Leftovers? Yes please!

Leftovers, yes please! Ham and potato pancakes



Leftover mashed potatoes and ham? Make them into yummy potato pancakes and please the whole family!

Of course it is never plain with me, but the beauty of cooking at home is doing it your way, so make the recipe your way and then experiment!

4 cups leftover mashed potatoes (mine were russet with skin on and roasted garlic cloves added in)
2 cups chopped leftover ham
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used colby jack)
Splash of milk or cream (I had 1/2 & 1/2)
Flour for dredging with salt and pepper
Garlic sour cream for topping

Add mashed potatoes to large bowl, mix in ham, cheese, milk and stir to combine.

Spoon ping pong size balls of the mixture and roll into balls.



Roll into seasoned flour and flatten.



Fry in a nonstick skillet with a little oil.



Add mashed roasted garlic, sea salt, and sour cream, stir to combine. Top with freshly grated pepper.



Season with salt and enjoy!

www.cookingwithtrace.com

Snack!!!

Black forest rye+natural peanut butter+homemade raspberry/peach jam= wow!


www.cookingwithtrace.com

Maple Cashew Mini-tarts... Decadence!

I recently signed up again as a Pampered Chef Consultant and thought it would be helpful to test a recipe to get back in the groove.  I chose Maple Cashew Mini-tarts. The idea of salty, creamy cashews with real maple syrup sounded too good to be true. 

The recipe is easy and quick, however I am not usually a baker, so although they look good, the promotional picture looks so much better.

I shopped around for the best deal on maples syrup and actually bought some at Wal-Mart, 12 oz for about $7, so not bad, but if I am going to make more I would definitely go to Vitamin Cottage and pick up the 32 oz bottle for $17. 

I hope you enjoy it and I hope you let me know if you give it a try!


Pampered Chef Maple Cashew Mini-tarts


Ingredients
1 cup (250 mL) salted cashews
2 eggs
1/2 cup (125 mL) packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (125mL) pure maple syrup (do not use maple-flavored pancake syrup), divided
1 tbsp (15mL) butter, melted
1 tsp (5mL) Double Strength Vanilla
1 pkg (15oz/350mL) refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts), softened according to package directions
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Coarsely chop cashews with Food Chopper. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, 1/3 cup (75 mL) of the maple syrup, butter and vanilla. Whisk with Stainless Whisk until smooth. Stir cashews into egg mixture; set aside.
2. Unroll one pie crust onto Pastry Mat. Using wide end of clear Food Chopper collar, cut out six pastry circles. (Circles will measure 33/4 in./9.5 cm. Discard remaining dough.) Pinch edges of circles inward at 1/2-in. (1-cm) intervals, creating ruffled shells. Place shells intoMuffin Pan wells; repeat with remaining pie crust.
3. Stir cashew mixture until combined; pour evenly into shells until two-thirds full. Bake 18-21 minutes or until shells are golden brown. Remove pan from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack; cool completely. Brush tops of tarts with remaining maple syrup.

Yield: 12 mini-tarts
Nutrients per serving: (1 mini-tart): Calories 270, Total Fat 14 g, Saturated Fat 4.5 g, Cholesterol 40 mg, Carbohydrate 33 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 160 mg, Fiber 0 g
Cook’s Tips: To create pastry shells with the prettiest fluted edges, it’s best to shape them before placing them into the Muffin Pan. After shaping each shell, immediately place it into the pan well.
A mixed nut blend that does not contain peanuts can be substituted for the cashews, if desired.
Serve these pretty tarts in place of pecan pie for the holidays.
© 2010 The Pampered Chef used under license.

Email me at cookingwithtrace@gmail.com

Go cook something!

Trace
www.cookingwithtrace.com

Turkey day!

Woo hoo it is turkey day! Happy thanksgiving from cookingwithtrace.com and the family.

I hope your holiday us filled with family and food.

Here are some pics from our festivities!













Check out my new domain!

www.cookingwithtrace.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Location:Lois St,Clifton,United States

Oats - not just for breakfast anymore!

