Say Si Senor when in Farmington, New Mexico.

Si Senor 4015 East 30th Farmington, New Mexico, 87402 (505) 324-9050 Website: http://sisenorrestaurants.com/ (Note: address is not listed on this website, but the menu is similiar with a few names changes) Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Si-Se%C3%B1or-Restaurant/375288312413 Only a short distance from the Animas Valley Mall is Si Senor, a superior Mexican cuisine restaurant where dress can be from your Sunday best to the most comfortable casual. The interior is beautifully done with hanging ristras (arrangements of dried chile pods) and awards for their fine wines. The hostess is quick to greet you with a smile and seat you at one of their beautiful tables. The centerpiece of the restaurant is a lovely white fountain surrounded by fine wooden tables and carved chairs. There is marble everywhere, including the restrooms, and you have the feeling of being in a fine hacienda. A waitress takes your drink order, giving you time to peruse their varied menu, and a listing of daily specials. After giving our food order, we received a basket of fried tortilla chips with two condiments, a salsa and a divine jalapeno cream cheese dip which I suspect has sour cream in it to obtain its creaminess. Now here is a hint on the spice index for Si Senor; medium to hot. If you are one who likes your spice slim to none, Si Senor is not your type of place; then again, how can one eat Mexican without a little heat? There were five of us dining together, so you'll get a good glimpse of what is available. The Si Senor salad - Marinated chicken or beef, grilled with fresh onion, bell peppers and tomatoes, placed on a bed of fresh green lettuce, served with cheese, guacamole and sour cream. Taco Platter - three tacos made with corn tortillas, chicken, shredded or ground beef; served with rice and refried beans. While the rice is spicy, the refried beans are creamy and absolutely delicious; both are basically served with every entree. Many dishes are served with a choice of red or green chili sauce; tender chunks of pork are in the sauce; the green sauce is slightly sweeter than the red. Combination #1 - chile rellano, taco and cheese enchilada. Combination #2 - tamale, taco and cheese enchilada. Combination #3 - flauta, taco and cheese enchilada. For dessert we had Sopapillas (deep fried flatbread) with honey; a perfect light finish to one of Si Senor's meals. So when in Farmington, New Mexico and you're craving Mexican food, just say "Si Senor!" 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

Nathan's Joins the Black Angus Clan.

Being a Brooklynite, and a lover of New York foods, I have worshipped at the temple of Nathan's located in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. Once I had moved to Utah, I had to come to terms to the fact that I would not be eating a Nathan's hotdog again. Ah, but I was wrong! The local supermarket, City Market, and WalMart began bringing in packaged Nathan's hotdogs and added them to their already abundant hotdog sections. 

So there I was the other day, already to grab the usual green and yellow package when my eye spied a package with black coloring on it.  Stamped on the front was "Made with 100% Angus Beef", and on the ingredient listing it was listed as the first item which means "predominant" ingredient.  Salt and paprika were the seasonings; gluten free in a natural casing and I couldn't wait to try them out.

Being the winter, I wasn't going outside in 10 degree weather to grill up two hotdogs.  I preheated the oven to 350F, lined a pan with aluminum foil and let these puppies cook for 7 minutes.

The franks themselves measure at 6 and 1/2 inches long, while the typical bun is 5 and 1/2 inches, so I did wonder about the shrinkage factor of these new franks.  I was pleasantly surprised to find they remained longer than the buns.  Typically hotdogs begin to shrivel once removed from the heat, but these stayed plumped up much longer.  The taste was incredible; truly beefy and none of the harshness down the throat that over seasoned, or preservative full, hotdogs typically has.  They have snap to them when bitten into and are juicy; they have all the factors to bring you to hotdog nirvana.

Yes, they are a bit more expensive than Nathan's regular beef franks, but are worth it by far!  Next time shopping for hotdogs, try out Nathan's Angus Franks...hail to the beef!!!

Mary Cokenour

Craving Sweet Cravings.

Sweet Cravings

550 N. Main Street
Moab, Utah, 84532

(435) 259-8983

Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Cravings-Bakery-Bistro/228373887246023

Sweet Cravings opened up in 2012; owned by Cinda and assisted by her mom, Barb, these friendly ladies know how to make their patrons feel welcomed.

 

The interior is open, well lit and roomy; the brightly colored plaques, pictures, coffee mugs and knick-knacks all about the shop are for sale.  Behind the glass counters are erasable boards listing selections for breakfast and lunch. Sweet Cravings is open daily, but only until 3pm; so don't dawdle on getting there, or you can always get your order to go and enjoy it after your day's adventure in Moab.

