Omaha

We made it.  Finally.

Getting ready to leave Philadelphia yesterday, we remarked at how quickly we were going to be in Omaha.  Half-way across the country.  Our airport treks usually are coast-to-coast and take the better part of a day.

How quickly things change.

We were booked on Midwest Airlines.  A hop up to Milwaukee, a shorter hop to Omaha.  I even booked a direct flight - land but no plane change. And then Midway changed the itinerary.  Same flight up to Milwaukee, but a plane-change.  And then Midway left Philadelphia 45 minutes late and we missed the flight to Omaha.  And the next flight - at 10:30pm - was already over-booked.  I was not amused.

The Midway reps let us know right away that because the delays were weather related, the airline wasn't responsible for getting us on another carrier or feeding us or putting us up in a hotel.  Did I mention that I wasn't amused!?  I wasn't amused.

We did receive a "Distressed Passenger" voucher for a discounted rate at a local Best Western hotel.  I was so not amused.

While the clan was gathering in Omaha, laughing and joking, and reliving times past, we had a nice, quiet evening in Milwaukee.  I was just not amused.

But... we did finally arrive in Omaha.  We got all checked in to a very nice room - a little mini-suite - and all was right with the world.

Naturally, everyone was out doing stuff - golfing, at the zoo - but a few phone calls alter, the troops started arriving back.

We received out "Welcome Bags" that included the above cookie (which tasted most excellent!) along with a bag of candy corn, reunion t-shirts color-coded to the family branch - ours are red in honor of Pop being a fireman - and just a wild assortment of fun stuff.  Another cousin made the bags!  Fun, indeed.

Tonight we have a BBQ at my cousins that will be a lot of fun.  I'm bringing the laptop and the Family Tree program to get these deadbeats to update their family info.

I'm really looking forward to finally seeing all these folks!

Finally amused.

by Tim Dineen

Cleanin' the 'Fridge

We took a trip down to Gentile's Produce early this morning.  I normally eschew Sunday Shopping.  In fact, I try not to leave the house at all, if possible, but the timing was right.  Leave the house before 8 and home by 9.  Beat the crowds.

Every couple of weeks I usually clean out the produce bins, reline them with paper towels, and start reasonably fresh.

But today, as I looked in the 'fridge, it was looking a bit scrungy.  The door shelves were funky, the shelves were funky, and the bottom was looking especially funky.

Time to bite the bullet and clean the whole thing.

Out came the condiments and other door-shelf items.

Out came the door-shelves.  And the shelves.  And the bins.  And the bin frames and light covers, and everything else.  I emptied the refrigerator.  Completely.

We bought the 'fridge new in April of 2001.  This is the first time I have taken it completely apart.  And I am pleased to report that it actually wasn't disgusting.  There were plenty of crumbs and the remains of a red sugary spill from who knows when, but nothing growing anywhere.  I had the thing completely taken apart, cleaned, put back together and refilled in less than 45 minutes.  I was pleased.

Another great thing is I only tossed one "leftover" container... some rice from the other night I knew we weren't going to utilize any time soon.  Everything else was current and usable!

What I really should do now is tackle the freezer side.  I really should.  But not today.  Weather is getting nasty outside.  Winds and all.  Calling for big hail, tornado watch, all sorts of stuff.  If we lost power while I was cleaning, we could lose all that frozen stuff.  That would be a bad thing.

So.  Potential bad weather is keeping me from finishing the job.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

by Tim Dineen

Glenhardie Dinner Club

Time again for the Men to cook for the Glenhardie Dinner Club.  Menu and recipes are from my friend John McAllister.

Menu

Hors D’oeuvre

Host Choice

Appetizers

Prosciutto di Parma “Purses”

Black Olive Tapenade

Soup

Minestra Di Funghi Selvatice

Wild Mushroom Soup

Pasta

Veal filled Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

Salad

Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

Entrée

Stuffed Lobster Tails with shrimp and crab

Risotto with Peas

Dessert

Oranges in Cointreau

Wine

Luna Di Luna Pinot Grigio…. (White)

Identified By Joseph Mc Guire

PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA “PURSES”

• 20 sturdy fresh chives each at least 5” long
• 10 thin slices prosciutto di Parma, each about 8 x 4 inches
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Ripe cantaloupe ( e.g. Quart container at Whole foods)

1. Bring a large skillet of water to a boil and add the chives. Stir, separating the chives gently, just until they turn bright green, about 5 seconds. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water and let stand for a few seconds to stop the cooking. Remove the chives and drain them on paper towels.
2. Cut the prosciutto slices crosswise in half to make pieces that measure about 4 inches square. Place 1 teaspoon grated cheese in the center of each square. Gather the edges of the prosciutto up over the cheese to form a “purses”* with a rounded bottom and ruffled top, pinch the prosciutto firmly where it is gathered, and tie a chive around this “neck”.
3. In a large, preferably nonstick, skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over low heat. Add half of the purses and cook, shaking the skillet very gently occasionally, until the undersides of the purses are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon butter and cook the remaining purses in the same manner. Serve with fresh ripe melon wedges.

