Thanksgiving Menu

I feel for those who are still full from yesterday. I overdid it a little bit last night. It was necessary. I had to sample a little of everything. And I reached my objective. Everything was had. Here's the menu: For snacks and things, I put out tortilla chips with salsa and southwestern dip. (All were Tostitos brand.) Then there was a plate of brie, sharp cheddar, stoned wheat thin crackers and Carr's tablewater crackers. Two types of olives. Sicilain - big green ones. And kalamata. Later we had some deviled eggs that Steve's mom makes every holiday.

The dinner: Turkey (duh), stuffing, mashed potatoes, potatoes au gratin, smoked ham & cheese bake, peas, corn, gravy, canned (Ocean Spray) cranberry jelly. The dessert: Apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, vanilla ice cream (Breyer's), cool whip and reddi whip. Oh, we also had Pfeffernuss (Bahlsen) and maple sugar candies.

I must've made food for like a dozen people but there was only the was only five of us and Sid & Grey cat. I don't want to make this blog super long but the only way I can report my foodings is to tell you everything. So here goes...

The Turkey: Butterball. I made a compound (herbed) butter for it. I took fresh sage, fresh thyme & fresh rosemary and chopped them finely. Then I took the softened butter and added the herbs. I squish it around til it got all incorporated. Then I put Steve to work and had him slide his hand under the skin and form like a giant pocket extending all over the body of the bird. Then I had him rub the herbed butter all over the breast of the bird by going under the skin. You use a good amount of butter. I used two sticks. The remaining butter was spread all over the outside of the bird. We spread whole carrots, celery stalks and halved onions to the bottom of the roasting pan before we placed the bird in. It acts as a little roasting rack, and when you make gravy from the juices and dripping you get all the flavor of the vegetables and herbs. Oh, we shoved some herbs and two lemons into the cavity of the bird.

Turkey Outcome: Steve worried that we overcooked the bird and that it would be dry. That wasn't the case. The pieces were moist and tender. It didn't have a strong herb ee flavor though one of out guests commented that she tasted them.

Stuffing: Nobody wanted 'fancy' stuffing. No sausage, no cranberries or currants. No chestnuts. None of the above. So we embellished Stove Top (yes, stove top) stuffing with carrots, celery & onions (aka mirepoix.) I wanted to use chicken stock instead of water but Steve worried so we didn't.

Stuffing Outcome: The texture was pretty good. There were softer parts (but not mushy) and a little bit of crunch to other bites. It was light. I'm not sure what role carrots, celery & onions played in this but I couldn't taste it too much. I gotta tell ya. I don't love stuffing. Oh, I added some fresh sage to it. Finely chopped. And until last night, I liked Stove Top. I've only had it like twice in my life. But last night - I was in critique mode - and I decided that I didn't like that fake chicken/turkey flavor. It was too reminiscent of a bad chicken bouillon cube. I use Knorr's occasionally when I'm out of chicken stock. Lately I've been using Progress stock in the blue box. I love it. No can to open. Easy storage. Yey!

Mashed Potatoes: I used russet potatoes. I had Steve peel and rough chop a 5 lb bag. I cooked it up with sour cream and plenty of butter, s & p. I used my Xyliss masher and mashed the hell out of it. Then Steve mashed the hell out of it.

Mashed Potatoes Outcome: Originally, I was going to pass on the mashed potatoes because we had potatoes au gratin. However, one of my guests requested it so we made it. Unfortunately, it sat in the hot water too long before we drained them and they became slightly waterlogged. I placed it over the heat to dry to remove as much liquid as possible, but it didn't do that trick. That sucked because I'm usually a very good mashed potato maker. I used to make it all the time when we went through our phase of eating meat loaf a lot. So, if I get around to it, I'm going to find a good recipe for Shepherd's Pie using the leftover mashed potatoes.

Potatoes Au Gratin: It was a very highly rated Emeril Lagasse recipe. I took 1/2" red new potato rounds and boiled them up. While that was going on, I prepared the sauce. You cook up flour and butter (roux) and then add milk. Heat til desired thickness. I went on the just sightly thick side because I made it the night before and I didn't want it to dry out. On the day of, I hit the top with a little salt, cheddar cheese then monterey jack cheese on top.
Potatoes Au Gratin Commentary: This was my favorite dish of the night. It was very, very good. Yummy. I can't wait to heat up the leftovers. It was easy, very easy to make. Wow. The little edges of the dish browned up here and there and those bits were Delicious. I'm definitely making this dish again.

Smoked Ham & Cheese Bake: That's the name I gave it. It's actually Emeril's kicked up mac and cheese. I altered the recipe slightly by omitting the 'essence'...the bam! I was unfamiliar with its flavor and wanted to try it out on baked chicken breasts first. This dish's cream sauce was made basically the same way as for the potatoes au gratin mentioned above. To it, you add shredded sharp cheddar cheese, smoked ham, peas and I added a hint of freshly grated nutmeg. We used cavatappi (long corkscrew) instead of elbows. I changed the name because I didn't want people to think they were about to eat a real traditional mac and cheese. Then here's the weird part. He had you mix your breadcrumbs and shredder sharp cheddar before sprinkling it on top.
Smoked Ham & Cheese Bake Commentary: Sigh. As much as I loved Emeri'l potatoes au gratin, I didn't love his mac n cheese. It wasn't bad. Steve actually loved the taste and another guest commented that it was better than last year's. Here's the part I didn't like. Remember the cheese-bread crumb mix on top? Well instead of the cheese melting nicely, it crisped up like the breadcrumbs, with the breadcrumbs. I thought I ruined it. But as I see it, perhaps it was meant to be that way. The recipe made plenty of sauce that thickly covered the pasta. It was good that there was a lot so it didn't dry out, but I didn't love the texture. I guess you can call it texture. I wanted a smoother, creamier, & cheesier sauce. This recipe resulted in a light'ish, somewhat pasty'sih sauce that didn't taste stongly of cheese. It almost tasted like fake cheese. So, I won't be making this one again. I am still on the hunt for a good recipe.

