Dip.

I could survive on dip, I am quite certain.  Chips and dip, fancy crackers and dip, bread and dip.  I am a dip fanatic.

More often than not I like a good tortilla chip with my dip.   I like the crunch, the salt, the perfect vehicle for whatever I'm eating.  Potato chips? Meh.  I'll take some toasty corn goodness.

It's definitely dip season.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, late family Christmas with my dad's family in January.  I'll bring dip, but which one?  Is my repertoire getting old?  Have they had a better dip?  Do they not like my dip?

(I like my dip)

It's good dip!

(Do they not like my dip?)

Surely they like my dip.

And so it goes.

I think I need something new though.  Something...different, but easy and surprising and delicious.

My top 5 Dips in current rotation:
1. Neiman Marcus Dip
2. Hot Jezabel
3. Italian Pesto Cheese Dip*
4. Buffalo Chicken Dip**
5. Simple Jalapeno Salsa***

I might try to add another to the list for this weekend. 

*I go full fat on this one and serve it with buttered, baked and broiled bread ala the Pioneer Woman.
** I add chunks of celery to this.
***This is a staple- it goes on everything from tamales to eggs in our house and is so simple and light.

A Homemade Life

A Homemade Life, by  Molly Wizenberg

As much as I loved The Nasty Bits, I really didn't love this book.  I thought I would.  I really wanted to, but, I kind of hated it. 

There.  I said it.  I hated this book.

I've read reviews of people devouring it in two days- which is great- that's what I wanted to do.  That's what I thought I would do.  In the end I couldn't get past the nagging voice in the back of my head saying "sounds like a spoiled rich girl" long enough to get through the first half, let alone the entire book. 

I did make one recipe out of it on a rainy afternoon when I was feeling particularly good and thought it might be a nice idea to actually cook something for the boys lunch for a change.  I had just finished the chapter ending with the recipe for Dutch Baby and it seemed easy and I had all the ingredients on hand.  It was easy, the boys loved it, I'll probably make it again.  That was the last chapter I read though...maybe I'll try again this summer.  Maybe not.

Maybe I'll have to dive into the stack of Bourdain books my husband just received from Amazon to get myself back in the mood for food.  Either way, I'm moving on.

The Nasty Bits

I was so excited to get started on this book club, I've been wanting to join one for quite awhile now but haven't found the one that really struck me as something I'd stick with. When I saw a Facebook status about this I jumped all over it. I think I replied that I would be joining before I ever even took a look at the book list. Food books, online, it was a good fit for me. I promptly ordered all three books and started waiting for my shipment to arrive. Nothing is more addicting for me than collecting new books. well, maybe collecting cloth diapers but that's for a different blog.

When I first started reading The Nasty Bits I was happy to see it was short essays and articles- perfect for me- a working Mom who has little time to devote to whole chapters. I was usually able to read through 2-3 stories at a time and not feel like I was missing out on anything if I had to put the book down. That said, I *almost* lost my cookies reading about the raw baby seal in the introduction...I'm not even going to blame that on being pregnant. Thankfully my stomach wasn't tested like that for the rest of the book or I may have had to put it down for good.

The chapter that stuck with me most was The Evildoers. Minneapolis food enthusiasts have been trying really hard to pass some laws so we can get street vendors downtown. They finally passed some really (really really) restrictive laws last week. The biggest restriction being you have to have a brick and mortar store to have a license. So, it'll be more of the same, but on the street- if you can get permission to be there in the first place (you can't just set up shop on the corner, you have to ask adjacent businesses if it's alright. I don't think anyone is really impressed by this. We'll see, maybe this limited intro to street food will be the first steps into the market and in a few years it will be less restrictive.

Food and Loathing in Las Vegas....I saw the episode this article accompanied and I found Ruhlman insufferable.

I did get pretty excited when he started to talk about Guinness in A Drinking Problem and was a bit disappointed when the entire article wasn't about loving that fine stout. I guess as a Guinness girl I never get tired of reading about my favorite thing to drink.

And finally, The Old, Good Stuff. As someone who came from a pretty tame food background I have always loved the allure of all the old school "stuff". I'm always jazzed about trying a new restaurant, but I really love the feeling of sitting down at someplace that's been there forever, someplace that serves that grand old standby that no one ever makes and your friends have never heard of. The things you read about in the pages of Gourmet and books by M.K. Fisher.

