Weekend in New England: The Sue Review

The Menu
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
New England Clam Chowder
Lobster Rolls
Connecticut Grinders
Vermont’s Maple Syrup Baked Beans
Boston Brown Bread
Parker House Rolls
Vermont Cheddar
Boston Cream Pie Minis
Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
Neccos Wafers & Boston Baked Beans

For our Nor'eastern adventure, we enlisted Mike Skaer, Paul Gifford, Marc Kamsu, and Jill & Mark Dunscomb. New England has a boatload of great tunes ~ from the kitschy "Cheers" theme to some personal favorites by a 90's coffee house band, Harrod & Funk. Plus,  J.Geils, Boston, Aerosmith, the Cars among others. To round it out, we included "Moonlight in Vermont", Barry Manilow's cheesy classic "Weekend in New England", BJ's "The Downeaster Alexa" and a rousing finale by the Boston Pops. Cheers!

The Review
We developed our menu according to personal taste, time constraints, and available kitchen equipment. Other options might include: New England steamers, New England Clambake, Cape Cod boiled dinner, Parker House rolls, Vermont Cheddar, Jonnycakes, Indian pudding, anything with cranberries or blueberries and Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies. 


New England Clam Chowder ~ 4 Spoons!
Having lived in Boston for several years, we have sampled some wicked chowda. While mine wasn't the best we've ever had, it was less complicated and more delicious than I would've predicted. The addition of potatoes naturally thickens the soup to a cozy consistency. Mmm.

Lobster Rolls ~ 4 Forks! Interestingly, lobster was so abundantly common that only the working classes would eat it. One can almost hear the children whining, "Oh, Mom, not lobster again!" Lacking the courage to torture a whole lobster, I bought fresh, shelled lobster. Bite-size chunks of lobster are then tossed with a little mayo, tarragon, dill, cucumbers and scallions. The key is the hot dog roll, not a bun. They're split vertically, allowing for easy top-loading and grilling on both sides.

Connecticut Grinders ~ 4 Forks!
Hoagie, sub, hero. New England has grinders. Similar to all of its cousins. Often a "grinder" is grilled with melted cheese elsewhere in the country, but in New England, that is not necessarily the case. Good bread, plenty of quality Italian deli meat and provolone cheese, chopped peppers and onions, sliced tomato and a few splashes of olive oil & vinegar dressing. 

Vermont’s Maple Syrup Baked Beans ~ 5 Forks! 
Okay, 5 forks if you like baked beans, which I do. Hmm and the sweet molasses smells so yummerific while it's simmering. While my guys would give it a two at best, Marc, a friend from Cameroon, had several servings and took the rest home. While much sweeter than the bean dishes of his home country, it was a nice change for him from typical American fare.

Boston Brown Bread ~ 5 Forks! Jill was daring and went all out for this recipe which includes several unusual kinds of flour and molasses. Brown bread is more like a quick bread, more akin to cake then a loaf of bread. Incredibly rich and moist!


Boston Cream Pie Minis ~ 5 Forks! So cute and scrumptious. Totally cheated on these. Bought yellow cake mix and vanilla pudding. Baked them in mini-muffin tins, then filled with the pudding. I did make a Nestle's Toll House chocolatey rich frosting. 

Candies ~ 2 Forks
Necco wafers (like Sweetarts with less flavor) and Boston Baked Beans (like a peanut inside a cinnamon jelly bean) both originated in New England. Not my favorite.


Ben & Jerry's ~ 5 of the biggest spoons you can find!! I first met Ben & Jerry when we lived in Boston in the early 90's. We been close friends ever since. 

Kia Ora, New Zealand: The Sue Review

The Menu

Kiwi Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing
Mince Stew
Kumara Mash
Pavlova
Kiwis are flightless birds in New Zealand; this fuzzy produce that we call a kiwi, they call kiwifruit. "Kiwi" is also used as a noun for someone from NZ or as an adjective for something very New Zealandy. We weren't sure if this would be "choice", a generic NZ positive adjective, or give us the "collywobblies" (upset stomach)...

The Review
Kiwi Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing ~ 5 Forks
Very simple, super delicious. A wonderful balance of tart citrus, sweet strawberries and mellow honey. Neither of my guys are big kiwi fans and both had seconds. Loaded with Vitamin C!

