I'd Eat That

[Schmidt Meister]

This is a Pioneer Woman recipe exactly as it is on Foodnetwork. We don't usually cook with wine. I've never tasted a recipe where wine made any kind of positive influence. We replaced the wine with more beef broth. (I must be a freak, because I don't usually skim much of the fat off, if there is a lot, I might skim half ... fat is flavor, there's NO way around it.)

Short Rib Sandwiches

Prep: 15 mins.
Total: 3 hrs. 15 mins.
Yield: 4 Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs
Olive oil, for searing
3 carrots, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1 baguette

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Salt and pepper the short ribs. In a heavy pot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Sear the short ribs on all sides, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium high. Add the carrots, garlic and onion and begin to cook, stirring. After a minute or 2, pour in the wine and broth and stir to combine. Set the short ribs back in the pot, put on the lid, transfer to the oven and bake until the short ribs are tender and literally falling off the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Transfer the ribs to a board, then remove the meat from the bones and shred. Skim the fat from the top of the vegetables, return the meat to the pot and stir.
Meanwhile, bake the baguette until warm, about 10 minutes. Split it down the middle and spoon the short rib meat down the length of the bottom of the baguette. Then spoon the veggies and some sauce over the top. Place the other half of the baguette on top, then slice into pieces with a sharp serrated knife. Serve immediately.

[Schmidt Meister]

[Schmidt Meister]

Meatball And Rice Soup

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp catsup
1 clove garlic, grated
7 cups water
7 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp vegetable seasoning like McCormick’s vegetable seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 lbs medium potatoes, cubed
1 cup long grain rice (I use Uncle Ben’s)
1 lb. ground pork
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¾ tsp vegetable seasoning
 
sour cream*

*optional

Instructions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven, add oil, onions, carrots, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and then add catsup and garlic and cook for another minute.
Add water. Once the water has come to a boil, add in the cubed potatoes and rice and cook on medium high heat for 15 minutes.
Removing anything that floats to the top (white starch from potatoes).
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, salt, pepper, and vegetable seasoning. Shape 24-28 meatballs. Once shaped, add all the meatballs into the Dutch oven and allow to simmer for another 10-12 minutes.
Taste to test for seasonings.
Add dollop of sour cream to soup after you bowl it, if desired.
And serve.

[Schmidt Meister]

Okay, we watched an episode of Diners, Drive-ins And Dives and one of the featured spots was the Galway Bay Irish Restaurant and Pub in Annapolis, MD. We will never be at that restaurant and I like Corned beef and cabbage so we copied the recipe. They called it Irish Sushi. We were very late for St. Patties Day because we don't celebrate a lot of holidays per say but we really enjoyed this dish. We had regular mustard AND a 'dipping' sauce that my wife found in a Irish recipe book that was worth preparing, I would make it again. I love eating meals like this. Cabbage rolls are awesome. This recipe will be cut in half next time unless we have company.

Corned Beef Cabbage Rolls/Wraps - Irish Sushi

Ingredients:

3 lbs corned beef
3 lbs potatoes
1/2 cup mustard of your choice
1 large head of cabbage

Instructions:

Boil your corned beef in pickling spices for three to four hours. Remove from brine and chop in half inch pieces or less.
Boil your potatoes until tender and mash with milk, butter, salt and pepper.
Peel the leaves off of a head of cabbage gently and boil each leaf (a few at a time) for two to three minutes or until tender.
Have the cabbage leaves ready and make an assembly line.
Take each cabbage leaf and smear a 1/2 teaspoon of mustard (adjust to your taste) add a portion of chopped corned beef. Add a similar portion of mashed potatoes.
Roll the cabbage leaf up and have a small bowl of your favorite mustard for dipping if desired.
Wash each bite down with your favorite beer and enjoy.

Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce (Optional)

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

 

[Schmidt Meister]

I found this bacon wrap and copied it and asked my wife about maybe trying it. My wife spent 2 or 3 minutes studying it and said it seemed like a LOT of trouble when the wrap could be so much simpler. She got some bacon (already cooked) out of the refrigerator and chopped it up and some tomatoes. She took several iceberg lettuce leafs and placed a handful of bacon and tomato on each leaf and mixed up some mayo (miracle whip for me) with zesty tomato dressing and put a spoonful of that on each leaf. She also put avocado on hers. sprinkled a little salt and pepper on each. They were so good and so much easier and we were able to have the bacon done to our taste instead of having it a little more 'raw' like you have to do in the recipe to wrap it around the lettuce and tomato. So ignore the recipe below and prepare yours like my wife's innovation. Quicker, easier, less messy and just as good or better because less cleanup. Enjoy.

[Duluth]

[NPTim]

16 minutes ago, Duluth said:

Me too

[Schmidt Meister]

8 hours ago, NPTim said:

Me too

Okay, explanation, please?

[NPTim]

8 minutes ago, Schmidt Meister said:

Okay, explanation, please?

I took it to mean, I’d eat scarlet Johansson. I was agreeing.

