Greek Turkey Burgers

Over the summer, I had a plethora of cucumbers to use. From my small porch garden, the cucumbers were the most productive this year. And since I can only tolerate so many pickles and salads, it was time to go Greek. One of my favorite Mediterranean sauces is tzatziki, a cucumber-yogurt sauce served on gyros and souvlaki. So, with the help of a Bon Appetit magazine recipe, I decided to make Greek turkey burgers (or in Iron Chef speak "turkey burgers with cucumber 2 ways").

Greek Turkey Burgers
Makes 4 servings. Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine.

Ingredients
1 1/3 lbs ground turkey
4 oz feta
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup cucumber, grated
6 oz Greek yogurt
1 tbsp mint, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
Lettuce, for topping
Tomato, sliced, for topping
Cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise, for topping
Peperoncini, for garnish

Directions


For this recipe, I used the "Pheta Cheese" from the local Chapel Hill Creamery. It came in large blocks in a salty brine. It wasn't as soft as some fetas, but it was still very a very tasty cheese. Stir together the turkey, feta, red onion, oregano, lemon zest, and salt, making sure not to overmix. Shape mixture into 4 patties, about 1/2" thick.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Place burgers on the grill and cook each about 5 minutes per side or until they are done all the way through. Remember, this is poultry and not beef, so there's a fine line between fully cooked (not pink) and dried out.

Stir together cucumber, yogurt, mint, and 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl. To assemble burgers, spread buns with tzatziki and load with burger and toppings of your choice. Garnish plate with peperoncini. I also prepared some oven roasted potato wedges to serve on the side that I seasoned with salt, pepper, and dried oregano.


I love burgers because they can make for a quick dinner on a busy weekday night. Form 'em, grill 'em and eat 'em. These burgers tasted great without being too greasy. In fact, the yogurt sauce and cucumbers gave them a fresh taste. Feel free to use whatever fresh herbs you want in the tzatziki. The mint in this version is a traditional Greek flavor, but fresh oregano, parsley or thyme could be great. So take a break from the weekly plain cheeseburger and go Greek!

NC State Fair 2010

It's time for the North Carolina State Fair! Between the State Fair and the Renaissance Fair, fall is one of the best times of the year. Once the weather breaks and the sweltering heat stops, it's time to eat to your heart's content, hit the rides until you feel sick, win some prizes, then start all over again. The newest feature at the website is that you can search for any of the rides/games/food that you want. That way you can build a map of all the places you want to go on your visit. If you are iPhone-inclined, they also have an app for that. Here are my favorite food finds from this year's fair:


We started the day light with an ear of roasted corn. The ears are roasted en masse until the husk is charred. They are served up plain or dipped in melted butter. Then you have your choice of various toppings, including but not limited to salt, pepper, lemon-pepper, poultry seasoning, Parmesan cheese, and mayonnaise. The corn tastes great and it may be one of the healthiest items you find at the fair, certainly the only one that came directly off a plant.


Chocolate-covered bacon was a big hit at last year's fair and it is back and as good as ever. The bacon itself is crisp and salty-sweet. It is dipped in a thick layer of good chocolate, then topped with sprinkles or other decorations. It is a little expensive for a single piece of bacon, but you won't be complaining once you bite through the chocolate shell. Just be sure to get your bacon from Steph's Strawberries as some of the other versions fall short on Steph's level of quality.


GGB of Raleigh has their first stand at the fair, selling the world's largest gummies. They are famous for their 5lb gummy bears and now offer a variety of other treats including a 3lb gummy worm that is about 2 feet long, gummy shot glasses, gummy tongues, and smaller 1lb gummy bears on sticks that come in about 10 flavors. Unfortunately, my stomach did not let me try these intriguing confections, but if you can find some friends to share, this would be a great novelty.


One of the most intriguing new offerings at this year's fair are Koolaid pickles. Before you gag at the thought, hear me out. The vendors take a jar of Mt. Olive bread'n'butter pickles, dump out the brine, and put in some red Koolaid. The outside of the pickles is a bright red color, but the interior of the pickle is that same odd shade of green. I've never been a fan of bread'n'butter pickles, but this version was actually quite tasty. The Koolaid sweetened the pickles up just a tad and made their flavor more interesting. If you're feeling adventurous (which you should be at the fair), buy a set of these pickles and see what you think. If all else fails, you can just throw them at one of the game stalls and see if you win a prize.


