Dinner 22: Maryland

Menu

Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham
Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes with Old Bay Seasoning
Barbecued Green Beans
Smith Island Cake

Review

I chose Maryland next because we were going to visit Granddad and I wanted something with a really good dessert. Mommy said Maryland had a cake with a lot of layers that would be fun to try, so that's why I chose it! I also chose stuffed ham, roast potatoes with a special kind of spices, and green beans with a sauce on them.

Mommy and Granddad made the stuffed ham - it was really big and they had to find a really big pot to cook it in! And it had to cook for a long time. It smelled really good and made me very hungry by the time it was dinnertime.

Making the cake was funny because each layer was made in its own pan. But we only had three pans, so it took a lot of time to make them all. Mommy also made the layers a little bit too thick, so we only had five layers, but it was still yummy!

I liked the ham, but not the stuffing part, which was a bit funny tasting to me. I really liked the potatoes, and the green beans were okay, but I didn't really like the sauce on them. It's weird to eat green beans with a sauce. The cake was the best part! It was sooooooo yummy!

Recipes

Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham

(original recipe from GroupRecipes)

8 pound bone-in ham
1 head cabbage
2 pounds kale
1 pound onions
1 bunch scallions
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons mustard seed
2 tablespoons celery salt
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon salt
cheesecloth

Finely chop onions and greens. Mix with seasonings and set aside.

Cut 2-inch slits, on a 45 degree angle, in the ham. Press the stuffing into the slits until they will hold no more.

Wrap the ham in cheesecloth and add any leftover stuffing.

Put the ham in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer for 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F.

Turn off the heat and let the ham cool in the water for about 2 hours. Remove and drain.

Chill ham in the refrigerator, and serve cold.

Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes with Old Bay Seasoning

(original recipe from Cook Smarts)

2 pounds new potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 500F.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt. Cover with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Steam the potatoes for 10 minutes.

Remove foil and toss the potatoes with olive oil and Old Bay seasoning. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until crispy.

Barbecued Green Beans

(original recipe from Food.com)

4 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 pound green beans

Preheat oven to 350F. 

In a small saucepan, cook bacon and onion until the onion softens. 

Add ketchup, brown sugar and soy sauce. Simmer 10 minutes.

In a casserole, combine beans and sauce. Bake for 20 minutes.

Smith Island Cake

(original recipe from Visit Somerset)

Cake:
2 cups soy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup soy margarine
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup water

Icing:
1 cup soy milk
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease several 9-inch pans and set aside.

Whisk together soy milk and vinegar. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together margarine and sugar. Slowly add soy milk mixture and beat until smooth.

In a second bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add, one cup at a time, to the margarine mixture. With the mixer running, slowly add the vanilla and water. Mix until just combined.

Put three serving spoonfuls of batter in each of the prepared pans, using the back of the spoon to spread the batter evenly. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 8 minutes. When you remove the layers from the oven, hold them near your ear. If they don't sizzle, they're done.

Let the layers cool a few minutes in the pan. Then remove and set aside to cool completely. Prepare the pan for another layer, if necessary.

To make the icing, bring the soy milk to a gentle boil in a small saucepan, then immediately remove from heat. Add chocolate and maple syrup, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted and the icing is smooth. Set aside.

Assemble the cake as the layers cool. Use 2-3 serving spoonfuls of icing between layers and cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing.

Dinner 21: Wisconsin

Menu

Brats and Beer Cheddar Chowder
Potato Pancakes
Spinach Salad and Hot Bacon Dressing
State Fair Cream Puffs

Review

I chose Wisconsin for our next state because my map had pictures of cheese and milk on it, and I wanted to make it a challenge for my mom to find recipes to choose from! We ended up choosing a soup that usually has cheese in it, but we used soy cheese. It also had sausages in it. Then I wanted the potato pancakes because they sounded yummy, spinach and bacon salad, because it had bacon in it, and the cream puffs because they looked really good in the picture.

The best part of dinner was the potato pancakes! I had two extra ones! They were so yummy! I also liked the soup and the salad, but not as much as the potato pancakes. And I liked the salad more than the soup, which is funny, because I usually like soup better than salad! The cream puffs for dessert were really good, too! I had two of them! Yum!