[Schmidt Meister]

Liver And Onions

Ingredients:

2 pounds calf liver
2 large onions
Beef stock
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic and onion powder

Instructions:

Soak liver in milk for about 6 hours. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper, lightly flour then fry a couple of minutes on each side. After you fry all of the liver, in the same pan sauté a couple of large sliced onions until they are translucent. Add beef stock and season to taste. Place liver back into the pan cover and cook on med low for about 15 minutes. The flour that you fried the liver with will cook down and thicken the stock and pan drippings to form the gravy.

[Schmidt Meister]

I LOVE brussel sprouts but I love them boiled down to a point that is beyond what my wife can stand and then I add bacon, onions and garlic. She loves them roasted with a firmer texture with the same additions. This recipe gives both of us what we want, more so her than me because I still like them done more but I can really enjoy them this way.

Creamy Baked Brussel Sprouts With Cheese And Bacon

Prep: 1 min.
Cook: 9 mins.
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 small onions sliced
2 lbs Brussels sprouts halved
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
5 slices bacon chopped

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Add the butter into a non-stick skillet and place it over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter, onions, and Brussels sprouts and cook for 9-10 minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Take the skillet off the heat. Stir through the heavy cream then sprinkle the cheese and diced bacon over the top. Place it in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to go golden brown. Remove the skillet from the oven and serve immediately with your favorite main course or dinner.

[Schmidt Meister]

The changes to this recipe to make it more appetizing to us was to replace chicken stock with beef stock and replace red onions with any kind of sweet onion, we used Vidalias. As always, we replaced the wine with a little more broth. I've never found that wine or beer does anything positive or appealing to cooked food. Drink the wine/beer with your meal, imho, instead of cooking with it.

Sausage Stuffed Onions

Prep: 50 mins.
Total: 1 hr. 40 mins.
Yield: 6 stuffed onion halves

Ingredients:

3 medium to large Vidalia onions
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 cup white wine
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup beef stock

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil.
Peel the onions and cut them in half along the equator. Cut the bottoms slightly so that the onions can sit cut-side up steadily. Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop the centers out of the onions, leaving around 1/2 inch (or 2 to 3 layers of onion) as the shell and reserve the scooped out onion. (The onions should look like little bowls.) Place the hollowed-out onions in the baking dish. Drizzle the olive oil over them and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roast the onions until they are soft and brown on the tops, about 30 minutes. Let rest until cool enough to handle. (Leave the oven on.)
Meanwhile, roughly chop the reserved onion flesh. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, or more if desired. Reduce the heat to medium and let the onions cook until they are very soft and brown, another 10 to 15 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup wine into the skillet and scrape up any brown bits. Let the wine cook out, then transfer the onions to a large bowl to cool slightly.
Add and combine the sausage with the caramelized onions. Mix in the panko, thyme, garlic, half the Parmesan, half the parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Use a 1/2-cup ice cream scoop or measuring cup to add a heaping half cup of the sausage mixture to each roasted onion. They should be mounded; press everything in to keep it together. Pour the stock and remaining 1/2 cup wine into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the onions from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on the tops of the onions, then bake until the cheese is melted and browning and the sausage is browned, another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, then sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve warm.

[Schmidt Meister]

We got this recipe from Lidia. When I first heard her talking about it I thought we would never try it but we decided to give it a try about 6 months later and it is definitely worth the work it takes. We made it for a family get-together and everybody loved it. Y'all know I never put wine in recipes because I don't consider wine an ingredient, it should be drank alongside the meal. But in this very unusual case, we added it to try an replicate the recipe exactly. The recipe was excellent.

Rice Balls Stuffed With Sausage Ragù - Lidia

Yield: makes about 20

Ingredients:

Ragù:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 links sweet italian sausage, removed from casings
4 ounces chicken livers, cleaned and finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped carrot
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup canned whole san marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup frozen peas, thawed

Rice:

4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups arborio or other short-grain rice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup grated grana padano
        
Coating and frying:

twenty ½-inch cubes fresh mozzarella (from about 4 ounces cheese)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2½ cups fine dried bread crumbs
3 large eggs
kosher salt, for seasoning
vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions:

For the ragù, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausage. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 4 to 5 minutes. Then add the chicken livers, and cook until they’re no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, and celery and 1/4 cup water. Simmer the water away to soften the vegetables a bit, then clear a space in the pan and add the tomato paste. Cook and stir the tomato paste in that spot until it is toasted and darkens a shade or two, a minute or two, before stirring it into the vegetables. Add the wine, bring to a simmer, and add the tomatoes and salt. Simmer, uncovered, until very thick and flavorful, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely. Stir in the peas.
For the rice, bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Add the olive oil, rice, and salt. Simmer, uncovered, until the rice is al dente, about 12 to 13 minutes. Scrape onto a sheet pan to cool. Once it’s cool, put the rice in a large bowl and beat in the eggs and grated cheese.
To form the rice balls, make a mound of rice in your palm and roll into a small ball, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Make a depression in the ball with your thumb, and fill it with a piece of mozzarella and some ragù. Re-form the rice around the filling to seal it in.
Once you’ve filled all of the rice balls (you should get about twenty), place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Spread the flour in a shallow bowl and the bread crumbs in another, and beat the eggs in a third bowl. Season the contents of each bowl with a pinch of salt. Dredge the rice balls in flour, coating evenly, then in egg, then in bread crumbs, and rest them back on the lined sheet pan.
When you are ready to fry, heat 2 inches deep of vegetable oil in a medium Dutch oven to 365 degrees. Fry the rice balls in batches as many fit in pan without crowding, until crisp and golden brown all over, about 4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

