Sad? Eat a Cookie. Depressed? Get Help.

Sadness is emotional pain associated with, or characterized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, helplessness and sorrow. Clinical Depressionis a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer. Here are the typical definitions for sadness and depression; while sadness can grow into depression, it is usually more easily dealt with.   Why am I writing about this on a food blog?  Currently I'm in an extremely sad place, but my cooking, photography and writing help ease the pain...I can deal.  For others though, the pain of their sadness is so intense, they need a professional; no matter what, help them get the help they need. 

Now when it comes to females mostly, there is the saying, "Chocolate cures everything" which is basically true.  I'm not going to get scientific here, but the gist of it is that chocolate stimulates your endocrine gland to emit hormones that make you happy.  It won't cure depression, but when it comes to stress and sadness, it helps to calm you down enough to allow you to assess your situations better.  Another thing you can do is be active, even if it is the simplest of tasks, or even trying out a new recipe; it gets your mind off of your sadness, even if just for a little while.  So what better way to deal with sadness  then to combine a chocolate chip cookie recipe with baking in the kitchen.  You're up, moving about, concentrating on a task and you'll end up with a delicious snack that will be lead you to your happy place.

This recipe will give you about 2 and 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies depending on how large you make them.  I usually make a ball of dough about 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter and get the 2 and 1/2 dozen; less cookies, but larger cookies...less does equal more!  The cookies are soft and chewy, and if you do not keep them in an airtight container, they will get dry and crumble easily.  I also use Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips; much larger than those morsels, more chocolate flavor and when they're all melty, you feel no pain, just pleasure.  The recipe is similar to the original Toll House recipe I posted with a couple of slight changes.

Chocolate (Ghirardelli) Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 and 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter; softened, but not melted
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, beaten
1 and 1/2 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; I recommend using AirBake baking sheets instead of regular nonstick, or ones that need to be sprayed.  Whether it is cookies or biscuits, no sticking and clean up is with a damp, clean cloth.

Whisk the flour and baking soda into a large bowl, set aside.  In another large bowl, cream together the butter, white and brown sugars until smooth.  Add the salt, vanilla extract and eggs; on medium speed for one minute.  Continue to beat while gradually adding the flour mixture; scrape the sides occasionally.  When well combined, stir the chips in with a heavy duty spoon being careful not to break them.

Create balls of dough from 1 inch to 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter; place on the baking sheets 2 inches apart.  Bake cookies for about 10 minutes; edges will be browned, but still slightly soft in the center.  Let the cookies rest for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack for complete cooling.  When completely cooled, place in an airtight container.

Makes 2 and 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Feeling sad?  Bake a batch of these and watch the sadness melt away as the chocolate chips melt in your mouth.  Here's to feeling better!

Mary Cokenour

Tuna Melt into Tuna Casserole.

Hubby and I love tuna melts; tuna salad with melted cheese on grilled, buttery, crispy bread; this has got to be one of the top items on anyone's comfort food list. Of course, so is the classic tuna noodle casserole. Basically what I recently did was create a tuna melt within a tuna noodle casserole by taking out a couple of ingredients, adding others in and got the best of two comfort food dishes. Nothing fancy, nothing difficult, but everything in taste; and most especially feeling good all the way from the senses of taste and smell to that warm, comfy hug in the stomach.  

Tuna Noodle Casserole - Version #2

Instead of typing out the recipe and leaving it at that, I'll do a breakdown of ingredients and preparation steps with accompanying photos.  That way you can compare directly with my first version (click on the link in the first paragraph) and see the differences.

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked extra wide egg noodles
1 (8 oz) bag frozen baby peas, defrosted and drained of excess liquid
2 (12 oz) cans solid white albacore tuna in water, drained and broken apart
2 (10 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (white or orange)


Question?  Can fresh peas be used?  Most definitely, make sure they are firm, thoroughly rinsed and dried before using though; you want to avoid excess liquid as the casserole should be creamy, not watery.

Question?  Does Cheddar have to be used?  Sharp Cheddar balances out well with the mildness of the sauce, noodles and tuna; adding a mild cheese, it will get lost.  Adding cheese with a kick, such as Pepper Jack will boost the flavor...as to its comfort factor, that would be up to the person eating it.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F; spray the inside of a two quart baking dish with nonstick spray; it doesn't give the casserole an oily residue like butter would.

In a large bowl, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, milk and black pepper; set aside.  In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, bread crumbs and cheese until crumbly; set aside.  Now the fun begins; in a larger bowl, mix together the noodles, tuna, peas; add the liquid mixture and mix thoroughly being careful not to break the tuna up any smaller, or tear the noodles.





