Weekend cooking: Lunch al fresco ~ Podunk style

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

On Halloween, we trekked down to Tampa airport to pick up our daughter, Steph, coming for a visit from Delaware. We planned on spending our birthdays together but she had to go home the day before mine. Boo hoo! I miss my baby girl already but we did have a fun time. A week ago yesterday we schlepped to the airport once again to drop her off for her mid morning flight home. When we got almost back to Podunk , TBG asked me if I wanted to stop for lunch at this "quaint" place he had heard about. Alrighty! Birthday dining a day early!  Hmmmmmmm ...

We pulled into the swanky parking lot bare grass just off the road to a little place called Pudgee's. Yes, Pudgee's!!  Although spelled weirdly  different than the norm, I like it. Luncheon dining outside in the glorious Florida sunshine overlooking a fine view cars whizzing up and down the county highway, geez, does it get any better than that?



I suppose you want to see pictures  or not. . . . well, guess what. I'm showing them anyway. The first is the front of the fine establishment that is Pudgee's. You can even have your photo taken in the midst of a box of french fries. Who wouldn't want such a fine memento? Alas, we passed on that golden opportunity.

We did have a lovely chat with the owner, John, who was most friendly and didn't mind posing for a photo. He told us he and his family would travel miles and miles to try out a restaurant and kiddingly named themselves the Pudgee family.

So, when he retired, he wanted to set up his own eatery and his mother-in-law is the one who told him to name it Pudgee's. Great choice! And the rest is history, so they say.

Obviously, there is no inside dining room! But the outdoor tables were covered with the finest linen  red checked plastic. We decided to go with a basic hot dog and an order of cheese fries which I have to admit were both very tasty. John makes his own relish along with numerous hot dog sauces such as his meaty "coney" sauce or his Greek sauce and a red onion sauce that sounds really good. "The onions are simmered until plump and tender with a light tangy red sauce."

If just a plain hot dog isn't adventurous enough for you, Pudgee's also cooks up Italian sausage Chicago style on crusty French bread with the option of adding either green peppers and onions or giardiniera/hot peppers to it. Polish sausage, Italian roast beef, and several different 100% Angus burgers round out the menu. A lot of the selections come with Pudgee's homemade cole slaw. Next time ( oh, yes, there will be a next time!) I'm going to try the Polish sausage or maybe the Italian roast beef. I think the Chili cheese fry burger might be a little over the top for me.

Oh, by the way, before you think TBG is a big cheapskate, he did take me to Ruby Tuesdays for a "real" birthday dinner.

So next time you're in Florida craving a tasty hot dog, burger or sausage with fries and find yourself lost and miles from civilization in Podunk, stop in at Pudgee's. There are lots of choices and the prices are very reasonable. Maybe a "Florida swamp dog" complete with sauerkraut would be to your liking!

Weekend Cooking: Happy Cows!

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

In April we made the annual "big trek north" for 10 days and on our way home we stopped in Gray Court, South Carolina to visit our friends who had recently moved there from Florida. They had just heard about The Happy Cow Creamery from one of their neighbors so we decided to go for a visit.





Dinner time  makes for some really happy cows!

One thing that impressed us was that the dairy does not add any artificial vitamins, the cows are not given any hormones nor is the milk homogenized. The milk was delicious! It's obvious that not adding all those extras makes such a difference in the taste. After tasting a buttermilk sample, we came to the conclusion that that is an acquired taste. My friend, Phyllis, was brought up on it and she loved it. Her hubby, Ken, TBG and I grimaced as we drank the sample.

It may be good for cooking but not straight out of the glass for this old Yankee! 

Their little store had much more than milk; cheeses, cream,  two pound rolls of butter, and a host of other goodies graced the shelves. I did pick up a bottle of apple cinnamon barbecue sauce and a bottle of Braswell's Select Praline Flavoring Mix. I thought the barbecue sauce would be great on pork but I have no clue what I'm going to do with the praline sauce. There are a few recipes (see below) on the tag that sound interesting. If anyone has any suggestions for other uses, please let me know. 

Praline Harvest Crisp

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Cover bottom of prepared 8x8" baking pan with 24 crushed vanilla wafers. Cover crust with two peeled, diced apples and 4 c assorted fresh or frozen berries.