[Schmidt Meister]

I believe the government lies to us ALL the damn time about everything. They have been lying about our food since the beginning of time. I hope everyone does their own thinking and research on what you eat and other things you ingest. Don't trust 'em ... remember they tried to use you in a worldwide vaccine experiment ... they don't care about you.

The Brain Needs Animal Fat
Why humans can't thrive on plants alone.

Georgia Ede in Psychology Today 3.31.2019

#1

When you think of animal fat, what comes to mind? Unsightly blobs of cellulite? Artery-clogging strips of gristle to be trimmed off your steak and tossed into the trash? Or a sophisticated substance that contains within it the secret to human intelligence?

We think of fat as bad, the less of it we eat, and the less of it we carry on our bodies, the better, but this isn’t the right way to think about it. Fat is not just for insulation and energy storage, it’s also for nutrient absorption, cell signaling, immune function and many other critical processes. Many people think the main difference between plant and animal fats is that animal-sourced foods contain more saturated fat, but here are a few fun fatty facts that may surprise you:

*All whole plant and animal foods naturally contain a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats.
*Some plant foods are higher in saturated fat than animal foods, with coconut oil topping the charts at 90 percent saturated fat. That’s more than twice the saturated fat found in beef fat (tallow).
*The primary type of fat found in pork is a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) called oleic acid, the same fat found in olive oil.

For decades now, we’ve been told to avoid saturated fats, particularly those from animal foods, and to consume “heart-healthy” cholesterol-free fats from plant foods such as seeds, nuts, and olives. Public health officials say these magical plant fats are rich in important PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) that the human body cannot manufacture and therefore must be obtained from the diet:

*the essential dietary omega-3 is called Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA for short)
*the essential dietary omega-6 is called Linoleic Acid (LA for short).

What often goes unsaid is that both ALA and LA are found in a wide variety of both plant and animal foods, so it is rather easy to obtain both of these PUFAs, regardless of your dietary preferences, so long as you are including enough fat in your diet.
But here’s the rub: our bodies really aren’t looking for ALA and LA; they’re looking for something better. ALA and LA are considered “parent” omegas because they are used to manufacture the omegas we actually need: EPA, DHA and ARA, none of which exist in plant foods.

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is an omega-3 that serves primarily anti-inflammatory and healing functions
ARA (arachidonic acid) is an omega-6 often thought of as a “bad” fatty acid because it promotes inflammation. But ARA shoulders countless other responsibilities, and even promotes healing. [This intriguing, beneficial and much-misunderstood molecule recently stepped into my office for a long overdue therapy session. You can read a transcript of our conversation here.]

Introducing DHA

Our brains are extremely rich in fat. About 2/3 of the human brain is fat, and a full 20% of that fat is a very special essential omega-3 fatty acid called docosahexanoic acid, or DHA.
DHA is an ancient molecule so useful to us and our fellow vertebrates (creatures with backbones) that it has remained unchanged for more than 500 million years of evolution. What makes this particular PUFA so irreplaceable?
DHA’s job description is a lengthy one. Among many other functions, DHA participates in the formation of myelin, the white matter that insulates our brain circuits. It also helps maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which keeps the brain safe from unwanted outside influences.
Perhaps most importantly, DHA is critical to the development of the human cortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher-order thinking. Without DHA, the highly sophisticated connections necessary for sustained attention, decision-making, and complex problem-solving do not form properly. It has been hypothesized that without DHA, consciousness and symbolic thinking, hallmarks of the human race, would be impossible.

DHA plays a “unique and indispensable role” in the “neural signaling essential for higher intelligence.” - Simon Dyall PhD, Lipid Research Scientist Bournemouth University, UK

Professor Michael Crawford, a pioneering British scientist who has been studying essential fatty acids for fifty years, theorizes that DHA’s special configuration lends it unique quantum mechanical properties that allow it to buffer electron flow. This may explain why we find it in places throughout the brain and body where electricity is important: synapses where brain cell signaling takes place; mitochondria, where the electron transport chain is busy turning food into stored energy; and the retina of the eye, where photons of sunlight are transformed into electrical information.
This is a truly miraculous molecule. Plants don’t have it because plants don’t need it.

The most rapid phase of development of the infant cortex takes place between the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy and age two. If enough DHA isn’t available to the baby during this critical 27-month window, it is unclear whether the consequences can be completely undone. In fact we do see lower levels of DHA in people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, including those which manifest early in life, such as autistic spectrum disorders and ADHD.