Note #1: *Cook these “purses” just long enough to brown them . Overcooking will make them salty and, as prosciutto di Parma is a carefully cured product, it doesn’t need to be cooked to be rendered edible. When buying the prosciutto, ask for slices from the widest part of the ham which will measure about “eight by four inches”.

PREPARED BY JOHN MC ALLISTER

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY DAVID JOHNSON

BLACK OLIVE TAPENADE

Serves 10

• 3 tablespoons vinegar packed capers (e.g. Small jar--Whole Foods)
• 1 ½ cups (8 oz./250g) pitted Kalamata olives (e.g. Whole Foods Olive stand)
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 6-8 anchovy fillets, rinsed (e.g. 2 oz Cento can in olive oil-Whole Foods)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper

1. Drain, and rinse vinegar packed capers and pat dry
2. In a large mortar, combine the capers, olives, garlic, anchovies, and thyme. Using a pestle, and working in a circular motion, grind together until evenly chopped. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while stirring constantly with the pestle until a very finely chopped spread-not a smooth puree- forms.
3. Alternatively in a food processor combine the capers, olives, garlic, anchovies and thyme and process until finely chopped about 1 minute. Then with the motor running pour in the olive oil in slow steady stream and process until very finely chopped. ( I used this method ---note: somewhat chunky…not a paste)
4. Season to taste with pepper.
5. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

PREPARED BY JOHN MC ALLISTER

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY DAVID JOHNSON

MINESTRA DI FUNGHI SELVATICE

Wild Mushroom Soup

Serves 12

FOR THE SOUP

• 8 pieces (2/5 ounce) dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 ½ cups water
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 slices bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled, left whole
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, left whole
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 2½ quarts (10 cups) Chicken Broth
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

FOR THE FRESH MUSHROOMS

• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced – see below
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

1. In 1½ cups of warm water, presoak the dried porcini about 20 minutes, until softened. Drain, reserving all but the last 2 teaspoons of the steeping liquid (to avoid unwanted sediments). Remove and rinse the softened porcini.
2. In a 5-quart pot, heat 5 tablespoons olive oil, add the bacon and onion, and sauté until translucent. Add the potatoes, carrots, and shallot, and cook 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the stock, drained porcini, reserved soaking liquid, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep on low boil about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
3. To prepare the fresh wild mushrooms, heat the olive oil in the large skillet and sauté them in batches, over medium-high heat, until all water has evaporated, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the mushrooms to the soup pot and simmer 30 minutes, skimming occasionally. Remove and discard potatoes and carrots. Add the pepper and parsley, and serve piping hot.

Notes:

The soup is best when made with several varieties of fresh wild mushrooms - porcini, shiitake, chanterelle, hen-of-the-woods, etc. Other types of dried mushrooms may be substituted for the dried porcini specified, but porcini are preferable.

The dried and fresh wild mushrooms are available at Whole Foods.

PREPARED BY FRANK PARISI

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY DAVID JOHNSON

VEAL-FILLED RAVIOLI WITH MARINARA SAUCE

Serves 8

Stuffed Ravioli:

• 24 fresh ravioli stuffed with veal *

1. Boil Water in suitable pot
2. Add raviolis and cook for eight minutes or until “entire” raviolis is tender
3. Place three ravioli on a small plate
4. Top with sauce and serve .

