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Culinary Creativity At Be Exposed!

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April 11th, 2010 | Culinary Arts, BeExposed!, Carolyn's Coffee Connection, Blog

At the next BeExposed! show, we’ll delve into the culinary arts with one of our featured artists, food blogger Dana Boyle. Read on to find out more about her, then join us this Friday to see what she’ll be cooking up!
Dana Boyle is an accomplished home gourmet and the author of Confessions Over the Sink, a blog about eating and cooking real food for real people. There, Dana shares her everyday cooking, eating and food experiences with her audience. Her cooking style is eclectic, but has its roots in her upbringing and adventures with her grandparents’ Southern, Hungarian, Pennsylvania Dutch, and Irish culture, growing up in a very close-knit Italian hometown, and traveling to live and study in places like Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Mexico and Montreal. Dana’s bond with others, more than any other thing, is food and common experiences shared over meals.
Dana has been asked to cook for parties, events and to orchestrate the main dishes for gatherings of friends and colleagues. She offers personal chef services on request for special occasions.
She has been cooking since her great-grandmother put her up on a stool wearing one of her great-grandfather’s shirts as a smock to help make potato salad at three years old. Her grandmothers, mother, aunts, friends, and people she’s connected with in her travels have nurtured her love of food, cooking and sharing love around a table.
Dana is also a local attorney and life coach. She can be found at http://confessionsoverthesink.blogspot.com, or emailed at dana@danalboyle.com.

http://exposekenosha.com/2010/04/11/culinary-creativity-at-be-exposed/

Bartley House - Kenosha, WI

David wanted to take me somewhere to celebrate my new, big client this weekend.  We thought of a few places, and we went to one that had too long of a wait and then another that closed.  Then I thought of Bartley House.  I'd never taken David there before, so as we drove up he was making faces and couldn't believe which building it was when I pointed it out.  (I thought I'd find a picture online, but I'll have to go snap one next time I'm at the courthouse and post it so you can see.)  Bartley House is a modest, cinder block building on the corner along a street that runs the side of a viaduct under the train tracks in my home town, about 5 blocks from where I grew up.  The area is sketchy to the point of having a security guard outside the restaurant.  It's the kind of place Guy Fieri should visit, because it's a total dive with great food and great service and a cult following, only the cult is old school Kenosha, and everyone is dressed in nice clothes.

When we walked in, David was surprised.  He thought the place was really neat.  It's old school, like the old fashioned supper clubs, with a big bar where you can wait for your table and the waitresses will walk your drinks over to the table on trays when you're done.  As you first walk in, there is an open grill where the steaks are being prepared.  They sat us at an intimate table in the back.  The place was packed and dimly lit, which was good for the mood.  David said, "I can't believe you never brought me here before.  This is so cool."  It was love at first sight.

We started with drinks and the char broiled shrimp appetizer.  It was quite charred on the outside, but perfectly done and delicious, and just enough to whet our appetite, which is what an appetizer should do.  We had plenty of other food coming, trust me.  He ordered an 8 oz filet mignon, medium, with a baked potato and I ordered the prime rib special with the signature hash browns with peppers and onions.  

As we waited, they brought us an assortment of crackers and our soup and salad.  I tried the "famous" clam chowder and David had a salad with Roquefort dressing.  His salad was great, and I dipped my bread stick in the extra dressing.  I didn't care for the soup.  It was a red clam chowder, not my preference, and aside from that, the cream had broken and it was quite bland and overcooked.  I had a few bites but had plenty more to look forward to.  The waitress brought us rolls and a big cup of pats of butter sliced up and ice cold.  This was the highlight of dinner for David.  He said, "This is my kind of place!  Who does that?  Most places give you those packets of butter you have to peel open or one slice of butter and that's not enough."  He couldn't stop talking about the butter.  I had 1/2 of a pat.  :)  While you wait for your entree, Bartley House serves you their brand of cottage cheese, which is small curd and very cold with garlic and chives mixed in.  It's surprising at first, but addictive.  They also bring kidney bean salad, and it's tasty too, with a creamy mayo dressing.