“Similar to children and adolescents born preterm, patients with ADHD, mood disorders, and psychotic disorders also exhibit decreased frontal white matter tract integrity and reduced functional connectivity within cortical networks. Together these findings support the hypothesis that perinatal deficits in DHA accrual may contribute to diminished cortical circuit development observed in major psychiatric disorders” (McNamara RK 2015).

Plant foods contain absolutely no DHA

For those who choose vegan diets, it is important to know that plant foods contain no DHA. The omega-3 fatty acid found in plant foods like flax, walnut and chia is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Unfortunately, it appears to be rather difficult for the adult human body to make DHA out of ALA, with most studies finding a conversion rate of less than ten percent:

#2
Note that quite a few studies find a conversion rate of zero percent.
 

Whether this pathway can generate adequate amounts of DHA in all adults under all circumstances continues to be a topic of debate. Some scientists have advocated that DHA, rather than ALA, should be officially considered the essential omega-3 fatty acid. Even vocal advocates of plant-based diets such as the authors of the recent EAT-Lancet report acknowledge that it is unclear how much ALA one needs to consume to fulfill DHA requirements.

Indeed, it appears that the fewer animal foods we eat, the lower our DHA levels tend to be:

#3

However, when it comes to children younger than two years old, the science is clear that this conversion pathway cannot and should not be relied upon to keep pace with the DHA demands of the rapidly growing body and brain. Therefore most experts agree that caretakers should provide infants and very young children with dietary or supplemental sources of DHA, as ALA alone is not sufficient to support healthy infant development.

DHA status and intake recommendations are based on blood levels, not brain levels. Unfortunately there is no way to measure brain DHA levels in living human beings, and it’s unclear whether blood levels reflect brain levels.

Bearing this in mind, it has been estimated that as many as 80% of Americans have suboptimal blood levels of DHA.

Include animal-sourced foods in your diet if you can.

The USDA has not established specific DHA intake targets for the general population; instead it recommends everyone consume at least eight ounces of seafood per week. The easiest way to obtain DHA is to include some fatty fish in your diet, but as you can see from the table below, there are other options.

#4

Minimize consumption of vegetable oils.

Nearly all processed foods, prepared hot foods, packaged snacks and convenience foods are made with refined vegetable oils such as soybean or sunflower oil. Most vegetable oils are extremely, unnaturally high in LA (linoleic acid), an omega-6 fatty acid that reduces the production and effectiveness of DHA within your body.  Excess linoleic acid can tilt your immune system too far towards inflammation and away from healing, so there are many reasons to minimize your consumption of vegetable oils. Your best plant oil choices are olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or red palm oil. If you must include refined vegetable oil, canola oil and palm kernel oil are low in linoleic acid. Lowering your vegetable oil intake can increase the availability of DHA in your body, decreasing your need for dietary and/or supplemental DHA. The presence of high amounts of linoleic acid in the typical modern diet may help to explain why so many people appear to have low DHA levels despite the fact that most people do include animal foods in their diet already.

If you choose a plant-based diet, supplement properly.

Thankfully, vegetarian and vegan-friendly DHA supplements extracted from algae are available. [Algae are neither plants nor animals...discuss!] These supplements are more expensive and contain lower concentrations of DHA than fish or krill oil supplements (meaning higher doses are recommended), but may be important for maintaining healthy DHA levels, particularly in mothers and babies during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Directly consuming seaweed and other forms of edible algae instead of taking algae oil extracts is unreliable because it's unclear whether the DHA within these fibrous foods can be released and absorbed by the human body; in other words, the DHA in edible algae may not be bioavailable. All baby formula in the U.S. is supplemented with DHA already, in an effort to mirror human mother's milk, which naturally contains DHA. If weaning your child before age two, be sure to include DHA in your child’s diet as food or supplements.

If you have psychiatric symptoms, consider supplementation.

There have been numerous clinical trials of omega-3 supplements in the management of psychiatric disorders. You may be surprised to hear that most of these studies have generated only weak or mixed results. There are many possible reasons for this, not the least of which may be that the amount of linoleic acid in the diet was not taken into consideration. In other words, taking a decent dose of omega-3s without also lowering your linoleic acid consumption (by avoiding vegetable oils) may not be very helpful. However, supplementation is widely viewed as safe, and some studies noted modest benefits at doses of (combined EPA+DHA) of 1000 to 2000 mg per day, particularly for people with depression.

Unanswered questions.

I titled this post "The Brain Needs Animal Fat" because although DHA does exist in algae, algae are not plants, and we don't know if we can access the DHA within edible algae without special extraction methods. Prior to the availability of algae-derived supplements (which only became available recently), the only pre-formed DHA naturally bioavailable to everyone would have come from animal foods. For those who choose a vegan diet, I fully support and recommend algae-based supplements.
 
It is difficult to be sure precisely how much DHA we need, and both conversion rates and availability can vary significantly depending on age, gender, genetics, and dietary composition.

