The Gingers have taken over!

I've mentioned our family of cats that have made a home under our garden shed. Sadly, Momma Kitty disappeared about six weeks ago; perhaps she has passed on, perhaps someone took her in and is loving her dearly. We don't know, and can only speculate. She had two litters while she was residing under the shed, and each litter produced one ginger kitten.

Funny thing about each one of those gingers, they were both the brave ones of their litter. They would confront us and meow with the littlest of meows, demanding to be fed. Then they started to climb up our legs, whether we were standing or sitting on patio chairs. Next, and the bravest thing of all, they would walk into the home when the door opened,and walk the gaunlet of dogs until they reached the kitchen, and waiting bowls of food that belonged to the indoor cats. When they were done, they would walk to the backdoor and demand to be let out.

First Rusty, as we named him, decided that he no longer wanted outside. He liked to cuddle, be petted and play with the other cats and dogs. Two, is the other ginger kitten, and the spitting image of Rusty; who we named Rusty Two, but shortened to Two. He behaved in the same manner as Rusty, and he is also a member of the indoor cat committee. They are also very attached to Monkey, who is also a ginger, so they have their own committee.   Often, we have seen all three conspire against one of the other cats or dogs; and it's one of the funniest things we have seen.

Yep, the gingers have taken over, but we wouldn't give them up for all the tea in China.

So here's a recipe that moves more towards the color and sweetness of our gingers, not the spice.

Bourbon Molasses Chicken and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

¼ tsp each paprika and ground black pepper

1 large red onion, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

¼ cup bourbon

½ cup molasses

2 Tbsp butter

¼ cup milk

½ tsp each ground cinnamon and nutmeg

1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp butter

Preparation:

In a large saucepan, on high heat, boil potatoes till fork tender.   While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 350F; spray an 8” x 8” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Season chicken with paprika and pepper.   Place chopped onion in dish, place chicken breasts on top of onion.

In a medium bowl, mix together the broth, bourbon and molasses; pour over chicken and onions.  Bake for 40-45 minutes; until there is no pink in the thickest part of the chicken.

Prepare sweet potatoes by partially mashing, add in 2 Tbsp butter, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar; continue to mash till smooth.

Remove chicken and onions to platter once done.  Place the baking dish on stovetop, on high heat, add 2 Tbsp butter; bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Spoon sauce over each serving of chicken; drizzle over mashed sweet potatoes.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour

August 13, 2003

Eddie McStiff's

Eddie McStiff's
57 S Main (Eddie McStiff's Plaza)
Moab, Utah, 84532

(435) 259-2337

Website: http://www.eddiemcstiffs.com/

Eddie McStiff's is located on the main street (Rte 191) of Moab at the rear of their own named plaza. Outside the restaurant is patio seating where one can enjoy drinks, meals and a view of the Red Rocks in the distance. Inside, the restaurant is divided into various areas where the lighting is neither too dark, nor too bright, but just right as Goldilocks would say. We went at a time when it was not too busy, so were able to seat ourselves; when busy, a hostess will seat you.

Our waitress, Natalin, was very friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the food items and drinks. The menus for food and drink are not overly large, and that is a good thing, so the staff can concentrate on putting out quality, not quantity.

Eddie McStiff's is a microbrewery, so have a selection of their own brewed products: Rock Amber and Canyon Cream Ales, Raspberry, Blueberry and Pure Desert Wheats. Roy had a Rock Amber Ale which he stated was medium bodied, smooth, slight flowery aftertaste, and slightly hoppy.

To start off our meal, first Brew City Onion Rings - light and cripsy batter; the onions soft, so when you took a bite, the whole onion didn't come out and leave you with a hollow shell; very tasty and served with ranch dressing.

Jumbo Buffalo Hot Wings - these are traditional Buffalo Wings, and when they say hot, they mean spicy hot. Served with bleu cheese dressing (ranch if you ask for it) and celery sticks. They are large, juicy; the skin is not overly mushy, nor overly crisp - Roy described them as "medium crispy".

Main Entrees - Roy had the Philly Cheese Steak which consisted of a toasted roll with provolone cheese, sauteed peppers and onions, and piled high with thinly sliced prime rib. Roy could taste every item separately, and also how they worked together - it was a great team effort too.

