Mongolian Beef from George

Did we have a great dinner tonight! George from "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse" posted his Mongolian Beef recipe this week. Immediately, the Trout and I knew we would have to try this.

We have prepared many meals in a wok, but this recipe is such a keeper!! It takes the zest of a tangerine and the juice of one and that made all the difference. A perfect combination of oyster sauce, hoison sauce, garlic...well, I could go on for a long time. For a side, we had Chuka soba noodles which was perfect with the wonderful sauce that accompanied the beef.

I am going to refer you to George's blog for the recipe, because I want you to see more than this recipe. He has a fantastic food blog and is very knowledgeable. Have no doubt. This is a must try recipe.

Do you cocorico?

For several years now, we have owned a cocorico roaster that we purchased from NapaStyle, Michael Chiarello's catalog. We have enjoyed watching his cooking show on television. We have used it several times with mixed emotions.

Directions state that the bird should sit in the roaster with drumsticks up. This just seemed rather awkward, not only for us positioning the bird, but also for the bird. So we usually put the bird on the roaster with the drumsticks down, like popular beer can style roasting.

Yesterday we tried once again with the drumsticks up. The bird roasts beautifully. We had some onions and a whole head of garlic roasting around the bottom with rosemary and garlic stuffed in the cavity.

I like the fact that the bird is not 'sitting' in the drippings as it roasts, but I certainly don't find this roaster a necessity. I'm curious if anyone has a cocorico roaster and if there are other experimental roasting this could be used for. Hmm...looks like a sombrero to me.

Zigeuner Schnitzel

One memory of living in Germany was the many ways schnitzel could be prepared. Tonight, we had Zigeuner Schnitzel or Gypsy Schnitzel. It gets its name from the addition of peppers and Hungarian paprika to the sauce. Gypsies were known to come from Hungary. Growing up in a small village in Iowa, every spring we were greeted by "gypsies" coming into town to buy food and wares. They camped in a wooded area near our town and our parents, of course, (this was the late 40's, early 50's) put fear in our hearts and thoughts by telling us the gypsies would take us away if we did not behave. Kind of a crude and rude way to talk to children, but it worked and did not harm me in any way. Possibly, it even taught me more respect for those that were different than me.

I remember being amazed at the women coming to town with long, black, curly hair, layers of clothing, and pulling money out of the front of their blouses to pay for things. Believe me, this was better than reading any novel available at the time. I wish I could see myself now, looking at these guests of our community. I must have been very wide-eyed. I must add, I am not aware that they caused any trouble, or ever stole any children.

Paprika jar brought back from Hungary

Gypsy Schnitzel
Zigeuner Schnitzel

4-6 thin, boneless veal or pork slices (used flattened pork tenderloin)
flour for dredging the meat
olive oil for frying

The Peppers and Sauce

1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 portabella mushroom, sliced
1 medium sized onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon Hungarian Paprika (mild or hot)
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup beef or chicken stock
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons capers
salt and pepper
I added a roux of 1 Tablespoon butter mixed with 1 Tablespoon flour to thicken

Cut peppers into thin strips.

Lightly flour the veal or pork cutlets. Brown in 2 Tablespoons olive oil and then reserve to a plate.

Add minced garlic and sweat and then add the peppers and mushrooms. Just cook until tender.

Add the wine and stock, tomato paste and capers. Bring to a simmer. At this time I added the butter and flour roux to help thicken the sauce. Then add the meat cutlets back into the sauce and gently simmer.

Serve by placing schnitzel on plates with the pepper/mushroom sauce and serve with noodles, potatoes or spaetzle.

I will need to make more schnitzel in the months to come. There are several variations. After all, that is where I got my name for my blog!!

Spicy Chicken Soup

While in Montana this summer, The Trout and I had the privilege of meeting two new blogging friends, Chris from Knitting Mania and Dustye from Dustye's Kitchen, who are both from California. Chris and Dustye talked about this fantastic soup recipe they can gotten from a friend. It was our luck to be invited to Chris and Pat's for dinner before we left to drive back to Florida.

We loved this soup immediately. So, with leftover turkey in the refrigerator, we both thought that this soup would be perfect. Besides, it was a cool but comfortable day in Florida today. It is easy, different and everyone seems to love it. So thanks, Chris, thanks Dustye, and I hope you don't mind me sharing with the blog world. All the credit goes to you.