Mince Stew ~ 5 Forks and/or DQ

My guys just raved about this. Still talking about it. Problem being that one of the key ingredients - Marmite - a strange salty concoction popular in the UK, Australia and NZ - was missing. Marmite, made with yeast extract, salt, carrots, onions and spices, has as it's slogan "Love it or Hate it". Couldn't find it anywhere. Would have settled for Vegemite, it's close cousin, but couldn't find that either. So I fudged it with good results, but probably not very authentic. A bit like curry with the curry powder.

Kumara Mash ~ 5 Surprising Forks!

I love sweet potatoes (kumaras in kiwiland) just about anyway you serve them. My guys can take them or leave them. But they thought these - mashed with butter and honey - were quite "choice". They liked them side by side with the mince gravy. "These don't even taste like sweet potatoes!"

Pavlova ~ 5 Forks
Very unique. Impressive looking. Not really difficult, but you do have to follow the directions and be patient and not dump it all in. Hard for me, but I did just that and it came out beautifully! Like a big meringue cookie - crispy on the outside and marshmallowy gooey in the center. Fresh fruit and cream... yum!

Fisehatak! Persia/Middle Eastern recipes: Baklava Bites

Mmm!
One of my very favorite desserts. This is my first attempt to make it at home and I'll be honest, I cheated. Instead of all the many layers of fine phyllo dough, nuts and honey, I took a bit of a short cut. The end result was still pretty tasty, though. This is an "ish" recipe, so you may have to play around with it a bit. I made it first without alot of measurements and then wrote it after what I guesstimated them to be.
1 1/2 cup walnuts
1 T melted butter, plus 1/4 cup additional, melted butter
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 small package phyllo dough (frozen food section)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Toast walnuts in fry pan on medium until fragrant. Coarsely grind walnuts, melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla in a food processor. I like this little guy shown. Butter mini muffin tin. Cut phyllo dough into 2-3inch squares. Take several square layers of dough (5-7), one on top of the other and fan out slightly. Gently press into muffin tin. Edges will stick out in all directions. Repeat until tray is full. Brush with melted butter. Place a generous scoop of the nut mixture in each cup. Brush on more butter along edges, if needed. Bake on 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, simmer water, honey and cinnamon on medium until slightly thickened. While still warm, drizzle a spoonful of honey mixture over each baklava, allowing it to absorb into the nuts. Repeat with a second spoonful. Makes 12. Opa!

Midwest/Heartland recipes: St. Louis Toasted Ravioli & Meat Sauce

Toasted Ravioli
2 egg whites
1 T water

2 cups bread crumbs (I like Progresso's Italian Style Panko Bread Crumbs)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 tablespoons finely grated Romano cheese (the powdery stuff works fine)
1 large package cheese ravioli, thawed if frozen

Thaw ravioli. Beat egg whites and water. Combine bread crumbs, herbs and cheese. Dip ravioli in egg white mixture, then bread crumb mixture. Place on lightly greased pan (I use a pizza pan - the kind with the tiny holes in the bottom - but a cookie sheet is fine.) Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Serve warm with meat sauce.

Meat Sauce
1 lb. ground beef, browned & drained
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato sauce
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato paste
1 T basil
1 T oregano
1 T minced garlic

Combine and simmer. Serve warm.

Midwest/Heartland recipes: Wisconsin Beer Cheese

3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 8-ounce packages light cream cheese, softened
1 ounce Hidden Valley Ranch Dips mix
3/4 cup beer

Combine. Chill.

Serve with:
Pretzels (I like the square waffle ones for this)
Veggies (cut broccoli, carrots, cukes, celery, sweet peppers)

Midwest/Heartland recipes: Minnesota Pink Rhubarb Punch

3-6 cups fresh rhubarb (depending on how "strong" you like it), cut into 1/2 in. pieces
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 can frozen raspberry-lemonade concentrate + 2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 liter lemon-lime pop

Bring cubed rhubarb, sugar and water to boil. Simmer until tender. (It will smell very strange!) Strain water and rhubarb through sieve, saving as much of juice as possible. Cool. Add frozen lemonade, water and fresh lemon juice. Mix. Combine with pop when ready to serve. Pour over lots of ice.   