Our steaks came with our sides of potatoes, and everything looked fantastic.  They were perfectly done, great smelling and we were just about to find out how they tasted.  The prime rib was to die for.  I didn't need a steak knife.  It literally pulled away every time I wanted another bite.  It melted in my mouth.  I ordered it medium rare, and it was.  I ate nearly all of it, sharing 2 bites with David, who wished he'd ordered the prime rib.  His filet was also delicious and cooked perfectly.  It had a slight char on the outside and was slightly pink inside and the flavor was rich and buttery.  He added quite a bit of pepper because he enjoys it that way.  I had a couple of bites of his steak and thought it was just as good as mine.  His baked was served with sour cream that I also used on my hash browns.  The browns come almost like a potato pancake with onion and peppers grilled in, and are excellent with a dollop of sour cream. 

I finished every bite of my meal, except for the fat.  David could not believe what I ate.  Then I wanted dessert.  I was celebrating!  Little did I know I should not have ordered dessert because it was going to be so good that we'd eat it all.  I asked the waitress, who had given us perfect service all night at just the right pace so as not to rush us or delay, what the dessert offerings were again.  David said, "It's up to you.  You can pick any banana cream cheesecake you want."  It's our inside joke.  He chooses everything, but he tells me it's up to me and somehow lets me know by how he tells me it's up to me, so I've told him to just tell me what he wants because I'm onto him.  We did order the banana cream cheesecake because I miss New Orleans banana cream pie and thought it might satisfy my craving.  

Even the coffee was good!  When the cheesecake came, we immediately knew it was going to be to die for.  It looked that good, with tons of fresh whipped cream on top.  I assure you we were not watching our waste lines that night, but we did share a piece.  We took our first bites and David asked me a question about something behind me to try to trick me so he could eat the entire dessert.  This was a fluffy, creamy, real banana cheesecake, not some banana flavored concoction.  It was definitely a dessert to fight over, but we were both so full that we shared well and by the time I took my last bite I knew I had overdone it.  I actually felt kind of sick for about 20 minutes after we ate, and I haven't felt that way in a long time.  I can't even remember the last time I ate that much or that rich a meal.

I always try to review the restrooms in these places too.  Theirs is old school, like the rest of the place, with the towel that revolves, but it was clean and there was plenty of it to pull down and use.  They had a very old sink, but hot and cold water and soap.  The ladies room was clean, well stocked and in very good working order. The entire place was great, except for that people do smoke at the bar and there is no real barrier to smelling like smoke when you leave.  I suspect they will change that in July when all Wisconsin restaurants go smoke-free.

The total bill with all of that and 4 mixed drinks with call liquors and a soda came to $90 plus tip, and we tipped the security guard on the way out.  David opened the door for me and the security guard said, "Who says there aren't any gentlemen left in the world?"  It was a perfect evening and a perfect meal with David the Perfect (that's from another conversation I had today).  Earlier, he brought me a dozen white roses and a card that was written for coaches that said I make everyone feel special, and he wrote a nice note in it too.  I am a very lucky woman, I know.

Oh, and if you're interested in visiting the Bartley House, they do have other items including Friday Fish Fry for $6.95 (unheard of).  It's located at 1212 - 58th Street in Kenosha and you will have to park on the street, most likely, unless you're with Jerry Seinfeld's parents (the 4p.m. crowd).

Wells Bros. - Racine, WI

Wells Brothers is located on Mead and 21st Streets in Racine.  I live in the historic district in Racine, but even I will say it's in a very rough spot of Racine.  I don't feel safe there.  It reminds me of a couple of restaurants I've been to that have security outside to watch the parking lot and to escort people in and out, except Wells Bros. doesn't have security, that I can tell.  (I just spoke to a Racinian who indicates that there is usually a cop on duty outside the place on busy nights.)

I was invited to Wells Bros. for a meeting.  I have never been there, despite living in Racine for almost 9 years.  When I got there I felt unsafe.  There were teenage loiterers all over the place.  Luckily, it was daylight and there were others arriving.  When I went inside I was not surprised that the restaurant is in desperate need of remodeling.  It smells like a dirty bar mop, and the vents covering the central AC ducts were packed with thick, dirty dust.  I only noticed because I was seated right over the top of one of the vents.  I will say the atmosphere didn't do much for my appetite.  

The staff seemed very nice, including bartenders and wait staff.  They worked around us as we held a seminar/meeting.  I found our waitress very attentive, and she smiled a lot and called everyone "hon" or "sweetie."