Spicy Chicken Soup


1 whole cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works great)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cans chicken broth
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes (original) Use more if you want more heat
chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tablespoon cumin
chopped avocado
sour cream
small package corn tortillas

Saute all veggies in olive oil. Add broth, tomatoes, shred the chicken and add to the soup, cumin and pepper to taste. Bring to a good boil. Add 6 chopped corn tortillas which will melt in hot broth and slightly thicken soup.

Boil at least 20 minutes. Simmering for at least an hour is better and it even tastes better the next day.

How to serve:

Place a small amount of chopped cilantro and avocado in bottom of bowl and add hot soup. Sprinkle with your favorite shredded cheese and a drop or two of sour cream.

Another option would be to fry up strips of corn tortillas until crunchy and sprinkle on top.

This was a great meal!!

We are getting back into the swing of things in our own kitchen. The recipes on the blogs I follow have been phenomenal and I want to try them all. But, one day at a time. Tonight we grilled a Costco strip steak with Onion and Blue Cheese Sauce from the "Pioneer Woman Cooks" and Bacon Braised Green Beans from "A Nod is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse."

I found the fantastic Onion and Blue Cheese Sauce from the Pioneer Woman on a blog I follow every day, "A Feast for the Eyes".

This is another blog that I find wonderful. She can cook and is a true follower of the Pioneer Woman.

I have really enjoyed finding George Gaston at "A Nod". He is very creative with his recipes, photographs well and is very kind with his comments on my post. Please take a look and enjoy what this man has to offer.

Of course, such a meal needs a great wine and we had a French Bordeaux that went beautifully with such a great meal.

Still plugging away

I have always liked to watch Michael Chiarello cook on TV. He is very likable, always throws fantastic dinner parties and I like what he cooks. I also receive his catalog Napa Style. During the summer his cover had beautiful wine bottles with candles inside. I sent the picture to my daughter thinking her husband could cut wine bottles to achieve this same affect for much, much less.

When we stopped to see them a couple of weeks ago, he volunteered to try cutting the bottom out of the wine bottle with his wet saw. So, The Trout and I went to the Whole Foods, not looking for the perfect wine this time, but the perfect bottle to experiment with. This certainly isn't a magnum, which would be perfect, but it was large enough to produce an almost identical bottle to M. Chiarello's with a much better price. I really like it a lot. Thanks, Mike and Angie. We are enjoying this new candle bottle.


I think I may have found a very perfect granola recipe for myself. I have been buying expensive and too sugary granola-type cereal, but certainly do not like the price. I then saw that a blog I love to read "For the love of cooking" had a great sounding granola recipe, so I had to try it. You can see it here. Very simple and I had all the ingredients. I also add dried apricots because I had some of those around. Very good on Greek yogurt which is my yogurt of choice right now.

Still cleaning out closets before The Trout gets back. Also went out to dinner last night (smile) with a girlfriend. Kippy went to the groomer today. Life is good.

Georgian Cilantro Sauce

Driving many miles in a car this summer, we listened to a lot of Public Radio along with favorite CD's such as Jimmy Buffet, Norah Jones, and Delbert McClinton. One PR program was named "The Splendid Table." The topic for the day was "Georgian Cilantro Sauce." The recipe is from Martha Rose Shulman's series "Recipes for Health" in The New York Times. Quoting Ms. Shulman, "Years ago I found an intriguing recipe for a sauce similar to this one. I love it, but it wasn't until I read Dara Goldstein's The Georgian Feast, from which this recipe is adapted, that I realized this sweet, pungent sauce is a mainstay of Georgian national cuisine, often served with grilled meat, chicken, vegetables or grains."

Well, that is all I needed to hear. This is not Georgia, USA. This is the country of Georgia which lies between Asia and Europe. I made the sauce this morning to serve with a pork roast today. The apricots have been soaking since last evening.


Georgian Cilantro Sauce

2 ounces dried apricots
1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup shelled walnuts (1 ounce)
2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste) halved
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne
2 cups cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mixed basil, tarragon and dill
5 tablespoons walnut oil
1/2 cup soaking water from the apricots

Place the dried apricots in a bowl and pour on the boiling water. Let sit for at least an hour, more if possible. Drain over a measuring cup and retain 1/2 cup of the soaking water.

Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic. When it is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the bowl. Add the walnuts, and process with the garlic. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the drained apricots, the lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne to the bowl, and process to a puree. Add the cilantro and other chopped herbs and puree, stopping the machine to scrape down the sides several times. Combine the walnut oil and soaking water from the apricots, and with the machine running, gradually add it to the puree. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let sit for one hour. Taste and adjust salt. Serve with beans, chicken, meat or fish, grilled or roasted vegetables or grains. The sauce will keep for several days in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.