Peas & Corn: Bird's Eye. Nuked separately with butter, s & p.
Peas & Corn Outcome: I thought I overnuked the peas and got worried because Steve loves peas and I didn't wanna ruin his eating experience. But he said I didn't. That they were good. And there were no complaints about the corn. Good.
Cranberry Jelly & Outcome: More recently, I've started to enjoy cranberry jelly with my turkey. Previously, I didn't touch the stuff. I used to have an aversion to savory-sweet foods. Like I hated sweet & sour chicken. Anyway, speaking of sour. Next year I want to try and find a fancier cranberry jelly. One with a little more tartness. Not too tart though and definitely sweet. Unfortunately, the guests who like cranberry jelly like their canned version.

The Pies: We bought them from Salinger's Orchards. It's also a farm market and bakery. Every holiday season they get the crunch. People have to call in orders ahead of time for Thanksgiving. This year we shelled out for three pies. And at $15 a piece, they weren't cheap. Not for us anyway.
The Pies Outcome: The apple pie was like a mile high and they most-likely used fresh apples from the orchard. I didn't love it and I'll tell you why. I like 'fake' apples. The canned kind or one's that have been well softened with that jelled, thick sauce. Salinger's pies lack the sauce part and their perfectly cut apples weren't 'cooked' enough for my licking. Steve really loved it though. He'd raved about their pies for years.

The pumpkin pie was the one I was really looking forward to. And boo-hoo, I didn't like it. Not at all. Not even with reddi whip on top. That made me upset and I decided not to try any of the other pies. I had the apple and pecan around midnight last night. *giggle*

The pecan pie was really, really good. I'd never had one quite like it. The pecans were light and crispy. The dark brown filling was really rich, sticky and gooey. The perfect consistency. Steve & I loved it. There was a downfall. The crust. They went a little too over on that one and it resulted in a drier crust. The edges were especially dry. If the crust had been similar to the ones that the apple pies were baked in - then it would've been perfect. The apple pie crust was really good. Nice flavor and mouth feel.

Little bits: The cookie I can't pronounce, they're called Pfeffernusee. They are iced gingerbread cookies with a strong ginger taste. They weren't too bad. I mean, I had two. Couldn't stop at one. But I found the flavor to be a little too much.

Oh, also, to drink with dinner in addition to the sodas that we set up in a cooler with plenty of ice - we had Martinelli's apple-grape sparkling juice. It was a very pretty color and we had them in fluted champagne glasses and made a toast before dinner. It was fun and I think the guests had a good time. Sid got some turkey with peas and corn. Grey cat got some turkey that I didn't cut up into little pieces. She was making happy noises while woofing down those big pieces. I was surprised.

And that, my friends, was Thanksgiving dinner this year! Sorry this was like a mile long. I lost feeling in my left fingertips a while ago. *giggle*

There's this cartoon that comes to mind often when I think of something. This big bulldog uses a smaller dog to help him earn $ by dressing him up like a little baby. I forget. But the bulldog amasses all this $ and buys a meat market. The final scene of the cartoon. The bulldog is lying on his back, ill, overwhelmed by the massive portions of meat he ingested. Anyway, the bulldog was always getting mad at the little dog for forgetting the gravy and would say: "you fuhgot da gravy". And as the bulldog lay on the table helpless, unable to move, the little dog comes to find him with revenge on his mind. He takes a funnel, sticks it into the bulldog's mouth and says: I didn't forget the gravy and proceeds to pour a giant keg of gravy into his mouth. Well, this all comes to mind because I forgot to mention the gravy. Steve made it. He boiled up giblets and herbs and later added the turkey fat and stock and thickened with flour. It was a dark brown color. It was okay, but not as good as last years where we omitted giblets (cause they gross me out) and I thickened with just flour. Ok. for real now. I'm done!

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Everyday Pan

Calphalon's Commercial Hard-Anodized "Everday Pan" is awesome. It's an all-purpose pan. "The aluminum construction provides superior cooking performance by distributing the heat evenly so there are no hot spots as you cook." That's what the description says. Steve also adds that because it's made of hard-anodized aluminum, it is non-reactive and can handle acidic foods such as tomatoes. Also, because there's no teflon coating (non-stick) you can scrape the crap out of it and it'll be fine. (No scratch lines actually appear.)

I use mine all the time. Steve found it online from Amazon (I think) years ago. Actually, I used it just last night to make meat sauce. It's also great cause you can throw it in the oven up to 450 F or under a broiler. It also comes with a nice, weighted lid. Not too heavy though. It's a 12" pan so you can fit a decent amount of food in it. Most of the time if I say I sauteed or seared something, it happened in the Everyday pan. And though slightly crowded, I can fit like four boneless chicken breasts in it and then some. It's got sturdy steel handles that stay cool'ish. But if you threw it in the oven, I recommend that you use gloves or a towel. I can't say enough about this pan. I love Steve for getting it. It's one of the most useful purchases he's ever made.

Unfortunately, they discontinued this line but it's still available at Amazon.com. It's like $29.99. I forgot to mention. It's a handsome looking pan. I wouldn't be embarrassed to serve the food right in it. I picture a nice paella in it. Mmmm...Do something good & Eat Something Good!

