Traditional Czech Goose-- in the Netherlands.

I was graciously welcomed into my Uncle Ata and Aunt Heiny's house the first two weeks of December, and I was treated to a traditional Czech goose. I was so excited since I have never had goose.  Along with the goose we had bread dumpling (Houskove knedliky) and potato dumpling (Bramrove knedliky) sweet and sour red cabbage and for dessert maglajz. What the heck is maglajz I'm sure you are asking. When pronounced it sounds like mug-lice (at least to my ears) so it doesn't sound so appetizing, but having been served this wonderful dish by my beautiful late Babicka, I knew I was in for a wonderful treat. It is a layered dish that consists of spiced rum soaked lady fingers, hot pudding, apricots, toasted almonds, and topped with fresh whipped cream. I would treat you with a picture, but we were also drinking wine, so by the time we reached dessert I was done taking pictures. =-) Yeah, I had a great time... I will let my pictures tell the story.

First, let me set the stage. Can you imagine a cozier setting?

It is a winter wonderland outside. A cast iron wood burning oven heating the whole house, and the smells of roasting bird wafting through the air.
Aunt Heiny began by rubbing the 10 pound goose with salt and caraway seeds, stuffed 2 sliced apples inside and then placed it in the oven in a high sided roasting pan with 2 inches of water to cook for several hours.

Next she began the process of making the dumplings.

This is the base of the bread dumpling. She will add the cubed bread and proceed to form it into cylinder shaped dumplings. Then they will boil about 20 minutes a piece.

Now, the potato dumplings. She pressed the boiled potatoes through a  press. Next she will mix in corn starch,  2 eggs, cream of wheat, salt, and Wondra flour and also form into cylinders.

These will also be boiled about 20 minutes, but must cool a few minutes before slicing to avoid  crumbling.

Now on to the cabbage. The cabbage is shredded, mixed with diced red onion, diced apple, caraway seeds, white vinegar, sugar, and vegetable bullion.

I was slow on the draw when it came to taking a picture of the goose whole, but here it is presented with goose drippings to pour over the dumplings.

Can you say yum?!!!

Uncle Ata and Patrick as the meal begins.

I am now a fan of big goose. It is so rich and tasty. I even braved a piece of the stomach and it was good as well, maybe not the best piece, but good. It was a delicious meal, and I am so grateful to my family. I am blessed to have such a wonderful family. This was only a small portion of the trip. Let me remind you I was in the Netherlands, so we had a plethora of Dutch cheeses, beers, hot chocolate, french fries with their special mayonnaise, curry burgers, my Babicka's spaghetti (nothing like Italian spaghetti), kwark, stir fry, and all the clementine cuties my kids could eat. It was a foodie's dream. Every one-- GO TO THE NETHERLANDS! What a wonderful place, and what a wonderful trip!
Love you Kubalek Family, Vander Reest/ De Jong Family, and Overeem Family!
 .

The special mayonnaise used for french fries.

Now That's a Pizza -- Big Lou's

Ok, I know this is a little late in coming, but to my defense, I started this post at the end of November. My lovely son decided to get on the computer (I had to step away) and totally deleted what I was writing. So, here I am again, ready to tell you all about Big Lou's. =-)
First of all, Big Lou himself. He is not big. He is a  very friendly man with a great sense of humor. With this great sense of humor comes a pizza whose toppings weigh in at over 30 pounds. Yes, that's right- 30 pounds. This pizza is not for the faint of heart, and really, it is not for the impatient. You walk up to a sign warning you that it may take up to 2 hours to get your pizza. Luckily, we arrived before the crowd and it only took 45 minutes. It is also the most expensive pizza I've ever ordered at $70, but seeing how there were 11 of us, it was totally reasonable. So you may ask, 11 people, did you walk away hungry? At 42 inches, this pizza was more than 11 of us could handle... and that included 2 teenage boys. In fact, one slice was more than I could handle.