State Fairs from Texas to North Carolina are known for bringing the best and worst in fried foods. The Lone Star State takes the cake (or Twinkie) when it comes to fried food. Vendors compete for the best new fried food, inventing such odd offerings as fried Coca Cola, fried beer, and even fried butter. Many of these new ideas get to the NC State Fair, and the popular ones like fried Oreos become permanent parts of the menu.


Can a funnel cake be gourmet? Yes, yes it can. Funnel cakes have long been part of fairs. A batter is streamed into fry oil and allowed to cook until a puffed nest forms. Some vendors top them with a thick layer of powdered sugar. But the newest addition to this lineage is the gourmet funnel cake, coming in 6 flavors like apple and chocolate obsession (pictured above), which is a chocolate funnel cake topped with chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. It is truly decadent and very difficult to stop eating. One drawback of most funnel cakes is that after a few bites you're pretty much tired of the taste of fried batter, but these gourmet cakes keep you wanting more even after you've cleaned your paper plate.


The newest of the things-you-thought-they-would-never-fry category are the fried Chips Ahoy and the fried Honeybun. The Chips Ahoy, much like the fried Oreo, becomes much softer in the fryer, but it brings a lot less flavor than that chocolate cookie. All you end up with is a piece of fried batter surrounding some chocolate chips. The Honeybun, on the other hand, was marvelous. There is a lot of fried batter to get through with it, so it is best to split this behemoth. The Honeybun is heated in the frying process, making it taste absolutely delicious and wonderfully moist.


The last new item that is definitely worth mentioning was by far my favorite food at this year's fair. It is the *brace yourself* Krispie Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger. If it sounds gross, wait for it. Burger + bacon + random unnecessary toppings + cheese + 2 Krispie Kreme donuts = pure bliss. If you've ever had a McGriddle from McDonald's, this monster is very similar. It is mostly sweet with a bit of savory in the middle from the burger and cheese. The bacon unites it all (because let's face it, bacon is magical and can bring people together). Like many foods at the fair, I split this with a group of people, but this was the only food I was sad that I could only eat my share and not the entire thing. This burger was transcendentally wonderful and if you can't get to the fair to have one this year, you should make it at home.

The fair, overall, was a monumental success. Not only am I still an ace at the water-shooting games, but I went home feeling fully satisfied that I had eaten the best of this year's fair. If you live in the area and have time between now and Sunday, go to the fairgrounds. It does not matter if there are throngs of people. All that matters is that you have the chance to enjoy this unique slice of the American lifestyle.

Lamb Kofte

In my search for new and different meals to bring for lunch, I stumbled across this Bon Appetit recipe for lamb kofte. I wanted food that was portable and utensil-less, making for easy eating during the work day. I've always found it weird to wield a fork a knife to cut a piece of chicken inside of a Gladware container. Lunch should not be a struggle, but rather a small moment of respite.

Enter the lamb kofte. Pita is a great option when another ham sandwich won't cut it. Of course, you could just make a ham pita. But instead of letting your lunch fall flat, let it fall on flatbread. Let's put some flavor into the mid-day meal with this Middle Eastern classic.

Lamb Kofte
Yields 6 servings, adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine

Ingredients
Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
Kofte
2 lbs ground lamb
1/2 cup fresh mint, minced
1/2 cup onion, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
6 pitas
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large onions, halved and sliced
Muhammara
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions
For the yogurt sauce, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill.


For the kofte, gently mix lamb, mint, onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Use gentle motions and don't overwork the meat or else you'll have tough meatballs. Roll the mixture into 1.5" meatballs. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap.


Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Saute until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Set aside.


To make the muhammara, add roasted red peppers to the same skillet used to cook the onions, stirring for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup water and 2 tbsp molasses (pomegranate if you wish). Bring to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits. Cook until reduced to 2/3 cup, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Mix in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then transfer to a small bowl.

