Harry & Izzy's - Indianapolis, IN

One of my favorite ways to travel is through food.  Yes, I like to try different types of food in my hometown to get an ‘out-of-town’ experience, but trying news foods in new places is infinitely better.   So in the days to follow, I will let you in on a few of my culinary road trip highlights:

This place was really put on the map by an episode of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” (spicy edition).  I believe it was Bobby Flay who wanted their spicy shrimp cocktail featured on the show, so of course, we dug right in to this raw horseradish-filled appetizer!          

This, obviously, was not the only thing we ate… We had a delicious bottle of wine, an order of fried green tomatoes (first ever and we fell in love), a Baked Tuscan pasta, an order of chopped steak with blue cheese and caramelized onions, and a delicious and creamy Crème Brulee for dessert.  Heaven.

 

   

More delicious food expeditions to follow in the near future!

Pat's Chili Dogs

Yummy, fun, fast, cheap: these all express a pretty well-kept secret of a Tucson original... a gem of a fast food chili dog joint, to be sure!

I had never even heard of Pat's until I met my husband.  Those who know me well know that one of my food weaknesses is fries, especially chili cheese fries, so my husband couldn't wait to introduce me to his favorite chili cheese fry place: Pat's.  It really is a tiny, old-fashioned, walk-up-to-the-window-to-order-then-eat-it-in-your-car type place, but it is oh so good. The atmosphere just might make you love it more.  There isn't any messing around with a white table cloth, and no one will judge if you don't use a napkin.  It is all about the food here, and that is what is taken seriously. 

So I will sum it up: Pat's is the place to go for a fun, cheap, fast food joint with exceptional and original food.  If you love a good chili cheese fry, their order will easily feed two to four people.  If you want to taste love in a hot dog, get one here (although you will probably want more, so at least order two!).  And, if you like it spicy, they bring the heat in their hottest chili!  If my husband says it's hot (which he does), then you know it's hot!  Now it is time to experience this for yourself!  Get out there and get a chili dog (or the chili cheese fries!)!

Green Chili Turkey Burgers

Summer!  Summer means grilling, which means a variety of meat, which inevitably means some type of burger at some point!  So here's my take on a delicious southwestern turkey burger (YUM!).

Mix about 1.25lbs of ground turkey with 1/3cup canned, diced green chili (about 3/4 of the large can of chilies).  Add about a tbsp garlic powder, about a tbsp chili powder, 1/4tsp freshly ground black pepper and about 1tsp salt... Mix (but don't over-mix).

Patty in to 4-5 burgers, depending on how big you want them to be (remember to indent the middle, as burgers will bulge in the middle as they cook!).  I made mine into 4 burgers which I felt were about perfect.  Now head out to your grill.  I would have, except as my husband went out to the grill, he realized our grill didn't work AND we were out of propane... so I used my electric griddle inside.  Still good, but I re-made these burgers later and actually grilled them and I have to admit, a real grill makes them about a thousand times more delicious. ;-)  Add a piece of swiss cheese at the end of the cooking to melt down...

Alright, so for the other components of the burger: caramelized onion!  I personally don't think any burger is complete without some form of onion, but for these, it's just necessary!  And, for the 'spread.'  Mix about 1/2cup light sour cream, 1 avocado and the rest of the green chilis together with a little salt and pepper to taste.  Load this onto your bun, place on the burger, top with the onions, cap it with the other bun half and dig in!

Bountiful Basket Numero Dos

Okay so this is one of the bountiful baskets from a few weeks ago... it was a pretty good one.  I loved everything in it, and the jicama was my 'challenge' ingredient which I made a yummy jicama-cucumber slaw out of!

So as you can see, the veggie half included: green beans, red potatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, lettuce and jicama...

and the fruit half included oranges, pinapple, blueberries, tomatoes, apples, a cantaloupe and bananas!

www.bountifulbaskets.org

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Take 2

Really... why even have a "Take 2" of an already delicious Banana Chocolate Chip muffin recipe?  Why mess with heavenly goodness?