This book was a great read for me. It made me hungry (although not as hungry as the Ju(i)cy Lucy episode of Food Wars). It made me love my local restaurants even more than I already do. It made me appreciate the people who prepare my food- from farm to table. It made me happy.

Banh Mi Take 2

Today John picked up a few Banh Mi from Jasmine Deli. A simple google search had Jasmine Deli coming up over and over again as having some great pork Banh Mi, so we thought that would be a great place to start.

John had the Mock Duck- which we read review after review raving about, the boys and I had their roasted BBQ pork.

These were a little simpler than the Surdyk's Banh Mi. Shredded carrot, a spear of jalapeno, a spear of cucumber, a nice bed of BBQ pork. No aioli. Less veggies, less fillings in general. The bread was chewy not soggy, probably because of a lack of aioli. I was fairly happy with this sandwich. I could have used more veggies, but the meat was terrific. Reviews of Jasmine Deli had people raving over their BBQ pork, so I'm guessing this is one of their better meat selections. John was very happy with the mock duck- I myself am not a mock duck fan.

We got three sandwiches for the price of the one I had on Thursday. I'd say the only difference was the amount of filling and the lack of a soggy baguette. I'll take less filling and a roll that doesn't fall apart any day.

I didn't eat mine right away and I totally forgot there were jalapenos on this sandwich...the boys either didn't attempt to eat them, or they didn't mind them. Either way they didn't seem too concerned with them. Maybe that makes me a bad mom.

Next up? Saigon Deli- which is right up the street from Jasmine. I'm also going back to Jasmine for some Spring Rolls and a salad. I hear the salads really steal the show.

Banh Mi

It's no secret I am a recent convert to the lure of a good sandwich. It started with a small addiction to Jimmy John's- (#5, no tomatoes, add hot peppers) and branched out to anything hot from Surdyk's after the boys were born and we temporarily forgot how to feed ourselves from our own kitchen.

I've been quite happy with my Surdyk's mainstays these past few months- the Minneapple Melt is out of this world, the Grand Marais, Apple Orchard and Mt. Vernon aren't too shabby either.

Tonight I was introduced to yet another new sandwich, one that I see many more of in my future.

Banh Mi.

This Vietnamese sandwich is the newest offering at out favorite last minute dinner place. I wasn't super impressed by the one I ate tonight, but the components are worth delving into again and again. Since we are in Minneapolis and there is no shortage of Vietnamese eateries here I plan on searching out a truly delicious Banh Mi.

Really, what's not to like? Roasted pork, pickled carrots, pickled daikon, cucumber, jalapenos, some sort of aioli and a light spicy fish sauce brought it all together on a chewy baguette.

It wasn't LOVE at first sight, but I like-like it. I'm happy to have something to pursue since I'm not a huge fan of Pho. I mean, what kind of Minnesotan am I if I can't even profess love for the most famous of all Vietnamese dishes? Most people would say I haven't had good Pho, and they may be right. Anyway- the search is on.

*After doing some searching it sounds like part of my dislike might stem fromthe hefty pricetag attached to the sandwich I ate last night- $8.99....most local Banh Mi runs below $5, most around $2-3. We're going to sample what Jasmine Deli is peddling tomorrow. Let's hope I can have another "good" day and eat to my hearts content!

Book Club?

Since I'm in the middle (well, almost middle) of another pregnancy where the things I can eat borderline on totally unhealthy (chips and Frito's Spicy Bean Dip anyone?) and really unappetizing I'm going to try and at least THINK about good food. You know, the stuff I used to spend hours reading cookbooks, magazines and websites to find.

I miss the weekends spent shopping for a meal and the hours spent preparing it, not to mention the first bites. Oh there were some doozies back in the day. When we had ample counter space and no kids. I gotta get back to that*.
But right now it's not going to happen- a moderate case of HG is making sure of that. So I'll read about it. Because I love a good book about food. And right now, that's all I got.

*I'll keep the kids though- seriously, my first thought upon seeing my son Lincoln after he was born was "I could eat this kid...I might eat this kid!" I still have days where I think I might eat my kids they are so deliciously adorable. I think all new parents turn a bit cannibal upon seeing their newborns.

