The Magic of (Dove) Chocolate

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Wendi and I are having a Magic of Chocolate event in Wooster on Saturday night, and she is getting ready for it by making Dove Chocolate-covered strawberries. They will be just one of the many chocolate samplings that will be featured.

Wendi is an independent Dove Chocolate Discoveries Chocolatier. She has home parties that feature Dove's premium lines of ready-to-eat chocolates, beverages, elegant desserts and candy-making products. (You can read more about what she does on her website.)

Wendi will be treating guests to fine Dove Chocolate Discoveries products, and I will be performing magic. My effects will have a chocolate theme.

The event is 7 p.m. Saturday. I forgot to deliver some of my invites. So, if you are interested in going and can do so on such short notice, sent me a tweet, a message on Facebook, an email or text message and I can fill you in on the details.

The event is geared for couples, but anyone can attend.

Note: The photos above are of the chocolate-covered strawberries and of chocolate tempering.

Bustelo Cool: The New Craze

A friend recently introduced me to Bustelo Cool, a ready-to-drink coffee product from Miami-based Rowland Coffee Roasters, which was recently purchased by The J.M. Smucker Co. of Orrville, Ohio.

Bustelo Cool comes in two flavors: Cafe Mocha and Cafe con Leche. Both of them are very good. They incorporate espresso coffee from Cafe Bustelo blended with milk (leche). The mocha has hints of chocolate.

I am one who only drinks iced or frozen coffee drinks. I want my coffee milky and sweet. I do not want a bold, dark, strong, bitter coffee.

I have been drinking iced coffee drinks for a long time, and I am a big fan of the Bustelo Cool offerings.. Growing up in Revere, Mass., my mother bought us children coffee syrup to put in our milk to make coffee drinks. Since the early 1990s, I have been pretty much an exclusive iced coffee drinker. I have had more than my fair share of failures when trying to make a good iced coffee at home. I love Dunkin Donuts' iced coffee, particularly the toasted almond flavor. When McDonald's came out with its vanilla iced coffee, I fell in love with it.

I tried Starbucks' ready-to-drink iced coffee drinks, but I never really warmed up to them (yes, pun intended). But, when I tried Bustelo Cool, first I had the Cafe con Leche, and later the Cafe Mocha, and I immediately liked it. They had a great coffee flavor, not overly strong in my opinion, and it had the right blend of milk and sweetness. The drinks are smooth, and I mean smooth.

If I have one criticism of the product, it is the size: Only 8 ounces of cool coffee goodness in a can. As one person said, "They need to put it in a gallon jug."

I agree.

Burgers at The Rail

Wendi and I went to Fairlawn to take advantage of some of our Entertainment Book coupons and to walk around the Summit Mall. As we were walking inside the mall, I decided to check into Foursquare. When I did, I noticed The Rail was at the mall.

So, we decided once we walked for about 30 minutes, we would go in and try a burger from The Rail, which is one of Mike Mariola's enterprises (City Square Steakhouse and South Market Bistro in Wooster are two others). The burger joint has an intimate feel inside. It is like the Cheers of burger bars, where it seems like everybody knows your name. (At least General Manager David Drumm did.)

Wendi opted for the Crouching Burger (Hidden Bacon), and I had a Rail burger with pepperjack cheese and Ohio thick-cut bacon. The Crouching Burger features a patty, smoked pork, a crispy wonton, Ohio thick-cut bacon and Rail sauce. When we received the burgers, it was nice surprise to see the patties were hand-formed. So, instead of being thin and flat, they were plump. It was also nice to see something Mariola started with the South Market Bistro continues at The Rail: An emphasis on local foods. The beef comes from cows raised in Ohio, the milk and ice cream come from Smith's Dairy in Orrville and the adult beverages, of which I do not imbibe, is local, too.

We also decided to supplement our burgers with the loaded potato chips. The tempura chips are covered with cheese, bacon, sour cream and green onions. (We skipped the onions.) These were very good and crispy, and there was enough for us to share. The chips are an appetizer, and we decided to have them before the burgers. Maybe next time, we'll have them together.