There are many questions left unanswered that go beyond the scope of this post and that may deserve a follow-up post. For example: if most land animals are extremely low in DHA, does that mean everyone needs to eat seafood? Are wild land animal foods higher in DHA than standard land animal foods we find in the grocery store? How do adults choosing plant-based diets know whether they can rely on their ALA conversion pathway? Could eliminating processed foods and vegetable oils completely eliminate the apparent requirement for animal-sourced DHA (or algae oil supplementation)? Does eating a low-carbohydrate diet affect the conversion rate from ALA to DHA? Should you get tested for omega-3 deficiencies, and if so, how? Are there any disadvantages to obtaining DHA from supplements as opposed to obtaining them from animal foods?

The bottom line about DHA.

Minimizing refined vegetable oils and other processed foods, and either including some animal foods in the diet or supplementing appropriately seem to be reasonable options that likely minimize our risk.
One thing is clear. DHA is a wondrous fatty acid that the human body cannot function without, and it deserves our admiration and respect. While it is important for all of us, when it comes to building the brains of the future, it is precious and irreplaceable.

[DAKA]

On 4/5/2022 at 4:08 AM, Schmidt Meister said:

Okay, explanation, please?

Yeah OK, It might be worth it     (On second thought  PASS)

[Schmidt Meister]

SOUTHERN LIVING article on how to pronounce PECAN.

Hold on to your hats, folks. While the pecan itself is a tasty, rather unassuming nut, the question of how to pronounce it can rile up even the most mild-mannered of Southerners. This is one divisive pronunciation.
How do you say pecan? It's an eternal question, much like "Do you put sugar in your cornbread?" or "Where is over yonder?" Pecans aren't just part of our favorite pies. They're part of the Southern landscape and the fabric of Southern agriculture. You can scarcely have Thanksgiving in the South without a pecan pie, and you can scarcely drive a few miles on the interstate without seeing a roadside stand selling pecans in autumn (the same stands that sell easier-to-pronounce peaches in summer).
Pecans (Carya illinoinensis) are a species of hickory tree in the genus Carya (from "karyon," which is "nut" in ancient Greek). Pecan trees are native to Mexico and the southern United States. Top producers of pecans include Georgia and Texas, though you'll find heirloom pecan pie recipes up and down the region from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast, through Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland, too. There's not a Southern state the pecan hasn't permeated, which makes our culinary landscape slightly crunchier, and leagues more delicious.

To the question at hand: What accounts for the differences in pecan pronunciation? It's not a regional difference or a state difference, because if you visit any neighborhood in the South, you're sure to find next-door neighbors who pronounce the word differently. The way we see it, or hear it, in this case, there are six widely used pronunciations for the word pecan. (But if you have others, we'd love to know.) In no particular order, they are:

pah-KAHN
puh-CAN
PEE-can
PEE-kahn
pee-KAHN
pee-CAN

Whew. That's quite a few options, though of course are countless more possibilities out there. Which pecan camp are you in? Do you pronounce the rounded vowels of puh-KAHN or the smiling annunciation of PEE-can?

Now, this isn't scientific. We don't have full-fledged polling data to back it up, but we did ask the Southern Living office, and pronunciations here are rather varied. Of those polled, 10 people say puh-KAHN, 4 say PEE-can, and 2 say puh-can or puh-CAN, a hybrid of the former pronunciations with two similarly stressed syllables. That doesn't quite match up with the findings of the National Pecan Shellers Association. When they conducted a pronunciation poll, they found that 45 percent of Southerners and around 70 percent of Northerners say PEE-can.

Although, to avoid the pronunciation issue, you could always just call them Carya illinoinensis, though, admittedly, not everyone will be in the know. Also, "Carya illinoinensis pie" isn't nearly as catchy to say as pecan pie (or as easy to spell).
No matter which way you say it, or which way you slice it, pecans make perfect pies, and they provide plenty of conversation once you hear a differing pronunciation. That's the beauty of pecans. We all have our own inflections and emphases, but they're delicious all the same. There are a million and one ways to say it, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

https://www.southernliving.com/culture/pecan-pronunciation

 

[Schmidt Meister]

I've got to add it to the recipe ... my wife loves to sprinkle a small amount of cinnamon over the top before putting it in the oven.

Easy Peach Cobbler*

Ingredients:

1 large can (28 or 29 oz) of peaches - do not drain

1 cup milk

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt stick of butter in 9 x 13 inch pan (I just stick it in the oven while it is preheating).
Mix together dry ingredients until blended. Pour in milk and stir until blended again. After butter is melted, take out of oven and pour batter on top of butter,
DON'T STIR.
Spread peaches, including syrup, evenly over melted butter/batter mixture. DO NOT STIR!
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until it's set in the center and golden.
*Can also use WITH other fruits, especially blackberries.

[Schmidt Meister]

I LOVE soups like this. You could cook a little meat, hamburger or ground pork, and add to this, but I love it just like this most of the time.