Except for the breads used for the sandwiches, subs, wraps and paninis, the baked goods are made on the premises. A new item is Mini Monkey Bread in a "to-go" cup; pop in the mouth smaller versions of their regular Monkey Bread (also known as Pull Apart Bread). These little gems are delectable and you'll be too busy sucking the cinnamon and glaze off your fingers to be bothered with a napkin.

 

The meats for the sandwiches are real; no pressed together cold cut products full of preservatives and lacking in flavor.  I had the Adventure Inn panini which is turkey (tender and moist), Swiss cheese, cranberry sauce, jalapeno jelly and cream cheese on sour dough bread.  To say this panini was delicious would be an understatement indeed; it was stupendous!  All the flavors just melded together in such a perfect way; the jalapeno jelly gave a cozy warmness to the mouth as it combined with the cool cream cheese.

 

  

My hubby had the Roast Beef Sammy, thinly sliced roast beef piled high, cheddar cheese, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato slices and a divine caramelized onion spread. Once again, "wow" would be an understatement; the freshness just kept coming through again and again.

 

Sweet Cravings will be giving that chain sandwich shop a true run for its money;  the key word for this bistro is "freshness".  If you're looking for delicious food in a welcoming setting, head on over to Sweet Cravings.  Heck, my hubby and I were halfway home when we started to both think, at the same time, "I sure could go for another of those sandwiches from Sweet Cravings." Don't forget the Mini Monkey Bread to munch on while you stroll the streets of Moab. 

 

Mary Cokenour

Farmland Oven Perfect Isn't.

Farmland Oven Perfect
Fresh Pork Tenderloin

Website: http://www.farmlandfoods.com/

Farmland's newest product allows the home cook to roast the pork tenderloin in a plastic cooking bag without having to worry about all the mess and fuss. I purchased the product primarily because I just happened to have a one dollar coupon, and it was on sale to boot. Normally, I have my own recipes dealing with pork, but decided to let Farmland be an option. Sadly, I should have just left the coupon on the package for someone else to use, and saved my money.

Preheating the oven to 450F, I peeled off the labels, lined a pan with aluminum foil and placed the bag flat side up; so far so good.

After 30 minutes, the internal temperature was still at only 140F; an additional 10 minutes was needed to get the pork to the desired 150F.

Good thing I heeded the instructions and used the aluminum foil; there was spattering and a good amount of the marinade had leaked out.

The topside of the pork tenderloin, which had roasted pan side down, was dry and over browned. While the meat cut easily, the texture was mushy and the taste was bland; even spooning the leaked marinade over the meat did not help.



Sorry Farmland, but this product of yours will not be finding a permanent home in my kitchen.

Mary Cokenour

Francisco's of Durango, Colorado is Old World Mexican.

Francisco's Restaurant & Cantina

619 Main Avenue
Durango, Colorado 81301

Telephone: (970) 247-4098

Website: http://www.franciscosdurango.com/

 

 

The first time I ever experienced Francisco's was my first visit to the Southwest, back in 2006.  I was fascinated by the decor, more reminiscent of a Mexican hacienda, than a cantina; and totally wowed by the food.  This was authentic Mexican cuisine and I loved it; getting one of their many combination platters was the best way to sample as much as I could.

 

For my birthday, December 26th, I decided to celebrate it in Durango, and most especially, by eating at Francisco's once again.  Oh, since moving to Utah we had gone several times before, but this was my birthday and I wanted the best Mexican food in the area.  My husband Roy, and son Bill, were along for this adventure.  Once seated at our table, drink orders were taken and we were served with Francisco's own salsa which is available for sale at the front counter, and warm tortilla chips.

 

 

My husband ordered: Combo #6 Enchiladas Rancheros which is one beef and two cheese stacked enchiladas smothered in green chili and served with an egg on top. The green chili is mild and becomes increasingly rich when the yolk from the egg is mixed in.

I ordered: Combo #12 Enchiladas de Pollo which is two chicken enchiladas served with Spanish rice and beans. The shredded chicken is very tender, but the red sauce is spicy and makes your taste buds salsa dance.

My son ordered: Combo #19 Burrito de Puerco which is seasoned slow-cooked pork wrapped in a flour tortillas and topped with salsa verde, jack and cheddar cheese. The salsa verde was a sweeter type of sauce and the pork was very tender. All the combination plates came with fluffy rice and refried beans which were smooth, not pasty.

For dessert we enjoyed Sopapillas, deep fried tortillas that puff up to a crispy shell on the outside and fluffy goodness on the inside. Opening one up, the steam escapes and drizzled honey inside makes the experience a complete joy.

By the way, if you like fish tacos, try Francisco's Combo #17 Fish Tacos: Two flour tortillas filled with grilled tilapia, lettuce, cheese, black beans and Tabasco mayo. Served with avocado relish and all absolutely delicious!!!

Visiting the Durango, Colorado area and in the mood for Mexican, do not pass up Francisco's.