Add 1 tbsp oil to the skillet and place over medium-high heat. Saute the meatballs in batches until just cooked through, 7-8 minutes.


To assemble the pitas, tuck the meatballs in the pocket (or place on flatbread if that's what you prefer). Top with onions, muhammara and tahini sauce. You can eat it cold or warm, depending on what you like.

What a perfect lunch this sandwich makes. No sliced deli meat and wilted lettuce. Instead, it's packed with delicious Middle Eastern flavors with that lovely caramelization in the background to unite it all. Tired of the usual bag lunch? Then you should opt for something decidedly international, but still totally portable.

Fiore's & Carlo's Bakery - Hoboken, NJ

While New York City has more to explore than can be accomplished on any one trip, New Jersey sits right across the river. We decided to make a pilgrimage to see what Jersey had to offer.

Since it was lunchtime when we arrived by ferry to Hoboken, we found a truly authentic Italian deli at Fiore's. In my previous post, I wrote of the Carnegie Deli as a truly New York-style deli. While New York has a great deal of Italian influences, the Carnegie Deli has more of a Jewish feel. Fiore's is definitely Italian (or Italian-American, depending on which way you slice it).

After entering the deli and taking in the fact that there is no visible menu, you start to mimic the other patrons (almost like Jane Goodall). You select a poppy seed roll or a longer baguette and hand it to the next available sandwich-man. I ended up choosing a meat at random and hoping for the best. The man disappears behind a very tall counter and emerges on the other side by a selection of toppings.


In the end, we ordered a roast beef sandwich and a capicola sandwich, both with slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. These sandwiches were absolutely monstrous. The meat was very high quality (yes, better than Boar's head), but the toppings really make the sandwich delicious. The fresh mozzarella was moist, creamy and without that odd rubber they sometimes have. This is, hands down, the best mozzarella I've found outside of Italy. To top it off, the sun-dried tomatoes were tender and packed in some extra flavor to round out the sandwiches. No wonder their tagline is "House of Quality."


Anyone who loves TV shows about cake-baking (and there are many at the moment) probably knows about Cake Boss. Buddy Valastro is a native Jersey-ite (in case you couldn't tell from his accent and grammar) who has an artistic eye when it comes to making cakes and desserts. His work is rooted in the recipes handed down to him by his father, but he is not afraid to break with tradition when necessary. The show usually features two cake projects, one of which puts Buddy and his crew (sua famiglia) in an interesting situation (jousting, Polar Bear Club swimming, etc.).

Part of my goal for this trip across the river was to visit Carlo's Bakery, the headquarters of everything Cake Boss. I wanted to buy a couple desserts, maybe see one of the family members, snap a couple quick pictures, and, if fate smiled upon me, get caught on camera. Apparently fate was smacking us upside the head that day. At first glance, there was a bit of a line to get into the bakery, but upon closer inspection this line stretched from one block and all the way down the next. Some were estimating that it was 2-3 hours long! I love me some dessert and Cake Boss, but that is not worth 2-3 hours of vacation time. We did get to peek through the windows a bit, but did not see any of our favorite people, just a bunch of bakery lackeys. So we went back to New York just a little downtrodden, but our stomachs were full of delicious Italian sandwiches, so it was not all that bad.

Carnegie Deli - NYC

The adventures in New York City continue! I love immersing myself in the cultural traditions of whatever area I visit. Even with all of the various cultural influences in any metropolis, there are some foods that are decidedly New York. One restaurant that I love to visit that serves a classic NYC menu is The Carnegie Deli. This eatery is nearly three-quarters of a century old, but the food is as fresh and tasty as you'll find anywhere in Manhattan. This restaurant is a typical New York-style deli with obvious Jewish influences (matzoh balls and knishes are proudly displayed at the long to-go service counter). They keep the food straightforward (simple is too, well, simplistic) but never compromise on flavor.

After sitting at our table in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning, we perused the menu for a while, trying to find the one thing we would order among the myriad of deletable possibilities. If they ever invent a bottomless stomach, it would make choices like this so much easier. Meanwhile, piles of sliced meats kept passing our table and immense cakes spinning in a cooler case were visible from my seat, a prelude of tastes to come.


