My Remembrance of Sept 11th.

I got up that morning excited as I was going to be leaving my position as a Check Processor and begin a new one as a Computer Operations Specialist in the Pennsylvania bank I worked for. I put on the television to watch the news and then the Today show as was my usual routine, but it wasn't usual that morning. There was a news report being broadcasted about a severe fire in the upper stories of one of the Twin Towers. Smoke was billowing out of the building and the reporter just kept saying that they didn't have much information to go on. While I watched, well all you could do is watch it happen, an airplane flew into the other Tower and there was a massive explosion. Dumbfounded, stunned, shocked, I'm not really sure how I felt about it; then I thought, oh, it must be a stunt of some sort, something they're doing for a movie.

It wasn't....

As the morning unfolded, I just watched the chaos, the smoke, the flames erupting from the Towers...and then the falling of one Tower and then the next. Heard about the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, but it didn't really register...the Towers were gone and that is really all that mattered.

My new boss called to find out if any family and friends I had in New York were ok, and they were; also told him I would be in for work. Why not? I'm a stoic New Yorker and nothing stops us...no electrical outages, no winter storms, no union strikes and especially no terrorist action. This was just another day in the life...

First I had to work my normal day shift in the old department. There was another ex-New Yorker there and we hugged and said, "It will all be alright." Her son worked at the Twin Towers, but he felt sick that day and didn't go in; lucky for him as he worked in the upper floors and probably would have been killed that day. One of our coworkers, who must have been severely mentally deficient remarked, "What is the big deal? It was just a couple of buildings that came down." Luckily for her, our manager and supervisor were there when she said it, for I truly believe that I and the other woman might have committed murder that day.

During the evening, while learning my job, my new coworkers and I watched CNN during down times. Still couldn't get my head around it all; that took several days as the story of it all unfolded.

Oh, I don't know, maybe it was weeks, probably months, but there was a television broadcast for the heroes of New York...police, firefighters, EMTs, etc. Billy Joel sang his two of his most famous songs, "New York State of Mind" and "Seen the Lights go out on Broadway", and he was the best of all the singers there, in my opinion. But the very best of the entire broadcast was one firefighter who summed it all up, and I can't quote him verbatim, but it was sort of like, "You don't mess with the United States of America, and you most especially don't F**K with New York." He was from Brooklyn, my birthplace and yeah, we got 'tude.

Like Pearl Harbor, this will be a day that goes down in infamy, and we, not just as New Yorkers, but as citizens of the greatest country in the world, the United States of America, will remember our fallen this day for they are all heroes.

Mary Cokenour
Proud New Yorker living in Utah.

I Ache too much to Cook something from Scratch.

Way back in May 2011, I wrote a blog post about Monticello, Utah and how it needed to spruce itself up, and get more business in town. It was even reprinted in the local San Juan Record, and while I expected some sort of response to my opinionated post, no one wrote a pro or con about it. Well someone must have been paying attention because tomorrow is a cleanup campaign for Monticello, and the theme is "Neighbor Helping Neighbor" where, not only should we spruce up our own properties, but help those who can't do it on there own.

I decided to get a head start on the property; a section of the front yard had all kinds of loose wood and gardening supplies piled around. I stacked the wood by the garden shed, just a small pile for our fire pit, but it shouldn't be on the front lawn. I have an herbal garden by the dining room window, so finally finished off the rock wall I had started to build around it. I piled up bags of red mulch and large rocks I had collected from the canyon areas to complete the garden area on the living room side of the house. Did a bit of weeding too, but now I'm too pooped to pop.

Dinner? I really don't want to do anything really, but something needs to be made. I should have started something earlier, before all the manual labor, but it was a spur of the moment thing, so didn't really give it much thought. Ok, so I'm gonna go into "make it quick" emergency mode. I've got packaged noodles, imitation crab meat and frozen peas....crab alfredo!!!

Basically, I took one package of Knorr Alfredo noodles and made them according to package directions. I added 8 oz. of imitation crab meat, broken apart and one cup of thawed frozen peas; mixed it all together; covered and let it all cook together for about 5 minutes just to let the crab and peas warm up. It makes four servings and considering all the make shift ingredients, tastes pretty darn good.

I make meals from scratch as a rule, but even I break my own rules. Now it's time for some Advil and much deserved sleep. Night all.