What you see in the picture to the right filled an extra large to go box... the to go box was bigger than any pizza I had ever ordered. I mean, whoa.
So let me tell you about the pizza itself. We ordered a four topping pizza, but we split the toppings with half pepperoni and half green olive, onion, and canadian bacon. Was it the best pizza I have ever had, no, but it was a good pizza.  Most things that come extra large tend to not be delicious, but this really was yummy.
Big Lou recommended his meatballs (with a straight face) and his alfrado, but the pizza was our mission.
Mission accomplished.

Traveling Down I35.

Well, here it is, Thanksgiving week, and we are spending it with Mike's brother and sister-in-law in San Antonio, Texas. Liam has been so excited about this trip for many reasons, but his initial excitement was for the drive down I35... he had a few detours in mind. 
First stop- Czech Stop in West, Texas. This stop, more than anything, is just tradition. I have been going there with my parents since I was a little girl. My Mom is Czech, and back in the day, the only way we could get kolaches that she didn't have to make was to stop in West. (Now, my Momma makes fabulous kolaches, but it was still a treat to all of us when we stopped and had one someone else made.) Since I have been with Mike, we have ventured into trying fare other than just kolaches. Today, we decided to go for sandwiches. Now, I am usually whole heartedly against gas station food, and even more so prepackaged sandwiches, but all the rules fly out the window at the Czech Stop. They have fresh baked goods of all kinds, and their sandwiches are handmade on fresh baked bread. Mike's favorite is the tuna sandwich, but today I decided to try the turkey pastrami on rye bread with swiss. The first bite was met with a WOW. This would not be my wow, it was Mike's as he had unwrapped my sandwich and tasted it. Luckily, he only kept the half and let me have the other. =-) I was totally impressed. This is a tasty sandwich. The sandwich is stuffed with the turkey pastrami, a layer of yellow mustard, and a layer of swiss- combine that with the caraway seeds sprinkled through the rye bread and you have a winner! But this was just our first culinary destination. Next stop, Round Rock, Texas. 
Liam is a huge fan of Man vs. Food and insisted stop to try the Texas Size donut from Round Rock Donuts. He actually counted down the minutes until we pulled into the parking lot. I have to admit, I was skeptical about how such a huge donut would taste. I could only imagine a heavy slopping mess, but I understand Liam's desire to try such a culinary wonder, so off we went. 

 I was worried when we walked in that they might be sold out of the Texas size donuts. There was a bit of a line, and I didn't see any in the display case, but we stepped up to order and were told that yes there were a few left. Whew, no disappointed kids. We chose the glazed Texas sized donut instead of the chocolate. We are on a road trip, and I was trying to keep the kids on the side of messy instead of filthy. My name was called, so I picked up our order an headed to the outside tables. 

Liam was already bouncing off the wall in excitement. We opened up the box and to our delight found a warm, fluffy and not too sweet or messy donut. I really was surprised at just how delicious it was. As you can see, it was truly Texas size! We had a lot of donut left over, but it was totally worth stopping to try. It is not your typical glazed donut. If you are driving down I35, I highly recommend stopping it and trying it for yourself! 
Next stop on Liam's plan... Big Lou's in San Antonio to try the 42 inch pizza! 