After you order, a huge pile of pickles appears at the table. These Kosher dills are beautifully pickled, not as much as the ones in the store. They are perfectly crisp but packed with garlic acidity. Pickles at 11am does not usually sound like a good idea, but it's hard not to partake. When in Rome...


Unlike most restaurants, this deli does not attempt to have all entrees reach the table at the same time. If you order one of their sandwiches, it will be out faster than you can spell "gefilte fish." They slice the hot deli meats to order. I ordered hot pastrami on rye, which was about 5-6 inches tall in the middle of the sandwich. Most of the sandwiches passing by were combinations of hot pastrami and corned beef that were twice as thick as mine, but I decided to get the "lite" version. The meat was sumptuously warmed and just melted in your mouth from the marbled fat throughout. I had to eat half the meat with a fork, but that was not a problem. If you make food tasty enough, it does not matter how you have to eat it. Once the sandwich was manageable, I applied a smidge of deli mustard to the bread and devoured this hand-held wonder in short order.


The other entree we ordered which came out about 10 minutes after the sandwich was a trio of blintzes. This breakfast fare is a little like a sweet burrito. The shell is very thin and a bit crispy. The innards can be a variety of flavors and we selected cheese (a sweetened ricotta-like cheese filling) and strawberry (tasted more fresh than the saccharine berry gel you buy at the store). Both types had an amazing flavor that really is a must if you've never tried them.


As if all that was not enough, I was not going to leave without some dessert. While the Carnegie Deli's sandwiches and entrees are awesome, they have some of my favorite New York-style cheesecake in all of Manhattan. Cheesecakes come in many flavors, but the major difference between them all is texture. Some are more gritty from the incorporation of ricotta. Others are very dense (a la Cheesecake Factory) or crumbly. But in New York, you find the richest, creamiest, dreamiest cheesecake known to mankind. The Carnegie Deli makes cheesecakes in this traditional fashion, even including some fruit on top in case you need some antioxidants. It is hard to describe just how astonishingly creamy this cheesecake is, but it's almost like eating a block of sweetened, flavored cream cheese. The crust is tender enough to add a little different texture to the cake, but it does not distract you from the goods in the center of your slice. The deli sells cheesecakes from 6" to 12" in a few different flavors. They will even ship the cheesecakes overnight to anywhere in the country. The next time I'm in the mood, I might do this instead of going all the way to New York for a slice.

The Carnegie Deli is a wonderful experience that showcases New York's traditional food offerings. Like many institutions on the island, the walls are covered with signed photographs of various celebrities (we had Bret "Hitman" Hart watching over us during our meal). The restaurant is open from 6:30am until 4am and it can get quite busy during peak hours. Try to find an off time to go if you don't want to wait in line. And you can always arrange for a Carnegie Deli package to come to you via Fed-Ex.

Coffee-Rubbed Cheeseburgers

I'm not sure I understand why, but during the heat of summer people love to fire up their grills. I think grilling is something that would work better in spring or fall when the weather is more fair. But there is something freeing and relaxing about cooking outside after life has slowed down for summer. And there's nothing that is better suited for the grill than burgers.

There are a near infinite number of ideas and flavors and permutations thereof when it comes to burgers. They can be big or small; beef, pork, turkey, veggie, or a combination; have cheese or not; bacon or not; lettuce, tomato, onion, or other toppings; mayo, mustard, ketchup, guacamole, chimichurri, tzatziki, satay, or any other sauce. From this myriad of flavors, I decided to go a smokey, earthy route using this recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine.

Barbecue sauce is very easy to make. In 20 minutes, you can have your own sauce fit to your tastes and needs. No more putting up with gritty, overtly sweet mixtures from the supermarket.

Texas Barbecue Sauce
Makes about 1.5 cups

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 chipotle, minced (from a can in adobo sauce)
1/4 tsp cayenne

Directions
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, cooking until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce sauce until it is about 1.5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If not using right away, put in a storage container and chill in the fridge.