First, they put out pizza at the bar.  I had heard that in Racine this pizza is considered the best.  I'll say it had some decent flavor, but it's super thin and greasy.  If you like that kind of pizza, it's for you for sure. I had a couple of small pieces and used a couple of napkins and then had to wash my hands.  (I have also been told that there have been magazines that have rated this pizza in the top 10 in the nation, to be fair...so try it for yourself and decide.)

Then our food came to the tables, served family-style.  I thought this was a nice touch instead of doing a buffet.  The server, again, was very nice and attentive, and brought more of whatever dishes seemed to be going fast, despite the fact that the guys at my table passed the dishes amongst themselves before getting to me so that I had very little to eat.  It's ok, because the food wasn't that great and I just wanted to taste each item. 

The first dish they brought out was salad.   It was pretty good, with pepperoni, mozzarella and olives, all coated in the homemade house Italian dressing.  I thought maybe I'll be surprised and dinner will be good.  Then they served a potato dish.  It was like a home fries/casserole with lots of garlic.  That was actually tasty.

Some cheese ravioli came out and I tried only one, but then I was glad that the guys ate the rest of them because the bad frozen raviolis you buy at the grocery store in the frozen section are better.  These weren't very hot, the dough was watered down and not very flavorful, the filling was equally unappealing, and the red sauce was runny for my taste and not anything impressive.  I passed on seconds.

I tried one meatball and one piece of Italian sausage with peppers.  The meatball was gross.  I didn't like the flavor or the texture.  It seemed like something you'd buy in a frozen bag of meatballs, and I'm sure it wasn't, but it was not appetizing at all.  I would have spit my bite out, but that would have been rude.  I didn't finish the meatball.  The sausage had ok flavor, but wasn't prepared in any way that made it special.  The particular sausage they use is fatty and the texture isn't easy to chew.  I didn't finish my sausage either.  

I did take a piece of slow roasted chicken.  I had a thigh and it was decent but, again, nothing special.  It was like someone put a chicken in a crock pot with just salt and pepper and cooked it until it was falling apart.  I was glad to find something I could take more than a bite of, though, and I finished the thigh meat.  

A side of seasoned green beans was served with the meal, but they were overcooked and most of them were untouched.  I tried a bite and that was enough.  The bread served with the meal was dried out as if it had been yesterday's bread.  I didn't even butter or try my slice.

I was surprised to find that the restrooms were actually cleaner than the rest of the front of the restaurant, and well stocked with everything needed.  Too bad the dining room wasn't as freshly painted and cleaned.

I couldn't help but think that if people have a booming business putting out this food, a good cook could make a bundle in Racine.  I can't believe this is a gathering place and an institution.  I hear that Salute on Main Street was owned by a son of the Wells Bros, but the ex-wife now runs it.  I enjoy Salute much better, ambience and food.  

The one thing Wells Bros has going for it is friendly staff.  I do have to give them thumbs up on that.  I'm sure I'll have to go back for meetings, but I will be sure to eat beforehand.

Urban Grille - Geneva, IL

David and I went to Urban Grille one time early on when we were dating.  It's one of my favorite memories because we had a fun day that day and we drove there in the Porsche with the top down, so I always wanted to go again.  They have gourmet burgers that I remember being tasty.  This weekend, we visited again.

The restaurant is modern.  It's casual food served in a finer dining atmosphere.  We have eaten in the bar at a hightop both times.  They have other fare, including sandwiches and appetizers, but we went for the burgers and we both ordered one.  They offer 1 lb, 1/2 lb and 1/3 lb Angus beef, and then they also offer the burgers in other varieties of meat.  Check the menu for details.

The burger menu allows you to build your burger with a variety of toppings and sauces.  I had mine with Fontina cheese, caramelized onions and Bourbon sauce.  I ordered it medium well, but I could have ordered it medium, because I overheard the waiter talking about the high quality of the beef.  David ordered his with bleu cheese, tomato, raw onion and Bourbon sauce.  They were both delicious, and came with a tasty side salad.  We ordered a side of French fries to share.  Everything was delicious, and the food was just enough.  We didn't leave with that overfull feeling.  If you prefer to be stuffed, you can opt for one of the larger burgers.

Our waiter was extremely nice and attentive.  The restrooms were super clean and very nicely done.  Plenty of hot water, soap and paper towels were available. 