Does It Get Any Better??? Grilled Veggie Sandwich

Ok, so sometimes I randomly buy veggies without really thinking about what I am going to do with them. Dinner time was rolling around, and my kids wanted sandwiches. I had just bought some yummy rustic wheat bread, so I was all for a great sandwich, but turkey just wasn't calling my name. I went to the refrigerator and saw that I had some portobello mushrooms, zucchini, red bell peppers, and an avocado. Aha! Off to the grill I go. I sliced the zucchini lengthwise and then coated the mushrooms, zucchini, and red bell peppers in a good extra virgin olive oil and Angelo's Gourmet Seasoning--
this was a gift from the lovely Joni Shaw Smith whose family owns Angelo's Barbeque in Fort Worth (can I just say-- awesome!!!). Follow this link to see where you can acquire some for yourself http://www.angelosbbq.com/seasonings.html --
and I threw the them on the grill. I let the skin on the pepper blister and pulled it off-- by the time it was blistered the other veggies were ready to be pulled off as well. While I let the veggies cool down I whipped together a tbs of the extra virgin olive oil, a tbs of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a dash of cayene pepper. I used a pastry brush and spread this on each slice of bread. Once the veggies cooled enough to handle, I peeled the pepper and then sliced it and the portobello mushroom on a bias. Now it's time to build the sandwich. I started by placing a layer of thinly sliced avocado. This adds a creaminess to the sandwich, let's you skip mayo or any other creamy condiment, and really, avocado just rocks. Next I layered the zucchini, bell pepper, and mushrooms. This may all sound simple, but you are building flavors.  The dressing that I brushed on the bread really enhances the flavors of the veggies and adds another layer of flavor. Take a bite... hmmmm. 
Wow. 
Now that's a sandwich.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

I enjoy creating new recipes and years ago I had an abundance of pumpkin so I began to experiment. This next recipe turned out to be a fan favorite, and it is my most requested baked good. In fact, all the muffins disappeared (and not by my consumption) before I could take a picture. I use fresh pureed pumpkin in this recipe, but you can easily substitute canned pumpkin.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cloves

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups pumpkin

Cream Cheese Filling

8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 -12 cup muffin tins. 

In a small bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until fluffy. Set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

In seperate bowl mix the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Once fully incorporated, fold in the pumpkin. Place one spoonful of muffin mixture in each tin (enough to completely cover the bottom). Add a dollop of cream cheese to each muffin and fill with the remaining mix. Bake about 35 minutes. Let them cool about a minute and then place on a cooling rack until cool enough to eat. Caution.... the cream cheese filling will burn your lips if you don't wait at LEAST 5 minutes before you try one... but it is really hard to wait! =-) 

Barbeque -- Will It Pass the Test? Woody Creek Barbeque

Ok, I will admit I am a barbeque snob. I come from a long line of barbeque masters and I find a lot of local barbeque places lacking, but.... I continue to look for places that will impress me. So today, while out with the kids, I was looking for a healthful place to have lunch. I know, I know, you say "Barbeque healthy?", but you can make healthy choices. So anyway, I convinced my kids to try out Woody Creek Bar B Que on Green Oaks. As you walk in you see a large menu where you can make your selections while waiting in line. I was happy to see a kids menu, but it was typical kid fare... chicken nuggets, corn dog nuggets, hamburger, and, the only exception, a BBQ sandwich. Liam instantly went for the ribs which comes with two sides, Remy chose a hamburger, and I was interested in a salad. Now I am not a fan of iceberg lettuce. In fact, and you can blame it on my pregnancy with Liam, I abhor shredded ice berg lettuce.  So, I asked in advance what kind of lettuce they use in their salads and I was happy to hear they use green leaf lettuce. I ordered a large salad with a barbecued chicken breast. Once I filled the kids drinks, I made my way over to the condiment station. My girls LOOOOOVE their pickles, and since Remy can't eat bread, she loads her hamburger patty with pickles. I was thrilled to see that along with the usual barbeque condiments they had raw carrots and ranch. This is one raw veggie all my kids love, and I have never encountered it on a condiment station.  
Once our food was ready I brought it to the table and watched the kids dig in to it. Liam didn't want his sides, so Adin took over the french fries, and I tasted the red beans. The french fries were fresh made and perfectly seasoned. Both Adin and Remy loved them. The beans were also seasoned well. My Daddy makes the best pinto beans ever, so this is high praise coming from me. Remy's hamburger looked like a fresh hand made patty and she enjoyed it thoroughly. My salad was made with fresh lettuce, not prepackaged in a bag. It came with cucumber, bits of red cabbage, and shredded cheddar. The one thing I didn't care for was all the croutons, but they were easily picked out. They serve Newman's own dressing in a package, which was fine. The chicken was the best part. It was juicy and slightly smoky. It complemented the salad perfectly. 
So all in all, out of 5 stars  I would give it a solid 3 1/2 stars. The barbeque was great, everything was prepared with care, and most of it was freshly made.  I would definitely visit it again.  Try it out and let me know what you think! 