Coffee-Rubbed Cheeseburgers
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
Coffee Rub
1 tbsp ground coffee (not flavored)
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt

Burgers
8 bacon slices
1 lb ground chuck
1 lb ground sirloin
8 slices smoked provolone
8 hamburger buns
8 slices of red onion
8 slices of tomato

Directions
For the coffee rub, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towels and break in half. Set aside.

Mix ground meats in a large bowl. Form into 8 patties about 4 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Making an indentation (dimple) in the burger so that it cooks evenly.


Prepare barbecue with medium-high heat. Press in about 1 tsp of the coffee rub onto both sides of the burger, then place onto grill. Cook until desired doneness, flipping halfway through. Top each burger with 2 slices of bacon and 1 slice of provolone, cooking until the cheese melts. Place burgers on buns and top with onion, tomato and some barbecue sauce. Cover with top buns and serve with additional barbecue sauce on the side.


These burgers were quite amazing. When each portion of a dish is well-seasoned, then you end up with something simply sublime. Everything exuded a smokiness, from the coffee in the rub to the bacon to the cheese to the sauce to the grill-marks. The coffee deepened the flavor of the burger and accentuated the barbecue sauce. These were everything burgers should be. Bold flavors, hearty and messy. I was most intrigued to cook with coffee, but it really is just a minor part of a wonderful burger creation.

Strawberry-Turkey Panino

After an afternoon of jamming, I wanted a strawberry-themed lunch without resorting to a salad. Luckily, Southern Living had a recipe for a sandwich using fresh strawberries. I changed a little bit to suit my own needs and pantry, but the spirit of the sandwich remains the same.


I started with two slices of whole wheat bread and built my sandwich containing 5 slices of smoked turkey lunch meat, 1 slice of muenster cheese, 4 basil leaves, and three sliced strawberries. Be sure to keep the cheese to the outside and the berries and basil to the inside of the sandwich to get the cheese melty but the produce still whole.


For equipment, I used my George Foreman grill. No need to buy a separate panini press when a nearly ubiquitous Foreman grill works just as well. I buttered both sides of the sandwich to get a good crust and put the sandwich on for just a couple minutes.


In less than five minutes I made myself a hot and berry-licious lunch sandwich. The original recipe calls for brie instead of muenster, but I feel they both work well with the strawberries and the turkey. The cheese doesn't overwhelm the smokey flavor of the meat or the luscious berries. And the basil adds a fresh pop of licoriceness to add extra intrigue. I would recommend using a sturdier bread such as Italian when making the sandwich so it does not look quite as flattened as mine, but other than that this idea for a lunch is both simple and flavorful.

I don't like to harp on grammar since I'm sure I make all sorts of egregious errors, but it is worth noting something that has been bothering me for some time. The Italian word for "sandwich" is "panino." When plural, it becomes "panini." So if you are referring to a single grilled sandwich, it is a panino, not a panini. And, worst of all, "paninis" is not a word as it would be the same as saying "sandwhicheses." We all have our pet peeves and this just happens to be one of mine, so thanks for bearing with me.

Patty Melts

One of my longtime favorite greasy-spoon indulgences is the patty melt. Grease from meat, cheese and butter combine with bread and onions in a wonderful sandwich. In essence, the patties are flattened hamburgers, so this recipe is no more difficult than making a Cheddar cheeseburger. But its sumptuousness extends beyond that of your everyday burger, especially since you leave off most of the vegetables.


Patty Melt, recipe from Saveur Magazine
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
1.5 lbs ground beef
Kosher salt
Black pepper
5T canola oil
2 yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
12 slices rye bread
12 slices Cheddar cheese
8T unsalted butter, softened

Instructions
1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Divide the meat into six 1/4-inch thick patties.

2. Heat 2T oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 12 minutes. Set the onions aside and wipe out skillet. Working in batches, heat 1T oil in skillet over high heat and cook patties, flipping once, until well browned, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to plate.

3. Top each of 6 bread slices with some onions, one slice of cheese and a burger patty. Top each burger with another slice of cheese and a piece of bread (I omitted the second piece of cheese). Spread butter over the top and bottom of each sandwich.