*Note:

Suggest purchase Ravioli at: Carlino’s Specialty Foods
2616 E County Line Rd, Ardmore, PA 19003 - (610) 649-4046
-or -
128 W Market St, West Chester - (610) 696-3788

Vince’s Marinara Sauce:

• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 small Onion, chopped (fine…not too chunky)
• 1 can (28 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 4 Teaspoons Dried Basil Leaves
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 2 Teaspoons Oregano
• 8oz. White Wine OR 1 Teaspoon White Sugar

1. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic and onion in the olive oil; about 10 minutes.
2. Break apart the whole tomatoes with your hands and add to the pan along with the crushed tomatoes, basil, white wine/sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY VINCE SCRIBONI

SWEET AND SOUR CUCUMBERS SALAD

Serves 5

• 2 medium size cucumbers
• 3 scallions
• 6 radishes
• 1 sprig of parsley, snipped
• 2 tablespoons tarragon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh crushed herbs, if available

1. Peel and slice the cucumbers as thinly as possible.
2. Slice scallions very thin, including the tops.
3. Then add sliced radishes and snipped parsley.
4. Combine vinegar, sugar and oil; pour over cucumber mixture.
5. Toss, season to taste
6. Refrigerate1 hour before serving.
7. Makes about 2 cups.

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY BOB MCKELVEY

STUFFED LOBSTER TAILS WITH SHRIMP AND CRAB

Serves 4

Lobster Tails:

• ½ stick unsalted butter
• 1 (61/2 oz).can crab meat, drained
• 4 lobster tails, prepared as shown( (6 oz. each)*
• 1 C butter cracker crumb (such below as Ritz)
• 3 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut into chunks
• juice of ½ a lemon
• ¾ C butter cracker crumbs
• 2 T. chopped fresh chives
• ½ stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1T. lemon zest, minced
• 2T. chopped fresh parsley
• Pinch of cayenne

1. Lobster tails come frozen. To thaw, leave tails in the fridge overnight or run cold water over them for about an hour. Prepare lobster tails by cutting down both sides of the belly (not the meat) to the fan. Remove meat, devein, cut into 1” chunks; reserve the shells.
2. Preheat oven to 400*; place a rack on a foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Melt ½ stick butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in lobster, shrimp, and lemon juice; cook just until seafood starts to turn pink. Add chives, zest, and cayenne.
4. Off heat, stir in crab and 1 cup of cracker crumbs just until combined (use a light hand when stirring the crabmeat – otherwise it will break down into shreds). Divide stuffing among the 4 reserved lobster shells. (Stuffed tails may be covered and chilled for up to 1 day). Arrange tails on prepared rack.
5. Combine remaining ¾ cup of cracker crumbs with melted butter and parsley, then sprinkle over each prepared tail.
6. Roast until topping is crisp and stuffing is hot, about 15 minutes.
7. Serve with Champagne Butter Sauce.

*Note:

- Recommend purchase at Suburbia Seafood, Bridgeport , Pa 610-265-7426

- Recommend not using crackers …Use bread crumbs instead e.g. used Pepperbridge Farm thin white bread, cut crust off and create fine bread crumbs in food processor

- Recommend boiling empty lobster shells before stuffing them

Champagne Butter Sauce;

In French cuisine, this sauce is called a beurre blanc (burr BLAHN). If you don’t have sparkling wine, dry white wine works too. Makes ½ cup.

• 1 cup dry sparkling wine or dry white wine
• 1T. shallots, minced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed (8 T.)
• 1t. minced fresh tarragon
• salt to taste

1. Reduce wine with shallots and thyme in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until liquid is nearly evaporated.
2. Remove and discard thyme, then whisk in butter 1 or 2 cubes at a time until melted. Finish with tarragon and salt.
3. To prevent the sauce from “breaking” (separating), keep it warm in a bowl of hot water rather than on the stovetop.

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY JOSEPH MCGUIRE

RISOTTO WITH PEAS

Serves 10

• 2 pints Chicken Broth
• 5 tablespoons Butter
• ½ cup small onion finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups Arborio Rice
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Reggiano Cheese-(e.g. Whole Foods)
• Salt and pepper to taste (very little)
• Freshly Shelled Peas packet -(e.g. Whole Foods)

Pot #1

Put broth in pot and cook to almost boiling

Pot #2

Put onion, butter (3 tbls) in pot and brown onion

Add rice for about 1 min. (should be translucent)

Add wine

Add broth to cover rice and constantly mix

When liquid disappears add more broth

Medium high heat (17 mins. cooking time)

It took a little longer for me …test rice ..do not cover

Pot #3

Cook peas until tender ---just covered peas with water –high heat

Drain

Assemble :

Fold in Peas then rest of butter and Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)

Serve

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY JOHN MC ALLISTER

ORANGES IN COINTREAU

(from Sanibel-Captiva Cookbook)

• Twelve to fifteen navel oranges, peeled and sliced or segmented
• One and one-half cups sugar
• One and one-half cups water
• One and one-half cups cane sugar syrup (Karo syrup)
• One-quarter cup lemon juice
• One-quarter cup Cointreau
• Pepperidge Farm Milano Double Chocolate cookies