We agreed that we both like the atmosphere and the food is good, so we'll return more often than every 2.5 years.  I recommend Urban Grille if you're in Geneva or nearby and want a gourmet, build your own burger experience.  I'm pretty sure they have whatever you want at the bar too, and they have a couple of flat screens in the bar area.  If you feel like a walk after, the restaurant is located on a quaint downtown strip that overlooks the Fox River.  It's romantic for first dates and any date after, or for a friends night out.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I made some stock last time I made a whole chicken and I wanted to get it out of my freezer because it's in a big container taking up space.  To make a quality stock, all you have to do is toss in any chicken parts, bones, skin, meat, fat, and then any veggie trimmings you might have too.  Boil them slowly in water and let the stock absorb all the flavors and reduce down.  When it's the right flavor (taste it) you can let it cool and then run it through a sieve to make sure there are no bones or parts left in the stock.

Or, you can just use a can of broth.

Chicken soup is easy.  I chopped up 3 whole carrots into rounds, 3 stocks of celery into a rough chop and a whole sweet onion into a rough chop.  I added them to the stock and brought them to a boil, then reduced the heat and simmered low for a while, maybe half an hour.  

Meanwhile, I grilled two boneless, skinless chicken breasts and let them cool slightly so I could pull them apart into small, bite sized pieces.  You can use any chicken meat you have.  It can be leftovers too.  When I finished pulling the meat apart I added it to the soup pot and stirred it in.  

I seasoned my soup with a pinch of thyme.  A dab will do you.  I also added some parsley for color, and I like how it tastes too.  The stock and chicken was already seasoned with salt and pepper, but taste and adjust seasoning if need be.

I like my noodles al dente, so I cook them separate and then add them when I'm ready to serve the soup.  You can just drop them in the soup and cook them too.  However you prefer is fine.  I use Kluski noodles, made in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.  They're like the ones I'd make homemade that Grandma taught me to make, when I don't have time or want to clean up the mess, which is most of the time.

What a way to spend a snowy day in the house.  It smells heavenly and tastes like Mom used to make.

French Onion Soup - Improvised

I was in the mood for soup again today.  Pretty soon it'll be spring and summer and we won't be eating soups much.  I have some huge croutons I made already out of leftover bread, and I have some beef consomme, sweet onions, and provolone.  I'll improvise and make about 2 servings.

Slice a large, sweet onion into rings.  Heat a skillet to medium and add a drizzle of olive oil and 2 T butter.  When the butter melts, add your onions and turn heat to low.  Cook the onions on low for about 30 minutes, stirring every so often and getting them to a caramelized state, a dark golden color, and then deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of red wine or sherry.  Stir and cook another 15 minutes or so to absorb most of the wine and cook the onions even further.

Add broth (for just one or two servings, a small can of consomme or a cup and a half of broth will do).  Season with salt, pepper and a sprig of thyme or some ground thyme, just a pinch.  Reduce slightly over a simmering heat for 30 minutes.

In oven proof crocks or dishes, place one or two large croutons, or a handful of small croutons, and then ladle the soup over the top, making sure you get an even amount of onions in each.  Cover with a piece of cheese and bake in the oven at 450 until the cheese starts to bubble and brown, about 10 minutes.  Carefully remove the bowls and serve, warning your guests about how hot it will be.

Yum!

Tortellini in Brodo

David woke up not feeling well on his birthday.  After having waffles for breakfast, I made him some soup for lunch.  He doesn't like traditional chicken soup, so I thought I'd make a basic broth with tortellini to get him to eat it.

You will need:

3 c. chicken stock
2-3 sliced carrots
1/2 large yellow onion, rough diced
parsley
Italian seasoning
1 t. garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 T olive oil
salt
pepper
bay leaf

1 lb tortellini, cooked al dente
Parmesan cheese

In a large Dutch oven, pour your stock and add the vegetables and seasonings.  It's really a one pot meal.  Add all but the tortellini, and 1 T. of the olive oil and then bring to a simmer.  Simmer at a low boil for an hour to reduce and intensify the flavor.

Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil and drop your tortellini.  Cook to al dente, drain and toss in the other T. of olive oil so they won't stick. 

In a large soup plate, arrange a layer of tortelli and then top with a couple of ladles full of broth, including the veggies.  Top with a dusting of Parmesan cheese and a pinch more of parsley.  Serve with a side of crusty bread and butter.

Serves 3-4.