Oats - not just for breakfast anymore!

I am always trying to find ways to improve the diet of my family, and often I am thanked with sneers and turned up noses, but I persevere. I remember hating things that my dad tried to feed me and now I like most of them. So I continue to add them to the menu and maybe they stick now and maybe they stick later.

It is official, you can ask anyone who is around me, I am obsessed with oats. Note that I did not say oatmeal. I am not buying that whole “Quaker oats are good for you” junk and I sure as hell am not buying flavored/colored instant oats. If that it your thing, good for you, but I would be willing to bet that you have not had real rolled oats cooked properly with amazing flavor possibilities.

My oats are better than yours, just sayin’.

This idea came upon me when reading about a savory oat recipe from Mark Bittman, he suggested oats with soy sauce and scallions, now while I have not been able to bring my self to add soy sauce, i have found a few other ingredients that may seem just as strange.
My first foray is listed on my blog (www.cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com) and it is a recipe for savory oats that include honey and chili sauce. They can be eaten as a side dish or for breakfast, lunch, etc. The ingredients and instructions are listed below.

In the meantime, if you are interested here are some ideas for other taste combinations:
Peanut butter and bananas
Peanut butter and coconut (unsweetened)
Chili-honey sauce
Cinnamon
Apple and cinnamon (substitute half of the water for apple juice)
Chicken and vegetables (use chicken broth instead of water and add cooked chicken, with your choice of vegetables)

Savory Oats, well almost!
1 cup rolled thick cut oats
1 cup water
2 tbls honey
2 tbls chili sauce (found in the Asian food section)
pinch of salt
butter

Bring the salted water to a rolling boil, add oats and return to boil for approximately 1-2 minutes (I like them al dente). Remove to bowl and stir in butter, mix chili sauce and honey together (makes a delicious dipping sauce as well) drizzle over your oats, and enjoy.

My next experiement is:
Coffee oatmeal (instead of water cook the oats in coffee, add sweetener and cream/milk).

Caffeinated oats... now that has to be a winning idea!

Go cook something.

Trace

www.cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com or find me on facebook (search for cooking with trace)

Savory oats.. well almost

I have been thinking about the idea of making oatmeal that is not sweetened. Oats are a grain and if you actually purchase them as they were intended (rolled not instant) then you can really see this versatile grain.

So the idea came up when I read about Mark Bittman's Savory Oatmeal with Scallions and Soy Sauce (http://tiny.cc/qjcwj) as soon as I finished the article my mind was racing with ideas on how to make oatmeal less breakfastly.


Today I decided to try one of my ideas, I had some Chili sauce and honey mixed together from the night before and I had recently purchased whole rolled oats from Vitamin Cottage so I plunged into the unknown.


(side note, I cannot stand mushy oatmeal, sticky oatmeal, old or cold oatmeal, etc. My oatmeal needs to be warm, and the grains have to be al dente.)


Here is what I did:

2 cups of water (I will reduce this for the next time possibly 1 1/2 cups)
2 pinches of kosher salt 
1 cup rolled oats
1 tbls chili-honey sauce

Bring the water and a pinch of salt to a rolling boil, add oats and turn off the flame. Stir a a couple of times until until oats have reached the desired consistency.

Serve oats with the salt, and chili sauce and a pat of butter, enjoy.

I would love to hear from anyone who is brave enough to try this.. it does not have to be breakfast, maybe it is a side dish or a quick lunch.

As I am working on my writing, I am attempting to make my food photos more enticing, drop me a note to let me know what you think.

in the meantime Eat!


Trace
www.cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com

The perfect baked potatoes

The perfect baked potato!

With a little preparation and a few ingredients you can make the tastiest baked potatoes at home. My wife loves the potatoes at Texas Roadhouse, and therefore I took it upon myself to try to duplicate.

The main thing about these potatoes would be the salty exterior and secondly the fluffy interior. To ensure that the flavor is matched we would have to visit the restaurant for research purposes… just kidding.