Mary Cokenour

Shiloh Steakhouse and Bakery

Shiloh Steakhouse

5 S. Veach
Cortez, CO, 81321

(970) 565-6560

Traveling east on Rte 160 through Cortez and just past the entrance to WalMart is the entrance to Shiloh Steakhouse; the bakery is located just next door to the restaurant at number 76 S. Veach. The exterior and interior of this restaurant just shows what surprises can be found in this city. Outside, the building is surrounded by beautiful landscaping with patio seating in a secluded setting of greenery.

The interior shows the diner that this building was once a fine country home, and the owners have retained this setting well. After being cheerfully greeted, we were seated in one of the interior dining areas. It was windy outside, so decided not to enjoy the patio area, but promised ourselves we would at another time.

Jane, our waitress, was very attentive, and her knowledge about the food was excellent; she answered all our questions easily. We started with ice tea which arrived with a slice of lemon and sprig of mint; and were served warm bread, from the bakery, with creamy butter and a berry rhubarb conserve...absolutely delicious. The bread was soft and yeasty; the conserve was not sugary sweet and was perfect smeared with the butter.

We chose the Smothered Steak Fries for an appetizer; large steak fries covered in cheese, served on a sizzling fajita platter and garnished with chopped Anaheim peppers.

For a main course, I chose the Grilled Swordfish served with a flavorful and moist rice pilaf. Instead of a potato side, since we had the smothered fries, I had the salad; mixed greens, purple cabbage, cherry tomatoes and croutons with house made Thousand Island dressing. The swordfish was grilled perfectly, moist, flavorful and while it came with a dollop of avocado butter; it didn't need anything extra as it was tasty as it was.

Hubby chose the Country Fried Elk with peppered gravy and mixed vegetables; he too had a salad as a side with house made Ranch dressing. The Elk, from a local Elk ranch, was excellent; and the sauteed mushrooms and onions that hubby ordered with the steak was a perfect accompaniment. The gravy was good, but we both preferred the taste of the Elk as it was; the gravy only served to cover up its wonderful flavor. The mixed vegetables were a bit over steamed, but that seems to be a norm in many restaurants and didn't think too much about it. Another couple sitting next to us had also ordered the Elk as one of their meals, and they too raved over it...nice folks too by the way.

After eating our meals we were very comfortable indeed and did without dessert. Next time I believe we'll skip the typical appetizer and eat dessert first, just to make sure we try one.

Shiloh is not for the extreme budget conscious, it is a place to go when you want to splurge and feel pampered. However, whether you are dressed to kill or in jeans and t-shirt, you will be very welcomed.

Mary Cokenour

A sweet tooth's paradise - The Italian Bakery

Basically, I let it be known that the most I miss about the East Coast is the food. Roy and I have discussed the question of "would we ever go back East?" The answer is that it would have to be for a very, very good reason; and we probably wouldn't feel very comfortable. Comparing the wide open spaces of where we live now to the traffic and people congested areas of New York City, Philadelphia and Lancaster...no comparison. Our area wins. Comparing the clean air, the blue sky, the overall feel good feeling to pollution that is quite visible, smells that would make a skunk gag and overall feeling of oppression...no comparison. What did Roy say to me the other day, oh yes, "hun, you may have been a city girl because you lived there, but deep down, you ain't no city girl." He's right, I never was very comfortable living in large city areas.

We did travel up to the Salt Lake City area once, and once was enough. I have driven many of the highways of the East: Long Island Expressway, Belt Parkway, Schuylkill River Parkway, I-95; to just name a few and they didn't bother me. The highways in the Salt Lake City area are terrifying!!! Yeah, if they can scare me, then they must be bad; must be all the pollution because of the Salt Lake; it has eaten holes in the brain of the basic driver. See, that's another reason I like the area we live in now; our version of a traffic jam is three pickup trucks in front of you as you're driving down either Rte 191 or Rte 491; and the passing lane is a mile away.

So what has this all to do with the Italian Bakery, nothing really, I was just venting. Anyway, the Italian Bakery is a wonderous place to tantalize all the senses. The smell of baking, the sight of decorated cakes, the taste of crispy cookies, hearing the workers speak in a romantic language, the feel of a loaf of real Italian bread and the overall feeling of contentment. Little by little I have been learning to recreate recipes from the Italian Bakery; no folks, we don't have such a wonderland in our area. If you do, appreciate it!!!

I'm already quite adept at making Tiramisu and Cheesecakes; and finding a place in Durango, Colorado that sells mascarpone cheese is a big plus.

