Road Trip

Last Sunday, the wife and I decided to take a bit of a road trip.  This is something that we used to do all the time when we were dating.  It was not always the best, nor most exciting time, but we always had fun and adventure.

So we woke up Sunday morning, I made us some breakfast of pancakes and sausage, and we got ready for the day.  While the wife was getting ready to go out for the unknown , I was on line looking for places of interest.  She called to me that a client of hers had just gone to the casino in Battle Creek.  I figured "What the heck.".  I did a little research on line and got directions to the Tanger outlets in Howell and from there to the casino in Battle Creek.  In my search i came across a little place called "CORNWELL'S TURKEYVILLE", just outside Battle Creek.  I remembered hearing something about this place, or a place like it on the food network, but did not get any info on it at that time nor did i get directions to it.

After shopping for a while and embarrassing the bejeebers out of the wife at the COACH outlet, we decided to head out for out next stop.  She still had no idea where we were going. 

By this time we were both getting hungry and instead of paying 7$ for a hot dog and fries at the out let we chose to make our way and see what we would find along it.   About 10 minutes down the road i remembered CORNWELL'S TURKEYVILLE.  I Asked her if she could wait about an hour to eat and we agreed it would be ok.  I was secretly hoping that there would be signs to direct me to this "turkeyville". 

We shortly saw a road sign for "North Road North"  and both remarked how redundant that was and laughed about getting off there just for the tom foolery.  Well wouldn't you know it, the next sign we saw was for TURKEYVILLE and it was N Road North.  We exit the freeway with the certain chance of getting lost trying to find TURKEYVILLE. It turned out to be a mere block from the exit. 

We pulled in to a nearly empty parking lot, never a good sign at a new eatery, came inches from flattening an old woman who must of believed the laws of physics did not apply to here when a motor vehicle was involved.  The place looked huge and promising despite the deserted exterior. 

I am now picturing large homemade meals of roasted succulent turkey, steaming mounds of mashed spuds, and savory dressing along side delicious cranberries.  We open the doors to find a cafeteria line set up.  We should of known we were in trouble when the teenage counter girls looked at us as if to say, "Dear god! What are you doing here?  Do you enjoy tasteless old people food?".  No one the less we ventured forth in to the unknown.  We both decided on the reasonably priced turkey dinner with mashed and dressing , cole slaw and cranberry relish.  we ordered and got a drink each and slide down the rail to the dessert section.  Promising peanut butter pie for her and hopeful rhubarb pie for me.  Still wondering how we are to get our food to the tables with out a tray, we pay for our meals still hopeful.  Outcome the plastic trays with our tin plates of, far less hopeful now, turkey.  as we round the corner and down the step into the dinning room we got a chill as though Death had come for dinner.

A very dark wood dimly lit room void of any sound other than that of two elderly diners decaying as they sat mushing the gruel in their bleak gobbers.  The utter silence was entirely creepy to say the least.  We positioned ourselves in the center of the room in hopes that anything exciting might come to pass.  Unfortunately the most exciting thing to happen was a spot of gravy on my flannel shirt.

The food itself was, how to say this, beyond bland.  Even the cherry coke lacked flavor.  how they managed to stay open based on food quality is a mystery i could not care less to explore. Yet the fact that offer DINER THEATRE...... now that puzzles me to no end.

We finished what we could stomach of the meal and went in search of the "bakery".  Once more can we say "waste of time".  A few loaves of bread and a gift shop to compete poorly with any Cracker Barrel. 

I learned two things from this trip, other than don't talk about your Dockers wallet in a COACH store with your wife.  You can't always expect decent food at a tourist trap, and the difference between creamy coleslaw and vinegar cole slaw.

So if you ever get the offer or opportunity to head on out to Battle creek I suggest you go.  I know we are heading back this summer.  On the other hand if you are offed a free meal at CORNWELL'S TURKEYVILLE,  I recomend a pass.