Woody Creek Bar B Que
6986 Green Oaks Rd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76116

The Mighty Minestrone

Mike's all time favorite soup is minestrone. So yesterday, while we were experiencing torrential rains, he made a whole pot of soup for us to take to a cookout. (Cookout under a tent... they were inventive. =-) ) I had to leave said cookout early for work. Needless to say, I did not get a single bit of soup. It was a huge success. Mike tried to leave with the soup, but as he was waking away he was violently attacked and had the soup ripped from his grip. Ok, well, that is a little bit of an exaggeration. He politely handed the soup over when it was requested, but he was able to escape with some chicken in his pocket. The next day, since I wasn't in the mood for smuggled pocket chicken, I requested he make another pot of soup. We sent a bowl of it over to a sick neighbor (Crystal, physically sick not mentally) for confirmation of its healing abilities and she suggested we post it... so here it is.  By the way Jaime, please bring our soup pot back!!! =-)

1 medium onion
1 stalk celery chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
2 small bell peppers
1 handful chopped parsley
4 cloves garlic
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (drained) 
1 zucchini cubed
12 oz pasta (we used gluten free pasta since Remy can't have gluten)
2 tbsp Italian seasoning 
3 vegetable bullion
1 chicken bullion (can sub for veggie if you would rather)
10 cups of water
1 tbsp olive oil


In large soup pot sautee in olive oil onion, bell pepper, and celery. When tender add tomatoes, garlic, carrots, beans, bullion, and water. Add Italian season (season to taste) and simmer 15 minutes. Bring back to boil and add pasta, parsley, and zucchini. Reduce heat and simmer 12 more minutes. 
Enjoy!!! 

Butternut Squash Soup

I was visiting my home away from home, Central Market, and noticed their huge pile and variety of winter squash. Butternut squash soup popped into my mind. It doesn't get more basic than butternut squash soup. It is rich and comforting, but this richness comes from the squash not cream. The most difficult part in making this soup was finding a blender, food processor, or emulsion blender since most of my kitchen is packed in boxes and in storage while our house is on the market. 

1 butternut squash cubed
1 medium onion diced
2 tbs butter
6 cups water
3 Knorr chicken bullion
(you can substitute water and bullion for chicken stock)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


Sautee diced onion in butter until translucent. Add squash, water, and bullion. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until squash is tender. Remove squash and puree in blender or food processor, or use emulsion blender until soup is free of lumps. Add nutmeg and cayenne and serve. It is that simple. Try it and let me know what you think!

Mediterranean Style Fish Stew

So a few years ago Mike and I were visiting my Teta Katja and her husband Han in Holland, and Han made a fantastic fish stew. I have been craving it ever since. When I brought home some rockfish the other day I was not sure what to do with it until this stew popped into my mind.  Since I had no idea how to make it, I told Mike to make fish stew. LOL. He agreed, but made me look up a recipe. Here is the recipe that I found (From New York Times by Martha Rose Shulman), and the additions we made to the recipe to get it exactly like we wanted. 
I must say, when Mike finished the stew it was absolutely fabulous. It wasn't exactly Han's stew, but it was the closest I've had since then. We will definitely add this recipe to our recipe book to make again and again.

