A Return to the Homestead

Homestead Steak House

121 East Center Street

Blanding, Utah,  84511

Phone: (435) 678-3456

Website: https://www.homesteadsteakhouseut.com/

Hours of Operation:

Dine In or Take Away

Monday - Friday: 11am - 8pm

Saturday: 4pm - 8pm

Sunday: CLOSED

The usual date night for the Cokenours is Saturday; watching anime, scarfing down pizza, and making fun of the commercials.  However, we happened to go down to Blanding on a Friday night, around dinner time, and decided to visit Homestead Steak House.  We had not been there since before the “Covid years”, and wondered how it had fared.

We were greeted by Linda, who also happened to be our waitress for the evening.  She has only been working at the restaurant for one year, but was knowledgeable enough to answer most questions.  What she did not know, she found out as soon as possible.  She is a very friendly woman, and made our dinner out enjoyable.

A steady stream of diners was going in and out, many from out of state and visiting the area on vacation.  Steak and seafood seemed to be the most requested dishes, but we were in the mood for something simpler.  Roy ordered the Mushroom Bacon Swiss Burger with fries, while I opted for the All-You-Can-Eat Soup and Salad Bar.

Roy let me have a taste of his burger and fries, and have to admit that I was jealous; yes, they were that good.  The burger definitely needed two hands to hold it, but it was the charbroiled taste that completely grabbed me.  The mushrooms are sauteed, and the bacon was crispy.  The fries were awesome; crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, no condiments needed as they were tasty as is.

 

Due to Covid, many restaurants that had salad bars did away with them.  Thankfully, Homestead kept theirs which has a large assortment of vegetables, mixed salads, dressings and crunchy toppings.  Two soups are still served with Friday’s being New England Clam Chowder and Chili.  As much as I like chili, New England Clam Chowder is still my overall favorite, especially when it is chock full of chopped clams and soft potato chunks.  It is a cream-based soup, so very comforting, like a soft blanket around the tongue.

 

The dressings, except French and 1000 Island, mixed salads and soups are housemade; the price you pay is for quality as well as quantity.  Desserts, except for the cheesecakes, are also made in house, but we had not had cheesecake, since the holidays, so ordered Turtle cheesecake.  The cheesecake is simply to die for!  So rich and creamy, with a luscious caramel sauce on top; simply orgasmic!

 

Being a dry town, Blanding still does not allow liquor sales of any kind, and Utah state law prohibits bringing in your own.  While a few customers get angry about this, and leave less than stellar reviews, the majority understand the situation better once it is explained to them.  One funny story that Linda related to us was about a motorcycle touring group, of about 40 people, from Germany.  It is well known that Germans love their beer, and beer is what this group demanded.  How did the Homestead staff handle this?  A non-alcoholic beer, O’Doul’s was served to all, and it was a huge hit.  Even though the staff explained that it was non-alcoholic, the diners did not care; they got their beer, and the Homestead was given huge thanks for the liquid accommodation.

By the way, pizza, which we often went down to Homestead for, has been off the menu for a while; however, it is back.  So, a great excuse to visit once again, and this time to try it out, and see if it is as good as it was before, or maybe better?  Taste testing will tell.

Now here is a hint of what is in store for owners Gary and Sharon Guymon.  No, not an expansion of the Homestead itself, but how about second restaurant?  There are plans, in the works, for opening up a Chinese restaurant, and having a Chinese cooking staff is a definite must.  Two other Chinese restaurants had tried to make a go of it, in Blanding, but failed miserably, and the Guymons have no desire to do the same mistakes.  Speaking with Gary, we were able to give him a few pointers on where to find the cooking staff they needed.  Also, a push towards bringing in Chinese baked goods as appetizers and desserts, as they are always huge sellers.

So, there you have it if looking for a lunch, dinner or pizza, visit Homestead Steak House in Blanding.  The tourist season is in full swing, so do not be surprised if you have to wait a bit as the do get busy, busy, busy.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

The Rabbit Proclaims Luck for the New Year.

January 22, 2023 to February 9, 2024 is the calendar year of the rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac.  The rabbit is the fourth, in the twelve-year cycle of animals, that appears in the Chinese zodiac, and is an earth symbol.  

In the origin story of the zodiac, Rabbit was proud and arrogant about his speed. He was neighbors with Ox and always made fun of how slow Ox was. One day, the Jade Emperor said the zodiac order would be decided by which animals could cross the river, and arrive at his party. Rabbit set off at daybreak, but when he got to the river, no other animals were in sight.  Instead of going across, in his arrogance, he thought he would be thought of as first in line, just for showing up.  So, he laid down and took a nap.  However, when he woke up, three other animals had already crossed over to arrive at the party on time, and one of them was the Ox that he had always looked down upon.  How did Rabbit get across the river anyway?   He hopped along stepping stones, slipped and fell into the water, but was able to grab onto a floating log.  Dragon was flying overhead, took pity upon Rabbit, and blew air from his nose to help push the log across to the shore.  Rabbit came in fourth place, while Dragon came in fifth, due to his being so helpful to Rabbit.

Foods served for the New Year include longevity noodles for long life, a whole steamed fish for abundance, sticky rice balls for togetherness, and pork dumplings for good fortune.  While they are commonly known as dumplings in most Asian nations, other versions are Japanese gyoza or Korean mandoo.

In America, they are known as potstickers as that is exactly what they tend to do.  Potstickers are 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 many Chinese celebrations, and express best wishes for happy days and good health.  It was not unusual for a trinket (coins or jewels) of some value to be hidden in a few dumplings; 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 fresh produce section at supermarkets.  Also available are wonton skins, or spring and eggroll wrappers.  Not up to making the dough, or even purchasing packaged wrappers; check the frozen food section for premade dumplings, follow the package directions, and enjoy the Chinese New Year!

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 and 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.   

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).

 

With the boil method, you can make a delicious soup by cooking the dumplings in a vegetable broth, and adding vegetables such as sugar snap peas, red bell pepper strips, and Bok choy, plus soy sauce and ground ginger.  Serve with a crispy egg roll as a side, and that is one delicious meal!

Mary Cokenour