Dinner 25: New Jersey

Menu

Ripper with Chili
Disco Fries
Diner Salad
Saltwater Taffy

Review

I chose New Jersey next just because I decided to try it. I didn't really have a reason. I wanted to have the ripper hot dogs because they look cool and I wanted try the chili sauce to compare with Rhode Island and Michigan. I also chose disco fries, a salad that was like cole slaw, and saltwater taffy because Daddy really likes it!

I didn't really like the hot dogs because they were kind of crunchy, but I did like the sauce. The fries were really good and the salad was ok, even if I didn't like the peppers in it. The saltwater taffy was the best part! I helped Mommy pull it and pull it and pull it when the candy had cooled off enough to touch. That part was hard to do, but it tasted so good when it was done. And it made a lot! We made almost 100 pieces!!

Recipes

Ripper with Chili

(original recipe from The Weiser Kitchen)

Oil, for frying
6 hot dogs
6 hot dog rolls
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
Texas Wiener Sauce (see recipe below)

Heat oil to 350F. Fry hot dogs until casing rips, about 3-5 minutes. Drain hot dogs on paper towels.

Put a layer of onions at the bottom of each bun. Add the hot dog and top with chili sauce.

Texas Wiener Sauce

(original recipe from Roadfood.com)


1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 tablespoon cumin
3/4 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pound ground beef
8 ounces tomato paste
1 cup water
3 ounces ketchup
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped onion

In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients and set aside.

In a saucepan, brown the ground beef while breaking it into very small pieces. Drain most of the grease.

Reduce heat to medium-low, add tomato paste and water and combine well. Add the spice mix, ketchup, mustard, soy sauce and onion and mix well.

Simmer for at least 1 hour, adding water as necessary.

Disco Fries

(original recipe from Food.com)

Steak cut French Fries

Dairy-free Cheese Sauce, warmed (see recipe below)

Beef gravy, warmed

Preheat oven to 450F.

Arrange fries on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

Pour gravy and cheese sauces over fries.

Dairy-free Cheese Sauce

(original recipe from Milk Allergy Mom)

1 tablespoon flour

3/4 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon dairy-free margarine

1 cup shredded cheddar soy cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, whisk flour into milk and set aside.

Melt margarine in a saucepan. Slowly add the milk mixture to the margarine, stirring constantly.

When the mixture begins to thicken, remove from heat and add shredded soy cheese. Stir until soy cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste.

Diner Salad

(original recipe from Allrecipes.com)

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, grated

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, onions, carrot, pepper and cucumber.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

Cover tightly and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Saltwater Taffy

(original recipe from Food.com)

2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine

1/4 teaspoon green food coloring

3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Calibrate candy thermometer by boiling water.

Lightly grease a jelly roll pan and set aside.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and water in a 2 quart pan.

Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.

Heat mixture without stirring, until it reaches 255F (or adjusted temperature based on candy thermometer calibration). Remove from the heat immediately and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Pour into prepared jelly roll pan. Allow to cool until just able to handle.

Greasing hands thoroughly and regularly, gather taffy into a ball and pull. Continue pulling until the candy is light in color, very hard to pull and no longer sticky.

Divide the candy into 4 balls. Pull into a 1/2 inch thick rope. Cut into 1 inch pieces using greased scissors. Set pieces aside for 15-30 minutes before wrapping individually in waxed paper or plastic wrap.

Dinner 24: Arizona

Menu

Navajo Fry Bread Tacos
Chilled Corn Soup
Prickly Pear Ice Cream

Review

I chose Arizona because it's close to New Mexico on the map, and I wanted to see if the food was the same kind of thing. I chose to have tacos made on fry bread instead of the regular kind of tacos because we hadn't had any tacos yet and they looked good. I chose corn soup because I've never had corn soup before. And I chose ice cream made from prickly pear, which is cactus fruit because I wanted to know if it tasted cactus-y.

Mommy ordered some prickly pear syrup on the computer and it came a few days later! On the day we were going to have our dinner, I got sick, so we waited another day, but Mommy made the ice cream that first day - it was really pink! Then we had the dinner the next day and it was really good!

I liked the tacos a lot - I even tried some tomato pieces on mine, but didn't really like those. The fry bread was delicious! I liked the corn soup, too. But the ice cream was the best part! Because it was really pink! I even think it was a bit prickly like a cactus. I'm really glad we had lots more to eat during the rest of the week, too.

Recipes

Navajo Fry Bread

(original recipe from Allrecipes.com)

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup soy milk
oil, for frying

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and mix until the dough comes together. Add flour, if necessary, to form a soft bread dough. On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet to 365F. Oil should be about 1 1/2 inches deep. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls and shape into discs 1/4 inch thick, with a depression in the middle. Fry until golden on both sides, turning only once. Drain on paper towels.