4. Heat skillet over medium heat and cook sandwiches, flipping once, until golden brown and heated through, about 6 minutes.

On the Road Eats - Our Daily Bread & Espresso News

Before leaving Boone, NC, we had two further stops for lunch and an afternoon pick-me-up. For such a small town, Boone has a goodly number of local eateries that are worth the trip. Many of them are closer to the side of town with Appalachian State. One great thing about North Carolina that I've found in after moving here over a year ago is that there are enough good local restaurants to compete with the big chains. I think getting off the beaten path is healthy for the body and soul. Studies have shown that eating a variety of foods helps you get all the nutrient your body requires. So going to Outback and ordering the same meal every week could have an effect worse than just the calories you're taking in. Plus, if you become bored with what you eat, you're more likely to seek out snacks and treats. Now I'll get off my soapbox and sit down at the table at these two Boone establishments.


Our Daily Bread has, over time, slowly transformed into a casual yet modern bistro. Their menu comes in two flavors - meatatarian and vegetarian (my words, not theirs). They have an extensive selection within each category, so if you can't find something to eat, then you probably just plain don't like sandwiches.


This is the brie BLT (brie-LT?), that is a normal BLT plus sliced, melted brie and slices of green apple. What a marvel this sandwich turned out to be! Some cheeses, like brie, are an order of magnitude better when warm. Add in some salty bacon plus the sweet and crisp apple slices and you've got a winner. A side of Southern potato salad finished off this lunch well.


From the vegetarian side of the menu comes the tempeh ruben. A normal ruben has pastrami, saurkraut, Swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing on rye bread. A tempeh ruben substitutes tempeh for the pastrami and, oddly enough, Dijon mustard for the dressing. Name-wise, it is more in line with a pastrami sandwich (I'm not sure if thousand island dressing has meat or animal-derived products in it), but flavorwise it is unparalleled. If meat substitutes were always cooked like this, I think more Americans would be open to incorporating them into the diet (which could, in turn, decrease the carbon footprint from livestock). I'm not advocating a completely vegetarian, let alone vegan, lifestyle since meat is so tasty and chock-full-o-protein, but trying something new could go a long way.


Tucked away behind some buildings is Espresso News, one of the local coffee shops for all the java jockeys. Not only are the coffees pretty good, but they also have smoothies in great flavor combinations that only a coffee house could do well. For instance, I ordered the chai-nana (chai + banana) smoothie. I love chai tea for all of the warm spice flavors it has. Add a banana and you've got a winning combination that almost tasted like caramel. Sweet.

Ted's Montana Grill - 7/29/2009

I love trying new meats. I like to live my life like Noah from the Bible, except I'm eating two of every animal. When I found out I had the chance to try bison, I was chomping at the bit. We went to Ted's Montana Grill, where they have a giant bison's head hung on the wall to ward off vegetarians. I ordered a bison burger with Monterrey jack cheese, onions and mushrooms. The menu is chiefly devoted to burgers, available in beef or bison, and chicken sandwiches. The bison meat itself is actually lighter and almost fluffy compared to a beef burger. It was still a little greasy as all burgers should be, but it didn't form a ball in my stomach afterwards. The only drawback to the burger was the fact that the toppings absolutely refused to stay on the bun. It was all very tasty, but just architecturally unsound.


I'm not normally a grilled chicken sandwich eater, but I may make an exception for this one. The chicken has some potent seasoning on it that actually gives it some flavor. That and it was very moist and there was more chicken than bread. On the side were some monstrous onion rings that fulfilled that occasional need I have to consume fried food. All in all, Ted's was a good experience for us carnivores, especially since I managed to add another animal to my growing list consumable critters.

Sweets & Simplicity - 2/22/2009

I had a good deal of leftovers from last week's meals, so I have mostly simple dishes for this post. But don't get me wrong, that does not mean any of this is light on flavor.