Midwest/Heartland: The Sue Review

Dale & Christi Rhine and David & Anna Nichols

Minnesota's Pink Rhubarb Punch
Wisconsin's Beer Cheese
St. Louis Toasted Ravioli and Meat Dip
Midwest Meatloaf
Idaho's Baked Potatoes and Fixings
Iowa Grilled Corn on the Cob
Heartland Snickers Salad
Indiana's Strawberry Shortcake
Ohio's Buckeyes

Daniel Nichols, Michael Rhine, Matt Rhine, Molly Nichols, Alex Payne, Katherine Nichols, Maddie Rhine

The Review
Minnesota's Pink Rhubarb Punch
Alex was skeptical of putting a pink celery look alike veggie in a beverage. That was before we cooked the rhubarb. Oh no! The smell!! Which is why, you then add an obscene amount of sugar and raspberry lemonade. I only made one batch instead of doubling it as planned - it just didn't have alot of potential. But, I should have tripled it as fast as it went! A light, refreshing, pink punch.

Wisconsin's Beer Cheese with Pretzels & Veggies
When I first came across this dish, I assumed it was served warm, rather like a fondue. On the day of the party, I was a little dismayed to see that it was served cold. Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, beer, and ranch dressing mix. Questionable at best. Again, a pleasant surprise! Even the kids liked it. Great with pretzels.

St. Louis Toasted Ravioli and Meat Dip

Impressive looking family-friendly appetizer, but easy, inexpensive and delicious. My kind of dish. Frozen ravioli is thawed, dipped in egg whites and then bread crumbs, parm cheese and herbs. Baked for 20 minutes. I used Panko bread crumbs and the light, crispy texture was terrific!

Special thanks to Molly for creating beautiful lables!
Cheesy Meatloaf ~ courtesy of the Nichols

Leave it to Anna to not only come with the three dishes requested, but three types of meatloaf!! This first one was like a gooey cheeseburger.

Midwest Meatloaf ~ courtesy of the Nichols

Like mom used to make. Complete with a tangy Kansas City style BBQ sauce.

Turkey Meatloaf ~ courtesy of the Nichols

Simple with a little ketchup.

Idaho's Baked Potatoes and Fixings ~ courtesy of the Rhines

Perfect with meatloaf.

Iowa Grilled Corn on the Cob ~ courtesy of the Rhines

A very special thanks to Dale for shucking and shucking and shucking. Super sweet and tender!

Heartland Snickers Salad ~ courtesy of the Nichols

Salad or dessert? You decide! Chopped apples and Snickers candy bars. Something creamy - like Cool Whip or pudding or both. Sometimes nuts or raisins. Anna's recipe called for bananas. I say salad that tastes like a dessert!

Special thanks to Maddie for all the dipping!

Ohio's Buckeyes ~ courtesy of the Rhines

Anything with chocolate and peanut butter is a sure win with the Rhines and these sinfully rich fudge like wonders are no exception.

Indiana's Strawberry Shortcake ~ courtesy of the Nichols

Quintessential summer dessert of the heartland. Yes, please!

 

Fisehatak! Persia/Middle Eastern: The Sue Review

The Menu

Baba Ghanouj (eggplant dip), Hummus (chickpea dip) & Pita
Falafel (chick pea patties)
Grapeleaves (stuffed with rice)
Kibbeh (fried minced meat & bulgur wheat)
Tabouli (bulgur wheat & parsley salad)
Chicken Shawarma (thinly sliced, marinated)
Baklava bites (phyllo dough with nuts & honey)
(a bit of a stretch for this menu... but really any excuse is a good excuse for baklava)

Growing up in the greater Detroit area, I was raised thinking that Greek and Middle Eastern food were typical restaurant fare... as Chinese, Italian and Mexican are in other parts of the country. I was very disappointed to find that quality Mediterranean and Persian restaurants were hard to find elsewhere. As stated in other blogs, my health has prevented me from cooking from all of my scheduled countries, but we're making every attempt to still enjoy the cuisine. Happily, I have found a hidden gem of Lebanese cookery right here in Chester County!

Cedars Cafe ~ Authentic Middle Eastern Cuisine
http://www.cedarscafepa.com/

The Review

Baba Ghanouj, Hummus & Pita ~ mixed reviews
Hummus is almost always found in our frig ~ a big favorite in our house. But, it IS an acquired taste and texture. First, try it in small amounts with a big piece of soft pita bread. Personally, I like the Greek pita (flat, no pocket, soft, and chewy) better than the typical Middle Eastern variety (very thin, pocket, and dry). We often eat it with feta cheese, kalamata (Greek) olives and/or Greek salad (see recipe under salads). I want so much to love baba ghanouj (pronounced bubba gah noosh), if for no other reason that it's so darn fun to say. But, alas, I just don't. Cedars Cafe's hummus is the real deal and may not appeal to American taste buds at first. It has a strong chickpea and tahini (seasame seed paste) flavor and is not covered up by alot of garlic and spices like the store bought variety (which I also enjoy - just different). Many entrees come with either or both, so they're worth a try!

