GG's Tea Party - Nov 23, 2012

Chicken Mandarin Orange Spread Sandwiches

This is slightly out of order, but since I'm still playing catch up from two months ago, I'm not too worried about it.  These pictures are from a birthday party for Nick's Grandma, known affectionately as GG, held the day after Thanksgiving.  GG turned 90 this year and we celebrated in style.

Cucumber-Salmon-Watercress Sandwiches

Specifically, we had an afternoon tea party where hats, of any kind, were required.  Nick and I were in charge of organizing the finger sandwiches for the party.  Nan wanted four different kinds, one of them being a pimento cheese sandwich, because it's not a Southern tea party without the pimento cheese sandwiches.

Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

Nick and I picked out three other recipes from this list.  A grocery list was compiled between Nick and me in Minnesota, and Chip and Nan in South Carolina.  Some math was required, but Nick and Chip are good guys to have on your team when that happens.  We got the numbers figured out without incident.  Nick's parents did the shopping, plus pimento cheese making, and Nick and I did the prep work (making the chicken and salmon salads, plus the compound butter for the ham sandwiches) Thursday evening, once the Thanksgiving feast had been cleared from the kitchen.

Party Ham Sandwiches

Then, bright and early Friday morning, a whole crew of family and friends gathered around the kitchen island. Uncles worked next to nephews, sisters worked next to brothers, fathers-in-law worked next to cousins, nieces worked next to girlfriends, and everybody pitched in to make hundreds of tiny tea sandwiches in record time.  We had so much help, in fact, that I had nothing to do besides answer the random question and stand back and admire the flurry of activity, as inside jokes and friendly barbs flew back and forth across the counter.  The rookies were included into the fold as though they had always been there, and the whole, wild and crazy assortment of family members became a happy, and quite efficient, team.   It was my favorite moment of the whole weekend.

Mobile Post: Minnesota State Fair - Sept 1, 2012

I'm trying a little experiment here, attempting to blog from my phone.  Hang with me, Dinner Clubbers, while I figure this out.  It probably won't be very often that I use this function, as the quality of the pictures is not what I consider to be blog worthy, but sometimes I don't want to carry around our big camera on excursions.  The State Fair is definitely one of those times.

Here are Nick and I on our way to the fair, via express bus, ready for the day's excitement, complete with sun-protection accessories.

Our first stop was the FFA Dairy Cattle judging in the new AgStar Arena.  White show pants, clean and clipped heifers, fresh sawdust on the floor, I got a little giddy reliving my college days of hanging out with Dairy Jocks.  Needless to say, I got to school my companions on the intricacies of Dairy Cattle competition.  It was a bit of jackassery on my part, but exciting nonetheless.

Next up, we paid a visit to the small ruminants.  We saw goats galore, but no sheep.  Perhaps the sheep hang out earlier in the week?

After a few more stops, including a visit to the Thom Thumb donut stand, we visited the award winning produce.  There is something about the organization of these fruits and vegetables that I find quite appealing.

And last, but obviously not least, we checked out the giant pumpkins.  These things are pleasantly huge, and delightful in the same way as the State's biggest boar (which we did not see this year).

I think this was a good experience overall.  We managed to leave as the crowds really started to swell and the heat became overwhelming (two reasons we've avoided the fair in the past).  I still have to say, though, that my hometown county fair holds first place in my heart.  Nothing else even comes close. 

Pressed Sandwiches for a Birthday Picnic - July 20, 2012

Well hello, strangers!  It appears that I have a bit of blogging to catch up on, having been absent of late.  Let's begin back when things started getting busy around here.  My mom and sister share a July 20th birthday (and after this year, they will both share their birthday with my other sister's wedding anniversary...did I mention things have been busy around here?).  To celebrate we all decided to meet in Hastings, MN for a picnic and wine tasting at Alexis Bailly Vineyard.

For the picnic, I made some Italian-style pressed sandwiches.  These are great picnic fare as they are made the night before, easy to transport and require no utensils.  I made the one pictured above with tomatoes, zucchini, basil and fresh mozzarella.  I made a second version for the meat lovers with deli ham, salami, and provolone cheese.

 

I had never been to this winery before, and I loved it.  It's well worth the 45 minute drive from Minneapolis.  Alexis Bailly specializes in sweet and fortified wines, which are excellent for dessert and for mixing up delicious summer sangrias.  The grounds are beautiful with prairie flowers, a sculpture garden, and a host of picnic tables for your convenience.  We all had a lovely afternoon.

Homemade Graham Crackers & Marshmallows - July 7, 2012

Our 4th of July travels took us to the Wisconsin Northwoods, where I wanted to be able to eat corn-free S'Mores around the campfire. Since all three of the typical elements of a S'More (Honey Maid graham crackers, Jet Puff marshmallows, and Hershey's milk chocolate) all contain one corn derivative or another, I knew I had to get creative. The bonus outcome was that my substitutes were either ultra gourmet or homemade and created the most delicious ooey-gooey creation you could ever imagine. Not "as good as the original," but much better!