Classic Belgian Waffles

David and I bought the most amazing All-Clad 4 waffle maker over the holidays.  It's already more than paid for itself.  We make waffles every weekend.

I found a few recipes and a friend gave me a recipe from Belgium, and we've settled on this one.  It makes perfect waffles every time and it's easy to whip up.

You will need:

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
4 T. butter, half a stick, melted
2 c. buttermilk (or 2 T lemon juice and the rest of the 2 c filled with milk and left to sit 5-10 minutes)
non stick cooking spray

Grade B maple syrup
butter for dressing

Get out a batter bowl and 2 other larger bowls.  In the batter bowl, sift together the flour, powder and salt.  I add a pinch of cinnamon, but you don't have to.  Set aside.

In the other two bowls, separate the egg yolks and whites, yolks in one and whites in the other.  Set the whites aside. 

In the yolk bowl, add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Melt the butter (30 seconds on defrost in our house) and then slowly drizzle in the butter so it doesn't cook your eggs, and add the milk and vanilla.  Mix until incorporated well. 

Pour the egg, milk mixture into the flour mixture in the batter bowl.  Mix until it just comes together.  Do not over mix.  Set aside.

Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until they form medium peaks.  Then fold them into the batter bowl turning it in one direction while using a spatula to gently fold in the whites.  This will create an airy and fluffy waffle.

Spray your waffle iron with non-stick spray.  We use crisco spray because it wipes off and doesn't ruin the iron.  Then heat your waffle iron to desired heat.  Ours gets set on 5 and lights up green and beeps when it's ready.  

Fill the iron with the right amount of waffle batter for yours and let it cook until golden brown.  Our iron beeps when the waffle is done, but I like it slightly less done, so I take it out after 5ish minutes.  David likes them very done and crunchy, so I let his go until it beeps.

I enjoy mine with either a little butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup, or I sometimes put a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some berries on top.  David likes powdered sugar sometimes.  Every once in a while we toss some nuts in the batter.  Pecans taste great.  

This recipe yields 8 large square waffles.

Al's Char-House - La Grange, IL

This Valentine's Day we went out for dinner.  Let me just say we went the day  before Valentine's Day to avoid the crowds.  We wanted to see the movie Nine at the La Grange Theater, so we chose a restaurant close to the theater on La Grange.  La Grange, IL is a village and Chicago suburb in DuPage County.

We parked and walked in to Al's at about 6:10 p.m.  Our name was added to the list and we waited at the bar with margaritas for about 20 or 30 minutes until our name was called.  The margaritas were good.  I noticed that despite how packed the place is, if you don't respond to your name by running to the host desk, they immediately give your table away to someone else.  We got to the host desk in time.

Be careful in this place.  It's a lawyer's dream.  There are different flooring levels every 10 feet and you can trip, like I did, despite the warnings.  

They led us to a very small two top in the back.  (That's restaurant speak for 2 chairs and a tiny table.)  Other couples got booths, but didn't sit on the same side like we would have.  Oh well.  I did notice they have pillows on the booth backs.  I now understand why and will explain.

Our waitress did not get to our table for about 10-15 minutes after we were seated.  She apologized for the wait and I noticed that she had a larger table of six who had just ordered appetizers and drinks, and she had been waiting at the bar for their drinks.

We ordered all of our courses immediately, including a diet soda and seven up, a burger with bacon and cheddar, and a steak sandwich done medium well.  We asked to start with potato skins.  David ordered salad and I ordered chicken noodle soup.

The potato skins and sodas came in maybe 10 minutes or so.  So far so good.  The skins were tasty, with plenty of bacon and cheese on top.  I'm glad I got my fix in the app, and I'm glad I was mostly full after a couple of halves.  The soda tasted like it came out of a dirty line.  One of my restaurant pet peeves.  You want to save money using a soda line, then clean it.  It's gross to drink what tastes like dirty bar dish water.

We asked for our skins to be wrapped to go because we had several left over and we wanted to save room for dinner.  It took at least twenty minutes for our next course to come.  David insists it took longer than that and he may be right.  How long does it take to put salad on a plate and soup in a bowl?  We were starting to worry about making our movie, which is funny because we got to the restaurant at 6 and the movie started at 9 and was down the block.

