Meals Ring True at the Dinner Bell.

Dove Creek Dinner Bell

330 Highway 491

Dove Creek, Colorado, 81324

Phone: (970) 677-3420

 

 

Initially, the definition of a “dive” was, “A run down, cheap, unclean restaurant or hotel.”  Thanks to the Food Network Channel’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, hosted by Guy Fieri, this definition has taken on a more modern meaning to food lovers.  “Dive restaurants are cheap little places that may not look very nice, but serve good, low priced food.”  So, if in Dove Creek, Colorado, stop into the Dove Creek Dinner Bell for that good, low priced food.

I became interested in the Dinner Bell by reading comments about it, first on Facebook, and then TripAdvisor.  Here’s a quote from one of the reviews, “The Dinner Bell offers basic diner foods in a charmingly cluttered and outdated atmosphere. One table, with a permanent "reserved" sign, seems to be available to the family and friends of the owners. Locals who frequent the restaurant are greeted by name.”  The first sentence caught my eye immediately, so after establishing the hours of operation (Mon-Friday 7am-8 pm, Closed Saturday, Sunday 7am-2pm), off to a Sunday breakfast my husband and I did ride.

Located on Main Street (Route 491), this small, white building is nondescript, but easily seen due to the large sign near the roadside.   We entered, looked inside; back outside we went, then returned inside; like companions of Doctor Who, Roy and I exclaimed, “It’s bigger on the inside!”.  A friendly staffer told us to sit wherever we’d like; picking a window table, we received our coffee (always a full cup) and water promptly.  The menus are tucked into the condiment holder; cute little cards listing breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Booths are along a side wall adorned with hunting trophies, flour sack aprons for sale, and the specials board.  Reviews were spot on when they said, “hunters flock to this location”, as many patrons were dressed for the occasion of deer and elk season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I enjoyed my three egg omelet with Cheddar cheese and real bacon; my husband hungrily dug into his “Plate of Crap.”  I bet your eyebrows just raised, didn’t they?  “Plate of Crap” is an actual breakfast item; a construction project of hash browns, ham, sausage, eggs (3), bell peppers and whatever items are on hand; covered in a delicious green chili sauce and topped with shredded Cheddar cheese.  I also indulged in the made from scratch biscuit; split open, steaming hot with pats of melting butter oozing down the sides.  We attempted to work off this meal by hiking around the Abajo Mountains afterwards, but still feeling full come lunch time.  Awesome breakfast!

 

Plate of Crap with Toast

Omelet, Hash Browns and Made from Scratch Biscuit

The owners, Stanley and Charlotte Daves, celebrated the five year anniversary of the Dinner Bell in September 2015.  Stanley holds reign in the kitchen, while Charlotte cheerfully greets, and waits, on the customers with other staff members.  The meals are prepared fresh, homemade; no time, nor patience, for prepackaged, heat in the microwave, get it out quick food.  We love that, so much so, that we were back the next week to try out lunch (same menu for dinner).

Half pound burgers with a luscious char on the outside; crispy French fries, and I even ordered those made from scratch biscuits to go.  The Special for Sunday is usually spaghetti with garlic toast and salad; seeing other diners enjoying this, I should have ordered it too.  Oh, and they do have a soup and salad bar.

 

Double Patty Melt with Fries

Cheeseburger with Fries

Made from Scratch Biscuits

Soup and Salad Bar

Dove Creek Dinner Bell is a small establishment, clean, homey and serving up real, homemade, fresh food.  In a world full of fast food brand names, or pretentious overpriced establishments; having a comfort food restaurant is a quiet haven.  Dinner Bell also offers in-town (Dove Creek) delivery, or call in your order and pick it up at their drive-thru window.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

Chicken to Broth to Soup.

“Winter is coming, Jon Snow”, and that means snow, ice, freezing winds; chilled bodies seeking warmth. Living in San Juan County, especially at the high altitude of Monticello, there are times when conditions can leave you shivering from the inside to out. Those commercials that feature chicken soup are not lying when they imply it cures what ails you. While the nutrition from the ingredients can help the immune system fight off colds, it’s the inner peace and comfort that makes the mind and soul strong as well.