When the burgers arrived, they were very tasty. The first thing noticeable is the charred flavor, which I enjoy. The menu lists the bacon as thick-cut, and it surely lives up to the description. It was very crispy, flavorful and thick.

My burger with pepperjack cheese and bacon was very good. Wendi's burger, while tasty, was a little dry. It was ordered medium rare and came out closer to medium. (We ended up sharing the burgers; we each had half of both hamburgers).

The Crouching Burger (Hidden Bacon) is a good concept, but the crispy wonton and smoked pork flavors did not really come through. Unless I saw the wonton, I would not have known I was eating it. The smoked pork flavor was mostly muted, but on those occasions when it shined, it really shined.

Overall, it was a nice experience. I love the decor and feel of the place; the food is good; and the staff is friendly.

IKEA Swedish meatballs

On a whim, my brother-in-law Shaun thought it would be a good idea to go to IKEA in Pittsburgh. Wendi and I had spent the night with Shaun and Randi, Wendi's sister, because of weather conditions.

So, on Saturday morning, we headed for Pittsburgh because Shaun thought it would be nice.

Even though roads were not the best on Friday night, they were clear all the way to IKEA.

Because Marc Kovac has talked about IKEA's Swedish meatballs, I knew I had to try them. They were pretty good and only $3.99. The mashed potatoes were even better. The sauce was very tasty. The Lingonberries, well, not so good. I had never had them before.

Overall, the dish was a good meal and a great deal.

Thin and crispy

Growing up in the Boston area in an Italian family, I had my fair share of pizza. I love the style of pizza featured there, as wonderfully articulated by Pizzeria Regina and Maggio's. The crust is doughy, but crisp and charred. The sauce has the taste of an uncooked sauce.

When my family moved to Little Rock, Ark., in the 1970s, my sister worked at a Pizza Inn. It was there I discovered a thin, cracker-like crust, similar to what you can get at Pizza Hut.

While I enjoy the crust, it is not very filling, so I rarely order it. I recently saw an episode of Cook's Country that showed how to make St. Louis-style pizza, which boasts the cracker-like crust.

This was my second attempt. The dough was a little too heavy for my looking, but it is a start.

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The Daily Grind

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Anyone who has read this blog knows of my affinity for Certified Angus Beef. I worked in a restaurant that used USDA Prime beef, and CAB is better by far. The other night, I was at Buehler's checking out what CAB products were on sale. 

I had read somewhere about short ribs being used a beef blend for homemade burgers. So, as I was seeing what good deals were available, I noticed a great price for short ribs. Once I saw the price, I knew it was going to make a homemade grind for burgers.

My wife, Wendi, loves burgers, and I wanted to make her some good hamburgers. We are big fans of Five Guys Burgers & Fries. For years, we had wanted to check out Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Conn., where the hamburger sandwich is said to have orginiated. Check out the link and read about the history of the place. We had the chance to enjoy lunch there when we visited New England in late July 2011. What impressed me with the burger from Louis' Lunch was when I bit into the juicy burger, it tasted like I was biting into a steak sandwich.

I have no idea what cuts are used in the grind at Louis' Lunch, but the website said five cuts of beef are used. I would love to know the varieties and the proportions. While the proprietary blend is a mystery to me, I actually got close (without trying) when I made my grind.

I picked up the short ribs, and I was looking for another cut or two to accompany it. I looked at chuck and sirloin. However, I opted on something else: I purchased about an equal amount of Certified Angus Beef beef stir-fry mix. I figured the beef was already sliced and it likely included a variety of cuts instead of just a single one.

I prefer to grind my hamburger blend in a food processor instead of a meat grinder, which is why I gave my grinder away about a year or two ago. I cut up the short ribs and mixed it with the stir-fry beef. I processed the beef in two batches, placing a half of the mixture in each time. I pulsed the beef for about 10 one-second blasts.