Indian Tacos

(original recipe from What's Cooking America)

1/2 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 cup black beans
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 tomato, diced
1 cup shredded Cheddar soy cheese
4 cooked Navajo fry breads

In a large frying pan, over medium heat, brown beef and onions. Add beans and cook until heated through. Remove from heat.

To assemble tacos, layer beef mixture, lettuce, tomato and soy cheese on each fry bread.

Chilled Corn Soup

(original recipe from Local Farm Foodie)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

1 leek, cleaned and minced

6 cups water

3 1/2 cups corn kernels

1/4 cup soy milk

2 sprigs thyme

salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté onion and leek in olive oil until golden brown.  Set aside.

Bring water to boil in a stock pot. Add corn kernels, onions and leeks and simmer for 30 minutes.  Purée until smooth and add soy milk, thyme and salt and pepper. Place in refrigerator until cool.

Prickly Pear Ice Cream

(recipe inspired by Back to the Kitchen)

3 cups soy milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups prickly pear syrup

Whisk together all ingredients until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Put in ice cream maker and freeze following instructions.

Dinner 23: Washington

Menu

Porchetta Sandwiches
Walla Walla Sweet Onion Soup
Mariner's Garlic Fries
The Big Pink Cookie

Review

I chose Washington next. I don't know why. I think because it starts with a 'W' or maybe because it's far from us. Anyway, it was hard to find foods that didn't have any fish in it, but we chose a sandwich from a famous sandwich place, onion soup, fries from the baseball team and a big pink cookie! I thought the cookie looked awesome because it was big and covered in pink frosting!

The pork for the sandwiches had to cook for a long time. It smelled really good. Then Mommy had to make it into the sandwich filling by cutting it up with forks. They were really good sandwiches. I had more the next day at school! I liked the onion soup, too, and ate all of it. And the fries were really tasty, especially because they came with a bit of apple, which was pretty funny! My favorite part was the cookie - it was really pink! And really good! But it was so big I couldn't finish it all the first night.

Recipes

Porchetta Sandwiches

(original recipe from The Moonlit Kitchen)

For roast:
5 pound pork shoulder
2 bulbs fennel, topped and whole
2 large onions, peeled and whole
1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup fennel top, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt and pepper

For sandwich:
1 slice white sandwich bread, crust removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 crusty baguettes

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Place fennel bulbs, onions, and carrots in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Add the wine.

Generously salt and pepper the pork shoulder and place it on top of the vegetables. Top with diced fennel tops, garlic, parsley, thyme, and fennel seeds.

Place the roast in the oven to 5-6 hours.

Remove the carrots and break up the pork and remaining vegetables with a fork. Set aside.

While the roast is cooking, allow the bread slice to stale on the counter. Crumble into bread crumbs and combine with garlic, parsley, and olive oil. Set aside for 1 hour.

Sauté the onion and pepper with a small amount of olive oil. Set aside.

To assemble the sandwich, cut each baguette into 4 sections and slice to open. Spread some of the garlic spread on each side and top with generous servings of porchetta, peppers and onions.

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Soup

(original recipe from Cottage Grove House)

3 tablespoons soy margarine
6 cups sweet onions, thinly sliced and quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup soy milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt margarine in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the white wine.

Add stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir in soy milk, season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Mariner's Garlic Fries

(original recipe from Your Homebased Mom)

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small wedges
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 apple, cored and cut into wedges.

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Toss potato wedges with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast potato wedges, turning occasionally, for 45 minutes, until tender and brown.

While potatoes are roasting, lightly sauté the garlic. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Mix with parsley and set aside.

When the fries are ready, toss with garlic and parsley mix. Serve with an apple slice or two.

The Big Pink Cookie

(original recipe from Baking the Goods)

For the cookies:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 cups soy margarine
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1/4 cup soy milk

For the frosting:
4 ounces soy cream cheese
1/4 cup soy margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
red food coloring

Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together margarine, shortening and sugar for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts and soy milk until combined.

Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating until smooth. The dough will be very soft and sticky.

Divide the dough in two and shape into discs about an inch thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for several hours.

While the dough chills, prepare the frosting:

Cream together soy cream cheese and margarine. Slowly add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth. Add red food coloring, one drop at a time, until desired color is achieved. Set frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Roll out the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough into large circles and place on lined baking sheets an inch apart (6 to a sheet).

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Transfer cookies to racks and allow to cool completely.

Generously frost with soy cream cheese frosting.