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Chicken Stir-Fry

I seldom do stir-fry dishes mostly because I don't have a wok and I feel like you need one to make a good stir-fry. I might add that I don't know exactly how to cook in one nor do I have recipes for sauces and such. Last night, I cut up chicken tenderloins into bite-size pieces. (Actually I put Steve to work.) I sauteed that up in olive oil and set them aside. Oh, I threw in two garlic cubes half way through cooking it. Then I threw in the bag of vegetables. I let them cook a little before I added the sauce which was composed of soy sauce, sugar, ground ginger, paprika, cayenne pepper (a hint) and freshly ground black pepper. I let the vegetables (Frozen bag of Bird's Eye broccoli stir-fry - broccoli, carrots, onions, red peppers, water chestnuts, mushroom & celery) - Let them cook through a little bit more and add the flour to the center of the pan, pushing the vegetables along the outer edge. Stir. When it bubbles and cooks through, throw the chicken back in. Oh, I didn't add the flour directly to the pan. I shook it up with chicken stock in a little jar and then poured it into the center of the pan. I served it over plain ole Uncle Benz rice though I think an asian rice would've been better or oh, wait..brown rice would've been really nice. .

The verdict. We liked it a whole lot. The chicken was tender (as Steve commented) and the sauce came out so nicely. I was worried that it was too salty, but then I found that you needed that to flavor the chicken & vegetables. I used to order beef with broccoli all the time in college. That and chicken lo mein were the few dishes I had. Anyway, the sauce tasted very similar to very good beef & broccoli sauce. I put so much food on Steve's plate that he actually couldn't finish it. I gave the rest to Sid and he thought it was Mmm, mmm good. I want you guys to have a nice Mmm, mmm experience while you Eat Something Good!

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Classico Traditional Basil Pesto

I once made quarts and quarts of fresh pesto from basil, pine nuts, olive oil, s&p. Everything gets thrown into a cuisinart and pureed. Then you can freeze it. I think it lasts a while. I forget how long. I think months. Anyway, I've seen variations of pestos combined with other ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes. I don't know. I kinda like my pesto straight up. But I like it with either pine nuts or walnuts. Pre-roasted. So, last night, I made a light pasta dish using Classico's traditional basil pesto.

I boiled up some Ronzoni Healthy Harvest whole wheat blend egg noodles. (Cholesterol-free; Yolk Free.) After I poured the cooked egg noodles into the colander, I put the same big pot back on the stove at high heat. To it, I added a little Progresso chicken stock and threw in a bag of frozen Bird's Eye Peas. Then the Classico Pesto gets thrown in and I let it come to a simmer and heat the peas through. When the peas were warmed and the liquid had reduced a bit, I threw in the drained egg noodles. I added some salt & pepper. Then I used a huge, metal spoon to toss around all that goodness. And voila! A light dinner was served. Freshly grated romano cheese accented this dish. And I have to add, it was a pretty dish. The two different greens (darker pesto & lighter peas) looked pretty together clinging to the wavy egg noodles.

The verdict. It was not bad, not bad at all. I've had Classico pesto many times and I like it. No complaints from me. So yeah, it was pretty good and it was a one-pot meal. Easy to make & easy to clean. (Though I haven't quite gotten around to cleaning it. My bad?) I worried about adding the chicken stock. Worried that the pesto sauce would get too thin. But I needed something to heat the peas in and I wanted to keep this a one-pot meal. Thankfully, there's enough olive oil in Classico's pesto to coat the pasta nicely. It was just the right amount of oil. Could've gone heavier but it was fine just the way it was. The peas played a beautiful role in this dish. Steve absolutely loves peas. The Ronzoni healthy harvest pasta was not bad at all. We've had this brand before - but we had it as a thin spaghetti. Steve & I were pleasantly surprised by it. So I took a chance and got a different shape and it worked out. So we were sorta healthy last night. Sorta. I had a normal sized portion too. For me anyway, it would still be at least two servings according to the RDA or whatever. Whether you're trying to eat right or eat light. This one keeps it easy. And you can Eat Something Good!

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Stouffer's Veal Parmigiana

Last week I bought a couple of frozen dinners. I normally try to eat only Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers. (I'm biased against Healthy Choice because when they first came out and I tried it - it had no flavor. I was not pleased.) Being off my healthy'ish kick, I decided to buy Stouffer's (the red box.) And with all the calories it has to offer. I was surprised. It wasn't too bad. 430 kcals. I can live with that as being my total caloric intake for lunch.

The veal parm was actually a breaded patty. Yes, a patty. Less than an inch thick. I thought it was pretty good sized. Steve loves veal patties. And one day we decided to try a super cheap brand that happened to be on sale. They were made by On-cor or En-core. I don't recall. I still see it in the supermarkets. Anyway, as you may have already guessed, it was pretty gross. Stouffer's veal patty is thicker and it's topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. (I don't remember seeing any cheese on the other brand's.) On the side, they gave you spaghetti with marina sauce.
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Stouffer's veal parmigiana. The idea of a veal patty is unappealing to me. Nonetheless, I got a craving. Once I came to terms with its texture, I was alright with it. I actually enjoyed the flavor of it. It tasted like it was breaded with one of those italian herb-cheese flavored breadings. I didn't love the spaghetti. I expect frozen (or canned) spaghetti to be overdone. I knew it going in. And though I didn't love the flavor of the sauce (which tasted like Prego with that dried basil & oregano combination that I don't love.) Don't get me wrong, I love oregano but I prefer it in Greek dishes like chicken oreganata over italian dishes though it definitely does have a place there. So the sauce, didn't love it but that's just me. But for some reason, when I was eating it - I would twirl a little pasta onto my fork and then stab the veal patty and tear off a piece - when I was doing that, I didn't mind the sauce at all. It worked for me. So once in a while, I'll be buying Stouffer's veal parmigiana if it's on sale. I usually only buy frozen foods when they're on sale. This was a nice change from sandwiches for lunch. Ok guys, you don't have to cook to Eat Something Good!