So, we’ve only just entered fall and here I am writing about winter, and for a good reason. Pay attention to the smallest of creatures, squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks; watch as they pack themselves up with edible items and scurry back to their dens. They are hoarding for the winter, since they know finding food in snow and ice packed land is near to impossible. Oh, we think it’s just so simple to go to the store and buy what we need without giving necessity another thought. What about when the stores are closed, or what you need has already run out? In this new age, we take for granted, well, just about everything nowadays; we assume all we need will always be available.

Let’s travel back to 1847 and imagine how life was, for the pioneers coming out West, 168 years ago. From the East Coast to the Mississippi River, immigrants from all over Europe had become citizens of the USA; bringing their culture, and recipes, from their homelands. One ingredient that had become a main staple in almost every home was the chicken, so those wagon trains included crates full of egg laying, flightless birds. Now and then, one of those chickens gave up its life to feed the many; nothing was wasted, not even the bones.

I’m going to be referring to the article, “A Melting Pot of Pioneer Recipes”, by Winnifred C. Jardina, at the Official Website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once again. No, I'm not Mormon, but that doesn't stop me from using recipes from their sites; I do NOT discriminate against food! A recipe for “Velvet Chicken Soup” definitely caught my eye; rich with butter, cream and eggs; yet a perfect recipe for a seasoned broth as well. For those adept at cooking, or even just starting out, the techniques used in this recipe are simple and useful. For example, when one cup of the seasoned broth is slowly mixed into the beaten eggs that is called “tempering the eggs”. If the eggs were dumped into the hot broth, it would cause the eggs to scramble which is how Chinese Egg Drop Soup is made. Instead, the eggs are brought up to a warmer temperature with the slow edition of the broth, so when fully added to the soup pot, a rich, creamy soup is created instead.

As I stated already, the recipe creates a deliciously seasoned broth that can be stored in freezer containers; or in ice cube trays where the broth is portioned out in tablespoons when that is all that’s called for. The meat from the chicken can also be portioned out in freezer bags for use in other recipes during the winter months. Take a clue from our little creatures and remember, “Winter is coming”.

Velvet Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

3 or 4 pounds chicken
3 quarts cold water
1 tablespoon salt 6 peppercorns (or 1/4 teaspoon white pepper)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped celery
2 cups rich milk or cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, well beaten

Preparation:

Thoroughly clean chicken and cut into pieces. Put in covered kettle with cold water and salt. Bring to boil quickly and simmer until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from stock and remove meat from bones (saving meat to use in croquettes, pie, etc.)

Return bones to soup stock and add peppercorns (or white pepper), chopped onions, and chopped celery. Simmer together until a little more than a quart of stock remains in pan; strain, cool, and remove all fat. (Stop here if you intend on storing for future uses.)











Add rich milk or cream, bring to a boil, and thicken with cornstarch that’s been mixed smooth with a little cold water. Add butter and season to taste.

Beat eggs with a little cream. Pour 1 cup soup over egg mixture, stirring well, then pour egg-soup mixture back into soup, stirring constantly, and cook 2 minutes.

Serve hot in soup dishes, adding bite-size croutons if desired.

Note: after cutting up the chicken, I removed as much of the skin and fat layer as possible. The flavor was still intense, and there was not that much fat to remove later on. In the cooling process, I placed all the broth into a large plastic bowl, covered and put into the freezer for one hour. The fat rises to the top and can be easily scooped off; this technique is also great when using pan drippings to make gravy.

Mary Cokenour

Casserole Topped with Crescent Dough.

I stopped buying boxed meal products a long while ago, mainly because I discovered I can make it better, without all the preservatives, and add more fresh ingredients.  So there I was, going to make one of my own "hamburger helper" type meals, when I spied the canister of Pillsbury crescent rolls.  I like keeping dough products like biscuits, crescent rolls, even pie crusts in stock for those spur of the moment ideas. If I have to suddenly make dough, chances are I'll get frustrated and give up the idea altogether.

