Chili Dogs and the Saga of Cheese Whiz or Not

 

 

Who doesn't like Chili Dogs? 
Well, Tim told me they are always better when they are Chili Cheese Dogs so when I was going to make them a few years ago, I was thinking some nicely grated sharp aged Cheddar.

So, I got all of the ingredients together.   An awesome batch of chili (recipe to follow some day), chopped onions, Ambassador Wieners, sour cream and fresh wheat bakery buns.

 

 

However, to my dismay, Tim came home with a jar of Cheez Whiz.    Really? Cheez Whiz? Is that even a food?

 





 

Well, he told me to trust him.    We grilled the dogs, heated the chili and slathered the Cheez Whiz on the bun before assembling.    The heat from the dogs and chili melted the Cheez Whiz and I was sold.   I really hate to admit it, and we don't often buy processed anything but this is quite good.   O.k., an old dog can be trained with old tricks!  I am however, not convinced this is a true food but it works.

 

Shirley's Pineapple Upside down Cake

 

This is an old fashioned cake and is absolutely awesome.   It is my Moms recipe and believe me, I have tried others and they do not hold a candle.   Mom has been making this cake as long as I can remember (we won't go into detail as to what that means), and I just needed to get the recipe and make it myself.  My favorite kitchen activity is cooking, not baking, but this is easy, pretty and delicious!.

Recipe

1/4 cup butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
Canned Pineapple slices
Bottled Marashino cherries

Grease an oven safe cast iron frying pan with the butter, top with brown sugar and then arrange the pineapple slices on the bottom, inserting a cherry in every middle.  If you don't like the cherries, you can omit them, or try some toasted pecans.

Cake

3 egg yolks whisked
8 tbsp. of the pineapple juice from the can (I don't know why Mom's recipe didn't simply say 1/2 cup)
1 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Blend with a mixer then add until blended:

1 1/8 cup white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Finally whip the 3 egg whites to a soft peaks and fold into cake batter.  
Pour into pan.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.   Until the cake bounces up when touched or a tooth pick comes out clean after inserting.

Invert onto a cooling rack immediately removing it from the pan.

When cooled, serve with fresh whipped whipping cream and enjoy!

I made this for Valentines day and served the leftovers to the 'guys' after their fishing tournament.   They liked it so much, I think they forgot that they did not catch anything!

Sopa de Lima

 

 

AKA Lime Soup.    Do NOT run away!

 

This awesome soup is a speciality in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.  First time I heard of it I turned up my nose but tried it anyway.  YUMMY!!

 

This takes a while to make but is well worth the effort, it freezes well and is definately hearty enough for our colder climates.  I will add my comments as to how to speed things up and also where I have 'Americanized' the recipe.   For example, you would not see cheddar cheese as a condiment in Mexico but if you want it here, it works. 

 

Broth

 

 

 

In large stock pot add the carcus of one deli bought chicken, meat removed, shredded,  and saved for later.

 

Add:

1 onion quartered

1 rub celery quartered

2 peeled carrot quartered

1 head of garlic, cut in half (no need to peel each clove)

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

 

Cover with water (minimum of 10 cups), bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1.5-2 hours.   Strain out the carcus and vegetables, toss.  Return strained broth to stock pot and set aside. 

 

(or simply use 2 quarts of prepared chicken stock)

 

Soup

1 Medium sized sweet onion, chopped

1 Carrot, peeled and chopped (this is the American addition)

1 Rib celery chopped (another American addition)

2 Cloves garlic, chopped

1 Serrano chili, deveined, seeded and then minced

 

In frying pan saute vegetables above until tender but not mushy.  (approximately 5 minutes)

 

Add:

1 Can chopped tomatoes (15 oz)

1 4 oz can chopped green chilis

1 Tsp ground cumin

1 Tsp to 1 Tbsp Chipotle chili powder (adjusted for taste)

1 Tbsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)

1 tsp ground achiote (Mexican section of store- if you can't find it, don't worry about it)

 

When warm add to broth in stock pot with the chicken and the juice of 4 fresh limes.

 

Serve with:

 

Chopped cilantro

Shredded cheddar cheese

Lime slices

Chopped avocado

Lime wedges

Fried corn torilla strips  (Corn tortillas cut in strips and fried in 2 inches of hot oil until crisp- or simply pick up a bag of plain Tostitos and crush over soup in place of crackers)

 

These are simply placed on top of a bowl of soup.

 

This soup is SOOOO good and I have yet to meet someone that does not like it even though they had reservations when heard there was lime in it.  Just thinking about it reminds me of Mexico.

 



Thai Turkey Lettuce Boats

 

 

Easy, tasty, healthy, very fast yet likely a better warm weather choice.  Even Tim, "Mr. Potato" loves these...