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Broiled Swiss Cheeseburgers

Here's a cute little story. One day, Steve was sick. He had a bad cold. I called him up and he apologized for not being able to come down to see me. So, I went up there. We liked that idea. I asked him if he needed anything like cough syrup. He was so moved when I offered that to him. He said no one's ever done something like that for him. By the time I'd arrived there his spirits were lifted. I remember it was late fall on a day very soon after the rains. So the sun was shining but the ground was wet. Anyway, his mood lifted so much that he wanted to make us some cheeseburgers. Neither of us had too much money so I thought that it was an excellent idea. Little things made us very happy. And they still do. The barbecue. Sigh. Wasn't working. We had to run to our local hardware store. Then we had to get the propane tank filled. Oh, I think we had to go to the hardware store twice because we got the wrong size the first time. It was fun doing all that running around. All that to buy these 'flavor savor' bars. They're like these metal bars you put on the bottom to equally distribute the heat. Once we got that all set up, we were in business!

Steve made me one of the best burgers I'd ever eaten. I don't recall what kind of cheese he used, but I'm quite certain it was Land O' Lakes yellow american. I was so pleased that I decided to give them a name. Then, *ding*, the word 'Pucks' comes to mind. Yes, it has an association to hockey pucks and when referred to a burger - it's way, way too dry, inedible. Anyway, I thought it'd be funny and ironic to name his delicious cheeseburgers that. He was hip to the idea and it stuck around for a while. (Note: He does, on occasion, severely overcook the burgers. I do, too.)

Last night I made broiled swiss cheeseburgers. I used the same kind of meat we almost always get - ground chuck from our local little market. I made them into thin'ish, wide'ish patties. I salt & peppered both sides. Then Steve reminded me that I should probably elevate them somehow so they were closer to the broiler. I flipped over a half-sheet pan. About an inch thick. And threw the burgers on a wire rack over a broiling pan. It fits in perfectly. (And it's great for baking whole chickens.) I didn't wait for the top of the burgers to get charred because, with our oven, bad things happen. (Ie: Things gets overcooked.) So I flipped them when only a touch of browing occurred. I waited for the other side to become similar in color before I put the swiss cheese on top and back it went to the broiler. I only had it on for like a minute more before the cheese melted. On the side, we had salad. Greens mixed with the usual grape tomatoes (these were very small and I liked that) & red onions. We had it with Ken's lite bleu cheese dressing.

The swiss cheeseburgers. They were damn good as per Steve. I was pretty pleased with them myself. I actually didn't cook the heck out of them. Let me tell you about the first bite. I took a big one and as I was doing it a whole bunch of oh-so-good brown liquid fell onto my cheap paper plate. (The white, uncoated kind.) It bursted with juices. Oh my goodness was my first thought. The juice leakage continued to happen until I was half-way through eating it. When Steve took his first bite, the same exact thing happened and he made happy noises after a slightly startled one. Oh, Steve had his burger with lettuce, red onion, mayo, ketchup, s&p. I had mine with red onion and get this, A-1 steak sauce. I crave the stuff every now and then though I only use it for steak. And I only have steak, real steak, once in a while. And I only use sauce occasionally for part of the steak - the rest I eat with just salt & pepper. The A-1 steak sauce and red onion combo was good. I was so used to having the thickness of ketchup that I wasn't prepared for all the sauce to get absorbed back into the bun. I had to add a little more. It was a nice departure from ketchup. I enjoyed it. Didn't love it though and I won't be craving one for a long while. The salad was just a salad last night. I couldn't care less about it after eating the delicious burger. I suppose I should've let the burgers sit for a few minutes so the juices would redistribute. I was too hungry to wait. And if you're hungry now, Eat Something Good!

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Chicken Cesar Salad

Ok, technically it wasn't a straight cesar salad. I added a few extra ingredients. To me, straight cesar is good. Usually, it's just romaine lettuce, croutons, grated or shaved parmesan cheese & sometimes anchovy fillets. I usually see anchovy fillets at better restaurants. Sometimes they're courteous enough to ask because I don't think anchovies go over well with most people. I had an Italian teacher once. Yes, she was Italian (like from Italy) and with her great accent she said: I would never think of eating a pizza without anchovies. I thought that was interesting.

So, to this cesar salad kit (included dressing, grated parmesan & croutons), we added little grape tomatoes, red onion (sliced thin) and I threw in some crumbled gorgonzola cheese we had in the 'fridge leftover from steak salad. Anyway, because I added extra ingredients, the dressing that came it with fell short. I needed to supplement. So I dug around the refrigerator and found a bottle of Silver Palate cesar dressing. I was so psyched. Then I went to pour some out and there was barely a tablespoon there. So I sighed. Then *lightbulb* I remembered we had some Ken's creamy cesar lite dressing. And there was plenty of that. So in that went to the salad bowl. For the chicken, I used tenderloins and broiled them on a rack over a sheet pan. They'd been seasoned in a bag with olive oil, oregano, s&p. They broiled up in minutes. Dinner took less than 15 minutes to prepare. Isn't that the bestest? I cut the chicken into medium-sized pieces and tossed the whole thing in a giant wooden salad bowl.