Wish me luck! I've got all three books coming from Amazon and I can't remember a package I was this excited to receive.

Mama Grace's BBQ Pot Ribs

This isn't a food blog without Mama Grace's rib recipe. January 5th isn't my birthday without those ribs either. This recipe has become quite special to our family. Some of our family, that is. Every year growing up, it was a big deal to pick what you had for dinner on your birthday. More often than not, I chose Grandma's pot ribs. Not only are they delicious, but it's nice to have something that Grandma Grace made. She died when I was 2, so I don't have any memories of her. I DO however, have this recipe. It's meant so much to me (and Erin, Ryon, Mom, and Dad) for so long, that I thought everyone in the family loved it. Much to my surprise, our cousins have never eaten these ribs, simply because our Aunt Lori never liked them. She must be insane. I'm not even kidding.

Here's what ya need:

2lbs country style pork ribs
3/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. water
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
2 onions, thinly sliced
salt and pepper

Here's what ya do:

Remove the silver skin! I just learned this over the summer, and I'm not very good at it, but if you can do it...it's worth the trouble.

rub the ribs with salt and pepper, and brown them in a pan. (A little oil might be good here.) Place them in a large pot.

Put the other ingredients in the pot. You can pre-mix them, but I usually don't. They're going to be in that pot a long time, and everything will eventually blend together.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook at least 70 minutes, turning the ribs frequently.

Remove the lid and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered, to thicken the sauce.

Feel free to double the sauce, or add more onions if you like. I usually do. Erin and I both agree that these ribs are best served with mashed potatoes and coleslaw. Try putting the sauce all over everything.

Erin's already posted this recipe on recipezaar, but I HAD to put it here too. Feel free to check it out there, along with 91 other recipes she's shared.

What to Feed a Toddler?

Before the boys were born I had great ambition to make all their food from scratch. Organic! Fresh! Homemade! No Preservatives! It was all so idyllic. And for a few months, so EASY! We had boys who ate spinach on an almost daily basis. We had a freezer full of purees that ranged from the plain and simple apple sauce to the fancier mango-pear-squash combo and the always favored edamame-spinach concoction. It was awesome!

Then they started eating solid foods.

And I pretty much closed up shop on making everything from scratch. It's hard. I feel like such a poser. I can make my own chicken fingers and freeze them by the batch. I even made up a ton of meatloaf scooped it onto a cookie sheet to bake which resulted in a big bag of what we lovingly called "Meat Wads" that we could pull out of the freezer at will and the boys ate that up like it was the best thing in the world.

But fruit? Veggies? I'm severely lacking in that department.

I figure- they're beyond the puree stage, they want things to chew on. It's so easy to steam and puree and get creative. It's so boring to just steam and chop up a bunch of carrots. And their favorite spinach? Forget it- they don't want it anymore.

So we've fallen into this cycle of chicken tenders, mac and cheese, pasta, quesadillas, grilled cheese- easy things for lunch. I've even started to give them (gasp) Chef Boyardee and hot dogs! For shame I know. For dinner it's whatever we're having, which is hardly balanced.

How do I get my good eater's back? I'm thinking a smoothie would be a great start for getting more fruit but I need ideas for veggies. I'm not a big proponent of juice although we drink prune juice for dealing with constipation. Hopefully a more balanced diet will help with that too.

Ideas?

So after I posted this I found these two cookbooks that seem to be based around putting fruit and/ or veggie purees into other foods:
The Sneaky Chef
Deceptively Delicious
I think we're going to check these out from the library and give them a try.

Rainbow. Cake.

I found inspiration for the boys 1st Birthday cake here: Tasty Kitchen*.
Anyway. This was no simple feat making this cake. It took three people to wrangle babies while I baked for hours and then frosted, stacked and froze for another bunch of hours. By the time I got home I was totally beat and didn't care what the hell the cake looked like because I was DONE!

Here is the final product:



Not too shabby.

I'd better figure out what we're doing next year because this year was a total home run.

*or from a MckMama post if we're being honest but this is where the recipe was posted by the woman who brought this tower of delicious to the MckGathering.

Most Delicious Mac Ever.

A few months ago I was reading one of my favorite local/ food blogs and I was introduced to the idea of adding a few of my favorite things to one of my absolute favorite dishes. Jalapenos + Bacon + Macaroni and Cheese. Oh gosh. It's so good.

