Philly Steak Stromboli

Stromboli...what the heck is it or who the heck gave it that name?!

Stromboli is a type of turnover filled with various cheeses, Italian meats such as salami, capicola and bresaola or vegetables. The dough is Italian bread dough.

Stromboli is reported to have originated in 1950 in Essington, Tinicum Township just outside of Philadelphia, at Romano's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, by Nazzareno Romano. There, William Schofield supposedly gave it the name, after the movie Stromboli, starring Ingrid Bergman. Other sources claim the stromboli was the brainchild of Mike Aquino, Sr., and that he created it in Spokane, Washington, in 1954.

Who knows? And quite frankly...who cares when something this delicious fills your mouth. You haven't time or care to ponder the history. My picture shows an offering of sweet potato fries and regular fries. A salad is a nice accompaniment as well.

I love making it with the traditional Italian ingredients. But this one is quite tasty and fun too!

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Dough (Thin Crust) or make your own
1 large package of Steak-ums
1 large green pepper
1 large onion
1 qt. fresh, sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 16 oz package shredded provolone cheese
Banana peppers, quantity - your preference


I like to use a pizza stone for a crisp crust. But a cookie sheet or pizza pan will work as well. Heat oven to 400 Degree.

Take Steak Ums out of package and in their frozen state. Slice into thin strips. In a skillet cook steak ums, onion, green pepper, mushrooms until meat browned and onions softened. Important that mixture is not 'juicy', if it is, drain. Add salt and pepper. Cool. Stir in drained Banana Peppers to taste.

Spread pizza crust out. Place half of cheese on one half of crust. Place cooled Philly Steak ingredients on top of cheese leaving a border. Layer remaining provolone cheese on top of steak mixture. Bring the other half of pizza crust over meat mixture to make a 'turnover'. Fold edge over and crimp as you go around the semi circle to seal the turnover. Brush oil on top crust.

Bake until crust is browned and crisped. Approximately 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! I like to smear mayonnaise on the top of my personal slice of this heaven to enjoy each bite. (After all, don't they put mayonnaise on your Philly Sub bread??)

Homemade Chili Soup

The last few mornings walking to my office, there is a definite feel of Fall in the air. Fall reminds me of beautiful fall trees with their tones of gold, crimson, bronze and green. Bright orange pumpkins growing in the field...what a colorful display and happy sight! My family knows that "I just love pumpkins". Footballs games on Friday night, OSU Buckeye games on Saturday and foods that warm not only your chilled body but feed your soul too.

I have many favorite soups when Fall turns into Winter. Cold weather and soup are a definite given. But, there is something about opening up 'soup season' with a hot bowl of Chili.

A bit of history...

Chili was first invented by the Spanish Canary Islanders, in the city of San Antonio, Texas, which they founded. The recipe used for American expeditions consisted of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers (usually chilipiquenes), and salt, which were pounded together and left to dry into bricks, which could then be boiled in pots on the trail.

The "San Antonio Chili Stand", in operation at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, helped people from other parts of the country taste and appreciate chili. San Antonio was a significant tourist destination and helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West. Chili con carne is the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas as designated by the House Concurrent Resolution Number 18 of the 65th Texas Legislature during its regular session in 1977.

Chili con carne (literally "Chili with meat", often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew. The name "chili con carne" is taken from Spanish, and means "peppers with meat." Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included. Variations, both geographic and personal, may involve different types of meat as well as a variety of other ingredients. It can be found worldwide in local variations and also in certain American-style fast-food restaurants. The variant recipes provoke disputes among aficionados, and the dish is used as an ingredient in a number of other foods.

Chili may have had its beginnings in Southwestern United States, but the East also knows Chili and has their variations too. Cincinnati Chili being one with its addition of cocoa in the mix.

Here's my rendition:

1 Large can of Tomato Juice
3 lbs of ground beef
2-3 cans of chili beans (I prefer Bush's), or kidney beans
1 large can diced Tomatoes
1-2 large onions, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
1 Tbsp cumin
2-3 Tbsp Chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Dash of cinnamon
1/2 tsp oregano
1 Tbsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

Brown ground beef in a dutch oven. Drain grease. Add onions and green peppers, cooking until softened but not browned. Add all remaining ingredients and stir as you add to incorporate. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least half an hour with a lid on the pot. If you have time, a longer simmer melds the flavors.

