No Wrong Way Touchdown with These ‘tizers.

First and ten, huddle; tension in the air as the players take the field; captain calls off numbers, “13, 9, 45…hut, hut, hut”, the ball is thrown, no…wait…hidden pass off to the running back, tight end guarding his flank down the field…..going, going…holy cow….TOUCHDOWN!!!  The crowd erupts in a roar; coach of the opposing team throws his clipboard, almost scalping a benched player. 

Its football season, American fans are pumped up and excited; faces painted with team colors, jerseys of favorite players freshly washed and worn with team pride.  At the stadium, beer, hot pretzels, brats on a bun might be the typical fare to be purchased at exuberant prices.  Then there are those who planned for weeks on going to the game; tailgating parties in the parking lot.  Tables filled with platters and trays of any food imaginable; and more cooking on the grill. 

The stay-at-home fans do the same type of planning; who makes the best dish to bring, and who gets stuck buying all the beer.  Neighbors bring over extra tables and chairs, no walking room, so just start passing the food.  Keep the fried onions away from Uncle Harry, you know how badly he gets gas; geez Sam, get your elbow out of my tater salad!

What we know as football today was a branch off of British rugby in 1863, and it’s come a long way since then.  Playing with no protective gear gave birth to leather helmets thin as a glove which facilitated development of stronger, heavily padded, hard shell helmets.  Talk about a contact sport, at first, football was a free for all, similar to rugby, with all team players massing on top of the poor smuck who had the ball.  Debilitating injuries, deaths forced the development of rules, regulations, formation strategies, and the roles each athlete played within the game.

Throughout American football’s history, there have been moments of drama, sadness, and hilarity.  Take, for example, the 1929 Rose Bowl game between California’s Golden Bears and Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jackets.  Midway in the 2^nd quarter, Golden Bears center, Roy Riegels picks up the fumble, bounces off a Georgia Tech tackler and begins running towards the wrong goal posts.  Georgia Tech ends up with a 2-0 leads which put them in the position to win the game; and Riegels obtains the nickname, “Wrong Way”.

Now here are a few appetizer ideas for your tailgate party, and you won’t be going the wrong way with these.

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.

Option:  Deep fry waffle fries until golden brown, top with meat mixture, sour cream and/guacamole.  Who says nachos can only be made with tortilla chips!?!

Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls

Ingredients:

Flour

12 oz. homemade pizza dough or 1 canister of Pillsbury Classic Pizza Dough

1 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. Italian herbal mix

1 cup Italian cheese mix

1/2 cup diced pepperoni

Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425F. Spray a jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Lightly flour a wooden board and roll out the dough to a 14"x20" rectangle; mix the olive oil with the herbal mixture and lightly brush the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the cheese and pepperoni over the oiled dough. Starting at the top edge of dough, carefully begin rolling towards the bottom edge; make sure to keep the roll tight; the oil will help seal the roll.

Cut off a little of the far ends of the roll; cut the roll into one inch pieces. Carefully transfer each cut piece to the jelly roll pan, cut side up. Lightly dab the herbal oil mixture, and sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese, onto each piece.

Bake for 15-20 minutes; until dough is golden brown. Remove to serving plate and serve with dipping sauce.

Makes 20 pieces.

So, in the immortal words of coach, Vince Lombardi, “Football is a great deal like life in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that each and every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”

Mary Cokenour

Beautiful Evening for a Farmers Market.

After a three year hiatus, the Monticello Farmers Market has come back to this small town.  Bayley Hedglin, Executive Director of the San Juan Chamber of Commerce, organized the event which took place in the rear parking area of the Monticello Welcome Center.   Featured vendors did not consist of only farmers, but craftspeople and food trucks; fruits, vegetables, canned goods, handmade jewelry, crafts and Green River melons.  From the hours of 5pm to 8pm, locals and curious visitors were able to stock up on “Buy Fresh, Buy Local”; and get a free cookbook from San Juan Health.