I went to the ladies room while we waited.  It was kind of old and falling apart.  The stalls were all connected with one panel of doors.  Mine didn't actually lock.  Every time someone exited or entered the one next to me, my door flew open.  I do have to give them kudos for the toilet paper being raised up high so you don't have to rub it on the floor to get it out of the dispenser.  The toilet didn't flush unless you held the handle the entire time during the weak flush.  I had to flush for the person before me and then for myself.  Other than that, it wasn't very clean or nice.  You'd think with their volume and prices they could put a little into the bathroom.  One of my pet peeves is bad bathrooms, particularly in a nice place that does a lot of business. 

The salad was forgettable.  David loves salad and usually eats until his plate is clean, but he said, "I'm done with this salad.  It barely has any dressing on it."  He ordered bleu cheese and they were stingy with it.  He didn't comment on the actual salad, but the lack of dressing seemed to ruin it for him.

The chicken noodle soup was actually very good in terms of flavor.  Perfect flavor.  However, it had overcooked elbows in it and I didn't detect a single shred of chicken in it, nor were there any vegetables other than a few very large chunks of celery.  I didn't see a carrot or an onion.  I chalked it up to chicken broth with elbows and figured I'd have plenty to eat when my meal came.

I tried the signature bread.  It is a very dense raisin bread.  David tried it and didn't like it.  He said if he wanted carrot cake he'd order dessert.  I had a slice and it was good, but dense and oddly paired with soup and salad, as it tastes more like dessert.  I love bread and we let the waitress take most of it away uneaten.

Our food took forrrrrrrrrever!  I.  Mean.  Forever!  It was at least an hour after the skins came.  We were served our dinner at just before 8:30, more than 2 hours after walking in the door and about 2 hours after being seated.  At that point, we didn't even want the food anymore.  In fact, it was only out of our moral feeling of obligation to stay and eat what we ordered that we didn't go to the host stand and tell them to forget it and charge us for the appetizers only.  We wanted to walk out.

While we waited we couldn't help but entertain ourselves by making fun of the place and ourselves for sitting there like cattle.  I noticed a rib lying on the floor from hours before.  I even noticed duct tape on the thermostat, wires that weren't tucked away on some of the beams, and fake cacti.  We commented on the waitresses' hair styles.  One reminded us of the girl in the movie Liar Liar played by Cheri Oteri.  

I overheard the table next to us comment, "We got bent over," when they got their check.  Honestly, they were probably wrong because they got served much faster than we did and they had 8 lb steaks with 3 or 4 add ons each and alcoholic beverages as well as appetizers for six.  I don't know what they expected and I didn't hear them complain about a single food item.

David and I have plenty to talk about and we generally have fun on our dates, but I have to tell you that we were running out of small talk to make and we were getting delirious during the wait.  I kept yawning and I commented that I know why they have pillows on the booths.  They know their patrons need to nap while waiting for their food.  David said, "Yeah, they should have a nap room.  You order and they say go take a nap and we'll wake you when it's ready."  I couldn't get a feel for the reason for the wait, other than they were busy, but there were other tables turning over rapidly and other waiters who were bringing food out fast.  It seemed random, like our little booth was forgotten.  Then again, a few other tables were rotting too.

David commented several times that no restaurant is worth this kind of wait and he was aging as he sat there.  I joked that maybe they age your steak while you wait.

The food finally came.  

David's was delicious, thought it was underdone for his taste and not cooked to his specification of medium well.  It was quite pink, and I enjoyed it.  I ate 1/4 of his sandwich because my burger was awful.  There is no other way to describe it.  Maybe it's bad on me for ordering a burger in a steak house, but I figured if they can do meat they can do meat!  

David wondered why I snatched 1/4 of his sandwich and ate the whole thing, not touching the rest of mine after the first bite.  First of all, it had no bacon and no cheddar on it.  I had ordered it that way.  Second, it was overdone. I ordered mine medium and it was gray all the way through, which was good, because the texture of the meat was so fine and so unlike any other burger I've ever had that it reminded me of spam.  It was like someone used a gelled meat product to make a patty and they didn't season it or anything.  It was not worth another bite or any of the calories involved.

David thought it couldn't be that bad so he tried it and said, "No, that's not very good at all!  I'm sorry."  He asked if I wanted to get something else and I said no way after waiting 2 hours...I wasn't even going to ask for bacon or cheese at this point.  I was just not going to eat it.  