Combine 1/2 c. Praline mix
 2 tbsp lemon juice 
 1/2 c. granulated sugar and drizzle over fruit and cookie crumbs.

 Melt 1 stick of butter and combine with 1/2 c oatmeal flakes, 1 c. flour, 1 c. brown sugar and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg until mix is crumbly.  Evenly spread mix on top of the crisp. Bake for 50-60 minutes until browned and serve with Praline whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

 Doesn't that sound good? Sorry, I didn't bake it to test it but it sounds more like a fall or winter dessert. This is not the time of year in Florida to be having the oven on just for a dessert.

There's also a recipe for truffles and one for praline cheesecake which I may try at another time. You'll probably see that in another Weekend cooking post.

For some interesting history of the Happy Cow Creamery and other sites in SC where you can find their products, please visit their  website.

Weekend Cooking: Terry's Date nut bread

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.  

For some reason I just had a hankering for date and nut bread, a recipe I haven't made in ages. I got this recipe from my best friend, Terry. We've been friends for almost 58 years and shared a lot over those years.

Hey, she was even TBG's first wife (on paper) but that's a story for another day. Anyhooo . . . . here's Terry's recipe. It's filed in my tried and true go-to recipe box.

Date  Nut Bread

1. 3/4 c. boiling water
2. 8 oz pitted chopped dates
3. 1 c. sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
6. 2 tsp. vanilla
7. 2 c. flour
8. 2 tsp baking soda
9. 1/2 tsp salt
10. 1/4 tsp baking powder
11. 1 c. plain yoghurt
12. 3/4 c. nuts ( the recipe calls for chopped almonds, I used walnuts)

1. Pour boiling water over dates in small bowl and let stand for 15 minutes
2. Beat sugar,egg and oil for 3 minutes on high speed
3. Blend in date mixture and vanilla
4. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda
5. Add dry ingredients alternately with yoghurt to beaten mix
6. Blend well
7. Stir in nuts
8. Pour batter into 4 well greased 3 1/4" x 5 3/4" pans (1 cup per pan)
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 35- 40 minutes

Note: I used the pre-chopped  dates this time and thought they were too small. It's a sticky mess cutting them by hand but I think the next time I'll go back to doing that. The recipe calls for plain yoghurt but one time I didn't have any and used lemon and some french vanilla yoghurt. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. For my oven, 35 minutes is perfect. You might want to check them at 35 minutes and go from there. Bon appetit!

Weekend Cooking: Ginger cookies

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

This is the only ginger cookie recipe I have been making for years and years; I've never found a better one. It's a big fave at our house. My son-in-law, who says the only good cookie contains chocolate chips, is now a big fan of these cookies since I made them on their last visit.

Ginger cookies:

2 cups sifted all- purpose flour

1 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg, unbeaten

1/4 cup molasses

granulated sugar to roll dough in

1. Measure flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into sifter. Sift onto wax paper. Return to sifter.

2. Cream shortening until soft in medium-size bowl; add sugar gradually, creaming after each addition until mix is well-blended.

3. Beat in egg and molasses

4. Sift dry ingredients over creamed mixture; blend well.

5. Form teaspoonfuls of dough into small balls and then roll in granulated sugar to cover the entire outside surface; place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

6. Bake in moderate oven (350) 12-15 minutes or until tops are slightly rounded, crackly and lightly browned.

Note: For my oven I cook them about 12 minutes and they almost look a little underdone but I take them out and they are perfect when they cool. If you follow this recipe and use a teaspoon of dough, it should make about 4 dozen. I like a bigger cookie so I use a  small (1 1/4" in diameter) ice cream scoop to make 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  Make a nice hot cuppa tea to go with a couple of these cookies and heaven awaits!

 Ginger is a great ingredient for nausea or vertigo. I've made this recipe before taking a cruise and  ate 3 cookies about 1/2 hour before sailing and no seasickness. When we make the "big trek north", I eat three of these for breakfast, a couple after lunch and I am not reeling when we get out of the car.

This recipe was taken from The Family Circle Illustrated Library of Cooking, Vol. 5, copyright 1972. I bought this set of cookbooks, week by week,  from the grocery store for .99 cents per book. Somehow, though, I missed 2 volumes out of 16. They are still one of my favorites! When we first got married I used to pick up the Family Circle magazine and at that time they cost .05 cents per issue.