Los Tacho’s authentic Mexican held center stage, patrons waiting patiently in line for enchiladas, chile rellano, tacos, burritos and more.  Instead I hula’d down to Benyaki’s to take my taste buds on a Hawaiian vacation; Kalua pork (shredded, moist pork with a sweet, savory taste), fried noodles, white rice and a thick, rich teriyaki sauce.   So I went home with a passenger seat full of veggies for slicing and dicing; refreshing melon for dessert, after a delicious Hawaiian inspired dinner.  …and to boot, I was able to order a 25 pound box of tomatoes from one of the farmers (name of Morgan); it’s homemade sauce making time!

The Farmers Market will occur twice more before the end of the fall season.  Go to the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MonticelloFarmersVendorMarket/), Like and make sure to Follow to get notices on your Newsfeed.  Looking to become a vendor?  Contact Bayley at (435) 459-9700 for more information.   “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” is showing support for our local farmers, it just makes perfect sense! 

Mary Cokenour

Difference a Change Can Create.

Change, change can be quite annoying at times.  Rattling around in a purse or pocket, those elusive pennies never there when needed; or too many taking up precious space.  For many years there has been consideration of doing away with the penny.  Has not happened yet as that would lead into another type of change altogether.

Change, “the act or instance to make or become different”, “to alter, vary or modify to make or become different”.  Change is evolution, growth, development which goes hand in hand with making or creating something different.  This is often sort by some, but feared by the majority; it is comforting to be one of many, then alone on an unsure roadway.  I believe there lies the rub; to be different, unique, in a smaller grouping where one can stand out.  Why be different when the “same old, same old” has always been good enough?  Why, why be good when there can be better!?!

When it comes to recipes, a first attempt will be following word for word, measure by measure, ingredient by ingredient; no changes or differences.  The resulting culinary creation might be liked, even enjoyed so much to spark the word love; pretty close to perfection.  However, I am an adventurer in, as well as out of, the kitchen; my pantry is a wonderland of spices, herbs, seasonings and sauces from around the world.  The second, third, even more attempts are play time; changing original designs to make/create different tastes, textures.  The ultimate goal is to be better, not just good!

As an example, let’s use Campbell Soups’ recipe for One-Dish Chicken & Stuffing Bake, a simple dish to make and very tasty too.  (Recipe from: https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/one-dish-chicken-stuffing-bake/)

Ingredients:

4 cups Pepperidge Farm® Herb Seasoned Stuffing

1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell's Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

How to Make It

Step 1

Heat the oven to 400°F.  While the oven is heating, prepare the stuffing according to the package directions.

Step 2

Spoon the stuffing across the center of a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Place the chicken on either side of the stuffing. Sprinkle the chicken with the paprika.

Step 3

Stir the soup, milk and parsley in a small bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken.  Cover the baking dish.

Step 4

Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Made it once or twice as is, very good and no leftovers, but not good enough, so I made it again and again; changing ingredients like cream of celery, instead of cream of mushroom; using cut up, precooked chicken instead of raw chicken breasts; adding frozen or canned vegetables to see which tasted better.  Each time it went from good to better, better to betterer to betterest; yes, yes, I know I am not using proper English and I can hear the groans of teachers everywhere.  Each time though, it was a delicious concoction devoured by all who tasted it; success in making different!

So now I will share with you my latest changes to Campbell’s most basic recipe.  Do not fear change my friends; accept, embrace and remember most of all; Fear is the Mind Killer.

Chicken Corn Stuffing Bake

Ingredients:

1 box (10 oz.) Mrs. Cubbison’s Herb Seasoned Cube Stuffing (personally like this brand)

2 cups homemade chicken broth (or used canned)

2 cups precooked chicken, cut into small pieces

1 can (15 oz.) whole kernel sweet corn (do not drain liquid)

1 tsp. each ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

1 can (15 oz.) sweet cream styled corn

1 bag (8 oz.) shredded, medium Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

 Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together cube stuffing, broth, precooked chicken, whole kernel corn and seasonings.  Spread out evenly in baking dish; spread creamed corn evenly over all; spread Cheddar cheese evenly over creamed corn. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes; remove foil, bake another 20 minutes; cheese will be completely melted and browning at dish edges.  Remove from oven, let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

So, What's with the Potatoes?

Thank Your Farmers!

On Saturday, August 5, 2017, I attended another lecture at Edge of the Cedars Museum; topic being, "The Four Corners Potato".  This interesting and informative lecture was delivered by Dr. Lisbeth Louderback, Curator of Archaeology and Dr. Bruce Pavlik, Director of Conservation; both of University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Drs. Bruce Pavlik and Lisbeth Louderback

During an excavation of ruins in the Escalante Valley (aka Potato Valley and now you'll find out why the nickname), residue was found on manos and metates (used for grinding grains).  After carefully wrapping the artifacts, individually in plastic, to avoid contamination, the residue was genetically tested.  Imagine the surprise of finding starch granules, not of wheat or corn, but from a species of potato!  Sorry Idaho, but looks like the ancestral Puebloans of Utah were one up on the potato industry approximately 11, 000 years ago. 

 

Question though, were the potatoes always here or brought up through Mexico and traded for?  Exploring the landscape surrounding the ruin site, plants of Solanum jamesii were found growing and thriving.  To answer the question just asked, studies were done extensively throughout the 4 states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah; this species seemed to be only growing in the 4 Corners region.  San Juan County, Utah?  Correct!  Thriving plants can be still found in the Newspaper Rock area, so stay on the path when hiking around and don’t trample the plant life.

Newspaper Rock

Macaw Shawl found by Kent Frost, housed at Edge of the Cedars Museum

Let me get back to the question of, "So, What's with the Potatoes?"  This was asked of me by another attendee of the lecture who didn't understand why I was there.  First off, it concerns a food item, not just of this region, but potatoes, and who doesn't enjoy those?  Secondly, being able to input historical information into food articles gives the reader more "brain food".  These tubers may be tiny (average size equal to adult thumbnail), but they are powerful in growth and nutrition; think of them as little superheroes.  Drought and disease resistant; the plants are intelligent as they wait for monsoon season to provide needed moisture.  In one experiment, a plant placed in a ten gallon container produced over 100 delicious spuds.  S. jamesii has twice the amount of protein, zinc and manganese; and 3 times calcium and iron of the common potato (S. tuberosum) sold in markets all over the USA.  Slight evidence has been found of a compound within the potato that may effectively be used as a preventative and/or curative for cancer.

How did the ancestral Puebloans process, store and eat S. jamesii?  Roasted (residue found in cooking pots), boiled unpeeled and eaten as is, sometimes raw, or placed into niches of the pueblo walls, dried, then ground into flour.  Need more modern day techniques and recipes?  San Juan Record carries a book to help you out, The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency used by the Mormon Pioneers by Caleb Warnock.  Interacting with the local Natives, the pioneers needed to learn from them; what was safe to eat, how to grow and harvest; definitely how to cook and store for the harsh winter ahead.  At Edge of the Cedars Museum, Wild Plants and Native Peoples of the Four Corners by William Dunmire and Gail Tierney is a wonderful guide of the knowledge the ancestral Puebloans passed down to their modern descendants.

Which brings me to the 4 Corners Potato Stewardship Program (yes, the Cokenour family did sign up) to help propagate and grow these wild potatoes.  While Solanum jamesii thrives in the other three states, often on Navajo, Hopi and Zuni reservation land, it is at a critical point of extinction within Utah.  Whether a small space gardener, like our family; major landowners; even farmers with ample fields, stewards are needed to keep this food source viable.  Here is another way for the stewards of San Juan County to show how residents protect our land!

To read a full report of the founding of the 11,000 year old potato, or sign up to become a steward, go to: https://unews.utah.edu/utah-home-to-earliest-use-of-wild-potato-in-north-america/

Mary Cokenour

168 Ramen Serves Up Authentic Noodles and Dim Sum.

168 Ramen

2740 US-191
Moab, Utah, 84532

Phone: (435) 355-0899

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/168ramen/
















168 Ramen is at the former location of Bangkok House, the first Thai restaurant opened by entrepreneur Venus Varunun; her second is Bangkok House Too located in central Moab. Venus wanted to bring something new to the area, something that locals and tourists alike could experience without having to travel out of the country, a Ramen Noodle House.  News Flash, she has succeeded!

168 Ramen opened its doors in March 2017, but we always wait awhile before trying out a new establishment; allowing them to get settled.  While the exterior and interior has not changed, the two page menu has with a listing of Dim Sum and Ramen dishes to please anyone.  There are extras, rice bowls and stir fry also, but go for the dim sum and ramen which are severely excellent.  My husband and I used to go to Philadelphia's Chinatown area to a favorite dim sum restaurant; that was 9 years ago.  To once again experience the tastes, textures, pure pleasure of these culinary tidbits brought smiles to our faces of joyous remembrance.  Yes, it was that good!

To start with, the Dim Sum Sampler and Octopus Balls (we were very curious); the sampler contained delicate Shrimp Dumplings; light, yet savory Shrimp and Pork Shumai; and BBQ Pork Buns.which brought tears to my eyes.  Why the tears?  The remembrance of going to a favorite China town Bakery and buying the most delicious baked Roast Pork Buns ever!  The buns at 168 Ramen are steamed, but we still experienced the same pleasure.

The jury is still out on the Octopus Balls though; the sauce is savory and rich, the octopus just the correct chewiness, and yet we still can't decide if we liked them or not.  Truthfully, I would say take the adventure plunge and try them out yourself.













While Ramen Noodle houses are a norm in Asian countries, they are slowly becoming popular in the United States.  Now these are NOT your typical dried ramen noodles you find on every food store shelf, and probably lived on while in college.  These are freshly made and prepared, served with a variety of ingredients depending on tastes and desires; and the most delectable broths imaginable!  Believe me, if you have eaten store bought, you will taste, and enjoy, the difference of freshly made.






Chicken Katsu Curry Ramen is a mild pork broth with Japanese curry; deep fried panko breaded chicken (to die for!), soft boiled seasoned egg, Nori (seaweed) and vegetables. While it is only available in the large bowl size, you will eat every morsel and drink every drop of broth.











Shrimp Tempura Ramen is a Dashi broth (mild, slightly sweet and addicting), soft boiled seasoned egg, Naruto fish cake (so awesome), Shitake mushrooms, Nori and green onions.  It came with 3 Shrimp Tempura which I ate separately from the soup; didn't want to lose the crunch of that tempura.

With both Ramen bowls, we left nothing!





Now I have to mention our most lovely waitress, Nat, who put up with all our questions, and helped us make the best decisions for this first...yes, first, as we will be going back again and again...meal. By the way, I highly recommend the Iced Green Tea; unsweetened and you won't miss the sugar.
Also the Thai Iced Coffee; Nat makes it so well that we ended up ordering one to go and shared it all the way back home to Monticello.  We've had Thai Iced Coffee before, but Nat makes it out of this world!

168 Ramen has now been added to our favorite Asian cuisine restaurants in the Moab area; however, in the mood for Dim Sum, Ramen Noodles or both....168 Ramen is your go-to restaurant!

Mary Cokenour  

To Dump or Not To Dump.

Infomercials, they seem to be taking over, not just entire cable channels, but advertising altogether.  One I admit falling for was Cathy Mitchell’s Dump Dinners Cookbook which came with an awesome 9 x 13 baking pan plus Dump Cakes Baking Book.  What a bargain for $19.95 plus shipping and handling!  While I have not dumped any dinners as yet, I have tried a couple of cake recipes which led me to a question.

Why the term “dump cake”?  Actually this term covers baking methods as far back as the 1600s, colonization of the United States and creativity due to a lack of ingredients.  Names like Cobbler, Grunt, Pandowdy, Sunken and Brown Betty became synonymous with locations throughout the eastern states.  Two basic methods developed, the first being “one bowl”; all ingredients mixed into a batter within one bowl, poured into a baking pan, baked and served.  The second was layering and topping with uncooked biscuit dough (origin of WW1’s dough boys), rolled oats, bread crumbs, crushed crackers or graham crackers.

American cooks (1800s to present time) tend to use fruit as a major component, whereas the British colonists brought over their recipes of savory recipes using beef, lamb and mutton.  Personally, while discussing this next baking project with friends, it seemed that almost everyone had recipe dating back to mom, or grandma.  To judge both methods, I prepared two  “cakes”, the first being one bowl using spiced apples (thank you to the late Marie Watkins) , the second with cherry pie filling from a can. 

Apple Pie Dump Cake

Page 8, Cathy Mitchell’s Dump Cakes Baking Book

1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling (or another fruit pie filling)

1 package (15 oz.) white cake mix (or yellow)

3 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 – Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray 9 x 13 inch baking pan (or 2-9 inch round pans) with nonstick cooking (baking) spray.

2 – Place apple pie filling in large bowl; cut apple slices into chunks with paring knife or scissors.  Add cake mix, eggs and oil; beat 1 to 2 minutes or until well blended.  Spread batter in prepared pan; sprinkle with pecans.

3 – Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (mine took 60 minutes altogether).  Cool in pan at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Apple Walnut

Cherry Walnut

Note: the items in parentheses are my own personal changes

This recipe produced cakes; real cakes that rose and became yummy snacking cakes which my taste testers enjoyed.  Truthfully, I didn’t see much difference with this recipe than following the instructions on the box and adding pie filling.

The layered method produced results which were, well, iffy to the taste testers, since some did not even give comments, positive or negative.  Sometimes it is best to remain neutral.  Anyway, with cake #1, I used peach pie filling; it was definitely a cobbler with the cake mix plus melted butter creating a crumbly topping.  Cake #2 was tart pie cherries and chocolate cake mix; this turned out to be a gooey mess with not all the cake mix and melted butter mixing together.  It was best to be served as an accompaniment with ice cream, or layered in a bowl with whipped cream, but not as is.

For the recipes, I sort of mixed and match from ones I read, and ones that were offered to me.

Peach Dump Cake

1 can (21 oz.) peach pie filling

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 box (15 oz.) white or yellow cake mix

¾ cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350F; spray 9 x 13 inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.

Spread pie filling over bottom of pan; mix together cinnamon and sugar, sprinkle over pie filling.  Spread cake mix over pie filling, pour butter over cake mix as evenly as possible.

Bake 45-50 minutes (again, mine took 60), or until pie filling is bubbling up along sides of pan.  Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Step 1 - Fruit Layer

Step 2 - Cinnamon, Sugar Layer

Step 3 - Cake Mix Layer

Step 4 - Melted Butter Over Cake Mix

Peach Dump Cake Fully Baked

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cherry Chocolate Dump Cake

2 cans (15 oz.) tart cherries; drain water, but keep ½ cup; or 1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 box (15 oz.) Devil’s Food cake mix

¾ cup melted butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F; spray 9 x 13 inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.

Spread cherries plus ½ cup water (or pie filling) over bottom of pan; sprinkle sugar over top.  Spread cake mix over fruit, pour butter over cake mix as evenly as possible.  Spread walnuts over top.

Bake 45-50 minutes (again, mine took 60), or until liquid is bubbling up along sides of pan.  Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Step 1 - Fruit Layer

Step 2 - Sugar Over Fruit

Step 3 - Devil's Food Cake Mix Layer

Step 4 - Melted Butter Over Cake Mix

Step 5 - Crunchy Chopped Walnuts

Cherry Chocolate Dump Cake Fully Baked

When it comes to these recipes, I say try them as is, or play with them to see what you can create yourself.  One thing for sure, you’ll definitely decide if you rather dump bake, or dump the cake.

Mary Cokenour