My wife had a scrapbooking event to attend today so we assembled the ingredients and made the tasty taters for her to take with her.

A quick note about potatoes from www.idahopotato.com

A 5 ounce potato has no fat, cholesterol, or sodium. There are only 26 grams of carbohydrates (2 fiber and only 1 sugar) and it even has a couple grams of protein.

So again moderation is the key and of course be careful what you top it with.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:

Oil

Kosher salt

 Several small/medium potatoes

A baking dish

After washing and drying your potatoes roll them in oil and salt

Add them to the baking dish

I like to use my Pampered Chef fluted stoneware baker, the sides allow the heat to cook the potatoes evenly.

Bake at 350 for 90 minutes and then let cool for about 20 minutes. The outside is crispy and salty while the inside is fluffy. Add butter, sour cream, bacon bits, chives, etc. Enjoy

Viva la unfrosted cake!

Old age and frosting...

When I announced that my birthday cake was going to be frosting free, you would have thought that I committed an act of culinary sacrilege. My thought was that if you break it down we are smearing fat+sugar+food coloring on to a slab or flour, eggs, sugar. Do we really need to sweeten cake? Don’t get me wrong, I love frosting, as a matter of fact the main reason for me to want to not have it on my birthday cake is because I would not be able to stay out of it. I was certain that there was a better choice, and my friends eventually came around.

I wanted to make my own cake but the clock/calendar was not cooperating. I wanted something unique and artistic, maybe a flavored cake. So I made a few phone calls, several local bakeries, everyone had the same thing to offer, white, yellow, chocolate, carrot, and spice. One local bakery had a zucchini cake and also an Italian cream flavor (which we will keep in mind for another time, yum), did you know that almost all supermarkets will sell you an unfrosted cake for about one third less than a frosted cake? This would not include Safeway, all of their cakes come frosted some their “commissary” in Denver. One of my last calls was to City Market (a Kroger subsidiary) and I asked the same old questions, what flavors do you have besides the standards, can I purchase it without fat smeared all over it, etc. Suddenly the clouds opened up and the person on the other end said “we do have an almond poppy seed flavor”... angels started singing, taste buds starting tingling, and I am pretty sure there was some salivating. Almond poppy seed? that screams flavor and uniqueness. Almost immediately I started thinking of how I would make this into a celebration treat.

The answer is FRUIT SALSA! My wife had mentioned that as an alternative to cake in the planning stages (Mango Salsa Sundaes is a wonderful Pampered Chef recipe). So after a brief Facebook survey, I determined that you could put anything into a salsa and it would still turn out pretty good, but the key ingredients that kept popping up were, Strawberries, peaches, kiwi and bananas. My oldest son has an allergy to bananas, so they are out, but what about the rest?

Here is what I can up with:

4 lb frozen Strawberries (partially thawed)
10 kiwi (peeled, in chunks)
2 32 oz cans of peaches in juice (not syrup) reserve juice from one can
2 cans crushed pineapple in juice
2 bottles of mandarin oranges in juice
1 vanilla bean
1/4 cup sugar

Place the strawberries and peaches in a large bowl and mix/chop them until you have a salsa consistency, add the chunks of kiwi and the crushed pineapple.

Split and scrape vanilla bean into sauce pan, add sugar and juice from peaches, heat and stir to combine. Once cooled add to salsa and mix together.

Layer the mandarin oranges on top and we are done!

We served the unfrosted cake with fruit salsa and whipped cream, it was a hit, I even was thanks by my friends daughter because she cannot eat frosting and was ecstatic to come to a party and be able to eat the cake!

The point is make it delicious, make it adventurous, make it original! Leave the frosting alone! Viva la unfrosted cake....