Calories.

I'm back to the dieting/exercise phase in my life... 10 pounds off before I hit the road for a summer road trip in the end of June.  So that means none of those butter, oil and egg filled delectable muffins... and you know what?  I don't really miss them!

Here is a great recipe for low fat and low calorie muffins (only about 70 calories in each muffin, so you can eat two and not feel guilty!!).

Ingredients:

3 lg overripe bananas

1/8c non-fat milk

1/2c unsweetened applesauce

2 egg whites

3 tbsp mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1c rolled oats

1c AP flour

1tbsp baking powder

Throw it all in a bowl and mix (but again, don't overmix), then divide into 18 muffins.  Bake at 400F for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.  These muffins are a great on-the-go breakfast item.  Just toss them in pairs into the freezer, pull them out each morning when you get up and either toast them in a toaster over, or just let them defrost and eat when you are ready!  Enjoy!

Bountiful Basket Numero Uno

So this morning I headed out bright and early to get my first bountiful basket (yay!!).   My overall reaction?  Super!  It was really exciting because I love food, and I find this as a new food challenge.  If you like cooking and trying new foods, I really recommend this (yes, already).  Why?  Because it will challenge you to find new and interesting ways to cook food, or even try new foods.  

A little information about bountiful baskets... each week you can purchase a produce basket for a flat rate of $15 (plus $1.50 for handling) which will contain half fruits and half veggies.  Bountiful Baskets also offers many other 'add-ons' which you can purchase in addition to your basket (ex: $10 for 5 loaves of bread).  So for my first time (first timers also pay an extra $3 for the baskets), I just ordered the conventional basket.

Here is the low-down on what my baskets contained this week:

The vegetable half of my basket was good... contained carrots, lettuces, spinach, sweet potatoes, zucchini and asparagus.  The zucchini and asparagus are both beautiful and I can't wait to eat them... actually I will probably grill one of them tonight for dinner!  The only negative in the veggie half was that the lettuce is really limp already, so I will need to use it up quick, but other than that, there are no issues!

The fruit half of my basket was especially exciting!  In this half I got apples, tomatoes, mangoes, grapefruit, bananas and a cantaloupe. The tomatoes are very nice and I love apples and bananas so those will definitely be put to good use, but the other fruits I don't buy as often, especially mango.  The mangos are pretty ripe so I will probably find something fun to do with them today (see how this is already testing my food and creativity skills?!).  Everything else will be good for a week or two before they have to be eaten.

So, overall I am very happy with my first experience and I will try to occasionally add posts with what I received in my bountiful baskets week to week.  I encourage you to try it out!

www.bountifulbaskets.org

Rainy Day Chili

So whether it really is raining outside, or you just want a quick easy crock pot meal, this chili is the one!  I love chili… chili with cornbread, chili cheese fries, chili on hotdogs… I can eat it almost any way, and the best part is it can literally be assembled in 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs ground meat (I use ground turkey) –use however much you like, if you like it very meaty, add 2lbs, if you like it thinner, add less

1 small-medium onion

1 can pinto beans

1 can light kidney beans

1 can dark kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can chili beans (if your grocer doesn’t carry them, substitute with another can of your choice)

1 ½ - 2 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp chili powder

½ tsp red pepper flakes (change depending on how spicy you want it)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

So here is how it goes:

Cook your meat and saute your onion together until the meat is done and the onion is translucent.  Add it into your trusty crock pot.  Drain most of the juice off the beans and add to the crock pot.  Then add the rest of the ingredients, give it a stir and let it cook on low all day!  You will have a warm and hearty rainy day meal whenever you are ready for it!  And the best part (for me) is the leftovers!  Of course, you can still eat it as just chili... but my favorite thing is to add some french fries (steak fries or crinkle cut) and cheddar cheese and call it a day!