Falafel ~ 4 1/2 Forks
Falafel is hard to come by. And, this is good falafel. Fried, ground chickpea patties, mildly seasoned. I like mine in a pita (again, the pita at Cedars was only so-so, this is a store bought Greek pita), with lettuce, cucumber and dipped in a little tahini (sesame seed paste). Vegetarian yumminess.

Grapeleaves ~ 4 Forks
Again, an acquired taste, so sample in small amounts. Equally common to Greek cuisine. Softened grapeleaves wrapped around rice with fresh lemon, olive oil and herbs.

Kibbeh ~ 4 Forks 
They serve both traditional beef and vegetarian. Kibbeh is... hm...well, it's a little like an upscale gourmet corndog of significantly higher quality ingredients. The outside is a bulgur wheat batter that is fried. The inside is mildly seasoned minced beef and onions. The vegetarian has the same bulgur wheat shell, with a thick mixture of chopped onions, tomatoes, veggies and spices.  

Tabouli ~ didn't order after all
Tabouli is a unique, fresh, flavorful salad made with cooked, cooled bulgur wheat, fresh chopped parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. Sometimes cukes and tomatoes are added. Easy to make at home.

Chicken Shawarma ~ 4 Forks
A very safe bet for those wanting to venture out into an ethnic cuisine, but really aren't up for anything too crazy. Thinly sliced, marinated chicken eaten with rice or wrapped into a pita. Alex really liked this.

Baklava bites (phyllo dough with nuts & honey) ~ 5 Yummy Forks!
Several countries lay claim to baklava. Greece and Turkey among others. The basic idea is phyllo dough (paper thin pastry) filled with some kind of chopped nuts (usually walnuts or pistachios) and  honey. Sometimes flavored with orange blossom syrup or rose water. Mmmmmmmm. Authentic baklava has a gazillion little layers and is positively dripping with honey. I took the easy way out. I pressed a few layers of the phyllo into greased mini muffin tins and added a chopped nut mixture. After baking, I spooned the honey syrup over the top of each, allowing it to absorb. Much faster and *almost* as good.

Fisehatak!

Southern BBQ recipes: Banana Pudding

inspired by:
1 box vanilla wafer cookies
2 boxes vanilla pudding mix (not instant)
4 cups milk
3-5 shakes ground nutmeg
4 ripe bananas
6 egg whites
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat to 450.
Line bottom of 2 qt baking dish with cookies. Prepare pudding mix with milk as directed. Add nutmeg. Cool 5 min. Peel 2 bananas. Cut into 1/2 inch slices and add to dish. Add another layer of cookies (you can also stand some up along the sides). Add another layer of bananas and a final layer of cookies. Pour warm pudding over all. Tap on counter to help settle.
Using mixer, beat egg whites, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until peaks form. Spread over pudding. Pull spoon in and out of meringue to form several little peaks. Bake on top rake at 450 until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Cool for an hour. Chill for 3-5 hours.

Jolly Ole England: The Sue Review

New job. End of year festivities. Yada yada. Instead of cooking, we went out. Cute little pub. This is from a French painting of the doggie grandparents of the first Bassett hound.

http://www.thefourdogstavern.com/

The Menu

Fish & Chips

Aero

Toffee Crisp

Yorkie

The Review

Fish ~ 4 Forks

Large pieces of real fish, not minced fishmeal. Light, crispy batter. Not something I crave all that often or can eat in large amounts, but a good place if you're so inclined.

Chips ~ 4 1/2 Forks! I cannot in good conscience give these chips a 5 as they were really fries. British chips are big slices of whole potato. These were battered thin fries ~ so delicious I finished my whole ENORMOUS serving ~ but not what I think of as "chips". Neither of my guys could stomach the smell of the malt vinegar and actually stepped outside while I finished every last one of my chips.Ketchup shmetchup. I forgot how much I love malt vinegar on fries. Brilliant!

British candy bars

Aero ~ 3 bites: not sure if it was stale or if it's because of texture. While shaped into a bar, the interior is mostly tiny holes, making it a weird crumbly mess that I just didn't care for.

Toffee Crisp ~ 5 bites: Little rice krispies in caramel and covered with chocolate. YUM. We'll be getting that again.

