Dinner 11: New York

Menu

New York Style Pizza
Buffalo Wings
Saratoga Chips
Cheesecake

Justin's Review

I chose New York next because we drive through it a lot and I wanted to know what kind of food they have. There were a lot of foods to choose from, but I decided to have pizza, chicken wings, chips and cheesecake. Only we didn't use real cheese for the pizza or cheesecake.

I went shopping with Daddy - I thought it was going to be hard to find chicken wings, but it wasn't. Then I helped make the pizza by putting the soy cheese on it. I also helped with the cheesecake, by telling Mommy where to put the strawberries on it for decoration.

My favorite things were the pizza and the chips - they were really good. I also liked the chicken wings, but they were tricky to eat, and the cheesecake was good, too.  Everything was yummy! What was kind of funny was that we ate it while watching football on tv, because Daddy said it was football food and his favorite team was playing.

Recipes

New York Style Pizza

(original recipe from feeling foodish)

14 ounces all purpose flour
8.7 ounces water (cool to room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
Pizza sauce (recipe follows)
Shredded soy mozzarella cheese

Combine flour, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water and mix until all the flour has been incorporated, then add oil and knead for 5 minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal balls. Place each one into a lightly oiled freezer bag and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator 2 hours before baking to allow them to warm to room temperature.

Preheat the oven and pizza stone to 450 degrees.

Shape each dough ball into a 14" round pie and place on parchment paper. Top with pizza sauce and soy cheese.

Transfer pizza to the hot pizza stone and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

New York Style Pizza Sauce

(original recipe from serious eats)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soy margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch salt
28 ounces puréed tomatoes
2 six-inch springs of fresh basil, leaves attached
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
1 teaspoon sugar

Heat oil and margarine over medium-low heat until margarine is melted. Add garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and salt, and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant.

Add tomatoes, basil, onion halves and sugar. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced by half, about 1 hour. Allow to cool before using.

Buffalo Wings

(original recipe from allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 chicken wings
1/4 cup soy margarine
1/4 cup hot sauce
ground black pepper, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
oil, for frying

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt.

Coat chicken wings with flour mixture and place in a large glass dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In a small saucepan, combine soy margarine, hot sauce, pepper and garlic powder. Cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat oil to 375 degrees. In small batches, fry chicken wings for 10 minutes, or until the wings begin to brown. With a slotted spoon, remove wings and place in a serving dish. Add hot sauce mixture and stir to coat wings.

Saratoga Chips

(original recipe from Food.com)

4 large potatoes
ice water
oil, for frying
salt, to taste

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Submerge the slices in ice water, separating the slices to rinse off the starch. Allow to sit for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees.

Drain the potatoes and pat dry using paper towels. Make sure the potato slices are completely dry.

Fry the potatoes in small batches until golden.

Drain the potatoes and season with salt.

Cheesecake

(original recipe from About Food)

1 graham cracker crust
1/4 cup egg replacer powder
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water
24 ounces soy cream cheese
1 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
8 fresh strawberries, hulled and left whole
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the egg replacer powder and hot water, beating until slightly stiff. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the soy cream cheese and 3/4 cups of the sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg replacer mixture and beat for 2 more minutes. Add the vanilla and beat 1 more minute.

Pour the filling into the crust, smoothing the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 275 degrees and leave the oven door open for 3 minutes. Continue baking for 40 more minutes, until lightly golden. Allow the cheesecake to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine the chopped strawberries and 1/4 cup of sugar, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Cook, stirring often, until the strawberries are soft and a thin syrup develops. Add the corn starch mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick, but still syrupy. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Coat whole strawberries in the cooled syrup and place around the top of the cheesecake. Drizzle the remaining syrup over the cheesecake. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Dinner 10: Missouri

Menu

Kansas City-Style Spareribs
Missouri Skillet Cornbread
Savory Skillet Succotash
Gooey (Not)Butter Cake

Justin's Review

I chose Missouri because it's next to Kansas on the map and I thought the food would be just as yummy. The recipes I chose were ribs, cornbread, succotash and a butter cake that we didn't make with butter.

