Mill Race Inn

The scenic Mill Race Inn in Geneva, IL has closed its doors. The restaurant was situated on the banks of the Fox River, featuring an incredible view. The building was a blacksmith shop in 1892, and has been expanded since. Chris and I enjoyed a lovely meal there a couple of months ago, as a part of a road trip we took to drive the entire Illinois portion of the historic Lincoln Highway. The food was very good, though I think they catered to an older crowd with rich, home-style fare. Here are the photos I took while there.

We absolutely fell in love with Geneva, sitting at our brightly lit table, looking at the Fox River in its October glory. Ignore the trash can:

The salad featured more bleu cheese on the salad and in the dressing than I have perhaps eaten in my entire life.

I had the swedish meatballs... They were fabulous, and so was the pasta.

Chris had the slow-roasted breast of turkey, and said it was like an early Thanksgiving.

Anyway, sorry to post about food that you can't get any more... The restaurant sits in such a terrific location, I have to think that when the economy turns around, someone will take advantage and open a new eatery there. I would personally like to see some food served that is a little more on the modern side (and perhaps lighter: everything on the menu featured a cream sauce it seemed), but I must say the food Mill Race served was the tip-top of its kind.

Asian Meatball Soup

I've been way into soup lately, especially with noodles. (By the way, I think you should enter that as a sexy response on your next singles' website chat: "So, like, what are you into?" "Soup.") And I happened to read somewhere that you can use a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter in place of the egg to bind meatballs. So I thought that would lend itself nicely to an asian-inspired meatball soup.

I mixed the meatballs with frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry), some Chinese five-spice seasoning (go easy, it has clove in it), seasoning and a little ginger. I used ground turkey meat as usual. Then I sautéed carrot, onion, garlic and celery, and added the broth and the meatballs, then noodles. I simmered it until the meatballs were cooked and the noodles were done, then I garnished with some chive and red bell pepper.



I had my buddies Katie and Marshall over, and served them this soup. Katie said it tasted like soup she'd had as a kid in Singapore, which flattered me... Must be the five-spice. It also helps to serve dinner around 9 pm after everyone has had several beers.

Swiss Pita Burger

If you put spinach on something, it's "florentine," and if you put mushrooms on a dish, it's "swiss." Those are the rules, I don't make them. (This burger isn't so much of an alternative burger, but I did put it on pita bread. So there's your alternative.)



I sautéed and seasoned the mushrooms in the pan that I cooked the burgers in. I put the 'shrooms on the burgers, melted the swiss on top, and added Country Bob's steak sauce. If you're not familiar with Bob's, you should get there. Like Tracy Morgan says, "I'm down" with Bob's "like four flat tires." If you put Bob's on a bank vault, I think I'd gnaw through the steel door. This sauce would make me eat my mother's pork chops.

I liked the whole-wheat pitas on these, because the bread was basically a vehicle for what was between it: the meat, cheese, mushrooms, and the Bob's. In fact, with those toppings, you could easily use turkey meat or a veggie patty, and it would still taste good. (Not as good, but that's just my opinion).

Turkey Marinara Burger

What better time to post a run of burgers than the week of July 4th? Most of these are "alternative burgers," since I thought perhaps this might be the only time of the year when we all might be a little burnt out on the regular kind. In the last week, I've seen a thick, juicy looking, Grade A veggie burger at not only J. Alexander's steak house, but Wrigley Field as well. It's a beautiful time to be alive, friends.



I'm starting things off with something simple (it IS a holiday, and I've had a long day of rainy ball games, dinners out, baby baths and two Old Styles, though not all concurrently). This is a ground turkey patty, having seasoned the meat with Italian seasoning and garlic, salt and pepper. I topped it with melted mozzarella, marinara, and put it on a toasted, buttered roll. I also had some leftover pesto, and I shmeared that on the bottom part of the roll, though you don't necessarily need that part. Deliziosamente sciatto! Which means, "deliciously sloppy." I think.

Beyond Easy Vodka Cream Sauce

I'm committed to making things easily, with as few steps as possible. But honestly, I felt guilty about posting this. And then I realized it was two steps beyond simply opening a jar, which I do all the time. With one little rationalization, I went from feeling a little dirty to being one fancy lady!



Last week Ruby had nasty virus, which made her very uncomfortable, and for lack of a better term, "scream-y." All day and evening, even with children's Motrin. On a day like that, jokes aside, I truly don't feel guilty about shortcuts. I warmed a brick of low-fat cream cheese in a skillet until melty. Then I added a jar of Barilla marinara (Bertoli is also good), and two shots of vodka. Then I let it all warm through, and I added some pre-made sun-dried tomato meatballs from Costco. Is that how vodka cream sauce is supposed to be made? I seriously doubt it. And I seriously didn't care. Also, only one of the shots of vodka actually ended up in the sauce, and the other one may have fallen in my mouth.



