils cook on a low boil when you prepare the other ingredients.

Sausage:
Slice it in 1/4 inch rounds, and then cut those in quarters to there are many small pieces. This is only necessary to keep any one person from fishing out all the sausage (not that would happen in our house, but just in case...). As soon as the sausage is diced, you can put it into the pot.

Rántás:
The basis for all Hungarian stews begins with “rántás” - finely minced onion, slowly sautéed on a low flame until they are agreeable and pliant like a beautiful woman on a moonlit night after a few glasses of wine. In other words, when they are transparent and nice and soft (the onions that is). Use about 2 – 3 tbsp of olive oil. The French and foodies know this as "roux."

Once the onions are ready, raise the flame, sprinkle in the paprika and mix it up so that the paprika gets toasted to bring out the flavor. Then, sprinkle in the flour (hand sifting with a wire mesh strainer works great) and mix it very well with the spatula. It comes out better if you first mix the flour into a runny paste with a little water and a hand blender and then pour that mixture into the sauteed onions and paprika to finish the rántás. The correct consistency of rántás is thick and pasty, and it should be reddish-orange in color.

Bring it all Together:
Stir the rántás into the lentil soup. Put a few spoonfuls of the liquid from the soup into the saucepan to get whatever is stuck to the pan. Keep stirring the pot until it is well blended and there are no lumps. Bring the heat back down to a low simmer and let it all cook together for another 30 minutes or so. Serve it on a bed of rice (see the post on Feijoada for a tip on how to make good rice).

How to make this dish vegan:

Sausage plays an important role in the flavor of this dish because it adds a smoky flavor. If you use a smoked paprika when preparing the rántás, that will add the smoky flavor and you can forgo the sausage altogether. There is a smoked paprika on the market from Spain called "pimentón," and to my knowledge there is no smoked paprika from Hungary. The brand I buy is called "El Rey de la Vera" (see picture to the left). For this dish, be careful to select the sweet variety ("dulce") because the spicy variety ("picante") as shown is very spicy. Locally, you can find this at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill.

Jó étvágyatt! (That's "bon appetit" in Hungarian.)

Serves appx. 8 adults.

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A Thanksgiving Feast

One of the reasons we moved to North Carolina was to be near family, so it has been a real treat for us to host Thanksgiving dinners for much of our extended family at our house in Raleigh. And, like many folks we know, Lauren and I lead hectic lives, so we try to approach Thanksgiving with an eye to making it as easy as possible, while still trying to make it special.

We have a wide range of food preferences in our family, so trying to cook for this group is a tall order, and the key is to find a favorite of everyone’s and then go from there. Of course, some of the best dishes are those carb-laden comfort food favorites, and inevitably we’ll end up with more than one. One year, instead of green beans we blanched some brussels sprouts, cut then in half and roasted them with an Italian dressing drizzle. Delicious!

Anyway, enough about the context, here’s what we made for our first Thanksgiving in Raleigh, which was declared “the best Thanksgiving ever” by many at the table. Try one or all of these recipes and mix and match with your own.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

• Brined Grilled Turkey
• Red wine-reduction Cranberry Sauce
• Lauren’s Mashed potatoes
• Nancy’s Southern Belle Corn Puddin’
• Mum-mum’s Turkey Dressing (stuffing)
• Szechuan green beans
• Olivier’s salad
• Dessert

Brined-Grilled Turkey
My Thanksgiving turkey is first brined and then grilled. The brining is a process that permeates the meat with flavor and moisture through osmosis and takes at least 24 hours. If your turkey is frozen, thaw it first and then brine it. The result will be succulent and juicy enough so that even non Turkey eaters will ask for seconds.