Deviled Chicken

DEVILED CHICKEN

2 T oil

3 pounds Chicken pieces

1 medium Onion chopped

1/2 Cup Water

1/4 Cup Prepared Mustard

1 T Prepared Horseradish

1T Worcestershire sauce

1 t Brown sugar

1/4 t salt

In a 5 quart dutch oven or 12" skillet,heat the oil over medium high heat and brown off the chicken pieces. When finished remove the chicken to a plate and add the onions to the pan with the drippings, cook till tender. Return the chicken to the pan and add the water. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for half an hour, or until chicken is fork tender, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

Seafood Crepes

SEAFOOD CREPES



2/3 C All Purpose Flour


1/2 t salt


3 eggs


1 1/2 C Milk


2 T Melted Butter


8 oz Neufchatel cheese (low fat cream cheese will also work)


8 oz Low fat sour cream


1/2 C Half and half


16 oz Crab meat


1 t Onion powder


1 t Paprika



1/2 C Shredded cheddar cheese

Crepes:


Whisk together the flour, salt and eggs until smooth. Blend in milk and butter and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. In a 10" pan lightly coated with butter, over medium low heat, add a scant 1/4 cup of batter and swirl to coat the pan. Cook until the crepe looks dry and flip, cooking 10 - 12 seconds on second side.





Filling:


in a medium sauce pan melt together cheese, sour cream, and half and half, stirring constantly. Add crab meat, onion powder and paprika, heat until relatively smooth and crab meat is warmed through.





Assembly:


Place 2 -3 T of mixture in center of crepe and roll like a burrito, placing seem side down in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Repeat until all crepes are made and spoon any remaining mixture over the top, sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Place in a 350 degree oven for 15 -20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and almost brown. Serve with a garden salad.

Beef Roast

Oh yes, the dreaded beef roast. Will it be tender? Will it be dried out saved only by copious amounts of gravy? I say stop worrying. I have found a way to stop all the guess work and have a juicy tender roast every time.

I start by seasoning the roast simply with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. I place the roast in a roasting pan or dutch oven, and toss in a sliced onion and a few cloves of garlic (whole). You can add some baking potatoes if you like or slice some potatoes about an inch thick and put those in the pan. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees, put the roast in for about a half hour and then shut the oven off but leave the door closed and the roast inside for at least another hour and half to two hours. NO PEEKING!!! then remove the roasts and let it rest for at least five minutes before slicing. this process with result in tender juicy meat every time.

this cooking method also works well on meat that can otherwise be tough, such as ribs and brisket.

ST PATTY'S DAY

Corned beef and cabbage.

I put mine in the slow cooker for the day. A nice brisket, a beer, onions , carrots and potatoes. Set the cooker to low and let it go for about 8 hours. As for the cabbage i tend to fry mine. Just slice the head of cabbage and toss it in a large skillet with a bit of butter and olive oil, season with salt and pepper cook till tender and slightly browned.


May you be in Heaven an hour before the Devil knows you are dead!

Turkey Tacos

We had Turkey tacos tonight. I cheated and used Franks taco seasoning, (shame on me) I was just being lazy. Franks is the Wife's favorite seasoning so I will say I did it for her. We also had re fried beans (fat free) with salsa added for flavor. Soft corn tortillas, just heated in a skillet till very soft and warm. (I love soft warm tacos!) I did make my own Guacamole though.

3 ripe avocados
2 small cloves garlic (mashed by pouring a bit of kosher salt on the garlic and mashing with a fork)
a few tablespoons of salsa ( i normally use ripe tomato, but i was out)
1/2 a small onion diced
a few slices of pickled jalapeno (diced)
salt and pepper
lemon juice

I am not going to explain how to make the guacamole, i really think you should know this by now. If you need me to explain just send me a note and i will.
I had four tacos and a side of chips with the beans and guacamole. Wish i had taken a picture, it was lovely.
I suppose i should start taking some pics of the dishes...... seems like work but I am sure I will get around to it.