I served it all over Costco mushroom ravioli. I wasn't a huge fan of the meatballs, but the sauce was very good. I think I will try in the future to make and freeze little meatballs of my own, and save them up for nights like this when I'm really beat. (And by the way, Ruby has made a complete recovery, so don't worry! She is all smiles once again.)

Easy Galumpki Bake

Recently, I was at my friend Beata's baby shower. She and her husband are Polish, and they had lots of Polish friends, who brought quite a bit of Polish food. And when I say, "they brought quite a bit," I mean in the way that Sitting Bull brought quite a bit of Cheyenne to a small party with Custer. It was astounding. After we all ate our fill, Beata announced, "And now, we eat dinner!" Holy crap. That's when the meat really came out. Dear lord, the meat! If meat makes for a healthy baby (and I think I'm a testament to that), then this kid is gonna be Herculean.

One of the many tasty, meaty items was galumpki, which I think most people have had at one time or another. They're also called cabbage rolls, and that's just what they are: rolled cabbage leaves with rice and pork in the center, and tomato sauce on top. All through my childhood, my father made them, and mistakenly called them "pigs in a blanket," which they are not.

They're great, but not so easy to make. The cabbage leaves have to be blanched, and the rice pre-cooked, and then of course there's all the rolling. I made a sort of "deconstructed" galumpki in the slow cooker, which is also a bit healthier because it uses turkey. It tastes great (much like the original), and utilizes a much simpler "open package, dump contents" sort of technique.



Ingredients:
1 carrot, peeled and broken up
1 celery stick with leaves
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
(if you made the Turkey Chili Mac, then you already have these in your fridge)
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 bag of cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup water
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce (puree)
salt and pepper

In layers, place half the bag of cabbage mix, then half the mix of the first four veggies, which you've pulsed to a fine chop in the food processor. Add half the rice, then tear half the turkey up into chunks to complete the first layer. Make sure you season the meat. Then repeat each layer once more, and season again. Add the sauce to the top, and the water. Cook on low for six to eight hours.



Serve with crusty bread, with parmesan cheese on top. Mm!

Turkey Chili Mac

This was super quick and easy, and I even made it a "deluxe" way. It was sort of a cross between a bolognese sauce (which has carrot in it), and regular chili mac. A bit of extra work to just pulse up the mirepoix (carrot, celery, and onion - in this case, I also added garlic) in the food processor, yes, but I doubled the mix of the four veggies, stuck half of it in the fridge, and then threw it into the Crockpot for "Easy Galumpki Bake" the next day. So you're saving time!



Ingredients:
2 carrot, peeled and cut into big chunks
2 celery sticks with leaves, cleaned and "chunked"
1 onion
2 clove garlic
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 glass red wine
1 cup frozen peas
1 large can chopped tomatoes
mexican seasoning
salt and pepper
shredded cheddar
whole wheat pasta

Pulse the first four ingredients in the food processor until finely chopped (note: if you're only making the chili mac and not the Galumpki Bake, cut the amount for the first four veggies in half). Sweat the veggies until they are just translucent. Add the ground turkey and brown it, then add your seasonings, then the wine and tomatoes. Add the peas at the last moment just to warm them through. Serve over pasta with lots of cheddar!

Mahogany Ale Shepherd's Pie

This isn't a traditional shepherd's pie, just something I made up. (Why do I even bother saying that any more?) I wanted to use ground turkey, and still come up with something that was dark and rich on the bottom layer, without being too fatty. It came out so well that I actually wrote it all down immediately so that I wouldn't forget what I did (and if you know me, you know that I never do that.)



Filling:
1/2-1 cup carrot
2 celery ribs
2 cloves garlic
1/2 white or yellow onion
1/2 cup parsely
1 package ground turkey, as lean as you like
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Abita Turbodog or other dark mahogany beer (Raison D'être by Dogfish Head is great, too)
1/4 cup or more red wine
flour (about 3 Tablesp.) and butter (about 2 Tablesp.)
1 large can of peas and carrots

Seasonings (about a halt Tablesp. each):
salt and pepper
celery salt
paprika
Jamaican allspice
ground mustard

Potatoes:
6 Yukon Gold potatoes
1 "brick" cream cheese, or 1 cup sour cream (light is fine with either)
chicken broth (about 1 cup)
salt and pepper

Directions:
Pulse the first five ingredients (washed) in the food processor until finely diced. Sauté them in a little olive oil, add the turkey and brown it. Add the seasonings (just a good "shake" of each.) Add about three tablespoons of flour, combine the mixture, add the butter, and combine it again. Then, add the ketchup, then wine, then the beer, letting each heat through before adding the next. Then add chicken stock or broth a little at a time. The mixture should be a thick, dark sauce.