There are pictures and words and possibly some semblance of a recipe on that original post but I must say I didn't really pay attention for the drooling. This is what I came up with after those three magical things were put together for my brain to wrap itself around.

1 lb box of Rigatoni (cooked al dente) drain and set aside

4 Tbls Butter- melt in heavy saucepan add 4 Tbls flour, cook roux until bubbly and the raw flour smell is gone

Add 4 cups of milk- I do it slowly and whisk the roux in as I go. Bring to a low boil and let thicken a bit.

To make it super fantastic: Add chopped up Jalapeno slices from the jar (hot, mild, many or few- it's up to you) Bacon- I just used a package of the Hormel bacon pieces you find near the salad dressing because I was being kind of lazy today. A few splashes of the juice from the jar of jalapenos.

Cheese, obviously. I use one package of shredded (2 cups) today I had Colby Jack on hand but I've used Cheddar or the 6-cheese Italian blend- it's whatever you like.

Once the cheese is melted and the sauce is thickened to your liking pour the sauce over the pasta and mix it a bit.

Enjoy.

What We Ate: State Fair Edition

It's that time of year where seemingly all of Minnesota crams into St. Paul for 10 days of food and fun. It's really no secret, we go for the food.

We plan. We make lists of what we want to eat. We write down locations for these items so we are not sidetracked by fancy signs beckoning us to delicious sounding delicacies such as Australian Fries with Sweet Chili Sauce and Sour Cream or Carolina Barbecue Baked Potatoes. I almost *almost* got both of these today. It sounds sooooo good! And the smells? Oh the smells. Once you get out of the really crowded areas where the air is thick with sweetness and grease you can smell things like smoked meat or Italian seasoning and you just get ready to EAT.

So this year we did really well. We stuck to our game plan and we weren't totally stuffed when we walked back to our bus. That was surprising. We even had a few "extra" things since we were feeling pretty proud of our sticktuitiveness. Is that even a word?

Here's the low down, in the order we ate them:

Fried Green Pepper Rings.
This was a new one for us and the hype did not disappoint. I think it will be a Fair staple from now on.


Big Fat Bacon.
I love bacon. I think last year was the first year for BFB and we didn't get to the fair last year so we had to try it. 1/3 pound of bacon on a stick, maple glazed with orange chipotle dipping sauce. I'd probably get this again.


Lefse with Butter and Brown Sugar.
Probably one of Johns favorites- it was at the top of the list this year instead of one of the last things we got.


Peach Glazed Pigs Cheeks.
Sounds weird. Tastes like Pulled Pork. I could've used a little more sauce but they were pretty good. Next year I'll get the Pig Lickers (chocolate covered bacon) instead.


Cheese Curds from The Mouth Trap.
I'm not a huge fan of Cheese Curds but I'll never pass them up. These were lightly battered, salty and had just they right "chew". Another of John's favorites.


Fried Green Tomatoes.
This is my favorite. It's the only way I'll eat tomatoes unless they are chopped up on a taco or in a sauce of some sort. Serve with ranch and Tabasco. YUM!


Key Lime Pie Bar.
Frozen Key Lime Pie. Covered in Chocolate. On a stick.


Minnesota Wines.
We happened to wander into the Agriculture building and got ourselves some Wine on a Stick- three 2 ounce pours of our choice of wines. We tried a Rhubarb and a Raspberry from the fruit wines category and a dry red- I do not remember their names and the only one we walked away loving was the rhubarb. It was delightfully good.


Pronto Pup.
AKA Banquet on a Stick- just don't call it a corn dog. It's like a corn dog...but different. I personally like corn dogs better.


Next year we'll have to try out a few things we didn't this year. Dole Whip always catches my eye and at the last minute I think "It's just soft serve Ice cream!" and I don't get it. Of course the entire bus ride home I think of how good a little pineapple soft serve would be. Next year.

The one thing that wasn't originally on our list that we tried to get was a shake from the Dairy Barn. Those things are cheap and really really good. We inched our way around the barn and when we finally got to the line it was like 40 people long. We skipped it. Next year we'll do that right away before it gets crazy.

What happened?

I used to cook all the time. Now every night is a struggle and it usually ends with this: "Do you want me to just pick something up at Surdyks?"