Now I have decided to tackle cookies, not your typical chocolate chip or sugar cookies, but Italian cookies. The first is a chocolate meringue cookie called "Brutti Ma Buoni" which translates to "ugly but good". The second is a cookie made with ricotta cheese and is basically a simple cake like cookie, not overly sweet and putting a glaze or frosting on them is optional.

Brutti Ma Buoni
(In Italian, it means “ugly but good”; this is a meringue cookie which contains nuts and Amaretto.)

Ingredients:
8 egg whites
1 tsp white vinegar
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp Amaretto
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup each of chopped hazelnuts and almonds

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F; lightly butter and flour cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites, vinegar and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Continue to beat, while adding 2 tablespoons at a time of the sugar, until stiff peaks form; beat in the Amaretto.

Gently fold in the cocoa powder and nuts, so as to not deflate the egg whites. Drop, by tablespoon, the mixture onto the cookie sheets; bake for 15-20 minutes; until cookies become firm. Remove to wire racks and let cool.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
¼ unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp blackberry preserves
2 eggs
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy; continue to beat in the preserves, then one egg at a time until all are incorporated fully.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; add the mixture from the small bowl and mix together well; add the ricotta cheese and mix in fully. The dough will be thick, so can easily be measured out by rounded tablespoons onto nonstick cookie sheets.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops are golden brown; move cookies onto wire racks to cool.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

The cookies have a mild sweetness at first, but intensify as eaten. However, a glaze can be spread onto the cookies and sprinkles added immediately before it sets.

Recipe for Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 Tbsp warm milk

Mix together until it becomes a spreadable consistency.

Makes enough to cover 4 dozen cookies.

Mary Cokenour

Rewarded for doing something out of love.

This weekend I baked, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I cook and bake out of love and passion; love for the art, love for my family and friends; passion for cooking and baking, passion for making others feel good with my successes in the kitchen. Occasionally someone has the nerve to tell me I must bake cookies for, not just themselves, but for others; and I refuse. You cannot tell someone to perform in the kitchen; you must respect their love and passion.

So tomorrow, since today is Labor Day and a holiday, others will enjoy what I worked so hard on for the past two days; cookies and cupcakes. It will make me happy, not because I had to do it, but because I wanted to do it. Roy recognizes my efforts, and he decided to reward me for them; he actually cooked dinner for me last night. I don't mean he ordered take out; he didn't take something out of the freezer and just reheat it; he didn't make something from a box or can; he actually cooked and used a recipe.

He made Nachos and with the nachos, we watched a DVD on the television, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1". Now you might be thinking that nachos are more of an appetizer or snack, but if you break them down, they are a complete meal made in a skillet. Meat, beans, vegetables and cheese; sounds like four of the basic food groups right there. The recipe I had was originally given to me by my mom, but living out in the Southwest, we made a few changes to it. Instead of red kidney beans, we used whole black beans; instead of plain diced tomatoes, we used diced tomatoes with green chilies. Might not sound like a big difference, but taste and flavor wise, it was.

So here is our updated version of Nachos; enjoy it with a movie.

Nachos

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
½ cup each of diced red bell peppers and onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 (15 oz) can whole black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 (1.75 oz) package taco seasoning
1 (8 oz) package shredded Mexican blend or Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
guacamole

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and drain excess grease; set aside. In same skillet, sauté peppers and onions till soft, but not browned.

Return beef to skillet; add garlic, beans, tomatoes and taco seasoning; mix and let cook for 10 minutes; stir occasionally. Reduce heat to low; spread cheese over mixture, cover and let cook an additional 5 minutes.

Serve with chips, sour cream and/or guacamole.

Makes 6 servings.

Note: mild, medium or hot is the cook’s option for both the diced tomatoes with chilies and the taco seasoning.

Mary Cokenour

Bacon - it's "what's for dessert?"

Bacon, whether it is flavored with maple or honey, seasoned with hickory or apple wood, bacon is yummy goodness and ups the anty on taste for anything it is included in, even dessert. That's right, I said bacon for dessert; even I had my doubts about trying out dessert recipes with bacon in it, but I had to try nonetheless. I'd seen bacon cupcakes on a few shows featured on Food Network, and one of the ladies at a local bank told me about a site that had a recipe for candied bacon. Well I couldn't remember the name she had given me, so decided to search the net for recipes, and I cannot believe how many hundreds of bacon dessert recipes I found. Which one to choose was a total mystery, so I printed out a few, compared notes, and came up with my own concoctions.