In order to serve dinner at mid-afternoon on Thursday, I began the brining very late on Tuesday. I took the Good Eats Roast Turkey recipe on Foodnetwork.com and then modified it based on the ingredients we had at hand and anything I thought would taste good. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

12-14 lb turkey (make sure it fits in your biggest pot and can be immersed)
1 gallon Swanson’s chicken broth
1 cup Kosher salt
½ gallon water
½ gallon apple juice
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
5 cloves of minced garlic
4 sprigs of rosemary
1 bag frozen chopped onion
1 big pot to hold all of the liquid and immerse the turkey

• Sauté the onions and garlic with a little olive oil until transparent, then add the rosemary sprigs and peppercorns and heat them for about 4-5 minutes.
• Transfer the onion-garlic-herb mixture to the bottom of the brining pot and add the salt with a cup each of the chicken stock and apple juice and swish it around to dissolve the salt.
• Then put the turkey into the pot and then pour the rest of the apple juice, chicken stock and water to the pot.
• Put it in your fridge and leave it there overnight.
• Allow about 3 hours to cook, so take the Turkey out of the brine right before you put it on the grill.
• I did not put the turkey directly on the grill, but instead in a roasting pan with a V-shaped rack on top of the grill.
• Place the bird breast-down on the rack and then cover it with aluminum foil until 1 hour before taking off the grill (in other words, let the skin get crispy brown but not burnt).
• In order to be sure it was cooked, but not overcooked, I used a meat thermometer that sits outside the cooking area with a probe stuck directly into the thickest part of the breast. ($6.99 at IKEA: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80100406)
• Once the breast temperature hit 153°, I turned off the heat and took the Turkey inside and let it sit undisturbed for 10 minutes or so.
• To serve, I carved the turkey in the kitchen and arranged the meat by dark vs. white on a platter.

Last year, we discovered that the N.C. State University Food Sciences department sold smoked turkey breasts, which we enjoyed quite a bit so we decided to do it again this year. And while it’s certainly delicious, I do have a hankering for my brined-grilled turkey. I’ll have to find a way to fit that in this year…

Winey Cranberry Sauce.

12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup of sugar (or 24 packets of Splenda sweetener)
1 cup of red wine (any kind)

• Pour the wine into a pot over medium heat. 
• As the wine warms, add sugar and stir until it dissolves.
• Rinse the cranberries and add them to the warming wine-sugar mixture.
• Bring it to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer and let them cook on a low boil for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally while letting the cranberries pop while cooking.
• Turn the heat off and let the sauce cool on the stovetop. It thickens while it cools.
• NOTE: You can make this cranberry sauce the night before and then heat it up on Thanksgiving day.

This is my own creation and it was so well received I’ve decided to make this a regular on our Thanksgiving table. I used to make it with canned cranberry sauce and a much more elaborate reduction process, and then I realized that making the sauce from scratch is no harder to do than boiling hot dogs. And I am always in favor of doing it the easy way!

Mashed Potatoes
This is Lauren’s favorite and she does it so well that I give her wide berth in the kitchen and don’t get in her way. Part of the key to a great Thanksgiving is to apply economic theory about division of labor and let anyone make part of the meal if that’s what they do best and/or enjoy doing it. There’s plenty of work to go around.

While the turkey is baking, you can make the mashed potatoes first and then keep it heating as described below.

3 pounds of potatoes
1 stick of butter
1% milk
Salt & pepper to taste

• Take 3 pounds of potatoes, peel them and then chop them into cubes.
• Boil them in salted water until they fall apart with a fork (10 minutes or so).
• Drain and then transfer the pieces in large spoonfuls to a potato ricer.
• Rice the potatoes into a large ceramic bowl.
• Slice a whole stick of butter into pats and spread around the bowl so it melts into the potatoes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste (lots of pepper, easy on the salt).
• Get a hand-held mixer and mix 1% milk into the potatoes until the consistency is light & fluffy.
• Suspend the ceramic bowl over a pot of hot water, cover with aluminum foil and stir occasionally to keep warm while you work on the other parts of the meal.

Southern Belle Corn Puddin’
That is not a typo - this dish does not have a “g” at the end because it is truly as southern as magolias or civil war re-enactments. Whatever your sentiments, corn puddin’ is a delicious dish so make it part of your Thanksgiving. This comes directly from Lauren’s family cookbook and is attributed to her mother, Nancy.

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup milk
3 Tbsp. butter
1 can Green Giant Niblets Corn
1 Tbsp. flour
Pinch of salt

• Pre-heat the oven to 350°
• Beat the first three ingredients together, then add the butter to make the custard.
• Mix gently.
• Drain the corn and dredge it with the flour and salt.
• Fold the corn into the custard.
• Pour into a buttered baking dish.
• Put the buttered baking dish into a pan with a little bit of water in it and all into the oven.
• Bake for 35 – 40 minutes along with the turkey dressing (below) or until the top of the puddin’ is golden brown.
• This can keep warming in the oven covered in foil if your timing is off.