Yorkie ~ 4 bites: A big, thick milk chocolate bar. The guys did indeed love it. I thought it was a little boring.

Southern BBQ/Soul Food: The Sue Review

(Pechins, TX; O'Learys, TX; Regitz, Tarheels; Paynes, Darn Yankees who let them in?!; Palsgroves, South Carolina; Nichols, TN, not shown... they couldn't come at the last minute but sent their food anyway ~ Southern hospitality!)

Special thanks to the O'Leary's for graciously hosting.

The Menu
Sweet Tea
Fresh Lemonade
Dixie Caviar
Texas Brisket & BBQ Chicken
Carolina Ribs
Secret Sauce
Fruit Salad
Hashbrown Casserole
Greens
Baked Beans
Coleslaw
Biscuits
Cornbread
Banana Pudding
Chocolate Chess and Lemon Chess Pie
Pecan Pie

Looking for recipes? Try:
http://www.pauladeen.com/
http://www.southernliving.com/
http://www.chefrick.com/
http://www.soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com/


The Review

Sweet Tea
courtesy of Dawn Palsgrove
Growing up in Detroit, I had never heard of true sweet tea until I was in my 20s, and was taught to make my iced tea more sour by adding only lemon. For you Yanks, sweet tea is NOT iced tea with a sugar packet mixed in. You must, must, must add the sugar (ideally several cups) to the boiling water so that it thoroughly dissolves.
Fresh Lemonade
Real lemons. Real limes. Real sugar. Real good.
Dixie Caviar
courtesy of Anna Nichols.

A little black eyed pea appetizer served at room temperature with tomatoes and other chopped herbs and veggies and a Mexican salsa type flavoring. Served with tortilla chips. Worth trying!

Texas Brisket & BBQ Chicken My carnivores talked about this brisket for days. Being that their chief cook is a quasi-vegetarian from Michigan, they don't get this every day. Pat O'Leary was up before dawn smoking and whatnot. The brisket, I mean. These Southern boys mean business. It even had that little red smoke ring like I've seen on Foodnetwork. Ooh. Apparently, the best part of brisket is standing around, snitching a piece and dipping it in the sauce. I mean, we hadn't even prayed yet, y'all!

Carolina Ribs & Secret Sauce courtesy of Craig Regitz Again, the meat-lovers were in food nirvana. I do believe I saw Dawn Palsgrove swoon. I had a harder time. Since it involved 1) pulling meat off a big ol' bone and 2) an extended amount of chewing. The sauce, however, I nearly licked off the plate. Smokey, sweet, and spicy... BBQ tofu, anyone?

Fruit Salad

courtesy of Deb Pechin
A favorite with the youngins!
Hashbrown Casserole
courtesy of Dawn Palsgrove

Potatoey-cheesy-gooey-goodness!! My personal favorite for the night.

Greens

Hey y'all. I made me some GREENS. They were good, too. 'Specially when they got mixed in with a little cornbread crumbs. Boy howdy! If you decide to make them buy much more than you would think you'd need. I came home with a bunch of collards the size of a tropical houseplant and they cooked down to a few cups. Best with a few hearty shakes of Tabasco. Brett liked the greens as much as I liked the ribs.

Baked Beans

courtesy of Anna Nichols

In true Southern style, with several slabs of bacon. Even the vegetarian dishes have meat in them!

Coleslaw courtesy of Anna Nichols No one makes slaw like a Southerner. That's all I've got to say about that.

Biscuits
I love biscuits. Bob Evans. Mm MMM. But, as has been the case with most of my breadmaking, they were... eh. Light and fluffy? More like short and stocky. Drew Palsgrove said he prefers them that way. Wait... is he a Southerner?

Cornbread
courtesy of Dawn Palsgrove
And the calories just keep addin' up! Yes, ma'am.
Banana Pudding
I made this the Southern way. With a meringue top. Brett - generally not a fan of bananas much softer than a carrot - found it surprisingly delish. Yay! I think it was the nutmeg, a favorite of his.

Chocolate Chess and Lemon Chess Pie
courtesy of Aliss Regitz
Sugary sweet goodness! The chocolate tasted like brownie batter in a pie crust. And YES I mean that as a compliment.

Pecan Pie
courtesy of Deb Pechin

Few things more Southern, I reckon. Yum.

Sparklers

courtesy of O'Learys

Y'all come back now, ya hear?