I got the recipe for both the graham crackers and the marshmallows from one of my latest cookbook purchases, The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. The graham crackers (pictured above) include both whole wheat flour and rye flour, in addition to all purpose flour, resulting in a heartier cracker than the store bought version. She also dusts them lightly with cinnamon sugar, which I think is really necessary because they are otherwise a bit light on the sweetness.

Chernila's marshmallow recipe is a miracle to behold. The alchemy of the whole transformation in the mixer bowl is simply amazing. I've never been very excited about traditional marshmallows. I'll eat them once or twice a year when toasted over a campfire, but that is pretty much it. These are a totally different story. Flavorful, luscious, smooth, and pillowy... yum! I also elected to toss them in toasted coconut so they wouldn't stick together in the transport to Wisconsin and it was a delightful addition both for eating them alone and in the S'More. Instead of corn syrup, her recipe uses the British import Lyle's Golden Syrup, so it is totally safe for me to eat without any modification.

For chocolate, I used the organic dark chocolate truffle bar from Trader Joe's. For S'Mores I would prefer to use milk chocolate, but that seems impossible to find in a corn-free version.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the marshmallows and it was pitch dark outside when we actually consumed the assembled S'Mores so no photo of that either. I do, however, have a gorgeous photo of the view of the sun rising over Two Sister's Lake in northern Wisconsin. This was taken from the dock at my parents' lake house on our last morning there.

Frogmore Stew - July 4, 2012

 

No frogs, no stew.  This dish is also known as a Lowcountry Boil, and it was at the top of my list of must-have local food on our recent trip to South Carolina.  The somewhat misleading Frogmore name comes from the town this is supposed to have originated in, however, that could be just a bunch of bologna (or kielbasa as the case may be). Most origin stories get convoluted and embellished over time.  This happens everywhere, of course, but in no place more charmingly than in the South. 
  


Regardless of what you call it, it is amazingly delicious.  Fresh shrimp, kielbasa sausage, new red potatoes, and corn on the cob all boiled together and seasoned with Old Bay.  We got our shrimp from a local supplier right in Folly Beach, called Crosby's.  All told, we purchased 11 pounds of freshly caught shrimp throughout the week.  We ate peel-and-eat shrimp with cocktail sauce, shrimp omelettes, and shrimp tacos, but the Frogmore stew was by far my favorite of the week.

 

Often this is served dumped out on a newspaper wrapped table, like steamed crabs in Maryland, but we opted for plates.  I can't think of a better beach house meal.

Folly Beach - June 30-July 7, 2012

Hello Dinner Clubbers!  I hope you all had a good 4th.  Nick and I just got back from Folly Beach, SC where we spent a week with Nick's family.  We had a lovely and relaxing holiday filled with days at the beach, drinking lots of beer (and margaritas), and enjoying some local, Southern food.



For the first time, I tried boiled peanuts.  This locally loved snack is sold at many a roadside stand in South Carolina, and we got ours from one called Fat Boys.  JJ and Greg picked the Cajun flavored variety and we brought them home and dug in.  These guys get a bad rap up north, but I really enjoyed them.  I think the problem is that we Yankees associate peanuts only with "nuts" and not with the legumes they actually are.  Understandably, a soggy nut does not sound appetizing, but If you approach these like you do edamame, it's a much more pleasant experience.  I thought these guys tasted a lot like cooked red kidney beans, and their delightful starchiness tasted delicious with the mildly spicy Cajun seasoning.  And with a beer.

 

Sadly, our rental beach house did not come supplied with the glass mason jars I'd dreamt of for our Southern drinking experience.  It's just as well I suppose, since glass is not allowed on the beach (but beer is.  Folly Beach is the only beach in the Low Country that allows alcohol consumption...for now).  Instead, we used these little, plastic stemmed glasses with our names written on blue painters tape.  Nick and Greg made sure that we had loads of great craft brews to drink all week, filling growlers up at places like the Charleston Beer Exchange, the James Island Piggly Wiggly, and the Folly Beach Brew Pub.   




Since they are experiencing a local crab shortage (this is a shell JJ found on the beach), we limited our local seafood consumption to shrimp.  It was caught fresh daily and the best I've ever had.  I plan on posting about some of the things we used it for later in the week.

Thumbs-Up Turkey - Nov 24, 2011

Hello Dinner Clubbers! My sincere apologies for my long absence from the blog. Between travel, visitors, sickness, holidays, and one broken refrigerator things have been a bit hectic for Nick and I of late. I will attempt to bring you all up to date on our culinary adventures, starting with Thanksgiving. Nick and I travelled to his parents, where every year Nick's Dad makes his famous "Thumbs-Up Turkey." This year Nick and I had front row seats for a tutorial.



The story of this family tradition begins with the November 1986 Gourmet Magazine article on 'how to de-bone a turkey.' Chip thought that sounded like a fun project and has used this method nearly every year since. The idea is to cut out and remove the rib cage from the body of the bird, leaving the bones in the appendages, and then stitch up the incision made along the spine. This allows you to stuff the bird with dressing, to plump it back up to it's original robust shape, and to carve it directly into cross sections, for a slice of stuffing surrounded by an edge of meat. It also allows you to use the rib cage to make some of the best gravy known to man, which is the real reason that Chip goes through all the work. Every year, with the successful completion of this undertaking, Chip gives us the thumbs-up and we all feast like kings.