My roots being from Indiana, my family use to break up into one inch pieces raw spaghetti noodles and stir in the last twenty minutes or so and stir frequently until noodles are soften. Makes for a hearty bowl of goodness.

But, if you wish the more traditional version. Cook as described above. Garnish your bowl with Shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese and offerings of crackers or corn bread.

Enjoy on a crisp, cool Fall day or a blustery winter's eve when the wind howls outside, but the warmth of a hearty bowl of this soup warms your body and soul.

Best Ever Meat Loaf

Consulting Wikipedia, by now you've gathered that is one of my favorite 'go to' resources...
The meatloaf has European origins; minced meat loaves were cooked already in the 5th century, and were mentioned in the famous Roman cookery collection "Apicius". Meatloaf is a traditional German, Belgian and Dutch dish, and it is a cousin to the Italian meatball. American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since Colonial times. However, meatloaf in the contemporary American sense did not appear in cookbooks until the late 19th century.


In many parts of the United States, meatloaf is a popular dish. In 2007, it was voted the 7th favorite dish in the United States according to the Good Housekeeping website.

During the Great Depression, cooking meatloaf was a way to stretch the food budget for families, using an inexpensive type of meat and other ingredients as leftovers; along with spices, it was popular to add cereal grains to the meatloaf to stretch the meat. The tradition lives on with the merits of producing a lower-fat dish with superior binding and consistency.

The meatloaf is typically eaten with some kind of sauce or relish. Many of these recipes call for pasta sauce or tomato sauce to be poured over the loaf to form a crust during baking. The tomato-based sauce may be replaced with simple brown gravy or onion gravy, but the meatloaf is prepared in a similar manner. Barbecue sauce, tomato ketchup, or a mixture of both tomato ketchup and mustard may also be used. American meatloaf may be garnished with ketchup.

Another variety of meatloaf is prepared by frosting it with mashed potatoes, drizzling it with a small amount of butter, and browning in the oven.

The meatloaf is normally served warm as part of the main course, but can also be found sliced as a cold cut. Meatloaves can also be considered as a typical Midwestern comfort food, or even soul food.




BEST EVER MEAT LOAF

2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup Ranch Chip Dip or Sour Cream
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup catsup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 cup catsup for top of meatloaf (or however much you wish)


Heat oven to 375 degree. Mix ground beef, eggs, ranch dip/or sour cream, bread crumbs, catsup, soup mix and mustard. Spray a cookie sheet with sides with Pam. Lay aluminum foil on sheet, spray with Pam (aids with easy clean up). Form meatloaf mixture into a ball and dump on middle of sheet. Continue molding meatloaf into a rectangle shape and flattened top. Bake uncovered until done, 45 to 50 minutes. You may need to drain the cookie sheet of juices that cook from the meat, use a baster and rid the pan of excess liquid during the cooking process. Half way through the cooking cover the entire meatloaf in a layer of catsup, being liberal with it and continue cooking.

I have often doubled this recipe and baked two loaves side by side. Cool the extra, wrap in wax paper, then aluminum foil and slip into a zip lock bag. Freeze for a quick mid-week dinner option.

Want a fast meal fix? Take a bag of small petite/baby redskin potatoes and quarter them. (After washing of course, and leave on skin). Toss them with vegetable oil to coat each and put them around the meatloaf to roast as well. If the meatloaf needs 'drained' from the cooking juices take a meat baster and remove the liquid so the potatoes have a dry sheet to roast upon.

Need a great vegetable to go with it too? Take one package of frozen lima beans and one package frozen peas, 2 tablespoons water, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 tablespoons butter and 1/4 tsp dry dill weed. Combine in a 1 quart casserole with a lid, cook for 50 minutes until tender.

Your meat, potatoes and vegetables cook in the same oven...remove and serve!

Homemade Potato Chips

Ever wonder where potato chips came from?

Here's a bit of history:

As a world food, potatoes are second in human consumption only to rice. And as thin, salted, crisp chips, they are America's favorite snack food. Potato chips originated in New England as one man's variation on the French-fried potato, and their production was the result not of a sudden stroke of culinary invention but of a fit of pique.

In the summer of 1853, Native American George Crum was employed as a chef at an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. On Moon Lake Lodge's restaurant menu were French-fried potatoes, prepared by Crum in the standard, thick-cut French style that was popularized in 1700s France and enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson as ambassador to that country. Ever since Jefferson brought the recipe to America and served French fries to guests at Monticello, the dish was popular and serious dinner fare.

At Moon Lake Lodge, one dinner guest found chef Crum's French fries too thick for his liking and rejected the order. Crum cut and fried a thinner batch, but these, too, met with disapproval. Exasperated, Crum decided to rile the guest by producing French fries too thin and crisp to skewer with a fork. The plan backfired. The guest was ecstatic over the browned, paper-thin potatoes, and other diners requested Crum's potato chips, which began to appear on the menu as Saratoga Chips, a house specialty.

In 1860 George opened his own restaurant in a building on Malta Avenue near Saratoga Lake, and within a few years was catering to wealthy clients including William Vanderbilt, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jay Gould, and Henry Hilton. His restaurant closed around 1890 and he died in 1914 at the age of 92.


Have you noticed lately how many upscale restaurants are serving their version of the potato chip? I have sampled some, which are quite good! The price is quite inflated for as inexpensive as they are to make.

I was attending our State Fair the other day and "Sarasota Chips" or "Twisted Chips" where offered in concession stands all over. Again, they were hot, crispy and quite tasty, at five dollars a serving...

Here is a home version that is easy, fast and fun to make. Before Junior reaches for that expensive bag of name brand chips...why not make a little fun happen in the kitchen and make your own? I guarantee they are far better and cost pennies.



HOMEMADE POTATO CHIPS

3-4 Large, unblemished Russet Potatoes
Salt or Seasoned Salt
Corn or Peanut Oil (my preference, but vegetable can be used too)



Heat fryer according to manufacturer directions. If you do not have a deep fryer...no problem! Take your dutch oven and heat five inches of oil to 365 degree. You can test temperature with a candy thermometer.

Scrub your potatoes well and dry. No need to peel unless you prefer it. Slice the potatoes into very paper thin slices. Thin makes a very crispy potato chip which is what you want.

After you have sliced all the potatoes and the oil has reached desired temperature, add slices in small batches. Using a wooden skewer, stir around gently the floating chips occasionally to make sure they are not sticking to each other.

When they reach the golden stage, determine what is your favorite depth of golden color, let them fry to that point (the darker golden, the more crispy). Remove chips and lay to drain on paper towel. Salt or use Season salt right away after removing them from the fryer. A southwest 'dust' of herbs would be great. Experiment with herb sprinkles of your choice.

Continue in small batches until all have been cooked.

Enjoy!

Warm German Potato Salad

I had plans to entertain a very dear friend today. He helped create the menu by inserting his desire to grill brats and the ideas rolled from there. Simple menu of grilled brats with sauerkraut, BBQ beans, sweet and sour red cabbage and homemade warm german potato salad. Dessert was a chocolate cake with peanut butter cream filling served on a drizzle of hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Consulting the Food Time Line and History...

ABOUT SALAD

Food historians tell us salads (generally defined as mixed greens with dressing) were enjoyed by ancient Romans and Greeks. As time progressed, salads became more complicated. Recipes varied according to place and time. Dinner salads, as we know them today, were popular with Renaissance folks. Composed salads assembled with layers of ingredients were enjoyed in the 18th century. They were called Salmagundi. Today they are called chef's salad.

Why do we call it salad?
The basis for the word salad is 'sal', meaning salt. This was chosen because in ancient times, salt was often an ingredient in the dressing.

Potatoes (a new world food) were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. By the end of the century many countries had adopted this new vegetable and integrated it into their cuisines. Preparation methods and recipes were developed according to local culinary traditions.

Arnold Shircliffe, executive chef of Chicago's legendary Edgewater Beach Hotel, traced the origin of the potato salad to the 16th century. These are his notes:
"Early potato salad: John Gerrard in 1597 writes about potatoes and their virtues and said that "they are sometimes boiled and sopped in wine, by others boiled with prunes, and likewise others dress them (after roasting them in the ashes) in oil, vinegar and salt, every man according to his own taste. However they be dressed, they comfort, nourish and strengthen the body." This is one of the first potato salads mentioned in any book."
---Edgewater Beach Hotel Salad Book, Arnold Shircliffe [Hotel Monthly Press:Evanston IL] 1928 (p. 231)

Potato salad-type recipes were introduced to America by European settlers, who again adapted traditional foods to local ingredients. This accounts for regional potato salad variations in the United States. Potato salad, as we know it today, became popular in the second half of the 19th century. Cold potato salads evolved from British and French recipes. Warm potato salads followed the German preference for hot vinegar and bacon dressings served over vegetables.

Print evidence confirms recipes for potato salads were often included in 19th century American cooking texts. These recipes had many different names. The Cassells Dictionary of Cookery [London:1875?] contains three recipes for potato salad, one without notes [presumably British or American], a French recipe and a German recipe.The French recipe is very similar to the first and is also served cold. The German recipe required bacon. Early cold potato salad recipes often called for "French dressing". Some recipes specifically indicate this is an economy dish, "a good way to dispose of leftover potatoes." During the 1940s mayonnaise began to supplant French dressing as the congealer of choice. It is interesting to note that during both World Wars recipes for German-style potato salad did not bear that country's moniker. They were simply listed as "hot potato salad."

This is what the food writers have to say:

"Potato salad. A cold or hot side dish made with potatoes, mayonnaise, and seasonings. It became very popular in the second half of the nineteenth century and is a staple of both home and food-store kitchens. Hot potato salad, usually made with bacon, onion, and vinegar dressing, was associated with German immigrants and therefore often called "German potato salad."
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 253)

"There seems to be no dogma concerning the origins of potato salad, but Germany is a good place to begin. As a country with lots of potatoes and lots of recipes for potatoes, Germany almost certainly was among the first to look at cooked small new potatoes or cut chunks of larger spuds and imagine them blanketed with dressing. The dressing they came up with was a classic. Kin to the heated dressing used to wilt spinach salad, this one thrilled German taste buds, raised as they were on sauerkraut and sauerbraten with vinegar bite. Some versions featured a little coarse mustard, others cut the sour with a little sugar, and most added bacon and even its flavorful drippings. By the time the notion of potato salad reached France, vinegar wasn't quite good enough. The French demanded full-scale vinaigrette, and it was no sweat to satisfy their demands. Whenever you see something called "French potato salad," it's a safe bet you're in for potatoes (and probably other vegetables, too) in a light vinaigrette, with Dijon mustard and sweet tarragon.

When potato salad caught on in the United States, in the second half of the 19th century, it was probably by way of German immigrants. To this day, most people who know how to cook, or at least know how to eat, understand that "German potato salad" will be served warm, will feature no mayonnaise, and will be pleasantly tart with vinegar.The American idea of making potato salad with mayonnaise has no recorded history - but then again, neither does the idea of mayonnaise itself. Clearly a sauce created in France using egg yolks, oil and either lemon juice or vinegar, little is clear after that. Virtually every French bible of cuisine explains the name differently, ranging from a link to "Magon," the Carthaginian general who helped his brother Hannibal battle the Romans," to a possible misspelling of "Bayonnaise," hailing from the town of Bayonne in France - and later, less romantically, New Jersey.

However it got the name, mayonnaise became the favored dressing for American potato salad for more "There seems to be no dogma concerning the origins of potato salad, but Germany is a good place to begin. As a country with lots of potatoes and lots of recipes for potatoes, Germany almost certainly was among the first to look at cooked small new potatoes or cut chunks of larger spuds and imagine them blanketed with dressing. The dressing they came up with was a classic. Kin to the heated dressing used to wilt spinach salad, this one thrilled German taste buds, raised as they were on sauerkraut and sauerbraten with vinegar bite. Some versions featured a little coarse mustard, others cut the sour with a little sugar, and most added bacon and even its flavorful drippings. By the time the notion of potato salad reached France, vinegar wasn't quite good enough. The French demanded full-scale vinaigrette, and it was no sweat to satisfy their demands. Whenever you see something called "French potato salad," it's a safe bet you're in for potatoes (and probably other vegetables, too) in a light vinaigrette, with Dijon mustard and sweet tarragon.