Trace



cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com

How now brown cow! Latest article from Your Valley Source

How now brown cow?
Does it seem conceivable that once upon a time most of our everyday junk
food was actually made at home? I remember the first time I saw my grandma
make pudding from scratch, no box, no Bill Cosby, just ingredients and
(cheesy alert) love.
Can you think of a time when you made a cake from scratch, or your own
potato chips? You can do it! Anything you want from popsicles to candy bars
can be made in the home kitchen, it will take time, it will take a little
gumption, but it can be done.
Let's start with something easy, delicious, and somewhat nutritious.
Chocolate milk! It bothers me that you can find low fat chocolate milk in
every direction from cows to soybeans, but you can't find any low sugar
creamy caramel colored goodness.
Why do I care? A couple of reasons, first off they serve the sugary stuff in
school to get kids to drink milk, but I believe if you make a nutritious
product and then fill it full of bad things then what is the point.
Secondly, it is a cool refreshing drink that is full of vitamins, protein,
and good carbohydrates. There is even a movement right now that is
supporting chocolate milk as a post workout recovery drink.
So now that I have your attention I am going to throw another wrench in the
works, what about chocolate milk for adults?
The nutritional content of 1% white milk is as follows: 1 serving (8 ounces)
100 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 12 carbohydrates (all of which are sugar)
and 8 grams of protein. There are 4 grams of sugar per teaspoon, so a
regular glass of white milk has 3 teaspoons of sugar. Now when you add in
the chocolate syrup you add typically another 3 teaspoons of sugar for a
total of 6 teaspoons or 1 fluid ounce of sugar. Would you add that much
sugar to any other drink?
So what is the solution? I have fallen in love with stevia. Stevia is a
natural substance that is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar and it is
carbohydrate free. I recently purchased pure stevia powder at a little shop
on 7th and Main streets in Grand Junction, Orrs Trading Company. The pure
powder can be purchased by the ounce (and by our calculations 1 ounce of
stevia at 300X will sweeten a lot of stuff) and then added to your choice of
items. If you go by there you can pick up a lot of other bulk herbs, spices
and teas all at reasonable prices. Tell Deborah I said hi!
A quick note about the new surge of stevia products in the grocery store,
check to see what they are mixed with, since the stevia is so much stronger
it has to be typically cut with inulin, or maltodextrin, or some other
"harmless" additive.

Stevia semi-sweet chocolate milk

2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 oz warm water
1/2 teaspoon pure stevia powder
Add cocoa to water and stir until combined. Once you have slurry add the
stevia and mix to combine. Stevia takes a few minutes to "bloom" so I would
suggest waiting about 5 minutes before tasting a little of the chocolate,
you can add more stevia is needed, but I like mine a less sweet. It will
still seem bitter, but trust me added to the milk it will be very tasty.

To make the chocolate milk add about 1 teaspoon of the paste to 8 to 10
ounces of ice cold milk and stir to combine. Enjoy anytime and I'll bet it
would even be good warmed up this winter. If you are adventurous you might
add some chile powder for a kick.
For other ideas and recipes visit my blog as
www.cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com


cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com

A burger fit for the (Greek) gods...

A burger fit for the (Greek) gods...

After perusing the incredible cars on Main street in Grand Junction and getting our ooo-pah from baklava at the Greek festival on Saturday, we decided that Red Robin would be in order. Good food, decent kids menu, and the prices are not bad. The kids both ordered pizza from the kids menu (I know, pizza in a burger joint, crazy right?), my wife ordered her staple BBQ bacon cheeseburger (with Swiss cheese) and I ordered the Mt. Olympus burger (we did go to the Greek festival). 

The place was busy because of homecoming at one of the local high schools, but the bottomless fries and drinks kept us going until the food arrived. Everyone was very happy with their choice and dug in right away. I looked at my burger and was a little intimidated. Here was a couple of brilliant ideas melded together an oregano seasoned burger covered in creamy spinach and artichoke dip, feta cheese, BACON (yes the capitalization is intentional) bits, served with garlic mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes, on ciabatta bun.

As the parent of a tweenager, I have the right to say OMG! That burger was so delicious. The seasoned meat had just a bit of pink in the middle and the multitude of flavors came together in a symphony of unique delicioucity! The bun was soft and light but still strong enough to hold the burger together until the last bites, the spinach and artichoke dip was cool and fresh, not like the cheesy dips that I am used to, this was similar to French onion dip but bright and tasty without being overpowering.

Side note, for almost 13 years my wife and I have had a unique restaurant game, I try to have her taste my food in an attempt to broaden her palette and have her try new things, and usually she declines. There are the few times she does try and even rarer that she is excited for that new dish. When she does like the new food, she tries (and usually succeeds) in participating in food piracy and I end up eating what she ordered because I am so excited that she likes something new.  On this occasion I asked her if she wanted a bite and to my surprise she was delighted in the experience. She pulled out the puppy dog eyes and pouted out the lip and asked if we could trade. Unfortunately for her the answer was as resounding NO! In our marriage I am usually the one to give in and hand over my food, but not this time baby!

In the end I stood my ground and did not share my burger, which I could have afforded because they are on special for only $6.99. Of course they do have all kinds of salads at Red Robin, but seriously folks… have you tried the burger?

Here is a quick spinach and artichoke dip recipe from: http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/spinachdiprecipes.html

(Cold) Spinach Dip

1 cup chopped cooked spinach (1 10 oz. frozen pkg.)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
6 green onions, chopped
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, finely chopped

Add 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts to the recipe above.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons pepper
Salt to taste

·  Squeeze the spinach dry and pat it down with paper towels.

·  In a medium bowl stir together all ingredients until well combined.

·  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

(This recipe can be prepared in a food processor and/or a day ahead with great results.)

·  Serve chilled with sour dough bread and raw vegetable dippers like turnip slices and red pepper strips. Or serve in a scooped-out sour dough bread bowl, if desired, and save the scooped-out bread for dippers.

·  Makes about 3 cups.

 EAT!

Spices and Carnitas...

Spices, Spices, and Spices

Soooo you know how I like to keep it natural most of the time, right? I found this great little store on main street, Orrs Trading Company next to the Avalon Theater. At first it looks like a bead and novelty shop, but if you walk past the interesting trinkets in the back you can buy bulk herbs, spices, and teas. I was actually compared to kid in a candy store! I bought paprika, granulated garlic, dried basil, pure dried stevia (more on that later), spirulina, and a tea mixture.  The Deborah was working in the store and she was wonderful to talk with and very helpful. There are also tons of other non food things to shop for, beads, leather, bones, arrows, jewelry, etc. If you haven’t been to Orrs I recommend you get there quick.

What did I make with my purchases? Pork Carnitas… nuff said.

Pork Carnitas (adapted from http://www.itsfordinner.com/recipe/pork-carnitas)

Pork

• 3-4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder (may be called Boston butt) or 4-5lbs of bone-in pork shoulder

Spice rub

Note: This amount of spice works well for the amount of meat we normally use (3-4lbs), but it's a simple ratio so simply scale it for your amount of meat

• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Braising liquid

• 3/4 cup no sugar added apple juice
• Water to cover (for our pan that's usually about 2 cups)

Technique

1. Heat a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed oven-ready lidded pan over medium high heat with just enough vegetable oil (or lard if you have it) to cover the bottom .
2. Pre-heat oven to 300ºF
3. Cut pork into 1-2" cubes, trimming large sections of fat off (we need fat for the flavor, so just cut off any real large pieces). Toss pork pieces with spice rub.
4. Brown the cubed pork well in the dutch oven, going in batches so there is only one layer of meat at a time.
5. Introduce all of the meat back to the pan and cover with water until it's nearly submerged.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Cook covered for two hours.
7. After letting the pork cool for a few minutes work through with your hands to separate and discard any fat or gristle pieces that hadn't melted in the braise. Tear the meat into smaller pieces.  I used my handy dandy Pampered Chef Mix N Chop (very cool for ground beef and several other applications).
8. Turn your broiler on to high and place a rack towards the top
9. Toss the now shredded pork with some of the reduced braising liquid (that should have boiled down significantly by now) and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.
10. Broil the pork for approximately five minutes per side until the outside begins to caramelize

Serve with tortillas and salsa verde (recipe to come later), beans would have been nice but we did not get past the meat!

Orrs Trading Company

Beads, Native American products and a variety of teas.

Location:	639 Main Street, Suite B

, Grand Junction, CO 970-241-1126

STEAK!!! Latest article from Your Valley Source

What's for dinner?
So I am not Sam Elliott, and I am never going to have the six pack abs of Matthew McConaughey, but I still think Beef! It's what's for dinner! Whether it is a juicy cheeseburger, a Sunday after church pot roast or a big ass hunk of beast on the grill, it is alright with me.
 Not only is steak a universal high class meal and the staple of grill masters everywhere, but there are so many choices, Rib eye, T-Bone, Top Loin, Skirt, rare, medium, burnt, seasoning, marinades, aging, broiling, roasting, frying, grilling, even the infamous TarTar.
Ok, so what steak is right for you? It depends on your needs. Personally I like a nice juicy rib eye grilled to medium rare with a little salt and pepper because great meat should stand on it own (insert your favorite dirty joke here).

Grilled Rib eye Steak with summer vegetables

Prep steak: 1 inch rib eye per person removed from refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes. Sprinkle with coarse ground salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Prep veggies: Prepare 1 small zucchini and ½ bell pepper (I like red, or orange) per person,
You can slice the zukes and peppers in half or you can chunk them up and add them to a grill basket either way toss with a little oil before cooking

Prep grill: Preheat grill (charcoal or gas) until the heat is medium high, oil grates with a paper towel and tongs.

Place steak at a 45 degree angle on the hot part of the grill and wait 2 minutes then turn steak 45 degrees (do not flip the steak as this will create grill marks like a pro) wait another two minutes and then flip.

At this point you can add your veggies to the grill and when the steak has cook 7-8 minutes total remove and let rest while the veggies finish.

When the veggies have reached the level of doneness you prefer (I like a little char on mine) remove and toss with a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.

Now you have created a great meal full of healthy proteins, vegetables but most importantly you got to play with fire!

www.cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com

Pancakes from a can? Yes siree bob!

Sounds bad right? But it is not!

I picked up a can of Batter Blaster (unfortunate name) and decided to give it a try.



In a word, tasty! It comes out of the can like soft whipped cream and spreads slightly in the pan. Wait for the bubbles to flip. I was impressed with the taste, texture, and the ease of preparation (ha ha). Even the kids and the wife liked them.

So food from a can? It can't be good for you, can it? Well the ingredient list is actually pretty good.


I don't care about the word organic right now. Meaning, I am not convinced that organic is any better than the others, but if the ingredients are decent then I am happy. There is a lack of chemical additions and that makes me happy.

Last meal.... In the south, Froglegs?

So what would a trip to the south be without eating something really weird? Ok so how 'bout the bottom half of an amphibian?


As my last meal before leaving Kentucky I decided to give frog legs a try. RJ's cafe in Kevil, KY serves up real country cooking with a personal touch. The frog leg dinner was $9.99 and it included four sets of legs, fries, coleslaw, and hushpuppies. It was a lot of food but I managed to make my way through it.


So…. “What’s it like?” Delicious, the meat is very similar to alligator tail and could be described as a cross between chicken and pork for texture. The appearance is different because it looks like the frog was chopped in half and then fried but if you can get past the mooning frogs you are in for a treat.

If you have the chance to order frog legs at a restaurant, I would recommend it but in the mean time if you are adventurous at home you can order them on the most wonderful Al Gore invention, the world wide web. While you are online check out other adventures on my blog at www.cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com and leave me a message about the most adventurous meal you have ever eaten!
FROG LEGS
5 or 6 frog legs
1 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
Pepper
2 eggs
Wash frog legs. Put to side. Beat eggs. Add salt and pepper. Get frog legs and roll in eggs, then put in flour and put in skillet and cook at medium heat until brown.


Be adventurous and enjoy food.

Eating the south a little at a time, part II

Eating the south a little at a time.