1. Place the orange segments in a large jar or other sealable container such as Tupperware.
2. Combine next three ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from high heat and place on medium heat. Keep saucepan uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and liqueur. Pour over oranges and refrigerate at least overnight. Serve cold.
5. Serve on individual plates, perhaps five or six segments per plate.
6. Add one or two Pepperidge Farm Milano Double Chocolate cookies to finish the plate

NOTE: If the oranges are good sized, half this recipe should probably suffice for a dinner party. I recommend segmenting the oranges. In heating the mixture, forty minutes seems to be overkill. Go with the slightly thickened criterion..

RECIPE IDENTIFIED BY BOB MCKELVEY

by Tim Dineen

Jamie Oliver on Obesity in the United States

Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.

This should be posted and reposted and reposted again.  Spend the 20 minutes to watch it all.

Fast food has taken over the whole country. We know that. The big brands are some of the most important powers, powerful powers in this country. Supermarkets as well. Big companies. Big companies. 30 years ago, most of the food was largely local and largely fresh. Now it's largely processed and full of all sorts of additives, extra ingredients, and you know the rest of the story. Portion size is obviously a massive, massive problem. Labeling is a massive problem. The labeling in this country is a disgrace. They want to be self ... They want to self-police themselves. The industry wants to self-police themselves. What, in this kind of climate? They don't deserve it. How can you say something is low-fat when it's full of so much sugar?

by Tim Dineen

Failing Disaster Preparedness 101

Boy, I blew it.  I'm Mr Disaster Preparedness.  Pop was a Fireman.  He taught us how to be self-sufficient in an emergency.  At any given moment we have enough food in the cupboards or freezer to sustain us for several days of whatever Mother Nature could throw at us.  I'm watching people panic-buying (what was with the guy buying 4 12-roll packs of toilet paper, anyway?!?)  and feeling just a tad smug that I have everything we need at home, already.

Victor had been traveling for work and got home late Thursday night.  I made a huge pot of soup and we had soup and homemade bread for dinner last night.  I figured with the snow coming, we should have dessert at the ready.  Time to bake a cake.

I made a basic yellow cake from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook.  Simple, foolproof.  After dinner, I went to make a basic chocolate butter cream icing.

Cube of butter into the mixer, get down the cocoa, go for the powdered sugar and - and - there's only 2 cups of powdered sugar in the house! OMG!  How could I have been so careless?  How could I have failed so badly?  I'm so ashamed.

Of course, Disaster Training and Preparedness means making do with what you have.  I had a 10lb bag of granulated sugar.  And I had eggs.  I made a 7-Minute icing.

Note to self:  Buy powdered sugar Monday.

by Tim Dineen

Cleaning Out the Spice Cabinet

When we bought the house nine years ago (I can't believe it's been that long!) the first thing we did was gut the kitchen and start over.  It was a 1950 metal-cabinet-mess.  We came up with a pretty good design and a chunk of change later, we had a great layout and a fun place to create.

Nine year later, it's in need of a little bit of TLC.

It's time to paint.

The question became, do we clean the woodwork and cabinets, the drawers and all that before we paint, or after we paint?  The consensus was before.  Make everything sparkling-clean and the final step is the paint.

Since most of the cabinets have been taken apart and cleaned out several times since they were installed, I decided to start with the one that probably hasn't been taken apart and cleaned since we put it up - the spice cabinet!

There are three lazy susans in the corner cabinet used for herbs, spices, vinegars, and Asian sauces.

Everything came out and the cleaning started.

I went through and culled a few things - but not much.  A few flavorings that I know have been there a bit too long and some Christmas stuff that will keep better in the basement.  Most everything went back.  Neater.

The shelves weren't as bad as I thought they would be.  One spill that  took a bit of elbow-grease to get rid of, but otherwise not bad.  I guess there was just so much stuff on them that dirt and/or grime just didn't have a place to set.  The bottles all got a good wipe-down whether they needed it ot not.

The next two cabinets will be the one on top of the ovens - where the pastas, flours, and some of the baking stuff is kept, and the cabinet above the refrigerator - cereal, dog biscuits, and miscellaneous stuff.  Both are in pretty good shape - I think.

And then it will be time to actually wash the outside of all the cabinets and drawers.  Even though they are done regularly, they get messy and/or greasy quick.

We may be ready to paint by Spring!

by Tim Dineen