Instead of making a regular cheeseburger skillet meal, I prepped the ingredients and pulled out a 4-quart casserole dish.  I layered items in the dish in a manner I thought would work; and yes it did!  What I really liked was the perforations of the crescent rolls helped with serving sizes.  I used a pie server, since the servings were in the form of a wedge; each held together without making a mess.

Over the weekend I made a chicken pot pie and a baked turkey broccoli casserole; once again used the crescent roll dough to see how it compared to pie crust.  Good stuff!  Same old, same old?  Nah, play with your food and have fun experimenting.

Cheeseburger Crescent Bake

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean ground beef

½ cup diced onions
½ cup diced red bell peppers
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
6 cups cooked, large elbow macaroni
1 package (8 oz.) shredded, sharp Cheddar cheese
1 can (8 oz.) crescent roll dough

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 4 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, brown beef part way; add onions and peppers; complete browning the beef.  Add tomatoes, Worcestershire, pepper and salt; mix thoroughly and remove from heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large bowl, combine cooked macaroni with beef mixture; spread out into casserole dish.  Spread Cheddar cheese overall; bake for 20 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove dish from oven; remove crescent roll dough from can and unroll over mixture in casserole dish.  Do not separate the dough into individual pieces.  Return dish to oven and bake additional 15 to 20 minutes; until dough browns.  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting along the perforations of the dough.  Use pie server to lift up wedge serving.

  

 

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Frying Up Them Fritters.

These United States of America were founded on basic principles, one being Freedom.  It became a melting pot for immigrants, mainly from Europe, who were leaving poverty, or seeking sanctuary for religious and/or political beliefs.  This mixture of peoples from different countries also brought their tried and true recipes of the former homelands.  As families met, couples married, and created blended families, so did the recipes intermingle.  The East coast was becoming crowded; the streets were not paved with gold, but a new land was being shouted about…The West.  The Pioneers began the trek out to the West; to seek their fortunes on open plains, or in the hills and mountains laden deep with gold, silver and copper.

Along the way, there were no general stores or restaurants; perhaps a trading post a thousand miles or so.  Provisions were on the wagons; hopefully the men would be lucky enough to catch fish in the rivers, or shoot wild game for meat.  Now the pioneer women were resourceful themselves; every scrap of food, from flour to butter to fruit and vegetables, had to be used up; there could be no waste!  In other words, leftovers were not something to sniff at and turn the head away; they were used and reconstructed into something new and delicious.

Let’s take one of my old time favorites, mashed potatoes…a fluffy mass of potato goodness seasoned with salt, pepper, perhaps an herb or two; rich and comforting with milk and butter.  I can picture it now, sitting in front of the fire on a cold or rainy day; a steaming bowl of buttery potatoes, a spoonful resting on the tongue, then slowly slides down the throat.  The deep sigh of satisfaction as warm comfort envelopes, not just the stomach, but the entire body and mind.  Alright, you get it, I truly enjoy mashed potatoes when they are fresh and hot.  Ah, but what about when they become cold, not so nice then…and back to our women pioneers.

Potato Fritters, British and Irish Pancakes, Jewish Latke, Polish Placki; name a European ancestry and you’ll find a version of one of these.  Now while I was researching Utah pioneer recipes, I came across an article, “A Melting Pot of Pioneer Recipes” by Winnifred C. Jardina at the Official Website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Let me quote one paragraph, “Thrift fritters were a combination of cold mashed potatoes and any other leftover vegetables and/or meat, onion for flavoring, a beaten egg, and seasonings, shaped into patties and browned well on both sides in hot drippings.”  However, there was no actual recipe within the articles, and I wondered, how was I to make these without a recipe?  I began searching and searching, and I had a “Duh!” moment; of course, this was what I knew as a potato pancake!

Now it just happened I had made a roast beef dinner including mashed potatoes and peas; gee, can you guess what I did with the leftovers?