 



Spread this mixture evenly into the two quart baking dish.

Now take that topping that was set aside and spread it out evenly over the noodle mixture; edge to edge around the dish.  I used the Italian flavored bread crumbs to enhance the flavor of the crust that will form.  If someone doesn't like the crumb crust, it can easily be removed from a serving without effecting the overall taste of the casserole itself.









Place the casserole into the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes; liquid will be bubbling up to the top and the crust will be browned. The crust forms what is similar to the grilled bread and melted cheese of a tuna melt; while the noodle and tuna mixture is the "salad" part. Noodles aren't typically in tuna salad; but if you read my post on tuna melts (click on the link in the first paragraph), you'll notice I did put macaroni and cheese inside a tuna melt.

There you have it, my second version of Tuna Noodle Casserole giving credit to a Tuna Melt.  Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Orville's Pop Crunch is Pop Wow!

Orville Redenbacher's newest ready to eat popcorn to hit the market is his "Pop Crunch" line featuring four flavors: Brown Sugar/Cinnamon, White and Sharp Cheddar Mix, Parmesan Herb, and Cheddar/Caramel Mix.

Let me warn you now, if you find it in your supermarket, buy it, buy lots of it; it goes as quickly as it comes in and there is a very good reason why.  Now I was lucky to find one bag, that's right, only one bag, of the Brown Sugar/Cinnamon; all the other flavors were out of stock again and this one bag was way in the back of the shelving.  I enjoy popcorn, either air popped or already made; microwave popcorn I find to be either stale tasting, bland or too moist; so imagine my happiness with this new product.

The ingredient listing states that the popcorn is "whole grain"; what isn't nowadays?  Corn is either considered a grain or a vegetable depending on how it is processed, and what it is being used for.  Not impressed by this.  It states on the front of the bag that it is half the fat of the "leading potato chip brand".  Popcorn is normally lower in fat, well let me restate that; air popped popcorn is lower in fat because oil isn't used to cook it.  Sort of impressed, but not by much; what impressed me the most was the crunch and the flavor. 

Pop Crunch is amazingly crunchy on the outside, but still retains that typical fluffy popcorn texture within.  The flavor of the cinnamon in the Brown Sugar/Cinnamon variety is strong, so not only can you smell it, but the flavor explodes in your mouth.  It's a great munching experience!  Carb wise, because of the brown sugar and corn syrup listed with the ingredients, a full cup is 44 grams which is pretty typical for a "caramel corn" type of popcorn.  No surprise then that the sugar content is on the high side (20 grams for one cup).

I intend on hunting down those others varieties and trying them out; if the Brown Sugar/Cinnamon was so phenomenal, I bet the others will be too.  If you find it, try it, or you're just not a true popcorn lover.

Mary Cokenour

Durango Brewing Company is a Real Pub Experience.

Durango Brewing Company

3000 Main Ave.
Durango, CO 81301

(970) 247-3396

Website: http://www.durangobrewing.com






In 1886,  the "Durango Beer and Ice
Company",  changed its name to "Durango Brewing Company, and is now the third oldest microbrewery in Colorado. It is a small establishment; the type of place where you are treated equally whether a local or a visitor to Durango. There is no pretentiousness, and none of that, "you're not a local, so we can't be bothered to serve you" which is definitely what we experienced at another Colorado establishment in Dolores.  We stopped by at around 1:30 pm on a Sunday, there were a few people in the patio area and inside; when we left around 3pm it had become quite busier.  We seated ourselves, but a waitress came over immediately to take our drink orders.  My hubby had a "Durango Dark" which he said was smooth, rich, creamy, a slight hint of chocolate, not very hoppy and absolutely delicious.  The only non-alcoholic beverages are bottled iced teas or Zuberfizz sodas, and water of course.






The food menu is not large, and that ends up being a very good thing; what they do make is great!  We began with the Buffalo Wings; deep fried, not baked with celery sticks and ranch dressing (bleu cheese also available).  A perfect start off for wing lovers!







The waitress was very down to earth, pleasant and answered all our questions; again whether a local or visitor, she treated everyone well and checked to make sure we were all happy.  At first I was going to order a burger, but spied the "Brew House Brat" on the menu.  An El Dorado Cattle Company bratwurst made with Amber Ale, served with sauerkraut and pub chips.  Oh my goodness, I ate the whole thing!  The brat snapped when you bit into it and so juicy; the sauerkraut was fried up, not cold; the pub chips were out of this world...crispy on the outside with a soft center, no ketchup needed!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!