Mum-Mum’s Turkey Dressing (stuffing)

Lauren’s grandmother on her mother’s side is Kitty Edwards, but all her grandkids (and great-grandkids) call her Mum-mum. She grew up in Suffolk, Virginia and last year we celebrated her 100th birthday. Needless to say, she’s a big part of the family and one of her dishes at the Thanksgiving table is the turkey dressing.

5 cups of bread cubes toasted and brushed with melted butter (or go buy 5 cups of Pepperidge Farm unseasoned stuffing mix)
½ cup of celery sliced thin and chopped
¼ cup of onion diced (or a half-bag of frozen chopped onions)
1 egg beaten
10 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp of salt
1 tube of Jimmy Dean “Pork Light” sausage (50% reduced fat) http://jimmydean.com/products/premium-pork-light-sausage.aspx
5 cups of Swanson chicken stock

• Preheat the oven to 350º
• Mix the sausage, bread crumbs and other ingredients in a large bowl.
• Grease a 9 x 13 lasagna pan (or any pan that goes in the oven)
• Press the sausage-bread-etc. mixture into the pan
• Pour the chicken stock slowly over all of it so it moistens everything.
• Bake along with the corn puddin’ for 20-30 minutes until the top is brown.

Szechuan Green Beans

1 big package of frozen Green beans (Trader Joe's french green beans are awesome)
1 tsp Ginger – grated
2-3 cloves of Garlic – minced or pressed
drizzle of Sesame oil
1.5 Tbsp Olive oil
sprinkle of Sesame seeds
Salt to taste

• Lightly steam the green beans in the microwave with a little bit of water and a covered dish (3 min. on our microwave).
• They should still be crisp at this stage.
• Put about 1 Tbsp. olive oil in the bottom of a pan and then drizzle a little bit of sesame oil for flavor.
• Heat the garlic and ginger together to bring out their flavors but not so much that they turn brown.
• Add the steamed green beans and stir so that they are coated.
• Let it cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add salt to taste and then the sesame seeds.
• Mix it all up and serve hot.

Olivier’s Salad

Like me, my brother-in-law knows his way around the kitchen, and he enjoys entertaining and eating. Well, it so happens that he is French, and considering how serious the French are about gastronomy, Olivier does his heritage proud with the most amazing salad dressing. I never tire of eating his salad because the dressing is so flavorful and savory, so we’re always happy when Olivier makes his salad.

The lettuce he uses is romaine, and he adds tomatoes, cucumber slices, carrots and sometimes avocado. This dressing is so good, you can even use it with a bag salad from the grocery store and I guarantee you will have no leftovers. This amount of dressing is enough for a big salad for 10-12 people and there still may be some leftover. It keeps well in the fridge in tupperware, so go ahead and make the whole thing - you won't be disappointed.

For 2 cups of dressing:
8 cloves of pressed garlic
2 tsp of Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
¼ cup of red wine vinegar
2-3 Tbsp of Kraft parmesan cheese (the green can)
1 Tbsp of salt
20 grinds of fresh ground pepper
2-3 Tbsp of dried dill weed
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil (or however much you need to bring it to a total of 2 cups of dressing)

• Mix all the ingredients well with a stick blender until it has a runny paste consistency.
• Add little by little to match the amount of lettuce you have and don’t worry if you have left overs.
• Do not over-dress the salad – I can’t describe how much is too much dressing (which I find unappealing), so taste it along the way and decide for yourself.

Dessert
What would Thanksgiving be without dessert? We’ve discovered that our local farmers market includes some baked-goods vendors that do an outstanding job with pies. So we usually outsource our dessert to those fine and talented folks by getting a pumpkin and a pecan pie and then serving it up with Harris-Teeter Natural vanilla ice cream.

This year, we went to the mountains to see the leaves turn colors and ended up in an apple orchard. Of course we came home with a mountain of apples, so Lauren prepared two apple pies and froze them so we can thaw and bake on Thanksgiving. If it works out well, I’ll post that so you can give it a try. In the meantime, I hope you try one of these dishes for your Thanksgiving. Let me know what you think!

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