My photo above shows roast pork, Georgian Cilantro Sauce and roasted potatoes. We both agreed, that this sauce is addictive. I, unfortunately, did not have the walnut oil which is so prevalent in the Dordogne region of France. I used a good olive oil instead. I used the cilantro, parsley, basil and dill and did not use the tarragon. Very surprisingly, each and every one of these herbs, the lemon, the apricots, the garlic; all are very distinct in flavor as you taste this sauce. The lady on the radio said she loves this so much, she simply spreads it on bread to eat it. I will definitely use it on spelt/ferro, a grain we like a lot. I know I will be making this often.

Red Beans and Rice

Even though it was quite warm yesterday, we had a desire to cook Red Beans and Rice. Many years ago, back to the days of the Michael Douglas Show, Louis Armstrong was a guest and he cooked Red Beans and Rice. I tried it immediately (those were the days when I was doing the cooking and the Trout still went to work). We loved it--at least we have fond memories of enjoying the dish.

However, because of several moves, the recipe was lost. I have been searching the Internet for years looking for Louis' red bean recipe. We tried one that was supposed to be his 'original' several months ago, but it was not very good. So, when I saw Sam's recipe on "My Carolina Kitchen" blog, I knew we had to try it. It was very, very good!

I have a picture of the completed dish and I also took a picture of my latest project. I am working on my embroidery machine again and I just had to make a kitchen towel with my blog's name. It was fun and it looks good with my red small appliances and pots. Yes, I know--the towel needs ironing!

Sam has a great blog "My Carolina Kitchen" and you will find the Red Beans and Rice recipe here.

Opa! Burgers, all around

We had our favorite burger of late last evening. It is the second time we tried it and it is very different and very tasty. We saw this burger win on the Food network contest, maybe 2 years ago. It is made from lamb, not beef, therefore won in the Alternative Burger category.

Opa! Burger was submitted by Elizabeth Bennett, from Mill Creek, Washington, and I give her credit for this recipe. Tonight, because we did not have have fresh spinach on hand, I substituted spring green lettuce. We also substituted sauteed fresh mushrooms instead of soaking the dried porcini in the Shiraz.

This is the recipe from the Food Network.

If you like lamb, this is definitely a burger you will want to try. And I did not need mint jelly, either!!

The wine we had with it was from Spain, it is a modernistic labeled wine made from garnacha old vines, named Style, vintage 2007.

German Spinach

I grew up loving spinach. It was always grown in abundance in our family garden which my mother and grandmother tended every day. The concept of not liking spinach was not acceptable in my vocabulary. My mother made the best spinach in the world--according to me and my brother.

I made my mother's recipe tonight for the grandboys at their request. My brother's son, Matthew, has gone to Antarctica for many years for his work and has cooked this spinach way down under for the Navy seals and scientists working down there.

Possibly, you will need some time to get acquainted with this recipe, as it is not typical spinach. My mother always called it Deutscher Spinat, so I am sharing a "in the pot" picture and recipe for you.

GERMAN SPINAT ( SPINACH)

1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs, packed

3 tablespoons flour

1 small finely chopped onion

1/2 to 3/4 cup beef broth

Melt in a saucepan, the butter and then add the bread crumbs and brown over low heat. Add the flour and onions and brown a little more. Add spinach that has been squeezed dry and mix together well. Add the beef broth and cook up good until it bubbles and let it steam until the spinach is thoroughly cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is a typical recipe from my mother. You may improvise, but it is what it is. We have always loved this spinach and I am partial to enjoying it cold for breakfast, but that is just me. I also love to eat cold pizza for breakfast.

A New Zealand wine started it all

A favorite wine of ours, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand was just asking to be opened. So, a grilled salmon filet and a salad with the Trout 'Easy Caesar Salad' dressing was on the menu for tonight.

We found this salad dressing in Bon Appetit many years ago, and it is taped inside a kitchen cabinet. That is how often it is used.

Easy Caesar Salad

1 tablespoon squeeze of anchovy paste

2 chopped garlic cloves

5-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Mix in a small food processor and add to a bowl of Romaine lettuce. Top with extra Parmesan cheese.

We had this lovely dinner with a bottle of Kim Crawford 2008 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I have never been very fond of white wine. Red Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon are my favorites for enjoying with a meal. However, Kim Crawford puts out an excellent Sauvignon that has a bouquet of grapefruit and the first taste on the tongue is also of grapefruit. It is excellent with a fish, such as the salmon we had this evening. When I asked The Trout what the bouquet was as he sniffed it in perfect manner, he said 'grapefruit and quince.' Well, that started a whole new conversation. Like, "when did you ever taste quince?" We always have fun!