Hubby ordered the "DBC Pub Burger", a 1/3 pound burger made with Texas Longhorn beef from the El Dorado Cattle Company (all DBC's meat menu items are from there) which comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion and your choice of cheese (hubby chose Cheddar); extra toppings can be purchased.  This is a "Wow" burger; large and in charge, juicy, perfectly cooked (medium-well), not dry and packed with charcoal flavor from the grill.  The kitchen is small, so we were able to see the flare up of the grill at one point, so knew when the menu said "char grilled" that that was no lie.  A choice of side salad or pub chips comes with this burger.




Durango Brewing Company is a place where you can go with family and/or friends, have a drink or two, eat very good pub style food, and simply relax.  There are some game machines in the pub and they do have Wi-Fi.  Check it out!

Mary Cokenour

Smoky, Juicy Pork Barbecue from a Crock Pot?

While I do have two smokers, they're not the type of equipment that can be set up and forgotten about; specific temperatures, wood supplies, and maybe even water in a pan must be maintained.  So how would you get a good pork barbecue if you're not using a smoker?  Believe it or not, but it can be done simply in a crock pot; a piece of equipment that can be set up and walked away from until ready to eat.

While I have tried making pork barbecue with pork roast or tenderloin, Boston butt is the way to go whether using a smoker or not.  This section of pork comes from the upper part of the shoulder on the front leg of the pig; usually sold with the bone intact. Now unless you have plans for that bone, have your butcher take it out; why pay per pound for something you'll more than likely throw away?  Sometimes the butt is sold with the bone already out, but the cost is more; I was very, very lucky to find a nice 4 pounder without the bone and on sale. Think about it, I have 4 pounds of meat as compared to perhaps 3 to 3 and 1/2 pounds after the bone is removed; definitely a bargain!  By the way, it's a given that the meat might have to be cut apart here or there to get the bone cleanly out; you want those sections!  If in a package, you'll find them tied together into one big roast with butcher's twine; just remove the twine before cooking...well this recipe anyway.

I don't know about you, but most times I have found pork to be on the dry side.  To solve this problem, I will brine the meat before cooking it. This salt water soak will help to open up the meat fibers to allow the fat, as it melts, to flow into the meat and keep it moist and juicy. It also allows seasonings, and sauces if simmered in them, to do the same thing.  If there is a lot of extra fat hanging off the butt, it's alright to trim some of it off as there is plenty within the Boston butt itself.  Now when you're ready to begin the cooking process, set up a 6 quart crock pot (spray the inside with nonstick cooking spray) and set the temperature on low;  place the brined Boston butt inside.

I used my homemade barbecue sauce to make this pork barbecue, but use bottled if you're not up to making the homemade.  Make sure though that you do add onions!  Cover the meat with 6 cups of sauce; cover and cook for 6-8 hours.  The meat should be so tender, it simply comes apart with a fork.  With my crock pot (Hamilton Beach 3 in 1 with tall, round crock pots), the 4 pounds of pork only took 6 hours before perfection was achieved.  Depending on how your equipment works, it could be the same or longer; but you want it so tender that it shreds without effort.

I serve up my pork barbecue sandwiches two ways; first off, large potato buns for both; the first way is simply with barbecue sauce on top.  The second, and our very favorite way, is with cole slaw layered on top. 

Homemade Cole Slaw

Ingredients:

4 cups shredded white cabbage
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 and 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper

Preparation:

Put all ingredients into large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour before serving. 
 
Makes 8-10 servings.

Taste the cole slaw after refrigeration to see if it needs salt; no one I have ever served it to has ever done so though.  They like the savory taste the ground black pepper gives to the vegetables.

In case you have a good amount of barbecue sauce left over after the pork is all gone; put it into a plastic bowl and into the freezer for about an hour.  Any fat in the sauce will solidify at the top and you can scoop it off to throw away.  Then seal the container, label it, and keep it in the freezer until you need barbecue sauce again; cooking it with the pork didn't ruin the flavor, only enhanced it.

There you have it, smoky, juicy pork barbecue simply made in the kitchen with a crock pot; and a bonus recipe for homemade cole slaw.  Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Patio Drive-In Wins First Place in Southeastern Utah.

Patio Drive-In

95 N. Grayson Parkway (Route 191)
Blanding, Utah, 84511

(435) 678-2177

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patio-Drive-In/141108519094

Even though Patio Drive-In was voted third best in the state of Utah, but down in the Southeastern corner of Utah; it is rated number one.  The shop is small with booths lining the front and one side of the interior; the drive thru is around the back and it's not unusual to see a line of vehicles parked along the side of the road waiting their turn.  It's an old fashioned type of "burger joint", and the food is what makes it stand apart.  Each order is made fresh, no heat lamps keeping hockey puck patties warm; the shakes are hand crafted also and the sizes available (small, medium, large) are much larger than you'll think (small=medium, medium=large, large="how am I going to finish this!!!")