Because it was late, I cooked the burgers in a hot, cast-iron skillet. I probably cooked the burgers too much, but when I bit into one, it tasted like I was biting into a steak burger.

With the success I had, I will be keeping an eye out for when short ribs are on sale. I might even try the boneless short ribs, though they do not look exactly like the ones attached to the bones.

What burgers do you like, and do you make your own blend?

Italian tradition lived out in Lodi

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A guest blog by Wendi Warren

I have been blessed to be married to a wonderful Italian man for the past 16 years. During that time I have learned many things from him regarding his Italian heritage. One that is lived out every holiday, is the assurance that I will be making some Italian dish to go along with the rest of the holiday feast. See, growing up in an Italian family, Bobby would have all the “traditional” fixings as any family in the great United States of America would enjoy, but then they would also have gravy (spaghetti sauce), ravioli, eggplant parmesan and the like. So we have continued this tradition in our home since we have been married.

 

 

 

I have tried many different recipes. Sometimes easy and sometimes more complicated. One of our favorites is stuffed manicotti. We have used the America’s Test Kitchen recipe and it turns out great every time. (Incidentally, I don’t think I have ever had a recipe turn out badly that I have followed from America’s Test Kitchen. Which I guess is their point—they make a dish dozens of times to find the best way to do it so that cooks at home don’t have to find it by trial and error.)

 

 

 

 

Anyhow, this year for Easter I wanted to try my hand at chicken parmigiana. So I turned to our trusty America’s Test Kitchen cookbook and found their recipe. It was a little involved, but totally worth it. I bet it would have been even better if I had remembered to mix the parmesan cheese with the bread crumbs. (I had them measured out, but forgot to add them. I had to sprinkle the parmesan on top of the already breaded chicken, but it worked out O.K. anyhow.)

 

 

 

 

Bobby was pleased as was the rest of the family and I felt good that it was so well received. Another holiday, another Italian dish, another chance to share Bobby’s heritage with family in Lodi; what more can a girl ask for? I know, enjoying another Italian tradition—“the sweetness of doing nothing.” I think I’ll go and put that into practice right now!

 

 

 

 

Flat iron steak: Flat out tender

During one of my lunches with Bryan Schaaf, who handles publication relations and communications duties for Wooster-based Certified Angus Beef, I told him how I recently bought some CAB flat iron steaks, and they were better than I thought.

I had no idea from what part of the cow flat iron steaks come, but in my cooking days, I never broiled a flat iron steak. At Valle's Steak House, I broiled filet mignons, New York strips, top sirloins and ribeyes. I basically believed this was about the only cuts you wanted to broil or grill.

So, I was surprised when Bryan told me the flat iron steak, in terms of tenderness, trailed only the filet mignon. It further intrigued me the steak came from the chuck region. So, when Buehler's, a Wooster-based grocery chain, had flat iron steaks on sale, I picked up a couple of them.

I decided I would marinade the steaks. I did not measure anything, but for the marinade, I used: Soy sauce, dark rice wine, sugar, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, celery salt, Old Bay Seasoning and parsley. After allowing the steaks to marinade for about eight hours (while I was at work), I grilled them, sliced them and served it with macaroni and cheese and steamed broccoli.

Do you cook flat iron steak? Why not share your recipe in the comments below.

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Unorthodox coffee brewing

Ice coffee to the residents of Revere, Mass., is like iced tea to Southerners, just a staple of life.

I grew up in the coastal town, and I remember in the 1970s my mother buying coffee syrup to add to milk. It wasn't a fresh-brewed iced coffee, but it was close enough more me as a kid.

About two decades ago, my sister got me hooked on Dunkin Donuts ice coffee. I have been a big fan of ice coffee, but I was living in Florida, and now Ohio, which was not a haven for ice coffee beverages.

When McDonald's came out with an ice coffee, the vanilla one, I was hooked. I would drink one to two large ice coffees a day. As big a fan as I am of Dunkin Donuts' ice coffee, especially the toasted almond variety, to me, McDonald's vanilla ice coffee is the best. It is sweet and creamy, the way I like it, with just enough coffee flavor poking through.