Mary Cokenour

Semi-Homemade Caramel Apple Cake.

As much as I enjoy making recipes from scratch, there are those times that I want to cut corners too due to time constraints or just plain old laziness.  Now usually for the holidays I make dozens of different types of cookies and give them out.  Oh don't worry, I keep a good amount for us too.  However, this year I'm not able to do this because I had carpal tunnel surgery done on my left hand.  If you don't know what this means, basically a nerve in my wrist began to become compressed from repetitive work; for me it was from working with computers.  It begins with a tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers gradually progressing to numbness to the point of not being able to feel something you are holding.  It also can be accompanied with severe pain in the hand, wrist and radiating up to the elbow.

Anyway, it takes about 4-6 weeks for complete recovery and you have to use the hand minimally which means no heavy lifting.  The bowls I use for my baking are of a heavy ceramic and definitely need two hands for handling them when they are full of batter or dough.  It's been 4 weeks now since the surgery and I have no intention of having a holiday dinner without some sort of dessert.  So, what to do, what to do?  Basically, do it semi-homemade, so it is as easy to manipulate and handle as possible; my right hand could still do all the work while my left hand kind of just went along for the ride.  While my right hand did all the grunt work, l let my lower left arm and inside elbow cradle the bowls; it still hurt a little, but my left hand didn't have any pressure on it.

Lets get to it then; to make it especially easy, I used a Super Moist Yellow Cake mix; but remember, this recipe is semi-homemade, so don't hesitate to use your own cake batter if you prefer.  Yellow cake mix can also be bland, so I umpted up the flavor intensity by adding apple pie spice mix and a bit of ground ginger.  You could also think of this as a type of "upside down" cake where the toppings are baking in the pan underneath the cake layer, but when you flip the finished cake out, you see all the lovely apples and caramel.

Caramel Apple Cake

 

Ingredients:

 

For the Caramel Layer:

 

8 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 cups brown sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

 

For the Apple Layer:

 

1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling

 

For the Cake Layer:

 

1 box Super Moist Yellow cake mix

1 tsp apple pie filling

pinch of ground ginger

 

Preparation:

 

Preheat oven to 350F; spray two 9 inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray.  Cut out two circles from parchment paper to line bottom of cake pans; spray the paper with the nonstick baking spray.

 

In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the caramel layer until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

 

Divide the mixture up between the two pans pressing to the edges and 1/4 inch up the sides. 

 

Divide the pie filling between the two pans, spreading it out up to one inch from the edges.

 

Prepare the cake mix according to packages directions, but add in the apple pie spice and ground ginger.  Divide the batter up between the two pans and use a spatula to smooth it out.

 

Bake for 35-40 minutes; cake will be golden browned and you might see some of the caramel oozing up the sides of the cakes.  Remove pans to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

 

When cooled, use a hot knife around the edges to make sure the caramel will not stick to the sides of the pan.  Carefully flip the cakes onto a serving plate and peel off the parchment paper.  Cut into 8 wedges and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

 

Makes 2 cakes, 8 servings each.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 



Eating for Good Luck in the New Year.

When I lived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, we celebrated the New Year by going to one of the local churches and feasting in a family style, all you can eat, Pork and Sauerkraut meal.  This tradition came to Pennsylvania with the Amish and the Mennonite; a German or "Pennsylvania Dutch" tradition to bring good luck for the incoming New Year.

Once I moved to Utah, I found there was no typical New Year food tradition; no reason behind it, there just wasn't one is what I was informed.  Oh I went online and tried looking it up; found the Pennsylvania one, a Deep South tradition, even listings for the Chinese New Year, but no, no traditional Utah one, not even Mormon related.

The recipe I'm posting today deals with, of course, Pork and Sauerkraut; and finding the origin of this combination goes back to; well good question as pickled cabbage can be found in many cultures, even the Chinese.  My personal recipe is more of Croatian descent, except I add potatoes like they do in Germany; in the Ukraine, they add barley; however I have had one woman of Irish descent tell me that the idea of adding potatoes was stolen from the Irish.  Wherever it came from, the concept is still the same, eating it on New Year's Day to ensure good luck, good health and prosperity all year long.

I like using sauerkraut that is from a jar or a bag; it tastes better and the canned variety seems to have a metallic taste to it.  When it comes to the pork, you have lots of options; smoked kielbasa or sausage, roasted pork roast, fried or baked boneless pork chops; you can add bacon or ham too.  My recipe is a quick stove top dish, so make sure the pork product you use is cooked before hand.

 

Pork and Sauerkraut

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup diced red onions
8 baby potatoes, peeled, parboiled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
1 (14 oz)smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp caraway seeds

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large skillet, medium-high heat; add the onion and potato slices and cook until onion begins to soften. Turn potato slices occasionally to keep from over browning.