The Waffle House restaurants in the south are an institution. The food is
good (even if you are sober), but you do have to be in the mood for good
food made fresh and right in front of you. You can order steaks, burgers,
chicken, eggs anyway you like and of course waffles either with pecans or
without (do you say pea-can or pea-con? That is the tried and true method of
spotting a Yankee). Even with bottomless coffee and cheap waffles, I think
the hashbrowns are what draw people in.
How do you take your browns?
Regular - round
Scattered - on the grill
Smothered - sautéed onions
Covered - melted cheese
Chunked - grilled hickory smoked ham
Diced - grilled tomatoes
Peppered - spicy jalapeno peppers
Capped - grilled button mushrooms
Topped - Bert's chili
Country - sausage gravy
Or the "Works" with all the above, I am certain that your cardiologist would
not recommend the "Works" or most of the rest of the menu at The Waffle
House.
Personally I am scattered, smothered, covered, and chunked kinda guy, but
that would have to be the only thing I order, because it is a full meal by
itself.
Whether you are ending the night or starting the day you can find food,
coffee, and a little nostalgia at The Waffle House. Don't forget to check
the jukebox for Waffle House songs, and be daring, try the grits, you just
might like them.
My next adventure in the wonderful state of Kentucky is to actually have a
piece of fried chicken, there is a KFC in town but that would not be the
same, would it? I will report back if I can find a true Kentucky Fried
Chicken. Until then, I will be dreaming of red eye gravy, turnip greens,
black eyed peas, and of course grits.
For my other adventures in southern food check out my blog at
www.cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com or email me at cookingwithtrace@gmail.com.

Gourmet Paducah-- Cynthia's Ristorante

For all my foodies out there, please check out Cynthia's Ristorante in beautiful downtown Paducah. The restaraunt was quiet and charming the service was wonderful and the food incredible.

For starters:

Grilled Fresh Mozzarella Salad wrapped in Prosciutto and Romaine Lettuce finished with a Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette

This was a tangy interesting way to start the meal, in almost napoleon style, tomato, mozzarella, and prosciutto were layered together and wrapped in romaine, grilled, placed a grilled piece of ciabatta and then a sweet and sour sun dried tomato vinaigrette to finish. Very delicious!

For the main course: I wanted the Duck Risotto but they were out, so I turned to my old friend the pig,

Pork Tenderloin - Wrapped in Apple Wood Smoked Bacon and Oak Grilled, Finished with a Port Wine Plum Reduction and Gran Marnier Carmelized Onions, Served with pan seared zucchini and yellow squash and a twice baked potato.

The pork was perfectly cooked and the bacon added a nice salty finish, the squash was just right, warm and tasty with out being over cooked and the potato was unique.

For dessert:
Homemade shortbread with a berry pastry cream and fresh strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries to garnish.

If you have the chance to visit I would recommend this restaurant!
http://www.cynthiasristorante.com/

Don't forget to check out my article in "The Source" 

Eating the south part 1 - Paducah, KY

Eating The South! Part 1
The "burger bar" in Kevil, KY for lunch.
My order was a double hamburger with fries and slaw and a side of fried pickles. Not exactly health food, but I am excited for down home roadside food.



The lady in the building said she would "holler" at me when it was ready. Waiting.... Waiting.... Waiting...fresh food takes awhile. I met a nice man waiting for his catfish which he insists I come back for, maybe after the treadmill.

So far the road food has not been real road foodish. We have been cooking in the hotel room, eating out was the first night and we went to Texas Roadhouse, which is good but uniform. I am hoping our trip to Alabama this weekend brings some exciting things besides family and rockets (Huntsville, Alabama is my hometown and it is "rocket city, USA"). I am hoping for BBQ, Waffle House, and something weird to eat. Who knows?

By the way the burger was huge and fresh, the fried pickles were great as well!


Don't forget to eat y'all! From Paducah, KY... Trace


cookingwithtrace.blogspot.com

Location:Metropolis Lake Rd,West Paducah,United States

Out to eat?