Rice And Potato Soup - Lidia

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 potatoes, peeled and diced small
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, cut into disks
2 ribs celery, halved crosswise
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 cups hot vegetable stock (see here)
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup long-grain rice
grated parmigiano

*options
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced or minced onions

Instructions:

In a deep pot or large saucepan, cook the potatoes in the olive oil, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and cook 3-4 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Ok if the potatoes stick a little as long as they don’t burn. Add the tomato paste, garlic, hot vegetable stock, bay leaves, salt and pepper and any *options. Cover the pot and simmer 40 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook 12 minutes longer, until the rice is tender. Remove and discard the celery and bay leaves, adjust the seasoning, and serve sprinkled with grated cheese.

[Schmidt Meister]

My wife usually halves this recipe, there are only two of us ... except for the glaze, I absolutely refuse to allow her to cut down on my glaze, lol.

Easy Breakfast Cheese Danish

Ingredients:

2 cans ready to use refrigerated crescent rolls
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white

Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13X9-inch baking pan. Lay a pack of crescent rolls in the pan and pinch the openings together. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg together until smooth. Spread the mixture over the crescent rolls evenly and then lay the second pack of crescent rolls on top of the cheese mixture and brush with egg white. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Top with glaze after cooling for 20 minutes.

If you halve the recipe, you still use 1 egg and 1 egg white and cut the time down to 30-35 minutes.

[Schmidt Meister]

I know some people can't stand MW, my wife is one of them. She prefers to never eat the stuff. I like it on certain foods and my wife will sometimes make two batches of certain things to make both of us happy. Potato salad is just one of several things she separates before adding the MW or Mayo. She also DOES NOT like Kraft Sandwich Spread that I use on sammiches that have ham on them. I like the stuff on certain foods. I've never tried the vegan version of mayo because ... why the hell would I do that? My wife would probably have a stroke if I mentioned trying anything just because it was vegan, lol. And I haven't tried any of the 'blends' yet. I can just mix that stuff myself to my proportions if I want. I do like to eat a MW/Catsup 3/4-1/4 blend with fried potatoes, like french fries. The last is is just a gratuitous scene from Airplane, at the Mayo Clinic.

Miracle Whip - The Story

It's mayonnaise's sweeter, spicier, and all-American little sibling: Miracle Whip. You can make mayonnaise at home, but Kraft needed a special machine (called, not coincidentally, a Miracle Whip) to develop the emulsified, fluffy "salad dressing" loved by millions of Americans (and probably loathed by just as many). Miracle Whip is a product of America's love affair with industrialized food in the 20th century, much like Jell-O salads and Kraft macaroni & cheese.
Miracle Whip’s history is rooted in the mayonnaise business. Kraft, which invented Miracle Whip, got its start in the cheese business, and decided to start selling mayonnaise in 1926. Rather than starting from scratch they purchased four regional mayonnaise producers around the country, changed the name on the label, and eventually did well selling mayo.

Miracle Whip's journey has taken it from the Chicago World's Fair to the fridges of Depression-era America. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, but you certainly couldn't accuse it of being boring. Whether you like Miracle Whip's distinctive taste or prefer the comforting creaminess of mayonnaise (or like both in different contexts) this spread's story is one worth telling.

According to Kraft's official history, Miracle Whip's first public appearance was at the 1933 World's Fair. Per Dining Chicago, that fair was dubbed the Century of Progress Exposition. Held in Chicago's Northerly Island, the Exposition was meant to showcase the wondrous products and innovations American industry was able to create (via Encyclopedia of Chicago). Its other purpose was to distract Americans from the hardships of the Great Depression and show that there were still positive developments happening in the world. Kraft's futuristic, industrially-made mayonnaise replacement would have fit right in with the consumer paradise the Exposition was selling to the public.
There is an alternate history of Miracle Whip as well. According to Salem, Illinois' website, Kraft actually bought the recipe for the dressing from the Salem restaurant Max Crossett's Cafe in 1931. Dining Chicago clarifies that this origin story is just a myth and that Kraft developed Miracle Whip in-house. There is a nugget of truth to the story, however: When Kraft decided to develop a jarred mayonnaise, the company bought several recipes from smaller businesses in order to perfect its own product.

Kraft actually started making mayonnaise before it developed Miracle Whip. The company's mayonnaise business dates back to 1926. While mayonnaise did well for Kraft at first, the onset of the Great Depression tanked the condiment's sales. With households looking to save money wherever possible, many people realized it was cheaper to just make mayo at home instead of buying the jarred stuff.
The sudden drop in mayo sales inspired Kraft to come up with a product that was mayo-like that the company could sell at a higher profit margin. According to Dining Chicago, a Kraft employee named Charles Chapman invented a machine that could emulsify different ingredients together into a creamy mixture. This machine, which Kraft displayed at the Century of Progress Exposition alongside its new mayo substitute, was called the Miracle Whip, which is how the spread got its name. Kraft's mayonnaise alternative was an instant success, becoming the nation's best-selling salad dressing within half a year of its debut (yes, it was marketed as a salad dressing).