I read in one of my magazines about a salad with tuna and egg, which gave me the idea for this lunch. My tuna salad sandwiches are usually nothing special. But for this salad, I pretty much combined egg salad and tuna salad (why choose, right?). I used one of the flavored tunas, in this case garlic-flavored. To this I added probably about 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, a little salt, pepper, capers, and halved Spanish olives, and mixed everything nicely. While this was going on, I was boiling my eggs. I find if you put the eggs in the water, then bring it to a boil over high heat, then time seven (maybe even eight) minutes, the eggs come out perfect every time: cooked through but nothing is hard or rubbery. The keys for this is to use fresher eggs and to shock them in an ice bath after cooking. That way the eggs peel very easily and do not crack while boiling. Anyways, back to the sandwich. I coarsely cut up my eggs and mixed them into the salad. I put all of this atop some spray-buttered toast in an open-face sandwich (I've never managed to fit all of a tuna or egg salad on a closed sandwhich). The egg whites add some nice protein and a different texture to the salad while the yolk makes it a little creamier and the olives and capers add some nice salty flavor. The end result is what I call tuna salad Nicoise.


While I am controlling my portions and appetite, that does not stop my craving for something sweet. I have been eating the low calorie pre-made Jell-o pudding cups, but sometimes the flavor is just not as good. In order to make up for that, I made this small confection. I bought one of the sugar-free Jell-o chocolate pudding mixes and, while preparing it according to package directions (which can really be condensed to "mix with milk"), I mixed in some powdered ginger, powdered cloves and powdered cinnamon to the mix. These warm spices helped to distract my tongue from the weirdness of the sugar substitute, so I would recommend this trick to anyone who wants to add a little spice to their diet.


Today at the grocery store, I found calamari steaks again and I decided to cook them for dinner since the last time I bought them I did not cook them before they started to smell. I marinated the steaks for an hour in a combination of hoisin, black bean sauce, sesame oil, mirin, minced ginger, sliced and dried garlic, and soy sauce (yes, I pretty much combined most things Asian that I had). Meanwhile, I prepared the brussels sprouts: halved them, oiled them up with salt and pepper, then baked them at high heat for 10 minutes. Next I tossed the sprouts with some caraway seeds and baked them for another 10 minutes until they were nicely browned all over. Back to the calamari, I grilled the steaks over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side (don't overcook seafood), and assembled my plate with some rice cooked in chicken stock and dried garlic. Brussels sprouts can be quite tasty if prepared fresh and simply. They're almost like little cabbages. The calamari was tender and delicious and went nicely with everything else. Start to finish I probably cooked this all in 30 minutes, including clean-up time. Even Rachel Ray can't do that.


One of my classmates had a get-together earlier in the week, meaning I had an excuse to make something sweet and delicious. I wanted something simple and not over-the-top. A friend recommended Rice Krispie treats, but I felt that was a little too...normal. So I did the same thing with Captain Crunch with Crunchberries and Reese's Puffs. You melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, then add 10 ounces of marshmallows to melt them down. Remove the pan from the heat and add 6 cups of cereal. Press this into a greased baking dish and allow it to cool. I find it cuts easier if you cool it in the freezer for about 15 minutes. This recipe is easy to multiply and make with other cereals, though some cereals may require tweaking of the marshmallow mixture, but most people don't care about it. This treats tasted good and got rave reviews from everyone at the shindig. Lesson of the week is to KISS: Keep It Simple and Sweet (or Knights in Satan's Service for old-school rock n roll fans).

Burger Piccata - 05/18/08

I was watching a show on Food Network that showed a competition to build a better burger. I decided to recreate my own challenge at home.


My idea was burger piccata. I wanted to infuse the flavors of a piccata dish into a burger. My original intent was to use ground turkey or chicken, but, much to my chagrin, the store was out of both. I ended up using ground pork since I did not think ground beef would handle the flavors well. I found a nice pane rustico with rosemary for the bun. To the pork I added capers (with some of their juices), salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and a little rosemary to echo the flavor in the bread. For the lemon flavor, I made a lemon butter sauce using butter, garlic, onion, lemon zest, and lemon juice. After cooking the burgers until they were done but still moist, I put them on the bun, spooned on some sauce and arranged some arugula on top for a nice peppery bite. I think this burger was a good effort, but I need to incorporate more lemon flavor in the meat itself. Maybe some lemon zest would help. The capers went well with the meat though and made a nice, flavorful addition.