I love to go out to eat! I mean who doesn’t? The atmosphere, the socialization, the delicious food that is nothing like you can make at home, right? Wrong! You have the ability to create great tasting, quick meals that can compare to restaurant food with less sodium, more nutrition, and even better a few more coins left the in the pocket.

Besides the nutritional and monetary benefits of eating at home you can also bring your family and friends together to enjoy camaraderie and fellowship.

So break out your pots and pans and your imagination and let’s get started.

What do you like? Fish, beef, chicken, vegetarian? Sweet, spicy, sweet and spicy, sweet and sour? Lots of different veggies, one vegetable, none? Noodles, rice, etc. You can do anything you like and make it healthy and fun. Make any number of combinations to please almost everyone.

Mongolian Grill

1 lb flank steak

Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, bell peppers, etc.

Pineapple, Water chestnuts, mandarin oranges, etc.

Brown rice (there are a couple of tricks)

Sauce: Sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, peanut butter, pineapple juice, be creative…

Slice the meat into bite-sized pieces (against the grain) and marinate for about 15 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, minced garlic, and water. This is a quick process to add another layer of flavor.

While the meat is marinating work on the vegetables, chop the veggies into bite sized pieces and blanch in boiling water.

Now we are ready to Wok and roll…. Heat a large round bottomed skillet with a couple of tablespoons of oil. When the oil is very hot but not smoking add the meat in batches and cook to almost done. Remove meat from pan and reheat. Add veggies and cook quickly until crisp tender. Add meat, veggies, fruit, water chestnuts, and toss to combine.

Serve over brown rice (either made in the oven or I use the frozen brown rice from the local market)

For the sauce you can mix any number of items together to make a delicious addition. I like sesame oil, soy sauce, pineapple rum sauce, water, and garlic blended together.

Other sauces:

Peanut butter + soy sauce+ wasabi powder+ water= peanut sauce

Peaches (pureed) +soy sauce+ peach nectar= peach sauce

More to come...

Location:Coleman Crossing Cir,Paducah,United States

Pet Peeve.... HFCS!!!!!

Pet Peeve.....

O.K.. so I have an issue with the corn syrup commercial.. you know the one.

Mom 1: oh so you don't care about what the kids drink?

Mom 2: why?

Mom 1: oh but that has High Fructose Corn Syrup and you know what they say about it...

Mom 2: What? That it is made from corn? and it is all natural and fine in moderation?

Of course this is sponsored by the corn growers association, and I appreciate them trying to improve their image. The logic is however flawed. Yes High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is fine in moderation and it is a low cost, easy to mix in sweetener, but that is why every company in America is adding it to their product. Ketchup, soda, yogurt, canned vegetables, cereal, bread, and what else? The idea that it is fine in moderation is upsetting because you have no way of knowing when it is added to everyday foods unless you carefully read the ingredients (which I do recommend) .  So while I appreciate the corn growers need to change the image, the consumer (YOU!) needs to know the truth.

Speaking about the fine in moderation piece, did you know that on the average, there is about 10-20 mg. of arsenic in the human body at any time? Now what if you were getting from unknown sources all day long? The moderation factor is eliminated.

And I wasn't joking about the canned vegetables.. read the labels because corn, peas, beans can all have extra salt and sugar.

Homemade energy bars (similar to Cliff bars)

I had a Cliff bar at the MS walk last weekend, and thought to myself, as I always do, I can do this... Sooooo I tried my hand at making homemade energy bars...

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 oz water
2 oz honey
pinch of salt

directions:

Add oats and water to food processor, pulse a couple of times. Add in remaining ingredients and blend until a dough is formed..., you may need to scrape down sides of bowl.

I lined a small bar pan with foil and sprayed it lightly with cooking spray, then I pressed the mixture into the size I wanted. It made a about 24 servings.





Notes for next time:
Cranberries (naturally sweetened)
Cocoa powder
Cinnamon
Dried strawberries or blueberries


I would love to hear your suggestions...