All Slabbed Up

My taste bubs were absolutely delighted Friday evening. We discovered All Slabbed Up in Leavenworth Kansas.

The place doesn't look like much. 60's style Diner seating mixed with high tip tables and chairs that seem to be in need of painting.  The are miniature dollar bills pinned to the walls. Also there is a medium sized deck for outdoor dining.

The menu is simple with country and Western sounding names like The Duke, Silverado, campfire taters and tumble weed tater tots. 

The menu has the usual, sandwiches, ribs, brisket and the famous KS burnt ends.
The serve soft drinks and Boulevard Ale.. it's a  local favorite, brewed in KC.

We had the Silverado with campfire taters. 

What came out was a plastic basket full of French fries with grilled onions and a pulled pork sandwich topped with not creamy Cole slaw and a bun the barely covered a full third pound of meat and cabbage.

The last time I had something this good my uncle had smoked the pork and seasoned it with his "secret" sauce. I think bourbon in involved.

First bite and I was in love. The pork was smoked, tender and just a little tangy The Cole slaw was still crisp.

There was two sauces. One was mild not too sweet, and the other had a kick. But be prepared the heat sneaks up on you, so have your drink close by.

Just a note on bar be que sauce, sometimes Kansas City style sauce can get too sweet depending how much brown sugar or molasses is added. 

So all in all they get a 10. I will be back. Next time maybe we'll get the Duke.

Still learning

I am finding it interesting just how much of something I can eat before feeling ill. Just a small amount butter, and my nose runs. I woke this morning a little itchy and my nose running-- back to the Benadryl.

 

Of course I'm not sure if wasn't the potato that caused my issue. Potatoes are in the nightshade family, and do cause trouble for some people. .

 

So still trying to figure it out.

 

Here's a new recipe for Lemon Chicken. Yum. 

 

3 chicken breasts pounded out
2  cloves of garlic minced
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup capers
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt

 

In a large skillet heat to medium heat, add the olive oil. 

Add the chicken and salt and pepper.

In five minutes turn over, add the garlic and lemon juice. Cook another three minutes add the capers.

Finish cooking until done, a other 3 minutes. 

 

 

A New Direction

As we travel through life sometimes we come to signs and sometimes we hit road blocks and have to reevaluate our decisions

Two weeks ago i hit one of those road blocks. I had such a firestorm of histamine running through me. I couldn't sleep. I could barely work.

This is a picture of my arm broken out with hives.  

Definitely time to reevaluate.

As I notices eating certain foods made my symptoms worse, chocolate, eggs, dairy, and some wheat products like bread and pasta. the worst was eating these in combination, like egg and cheese sandwiches. 

So a decision had to be made. If I want vibrant health, then it need to give them up.  Of course this from the girl who ate ham and cheese omlettes and chocolate chip cookies by the handful in my youth.  I have some great food memories. 

Big fear not, all is not lost, because I refuse to act like a victim in this. I have chosen to trat this new phase like a grand adventure. Exploring new options and menus. 

Another interesting observation is that my joints don't hurt as much and I'm starting to sleep better.  

So there it is a née direction, a new adventure in eating. I will be using this space to chronicle this adventure. Who knows maybe my insights mig help someone else. At any rate, today I roar like the tiger I am, because I am proud to be me.

Calabacitas

 

From EatingWell:  May/June 2007, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook (2008)

Easy delicious, vegetable  side dish. Great with  soft tacos. yum!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 poblano or Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 cups diced zucchini
• 2 cups diced summer squash
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and chile; cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini, summer squash and salt; cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro (if using).

Nutrition

 

Per serving: 40 calories; 2 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 199 mg sodium; 201 mg potassium

Hungarian Beef Goulash by Eating Well

Hungarian Beef Goulash

From EatingWell:  January/February 2008

 

This streamlined goulash skips the step of browning the beef, and instead coats it in a spice crust to give it a rich mahogany hue. This saucy dish is a natural served over whole-wheat egg noodles. Or, for something different, try prepared potato gnocchi or spaetzle.

See how to make this recipe

Makes: 8 servings, about 1 cup each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 1/2-8 hours

---

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, (such as chuck), trimmed and cubed
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 1/2-2 tablespoons sweet or hot paprika, (or a mixture of the two), preferably Hungarian (see Ingredient Note)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 

Preparation

1. Place beef in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Crush caraway seeds with the bottom of a saucepan. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the beef with the spice mixture and toss to coat well. Top with onion and bell pepper.
2. Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Pour over the beef and vegetables. Place bay leaves on top. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 4 to 4 1/2 hours on high or 7 to 7 1/2 hours on low.
3. Discard the bay leaves; skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stew and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 4 months. | Prep ahead: Trim beef and coat with spice mixture. Prepare vegetables. Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Refrigerate in separate covered containers for up to 1 day.