Now Roy was not happy about the whole experiment thing at all...bacon is bacon and shouldn't be made into candy or cake. He still doesn't like the idea of it all, but he did have to agree that my recipes came out pretty well, and he was impressed at my accomplishment. I likened the taste to French toast in syrup, but without the bread; and it was the perfect garnish for the cupcakes.

Candied Bacon

Ingredients:

1 lb regular bacon
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Preparation:

In a large nonstick skillet, on high heat, cook the bacon until it is browned, but still flexible; drain on paper towels.

Drain grease from skillet, set heat on low; place bacon, in one layer, into skillet. First sprinkle sugar over the bacon, then the vanilla and finally the cinnamon. Let the bacon cook for 10 minutes before turning over and let cook an additional 5 minutes.

Remove the bacon to a wire rack (paper towels under the rack to catch drippings) and let it air cool for 30 minutes before snacking on, or using for garnish on baked goods.

Alternative: instead of ground cinnamon, use ½ Tbsp of ground chipotle powder

Then came the cupcakes, the fat from the bacon gives the cake a moister and richer consistency. The meat of the bacon does cook during the baking process, and it is like a little chewy surprise within the cake...think bacon gummy bear. There is not an overpowering taste of bacon, you know it's there, but it all comes together well.

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
6 egg yolks
1 cup milk
½ lb regular uncooked bacon, chopped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; line muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and powder, cocoa powder and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Mix in half the dry ingredients with half the milk; when well incorporated, repeat with remaining dry ingredients and milk.

Add in the bacon and mix well with spoon, not mixer. Fill each paper liner 2/3 with the batter; bake for 20-25 minutes; check for doneness by inserting toothpick in center; cupcakes are done if it comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool before removing from tins and frosting.

Makes 16 cupcakes.

Alternative: divide batter in half between 2-8 inch cake pans which were sprayed with nonstick baking spray. Bake time will be the same as for the cupcakes.

Topping: Vanilla frosting works best with a garnish of candied bacon.

Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp cold milk

Preparation:

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy; add in extract and milk, continue to beat until smooth and spreadable.

Makes enough for 12 - 16 cupcakes depending upon how much is spread on each cupcake. To make enough to cover the top, sides and in-between 2-8 inch cakes, double the recipe.

Mary Cokenour

Vietnamese Dish with Antlers.

Now before you get too excited over the title of this blog post, I didn't really use antlers in the recipe, but the meat I used did have them at one time. That creature is the Elk and after getting a new supply from hunting buddy Charlie, I knew it was time to play once again in the kitchen. Originally I was going to try Philly Cheesesteak, but then I thought about a dish I hadn't tried since moving from Pennsylvania. In the Lancaster area, we had a few Vietnamese restaurants and one of our favorite meals was "Beef with Crispy Potatoes". I learned to make a version of this dish to have when we couldn't afford to go out and have a restaurant make it for us.

Now to prep the Elk, I placed the steaks in a plastic container and drizzled a little red wine vinegar over them, sealed the container and placed it in the refrigerator for 6 hours. This was to tenderize the meat and take some of the gamey flavor out of it. After that, I rinsed off the meat with cold water and cut it into strips, as the recipe required, and just followed the directions thereafter.

The conclusion? There weren't any leftovers; it was simply amazing! There was one very difficult part of the meal preparation though and that was the homemade potato chips. The problem? To not eat them all before the entire recipe was completed, they were so good and I may never buy bagged chips again. As they were draining on the paper towels, I sprinkled a little fine sea salt on them and tried one, then two, then another and another....STOP!...or there would have been none left.

So here is the recipe for "Beef with Crispy Potatoes" made with beef, but substituting another meal, like Elk, can be just as awesome.

Beef with Crispy Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb sirloin or round steak, cut into 2” slices, 1/8” thick
½ cup each of diced red bell pepper and onion
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp chili sauce
¼ cup teriyaki sauce
2 large red skinned potatoes; cut into 1/8” slices
Peanut oil
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ cup diced green onion

Preparation:

Place steak, red bell pepper, onion, ginger, garlic, chili and teriyaki sauces in a large zippered plastic bag; seal, mix together well and refrigerate for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, fill a deep skillet halfway with peanut oil; bring oil to 350F. Put ¼ of potatoes into skillet, fry for 7 minutes, turn slices over and fries another 5 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain; repeat process with remaining potatoes.

After all potatoes are fried, remove all but 4 Tbsp of oil from skillet. Place marinated ingredients from plastic bag into skillet; cook steak till browned. Add fried potatoes and black pepper to skillet; mix with steak and cook another 5 minutes. Garnish with green onion.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour
September 11, 1998