Although Miracle Whip was in some ways an innovative product at the time it was released, it was also based on a very old-fashioned food. Miracle Whip is basically a blend of mayonnaise and boiled salad dressing (via Dining Chicago). Although you don't see homemade boiled dressing on many dinner tables these days, it used to be a household staple. According to Cook's Info, in the days before mass-produced vegetable oil (a necessary ingredient for making mayonnaise) or jarred mayonnaise was widely available, boiled dressing was the easiest, most cost-effective way for cooks to make a creamy, mayo-like sauce at home.
Although there are many variations on boiled dressing, it always starts with a base of eggs and vinegar emulsified with some kind of liquid, generally water, milk, or cream. This mixture is seasoned with sugar, salt, and spices, then cooked until thick. Often, a little starch is added as well to thicken the mixture even more and stabilize the emulsion.

Miracle Whip contains many of the same ingredients as mayonnaise, like eggs, oil, and vinegar, but it cannot legally be sold as mayo in the U.S. The main difference between Miracle Whip and mayonnaise comes down to the amount of oil that is used. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration mandates that mayonnaise must be at least 65% oil. Miracle Whip falls below that threshold, which is why it's labeled as dressing instead of mayo.
Although it can't legally be called mayonnaise, Miracle Whip can be used in pretty much any context you would use mayonnaise in, from spreading on sandwiches to dressing potato salad. However, dishes made with Miracle Whip will not taste the same as if you made them with mayo. Miracle Whip has a distinctively tangy flavor with more sweetness than traditional mayo, and that taste will come through in your recipes. It's also more assertively seasoned with spices, so its flavor is less neutral than that of traditional mayonnaise.
Miracle Whip may be sweet, but it's not really dessert-level sweet. It still definitely tastes like something you'd want in a creamy salad or on a sandwich rather than something you'd add to a dessert. Despite this fact, creative home cooks have found a way to put Miracle Whip in places you'd never expect. One example is this recipe for Miracle Whip chocolate cake written by a homemaker living in Texas sometime in the mid-20th century (via Texas Hill Country). The instructions say to beat the Miracle Whip and sugar together to start the batter, with the Miracle Whip taking the place of a more traditional fat source like butter or oil.

America doesn't have a monopoly on packaged mayo-like salad dressings. According to Cook's Info, the U.K. is mad about salad cream, a bottled boiled dressing. Salad cream actually predates Miracle Whip by a couple of decades. Per The Guardian, Heinz released the product in 1914 after a long period of research and experimentation. It was Heinz's first U.K.-exclusive food.

Mayo, Florida is a tiny city that serves as the seat of government in Lafayette county. Although the town is actually named after a Confederate colonel and not the creamy egg-based spread, Kraft still saw Mayo's name as a marketing opportunity. The company paid up to $25,000 to temporarily rename the town Miracle Whip as a marketing stunt. The original plan was to secretly change the town's signage and surprise its residents with the Miracle Whip rebranding. Kraft even wanted to send a camera crew to the town to film humorous attempts to confiscate the mayonnaise from residents' fridges and replace it with Miracle Whip.
However, the plan ran into a few snags. For one, as anyone who grew up in a town with under 2,000 people can tell you, it's almost impossible to keep secrets in a community of that size. Also, Mayo's city council may have actually violated state law by meeting with representatives from Kraft in secret. All city council meetings in the Sunshine State are supposed to be open to the public.
Mayo may have possibly sold its naming rights too cheaply as well. Granville, North Dakota, sold its name to the schnapps company McGillicuddy (formerly the makers of Fireball) for the princely sum of $100,000 way back in the 1990s. That sure makes it seem like Kraft got a great deal by offering only $15,000-$25,000 to Mayo.

If you've never had Miracle Whip before, you might be surprised by its sweet, tangy flavor. On the other hand, the spread has passionate defenders who insist that it's better than mayo.
While the culinary merits of Miracle Whip may be subjective, there's no room for arguing about the hard numbers of its nutritional facts. In pure caloric terms, Miracle Whip is significantly lighter than Kraft mayo, coming in at a mere 40 calories per 1-tablespoon serving versus mayo's 90 calories. Miracle Whip is also lower in fat and saturated fat, with 3.5 grams and 0.5 grams of each per serving. In contrast, mayonnaise has 10 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of which are saturated.
Of course, nutritional value can't be measured in fat and calories alone. As you would expect given its sweet taste, Miracle Whip has more sugar than mayonnaise. And while Kraft mayo is made with regular granulated sugar, Miracle Whip uses high fructose corn syrup, which may be worse for you. That said, there's still only one gram of sugar in each serving of Miracle Whip, so the sugar content probably isn't a huge concern unless you're dead-set on eliminating high fructose corn syrup from your diet or are avoiding carbs entirely.

[Schmidt Meister]

Patty Melt - World's Best - George Motz

(My personal opinion … George probably smokes a little dope, just sayin’. You’ll understand if you watch the video.)

BUT, poaching the burger DOES make the best patty melt I’ve ever had, bar none.