I had the McFish-n-Chips: beer battered tempura cod. Now I've had fish and chips at many places, and you usually get 2 pieces about 3 inches large, or one large piece about 6 inches long. I swear, I think I got a school of cod on my plate- 3 overwhelming pieces which hung off the plate that I had to take some home, and that's even after Roy tried some of it.
The tempura batter was crispy, and tasted clean;no oily taste. The cole slaw side was creamy and went perfect with the cod;tartar sauce was the condiment, but I didn't even need it.

We both had the french fries which were skin on potatoes, cripsy, and fluffy on the inside.

Now we've been to Eddie McStiff's many times, and only been disappointed with one item on the menu - the mixed greens salads; or what you would find in the produce department as "mixed spring salad". It's a combination of baby lettuces and other baby leafy vegetables which we find to be either bitter and/or tasteless; and adding dressing makes the leaves more soggy. Now if the mixed greens were added to a crispier lettuce, such as Romaine and/or Iceberg; then there would be a good assembly of tastes and textures. Dressings would enhance, not sog up, the salad itself.

Overall, if you're visiting, or even live near or around, Moab; try out Eddie McStiff's. You won't be sorry.

Slow Cooked Wild Beastie put us in a good mood.

Luckily, I saw Charlie, the hunter I told you about before (March 4 and March 6 - my first adventure with cooking Elk), and was able to relate to him my Elk cooking adventure. I say luckily, because he gave me an Elk roast, more Elk steak, and some deer meat to try out. Oh yes, I was thrilled! Well he and I must have been on the same page that day. I asked him about putting the meat in the crock pot; "Funny you should ask that", he said, "I just tried that out the other day." He told me how he had cooked it in the crock pot, and I couldn't wait to try it out myself. However, I went online and perused several hunting sites that gave cooking tips, just to see how others dealt with Elk roast. Jotting down a few notes, off to my kitchen I went....

Oh, the meal? Incredible!!! Hubby actually went back for thirds; that is how well it came out.

Elk Roast Slow Cooked

Ingredients:

¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup beef broth
1 Tbsp minced garlic
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 large onion, sliced
2 to 3 lb elk roast
1 (6.5 oz) can sliced mushrooms
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes

Preparation:

Into a 4 qt crock pot, set on low, put the vinegar, broth, garlic, black pepper, Worcestershire, brown sugar and flour; whisk together well. Spread out onions over mixture; place roast on top of onions. Spread out mushrooms and tomatoes over top of roast. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours; roast will be very tender and easily come apart with a fork.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Three Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp softened butter
3 large red skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced thin
½ cup diced onion
¼ cup each shredded Swiss cheese and crumbled goat cheese
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 2 qt baking dish with the softened butter.

Layer the potatoes in the baking dish; spreading onion, Swiss cheese and goat cheese over each layer.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, flour, salt and black pepper; pour over top of potatoes.

Cover with aluminum foil; bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 40-45 minutes; potatoes will be tender. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over top of potatoes; bake another 10-15 minutes; cheese will be bubbly and just starting to brown. Let potatoes rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Men can be such girls.

“My shirt doesn’t fit right.” – Of course not, you keep wearing it as soon as I wash it, so it’s shrinking, and your belly is growing.

“Does this shirt go with my jeans?” – Do I look like the fashion police; anything goes with jeans.

“There’s nothing to eat” – As he surveys the refrigerator full of food.

“I can’t do anything with my hair” – No comment

“I’m dying, and you don’t love me” – He says, since I’m not showing enough sympathy about his cold, fetching the remote, nor catering to his every whim while he lounges on the couch.

Then there are the toys; the vehicles which are so big, even they need a step stool to get up into it. Or the amount of vehicles they purchase, and the front lawn looks like a parking lot. Bragging rights, sure enough; but some of them are overcompensating for a shortage somewhere – not getting into that. Hmm, almost sounds like women who have a closet stuffed with shoes. The video games they play for hours on end; then complain when they have nightmares about them. Or the new game that came out, but the household budget says it can’t be purchased today. “But I want it!!!”, he cries which makes me picture a five year old girl stomping her foot and holding her breath over the Barbie doll she can’t have.

Now don’t be under the misconception that I’m only talking about my husband, I most definitely am not. I’ve seen it in friends’ husbands or significant others, male friends or relatives, and strangers in a store. Men can be such girls, and I don’t care how much testosterone a man has (or claims to have), it’s funny as all heck.

While today may be April Fool’s Day, I get the feeling that our men enjoy playing games with us more often than that. It gets frustrating at times, but we drive them nuts too, so it all evens out in the end.

So, when it gets to be just a little too much, here’s an easy and quick recipe to make. No muss, no fuss; and while you’re both eating…..quiet time.