Weekend cooking: What's for dinner?

Well, it was one of those nights - what to cook for dinner to go with leftover rice pilaf and sliced beets. Let's say my enthusiam was not at the highest levels nor was TBG's. I mentioned steak - he gave me a shrug. Feel like a pork chop? Eh - not really. Hmmmm .... I knew there were a couple of Perdue perfect portion chicken breasts in the freezer so I hauled them out and let them defrost in the fridge. A little after 5 PM I figured I better be making some sort of culinary attempt - here's how it went down.

Trolling through the cabinet, there staring me in the face was a lone can of Cheddar Cheese soup. Okay, I thought, maybe I'm onto something. I got out a corningware dish big enough for the two piece of chicken and sprayed it with Pam. I then put some of the cheddar cheese soup in the bottom, slapped the two pieces of chicken on top of it and seasoned with some salt, Mrs. Dash (original) and a quick grind of McCormick's Garlic Pepper Blend. I then put some more of the soup on top of that followed by some leftover shredded mozzarella; probably about 1/3 cup. We Remember, I'm winging it here and trying to use what's on hand. I then found some garlic and cheese croutons with not too many left in the bag. I gave them a few runovers with a rolling pin and put that on top of the dish. It looked a little skimpy so I filled in a few spots with a sprinkling of panko bread crumbs. A little bit of celery flakes were added last which in retrospect should have been somewhere under the crumb mix. They tended to look burnt on the top. Popped it into a preheated 400 degree oven and gave it about 30 minutes.

Result : it was so darned good, I got a piece of paper and wrote it down quickly before I forgot what I did. TBG was all happy with this recipe and proclaimed it a definite keeper. He didn't even mind the left overs we had with it. Now off to the store to stock up on some more Campbell's cheddar cheese soup!

This is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a meme hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.

For more information, see the Welcome Post on Beth Fish Reads.

Weekend Cooking; Steak marinade/Le Creuset

Weekend cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads,  is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

One day we went into Publix supermarket and the demonstrator was cooking NY strip steaks in a Le Creuset grill pan. Since our gas grill died, we've been tossed up what to do but after tasting how delicious, tender and moist the steak was, I immediately used my gift certificate from CSN for a Le Creuset 10" grill pan. I checked all over the internet and the prices were anywhere from $90.00 to $210.00. CSN's price was $64.95! Unbelievable bargain. It was delivered in 3 days and we have now cooked steaks in it several times and they are every bit as delicious as the sample we had at Publix.

The following marinade recipe is from Publix Apron's recipes:

1 1/4 lb. boneless NY strip steaks
1/2 c. Ken's steakhouse sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
1 package brown gravy mix ( about an ounce) I just used the Publix brand.
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
large zip top bag

Preheat grill pan. Place vinaigrette and dry gravy mix in zip-top bag, shake to mix. I just sort of smushed them together. Season steaks and place in bag with marinade. Let stand 10 minutes.

Place steaks on grill (demonstrator used piece of non -stick foil in bottom of pan for a no mess clean up) and tent loosely with foil or if using gas grill, close lid, discarding excess marinade. Grill 4-5 min per side or until 145 degrees F (for medium rare) Yum uh uh uh um!!!

I would never have tried this recipe without sampling it first because I don't particularly like sun-dried tomatos but in a vinagrette as a marinade- it's delicious!

Weekend Cooking: My mom's old cookbook and a unique recipe

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

This week I am highlighting my mother's oldest cookbook. It's in such deplorable condition but I still treasure it mainly for sentimental value not for too many of the recipes. The cook book is titled The American Woman's Cook Book published by the Culinary Arts Institute of Chicago in 1948. Actually, I think my mother originally purchased a set of classic books and this cookbook was the "bonus" gift but she used it constantly. She never made the recipe at the bottom of this post but you might find it interesting.

Any fan of cookbooks would like this one just from an historical perspective. Some of the illustrations are just fascinating; probably the height of modernity when the book was published. The women shown in the book definitely have that 40's look. What is interesting to me is not just the recipes but all the info that is included; methods of preparation, time tables, carving instructions, table settings, measurements and much, much more. I just thought I would include this segment on monogramming.

"The pattern or design of the cloth and napkins and the type, design, and size of the monograms embroidered on them should make a perfect unity.