Daddy and I had to go to a whole bunch of different stores before we found one that still had ribs for sale. Then, after Mommy got the ribs ready, Daddy grilled them, even though it was cold outside. I think we were the only people grilling in our whole city!

I really liked the ribs, but they were a little salty, so Mommy rubbed some of the sauce off and then I liked them even more. I liked the cornbread, too, and the succotash, which was vegetables and potatoes. I liked the dessert best - it was really gooey! It was so sweet, it was like eating candy, even though it's not Halloween yet!

Recipes

Kansas City-Style Spareribs

(original recipe from Top Ribs)

3-4 pounds spareribs
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
3/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup bourbon

Prepare ribs by removing the membrane and trimming off any excess fat.

Combine sugar, paprika, salt, lemon pepper and garlic in a bowl. Blend well.

Generously rub the spice mix into the meat on both sides of the ribs. Let the ribs cure in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 2 hours.

In a spray bottle, combine the cider and bourbon. Shake the bottle to mix.

Set up the grill for indirect grilling. Place a drip pan in the center and get the coals up to a medium heat.

Place the ribs, bone side down, in the center of the grill. Grill until the meat is well browned and tender, about 2 hours, spraying with the cider-bourbon mixture every 30 minutes.

Missouri Skillet Cornbread

(original recipe from Kitchen Daily)

1 1/2 cup soy milk
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 slices bacon
4 scallions, minced
4 tablespoons soy margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the soy milk mixture to the cornmeal mixture, stirring until well blended.

Fry the bacon in a cast-iron skillet until crispy. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Add the scallions to the skillet and sauté for 1 minute, then transfer to the cornmeal batter. Crumble the bacon and add to the batter, along with the melted margarine. Pour the batter into the hot skillet.

Immediately transfer the skillet to the middle rack of the oven. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

Savory Skillet Succotash

(original recipe from Midwest Living)

5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium potato, peeled and sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup yellow corn
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Layer the potatoes and carrots in the skillet. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover, turn the vegetables and cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes, turning occasionally. Remove to a paper towel to drain and set aside.

Return the skillet to the heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté the onion until transparent. Return the vegetables to the pan, stirring gently. Drizzle with remaining oil and season to taste.

Gooey (Not)Butter Cake

(original recipe from Midwest Living)

1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup soy margarine
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup light corn syrup
6 ounces soy cream cheese
powdered sugar (for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and 3 tablespoons sugar. Cut in the 1/3 cup butter until the mixture forms small crumbs and begins to stick together. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9x2 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the remaining sugar and margarine until well combined. Beat in the corn syrup and soy cream cheese until smooth. Spread the batter evenly to the edges of the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Dinner 9: Montana

Menu

Venison Pasty
Rutabaga Oven Fries
Huckleberry Pie

Justin's Review

I chose the state of Montana next because I thought it would be a good one - and it was!

We had venison pasties, french fries made with a purple vegetable called a rutabaga, and huckleberry pie, which was also purple! Mommy had to buy the huckleberries online, because we can't get them in the store here. She got a jar of pie filling that was already made, but you could still see the berries in it - they looked like little blueberries!

We made the dinner at my Granddad's in Canada because it was Canadian Thanksgiving. It was fun to have the dinner with him!

I liked all the food from Montana! I even liked the extra pasties as leftovers the next day! The food was really good. I think the pie was my favorite part, though. And I'd like to have the rutabaga fries again, too.

Recipes

Venison Pasty

(original recipes from Maria's Farm Country Kitchen and Visit Montana, see "Elk Pasties")

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus a dab cold lard
2/3 cup water
1 pound ground venison
1/2 pound ground pork
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Mix together the flour and salt. Cut in the lard. Add water, a bit at a time, until the dough holds together well.