Tortellini and White Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
¼ cup white wine
4 cups cold water
6 cups chicken broth
2 (15 ½ oz) cans cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb cheese tortellini
1 Tbsp dried thyme leaves
¼ tsp ground white pepper

Preparation:

In a large stockpot, heat oil on high heat and sauté onion till just starting to soften. Add in wine, water and broth; bring to a boil.

Add in beans, tortellini, thyme and pepper; reduce heat to medium. If using fresh or frozen tortellini, cook for 8 minutes; dried for 10 minutes; taste for doneness of pasta.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour
December 23, 1996

One step closer to Culinary Goddess status.

I'd just gotten home from running errands; was just about to enter the house when the UPS truck pulled up out front. "Could it be?", I thought, "Had it gotten here that quickly?" The driver pulled out a rather large box, carried it up to me, and the sender label told me, "Yes!!! It was here!!!".

My new toy, shiny, bright red, super powered; and it was all mine. Removing it from the box, setting it up on the counter; the polished feel of it; the stream lined construction. I have the power!!!  and the next step to becoming a culinary goddess had been taken.

The Kitchen Aid Professional 5 Plus Stand Up Mixer, and it was all mine.  Oh, the baking I could now do; the creation and kneading of dough...bread, pizza...the selection would be endless.  And did I happen to mention that it was all mine?

The Kitchen Aid Stand Up Mixer has been on my wish list for years, but something else has always taken priority over its purchase.  Then the red model came out, and it was so beautiful.  I went on Ebay and watched the auctions of this mixer; then I struck!  Roy calls me an "Ebay Ninja" because I time the auctions of items I want carefully, and put in my winning bid at just the right moment.  While it did come with 3 attachments, I still need to purchase one more, the pour shield.  Piece of cake...pun intended.

Two items I want to make are Challah Bread and Black and White Cookies (they're a New York thing).  I went online, and while I could have them shipped, ready made, to me; the shipping costs are insulting.

I have the power!!!

Challah Bread

Challah is traditional Jewish bread made with eggs, sugar, and no dairy.  It can be used to make an exceptional French toast.

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast

1 and ½ cups warm water (between 105-110F)

½ cup sugar or honey

6 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

½ cup canola oil

3 large eggs, beaten; plus 1 egg for glazing

Preparation of the Dough:

In a small bowl, mix together the yeast, water and sugar or honey; set aside to proof (mixture will become bubbly).

Once yeast mixture is proofed, sift into a large mixing bowl, 4 cups of flour and salt.  Add the yeast mixture, oil and 3 eggs.  Add one cup of flour little by little until dough becomes soft and elastic.  Knead dough for 5 minutes; adding last one cup of flour to board and hands as need; remove to greased bowl for first rising; cover with clean, linen towel.

After two hours, dough will have doubled in size; punch down the dough, re-cover and let rise for another hour.

Preparation of the Loaf:

Remove dough from bowl and divide in half.  Take one half and divide into thirds; roll out each of the three between your hands to make thick ropes; lay out these onto a floured surface. Join them at one end and make them into a loose braid.  Repeat with second half of dough. Cover the loaves loosely and let them rise at room temperature for a ½ hour.

Preheat oven to 350F; line baking pan with parchment paper; transfer braids to paper.  Brush with the remaining egg to glaze.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes; till loaves are a medium-dark brown. (High altitude: add 5-10 minutes to baking time)

Makes 2 loaves.

Mary Cokenour

Eating Rosemary - no, it's not cannabalism

Rosemary

The botanical name Rosmarinus is derived form the old Latin for 'dew of the sea', a reference to its pale blue dew-like flowers and the fact that it is often grown near the sea. It is a symbol of remembrance and friendship, and is often carried by wedding couples as a sign of love and fidelity. Sprigs of rosemary were placed under pillows at night to ward off evil spirits and bad dreams. The wood was used to make lutes and other musical instruments.

Cultivation

Rosemary is an attractive evergreen shrub with pine needle-like leaves. It's trusses of blue flowers last through spring and summer in a warm, humid environment. It will grow to a height of between 3 and 5 feet.

Propagate from cuttings of the twisted wood of non-flowering branches in early summer, or layer established branches. Rosemary can also be grown from seed. Choose a sheltered position and well-drained soil, and allow the plant lots of sun. The thick shrub tolerates clipping so that the size can be kept in check. In hot weather it will appreciate a good hosing down. In a warm climate it can remain in the same location for up to 30 years, but in climates where freezing temperatures are expected it is best grown in pots so that it can be brought indoors in winter.