Cheesy No Crust Ham and Potato Quiche

2 Small potatoes sliced thin and then diced
1 pound Honey Baked Ham diced
1 cup shredded cheese
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 t salt
1/8 t black pepper
6 eggs

In a skillet, par cook the potatoes and the ham. Layer mixture in bottom of 10" pie plate or 9x9 baking dish and sprinkle with cheese.
Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together and pour over cheese.
bake at 350 degrees fro 30 - 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with a tossed salad, or some fruit.

This recipe came about again out of what was on hand and what the original artichoke and mushroom recipe called for. The Wife is allergic to both of those items (mushroom and artichokes) so that recipe was a no go from the beginning. Like I have said in the past, a recipe is merely a guide line, a method to making many different dishes. I hope you enjoy t his dish and this blog.

Pork Chops

Oh yes it is time to break out the grills and BBQS. Tonight we had Grilled pork chops, shrimp and garlic pasta, a nice salad and some garlic toast.

The lin chops were simply seasoned with salt and pepper, then grilled on our gas grill. The pastaq was a bag of VOILA from bird's eye. I also grilled the garlic toast out on the grill(first time).

I realize this is not that impresive by any means but i was geeked to use the grill this early in the year. I predict a beautiful long season of grills and BBQs!

French Toast

I love it I crave it I never order it out! French toast.

3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
2 t vanilla
16 oz loaf of Cinnamon apple bread (stale)
sheet pan and cooling rack
Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Soak the bread for 30 seconds on each side and transfer to the cooling rack for at least one minute, to allow the custard mixture to soak in all the way and any excess to drip out. Butter your griddle lightly and cook as you normally would your french toast. Keep warm in the oven till all slices are finished and serve with sausage patties butter and maple syrup. A treat anytime of the day.

Shepard's Pie

Well they say necessity is the mother of invention. For me it was improvisation. I came home and began pulling things from the fridge and cupboards, to try to piece a meal together. I grabbed ground turkey, frozen normandy blend vegetables, a can of condensed cream of chicken soup, some rice, a can of veg all... Then i realized i wanted Shepard's Pie, but i had no potatoes. Or so I thought. The last trip to the market i picked up a bag of tatter tots. Presto we are having Shepard's pie.

I browned the 20 oz of ground turkey while I defrosted the Normandy blend veg in the microwave. I seasoned the meat, mixed in the soup, normandy blend and the veg all. I then arranged the tots in rows on top of the mixture. It got tossed into the oven following the directions of the tots. I then sprinkled with cheddar cheese and put it back in the oven to melt and brown the cheese. Not bad for a " what the hell's for dinner night".

As for the rice? It got put back till next time.

Catchatori remake

So the Wife came home from AZ and wanted some Catchatori I had to oblige. I made it a little different this time. I used a 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes and a 15 oz can of tomato sauce instead of all diced tomatoes this time. A large improvement! I also added a half pound of hot Italian sausage. This gave it a kick that i really enjoyed, but not thinking i also added the pepper flakes, i still enjoyed it. The Wife however... not so much. She is not a fan of the spicy foods. The solution? Next time sweet Italian sausage and fewer pepper flakes.

Kicking it old school

We had Franks and Beans tonight. Remember when you were a kid and you just loved this dish? All that nostalgia wrapped up in a nice steamy bowl of goodness. pretty sure it will be another 20 some years before I have this again....

Cottage cheese Pancakes

1 1/4 cup AP flour
2T sugar
2t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1 1/3 cup milk
1 egg slightly beaten
3 T oil
1/2 cup cottage cheese


Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix just until moistened. Fold in cottage cheese.

I got the idea for this from THE BEST THING I EVER ATE on food network. The original was made using ricotta cheese and blue berries, well i had neither of these so i improvised.

I forgot to add the oil and used twice the cottage cheese in the first draft. The pancakes tasted great but were a bit cheesy and a bit thin. Please feel free to offer some feed back on this one, as it is a work in progress.

We served it up with some oven baked bacon and maple syrup.