From his video: Burger Scholar George Motz teaches you how to cook his favorite patty melt! Motz says this is the burger he dreams about all the time, and you'll quickly learn why it's so unique. Borrowing a method from Wisconsin burger shacks, Motz poaches the hamburger patty in beef stock and slides it in between a grilled cheese. This is truly regional hamburger nirvana.

Basic Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup beef broth, mol
1 med onion, sliced or chopped. I prefer thinner than what George does.
hamburger mol+ 1/4 lb. per burger, smashed to approximately 3/8” (or less)
Worcestershire sauce*, just a splash, optional. George does not use it.
bread, 2 slices per. We used rye, George can kiss my ass.
cheese, 2 slices per. Your choice, George used American singles. (I use what I have, the last time it was Monterey Jack and Colby Jack.)

Instructions:

In med frying pan, pour broth into pan and add onions. Cook until onions are translucent, more than in video. (I hate raw onions, you do you.) When onions are translucent, add burger. While burgers are poaching, prepare bread by buttering and place on griddle, buttered side down, or whatever you do when you fix grilled cheese. While bread is toasting, place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. When burger is done, remove patty from pan and place on top of the cheese and scoop onions on top. Place other slice of bread on top and press together, remove from griddle and eat.
We used leftover broth as au jus.

 

[Schmidt Meister]

Sausage, Rotel And Cream Cheese Crescents

Ingredients:

1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies drained very well
2 8 oz. cans refrigerated crescent rolls
 
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Mix sausage, cream cheese, and drained Rotel tomatoes and green chilies together.
Separate rolls into triangles. Cut each triangle in half lengthwise making two triangles. Using a small cookie scoop and scoop sausage filling onto each roll and roll up.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
 
Notes:

It is very important to drain the Rotel tomatoes. I suggest draining them in a colander and squeezing out any excess liquid with paper towels. You need to get as much moisture out of the tomatoes as possible.
I used Jimmy Dean Sausage.
I like to pulse the cooked sausage in a food processor to get it very finely chopped. It isn’t necessary, but it helps to get all of the ingredients evenly incorporated.
You can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to assemble the crescents. The filling will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
I find it easier to cut the crescent rolls in half with a pizza cutter.

[Schmidt Meister]

I've said before, I love soup. I love V8. We use V8 in place of some of the broth in this soup and it just warms you completely in my opinion and the V8 elevates it to another level.

V8 Beef And Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 46-ounce container V8 juice
1 46-ounce beef broth
2 or 3 large potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, cubed or coined
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 can corn*
1 can green beans*
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

*or equivalent fresh or frozen

Instructions:

Sauté onions with butter, olive oil and salt and pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat until partially translucent and then add garlic. Add ground beef and brown and set aside once cooked.
In slow cooker combine beef mixture, V8, broth, and vegetables. Add broth to completely cover ingredients.
Set slow cooker to low and cook for 6 hours or set to high for 3 hours.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

[Schmidt Meister]

We cooked the meatloaf a few minutes longer than the recipe called for because it was a little 'wet' to us. Otherwise this is an excellent recipe. We usually cook our meatloaf and mashed potatoes separately and this recipe is more like recipes for Cottage Pie.

Meatloaf With Mashed Potatoes And Cheese

Ingredients:

Meat Loaf:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow or sweet onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
 
Mashed Potato:

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled, chopped
4 tbsps. butter, divided
1/4 cup milk or whipping cream
3/4 to 1 cup grated cheddar depends on how cheesy you want
salt and pepper to taste
 
Instructions:

Heat oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare potatoes: Cook potato in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well. Return to pan over low heat. Add 3 tbsps. butter and milk. Mash until smooth. Add cheese. Season.
Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 3” deep, 4 1/2” x 8 1/2” loaf pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper 3” above edges of the pan. Place ground beef, peas, egg, breadcrumbs, barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Spoon the mixture into prepared pan, pressing with the back of a spoon to level.
Step 4 :
Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and almost cooked through. Remove from the oven.  Spoon mashed potato on top of meatloaf. Dot with remaining butter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until potato is golden. Stand meatloaf in the pan for 10 minutes. Serve.

[Schmidt Meister]

Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots - Skewers

Prep: 15 mins.
Cook: 50 mins.
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

12 strips bacon cut in half
24 tater tots slightly thawed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder cayenne pepper, or Cajun spice (optional)
2 jalapeno peppers cored and slivered (optional)

Instructions:

Spread tater tots out on a plate and allow to thaw about 15 minutes at room temperature. Cut the bacon strips in half.
Loosely roll a strip of bacon around a tot with a sliver of jalapeño if desired. Be careful not to wrap the tot to tight as the bacon will tighten up around it as it cooks.
Slide the wrapped tots onto a skewer leaving about an inch between them to allow the bacon to crisp on all sides.
Place the skewers on a wire rack on top of a baking pan with an edge to catch the drippings.
Sprinkle with chili powder, cayenne pepper, or Cajun spice if desired. I prefer to eat mine with a mustard aioli.
Place pan in a 400 degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes, or until bacon is crisped.
Remove the tots from the skewers and serve.