This was our Easter dinner

Though it was just the two of us, after church on Sunday, the Trout and I cooked a lovely dinner for ourselves.

We had lamb chops, which we love, marinated in olive oil, garlic and our own rosemary. Along with this I made Ina Garten's Zucchini Gratin. This was a wonderful side dish and the recipe can be found here. It is a lovely way to eat zucchini. I did substitute Emmentaler cheese for the Gruyere as that is what I had, but even Parmesan would be good in this casserole.

A favorite salad is Mediterranean Salad from Giada de Laurentiis. We make this quite often because it is such a different salad and so good. You can see her recipe here.

Along with a bottle of 2006 Peter Lehmann Barossa Shiraz, rated a 91 by Wine Spectator Magazine which we bought for $13 at Costco. It was a perfect wine to accompany our Easter dinner.

We both said no dessert even though we missed it, but trying to hold back on calories and would rather have the calories in the dinner than dessert. I am still trying to convince myself of this...

Kofta meatballs

Last week, The Trout and I visited a blog and found a recipe that spoke to us. You can find the recipe here at Chez Loulou.

We played 9 holes of golf on Sunday afternoon with two other couples and then came home and whipped this meal together in 20 minutes. The other two couples went out to eat, but we like to eat at home. And I really could not invite them because I doubt they would have enjoyed it as much as we did.

I also made carrots sauteed with olive oil, brown sugar, ginger and tarragon. Basmati rice for the Kofta meatballs for which we made a tzatziki sauce made with cucumbers, Greek yogurt, mint and garlic. We made the meatballs as LouLou did with ground beef, but I think next time we will use ground lamb since we like it so much. I will admit that the meatballs were made yesterday because we knew we would be short on time this afternoon. They warmed up nicely.

One more dinner that really tasted great.

Choucroute garnie

Last night we had Choucroute for dinner. It is a favorite. Traditionally, it is a German and East European dish, but the French annexation of Alsace and Lorraine in 1648, brought this dish to the attention of French chefs.

Choucroute garnie means dressed sauerkraut. The original recipes required hours of simmering for this wonderful dish. I have found a 'quick' method which we really like. This recipe is out of Bon Appetit, December 2001. This way, it is also easier to eat it more often because it comes together rather quickly.

I served it in a casserole dish I bought in the Alsace region of France in 1991 when we visited there. Did you know the word casserole is French for sauce pan?

Quick Choucroute Garnie

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)



• 1 pound fully cooked smoked sausage cut into 3 inch lengths, and halved (Tonight I simply used smoked pork chops and that makes it a much leaner meal)



• 2 cups chopped onions



• 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds



• 1 bay leaf



• 1 pound purchased sauerkraut, drained



• 1/2 teaspoon thyme, more if fresh



• 2/3 cup dry white wine

Heat oil in large skillet and add sausages, meats, and cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn over, add onions and saute until onions are beginning to soften. (Now it really starts smelling good.) Cook about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with boiled red potatoes. We also had a lovely German Riesling from the Mosel that made the meal.

One hint I have is to throw out your old bottle or tin of caraway seed and buy a new one. It makes such a difference. I know you don't use it often and it does lose it's wonderful taste. And that goes for all spices. I have been dating them and you will be amazed how old they get quickly. Toss the old stuff and buy new. Food is too important to use flavorless spices.

Speaking of spices and herbs, we now are growing more than ever and they do so well here in Florida. We have a wonderful large rosemary shrub, oregano, thyme, basil, mint, chives, tarragon, and lavender. It is so wonderful to just open the door and go out and harvest what we need for dinner.

Oh yes, one more thing. You say you don't like sauerkraut? You really need to try this because cooking it this way with the caraway and the wine, just mellows it so much. It really is very, very good. Sehr gut, mein Freund!

I love The Barefoot Contessa

Tonight we tried one of Ina Garten's salads, Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette. It was very nice and we probably will make it again. The cider and vinegar takes a lot longer than she says to boil down, but it was a very different salad than we had ever eaten. We had it with a piece of grilled salmon, but we both knew ham would be excellent with it.

The strangest thing keeps happening. I keep e-mailing Ina and telling her that The Trout and I would love to come to dinner at her home in The Hampton's, anytime, but for some reason, she just doesn't write back. It is very disappointing because we could be there anytime. Wouldn't it be fun, with her Jeffrey driving up in his BMW just as the cocktails are being served......dreaming......