Pour the mixture into a deep lasagna pan, and add the canned peas and carrots (rinsed and drained). I used canned vegetables here, because I wanted that English, "tinned" feel to it... Or maybe it just reminded me more of the school lunchroom. Anyway, you could certainly use frozen or fresh.

Clean the potatoes and dice them (I like to leave the skins on). Boil the potatoes, drain and smash them, using the rest of the ingredients on the list. Add chicken stock until they are the thickness you want (they should still form stiff peaks). Then dollop it into the pan and spread it out over the meat mixture. Top with shredded parmesan cheese, and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, broiling briefly at the end to brown the cheese.



I really loved this, and I think Chris did, too. I didn't miss the beef a bit. Perfect for a cold evening, and a big serving of it made a nice lunch to take along the next day.

Grilled Vegetable Lasagna

I'm not doing a low-carb throwback to 2001 here, but a good veggie lasagna can be made without the noodles. It's kind of fun, and you can have big pieces of vegetables without grinding them into the sauce or the filling... I just use them instead of the noodles.

I cut the vegetables lengthwise and grill and season them first (I use a grill pan). Then, importantly, you have to pat them very, very dry with paper towels. Otherwise they will cook down further in the pan, and you'll have a soggy lasagna (which is still pretty good, actually, you just have to drain it somewhat.) Then you put a bit of sauce in your pan, and lay the veggies down as you would the noodles.



You can use any veggie you like: eggplant (which you don't have to salt and drain if you grill them), zucchini, yellow squash, even potatoes, which have starch and actually help thicken things up a bit. (I know, I should have cut these eggplant lengthwise, but I forgot. Still pretty good. Doesn't matter, really, as long as they are sliced thinly.)



You alternate the layers with the filling: a mixture of one medium tub of ricotta (again, drained very well), one egg, one cup of mozzarella cheese, a half cup to one cup of parmesan, a couple tablespoons of diced flat parsley,  a little salt and pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Don't use too much filling, or you'll have the water problem again.

I top mine with smoked gouda or mozzarella, some more parmesan, and bake it at about 375 degrees for 45 minutes.



You can also add ground turkey meat or ground sausage to the sauce, or simply add tomato paste to the drained ground meat, and use that as a layer (which again helps it to stay undiluted). Or, go on your merry veggie way and skip the meat.



The smoky flavor adds a little interest to it. Just steer clear of Trader Joe's Light Smoked Gouda. Terrible. I'll never go the way of light cheese again. Remember the Friends episode where one of the guys compares how much he hates something to Monica's feelings on light mayonnaise? (She says, "IT'S NOT MAYONNAISE!!") Well, that's how I feel about light cheese. Plastic doesn't melt, folks. If you wanna go light, I say eat real food and try portion control instead.



Or not... It IS veggies, after all.

#12 Beach Club, Hold the Mayo, Tomato, and Cucumber

I'm eating my third Jimmy John's sandwich this week at this moment. It is a very plain sandwich, minus several veggies that I normally find appealing, and it is often the only thing I can think of in the whole entire world that doesn't make me want to hwarf at the concept of eating. I have some friends who have been told to avoid coldcuts while pregnant, but I am slipping by on the loophole right now that my doctor hasn't mentioned it. I also know that Chris would be a lot happier if I could find something at the grocery store that I would like to eat, but try as I might, sometimes I can't think of one single thing. One thing made him happy, though: we switched my meds to Costco tonight (from Walgreen's), and found that they cost TEN times less. That's right, down from $300 to $30 for no discernible reason. Yay! Let's celebrate with a sandwich!

This is the type of culinary thrill-ride that I've left you guys out of the loop on for way too long, and I've decided to begin to share again. You're welcome!

Brooke's Artichoke Dip

Now that I've posted about baking something from scratch (even if I didn't do the cooking), I have to post about something simple to make, or I may end up with a rash. And, eyw, no one wants that.



When I was a freshman in college (age 19, I think), my friend Brooke would also be home, because she was still in high school. Her house was on my way back to route 17, which I took through Dwight and over to I-55 to Bloomington. And what a sad, dark journey that was, especially in winter. So Brooke's house was something I could look forward to, and help stave off the inevitable homesickness I got from going back to school on a Sunday night. I don't remember the particulars surrounding this visit, or what season it was, but I do know she and her mom sent me back to school with two slices of "white pizza" with artichoke hearts. I unwrapped the slices from their tin foil before I went to bed that night. That's because when I was 19, what I really liked to do was stay up too late, eat too much 'round the clock, and complain about why I was gaining weight, sluggish, and still a virgin.