Steve and I really enjoyed the salad. We aren't experts on cesar salad so we didn't mind the mixture of the three dressings. Also, the chicken was very tender. I've been doing pretty good with baking chicken lately. And as for the additional ingredients added to it, the gorgonzola was especially nice. It added more richness to the already rich dressing. Darnit, I should've grated some romano cheese over it. I know I've had it before with parmesan but never romano. I have ambivalence towards shaved hard cheese versus grating. Steve likes his cesar with shaved cheese. He even ran out and bought the slicing gadget after he'd had it that way for the first time. It makes me so happy when things turn out good cause then you get to Eat Something Good!

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Soy-Marinated Steak Tips

Steve used to work up at Stewart airport. It was like construction management or something. They were building the new control tower there. It was sorta neat. I got to drive one of those bobcat things or bulldozer...I don't really know what it was. Steve tells me all the time but my memory always fails me. Anyway, his boss that we affectionately refer to as "uncle *insert name*" introduced Steve to steak tips. At least he introduced him to the idea of it. Neither of us had ever had them. Supposedly it's very popular in Boston. Anyone?

I used Sirloin streak tips. ( Remember they are big, long, fat strips of meat.) For the marinade, I threw together some olive oil, soy sauce (not the super dark kind but the lighter japanese kind), sugar in the raw, ground ginger, garlic powder, dried thyme, dried rosemary and freshly ground black pepper. I didn't want to add extra salt because, as you know, soy sauce is already salty. I put the marinade into a zip top plastic bag and shook it up so the contents mixed well and so the sugar would dissolve. (Sugar in the raw tend to be large granules.) I threw in the Sirloin steak tips whole and let it sit out for about an hour to marinade. (For those not in the know, red meat (like steaks) can sit out for about an hour before cooking - that's what I was taught.) To cook it, I used the broiler. I put the steaks on one of those wire rack things to keep the meat elevated so it wouldn't sit in its own juices and therefore not brown well. I served this with plain basmati rice and corn (frozen Bird's Eye.) Oh, and I served the sirloin steak tips whole. One strip is about six inches long and an inch thick. I know I'm repeating myself here.

The verdict. It was pretty good. I would've liked it to have been a little sweeter. I must go a little heavier on the sugar. Ok. But otherwise, Steve enjoyed it. He wasn't raving about it but he said it was good. The meat came out nicely. Steak Tips tend to be a little chewier if you don't cook it to well done so that's what I do. And nice little brown and burnt spots appeared. And the rice was nice and fluffy and the corn was sweet. All in all, it was a good meal.

Sidebar: I made an error in the first paragraph of my last blog 'Melts'. The correct version was that the tuna went with american cheese; Chicken went with provolone cheese. I apologize for the confusion it may have caused.

Other than that kiddies, Eat Something Good!

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Tuna Melt Bagels

I asked Steve to take a picture of both the tuna melts & chicken salad melts. I was going to post it but he made a comment about them being on paper plates and I sorta agreed with him. Anyway, yes, I made two types of melts last night. Tuna (albacore, red onion (finely chopped), celery seed, worchestshire sauce and s&p.) American cheese on top. For the chicken salad (Pulled cooked chicken, parsley, mayo, s&p) with provolone cheese. These were both served atop onion bagels. Some pieces had tomato on top of them. They looked pretty.

I baked up the bagels. Then I did a not so good of a job splitting them in half. At this point, I should've thrown on the broiler and toasted both sides. I had fears of over cooking them and drying them out too much. Anyway, I placed about 3/4" worth tuna & chicken salad on one bagel at a time. Yes, they were piled pretty high. The tuna salad was them covered with american cheese and the chicken salad was covered in the provolone cheese. I threw them under the broiler. Afterwards, again concerned about the texture of the bagel and the temperature of the salad, I set the oven to bake.

So, the melts. They were pretty good, not great. Usually, they hit the spot but we made the error of using Ray's frozen bagels. Can you believe they're not pre-sliced? Who wants the extra labor of cutting it in half? Anyway, the first one I had was the chicken salad melt. The cheese looked like it'd been bubbling and there were little burnt spots on it. It was pretty good. Then the tuna, that too, was pretty good. The yellow american cheese was burnt (dark, dark brown and very, very edible) on one little side. The edge. The problem with this dish is that these bagels weren't as light as say Lender's frozen bagels. Or I didn't toast them up enough which could've really been the problem. That's what sorta undid the greatness of the melts. The bagels.

Sidebar: I forgot something critical in yesterday's blog about Dottie's Zucchini, Chicken & Rice Casserole. I goofed. I forgot to mention one of the main ingredients: the cubed, cooked chicken. I'd made the chicken the previous night for our salad greens with baked chicken. When I looked in the 'fridge for the salad bag, I discovered that there wasn't one. Darnit! Now what?

So I made it into chicken salad and once again, pulled the meat apart with two forks. Steve said it was light. And it was very juicy. He said it tasted like it was from a fine, hotel restaurant. I was flattered. So that's the chicken I used for Dottie's casserole. I'm sure it imparted its own flavors into the dish. I used olive oil, salt-free McCormicks seasoning mix, dried tarragon, s&p.

I nuked some leftover casserole for Steve the day after and he loved it. It'd thickened up quite a bit. Makes one think twice about this dish. Oh, I almost forgot and this is important. The chicken in the casserole became a little too well done (slightly overcooked). Probably because it was already cooked and then got baked again for an hour. Thank goodness Steve made them into small pieces. Okay, here are some stupid words. I forgot. Oh well, Eat Something Good!