Here is Chip putting the final touches on the bird. The meal was delicious, as always, although due to a nasty little virus I contracted the week before, I actually ended up sleeping through the meal this year. Lucky for me, the leftovers are nearly as good!

Pittsburgh! - Nov 5-7, 2011

"Dahn Tahn" Pittsburgh

Nick and I spent last weekend in Pittsburgh along with my sister and her boyfriend (who grew up there). It was our first time visiting and we were both super impressed! Pittsburgh is an incredibly beautiful city nestled in between rivers and rolling bluffs, which were all decked out in fall colors during our stay.



We stayed in 'the Strip' which is an industrial neighborhood being revitalized by condos, shops and restaurants. We rode the Monongahela Incline up Mt. Washington on the south side of the city and were treated to breathtaking views of the downtown, PNC park, Heinz Field, and some of the 400 plus bridges that span the three rivers within the city (the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio, if you're wondering).

We walked from the Strip across his namesake bridge  to see the statue of Roberto Clemente, my favorite baseball player of all time, outside of PNC park, where the Pirates play.

We ate at Primanti Brothers, in the Strip, which is a local landmark. Primanti's is known for it's sandwiches, which are piled high with a meat of your choice (we tried corned beef and jumbo, which is Pittsburghese for fried bologna), french fries, and cole slaw. The sandwiches originated to serve truckers who were making deliveries to factories in the Strip and needed a meal that they could eat using one hand, leaving the other free to drive. On game days, the line spans out the door and down the block.

And, speaking of game days, Nick and I had the privilege of attending a Steelers game at Heinz Field on Sunday night. Prior to the game we went to a tailgate with beer can chicken, and smoked kolbassi sausage along with Yuengling beers. We jumped on a water taxi right outside our tailgate and rode down to Heinz field on the Allegheny taking in the beautiful Pittsburgh skyline at night. It was an exciting game, which the Steelers ultimately lost. But, win or lose, it was an honor to be able to cheer on my favorite NFL team in person. A big thank you to our wonderful hosts, yinz guys are the best!

Bring it on Down to Burgerville

My Original Cheeseburger Basket with Seasonal Yukon Gold Criss-Cut Fries

Another place I like to visit when I'm in the Portland area is Burgerville. (Don't you immediately hear Justin Timberlake singing that catchy little jingle from SNL? But with 'Omletteville' replaced by 'Burgerville.') Burgerville is the kind of fast food restaurant one might expect to find in Portland (or Portlandia). You can get a cheeseburger and fries, but the beef is sustainable, and the cheese is from Tillamook, and the fries are seasonal Yukon Gold Criss-Cut fries. When they're in season, you can even get Walla Walla onion rings, or sweet potato fries. Oh, and once you've finished eating, you put your wrappers and paper cups into the compost, instead of the trash. Burgerville even recycles cooking oil into biofuel. You get the idea. It's like the cult craze known as In-N-Out Burger in California (which I also love!), but with a definite Portland spin. And it's good. Very good.



Hazelnut and Chocolate Shake

Perhaps my favorite reason to visit Burgerville is the seasonal shake. This one is the chocolate hazelnut, made with hazelnut meal from growers just down the road from the restaurant in Cornelius, OR. Last time I visited, the shake flavor was blackberry. Yeah, blackberry, all of which were grown in Oregon, of course. Love it.

Uwajimaya Market

I am freshly returned from a little excursion to Portland, OR to visit sisters and friends. It was a great trip and we did many fun and memorable things. One day was devoted exclusively to shopping ethnic markets, my favorite being Uwajimaya Market in Beaverton. Kate, Natalie and I spent hours here, and upon leaving I felt as though I'd just been on a whirlwind tour of Asia.


Tropical Fruits

Some highlights include these colorful and exotic fruits. I can identify three of four starting with mangosteens in the top right corner, rambutan in the bottom left, and dragon fruit in the bottom right. It was amazing to find these here. If I'm not mistaken, it's only been in the last year or two that mangosteens are even able to be imported to the States. I felt like I was back at a big open air market in Bangkok, except it smelled better inside Uwajimaya.


Interesting Bottles and Cans

We stumbled across these interesting finds including the bottled ginseng root and a very eye catching clear can of soda.


Rice Wine

Shelves and shelves of colorfully labeled rice wines were delightful.


Lucky Cats

Lucky cats in every color and size, just in time for Chinese New Year.


Red Snapper...

...I think, but lovely nonetheless. Notice the clear eyes denoting freshness.


Cock Brand Tapioca Balls

This is a little Dinner Club inside joke, that isn't too difficult to figure out. We bought these and fat straws to make bubble tea at home. As we like to say in Dinner Club, it's better with balls.

It was a fantastic adventure and I'm envious of you Portlanders (and you Seattlites) who have this amazing store at your disposal, with all it's exotic treats and inspiring supplies. We went home and made some delicious miang kam, red curry and bubble tea for dessert.