For table-cloths, the size of the monogram should be two and one-half to five inches. For dinner napkins from one to two inches. For luncheon and breakfast napkins and doilies, from three-quartes of an inch to an inch and a half.

When the bride-to-be is marking her trousseau linens, it is best form for her to use the initials of her maiden name. However, there is no hard and fast rule for this marking, and she may if she prefers use the initials of the first and last names of her maiden name and the initial letter of the groom's last name.

If an initial is used instead of a monogram it should be the initial of your last name. When only one letter is used, it is usually a block letter - sometimes ornate - since a single letter in script is not very effective-looking. "

The next segment gives instruction on how to measure for the placing of the monogram. Somehow, I can't see today's brides doing this. Different times, indeed! Even 44 years ago (honestly, I was a child bride) I didn't do this!

Just to show the scope of this book, I am including a recipe for Roast Squirrels ( just in case you had a real hankering for them this week) I am omitting the instructions on how to insert a bicycle pump into the skin and blowing it up to remove the fur. I thought you could live without that!

Anywhooooo, here's the recipe:

3 small squirrels
3/4 c salad oil
1/4 c lemon juice or vinegar
2 c bread crumbs
1/2 c milk or cream
1/2 c diced and sautéed mushrooms
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion juice
4 tbsp olive oil or bacon fat
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
paprika

Dress and clean squirrels. ( *gag*, get past this and you're good to go) Wash in several waters and dry. Cover with salad oil mixed with lemon juice and let stand for 1 hour. Combine bread crumbs, with just enough milk or cream to moisten, mushrooms, salt and onion juice. Stuff the squirrel with this mix, skewer and truss. Brush with olive oil or bacon fat and roast uncovered in a slow oven (325 degrees F) 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours or until tender. Baste every 15 minutes with fat from bottom of pan. When tender, make a gravy with remaining broth, adding Worcestershire sauce and paprika to taste. Serve gravy in a separate dish. Serves 6 ( providing you can find 6 people to serve it to) Okay, so that's not in the recipe!

Anybody willing to try? Someone? Anyone? Granny Clampett, are you out there? Personally, I think I'll stick with the genteel art of monogramming!
How about you?

Weekend Cooking: Molasses Hermits

Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more info, see the welcome post.
This week's recipe is for Hermits in cookie form. Generally they're baked in a large pan and cut into bars. When we first moved from MA to FL, I had a part time job and one week brought in Hermits for the marketing department. A lot of people who live in FL are transplants. I was really surprised that only one person knew what Hermits were. In New England, they're practically a staple! Anyway, I chose this recipe because it is easier than the bar recipe which can tend to be dry if you don't take them out at exactly the right time.
Molasses Hermits:

2 c. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick of butter (softened)
1 c. light brown sugar
1 lg. egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. molasses
1/4 c. sour cream
1 c. raisins

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with molasses and sour cream. Add in raisins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes. For my oven, 11 minutes is perfect. My friend Carol glazes her hermits. I don't feel it's necessary but if you would like to glaze them, here's an easy recipe :

2 tbsp butter
1 c. confectioner's sugar
5 tsp. milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Glaze while hermits are still slightly warm.

Enjoy!

Weekend Cooking: Best darn chocolate sauce ever!

Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more info, see the welcome post.

Hot and steamy in Florida, so what could be an easier more delectable treat than ice cream. Of course, a little scrumptious home made chocolate sauce on it never hurts! I got this recipe from a friend years ago and it is supposedly the recipe from Bailey's in Boston. A sundae enjoyed at Bailey's Ice Cream Parlor was the highlight of a trip intown for me as a kid. Those silver bowls of ice cream with creamy hot sauce poured over it was a little bit of heaven. Since July is officially National ice cream month, I thought this would be an appropriate recipe for my first weekend cooking post.


Bailey's chocolate sauce:

2 squares of unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. ( 1 stick) of butter
2 c. of confectioner's sugar
1 small can of evaporated milk

Slowly melt chocolate and butter together.
Remove from heat and add sugar and milk alternately.
Stir until smooth.
Return to hear and simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring frequently.


The aroma will be enough to have you running to the freezer for your favorite flavor of ice cream. I've also used a little of this over cream puffs instead of making a glaze. I think my cooking skills are better than my photographic skills. Enjoy!