Anyway, I was totally knocked out by what I was eating. I thought it was one of the tastiest things I'd ever eaten, and it wasn't even warmed up, as I was instructed to eat it. Brooke gave me the simple recipe, and I've used it countless times since:

2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan (FINELY grated -- the powdery kind)
1 cup mayonnaise (I now use Hellman's Reduced Fat, the greatest lowfat mayo ever)

To that, you can add:

1 bag of rinsed-until-thawed artichoke hearts, broken up a bit with your fingers (canned works too, but the frozen ones are much fresher-tasting), as Brooke taught me originally,
or/and
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I started doing this sometimes later),
or/and
1 jar drained mushrooms
or/and
a little smoked shredded jack cheese across the top (this is a "new" alternative)
and
garlic seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

Pat dry any veggies you are using with a bunch of paper or one "real" towel. Mix well until combined, and then, in one version, you can place the dip in an oven-safe container (as in the photo above). Bake it for 45 minutes or so at about 350, and check on it. I like to put it under the broiler for a minute or two at the end, and serve it with pita bread or chips. Alternatively, you can spread it on a Boboli crust instead of the casserole dish, brushed beforehand with olive oil, and with some crushed garlic scattered about (then you can serve it as a white pizza).

As many times as I've made this, I've probably screwed it up just as many times. Benefit from my mistakes... Here are some things you should not do:

• Do not add the mushrooms/spinach/artichoke hearts until they are VERY dry, drained and then toweled off.


• Do not "eyeball" the measurements. Of COURSE I have attempted that, and it has always bombed, and the end result is "mayonnaise-y." When done properly, there is no hint of the mayo at the end. This was the first dish I made my husband, ever, and there was too much mayo in it. He was reluctant to try it again. (Now he likes it, knowing what it is supposed to taste like.)


• Don't over-salt it. The parmesan is already pretty salty.


• Do not forget the parmesan. Famously, I talked this dish up like crazy to my friends in college, made it, and served it to my friend Fred without adding the parmesan. The end result was too gross to even get into describing.


• Do not use shredded parmesan instead of grated parmesan. I find that it throws off the proportions.

Let ye all take heed. I know Brooke is laughing by now.

Anyway, when I make this for Chris and I as opposed to bringing it to a party, we have a lot left over. I found a third use for it: the dip makes great grilled sandwiches later on!



Just spread the cold, refrigerated dip between bread slices, or with grilled turkey as I've done here. Grill it as you would a grilled cheese. Delish.

Thanks for the recipe, Brooke! Hope I got it right. Love to you and your mom!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Everyone has to have a few go-to recipes to bring to a party, or feed a large crowd. Mine is the old sweet-n-sour meatballs. Or, if you prefer, "sweet 'n sour."



I first fell in love with these at an opening night at a Kankakee Valley Theater show... Someone's mom brought them, and she couldn't believe I'd never had them. They're the sort of thing everyone who grows up in an organized small-town church has at everyone's house at any function. I think I must have had six pounds of the tasty suckers the first time I had them. I'd had Italian meatballs, and Swedish meatballs, but dang. Those protestant ones sure hit the spot.

Any time you need something to bring to a baby shower or a tailgate party, this here's your huckleberry. You can make most of it the night before (raw meat right in the sauce) and put the Crockpot in the fridge, then the next day cook them at your event. Or, you could cook them overnight, then bring them cooked and warm to your destination early in the morning, and even reheat them later in the slow cooker. I've done both. Just be prepared to skim some grease off the top (if you use beef, not really so much with the turkey) before serving.

I think I originally got this recipe on About.com... but I've changed it a bit (and this version reflects that). Despite the Asian-sounding name to the dish, they're nothing of the kind... Just the delightful "meat candy" I'm always on about.

1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup milk
a couple shots of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (REALLY fine)
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, or ground turkey
1/ pound lean ground pork, optional (I generally do just 2 lbs. turkey, or sometimes beef if I'm going cheap. Hey, sometimes you got a whole other party budget to plan out.)
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
about 1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup finely diced parsley (if you have it)
2 (12-ounce) bottles of chili sauce -- generic is fine
1/2 cup water (beef stock or beer is also nice, and yes, alcohol evaporates when heated)
1 jar (10 oz.) grape jelly (again, go generic)
hot cooked rice or noodles (when feeding a crowd, I just bring toothpicks, a large serving spoon, and skip the noodles)

Combine the bread crumbs, milk, diced onion, ground meat, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley. Mix (don't overmix) the mixture and shape into 1-inch balls. What I do is put the rest of the ingredients (the sauce) into the cool slow cooker and whisk the liquid. Then I just add the meatballs as I form them, right into the sauce. I don't worry about them touching or anything. Now, you can refrigerate them like this, or cook them right away.