When the waitress came back she asked if we wanted our leftovers wrapped and we said to wrap the steak sandwich but not the burger.  (This should make another problem apparent.  I was a waitress for 10 years and you always go back after a few bites of food to make sure your customers are happy and food is prepared properly and they have everything they need.  She did not.  She had no idea my food was wrong until we were done.)  She asked why and David told her I didn't like it and it was not how I ordered it at all, no bacon, no cheddar and not cooked properly.  She said, "That's my fault."  However, it was still on the bill.  So we paid for a burger I took one bite of and forced myself to swallow.

David said he was happy to pay the bill just to get the hell out of there.  We got up and he said, "Ugh, I can't even stand from sitting so long."  I said, "Yeah, we're lucky we haven't died from a blood clot from sitting for so long."  We giggled.

As we walked out we saw an elderly couple waiting for a table, among many others, and David said, "I should tell that poor guy he's got limited time as it is, use it wisely and go somewhere else.  He doesn't have that kind of time!"

I don't think we'd go back.  We thought that if we do, we'll stick to a big steak and share it.  We certainly won't expect the service to be quick.  We'll bring a book or something.  Now that I've read other reviews as horrible as mine, I will not return.  I see the steaks are not good either and the service is typical.  Do not bring your kids unless you bring their entire toy box.  I can't imagine they'll behave for 2-3 hours.  We made our movie just in time for the lights to go down and the opening credits to roll.  9:01.

Egg Salad

Who posts a recipe for egg salad?  I would think this is a no-brainer to make, but I wonder if maybe there is someone out there who has no idea how to make egg salad.  David asked for a bowl of it for lunch this week.

You will need:

10 - 12 hard boiled eggs
1 c. mayonaise
1 t. yellow mustard
salt
pepper

diced pickles, optional
chopped celery, optional
sliced olives, optional

I'm sure the possibilities are endless with kicked up egg salad.  I like to add olives or pickles to it myself.  However, David doesn't like either, and I made him a batch of basic egg salad with no frills for work this week.

Cover your eggs in cold water in a medium sauce pan.  Salt the water.  (Supposedly this helps with peeling.  I have not proven this, but I do it anyway.)  Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to medium and boil for 8-10 minutes.  Then turn off the heat and let stand to cool slightly for 10 more minutes.  Peel immediately or completely cooled eggs will be difficult to peel.

Dice your peeled eggs whatever size you prefer.  I did a smaller dice.  Put them in a bowl.  Salt them and then dust them with fresh ground pepper and toss.

In a separate bowl, mix your mayo (I use the canola based one for no cholesterol) and mustard until creamy and incorporated.  Slightly salt and pepper to taste.  Pour over the eggs in the larger bowl and carefully mix until the eggs are coated with mayo dressing.

Chill and serve.  Or, you can eat it warm.

I served mine on Oat Nut bread.

Ruffolo International Foods - Kenosha, Wisconsin

I met Lisa, the owner of Ruffolo International Foods, when I went to get homemade meat ravioli on Wednesday.  I was craving them.  I haven't had them in a while, but they are so good and they save me the cooking for the night.

I asked Lisa if she minded me posting a review on my blog.  She said she knows people have already done it, and she appreciates it.  She even said I could take a picture, but I forgot my camera that day.  I'll get one and post it here later.

While I was there, Lisa told me the story of how she started her business.  Ruffolo's is a cash-only business.  It's an old garage building in Kenosha on Sheridan Road.  She bought it when she was 20 with the help of her parents.  She said that she went to beauty school and decided she didn't want to do that at the time.  She was very good at making ravioli with her family recipe and friends and family requested them all the time.  She got tired of making them for gifts and favors, so she decided to go into business making them and selling them.  The rest is history and she's been doing it for 25 years, with a little help from her dad and mom and brother, but she mostly does all the work and makes everything by hand from scratch.

Her ravioli are delicious.  They are slightly larger than most store-bought ravioli, and moon shaped.  She sells them with or without sauce, but I love buying them in sauce because her sauce is good and generous, so there is plenty to dip my Italian bread in as I eat, and then I don't have to make sauce or use jar sauce.  The pasta is an egg pasta, I'm guessing, and you can taste the natural ingredients in it.  It's light, yet flavorful and has a wonderful texture without being doughy or tough.  They are like your grandma made them.  The filling is finely minced meat mixture, and I'm not sure what she mixes in, but it's good.  I'm guessing it's a beef, veal or beef, pork mixture.  It's flavorful and filling, and it's complimented well by the sauce. 