• Ingredient Note: Paprika specifically labeled as “Hungarian” is worth seeking out for this dish because it delivers a fuller, richer flavor than regular or Spanish paprika. Find it at specialty-foods store or online at HungarianDeli.com and penzeys.com.

• For easy cleanup, try a slow-cooker liner. These heat-resistant, disposable liners fit neatly inside the insert and help prevent food from sticking to the bottom and sides of your slow cooker.

Nutrition

Per serving: 180 calories; 5 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 48 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 250 mg sodium; 298 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Zinc (40% daily value), Vitamin C (35% dv), Vitamin A (25% dv), Iron (15% dv).
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat

Tandoori Chicken

Ever watch America's Test Kitchen on PBS?  What an amazing cooking show. They now only prepare really good food, but explain the what and the why. They also give you the low down on kitchen gadgets. Great show.

Anyway, this is their recipe for Tandoori Chicken... so good. yum.

There is also a great video, Click Here for more info.

INGREDIENTS

• 2tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 1tablespoon garam masala (see note)
• 2teaspoons ground cumin
• 2teaspoons chili powder
• 1cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 4tablespoons juice from 2 limes, plus 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 2teaspoons table salt
• 3pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, or a mix, with breasts cut in half), trimmed of excess fat and skin removed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garam masala, cumin, and chili powder; continue to cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds longer. Transfer half of garlic-spice mixture to medium bowl; stir in yogurt and 2 tablespoons lime juice and set aside.
   2. In large bowl, combine remaining garlic-spice mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and salt. Using sharp knife, lightly score skinned side of each piece of chicken, making 2 or 3 shallow cuts about 1 inch apart and about 1/8 inch deep; transfer to bowl. Using hands, gently massage salt-spice mixture into chicken until all pieces are evenly coated; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
   3. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken and toss until chicken is evenly coated with thick layer. Arrange chicken pieces, scored-side down, on wire rack set in foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 125 degrees for breasts and 130 for legs and thighs, 15 to 25 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to plate as they reach correct temperature.)
   4. After removing chicken from oven, turn oven to broil and heat 10 minutes. Once broiler is heated, flip chicken pieces over and broil until chicken is lightly charred in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees for breasts and 175 for legs and thighs, 8 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest 5 minutes. Serve with chutney or relish, passing lime wedges separately.

   
   

   
   

Glenna’s Spaghetti Salad

This is so simple, and tasty. Thanks Glenna.

• 1 pound cooked with 1 teaspoon of oil
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 1 bottle of Viva Italian Dressing

Cook spaghetti with 1 teaspoon of oil in the water. Drain and let cool

Mix with chopped vegetables and dressing.

Lemon Chicken with Potatoes.

Ingredients

• ·        3 tablespoons butter
• ·        2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
•         1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ·        1 teaspoon salt
• ·        1 package (28 oz) boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ·        1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
• ·        ½  medium yellow onion, cut into large pieces
• ·        1 lemon, sliced
• ·        ¼   teaspoon pepper

• 1 Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
• 2 Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. In small bowl, stir together brown sugar, Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Sprinkle over chicken thighs.
• 3 Cook chicken thighs in skillet 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy.
• 4 Arrange chicken thighs, potatoes, onions and lemon slices in baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and drizzle over mixture.
• 5 Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut (at least 165°F).

 This chicken dish is easy to prepare and comes together quickly. Simply brown the chicken thighs, toss all the ingredients in a pan, and you're good to go. 

http://www.pillsbury.com/

Pumpkin Spiced Muffins

A friend of mine is on a pumpkin kick right now.  So I did a quick search and found these. They are easy and tasty... 

Spread

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons Land O Lakes® Butter, softened

1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin*

1/2 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, melted

2 Land O Lakes® Eggs

Topping

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, melted

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F. Place paper baking cups into 12 muffin pan cups or grease muffin pan cups; set aside.

Combine all spread ingredients in bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.

Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in bowl; set aside.

Combine pumpkin, 1/2 cup melted butter and eggs in another bowl; stir until well mixed. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture just until combined.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin pan cups; spread batter to level. (Muffin cups will be full.) Bake 22-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to cooling rack.

Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in bowl. Dip tops of warm muffins in melted butter and then sugar-cinnamon mixture. Serve warm with cream cheese spread.

*Substitute canned pumpkin.