I cook them for about 6 hours on low. Don't reach in and stir them for about 3 hours (until the meat has begun to cook). Then you can re-distribute them, and they won't mush up or break apart.

I have never, ever brought these anywhere and not had every single one eaten. And I've been making these for years now... So I always take some out for Chris and I before I go to the party. You can freeze them raw in sauce and cook them later, or just freeze the cooked meatballs and warm them later. Always a hit (except with the vegetarian crowd I guess... But if they say they aren't tempted, they're lying.)

Lemon Braised Artichokes and Turkey Sausage

I know it is a zillion degrees outside, but I think my internal clock knows what time it is. I'm starting to get more into the mood for "autumn-y" recipes: that warm, spiced stuff that makes you just feel cozy.



I made this recipe for Cat Cora's Lemon Braised Artichokes, but of course, I changed it just a little bit. I can't find it up on the FoodTV.com site any more, so here it is reprinted, with my changes in italics:

6 artichoke hearts, cleaned and quartered I used the whole quarter with the leaves on, and just cleaned out the needles with a spoon
1 package Italian turkey sausage
1 cup lemon juice (use the fresh stuff!)
2 Tblesp. kosher salt
1 Tblesp. freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 Tblesp. finely chopped thyme (I just used 1 tsp. Nonno's seasoning instead, which doesn't actually contain thyme, but what the hell)
1 Tblesp. minced garlic (yes, I added more, even though I used Nonno's)
4 ounces white wine
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil (now, come on, you know I didn't use that much. I drizzled on maybe a half-cup).
I added enough chicken broth to cover everything -- 2-3 cups
chopped parsely, for garnish (skipped it)

You basically bring the mixture up to a boil on the stovetop, and then cook it at 350 degrees covered with foil for an hour. I don't have a Dutch oven, so I brought it to a boil and then transferred it to a large stoneware pan for the oven.

We weren't really sure how to eat what resulted... Was it a soup? A side? An appetizer? I dunno. But we ended up cooking up some small pasta, chopping the sausage, dusting on a lot of Parmesan cheese and eating it as a soup. We just picked out the leaves of the artichokes by hand, scraped those on our bottom teeth, discarded them, and then ate the hearts in with the rest of the soup.

Initial awkwardness aside, I cannot tell you how heavenly this was. To quote a line from my beloved BBC show Chef!, "I have never had a liquid as good as that in my life." I wanted to swim around in a vat of it, drinking it through a snorkel. The original seems like it might have been a a bit oily (and I mean even without me swimming around in it), but the reduction of the oil, and the addition of the chicken broth and the sausage is a change I'm definitely keeping. It keeps for a very long time in the fridge (Cora says up to 3 weeks), and really, you have to try this one out.

Fredbangers Bowl

A friend of mine has a policeman for a boyfriend... I don't know why it is, but cops and firemen seem to make the best chili in the world. After some begging on my part, he gave me the recipe for his chili (he calls it "Fred's Bangin' Chili.") He is a super-nice guy, and his chili might be the best I've ever tasted. I hope his recipe wasn't a secret. Fred is a really nice guy, but he isn't someone I'd necessarily want to mess with!



This recipe is also the one that introduced me to Adobo seasoning, which comes in handy quite frequently, I find. You can use it to season flour to fry things, or to season any type of meat -- anywhere you would use garlic salt or something like it. You just have to watch it if you're controlling your salt intake (you could substitute garlic powder, or try the low-sodium version). Try it... you'll like it!

Here's the recipe... enjoy, then freeze the leftovers and feed a whole police squad:

Ingredients:
-2 lbs. ground beef (I like to use 80% lean) or ground turkey
-2-28 oz cans Hunt's crushed tomatoes
-2-28 oz cans dark red kidney beans (I did half pinto beans cuz I like them, too)
-1-12 oz bottle of Pilsner beer (your choice)
-6 stalks green onion, chopped
-1 head fresh garlic: minced or pressed
-1 large red bell pepper: diced
-2 jalapeno or serrano peppers: stemmed, seeded, and minced

Chili Spices:
-2 packs McCormick chili spices (powder)

OR (the REAL way)
-6 Tbls chili powder
-2 Tbls ground cumin
-1 tsp paprika
-1/4 tsp red cayenne pepper powder
-1 1/2 Tbls dried oregano
-1 Tbls adobo powder
-1 Tbls freshly ground black pepper
-salt to taste

Preparation:
-In a frying pan, brown 2 lbs ground meat and drain well
-In a large stew pot or Dutch oven, add meat and vegetables and stir over medium heat until onions and peppers wilt (approx 5 minutes)
-Add spices and seasonings, stir
-Add crushed tomatoes
-Add kidney beans that have been drained and rinsed
-Add beer, stir
-Add water (if needed) until desired consistency
-Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low
-Simmer for approximately 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 5 minutes or so

One last note from Fred, "Refrigerate over night in pot before eating. Not essential, but I think it tastes better, as all of the ingredients blend together nicely."