In a separate bowl, combine venison, pork, potatoes, onion and salt and pepper.

Divide the dough into 4 balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough balls. Divide the meat mixture and add to each pasty. Fold the dough over and crimp the edges.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 375F and bake for another 45 minutes.

Rutabaga Oven Fries

(original recipe from allrecipes.com)

1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into spears
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Toss rutabaga spears with oil, rosemary, garlic and salt, until evenly coated.

Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until desired crispness.

Huckleberry Pie

(original recipe from Huckleberry Haven - from jar of pie filling)

1 42 ounce jar of huckleberry pie filling (as we couldn't get huckleberries locally)
1 double 9" pie shell

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Pour filling into a pie shell. Cover with the the top crust and cut vents to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 60 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Dinner 8: Kansas

Menu

Cozy Inn Smashed Sliders
Corn Spoon Bread
Campfire Asparagus
Kansas Dirt Cake (or Pie!)

Justin's Review

I chose Kansas next, because it's kind of in the middle of the map and we hadn't had any middle states yet. I chose sliders, which are like little hamburgers, a corn bread that was kind of like pudding, asparagus and dirt cake, which was really good!

I mostly just helped make the dirt cake, which was actually kind of like a pie with pudding and some stuff like frosting in it. I got to mix it all up with the mixer. I also got to crush the cookies with a wooden thing like a square hammer until they looked like dirt. And then put that on top of the pie and froze it.

I really liked the food from Kansas, I think it was my second favorite state, after Maine. I just didn't like the mushrooms that were in with the asparagus, and the corn part was a little different. But the burgers and asparagus were really good, and I did like the corn thing, even if it was weird to eat bread with a spoon. The best part of the whole dinner was the dirt cake. It was soooooo yummy. I loved it!

Recipes

Cozy Inn Smashed Sliders

(original recipe from Food Network)

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
18 slider buns
Dill pickle slices, ketchup and mustard, for topping

Form the meat into 18 golf ball sized balls.

Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the skillet and smash them with a spatula. Sprinkle salt, pepper and onion over the patties and cook for 1 minute. Flip the burgers and smash the patties again. Cook for 1 more minute. Steam the buns on top of the patties for a few seconds, then serve the burgers on the buns, topped with pickles, ketchup and mustard.

Corn Spoon Bread

(original recipe from Food Network)

1 cup soy milk
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar soy cheese, divided
1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs worth of egg replacer
2 tablespoons of soy margarine, cut into small pieces
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 1-quart baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, cornmeal and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in half the soy cheese, and the corn, green onions, garlic and egg replacer. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Top with pieces of margarine, the red pepper flakes and the remaining soy cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Campfire Asparagus

(original recipe from Travel Kansas)

1/4 cup soy margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
2 pounds fresh asparagus, cut into 2-inch sections
2 tablespoons water
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
Sesame seeds, to taste
Salt, to taste
Lemon pepper, to taste

Melt the margarine in a heavy skillet. Saute the onion until transparent. Add the asparagus, reserving the tips, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the water, cover and steam for 1 minute. Add the asparagus tips, mushrooms, sesame seeds, salt and lemon pepper and stir until well blended. Cook until mushrooms are heated through and the asparagus is bright in color and still slightly crisp.

Kansas Dirt Cake (or Pie!)

(original recipe from Food.com)

1 prepared Oreo crust
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 1/4 cups soy milk
4 ounces soy cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup margarine
6 ounces dairy free whipped topping (we used this recipe: Dairy Free Whipped Cream Frosting)
15 Oreo cookies

Mix together the pudding powder and soy milk. Chill until set.

Cream together the soy cream cheese, margarine and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the pudding and whipped topping. Spread the mixture to fill the crust.

Crush the Oreo cookies until it's mostly crumbs and only a few very small pieces remain. Top the pie with the crumbs.

Freeze at least 8 hours before serving.