RECIPES FOR HEALTH

Easy Fish Stew With Mediterranean Flavors

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This is a typical fisherman’s stew. No need to make a fish stock; water, aromatics and anchovies will suffice. Use anchovies even if you don’t like them, as they add great depth of flavor, not to mention omega-3 fats. And don’t worry: the dish won’t taste like anchovies.

4 large garlic cloves, cut in half, green shoots removed

4 anchovy fillets, soaked in water for 4 minutes, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with liquid

1 quart water (we used two quarts accidentally, so we added the bullion, but it was a great addition)

(we added 2 vegetable bullion)

1 pound small new potatoes, scrubbed and quartered or sliced

A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a strip of orange zest, a couple of sprigs each thyme and parsley, and a dried red chile if desired, tied together with a string (we also added dried marjoram and we used dried thyme instead of fresh-- we used more than the recipe call for, about 2 tsp, and since our red chile was not very spicy we added cayenne pepper.)

Freshly ground pepper

1 to 1 1/2 pounds firm white-fleshed fish such as halibut, tilapia, Pacific cod or black cod, cut in 2-inch pieces (we used rockfish and added clams)

1. Place the garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle, and mash to a paste. Add the anchovy fillets and mash with the garlic. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and add the onion, celery and carrot with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the pureed garlic and anchovy. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is very fragrant, about one minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit and the mixture smells aromatic, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the water, potatoes, salt (to taste) and the bouquet garni. (We added the clams at this point.) Bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover partially and simmer 30 minutes. Taste, adjust salt and add pepper to taste. Remove the bouquet garni.

3. Season the fish with salt and pepper, and stir into the soup. The soup should not be boiling. Simmer five to 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) or just until it flakes easily when poked. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, taste once more, adjust seasonings and serve. (The addition of the fish really changed the flavor of the soup and brought it all together!!!) 

Yield: Serves four

Advance preparation: You can make this through step 2 up to three days ahead. Keep in the refrigerator, bring back to a simmer and proceed with the recipe.

Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

Steiner Ranch and Steakhouse -- Austin, Texas

Last night, once the meeting we were working on was over, Mike told me we were having dinner with Dave (his work partner) and a few of the guys from the crew. We were following them, and had no idea where we were going. This was a good thing, because we had no preconceived ideas about what we would eat. We drove down pitch black roads down twists and turns wondering what in the world we were doing. But out of the dark rose Steiner Ranch Steakhouse. The steak house is perched on a hill that overlooks part of the hill country. It is a large stone building with upscale ranch decor. They have a beautiful patio with a bar and a live band was playing, but since it was a little windy we chose to sit inside. We were all starving and as foodies, we were all excited to start our meal. We begin with an appetizer of calamari that is not on the menu, and Buffalo Quail legs which is on the menu. Now, for those of you who are not familiar with quail, their legs are not large, but the flavor was fabulous. The legs were a combination of sweet and spicy. It was a mild spice and they were served with a bleu cheese dressing. The calamari was tender and the breading was crispy-- all good on that front. 

Now, I know we were at a steakhouse, but we recently purchased a large side of beef for our family, so with a freezer full of beef at home I decided to go in a different direction. For my entree I ordered the Lamb Chop which was served with a mushroom-demi glaze. Mike waivered between the bone-in Ribeye and the Chicken Fried Elk, but really, how often do you see chicken fried elk on the menu? With me hoping out loud that he would order the elk, he ordered it. Now, all of us ordered a different entree, and there were 6 of us at the table. Also ordered was the Mahi Mahi, the bone-in Ribeye, pan seared Scallops, and the Filet Mignon. What is so significant about that you ask??? Well, everyone shared!! I love getting to taste a little bit of everything. My lamb was fabulous. The slightly sweet sauce completely complemented the perfectly cooked tender lamb. The scallops were absolutely fantastic, the steaks tender and flavorful, but my favorite of all was the elk. It was served with gravy and the elk was tender, the breading crispy, and it was perfectly seasoned. The vegetable we all were served was fresh green beans cooked with onions and bacon- so yummy. So I would have to say Steiner Ranch and Steakhouse receives two thumbs up. If you're looking for an upscale steakhouse, you can't go wrong with Steiner.