When potato salad caught on in the United States, in the second half of the 19th century, it was probably by way of German immigrants. To this day, most people who know how to cook, or at least know how to eat, understand that "German potato salad" will be served warm, will feature no mayonnaise, and will be pleasantly tart with vinegar.The American idea of making potato salad with mayonnaise has no recorded history - but then again, neither does the idea of mayonnaise itself. Clearly a sauce created in France using egg yolks, oil and either lemon juice or vinegar, little is clear after that. Virtually every French bible of cuisine explains the name differently, ranging from a link to "Magon," the Carthaginian general who helped his brother Hannibal battle the Romans," to a possible misspelling of "Bayonnaise," hailing from the town of Bayonne in France - and later, less romantically, New Jersey. However it got the name, mayonnaise became the favored dressing for American potato salad for more than a century. Its sweet, creamy mouthfeel served up just the right delight when wrapped around solid, dependable American potatoes."



WARM GERMAN POTATO SALAD


Ingredients

* 6-8 large potatoes, peeled, sliced in slices, then in half again
* 12 oz package bacon
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 4 tablespoons white sugar
* 2/3 cup water
* 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
* 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1/2 of a whole onion
* 3 tablespoons Chopped fresh parsley
* salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and 1/2 of a whole onion for flavoring; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain,discard onion, cool.
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. Reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon fat in skillet and saute until soft the 1/2 cup onion.
Add the flour, sugar, water and vinegar to skillet and cook in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until dressing is thick.
Add bacon, potatoes to skillet and stir until coated. Cook until heated and season with salt and pepper and chopped parsley. Serve warm.

Zucchini fries and Eggplant Medallions

I love zucchini, in any form. Eggplant prepared in a crispy crust is just a delight.

This recipe is so easy...it's silly simple.

But...good. When you are denying yourself potatoes and you hunger for a crispy french fry next to your burger or you just plain want a break from potatoes this is the recipe to reach for.

The eggplant addition came about for taste variance with grilled meats. This is equally good to add a bit of mozzarella cheese to the top to melt after the eggplant has been baked to its crusty goodness and serve with marinara sauce.

Zucchini fries and Eggplant Medallions

Preheat oven to 400 degree

2 small zucchini
1 small japanese eggplant
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cut zucchini in halve length wise. Then cut the halves again, length wise. Precede to cut those into 'french fry' strips. I prefer not too thick, so they crisp.

Cut eggplant ends off. Then cut into round medallions.

Beat two eggs with water in a medium mixing bowl. In a separate bowl that will fit the zucchini strips with room, add the parmesan cheese. Toss to coat zucchini in egg wash, a few at a time, then drop in parmesan cheese and shake about to coat. Lay on a Pam sprayed cookie sheet. Make sure there is room around each for crispy 'fries'. Follow the same procedure for the remaining zucchini and eggplant.

Bake in hot oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until browned to your liking and crispness.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

You will find many versions of this salad in cookbooks and on the internet. All I'm sure are delicious. Switching gears a few weeks ago to eating healthier and watching my carb intake, I opted for this version.

I found you do not miss any of the goodness, except perhaps the raisins. I miss them, but it is pretty easy to be satisfied with not having them after taking a bite of this scrumptious rendition.

Broccoli-Cauliflower Salad

1 bunch of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 12 oz package of bacon, fried and torn into pieces
1/2 small red onion, sliced and cut into small slivers
3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4-1/3 cup cider vinegar (depending on the tartness you wish)
4 packets of splenda (adjust to your taste)
salt and pepper to taste


Combine in a small mixing bowl mayonnaise, splenda, vinegar, salt and pepper. You may wish to add splenda and vinegar in increments to determine to your taste how sweet-tart you wish the mixture to be.

In a large serving bowl add broccoli, cauliflower, onion slivers. Add mayonnaise mixture to this and mix to coat all. Add pecans. Mix again to distribute. Saving a few bits of bacon for top garnish, add bacon and mix to distribute throughout. Add bacon garnish on top.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Note: Almonds can be used in place of pecans.