 Pioneer Thrift Fritters

 

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 Tbsp. dried parsley leaves, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste.
1 cup cooked beef, diced
½ cup cooked peas
¼ cup sautéed diced onion
1 cup plain, dried bread crumbs
4 Tbsp. canola oil
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

 

Preparation:
 

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n a large bowl, mix together the first seven ingredients, combine well.  From the mixture, use an ice cream scoop to make balls (if using hands, golf ball size); flatten to ½ inch and press both sides into the bread crumbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter in the oil over medium-high heat.  Put 4 fritters into the pan; reduce heat to medium low and cook for 15-20 minutes.  Carefully lift a fritter to check for brownness before flipping them over.  Fry other side for 15 minutes; drain on paper towels.  Repeat frying the fritters in batches of 4 as instructed for the first batch.  Add more oil and butter as needed.

 

 

Makes 16 fritters.

 

Mary Cokenour

 

Note:  Just because I used a Mormon site to obtain this recipe, does not mean I am Mormon.  I don't discriminate; I accept people for who and what they are, and I expect the same treatment; regardless of, well just about anything.  Now, of course, if the person is a complete smuck, well then that goes towards the personality, not against race, religion, politics, ethnicity, yada, yada, yada.

 

Miracle Noodles?

Since I post links to my food and travel blogs on Facebook, I often gets ads on the sidebar for these subjects. One day the ad for "Miracle Noodles" showed up, I was curious, so clicked on the link. Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, improves digestion; well now, this is something I could definitely benefit from. On the official website ( http://www.miraclenoodle.com/ ) there is a special offer for a variety pack of six types of noodles and rice, each contains two servings.  Personally, I wasn't too fond of several of the flavors, and purchased what I really wanted to try out elsewhere.

So, what is this "miracle" stuff anyway?  Glucomannan which comes from the root of the Asian yam-like plant called Konjac (full name Amorphophallus konjac). And this means what to me?  Glucomannan is a water-soluble polysaccharide that is considered a dietary fiber. It is a hemicellulose component in the cell walls of some plant species. Glucomannan is a food additive used as an emulsifier and thickener. Products containing glucomannan, marketed under a variety of brand names, are also sold as nutritional supplements for constipation, obesity, high cholesterol, acne vulgaris and type 2 diabetes.  You know that commercial for Lipozene....it's glucomannan, and you can buy it more cheaply as a supplement than as a diet aid.  Now you know!

The first packet I chose to cook up was the "Miracle Rice" which look more like tiny pearls (round) than actual grains of rice.  I followed the directions for cleaning and wondered why it had such a fishy smell to it; seems it's just a natural smell of the plant fiber.  I had already planned to make an Asian style dish with shrimp and sugar snap peas; how appropriate was the shrimp with the fishy smelling "rice"!?!

Simple recipe, took out my Wok and sautéed one pound of shrimp in two tablespoons of oil until they were a nice pink color.  I then added in one and one half cups of the peas, a quarter cup of hoisin sauce and the Miracle Rice; tossed till all was coated and hot (about seven minutes) and dinner was done. 

I divided it in half with my hubby; his reaction about the Miracle Rice was, "Eh, not great, but not lousy.  It absorbed the taste of the hoisin sauce well, so it's not bland."  I felt basically the same way, nothing special taste wise, but than the miracle happened.  I'd eaten only half of my serving and felt full; and that is what the glucomannan is all about.  It swells up and gives you a full feeling, so you don't overeat, or even eat an entire portion.



The claim to "aid digestion"; well that's when the second miracle happened, spending time in the bathroom as it makes you GO!  So my warning for this product is, if you have somewhere to be the next day, make sure spending time in the bathroom won't be a problem for you.  ...and there's the rub, as much as I'd like to use this product for its benefits, my schedule doesn't allow for me to live in the bathroom every morning.  I use it occasionally, that's fine, but on a daily basis simply can't be.

My opinion for this product is, for the benefits, I will use it when I can.  For others, I say read up on the product and make sure this can be beneficial, and you don't mind being in the bathroom several times in the morning.  It's definitely NOT Ramen noodles, so don't make that mistake.

Mary Cokenour

Salsa Can Be Fresh and Fast.

