Sandwichs All Day Long

Dagwood would be proud.

Went to Ann Arbor, MI yesterday morning for a Drs. appointment and was done around 11:30 so Deb and I decided to stick around A2 for lunch. When we left U of M Hospital we immediately found a little corner restaurant, Angelo's - Since 1956, 1104 E. Catherine @ Glen, http://www.angelosa2.com/. (When does a restaurant become known as since? 10 years, 15+ years? just wondering).

Anyway, I digress. This spot was just wonderful. Great breakfasts and lunches in an old, but updated diner atmosphere. I watched the young servers bringing oatmeal, waffles, salads and sandwiches to the other patrons. Deb and I had smoked turkey Reuben's; stacked smoked turkey with Swiss cheese, Cole slaw and Thousand Island dressing on grilled house made bread for $7.95, took half of it home it was so big. For $1.25 each we added fries and Cole slaw.

Nothing on the menu was greater than $10. They have floor to ceiling windows and a back atrium which is all glass, Yesterday was bright and sunny and it made the experience even better. Angelo's is a great place and we are sure to return. They even have their own eight-space parking lot across the street.

On to Kerrytown and Zingerman's Deli, 422 Detroit Street for some bread shopping. Bought a large poppy seed challa bread, some cheese and brownies.

Used the bread for Monte Christo sandwiches for dinner.

Sliced the bread, spread the slices with a mixture of Dijon Mustard and Orange marmalade, layered Swiss cheese, sliced ham and sliced turkey, topped with the other slice of bread and then dipped the sandwich in a mixture of beaten eggs, (3) to which I added some additional Dijon and marmalade.

Placed on a preheated grill and placed a tray on top with a heavy pan to mimic a pannini press, browned, turned over and grilled the other side, great. Served with a Trader Joe ginger carrot soup, chips and cornichons. Superb!

Got on the scale today - too much sodium yesterday - oh well - I'll be good today.

Bon Appetit!

Potato Encrusted Cod

Another prepared meal, sometimes knowing where and what to buy trumps cooking, really. This time from Plum Market, two nice sized pieces of very fresh cod, encrusted in browned potato, ( a' la hash browns), for $7. I reheated in my convection oven, on roast, at 325 for 15-20 minutes, crisp and hot! It was the best fish I have had in a long time. Deb and I really enjoyed it, will have to try some Cod for myself, although I don't think I can top Plum Market for quality and price.

I served the cod with my leftover potatoes and carrots from last week's 1940's dinner party, see my previous blog, 1940's Dinner. The sides were still very good and now they are gone.

A great meatless Friday Lent meal. Managed to avoid meat all day and had some of the best food that I did not have to cook, all at a great price.

Had dinner with my <$4 Meridian Chardonnay and all is right with the world.

Bon Appetit!

A Different Breakfast

Went to the Jonna-family owned Plum Market yesterday, such a great store, expensive, but worth it for the quality, selection and unique, hard-to-find foods.

Plus...they sent me a coupon that saved me $20 on my $100 purchase, great. They also have a great deal on Meridian Chardonnay, that with their mail-in rebate brings the price down below $4 a bottle - Wow!

Well I did not have that for breakfast, but they were sampling some salmon in several forms, bought one, basically chopped smoked salmon with parsley, onions and some spices, $14 lb, bought 1/2 lb.

For breakfast I toasted an English Muffin, spread on the salmon and added capers, chopped hard-boiled egg and chopped onions - a poor man's bagel and lox, Served with my Trader Joe Garden Patch tomato juice, green grapes and Bigby fresh-ground coffee from Costco.

It was really good and healthy.

Off to lunch today at LaMarsa in Bloomfield Hills, MI with a friend and former co-worker. They have some if the best middle eastern food around and the best fresh-baked pita with a tasty garlic spread - just don't have a client meeting after that - oh wait, I don't have to worry about that!

Bon Appetit

1940's Dinner Party

We had our friends and neighbors the Maly's, Kathy & Frank, over for dinner on Saturday. Kathy is a wonderful cook and I am always a bit intimidated preparing food for them. I decided to use my 1940's cookbook, The Boston School of Cooking Cookbook, 1941, by Fannie Merritt Farmer and prepare the entire meal, well most of it, from this book. Wanted a theme and given the book went with the 1940's.

Appetizers: Started with canapes, toasted bread on one side then added toppings, all on the untoasted side: Spread peanut butter with small cooked, minced bacon, tomatoes and cheese, chopped olives, mixed with Dijon mustard and minced almonds, pimento and cheese, cheese and bacon, you get it, really anything, topped then broiled for a few minutes, they were great.

Then shrimp cocktails, served in more Hawkes glasses lined with Boston Bibb lettuce, homemade sauce and lemon wedges.

Cocktails: I have an antique cut crystal and silver cocktail shaker so I made gin martinis and whiskey sours, all served "up" in my antique Hawkes crystal cocktail glasses. Served wines with the courses too of course.

Dinner: Chicken casserole: browned split chicken breasts and placed in casserole then topped with sauteed onions, browned potato balls, carrots and bacon, added to a brown sauce and poured over the chicken and baked, covered, for 45+minutes.

Sides: Cooked 6 potatoes, cooled, then cubed. Boiled a green pepper for 6 minutes, cooled and minced added to the potatoes with 2 C milk, brought to a boil then placed in casserole and topped with Parmesan cheese. heated for 20 minutes.

Carrots: Cooked five carrots, placed in a food processor, and mixed with milk and Parmesan cheese, baked in a water bath for one hour.

All of these went very well together. Cooks in the 1940's obviously had more time than we do today, but it was a Saturday.

Dessert: Kathy brought one of my favorite desserts, lemon meringue pie. What a great dinner. The 40's were a great decade. Wish I had experienced first hand - well maybe!

Bon Appetit

Irish Stew with Guinness Stout

Had a great St. Patrick's Day, went out for lunch with my sweetie, we each had 1/2 of a lean corned beef sandwich and a bowl of cabbage soup from the Embers Deli at Maple & Lahser, they have the best corned beef.

At home I made a beef Irish Stew by browning, in batches, seasoned and floured beef chunks in a Dutch Oven, (2 1/2 lbs. from a chuck roast I bought at Kroger), in hot olive oil. I removed the browned cubes to a platter while browning the other batches.

Kroger had a buy one get one free offer so it was really inexpensive, I had to cube it , but it was worth the effort and I put the other one in the freezer for future use.

Then in the same pan I added 3 coarsely chopped onions, 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 3 T of tomato paste and sauteed until soft.

I added back the browned meat with any juices and added 1 1/4 C of Guinness, to the stew, not me, that was later, 1 1/2 C of beef broth, really a whole can of Swanson reduced sodium broth, 2 C of sliced carrots, 10 small potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks, a large sprig of thyme and 2 bay leaves. S & P to taste.

You can then place in 325 oven for 1 1/2 hours or the stove top, which I did, on medium. For the last 1/2 hour add 1 cup of, yes, pitted prunes. This added another layer of flavor to the stew. We all really liked it.

I served in bowls, over mashed potatoes and topped with fresh chopped parsley. Even better the second day.

This recipe was from the Detroit Free Press and was adapted by them from Ballymaloe Cookery School and http://www.startcooking.com/.

Quick Lunch

Had some left-over ravioli, fresh type from Trader Joe's and a small amount of jarred TJ sauce, organic marinara, so I needed to stretch the sauce.

Put some olive oil in a pan, added chopped garlic , ( 1 T) and heated to release the garlic flavor then I added capers, (1-2 T) whole grape tomatoes, ( 1 Cup), the tomatoes burst when heated, sliced green and kalmata olives, (1/2 C combined) and the sauce, heated and poured over the reheated ravioli.

It was so good. Quick and easy. Next time I would add some red pepper flakes for a bit of a kick, Deb likes the milder version.

This is the kind of cooking I really like, no recipe, just add what sounds good and go from there. Rachel Ray did this with Monte Christo sandwiches yesterday, gave me some great ideas, I just wish she wouldn't call them "sami's", short for sandwich, just too cute, just like her EVOO, ugh!

Bon Appetit!

Trader Joe's Dinner

Today I painted our Master bath, second bathroom in two weeks, took longer than I thought, what was I thinking? We were all hungry, but running out of time.

Last week at Trader Joe's I bought a vacu-pac of gnocchi and a jar of ratatouille, the latter something new for me. I was going to use them separately until the checkout guy asked if I had the ratatouille before, I said not his one. He said cook the gnocchi, then place on top of the ratatouille in a small casserole, and add some grated Parmesan cheese. I decided to add some asparagus and I cooked it in the same water as the gnocchi, but took it out sooner.

Layered the gnocchi on top of ratatouille in the casserole, added the asparagus then the grated cheese. Baked at 325 for 15 minutes. It was great. I felt llike I really cooked, Trader Joe's came through again.

You will find out that I love Trader Joe's. It takes a while to figure out what you like since almost everything is private label but once you do you will enjoy many creative, cost effective meals.

Stop by the counter in the back of the store, they are always cooking something, try the daily offering, that's how I find many of the meals or side dishes I serve later. I found a great corn bread with cheese and broccoli recipe they were ofering at my store. I serve and take to potlucks; quick, easy and really tasty.

They always have great coffees too, try some and take home your favorite.

Trader Joe's, Costco, Sam's Club and my local markets, make shopping, preparing and eating FUN!

Here is some TJ website info.

Curiosity is a virtue. We , Trader Joe's, value the inquisitive mind and enjoy the opportunity to satiate it (as well as the tummy that accompanies it). We prefer to do so face to face. Admittedly, we think it's more fun to impart wit and wisdom in a conversation. But we know that life gets busy and a quick reference can be useful. That’s why we’ve gathered together the most frequently asked questions on the following topics, along with the most thoroughly researched answers (or TRAs, for you acronym lovers out there), for the quickest of reference

Bon Appetit

Swiss Steak - This one is Great!

Forget about what you may remember about Swiss Steak, tough, with a mystery gravy, staple of steam-trays of family restaurants years ago.

This recipe, from Joy of Cooking, 1975 version, by Irma von Starkloff Rombauer, 1877-1962, (I bought this one at at antique store in Alanson, MI) was excellent.

I found some cheap chuck steaks at the local Oleson's, $4.00 for three steaks, a real bargain, but I needed to figure out how to make this cheap cut of meat edible.

Looked in Joy and found the Swiss Steak recipe.

I trimmed and pounded the steaks, dipped in seasoned flour (S&P, Paprika, onion & garlic powder) and browned in olive oil with a dab of butter. Placed the browned meat in a casserole, then to the hot pan added 1 medium diced onion, 1/2 C chopped carrots, 2 stalks of chopped celery, some diced yellow, and red peppers, and cooked until just soft then add 1 cup beef or chicken broth, (I used chicken soup we had for lunch) and 1 small can of tomato sauce, mix and pour over the meat.

Cover with lid or foil, shiny side down (transfers the heat better) and place in preheated 300 oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, This was so good, The meat was tender, the vegetables still had crispness and the sauce was so flavorful.

I served the Swiss Steak with potatoes and steamed asparagus.

Since we had 14" of snow, this was a perfect snowy-day meal.

Bon Appetit!

Something different this time, my Mother sent this to me, sounds reasonable.


DID YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU?

Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it.
That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store they stay fresher.
If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Pick peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom that they are sweeter and better for eating.

Pick peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom they are firmer and better for cooking.

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef it will help pull the grease
away from the meat while cooking.

Add a couple spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream to eggs to be scrambled and then beat them up, they will be very rich and creamy.

Add garlic immediately to a recipe it will have a light taste of garlic and if you at it at the end of the recipe you will have a stronger taste of garlic.

Buy a container of cake frosting from the store and whip it with your mixer for a few minutes you can double it in size. You will frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount and you will also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Want to warm or reheat biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave and reheat with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Divan - Divine Indeed

Saturday's Dinner, Chicken Divan was taken from The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl, copyright 2004. Gourmet calls this dish, created at New York's Divan Parisien in the 1950's a fancy casserole and standard dinner-party fare; I agree.

Their recipe calls for cooking Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, (BSCB) then slicing into thin strips. I start with a Costco rotisserie chicken, so much easier.

Steam a bunch of broccoli spears until just past crisp.

Make a sauce made of 1/2 stick melted butter, 4 T of flour. Melt butter, add flour to make a roux constantly stirring for several minutes to develop the flavor, then add 2 C chicken broth and 1/2 C cream, 1/4 C dry sherry and 2 t of lemon juice. I also add 1 t of curry powder and some freshly grated nutmeg.

Grate 1 C of fresh pamigiano-Reggiano cheese, I buy mine at Cantro's Italian market in Livonia, although you can buy it at any good market, I just really like Cantoro's.

Arrange the broccoli in the bottom of the casserole, I place the heads out to either side and some in the middle, pour half the sauce over the broccoli. Layer the chicken over this. Add 1/2 C of the cheese to the sauce, mix in and pour over the broccoli/chicken layers. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.

Bake 15-20 minutes at 375, broil the last 5 minutes to make golden brown and bubbly. Serve with a small salad with a vinaigrette and a nice sauvigion blanc. My new favorites are Kim Crawford from New Zealand, $12.99,a bargain at Costco, or a Veramonte, Casablanca Valley, Chile from Trader Joe's, $9.99.

From the Kim Crawford website:http://www.kimcrawfordwines.co.nz/ Aroma: Lifted aromatics of tropical fruits combined with the traditional nettle and herbaceous aromas of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Palate: Firm acidity is surrounded by hints of sweat, tropical fruits and herbaceous notes with hints of citrus sneaking in. A whopping mouthful of Marlborough.

From the Veramonte website:http://www.veramonte.com/home.html Fresh stone fruit, citrus, and herbs mingle with floral accents. Zesty, medium body with citrus, melon and herb flavors that linger on the palate. Veramonte’s Sauvignon Blanc grapes are grown in the estate vineyards near the creek, where airflow and cooler temperatures preserve the bright fruit and verve.

Bon Apetit!