Spending $15 on sandwiches a few nights a week is taking it's toll on the budget. Not to mention we're getting really tired of Surdyks Deli. Which is a shame because I haven't had a better slice of Red Velvet cake and their Minneapple Melt is out of this world.

So I'm going to buckle down and make dinner. Every night. For a week.

It's a start.

Texas Poppers

This is my first official post, so bear with me. I've been trying new things lately, as far as cooking goes. On Sunday, I grilled for the first time! Not just meat, but potatoes and nectarines as well. To be honest, I think I cooked the meat a little too long but nobody complained.

Last night, I tried out a recipe that I got from my dad. He calls them Texas poppers. It's supposed to be as follows:

Jalapenos
Pineapple cream cheese
Shrimp
Bacon
Toothpicks
Dad's secret BBQ sauce for dipping (it really is a secret, sorry!)

You cut the top off the pepper, then take out the middle and slice it in half the long way. Put a wad of cream cheese inside. Put a shrimp on top, wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick.

I couldn't find pineapple flavored cream cheese* at the store, so I got plain. No big deal. I also made them without the shrimp, but that was on purpose. I kinda like them that way. My mistake was when I put them in the oven to BAKE. I should have put them on BROIL. I've had these twice before and the pepper was a little crunchy, while the bacon was fully cooked and somewhat crispy.

How long do you cook them? I don't know! I haven't done it right yet.

*Erin adds crushed pineapple to plain cream cheese and likes that better than the kind you can buy already combined.

What we ate: 4th of July

Our contributions were simple:
Breakfast Burritos
Sausages
S'Mores

Breakfast Burritos were what you'd expect- eggs, sausage, potatoes, onions, salsa, cheese. What makes them special is cooking them outside and eating them by a campfire. That's a good reason to get up off the floor of a tent in the morning.

Sausages were from Kramarczuk's the best sausages in my opinion. We picked up our favorites: Moroccans and Cherry Bombs. Add caramelized onion relish (no one touched the habanero pineapple relish) and you've got a little bite of heaven.

S'Mores. I don't like graham crackers unless they are crushed and mixed with sugar and butter and pressed into a pan so we have alternatives. Usually I use Fudge Stripe Cookies, this year I brought Oreo Rings. Caramel marshmallows with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Strawberry marshmallows with plain old Hershey bars. It was some good snackin' at the fire that night.

There was other food of course- steaks with baked potatoes and sauteed mushrooms, chicken salad with grapes, gas station coffee and Guinness.

It was a good weekend of eating.

Friday Night Dinner.

Friday nights are designated Mom time. Now Mom, daughter and grandson time, but, still the same routine. Yes, John is here most nights, but he has no interest in Friday Night Lights, he's just here to eat, hold babies and do a little yoga while we sit on the couch with our drinks and watch coach Taylor save the day.

For the past year or so we've gotten together to watch FNL and have a meal based around something we haven't cooked or eaten before. In the beginning we had a great time planning menu's and preparing the meal. Sometimes it was elaborate, sometimes it was quick and easy. While I was pregnant there wasn't much cooking as I was so sick. Since the boys came along there has been more pizza delivery than actual cooking, but we're going to get back on track.

Tonight was a pizza night and although I love a good pizza, I love a new special dish even more. So, the search is on for next week. I'm thinking French Chicken. Not new, but I don't think my Mom has had it before. There is nothing wrong with heavy cream in my book and the combination of lemon juice and beef bouillon (strange as it sounds) has my mouth watering.

I was not very good about posting menu's from our early dinners but there are a few posts here, here, here and here.

There were some good ones that didn't get documented that I wish had, nothing like looking back on a great meal and good time. And also, the Oreos. I need to make those Oreos again.

Because because because because BECAUSE!

I used to write.
I used to write a lot.

Now, I have a place to write. There is the baby blog and a catch all blog but I don't have a place to focus on something that I really like to talk about but haven't really written much about.

Food.
Food and cooking.
Food and cooking and restaurants.

So this will be the place for that.

I've invited my Mom and my Sisters to join me in the fun of writing about food and all that goes with it- memories and recipes and the search for that perfect plate of burnt ends. Or whatever you may be searching for.

Oh, and the TITLE of this post? I just got done watching the KU game and I have the Wizard of Oz on my mind...because of the wonderful things he does......