German Red Cabbage

Most of my childhood memories revolve around German foods that my mother and grandmother baked or cooked. Many years ago, I sat down with my mother and told her despite the fact that she did not use recipes, I needed to know the measurements so that I could duplicate these recipes. With her heavy German accent, we were able to get things on paper, try out the written measurements and correct if need be. I then composed a small cookbook for myself so I will always have these recipes near.

Then back in the 1970's, I was asked to teach a German cooking class at the local career college in the small town where we lived. Being German food which is certainly a lot different than quick Oriental cooking, I had to lay out my plans and buy double to start one dish at home, start another dish at school, and then finish the dish I had started at home at school. Work, yes, you betcha!

I had two small daughters at the time and now when I think back on it, I am amazed how busy I kept myself. I was very fortunate to stay home with the girls and not go to work until my youngest was a junior in high school. Therefore, I did a lot of cooking, baking and sewing at home. In fact, I even sewed myself two Dirndl dresses with aprons to wear to these classes. Oh how I wish I could fit into them now, 30 years later. I still have them, but know that I will never be able to wear them again. Too much German food has passed by my lips since then.

At Christmastime, I met a neighbor and we started talking about food. I found out she loves German red cabbage and does not know how to make it. I told her, one of these days, I would make some and bring it to her. So, today is the day.

German Red Cabbage (Rot Kraut)

1 medium head red cabbage, shredded

3 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, minced

1 apple, peeled and diced

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar (not Heinz which is too strong tasting)

1 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

In a deep pot, melt butter over low heat. Add the onions and saute' for a few minutes. Then add the shredded cabbage and the rest of the ingredients. Stir together well. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer. Put lid back on and let steam. Stir occasionally and simmer for almost an hour.

A good day

Well, the delivering of Meals on Wheels went well. I can see why this is such a need in our community. Actually, for our town, this is the first time anyone is available to deliver the meals and they are so sorely needed to many individuals.

We could tell as we knocked on the doors and the people answered that they were happy to see us. It was a good feeling that we could help. It only took 2-3 hours out of a Tuesday morning and we did such a good thing.

On a different note, last November, because we were going to a friend's house for Thanksgiving, we bought a turkey for the freezer for only $.79 a pound. That is a good price. On Sunday, the house smelled like Thanksgiving. We had roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and salad. I said NO to pie. It was enough for just the two of us. The Trout did mention pecan pie once, and I told him to forget it. We have been enjoying turkey sandwiches and tonight I made another favorite. Turkey Divan.

Steam broccoli and put in a buttered casserole. Add cut up turkey. On top of this combine a can of cream of chicken soup with 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, and a good pinch of curry powder. Add 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese and on top of this add bread crumbs and butter. (I usually freeze hot dog buns and grate them to make bread crumbs). Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. It was very, very good.

While growing up, we never had casseroles to eat, so this has always been a new trick for me. I rarely make them, but this is one time, when there is left over turkey, I love this casserole.

My Bamboo Steamer

Tonight I dug out our old bamboo steamer which had been in storage for a few years. I don't know why in storage, because we have always loved the oriental steamed recipes, but with several moves in the last years, this item was simply packed away. Until...

I found this wonderful recipe that blogger friend, Mary, had on her site, One Perfect Bite. We enjoyed it so very much and I am sure will make it again. Mary, right now, is traveling in SE Asia and is still publishing her blog. I am anxiously awaiting her pictures and news from there.

Thank you, Mary, for a wonderful meal this evening. We even enjoyed a cabbage slaw with an oriental peanut dressing that went with it great.

Moules Frites

Tonight we indulged and had a favorite meal we enjoy when in France. Moules Frites. It is by far the most tactile meal to eat and we just simply love mussels.

My childhood friend, Larry, who lived in Belgium for many years would tend to argue that the best Moules Frites come from Belgium. I just know that every time I ate them in France, and especially Normandy, they were wonderful.

This tasted very good this evening, but it must be the atmosphere that was missing. Perhaps someday soon, we can enjoy Moules Frites in France again.

A wonderful recipe

Once again, blog friend Mary has published a wonderful recipe that spoke to me and The Trout. This recipe is putzy but so worth the flavor. The Trout has been after me for months to make short ribs, but no recipe sounded just right until....along came Mary....

It was a very cool day in Florida, so the oven working all day, pumping out miraculous scents was welcomed. Please check out Mary's blog for Braised Short RIbs Cote du Rhone at this spot. It is well worth the effort although I wonder who does Mary's dishes? Ha Ha