Recipes

Brats and Beer Cheddar Chowder

(original recipe from Midwest Living)

2 tablespoons soy margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, shredded
3 large shallots, chopped
1/3 cup flour
1 3/4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
10 ounces shredded cheddar soy cheese
4 cooked smoked bratwurst, halved lengthwise and sliced
12 ounces ale

In a large saucepan, heat the margarine over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and shallots. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes until the onion is very soft and golden.

Add the flour to the pan and stir to coat the vegetables. Slowly add the stock, stirring continuously. Add the soy milk, caraway seeds and pepper. Cook, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens.

Gradually stir in the soy cheese and cook until the cheese is completely melted, but do not allow the soup to boil. Stir in the bratwurst and beer. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through.

Potato Pancakes

(original recipe from Food.com)

3 large potatoes, peeled, finely shredded and well drained
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
oil, for frying

In a mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, onion and dry ingredients. Roughly stir, smashing the potatoes until tender and until the batter is well mixed.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a preheated, generously oiled skillet. Brown on both sides.

Spinach Salad and Hot Bacon Dressing

(original recipe from The Bratwurst Pages)

1 pound spinach, washed and trimmed
6 slices bacon, sliced crosswise
4 green onions, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place spinach in a serving bowl and set aside.

Brown bacon in a large heavy skillet until crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add green onions and garlic to the bacon drippings and sauté over low heat for about 2 minutes. Mix in ketchup, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour over spinach, add bacon bits and toss well to mix.

State Fair Cream Puffs

(original recipe from Taste of Home)

For puffs:
1 cup water
1/2 cup soy margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water
3 tablespoons soy milk

For pastry cream:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup soy milk
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Bring water, margarine and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat and let stand 5 minutes. Slowly add the yeast mixture and soy milk, beating until a smooth, very thick paste forms.

Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks and immediately slice open to allow steam to escape. Cool completely.

To make the pastry cream, whisk together the cornstarch and soy milk in a small saucepan until no lumps remain. Bring to just below a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Once it thickens to the consistency of pudding (this happens very quickly once it begins to thicken), remove from heat and stir vigorously until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the shortening and sugar on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and continue to beat while adding the cooled soy milk mixture. Beat for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. Set aside.

Fill the puffs with pastry cream just before serving.

Dinner 20: Michigan

Menu

Detroit-Style Coney Dogs
Michigan Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette
Mackinac Island Fudge

Review

I chose Michigan next because it starts with 'M' like Minnesota did and because the state is split into two parts, which is kind of neat. For the food, I chose a kind of hot dog with sauce called a Coney Dog. It's funny because it's named for a place in New York, even though it's from Michigan. I also chose a salad with cherries and apples and fudge for dessert.

I liked everything except for the salad dressing. The hot dogs were good - they look kind of like the hot dogs we had from Rhode Island, but I liked these ones a lot more! I liked the salad part of the salad and the cherries and apples were yummy, but the dressing was too much flavor and a little bit sour. The fudge was really good, though. We got to have big pieces, too, and there was lots left over, which was good, too!

Recipes

Detroit-Style Coney Dogs

(original recipe from allrecipes.com)

4 hot dogs with natural casings
4 hot dog rolls
1 small onion, diced
10 ounces Detroit Coney Sauce (recipe follows)
yellow mustard, to taste

Grill hot dogs to taste.

Place hot dogs on buns, top with Coney sauce, onion and mustard.

Detroit Coney Sauce

(original recipe from Great Lakes, Better Food)

1/2 pound ground beef
1 hot dog, casing removed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon soy margarine
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup beef stock
1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Brown the beef and hot dog in a large Dutch oven. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Using the same Dutch oven, melt butter, whisk in flour to create a roux. Once the roux turns lithely brown, slowly add the stock, whisking constantly. Add all remaining ingredients and the beef mixture. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce has a thick consistency.

Michigan Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette

(original recipe from Loaded Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups frozen unsweetened tart cherries
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup dried cherries
3 tablespoons honey
1 large shallot, quartered
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

1 bag mixed greens
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
dried cherries
shredded soy cheese

Put the frozen cherries in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries and juices are reduced to about 1/2 cup.

Combine the cooked cherries with the remaining ingredients, except the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil, blending continuously, until the sauce thickens. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, toss the salad ingredients together, drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Mackinac Island Fudge

(original recipe from GroupRecipes)

1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup soy margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa

Mix soy milk, margarine, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt in a heavy pan. Cook at medium heat until boiling. Boil for exactly 6 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth and thick.

Pour into a greased pan and freeze for 20 minutes.

Cut into pieces.