Add the sauerkraut and sausage slices; when the ingredients begin to sizzle, mix thoroughly. Let cook another five minutes before mixing in the paprika and caraway seeds. Continue to cook another three minutes, but check to see that nothing is browning or drying out too quickly.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Beer plus Cheese equals Soup.

Awoke this morning to find a dusting of snow upon the ground; nothing unusual for winter time in Monticello.  It was cold outside, the type of cold that bites right through you; the wind whipping the light, fluffy snow around.  My dogs enjoy playing in the snow, but even they didn't want to stay outside too long.

 

Yes indeed, it's cold out there and that calls for something to warm you to your very core...soup.  Rooting (no pun intended) around the pantry, the red skinned potatoes called to me; heck, they practically begged me to use them.  I wanted that type of soup that slides down your throat and stays with you as it warms you up.  I wanted a smooth chowder that I could remember with each little burp; with soft potatoes that would mash in your mouth with just the slightest pressure.  I wanted Beer Cheddar Soup with Potatoes.

 

Now for those of you who, for whatever reason, do not like the idea of alcohol in your food; no worries, the alcohol cooks out while leaving a hardy flavor.
 

  

Beer Cheddar Soup with Potatoes

Ingredients:

8 cups dark lager
4 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp white pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 lbs potatoes; peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and rinsed thoroughly
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided in half
1 cup diced onion
4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
1 cup half n’ half

Preparation:

In a large stockpot, over medium heat, bring the beer, stock, white pepper and cayenne to a low boil. Add the potatoes and continue to cook until tender.

Prepare cheese sauce in large saucepan; saute' onions in butter until softened; stir in flour and continue to cook until mixture turns a light brown. Whisk in half n’ half; add in 2 cups Cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.

Add remaining shredded cheese into stockpot; stir until melted. Whisk in cheese sauce, turn off heat and serve.

*Garnishes: crumbled crisp bacon, sliced green onions, toasted croutons.

Makes 10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

A Chinese Dumpling by any other name.....

So you're in the mood for Dim Sum,  go to a Chinese take out, order potstickers and the biggest decision you have to make about these is, "steamed or fried".  Seems there is more to this decision than you ever truly knew about. 

 

Potstickers is just one version of the Chinese Dumpling; pan fried on the bottom and then steamed.  When they are served, the browned pan fried side is shown.  Jiaozi is the Mandarin version; the dough is thicker than for a wonton and the dumpling itself is usually boiled and pan fried.  Gow Gee is the Cantonese version; wonton wrappers are frequently used, they can either be steamed or deep fried; no boiling involved.

 

The Chinese dumpling dates back to 200 B.C. to the fable of Pan Gu who ends the chaotic state of the world by separating it into two "half egg" shaped parts; the sky and the earth.  They are a staple for the New Year for expressing best wishes, happy days and good health.  It was not unusual for a tinket (coin, jewel) of some value to be hidden in the odd dumpling; very similar to the prizes in the English Christmas pudding.

While making the dough for dumplings is not difficult, premade wrappers can be found in the supermarkets along side wonton skins, or spring and eggroll wrappers.

Chinese Dumpling Dough

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2/3 cup warm water

Preparation:

Combine the flour and water until a soft dough forms; knead on a floured surface for five minutes.  Cover with a clean linen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.  Divide the dough in half, roll out each half into a 12 inch long cylinder; cut into 1/2 inch slices.  Flatten out each slice with the palm of your hand, or use a rolling pin, to a 2 1/2 inch diameter.

Makes 48 dumpling wrappers.

The filling for dumplings is very versatile and can contain any kind of protein, vegetable or combinations; using fruit will give you the filling for a unique dessert item.  I am going to post a typical filling, that you would get in any take out place, made with ground pork.

Chinese Dumpling Filling

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground pork
2 large napa cabbage leaves, rinsed and finely diced
2 green onions, finely sliced
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Bowl of warm water

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients listed, except water, together; place a teaspoon of mixture off center in a dough circle.  Dip finger in water and trace around outside edge of dough circle; fold dough over filling, with edges meeting and begin pleating the edges to seal filling in.

To Fry Dumplings:

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 of canola or peanut oil over medium-high heat, add dumplings, 12 at a time, and brown one side; takes about 2-3 minutes.  Add a 1/2 cup of water, cover and let steam for 5 minutes; uncover and let cook for another 2 minutes.

To Steam Dumplings:

Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and bring to a boil.  Line bottom of bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves, place dumplings within, cover and place steamer on top of stock pot.  Steam for 6 minutes.

To Boil Dumplings:

Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and bring to a boil.  Put dumplings into boiling water and when they float, they are done.

Serve dumplings with your favorite sauce(s).

Mary Cokenour