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Dottie's Casserole

The full name of this dish is called Dottie's Zucchini, Chicken, and Rice Casserole. I have no idea who Dottie is. I found it online from About.com. There was no user rating so I had nothing to fall back on. It was a complete shot in the dark. Also, this is the first casserole I've ever made unless you count arroz con pollo as a cassole. I cooked it like one. I must find that recipe. I used to make it in college for all my girlfriends and they loved it.

This is how I made it. First you take half of you diced onions and some garlic and heat that up in a pan (large'ish). Saute. Then add the zucchini and mushrooms. Saute. Next is to add the raw rice, all the veggies (except for the tomato and remaining onions), chicken stock, parmesan cheese (we used romano), rosemary, thyme and s&p. Mix it up and transfer to a greased baking dish. I used a disposable lasagne pan. Yes, this dish was a bit of a pain the ass to make but I put Steve to work and he did all the slicing and dicing. *snicker* To continue. Saute the remaing onions, tomatoes and a little chili powder before pouring the mixture atop the other ingredients in the baking dish. Sigh. Okay, I went through all that. Waited a whole hour for it to bake at 350F. And?

Overall, it was pretty good but there are 'buts'. I had thought that the casserole would set up. It didn't at all. There was plenty of liquid still left which I didn't understand because the rice did absorb some water but not all of it. I was a little upset upon this discovery. Nevertheless, I served it up. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't that bad. It was actually kinda good and made me feel healthy to eat. Aside from the oil used to sautee, there was no fat in this dish. Unfortunately, they didn't give the nutritional breakdown. Ok. So on its own, it was okay except that it was liquidy. Then we hit it with some freshly grated romano cheese and I, for a second, thought I was eating a risotto. Yum. Steve mentioned that this dish was more reminicent of a gumbo. I thought that was interesting. With the grated cheese, the thing took on new life. It was so much better. We enjoyed it alot. Steve thought it was delicious. So there a pluses and minuses to this dish. I still wonder if the recipe was off and called for far more liquid than necessary or if that was how it was supposed to be. Though it was good, I will not be throwing this one in the rotation. Too much work and not good enough of a result. It was all about the sauce - it needed to be thickened badly. Okay guys. Cook (or not) and Eat Something Good!

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Belly Rumbles

For some reason, Steve & I were wiped out last night. We were not just in bed, but sleeping by 9p. Sad, I know. We're neither seniors nor farmers. So we went to bed hungry. Too tired to deal. I actually wasn't feeling that hungry anyway. A giant meatball parm wedge at lunch killed me. (It was from a local deli that I usually have bad luck with. I always have hopes but I don't know - I keep going back. Once I ordered a chicken parm wedge there and the chicken was like raw in the center. It was so nasty. I was so upset. I was already on the parkway and I didn't feel like turning around.) It was so big that I gave 1/3 of it to Sid. I'm so bad. So just as we were early to bed, we were early to rise. I woke up around 3:30a and Steve found me downstairs a half hour later.

For breakfast, eaten before 5a, I had cereal. Honeycombs! Little sidebar: I take surveys and they recently sent me a free, big box of honeycombs. It was so freaky because when we went shopping, they were out of them and we were bumbed. Steve decided not to have cereal and had the leftover ziti instead. I nuked up a fairly decent sized portion for him and he loved it.

Steve ran out to get cigarettes this morning and came back with a plain sugared donut for me. It was good the last time I had it, but this time it had too much sugar on it. I usually, as you may know, get jelly donuts. It's been a thing of mine for a little while now. And I think I like strawberry jelly just a little better than grape. Alright, I'm probably going to have a turkey sandwich for lunch. If your belly rumbles, it's time for you to Eat Something Good!

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Baked Ziti

I haven't made baked ziti in ages. Here's how I do it. I boil up some ziti (duh) and then toss it in sauce. We used our homemade sauce. Then for the cheese part. You take ricotta (whole milk), mozzarella (whole milk), chopped fresh parsley, one egg, s&p. I dislike part-skim cheeses. But for some reason, I like Cracker Barrel's 2% cheddar. Go figure. Ok, so ya throw down a layer of ziti mixed with sauce in a disposable lasagne pan, hit it with gobs of the cheese mixture, put another layer of ziti with sauce on top. Cover that all in some fresh mozzarella and bake for like 45 minutes. I rambled with that explanation. Ooopsies.

The ziti turned out alright. I was worried that the ziti would be too soft. And unfortunately, I think they may have been. No, they were. Steve really liked it though. He had two servings and freaked out when I said I'll just throw the rest out. I guess that's convincing enough but I'd still feel embarrassed to serve something as overcooked. It wasn't complete mush. Those frozen zitis are far mushier and I've had some seriously mushy ziti from the grocery store buffet. All in all, it fed us, made Steve happy and oh, it made Sid happy. I was trying to get rid of some and gave Sid a little more than just a taste. My bad. A toast to y'all (or ya'll) and Eat Something Good!

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Annie's Homegrown

Homegrown. Not kidding. That's what the box of macaroni & cheese says. Actually, it's shells & cheese. They say it's made with organic pasta and has "no artificial anything." Well, we certainly put enough butter in it last night to undo all the goodness the package had to offer. We were so beat last night for some reason. I couldn't bring myself to cook. So Steve started it and I helped. It was just as easy to make as Kraft mac n' cheese.