Seafood Po' Boy - 4/2/08

I like to go to the store without a food plan sometimes and just see what inspires me. That is where these ideas came from.


One of the local seafood specials was fresh bay scallops and there were also some nice peeled and deveined shrimp. I always choose the peeled and deveined shrimp because there's no reason to have to peel and devein your own shrimp. I decided to make a seafood po' boy. I grabbed some fresh tomatoes and dill for the seafood along with some small French baguettes (the size of a sandwich). Staring at me in the face from the seafood counter were some spaghetti squash, so I grabbed one of those too.

A po' boy is pretty much a seafood sandwich. Most are flavored with Cajun spices as they come from Southern areas like Louisiana (think Emeril, but less pork fat and Oreos). The seafood is also mostly fried and held together with a mayonnaise-based sauce. Since I was not in the mood to gorge on some ridiculous amount of calories, I made this as a saute. I heated up some butter in a pan and added some garlic. I added the shrimp and let them cook a bit before adding in the scallops. I only let the seafood cook for a minute or so until it was opaque (unless you like the feel of eating erasers, then you can cook it longer). While it was cooking, I added some lemon juice and chives. Then I added the chopped tomatoes to let them heat up while the seafood finished cooking. Right before adding the seafood to the bread, I added the chopped dill. You can also season this mixture with some Old Bay seasoning, tartar sauce, or any other sea-foody sauce.

Spaghetti squash is a delicious, versatile vegetable. It gets its name from the fact that the flesh comes out as strings that resemble spaghetti. To prepare it, you must first cut it in half. This is not an easy feat, so be prepared for a struggle, especially if you do not have a big knife. Scoop out the seeds from the very center. Place each half flat-side down in a microwave- or oven-safe dish. Fill the bottom of the pan with some water and cover it with some parchment paper. You can either microwave if for about 25 minutes or bake it in the oven. It's done when the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Allow the squash to cool slightly before shredding the flesh with a fork into a bowl. Now is the time when you can flavor the squash with whatever you want. I made this batch Italian-style by adding some parsley, oregano, Romano cheese, salt, and pepper. The squash has very few calories, so it is a good substitute for spaghetti in almost any dish. My mom has even mentioned making desserts with it. If you want to keep it simple, just use some spray butter (Parkay's is the best), salt and pepper on it.

Ham-Burger - 9/30/2007

I had a good deal of extra ham steak, so I decided to make another type of ham sandwich. This one is more traditional American in inspiration. I found mini square bagels from Thomas' in the grocery store. They were too cool and different to pass up. I grilled the ham the same way as yesterday and put it on the bagel. In hindsight, it may have been better to toast the bagel a bit to add some stability, but it was fine without doing that too. I sliced up some tomato and added pre-chopped lettuce (you can see the bag in the background). On the top part of the bagel, I smeared on some honey mustard. Around holiday time, this could also be good with some cranberry sauce added to it. Since these bagels are not so mini, I did not make a side dish. Otherwise I would have exploded.

Hawaiian Hammy Sammy - 9/29/2007

I had the hankering to make some sort of sandwich using ham steaks and one of my favorite pairings with ham (especially on pizza) is pineapple. I put together the details for this sandwich and side dish based on that.


Originally, I thought about putting the sandwich on a large honey wheat bun, but then I was struck by inspiration: Hawaiian rolls. Each person would receive three mini-sammies. I cut up the ham steak into roll-sized pieces then pan friend them with butter. On top of that is a piece of pineapple. For an extra boost of flavor, I used an orange glaze that I parasitized from Tyler Florence. For decoration, I used another chunk of pineapple because I forgot I had bought a starfruit. I wanted to put a slice of starfruit at an angle on top of each sammy, but I guess I'll have to do it next time.


On the side, I have rice with some cashews and raisins mixed in for that extra tropical island flare. I like my nuts crunchy and as these absorbed liquid, they became a bit more chewy, but it still tasted good and went well with the sammies.