There I was, cooking up sirloin steaks and sweet potato rounds, thinking about a garnish to serve with the steak. Sautéed mushrooms and onions were becoming a bore, and I didn't want to use anything from a jar or can. I dove into, well not literally, the vegetable bin, pulling out cherry tomatoes, Anaheim chiles and a small onion.  Inside my herb and spice cabinet, the dried cilantro leaves just happened to fall out as I opened the door.  That's right, I was going to be making a salsa; whereas most folks use jalapeno peppers, I was using the Anaheim which is a mile chile pepper. 

Roy and I like mild to medium heat for one good reason, we want to be able to taste the food.  What is the sense of eating chiles so hot, the mouth, even the face goes totally numb; you're sweating, tears streaming from the eyes, snot dripping from the nose, your insides are on fire and you are doubled up wondering if you're going to die?  Doesn't that all sound appetizing...Not!!! Sorry, but this pain does not out weigh the pleasure of tasting the food.

This salsa was also going to be cooked, not simply diced into small pieces; the juices of the tomatoes would be reduced by more than half, intensifying all the flavors of the ingredients.  Must of been a true success, as Roy couldn't stop eating it whether it was hot or had gone cold!

Quick Cook Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
1 small onion, diced
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced
¼ cup dried cilantro leaves
¼ tsp. salt

Preparation:

In a medium skillet, or small Wok, heat oil on medium heat; add tomatoes and cook for five minutes to release juice from the tomatoes.

Increase heat to medium-high, add remaining ingredients, mix well and let cook until the liquid reduces by 3/4s.

Sirloin Steak, Sweet Potato Round, Quick Cook Salsa.

 





Use as garnish for meat, pork or chicken; use as dip or condiment.

Makes 2 cups.

Mary Cokenour

Move Over Gandalf, I Need the Crock Pot.

Did you ever simply stare into the refrigerator wondering what to do with anything inside? It's like that with creative people, you simply hit a wall; a road block saying, "You shall not pass!" We home chefs, or cooks, depending on your attitude about the titles, hit road blocks; we are artists in our own right. Our studio is the kitchen, the palate is the plate, and the tools used to put the artwork onto the plate our pots, pans, skillets, crock pots, utensils of all shapes, sizes and forms. We are also writers, putting down onto paper our recipes; all the ingredients and precise measurements for the next person to understand; directions so it can all be done the way we intended.

Like an author would add to, or revise, a book, so does a cook revise recipes.  Trial and error has a lot to do with this, but it's also the creative side of "wonder if" that has the home cook saying, "I wonder if okra would be better in this recipe, than peas?"  Then there is the ever popular, "I don't want to cook today, but we need something to eat, and I don't want take out...again!"  All hail the crock pot, a kitchen deity unto itself; put all the ingredients inside, cover, and as an ever popular infomercial shouts out to us when surfing the channels, "Set it and forget it!"

So let's get to this adventure, another version of a crock pot favorite, "chicken and stuffing" and the good old can of cream of mushroom soup.  It would be so easy to simply put those three items inside, set it and forget it; but oh no, we can't forget those veggies.  Goodbye broccoli, as it gets chopped and dropped, inside the pot that is. Wow, I better do something with that package of sliced mushrooms in the vegetable bin too, before they turn black and moldy.  Funny isn't it that fungus, yes, mushrooms are fungi, would be so gross after turning moldy; sort of ironic really.

Oh, by the way, for all you out there with picky eaters in the family; the broccoli and mushrooms become completely incorporated into the dish, so you can't tell they're in there!  Also, by cutting the chicken breasts up, the cooking time is greatly decreased, so you can have this ready for lunch or dinner is no time at all.

Crock Pot Chicken Broccoli Stuffing Bake – Version 2

Ingredients:


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 and ½ cups sliced mushrooms
1 (6 oz.) package stuffing mix
1 (26 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk








Preparation:






In a 4 quart crock pot, mix together chicken, broccoli and mushrooms.













Spread stuffing mix over all. In a medium bowl, mix together soup and milk; pour over top of stuffing mix.

Cover, set on low for 3 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour