larkspurKC's Profile
Chicken 65 at home
Over the weekend, my family and I made our first attempt at creating chicken 65 at home. The attempt was successful, although a few tweaks are in order. I started with a marinade/batter of egg, flour, corn starch. lemon juice, ginger, garlic and an array of spices. We deep fried the nuggets and served as is. That seems to be the norm of the internet recipes we surveyed.
The tweaks -- we needed more heat. I used 2 tsp of my husband's death head chile blend. I expected shooting flames, but we got a nice gentle heat instead. Next time I'll up the ante with ground cayenne from our garden.
The final adjustment is to come up with a finishing sauce to coat the fried chicken pieces. As my 16 year old so astutely noted, "It looks different at the restaurant". My internet survey in this regard has not yielded promising results. Any recommendations?
Toasted ravioli that isn't fried or breaded?
Ever have a dish at a restaurant and think, "I could do that"? I'm on a quest to recreate an appetizer described on a menu as "fresh ravioli stuffed with cheese and chicken, deep fried, served with a basil pesto butter."
The pasta was crisp, not breaded, and didn't appear to have been deep fried. Wouldn't fried pasta look like a fried egg roll wrapper, with little bubbles all over? It looked like it had been baked, like when making a wonton crisp with sugar and cinnamon. It was smooth and the color was light and barely golden. The filling was superb. My best guess is marscapone and finely chopped roasted chicken. It was more cheese than chicken and creamy yet very thick (like Greek yogurt). The sauce was also delicious -- the raw garlic was evident, but not overwhelming. There weren't any nuts, and maybe not any cheese. The texture was super smooth, so either a ton of butter or cream. It was almost bright green with a clear basil flavor.
So what do you think? How would you go about recreating that dish? I'm thinking of starting by lightly brushing the pasta square with oil and then baking to try and recreate the color and texture.
Best ever Thanksgiving dessert recipes
My family favorite is a pumpkin swirl cheesecake. The recipe is from an old Martha Stewart magazine, so is probably available online. It's a great blend of pumpkin pie with a rich cheesecake. It's completely decadent, but the family won't let me come unless I bring one.
Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing for 100
Good point on the servings. Here's the rest of the menu. The church committee provides turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and hot rolls. The congregation then brings vegetables, salads and desserts pot-luck style. My first round of calculations is based on the theory that there's so much food, and everybody wants to try a little bit of everything, that the portion sizes can get small. Of course there are those who love stuffing, and those who will skip it all together.
What do you all think? Should I calculate 8, 10 or 12 servings per pound of fresh bread?
Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing for 100
I knew I could count on the hounds! I love the idea of two varieties. I'm actually surprised I hadn't thought of that. I don't have experience with the cornbread stuffing. I have a basic recipe that we eat at Larkspur House, but it's moist and sweet. Should I try a drier recipe without sugar?
Thanksgiving stuffing/dressing for 100
I've been tapped to preapre the stuffing/dressing for my church's annual Thanksgiving dinner. Technically this is dressing since it will never see the inside of a bird, right? What ideas do you have? I need to stay within the realm of traditional, but I'd love to knock the socks off of the church ladies who decided I'm too young to make the gravy. "Silly LarkspurKC, Gladys has made the gravy for the past 72 years."
I'm a from scratch cook, so there will be homemade stock. If my schedule allows, I may even bake the bread to dry and cube. Herbs will be from the garden, etc.
I'm calculating one pound of fresh bread feeding 12 persons as stuffing. Does that sound about right? I have a Cook's Illustrated recipe that starts with 3 pounds of bread, so I'll probably do 3 batches of that.
Your ideas and advice are appreciated!
Gravy from/for ham?
My grandmother used to make a huge pot of mashed potatoes to serve with her holiday ham. She had a wonderful gravy -- a hint of sweet, a hint of salt, with a lot of savory. I'd love to recreate it for my family this year. But where to start? It's not like I could start with a lovely and fragrant pork broth...
How do you make gravy for ham? Any recipes, tips or ideas would be appreciated.
Pasta from scratch for the home cook
So what's the difference between a pasta and a noodle? Or is noodle a type of pasta? I've been making the pasta recipes from Lidia's book, but last night needed a noodle for chicken soup. I turned to the Joy of Cooking (my starting place for everything), and could only see that butter was used instead of olive oil. Is it a colloquialism? Pasta is Italian, noodle is Euro-American? These are just the things I think about.
Olathe: Where restaurants go to die...
So where do we eat in Olathe? My hubby and I are on the search for a great weekend breakfast. Tried Pegah's. Been to Mom's. Found Nima's way out on 7 Highway this weekend. Is there any decent indie breakfast east of I-35 in Olathe?
I will certainly check out Mariscos Veracruz. Do you know if they serve breakfast?
Goin' to Kansas City
If snappy cocktails you seek, snappy cocktails you shall have! Try Seven at 7th and Walnut-ish. They feature a martini menu based on the seven deadly sins. I quite enjoyed Wrath, a mostly vodka bloody mary interpretation. Gluttony looked amazing, but it will have to wait until next time. The restaurant morphs into a night club as the evening progresses. In my opinion the drinks are superb, the people watching is great, and the food is very good.
http://www.seven-kc.com/
Omaha: What do you recommend for a get away weekend?
Thanks for all of the great recommendations. Do any of you know whether Indian Oven is still open in Old Market? I tried to link to it through the OM district website, but it sent me to a restaurant in Ohio.
Omaha: What do you recommend for a get away weekend?
My darling husband is whisking me north out of the Johnson County (KS) burbs for a get away weekend. What do you recommend? We'll be in the Old Market area. We need it all -- breakfast, steak, unique ethnic, ambience, etc. What can I not eat in Kansas City? Any foodie shops in the area? Thanks much!
Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe?
Try searching on the Cooking Light website. Here's a link to a baked chicken cordon bleu that I've tried.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1134074
I made a few changes like using swiss instead of mozzarella, and not pouring the broth mixture over the pieces at the end. It seemed that would have washed the crumb mixture off. You could also try to use wine instead of the broth.
Another resource is the Joy of Cooking. I have an older edition, and used it to compare with the Cooking Light version. Best of luck!
Authentic Italian in KC?
I'll give another nod for Seven. I dined there recently with the girls for a birthday extravaganza. It has a very metropolitan dining room -- dark surfaces with multi-colored lit panels of lightweight fabric on the sides. The food was very good, and I can highly recommend the linguine with seafood and spicy cream sauce. Abundant clams, perfect scallops; alas overcooked shrimp. We also enjoyed the martini list presented as the seven deadly sins, although the Saint Vincent ended up being my favorite -- cilantro infused vodka with lime and mint.
Need a reception locale for Kansas City!
It's a little further out, but I'd highly recommend the Culinary Center of Kansas City. It is located in the old downtown Overland Park (close to 79th and Metcalf). The space is just as nice as Club 1000 -- but more lively -- and the food is absolutely fantastic. I had a wedding reception there and paid $4500 for the shebang (minus DJ). It is truly worth checking out.
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
UPDATE:
A break through was made last night. I made grilled BBQ chicken (which was quite fine if I say so myself), roasted white and sweet potatoes, and a tomato salad. We've still got issues with meat on the bone, but the boys couldn't argue with the flavor. The oldest gobbled up his potatoes and then asked, "Can I pick the orange ones out of the pan?" Holding back a tear in my eye, "Yes. Yes, you can." He doesn't know it was a sweet potato. He doesn't know it could have been a yam. It was an orange potato, and he ate it. Hope springs eternal.
KC Farmer's Market - Worth a Stop?
I've been missing brats? I'm a regular at the OP market, but haven't seen any sausages. Where am I not looking?
KC OUTSIDE
Sol Cantina on 31st street (Martini Corner) has a great patio in the back. It's fenced in so you don't feel like you're sitting in the alley. Cheap food, good drink specials -- it's a winner! I particularly like the Baja-style fish tacos.
Also, Harry's Country Club downtown has a nice patio area. I *think* they have live music out there at times. Menu is better than average grill and bar fare.
River Market isn't much for charm, but there are a few tables scattered outside. Succotash is the safest bet as they have their own seating area. Now that I think about it, so does Winslow's if you need BBQ.
How do you make fideo?
One of my favorite dishes at a local Mexican restaurant is the fideo. I know it starts with pasta lightly browned in oil, then tomato sauce, broth, etc. Do you have a specific recipe for this? The version I like is almost soup like, not the baked dry variety.
Kansas hounds: Bierocks?
Have any of you seen butter balls when you've ran across bierocks? They are a soup dumpling made with toasted bread crumbs, milk and butter. My family traditionally prepared them with noodles in a chicken broth.
Kansas hounds: Bierocks?
I've only seen them once on a menu in Kansas City. It was a daily lunch special at You Say Tomato. I had fun chatting up the owner about their origin as I suspected he must have grown up in a German community in western Kansas to know of them. I can't give you specifics, but most small, rural towns with a German or Mennonite heritage will know what you are talking about. I don't know if you can find them in a restaurant, but try local delis or bakeries. Also keep your eye out for any German heritage festivals. I get my fix once a year in Darrouzett, Texas -- just south of western Kansas. My mom can get them throughout the year from someone in the community.
Also, Cooking Light ran a recipe for bierocks a few years back. Let me do a little research... January 2004. There was a feature article about the people, the food, the culture, etc.
Good luck! I'd love to know if you find some.
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
Update from Larkspur -- The Farmer's Market
It's awfully early in the year for a market in Kansas. The food pickings were slim -- mostly asparagus and spring onions. No takers there. However, the boys really got into helping husband and I pick out herb plants and tomatoes for the garden. I used the same principle -- anything you want. I now have an invasive chocolate mint plant in the garden which will likely take over the yard, but by gosh, the 11 year old thought that was the coolest thing ever. (And yes, I asked that it be put in a pot instead of the ground, but that wasn't cool.) After the market we went around the corner to Penzey's spices, and again, anything you want. We purchased cinnamon sticks and one of the spice rubs for grilled meats. Any ideas out there for creative cooking for this crowd with cinnamon sticks?
Thanks, all. This has be *tremendously* helpful.
German Russian kuchen recipe.
What else is included? I swear my grandmother made a quick version of hers with canned biscuit dough, although this is a serious point of contention between me and my sister. I recreated her recipe with a sweet yeast dough, fresh or frozen fruit, a cream custard filling, and a "rivvel" topping. It received rave reviews from her generation at the family reunion last summer. Is that close to what you are seeking?
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
Thanks for the corn dog tip. Son 1 actually requested a dog over the weekend. His dad had stocked them in the freezer previously and then prepped them in the deep fat fryer.
Did I mention my husband has a 2 qt. deep fat fryer? Sigh. However, I'm jockeying postition on the counter for my Kitchen Aid.
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
Great idea with the "one choice from column A, one choice from column B." I can incorporate that playfully.
Wish me well. The family unit is off to the farmer's market tomorrow morning. Everybody get $5 a few guidelines on spending. Dinner tomorrow night should be VERY interesting.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. This has been tremendously helpful!!
LarkspurKC
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
Oh, yes... The Great Turkey Leg Incident of November 2006. The whole family headed our way for Thanksgiving last -- his family and mine. Did this intrepid bride-to-be demure from the challenge? Nay! There was research. There was planning. There were test recipes. There were assurances from the husband and boys, "We like turkey! We like stuffing! We like gravy! We can eat our own weights in pumpkin pie!" The youngest filled his plate with a turkey leg and nothing else. I didn't even try to reason with the fellow. He'd only ever eaten white meat before. He took one bite. That is all. A silent tear slid down my cheek as I watched the perfectly roasted leg being hurled into the trash. The child was then introduced to the wrath of his grandmother.
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
I love "Make Your Own Dinner Darnit"! That is worth pursuing.
I have thought about rounding everyone up for the Saturday morning farmer's market. It's quite a do with live music and lots of vendors. Maybe they would be more inclined to try things that they picked out from the farmer's themselves.
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
To my husband's credit, he has been a great ally in the cause. He even choked down SIX GREEN BEANS Sunday night when I announced that it would make me happy if every man at the table would eat at least one. This has been another lesson. I still serve green, but I have greatly reduced the amount I prepare. There will be great rejoicing in Kansas if I ever have to forego my veggies because someone else at the table beat me to them.
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
It depends. Twice a week we have a home-cooked, sit-down meal together. Some nights they eat at their mom's house after school (although that's mostly fast-food snacks, and they always want more to eat later). Some nights my husband does the short-order chef routine. Of late that's boxed mac and cheese for one and a frozen pizza for the other. I remind myself that even two sit-down meals a week is a big change for these guys. I'm hopeful. As for me, I eat as much ethnic food as I can find during the week for lunch at work.
New Step-Mom & picky eaters: What's for dinner?
This seems to be a winner at our table. As long as there are enough options with a dish, everyone seems to be happy. And I am adapting to the theory that "this is what's for dinner, eat what you will, but value this time together around the table." Last night I served BLTs, corn on the cob (I brazenly abandoned the chip!), assorted pickles and olives, and the ever present fruit salad. They ate, not what I thought they would, but they ate.