Medicinal Uses

Rosemary contains a compound called rosmaricine that seems to relieve headaches the same way aspirin does, but without irritating the stomach. The oil should not be taken internally; even small doses can cause stomach, kidney and intestinal problems, and large amounts may be poisonous. Use a tea instead by placing one teaspoon of crushed dried leaves in a cup of boiling water and steep for ten minutes. Pregnant women should not use the herb medicinally as it can cause stomach cramping. Rosemary is a stimulant, so can increase blood pressure.

Rosemary contains primarily borneol, camphor, eucalyptol and pinene in its essential oils which can be irritating to the skin, yet it is used in rheumatic liniments and ointments for its soothing effect.

Culinary Uses

Rosemary is pungent and should be used sparingly. If adding to a recipe, strip the leaves from the stem and chop up finely; this would be best for chicken, fish, soups and stews. For roasting and grilling, place the whole stem on top of the food, or put the springs directly onto the coals; this would be best if using lamb or deer.

Rosemary for Remembrance

The ancient Greeks believed that rosemary strengthened memory; both scholars and students wore it in their hair to remember their studies; it was burned to help inspire the students. Rosemary became a symbol, not just of rememberance, but of fidelity, hence its use at weddings and funerals.

Lamb Stew with Rosemary

Ingredients:

4 lbs lamb, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 Tbsp flour

4 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups diced tomatoes

3 large sprigs fresh rosemary, or 3 teaspoons dried

1/2 lb baby carrots

1 lb potatoes, peeled, cut in half; quarter each half

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

Preparation:

Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray; lightly brown lamb on medium-high heat; drain off excess oil. Mix flour with the meat, covering evenly.

Place meat in a 6 quart crock pot, and add all other ingredients, except the parsley. Put setting on low and let cook for 6-8 hours; stir occasionally. Test meat, carrots and potatoes for tenderness; when ready, serve with a sprinkle of parlsey.

Serves six.

Mary Cokenour
September 12, 2003

Fajitas – Are they an authentic Mexican dish?

The answer to that is sort of yes, and sort of no. The Spanish word “faja” means belt or girdle; and refers to the cut of meat known as “skirt steak”. The word “fajita” means a smaller version of the steak itself; the smaller strips of meat found in a fajita.

Grilling meat was not a new style of cooking for the Mexican culture, nor for America; but Mexican vaqueros (cowboys) introduced their American counterparts to their style. Many parts of cattle were discarded, such as the skirt, or given to the ranch hands in lieu of monetary compensation for their work. A historical story, done at Texas A&M University, established that this could be traced as far back as the 1930’s in Texas; hence the beginning of what is called “Tex-Mex” cuisine.

While the fajita originally contained beef, nowadays it can contain chicken, pork, seafood, or a combination of these items. Other typical ingredients served with the fajita are onions, bell and/or hot peppers, Mexican style rice, refried beans, cheese and condiments such as sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Wrapped in warm tortillas, the fajita becomes the perfect little type of sandwich; packed with food and flavors.

Fajitas
Ingredients:
2 lbs sirloin or round steak, cut into 2” x ¼” strips
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2” x ¼ “strips
2 large onions, cut into ¼” strips
1 large each red, yellow and green bell peppers, cut into ¼” strips
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 dozen 8” tortillas (corn or flour)

Garnish:
Salsa
Refried Beans
Sour Cream
Shredded Mexican Blend or Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Marinade:
½ cup canola oil
½ cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1 ½ minced fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation:
Put steak and chicken strips in two separate sealable plastic bags. Prepare marinade by placing all ingredients listed under Marinade into small bowl and whisking together. Divide marinade between the two bags; seal and refrigerate overnight. In a third plastic bag, place the onion and pepper strips, black pepper, garlic powder, 2 Tbsp oil inside; gently shake to mix together and also refrigerate overnight with steak and chicken.

When ready to make fajitas, separately cook steak, chicken and vegetables in a medium skillet on medium-high heat. Cook steak and chicken until no pink is showing; cook vegetables until tender. For the tortillas, heat a 10” skillet or stove top griddle on medium-high heat; warm tortillas for 30 seconds on each side.

Serve steak, chicken, vegetables and tortillas with items listed under Garnish, so each serving can be made as desired.

Makes 12 servings.

Mary Cokenour
May 10, 1996