No-Rise Cinnamon Rolls

A few months ago I inherited the recipes of my husband's mother.  The tin of recipes came with a cooking weight larger than any I had ever known, as my versions of her recipes are meant to live up to the idolized foods my husband, his father and his brothers grew up with.  Good grief!  My saving grace?  Her recipes (or the ones they insist I recreate) are simple, easy and virtually fool proof.  Here is one that I instantly added to the quick and easy section of my recipe book:

No-Rise Cinnamon Rolls

The key here?  No-rise of course!  I love cinnamon rolls, especially ones fresh from the oven.  My issue is my patience.  As I have mentioned before, I don't really have the best baking skills (exact measuring, waiting for food to rise, etc.).  These cinnamon rolls, however, are not your normal cinnamon roll where you need to wake up at 4 in the morning to have them finished by 8am (and yes, my mom did this when I was in high school).

First, sift together 2 cups of flour, 3 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 cup white sugar.  After this is all sifted, cut in 1/2 cup shortening (butter flavored is best).  Cut this in much like a pie crust or biscuits, however the mixture will still be pretty dry and powdery.  Add 2/3-3/4 cup milk, depending on how much you need.  Usually, 2/3 cup or just over is fine for me.  Work this into a dough.  Turn it out onto a floured surface and kneed for 1-2 minutes or until a smooth ball is formed.

Roll out into the best rectangle you can get (mine is always an oval).  Cover it with 1/2 cup melted butter, and yes, use it all!  Then sprinkle the butter with about 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves and 1/2 freshly grated nutmeg.  I usually mix the spices into the butter for better distribution.  Now, add about 1/2 cup of white sugar on top of the butter and spices.  Time to roll! 

Roll up lengthwise and cut into rolls about 2 inches long.  Here is where you can be creative :) 

The first time I made these, I just put the rolls into a 9x13 and baked them.  They were delicious, but my husband said they looked nothing like his mom's.  The taste was the same, but they weren't the right shape.  So it turns out, his mother put each roll into a muffin tin to keep them separated and to give them uniformity in shape.  The woman was a genius.  Now, of course, I use her method of baking and it really does make some cute cinnamon rolls.
If you choose the 9x13 method (there really isn't anything wrong with this), they will need to be baked at 400F for about 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven.  If you use the muffin tin method, bake them at 400F for 20-30 minutes, once again depending on your oven.  Also, if you use dark or non-stick pans, the baking will take longer, but beware of the cinnamon rolls browning too fast!

The should look something like this when they are done if you use the muffin tin method:





Lastly, my husband's mother never used icing...  In fact, my husband's younger brother made sure that I knew his mother made her cinnamon rolls "dry" so that I would be sure to know that they never ate them with icing...  Well, I could eat them without icing (and the first time I made them, I did), but I also really love my icing--especially cream cheese based icing!  So, here again is another way for you to make these your own.  To ice or not to ice: that is the question!

Rosemary Gnocchi

 Left over mashed potatos...

Ever have one of those dinners where you really just went overboard on the potatoes?  Okay... I have a bit of a potato disability that causes me to always make more than enough of whatever potato dish I am working on... and that surely includes mashed potatoes.  Normally in my household, leftovers aren't a problem, however, mashed potatoes just are never as tasty the second time around.  So what do you do other than waste?  Well, today I chose to make gnocchi.  Yes it seems a little daunting, but honestly, it is my absolute favorite way to use leftover mashed potatoes.  It is a classic Italian dumpling and it is way easier and faster than any homemade 'pasta' I've seen!

Alright so dump the following ingredients into a large bowl:
-2 cups smoothly mashed potatoes
-1/2 cup parmesan
-1/2 to 1 cup of flour (depending on how moist your potatoes are, your dough should still be sticky but very thick)
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-2 tsp  dried rosemary
Mix it all well with your hands and then for my easy gnocchi making technique!