Patio Drive-In is open only six days a week (currently 10:30am to 9pm); they're closed on Sundays which is a big disadvantage to them during tourist season, and a large disappointment to locals and tourists alike.  Whether you eat in, sit outside at one of their patio tables, or take a "to-go" meal to enjoy elsewhere; the menu will have something you'll enjoy.  Three of us went there after the lunch rush and our meals only took about 15 minutes to get to us; piping hot and looking awesomely delicious.  When Patio Drive-In is busy, allow at least 30 minutes to get your meal; yes! they get that busy and remember, the food is made fresh.  You can always call their number, place an order and then pick it up if you don't want to wait.





The burgers are large, thick, nicely seasoned, juicy and delicious.  While you can order a burger or sandwich by itself, your best bet is the basket which comes with French fries and a drink.  The fries are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and lightly salted, so that potato taste comes through clear.  Of course you'll get a little container of "fry sauce"; it's a Utah thing and you have to try it out.








Like Philly Cheese Steak, then try out the Chicken Philly.  This is not pressed, thin sheets of chicken; it's chunks of grilled chicken with strips of green bell pepper and red onion.  The cheese is melted onto the toasted roll with the chicken and veggies piled on top.  It is slightly salty, but it brings all the flavors of the other ingredients together so well.  This is one of my favorites from Patio, and I'm hard pressed to choose anything else when I go there.







Last, but certainly not least, the Grilled Ham and Cheese; served between slices of thick, toasted bread with a nice serving of ham that gives you full flavor without overpowering the cheese.  This is an adult grilled cheese that even a child would enjoy.






Whether you're on your way to a park or historical site, and need a picnic meal; looking for a lunch or dinner and live in the area; looking for great, old fashioned "drive-in" food, then Patio Drive-In is the place you're looking for when in the Blanding, Utah area.

Mary Cokenour

How Do You Milk an Almond?

Now I have tried soy milk and honestly I do not like it at all.  I do not like the taste whether plain, vanilla or chocolate, and the after taste is even worse.  I kept seeing commercials for almond milk and this interested me somewhat.  Being diabetic, I knew that almonds, as a snack, reduce blood sugar and blood pressure levels; so could this almond milk do the same?  I purchased a carton of Silk brand Pure Almond, Vanilla Flavor, Unsweetened to try out, not just on cereal as the commercials suggest, but also for my coffee.  50% more calcium than milk, only one gram of carbs per a one cup serving, and loaded with vitamins; how bad could it taste...its almonds.

On cereal, it was pretty good; it enhanced the whole grain flakes with a subtle flavor of vanilla and almond.  My cereal already had a sweetener added to it and good thing. The almond milk alone is very bland tasting of watery almonds, and no wonder why!  I looked up how almond milk is made; basically almonds are soaked in water for 8-12 hours.  Strained (wouldn't that remove some of the nutrients?), then blended with filtered water until smooth.  It is strained twice more to remove any fibers or particles before it can be used.  During the blending process, sweeteners can be added, or not; and nutrients added in also; I guess to replace the ones that went out with the "bathe" water.   So yes, it is basically watery almond juice of sorts.  Oh, and my blood sugar reading afterwards was lower than if I used skim milk, so a plus in the "on cereal" column.







Next came the real test for me, how does it match up against coffee creamers (sugar free of course) or half n' half?  First I tried it without adding any sweetener to my coffee (regular, not flavored)...not good.  Again the subtle hint of vanilla and almond, but the bitter coffee taste was still strong.  I added two packets of stevia, much better, but not quite there.  I added two more packets and there it was, just the sweetness I liked and the vanilla and almond flavors were much stronger too. 









 
 
 


Now texture wise I wasn't too happy; it was very thin, thinner than even skim milk.  It also looked like milk that had been watered down...a lot.  I like my coffee light, but the almond milk only achieved a muddy looking color.  I also had to use twice the amount of almond milk, as opposed to creamer or half n' half, to get it to that coloring.  While the taste, with the stevia added in, was fine; the coloring really turned me off.

 

 

Basically, using almond milk for cereal is fine, if you don't mind the watery texture.  Using it for coffee though gets a huge thumbs down from me.  Drinking it as a substitute for milk; well I won't give judgment on that as it was unsweetened, and milk has its own natural sugar to sweeten it. 

Mary Cokenour