I am not a coffee connoisseur. I do not like a dark, bold coffee. I like it milky and sweet, and that is what McDonald's delivers.

However, at nearly $2 a pop, ice coffee was quickly eating into my discretionary cash. I had to do something.

So, I purchased a Mr. Coffee espresso machine. Keep in mind I do not drink hot coffee, and I do not drink coffee all day long. So, I was looking for something to deliver coffee in small doses. I spent about $25-$30 for the coffeemaker and got just that. I could not make a good cup of iced coffee with it. Coffee was way too strong and bitter. I scrapped it.

Next, I picked up some type of drip coffeemaker from a Goodwill. It was OK, but I eventually got rid of it. I tried using instant coffee to make my ice coffee drinks, and it was passable, but not great.

I don't know how I came up with the idea, perhaps it was my memory of a coffee episode on Good Eats, but I decided to come up with another method for making ice coffee, which is what I now do nearly every day.

My mother-in-law bought me an electric kettle as a gift. I got to thinking, I could put a coffee filter in a funnel, pour the hot water over it and make one cup of coffee at a time. This is what I do nearly every morning.

Here is the process: I heat the water in the electric kettle. I get out my reusable plastic coffee cup and set on it a wide-mouth funnel for stability and height and a regular funnel. Into the regular funnel I place a coffee filter. Into the coffee filter I place 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of Eight O'Clock Coffee (I switched from Folger's). When the water comes to a boil, I pour enough water over the ground coffee beans to make eight ounces of coffee. I then add 3 1/2 ounces of vanilla caramel coffee creamer and 1 tablespoon of sugar. If I have time, I leave this in the fridge to cool down while I get ready for work. Else, when I am ready to drink it, I fill my reusable ice coffee cup with ice and pour over the coffee mixture. Sip and enjoy.

If you try this, be careful when pouring the water. It is easy to get scalded by the boiling water. Some friends say this is way too much work. Perhaps it is, but I only make one cup of coffee a day. Sometimes I might make two on a Saturday. You might be thinking why wouldn't I go out and purchase a single-cup coffeemaker like a Keurig. It comes down to cost. I cannot justify spending $90-$120 on a coffeemaker that will get used once a day and only by me.

It ain't pretty, but it works for me ... for now.

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Johnny's Garlic Spread - The multi-purpose seasoning

The last time Wendi and I were in Boston, my sister sent us home with a jar of Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning. My sister told us she and her husband used it for everything.

Even before we flew back home to Ohio, we made some garlic bread using Johnny's. I have to tell you, the first introduction to Johnny's was not the best, however, that was then, this is now.

The way we made the garlic bread was to melt the butter and add the recommended amount of Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning. It was just too much for my liking. My sister suggested spreading the butter on the bread, then sprinkling some of Johnny's on it. Much better idea because you can control the amount.

I have never actually looked at the ingredients in Johnny's; it must be garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and perhaps some parmesan cheese. It has a very strong garlic, but it can be controlled by how much you sprinkle on or in.

Despite that initial negative reaction to the product, I find myself becoming a big fan of it because it is so versatile.

Readers of this blog know when I make pizza, I prefer an uncooked sauce. The last time I made pizza, rather than sprinkling salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, parsley, basil and sugar on the crushed tomatoes, I just sprinkled some Johnny's.

When I make garlic bread, I butter the bread, sprinkle the Johnny's and bake.

I had a jar of tomato sauce I wanted to use. I added Johnny's to the sauce, heated it up and had instant spaghetti sauce.

We had some mini-French bread loaves we had to use or lose. I cut one up into cubes, sprinkled on some butter, sprinkled some Johnny's and added some extra grated parmesan cheese (the plastic jar type) and made some good croutons. Because I eat so much garlic bread with Johnny's, I wanted to make sure the croutons were not just toasted garlic bread cubes, which is why I added the extra cheese to alter the taste slightly. They turned out very good.