**A quick note of the rosemary:
I use dried because it has a stronger flavor than fresh and I can't grow anything for the life of me... but if you have fresh, feel free!  Also, it can be substituted if you have your own favorite herb (I also think thyme would be very nice...).  The trick for this is just to not overload with a herbal mix (Herbes de Provence, Italian) or more than probably two spices.  When that happens, I think the integrity of the individual spices is lost in simple dishes such as gnocchi.  Remember, less is more!  If you haven't experimented with single spice use, I really encourage you to do so!  You might be surprised at how much wonderful flavor can come from a single spice.

 Onto piping (of sorts)!

So I've seen various chefs on FoodNetwork make gnocchi, and I've watched many of them roll the potato dumpling mixture into long logs and then nicely slice it up into small little potato squares...  This is a fine method, but I find it tedious and completely unnecessary thanks to a wonderful sous chef on Iron Chef.  I had made gnocchi before, and used the log method, which worked fine but it just took a lot of time.  As I was watching Iron Chef one night, one of the sous chefs was making gnocchi and I saw him put the dumpling dough into a piping bag, squeeze it out and cut it into perfectly sized pieces over his boiling water.  Now, this may not make for perfectly uniform shapes and sizes, but really, do we need that?  Don't we want to keep the rustic feeling of gnocchi by making it a little rough around the edges?  Of course!  So, I took his technique and boy was I ever glad!  This was much faster and easier, and hey, the gnocchi still looked amazing at the end:

So drop the gnocchi in boiling, well-salted (ocean!) water and once they float give them no more than 90 seconds before taking them out.  Leaving them in too long will make them start to dissolve and fall apart which is obviously not good for eating, so take them out!  Then lather on your favorite sauce (or these would even be good in browned butter or just a simple parmesan topping) and eat your beautifully and rustically made gnocchi!

Mushroom Risotto

Risotto... worth the effort.

Alright, so this is my second major attempt at a risotto.  Success!  This proves my theory that risottos are worth the time and effort.  As I came out on the other end today, plating my success, I realized that risottos really aren't that difficult, nor do they take much more time than other dishes.  Just a little TLC and you've got a delectable meal on the way!

First, I have to give my two cents about the rice: buy it from World Market (one of my all-time favorite stores), not from your local grocer.  The first risotto I made (see here) I bought my rice at my local Safeway and paid over 7 dollars for the box!  A few weeks ago I was meandering the food section of World Market and came across the exact same arborio rice, for 3 dollars less!  Yes friends, it really does (usually) pay to buy your oriental food items from oriental food places.

Anyway, to make the risotto:  chop up one large onion and saute in EVOO for about 3-4 minutes or until just becoming translucent.  While it is doing its thing, chop up about 4 cups of your favorite mushroom(s).  I used white button and portabellas.  Add those to your large skillet and saute for about another 5-7 minutes or until just getting soft (everything in the pan might just be a dark blackish-brown at this point from your mushrooms--this is okay!).  Now add your rice (1 and 1/2 cup) and saute it for about 3-4 minutes.  Finally, deglaze your pan with about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of white wine.  As you add the wine, add in 1 tsp of marjoram, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, salt and pepper to taste (you can add more later if you need to).

Alright, the deal is the same as last time from here.  As your are fixing up your veggies/rice, have 6-8 cups of chicken broth (you can substitute part of the liquid for plain water here if you want) in a large pot on medium heat so it is hot, but not boiling.  After you have deglazed your pan, add a ladle of broth at a time until it is soaked up.  Keep adding until your rice is al dente and saucey but not soupy.

Serve alone or with a nice juicy piece of chicken and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie

So my last post (pumpkin risotto) said I had two unused sugar pumpkins...  Well, I only use one for the risotto, so I was left with one in my crowded kitchen.  What to do... What to do?  Of course!  Pumpkin pie.  But HOW do I do it with a real pumpkin? 

Thank you Alton, for making it easier than I thought it would be!

For the crust: process up about 6 ounces of gingersnap cookies.  Add in about two tablespoons of butter until the cookies become crumbly.  Alton calls for ginger here... I left it out and don't feel like I missed a thing.   Move this into a pie pan and press into crust form.  Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees then take out of the oven to cool and to receive yummy pie filling!