We like ours with light sour cream, shredded cheese, and oyster crackers. Thanks, Fred!

Hebrew National Hot Dogs

A hot dog is not something your typical gourmet indulges in on a regular basis, if ever. Luckily for me, I'm no gourmet. Still, other than the occasional turkey or soy dog (I like Morning Star Farms dogs and corn dogs the best), I didn't purchase hot dogs as a general rule. What other meat is so famous for being so grossly mysterious? For one thing, they are not a healthy food (duh). Most have lots of fat, or lots of preservatives, carcinogens, and other chemical ick (yes, even some of the veggie ones.) Also, I've seen the process of making a typical hot dog on Discovery, or say, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. When you watch a hot dog go from raw product, to yellowy extrusion, to the addition of smoky flavors and nitrites, the temptation to eat one is lessened considerably. Now add these other factors to an unfortunate incident I experienced as a teenager, in which I pulled a largish piece of coiled plastic sheeting out from within a cheap frankfurter. You'll see that my odds of ordering the grilled chicken sandwich instead of the mystery dog at Wrigley become very high indeed.

But while at the ol' Trader Joe's, I had a summertime craving for a really good hot dog. And I saw the Hebrew Nationals, a 100% kosher beef frank (I don't eat pork, either, my Jewish brothers) that contains nothing artificial. I remembered how much I liked them when they gave them away once a year at the office building in Skokie I used to work in. I got the Reduced Fat, and so far I like those the best. The 97% Fat Free variety, sadly, didn't have nearly as good a flavor.



Of course, even while eating hot dogs, I'm trying to "up" the nutritional value and minimize the damage... So I paired the dogs with TJ's sweet potato oven fries (cook 'em high and hot, or they'll sog out on you), and dipped those in a little low-fat ranch mixed with BBQ sauce (my two current favorites are Sweet Baby Ray's and Famous Dave's Texas Pit.) And, of course, whole wheat buns. I put Dijon mustard and relish on mine, and tried not to look when C-Dub added ketchup to his. I just kept reminding myself, "He's a good man, he's a good man..."

For my money, these are the best and the only dogs out there. But I could be suffering from inexperience, since I haven't tried them all... Would you sooner die than eat one? Or do you eat several every week? How do they fix 'em where you live?

What's your favorite hot dog?

Grilled Veggies... and What to Do With Them

I love the veggie griller's package at Trader Joe's. It comes with bell peppers, a slice of eggplant, sweet potato, zucchini, red onion and yellow squash, plus a couple mushrooms, and some asparagus. I added the green onion myself, plus some additional bell pepper I had. If you don't have access to Joe's, you could easily make the mix yourself. I just like that it is "single-use, no waste."

Now, of course, they are good simply paired with a grilled chicken breast, but one could get tired of that. Also, there are a couple of these (like the eggplant) that need some "sneaking in" for my husband's sake. I grill the veggies on my grill pan, and I've come up with several uses for them after that.

One night I rough-chopped them, and added them to pasta with some olive oil, a can of clams, a little red pepper flakes and a bit of white wine. Plus, of course, a ton of parmesan cheese.



On another occasion, I put them through the slicer blade (after grilling) of my food processor, plus some leftover asparagus and steamed broccoli I had.



Then I added them to a sautée pan and added red sauce. I got a nutrient-packed veggie sauce out of that, and there was lots left over for the week.



Lastly, I also diced them after grilling and added them to a "crustless quiche." I based it on this recipe from cooks.com, but I basically put in the following:

10 cubed slices wheat bread
9 eggs
3 cups skim milk
two large handfuls (about 8 oz. or two cups) shredded cheese
the cubed veggies
four slices grilled Joe's turkey bacon, diced
salt and pepper

I cut the bread into cubes, and added the beaten eggs and milk, then all the other ingredients. I baked it in a sprayed pan at 350 until it all puffed up into a nice blossom, which took something like an hour. (Hard to say, because mine takes twice as long as everyone else's on earth.)



This was really delicious. We had lots of leftovers that we just reheated in the microwave throughout the week... Would be good without the bacon as a vegetarian option, too!