Now I'm Going to Feed You

I love this time of year. The weather cools down and my oven heats up. I especially love cooking with pumpkin. There is just nothing that says fall better than pumpkin and spices!!! 
I tested out this recipe this weekend. I created it last fall, but wanted to test it out with fresh pumpkin puree... and to maybe have a treat... =-) It is so good my neighbor told me she is kidnapping the rest of it this morning so it will not go to waste while we are in Austin. Try it out and let me know what you think!!
Here is my pumpkin bread with orange glaze.

Pumpkin Bread with Orange Glaze

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups pureed pumpkin

Glaze Ingredients

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp orange zest

1 tbs orange juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Sift together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures adding the dry a little at a time. Fold in the pumpkin puree. Pour into a 13x9 cake pan that has been buttered and floured.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Toothpick should come out clean when inserted in the middle. Cool for 5 minutes then pour on glaze.

Glaze:

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. If glaze is too thick add more juice or if too thin add more confectioners sugar.

Enjoy!!!

Birdfeeders Food and Travel

Mike and I are avid travelers and lovers of food. We also love to feed people... this is probably part of my Czech heritage. We love watching the Travel Channel and the Food Network and then experiencing it ourselves.
Recently, Mike and I were in Atlanta for work, but we absolutely had to make time to visit Gladys Knight and Ron Winan Chicken and Waffle restaurant. We heard about it on Man vs Food and wanted to try it out. I mean, what an interesting combination, and we love soul food. Fried chicken is so hard to perfect. You have to make sure you have the perfect seasonings and crispness, while all the time making sure it isn't too greasy or dry. So, hoping we wouldn't be disappointed, we set off. Just a little warning, the only parking area near the restaurant (in Midtown) cost $10 to park, and there are not many parking spots. Luckily, we squeezed into one and made our way inside.
We were STARVING when we arrived, and knowing we were going to over order we went ahead and started with the fried green tomatoes. They do not serve alcohol there, and we didn't bother to find out why, but we were happy with the unsweet iced tea. Mike ordered the Midnight Train which included wings and a waffle. I ordered something along the lines of Ron's plate. This was three pieces of fried chicken (I asked for it to include one breast), two sides (collard greens and the recommended mac n cheese), and corn bread. Yes, this is a lot of food. The wings are huge! We knew we wouldn't be able to finish, but we wanted a little taste of everything. The fried green tomatoes were served with a type of remoulade sauce seasoned with Texas Pete's hot sauce. They were delicious! The sauce really made the dish. We kept the Texas Pete's close by while we tackled the rest of the meal.
I started with the collard greens, since they are one of my favorite all time sides. They were good, not the best I've had, but good. I used some pepper sauce and I was happy. Next, the first bite of chicken. I chose to eat the breast, and I was in Heaven. Oh my goodness. They not only got it right, they perfected fried chicken. I ate and ate and ate. It was sooooo good. I should have stopped long before I did, but it was delicious! Mike's wings were massive. If they had been any bigger, I would have thought they were from a turkey. The mac and cheese was really good, but since I had so much chicken to eat, I passed it on to Mike. His waffle, which was the point of us coming here, was light and delicious. The combination of the sweet syrup and salty chicken really is delicious, but I was happy just eating the chicken.
We ended the meal with their Sweet Potato Cheesecake. It is served with caramel drizzled over it,  sprinkled with pecans, and a dollop of whipped cream. We were not disappointed.

All in all we both give it two thumbs up. It was worth the $10 parking fee, and we would totally visit again. Service was fabulous. We had a lovely server named Laura who was friendly and on top of everything.
Thank you to Gladys Knight and Ron Winan.
Next up, we are traveling to Austin-- stayed tuned.