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
3 chopped green onions including greens
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce (can be found in asian section of store)
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (red chili sauce-in asian section of store)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper

Garnishes
1 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup chopped salted peanuts
Chopped fresh cilantro

Washed and dried hearts of romaine lettuce

Cook ground turkey until browned, drain.  Add the remainder of the ingredients through the red pepper to the cooked turkey and stir until hot (approximately 4 minutes)

Place mixture on lettuce leaves and garnish.  Wrap lettuce around meat mixture and enjoy!

Note:  The Sriracha sauce is a good condiment on hand for many dishes.  Also, lettuce like Bibb lettuce would make very nice wraps, but I happened to have the Romaine on hand and therefore they became 'boats' instead.
Do not forget the garnishes

I'm not sure I would really put this in the authentic Thai category, but it is very good none the less.



Pet Medications

 

 

Do your 4 legged friends need unflavored medications?  This is a tough one:

1 Toasted English Muffin
Jiff peanut butter
Meds

2 of my dogs take either an aspirin or vetprofin depending on the day (1- torn acl, the other arthritis)
All three get glucosamine for their joints and simply so the youngest one doesn't feel left out.

Goes down like a charm and if the peanut butter sticks on the roof of their mouth, it is also very entertaining.

Have fun!



Picadilly Relish

 

Green tomatoes in your garden? 

 

The relish recipe below is from Tim's Mother, Jeanne.   Jeanne passed away a few years back and one great way to keep her fresh in our memory is to make some of the awesome things she made for her family.  I have the original, hand written recipe for this relish, which is on the back of some sort of receipt.  It is stained and nearly falling apart.  

 

With that said, this relish tastes wonderful, utilizes garden produce and is not just for hot dogs and hamburgers.   In our house, this relish is also the 'secret' ingredient in potato salad and pasta salads.  The sweet sour flavor adds that little bit of 'what is that'.  You will never buy a commercial pickle relish again.

 

These are the vegies you will need:

4 cups ground onion

1 medium head cabbage

12 green peppers

10 large green tomatoes

12 sweet red peppers

 

Shred all vegetables using shredder in the food processor.  Each vegetable should measure approximately 4 cups each after shredding.    Mix together. Sprinkle with 1/2-1 cup of kosher sale and let stand overnight.

 

Rinse and drain.

 

Brine

 

6 cups sugar (yes, 6 cups)

1 tbsp celery seed

2 tbsp mustard seed

1 1/2 tsp Tumeric powder

4 cups cider vinegar

2 cups water

 

 

 

Heat until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over rinsed and drained vegetables. Heat to a boil and simmmer for 3 minutes.

Seal in hot sterilized jars in a water bath for approximately 5 minutes. 

 

Store in a cool dry place and refridgerate after opening.  A sealed jar and the vinegar will keep this relish usable for well over a year.

 

Thank you Jeanne, until we meet again! 

Margherita Pizza

 

 

 

 

Garden fresh tomatoes and basil, fresh mozzarella, what more needs to be said?

 

Several years ago when I made this for Tim, he saw my ingredients on the counter and asked where the meat was and if the pizza included tequila.   Tim is of Irish descent and his palate at the time was meat and potatoes.   Did I say meat and potatoes?  Any deviation to the meat and potatoes, such as pizza needed to have several types of meat on it.  I told him to relax and just give it a try.  He looked at me cautiously, made sure he had a back up of some sort of meat and dug in.     He was sold!

 

 

This is so simple and so tasty it should be part of everyones  summer menu.

 

I for one do not make my own pizza crust.  I purchase the dough or buy a crust from the store.   Thus making this pretty easy.   I do however make my own tomato sauce becaue I usually have an abundance of tomatoes in August, I love garlic and it freezes well,

 

Pizza Sauce

 

1 entire head of garlic, cloves minced

2 quarts peeled and chopped roma tomatoes

1 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp oregano

 

Saute garlic in olive oil for a few minutes until fragrant but not browned, add tomatoes salt and oregano.  Simmer for approximately 45 minutes until it reaches the desierd thickness.    Personally, I keep this on the thin side.  When cooled place in a blender until smooth.  Freeze approximately in 1 to 1 1/2 cup amounts for future use. 

 

Yield 4 -5 pizzas

 

Margharita Pizza

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

 

1 pizza crust

1 cup pizza sauce

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly

2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sliced basil leaves

 

 

Spread pizza sauce over crust and arrange mozzarella and tomatoes atop.  Place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 16 minutes or until crust is golden.   Remove pizza, sprinkle with basil leaves. Let rest for 5 minutes, cut and enjoy!

 

Notes

 

Obviously make your own pizza dough if you so choose.

 

Roma tomatoes are very meaty, therefore a good choice for both the sauce and the pizza.   If you do not have romas, any larger tomato will do but they will need to be juiced and seeded to make sure the sauce is not water thin and the top of the pizza is not runny.