Turkey Taco Time!

Nearly all of the time, you'll see me saying something like, "Hey, if you don't like this, switch it out or change it." But just this once, I think you should make my tacos exactly the way that I make them and see what you think. Chris and I could (and often do) eat these once a week, and they earn rave reviews from guests that may have been leery at first. I'm gonna be really specific here. Note the order, the layering, and the ingredients. You want to change anything, that's great! Just don't tell people you're making MY tacos. 'Cause you're not. I know, I'm being very fascist about this, but these are THE TACOS, and they are perfect and holy. (My mood will pass and I'll go back to being light-hearted and free-wheeling about procedure after this, I promise you.)



The Meat:

In the photo above, the tacos are shown with easy Crockpot taco chicken, which is also great instead of the turkey meat. The recipe for that is:

4 chicken breasts, either frozen or fresh
a liberal dusting of mexican seasoning (scroll down that page)
1/2 jar of jelly, any kind (low sugar is okay, but not sugar-free)
1/2 jar salsa
salt and pepper

Cook for 4 hours if fresh, 6 hours if frozen, or just until the chicken shreds easily with two forks.

If you're doing the ground turkey meat version, I use about a pound of ground turkey meat, added to about two cloves of diced garlic, and half a hefty diced onion that has been "sweated." When the meat has been browned with the onions and garlic, drain off the water using a lid. Return it to the heat, then add a liberal dusting of the mexican seasoning (scroll down that page), salt and pepper. When that is all mixed together, add about a half jar of your favorite salsa to the meat and mix that in. This is the key to getting turkey meat that is never dry and is nice a savory. At the last moment, add diced fresh cilantro and mix that in.



The Guacamole:

I know I've shared my guac recipe with you before, but here it is again with the reminder that it is PERFECT (I know... what is going on with me today, huh?):

2-3 ripe avocados
1/2 diced jalepeño
1/2 diced red onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 small palmful minced fresh cilantro
juice of 1-2 limes
salt and pepper

I firmly believe that the salsa, as you can see, should be added to the meat, not to the avocados. What you want to taste are the avocados, and it shouldn't be mush. I like to mix it all once, just at the end, so it is nice and chunky. You can eat on this liberally with some chips and cerveza until the tacos are ready.



The Order:

Assemble the tacos in the following order. Yes, I am completely serious. DO IT THIS WAY. I'm going to know if you don't.

When the shells have been warmed for a couple minutes in the oven (and yes, if you don't do this you are a barbarian), use the back of the spoon to "frost" one inner side of the taco shell with light or fat-free sour cream. Doing this creates a "Spackle" that holds all the other ingredients in, and also distributes your sour cream throughout without taking up precious vertical space that can be used for the "stuffage" of other ingredients. (Yes, that is a technical term, and don't question me again, private!)



Next, place your taco meat in the bottom, then the shredded cheddar or mexican cheese blend, and then the lettuce (and thou shalt not use iceberg, but mixed spring greens, red lettuce, or romaine are good). Then take your guacamole and spread it over the top. Again, we have a kind of Spackle or caulking effect here, and putting it over the top seals in all your other loose ingredients.

Lastly, and most importantly, put a easy drizzle of Western Light dressing over the top. Don't use a different dressing, and oh lord Francine, don't skip it, and I can't even look at you right now because I can-NOT believe you even asked me that. Sheesh!



There she is! Packed with nutrients, lower in fat than your plain old Velveeta and beef taco, and who really cares? Because the main thing is that it tastes one thousand times better.

The leftovers also make a great taco salad assemblage, just store the meat and the other ingredients separately, and reheat the meat. I also like to add a can of baby corn, and a can of black beans (rinsed and drained). Leftover guac (not that we usually have any) will actually keep in the fridge for a day or two without browning, because there is plenty of lime juice in it.



Enjoy. The perfect taco, with the chicken or the turkey. I know I was hard on you, but anything this great usually don't come easy, and now you can make these in minutes. You are welcome.

Turkey Burger Summer

This house is the official "Turkey Burger Central." I'm lucky to be married to a guy who doesn't really care for red meat, and doesn't really fight me on these things. Once in awhile, if we go out, we will splurge on a beef burger... But at home, it is strictly turkey meat.



The one thing about turkey is that I don't feel that it has as much inherent flavor as the fattier beef counterpart does, so I have experimented a lot with different seasonings. My favorite (other than the "Turkey Tricolore,") starting with ground meat and shaping the patties, has the following seasonings added:

a half-capful of Liquid Smoke
a couple shots of Worcestershire sauce
a little Adobo seasoning (or garlic powder)
a shake of ground cumin
1/2 a medium diced onion
one egg
a little salt and pepper

After you flip them once, then brush on a little chili sauce. I like to top them with cheddar, or turkey bacon, and a little lowfat mayo sometimes.