Her red sauce is similar to my home made sauce, which I learned to make from Kenosha Italian women whose roots are from Calabria in Cosenza, Italy.  It's tasty, slightly sweet, and you can taste basil in it.  It is not chunky, but a fine puree of sauce without being runny or watery.  It adheres to the pasta well, coating it easily.  It's deep red and it tastes great with or without a cheese dusting.

Lisa also makes cheese ravioli.  She sells ravioli without sauce or with sauce, in 12 or 4 ravioli packs.  They are pre-frozen and you just put the whole bag in boiling water for about 15-20 minutes until heated through, then cut the boiling bag open and dump the entire thing into a serving dish.

On her menu, she also has pasties, lasagna, Italian beef, gnocchi, Italian sausage in sauce and you can buy homemade pasta from her, frozen in bags.  I have tried her spaghetti before.  I'm sure I'm missing some of what she offers.

It is a hole in the wall, dive where you walk in and pay cash for a bag of frozen dinner that is delicious.  If you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know it was there.  Now that I shop there, my mom said, "We used to buy stuff from her when you were little, I just forgot she was there!"

The best part of talking with Lisa were two stories she told me.  She said lots of college kids ask their mothers for her food when they come home to Kenosha on break.  The mothers come in sulking, feeling awful that their kids didn't request a dish of theirs, but instead they want Lisa's ravs.  Lisa comforts them saying, "Well, now you get to relax and enjoy your child instead of slaving over a hot stove all day."  :)

The day I bought my ravioli this week, she had just received a call from a businessman who was staying on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago and had been told to go to Kenosha and buy some ravioli from her.  It snowed 14" that day, so he couldn't make the drive, but he called her to ask if she could ship him some ravioli.  She said she hasn't done that before, but she sure as heck replied she would love to do that for him.

I didn't mention that when I walked in it smelled heavenly in the place.  She was cooking in the back. 

If you live local and you get a chance, or if you are in Chicago and you have some time to drive north, go to visit Lisa and tell her I sent you.  She is located at Sheridan Road (Hwy 32) and 44th, at 4420 Sheridan Road.  You will miss it if you aren't paying attention, because it's just a little cinder block converted garage that is now a small store with a kitchen in back.  She literally has an old cash register with cash-only, and some deep freezers, and that's about it out front. 

You'll notice the Open sign in the front and I believe they're open M-F and part of Saturday.

Don't expect hot food when you order.  It's all take and heat food to prepare at home, but it's all ready.  All you have to do is boil the bag and cut it open and serve.  I recommend it and it's certainly a local, off the beaten path place.  Guy Fieri would approve.

52 Comment French Fries

By very popular demand, I am posting a home made French Fry recipe.  I said I was making them at home on Facebook and I had a comment explosion asking how to do it, and discussing the correct method of making them.  It's very simple.

You will need:

Potatoes, preferably Russets, julienned (peeling optional)

Oil (I use canola, but the traditional method is duck fat, and you can use whatever you prefer)

Salt

For mine, I did not peel them, but sometimes I do.  I scrubbed them, then julienned them into thin strips.  I like long, skinny fries.  In a high walled skillet (you can use a deep fryer if you have one) I heated a few cups of oil until a test fry bubbled when I dropped it in.  You want it very hot, but not so hot it overboils when you drop them in.  

Oh, and make sure your fries are not soaking wet or you could cause a grease fire from overflowing the oil.  Pat them dry before putting them in the oil.  If the oil bubbles up too much when you drop in a test fry, turn down the heat slightly.

Drop in only enough fries so that they have room to cook without being crowded in the amount of oil you have in the pot.  I did a handful at a time.  Stir them around just a little, and gently, a few times as they cook so they don't stick together, and only cook them half way.  Then remove them to a towel to dry.  When they are all done, you can prep your main dish if you have one or take a break if you need to.  If you don't have a main dish, then proceed to the second frying stage.

Make sure the oil is to temperature again with a test fry, and then drop a handful of the par-fried potatoes.  Let them cook until golden brown and remove them with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined basket or dish and immediately salt them to taste.  If you wait to salt them they will not hold the salt.  

When you finish cooking the last handful, enjoy either alone or with a main course.  They are also good with a sprinkling of malt vinegar and some folks like them with ketchup.  I prefer them just plain with salt.