The verdict. I liked it. At first, I thought it was seasoned just right. But then, as I ate on, I realized it needed a pinch of salt. But the salt thing happens with me often. It's good then it's not as good then *pinch* and it's even better. Steve loved it. He's a long time eater of box mac n cheese. He suggested that we put the stuff on top of Tostitos tortilla chips. The big restaurant sized ones. It's the only kind we get. I scooped some up and it wasn't bad. The first few chips were good. Then it got...well, it stumbled into 'whatever' land. Not only did Steve suggest chips, but he decided (because we weren't up to it) - that we should just eat it straight out of the pot with one fork in the living/computer room. I was totally okay with that idea. Yeah, we slobbed out. Okay, kiddies...Eat Something Good!

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Steak Salad

We use sirloin steak tips when making our salad. They're these six inch or so long pieces about 1" thick and wide. This is a salad that I've made many times before. It's an adaptation of a diner meal we used to get at the El dorado diner in Tarrytown, NY. It's grilled steak with salad greens including raddichio, grape tomatoes, red onions and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. I'm just realizing now that I forgot a critical ingredient: cannellini beans. I guess we missed it last night. I make a basic vinaigrette for it. My usual balsamic vinaigrette.

The steak was slightly overcooked but definitely edible. I cut the steak into managable pieces - actually did them the way Steve likes. I usually make em bigger. So the steak. I actually sorta liked the small charred pieces. They had a nice flavor. The red onions were mild, the tomatoes bursted and gorgonzola cheese just goes really well with the steak. We will be having this meal again and again and again. Okay, folks. Eat Something Good!

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Marie Callender's

Remember TV Dinners? I used to love the chocolate brownie dessert they used to have in some of them. Anyway. I was wondering. What do they call them today? Steve suggested frozen entrees whereas I just call it frozen stuff. Well, whatever they're called, I think Marie Callender's makes some very good ones.

We each had two dinners. I had the Meat Lasagne (with ricotta & mozzarella in a hearty marina sauce) and the Meat Loaf and gravy (with creamy mashed potatoes and vegetables (green beans, carrots & corn.)) Steve had two of the Fettuccini with Chicken & Broccoli ( which is chicken breast in creamy alfredo sauce.) They were both of decent size and portions. Oh, and they were on sale. 2 for $4. That's a great value especially for Marie Callender's.

I enjoyed the meat loaf though it could've used more brown gravy (with mushrooms & onions supposedly - I didn't see any.) The meat had a good texture and thickness. They gave you two nice pieces. The mashed potatoes were creamy in texture, but not flavor. It, like the meat, needed salt. The vegetables were good. I liked them. They looked and tasted fresh. The lasagna, on the other hand, was not good. I was disappointed. It had a good amount of beef and pork. Ya know, sausage ee, fennel ee flavor. The sauce. I didn't like. It was a deep red with both dried basil & oregano. I generally don't like that herb combination. They were sparing with the ricotta & mozzarella cheeses. All in all, I will not buy this again even if it's on sale. (It tasted a little like Stouffer's (orange ee/ red box) lasagna which used to be pretty good but is now not so good. Ick.

When Steve and I were at the checkout. The cashier commented on how good the ones Steve got were. And I tasted it. With a little salt, it was pretty darn good. Nice pieces of tender, white meat chicken with not overcooked broccoli and a not too rich alfredo sauce. I liked it. Next time, I might want to buy one for myself. Steve, of course, loved it. He really enjoyed it and got quite full eating two servings.

Alrighty guys, you don't necessarily have to cook to Eat Something Good!

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Gino's Trattoria

We had a great dinner last night. It was almost perfect except the waitress could've been a little more attentive. Usually, service at Gino's (not Gigi's Pizza we always go to) is very good. Adults, not teenagers. Anyway, I wrote a review about Gino's a while back. A couple of years ago. Definitely over one. (I think.) Anyway, in the review I described my favorite dish there: Veal Francais. Most chicken francais are in a light chicken stock/lemon sauce. I assumed the veal would be the same. Nope. The sauce is an orange ee/brown with bits of cooked herbs in it. Perhaps parsley. They give three (somewhat small) thin pieces of veal (lighyly battered, perhaps just in egg). And a side of pasta. I got linguine with tomato sauce. Oh, and to start we had salads (mine with italian; his with bleu cheese) and bread that included a good crusty, hearty italian bread and long sticks of focaccia flavored with rosemary. We also had an appetizer. Fried calamari that came with a thick, chunky, deep red, herbed tomato sauce for dipping. The calamari were all just small rings, about the size of a quarter. No tentacles, my fave. Oh well. Steve had one of his standbys. Chicken Gorgonzola with peas. He had a side of linguini as well but he got his on his plate with the cream sauce. I had mine on the side. They give you the option.

I loved my veal dish. I've had it many times before. We used to go to Gino's quite regularly. They've recently started delivering and I think they'll make a killing. Their pizza is quite good as well. The pasta, salad, and bread were all good. Nothing special. The fried calamari. I thought it could've been fried a little longer. They were a very light color and I would've preferred a golden color with a little crisp or crunch to it. Steve thought they were delicious. He loved them just the way they were. I tried some of Steve's chicken dish and it was rich and delicious. Very smooth and creamy. It wasn't a strong gorgonzola flavor. I didn't see any blue veins in it. But it definitely did something nice to the sauce. We didn't have dessert cause we were too full. Steve even had to take his belt off when we got home. Hehehe. Okay, well. You guys are the best! I love the comments - I read them all. Eat Something Good!