For the filling: start again with one sugar pumpkin roasted.  This time, roast it without oil or pepper, just a little salt to help bring out the moisture.  Once again, puree the roasted flesh until smooth in your processor.  Put this into a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer.  Now add one cup half and half, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg.  Bring back to a simmer.

While that is cooking, whisk together two eggs, one egg yolk and 3/4 cup brown sugar in a large bowl.  After the pumpkin mixture has come back to a simmer, add it (slowly to prevent scrambled eggs) to the egg mixture then pour it right into your eagerly awaiting pie shell!  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.  Take the pie out after the sides are set and the center is still a little jiggly.  Let your pie sit out for at least 3 hours (overnight is best) and then eat up!

Saffron Pumpkin Risotto

So I had two little sugar pumpkins hanging out in my super small kitchen...  Yes, they were small, but my kitchen is extra small so they were indeed taking up too much room.  What to do... What to do?

A few months ago I and my dear foodie-friend Katie both made Saffron Pumpkin Risotto and it was delicious (based off of Rachel Ray's Milanese-Style Risotto with Pumpkin)!  So I decided to recreate the recipe for the blog hoping some of you who may come across this recipe will give it a try (mine is based off of Ina Garten's Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash).  It is so good... especially when you, like me, LOVE squash/pumpkin, etc.

So risottos may seem a little scary or intimidating, but I assure you, they are NOT hard, and they are so worth the effort it does take to create them!!  Plus, they are incredibly versatile and make a great one-dish meal (if you are okay without meat, which my husband is generally not).

Onto pumpkin risotto!  First: roast one sugar pumpkin in the oven until all the flesh is soft.  Let it sit out after it is roasted to cool down before getting all the flesh into your food processor--don't burn your fingers!  Put 3/4 of the pumpkin flesh into your processor and add about a tsp of salt and half a tsp of pepper.  Process until smooth.

Sidenote: to roast the pumpkin--cut and seed pumpkin, then cut pumpkin into four pieces. Rub with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-45 minutes in 400 degree oven until flesh is soft when pierced by knife.

Now, make sure you keep your pumpkin seeds and roast those with salt after you removed your pumpkin and are waiting for it to cool.  Put those in a little side dish to be served as a risotto topping/mix-in.  Use the other quarter of your roasted pumpkin as another topping for the risotto.  Just cube it and put in a serving dish along side the roasted, salted seeds.

While your pumpkin is roasting away, put 6 cups of chicken stock in a stock pot on medium-low heat.  Add the saffron (one good tsp--I get mine in the perfect usable size from World Market and I just use the entire little amount in my stock) to the stock so the stock is flavored by it while it simmers, but you can add this in to the actual risotto if you prefer.

After your pumpkin is pureed to perfection and you have some pretty warm stock, saute about 3 chopped up pieces of bacon in a large dutch oven.  After the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, add 4tbsp butter and one medium onion--saute until almost translucent.  Add one and a half cups of Arborio rice (yes, this rice is a must--regular long grain or medium grain rice will not work as a good risotto rice).  Make sure all the rice has been coated by the butter/bacon fat and then add one cup dry white wine.  Reduce that until the rice seems pretty dry again and all the wine seems gone, then start adding your hot broth/stock one large ladle-full at a time.  For risotto, you need to be stirring the rice at least 75% of the time.  Yes, this process will go for at least 25-30 minutes, so make sure you have everything else done or you have a husband on whom you can count on to be the stirring man.

Continue cooking the rice on medium-low heat and adding a ladle of stock once the risotto seems a little dry.  You may not use all of your stock, but you should use at least 3/4 of it.  Once you feel your risotto has maxed liquid capacity, add the pumpkin puree and one cup of grated parmesan.  Mix well and serve, remembering to add the pumpkin pieces and pumpkin seeds for added saltiness and texture!