You can also substitute the chili sauce with BBQ sauce, whichever you prefer. We like veggie fixings and whole-wheat buns.



Another variation I like is to top the burger with turkey chili, and shredded cheese. They are sloppy and they feel sinful, but they don't have much fat at all.



Sometimes we get pre-packaged or frozen turkey burgers, so there is no chance to put your own seasonings inside, but they are really convenient. Grilling can dry out the Jennie-O patties, because they are very lean... But I got an idea from the Harper cafeteria, which serves really yummy turkey burgers. They keep the burgers in broth, and serve them from there. So we simmer ours in chicken stock until they turn white. It keeps them juicy, and you can strain the stock through a funnel and put the carton back in the fridge for re-use once or twice (the stock just gets more flavorful.)



Mmmm... well, now I'm all worked up, and I've gotta break for lunch... Hope you guys have a good one, too!

Grilled Turkey Sandwich

When I toured the campus at Illinois Wesleyan when I was 18, I fell in love with it. Winter had fallen on the campus, and a beautiful white blanket lay over the "quad." All was quiet, and I busily began imagining all the brilliant students hard at work learning SCIENCE and LITERATURE with delicious fervor. I would fit in here, I thought. It's okay for me to be a nerd here. These are my people. My dad chewed his lip and wondered how he could afford it. He had really just brought me to Bloomington to tour the campus of his alma mater up the street, Illinois State. In typical daughter fashion, I'd fallen in love with a more expensive option.

But Wesleyan smiles on the low to moderate-income honor student, and I found out that day that the "Green Weenie" (unofficial mascot name) financial plan for me included my choice of three meal plans. The school was starting a new system that next autumn, in which your student ID card functioned as a debit card for food. You could get a) all your meals in the school cafeteria, b) most of your meals there and a little "virtual money" at the school snack bar, or c) one meal a day in the cafeteria and $300 credit at the snack bar. I grimaced when the campus tour guide told us proudly, "and we're getting a new food service this year... MARRIOTT!!" My heart sank. My stomach flopped.

I knew for a fact that Marriott food service was just a new name for the same food service that I'd had all through grade school and high school: S.A.G.A. Food Service. I probably don't need to tell you that the food was awful. I never knew what it stood for, but the long version of the name that students had given it was "Soviets Attempting to Gag America." Enough said.

I went to Wesleyan anyway, and some of the food in the cafeteria was palatable. Some was not. I had a friend who swore that while working there, he read "Grade C Meat, But Edible" on the box of frozen burgers he unpacked. "BUT edible!" he repeated many times for emphasis, "BUT EDIBLE!" (This tale is an urban legend, I now know, but the school made it oh-so-plausible.) I know that I was stupid enough to give the Sweet and Sour Pork and something called Beef Ragout not one, but two tries each. I gagged them down, and was sent sprinting to the bathroom to gag them back up again for a total of four times together. The Soviets were winning!

Needless to say I opted every year for the maximum amount of money at the school snack bar, "the Dugout." The day the $300 credit ran out was a sad day, indeed, as there would be no real money to replace my play money. Far from the reaches of corrupt food service giants, the simple food there was made the way the counter ladies had been making it since the sixties. My favorite meal was a bag of Doritos, an iced tea, a banana, and a grilled turkey sandwich. "The Dugout" did this very well, and it not only got me through school and saved the fate of the free world, but it is still my favorite sandwich.



The sliced turkey (deli) meat was first grilled by itself on the flat-top grill, THEN placed on the bread with cheese to grill as you would a regular grilled cheese. You have to grill the meat first in the skillet when you make it. This is key. I like to dunk mine in a homemade 1,000 Island-style dressing: low-fat sour cream, Western dressing, and pickle relish. This addition was inspired by the Steak 'n Shake turkey melt, which I also love.

Long story, short recipe. That's how I'm doing it today. Also, I wanted you to know in advance why, if you say the word "ragout" in my presence, I will quite literally turn halfway inside out. Uuwhhhh. I can't abide by that!

Bacon Fried Rice

I know, I know, it sounds sinful... But it wasn't, really. I had some of that wonderful turkey bacon from Trader Joe's, some leftover brown rice and some veggies (like shredded carrots), so I diced the bacon, diced garlic, and some red onions in just a little olive oil, and tossed in the rice and some slivered almonds. Lastly, I drizzled in a couple of beaten eggs until they scrambled (takes a few seconds).

If I'd had some eggplant and some fresh basil, I might have added that for a sort of thai flavor. Sounds naughty, actually very nice... tastes great!