Gino's Pizzeria (Trattoria)
597 Route 6
Mahopac, NY 10541

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Indian-Style Rice

Last night we had nothing to eat in the house and we didn't feel like going out. It was past 10p anyway. So Steve made something. A rice dish. Vegetarian even. We cooked up some uncle bens rice, added some peas and then he seasoned it with curry powder (just a bit), tumeric, black pepper, red pepper (cayenne) and salt. He said he used to make this as a teenager when he was vegetarian. I was hesitant to try it. I mean I like curry'ish things every now and then but I must say, I don't love the smell. It's way strong and lingers in the house afterwards. Anyway, I had a small serving and I have to say that I liked it. I was quite surprised. Steve was proud. He wouldn't let me give any to Sid so I just gave him some peas. He lapped them up as though he were eating good quality steak. Do like we do and Eat Something Good!

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Candy Bars

I have been eating so much junk food lately. Like crazy amounts. Okay, maybe not that crazy but definitely more than usual. I've been dying to try two things. Oreo cakesters and Nilla wafer cakesters. I've read mixed reviews about them. For the oreo ones, they said don't expect it to taste like the cookie. Even still, I'm intrigued by the concept. I've only seen them in one place. At this convenience mart attached to a Dunkin' Donuts. Needless to say, I always go for the donut but I was tempted. Strongly tempted. Next time I go there, I'm going to get them.

I tried a new candy bar. The Nestle's crunch crisp. It's crispy wafers with layers of chocolate creme and covered in chocolate. It was pretty good. I like the flavor of Nestle's crunch bars. That's the kind of chocolate it was dipped in. I'd buy them again. I like light candy bars. One of my faves is the Whatchamacallit bar. Peanut butter rice crisp with a thin layer of caramel on top, covered in chocolate. It's got a light, satisfying crunch to it and then a chew from the caramel. It's very good. I almost bought one the other day.

Croissants. I love croissants. Plain. With butter. With butter & jam. And I love chocolate croissants. Regular croissants filled with dark chocolate. Good chocolate. I got Steve a different kind the other day. They were out of chocolate. Blueberry cream cheese was my choice. It sounded so good; it looked so good. I might have to get one next time.

Finally, I recently tried a few bites of a Payday bar. I really like them but I never buy them. It's nougat (I think) or chewy (not too soft) caramel rolled in sweetened peanuts. With a little salt. It was so good that I didn't even miss chocolate. Actually, I thought there was chocolate in it. That's how good it was. You don't even miss it. Okay guys, Mmmm...candy. Eat Something Good!

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Pecorino Romano

We didn't have a bite for dinner until after 11:00pm. We'd both had a late lunch and we weren't feeling particularly hungry. (Sid is eating a napkin.) Anyway, we had nothing in the house so I just cooked up some Ronzoni thin spaghetti and we had it with tomato sauce from Batch #2. I tell ya. Freshly grated pecorino romano makes a huge difference in the enjoyment of pasta. I've always liked romano cheese but I didn't have it too often. I remember once, in college, there was a chain restaurant in town called 'Houlihan's I may have botched the spelling on that. Anyway, they had a delicious chicken & pasta dish. The chicken was breaded and it had plenty of romano cheese in it. I never forgot it how the cheese tasted.

To the eating of the pasta. The sauce, our sauce, nice as per usual. The cheeses. At first, we were using store brand grated cheese. (I keep some in the house for trash meals. You know what I mean? Maybe not.) Anyway, you could hardly taste it. When we made the switch to the freshly grated pecorino romano, *bam*. An amazing thing happened. It transformed the flavor of the sauce and the dish developed depth. And though I've always favored parmesan cheese, Steve prefers romano. Perhaps because it's tangier. I like romano very much as well. It's a good cheese. Okay guys, time to Eat Something Good!

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Nathan's

The other day, we went to Nathan's to play video games. The one in Yonkers has an arcade. It's great. It's so loud in there. Anyway, we didn't eat there but it planted the seed. So yesterday, we had an early dinner at a different Nathan's but still a Nathan's. I had two hot dogs. One with mustard and sauerkraut. The other with just mustard. Steve had one with mustard & sauerkraut and one chili cheese dog. We both had fries and sodas to drink. Diet for me. *laugh* Anyway, it was a nice treat. Oh, I almost forgot. The one we go to is also has an Arthur Treacher's (sp?) there. We split a fish sandwich. I forgot what was on it. Like lettuce and tartar sauce, I think. It was good. The fish had a crunch to it unlike McDonald's filet-o-fish. Later on, I got the donut urge again and we stopped by Dunkin Donuts for a powdered jelly donut. Mmmm. I just wish they weren't like a cagillion calories. Ah well. Can't win em all. Eat Something Good!

Nathan's Famous
Cortlandt Town Center
3139 E. Main Street,
Mohegan Lake,NY

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Beef Patty Melt

We went to one of our regular'ish diners, Central Plaza Diner in Yonkers, NY. Anyway, we thought we'd have a nice repeat of the other day's meal - beef patty melts. (We had a surprisingly yummy one at IHOP.) Burger, swiss, fried onions on grilled rye. We had them with a side of fries, cole slaw, and a pickle. The patty melt at this diner was...a disappointment. I wanted to punch the chef a little. The onions. They were these big, diced chunks. Too big and they ruined the sandwich. Also they weren't cooked enough. I like to see a nice brown color on some pieces. Thin slices. With good carmelization going on. That's how I'd make it. Oh, we started off with a side of okay mozzarella sticks with a thin tomato sauce for dipping. Alrighty folks, Eat Something Good!

Central Plaza Diner
1686 Central Park Ave
Yonkers, NY 10710

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