Crappy dinner

Despite years of cooking, experience and interest in food-- some tag-teamed skills between us, the baker and the more savory cook -- now and then a really crappy meal comes out of the kitchen despite best efforts.

So: leftover burger, some beef broth, cabbage, carrots, lots of onions, celery, Great Northern canned beans and a bit of leftover rice = a totally sucky dinner.

The rice blew up in the broth, the beans and rice suck up any flavor so it was really bland and not soupy. I mean, it was food if you were really, really hungry (which I know is prevalent in so many places. ) But, wow. All this stuff and no flavor and crappy texture.

Hmmm, guess a little failure in the kitchen is always a bit of a bracing slap in the face and kind of refreshing.

English muffins for dinner, and the cook is humbled.

Thanksgiving gravy starts now!

We are starting the Thanksgiving gravy three weeks early. Here's the plan:

We roasted two turkey legs and three turkey wings. First, collect the drippings. Let them chill, separate the fat, and freeze the drippings and fat separately. After stripping the bones of their meat, we will make about two quarts of rich stock from the bones and scraps, along with onions, celery, carrots. After straining the stock, we chill it to let the fat rise and solidify atop the liquid. Remove the fat and freeze it.

Now boil the stock down, reducing it by about half. Freeze the quart of concentrated stock.

When Thanksgiving comes, we will have extra turkey fat, extra drippings and plenty of stock to extend the gravy.

Since gravy is simply fat and flour, cooked to a brown roux along with flavorful liquids stirred in, we are in great shape. Plenty of turkey fat and plenty of drippings and stock to make the most flavorful of gravies.

Halloween

I wonder if the little ones would rather have a nice slice of Halloween meatloaf than all that candy?

Sydney Bogg chocolates

Lucky me, I won a box of Sydney Bogg chocolates from Sweet Essentials in Berkley. It was elegant and totally delicious.

I remember the store at 7 mile and Woodward which seemed magical and and beautiful -- went as a Girl Scout on a field trip and passed it countless times on my way to downtown for work. Glossy chocolate, gleaming glass cases, gorgeous boxes and all on a a wide city highway across from a park. You know it was a special event when you got something from Bogg's.

What I didn't know is the same recipe is being made here in my home town of Berkley. The owners of Sweet Essentials have been making the candy based on Bogg recipes for the last 25 years. It's a small store with choice chocolates.

The box I took home can hold its own with any first class chocolates. Glad to know a Detroit legend lives on nearby and is just as glamorous, delicious and a treat as it was 50 years ago.

Remembering Eloise

We had some sad news in the last days, the mother of one of my best friends passed on.

Eloise was a sassy, smart, sharp, fun and vocal lady who I spent lots of time with during college and especially during a number of trips to Sanibel Island.

Her daughter is brilliant, fun and creative and we have had a long and wonderful friendship since college.

So how does this relate to Detroit Food?

A week in Sanibel
= gorgeous tomatoes in Feb.
=Key lime pie

=Anything you ever wanted to eat in the fridge

=Frozen cookie dough whenever you wanted it

=Bubble Room bread (which we deconstructed, see another post.)

Everything we ever had, in the company of Eloise and my friend, was delicious. Breakfast with Jane Pauley despite I never watch TV in the a.m. Happy hour on the patio. Brunch with stone crab claws and omelettes, of course.

Food tastes best with the people you care about most. Food tastes the best with Karen and Eloise.

She is and was a great lady, with fun and spark and a zest for life. Lucky to know her.

The Joys and Comforts of a Bloody Mary

Now Bloody Marys are almost never on the menu at our home or choices we make out or at social gatherings. However, a request by a young family member for a Bloody Mary birthday brunch was filled and it was just delicious.

It seems that Bloody Marys show up at the most joyful and and saddest occasions -- as a celebration and a comfort.

For the birthday of a lovely young woman, it added spice, verve and savoriness to a homemade (and well-made I might add) brunch of eggs, sausage, fruit, homemade bread --- eaten with family and good, young friends. And a perfect summer evening with an ice cold Bloody Mary sipped while on the phone with best friend across the country was just a perfect counterpoint to a lifelong connection.

After losing beloved family, a post-funeral Bloody Mary offered refreshment, a little bit of life and real comfort, especially made by other loved family.

Interesting how a simple drink can take on an iconic status and emotional weight. That's the beauty of sharing good food and drink.

Here's how we made Sunday's Bloody Mary:

36 oz V-8 (not tomato juice)
6 oz ice cold vodka
Juice of 1 1/2 to two lemons
12- 15 shakes of hot sauce (used Frank's but any works)
3 generous shakes of Worcestershire
1 T fresh horseradish

Mix well, chill well and serve ice cold over ice in a tumbler or highball glass garnished with a long stalk of celery (or a dill pickle.)

Open to individual taste --- add more or less spice, etc. Lime is a good option in place of lemon. This is a good basic recipe you can take and make your own.

Remember: Ice cold!

Fun at Pig and Whiskey, Ferndale

Some good eatin' at Ferndale Pig and Whiskey

Barbequed pork belly with onions and peaches from Roast in Detroit. Succulent for sure, though I expected more aggressive seasoning from Michael Symon.

A nice Pork slider from Real BBQ (Lincoln Park and other locations around Detroit). Their sauce is just on the edge of sweet.

Macon Bacon slider from Union Woodshop, Clarkson. This sounds wonderful - Angus slider, bacon, bacon jam, prosciutto, and cheese. Alas, the bacon just overwhelmed everything else.

Finally, a smoky, smoky, smoky pulled pork slider from Union Woodshop. I liked it.