Monday Leftovers - Continued

And what to do with half a sheet tray of short ribs when the chef is at work the next day?  Well I found the perfect blog to answer that question, Last Night's Dinner.  As we speak the meat is simmering with tomatoes for a nice ragu, and I may even try my hand at homemade pappardelle.  Or I'll just boil some spaghetti.  Wait, did someone comment about risotto?  Yum.

Monday Leftovers - Short Ribs

By Chef Jim Severson (aka Honey).  Topped with Sevy's Bitchin' BBQ Sauce, available bottled at the restaurant ($6.95) or make it yourself from the recipe in my favorite cook book:  Sevy's Grill, A Collection of Our Favorite Recipes.

SEVY'S BITCHIN' BBQ SAUCE
1/2 c. onions, small dice
1/4 c. poblano pepper, small dice
2 TBL. garlic, minced
2 TBL. olive oil
1 TBL. salt
1 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 TBL. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayonne pepper
1/4 c. worcestershire sauce
1 qt. ketchup
1 1/2 c. water
In sauce pot, heat oil and saute onion, poblano and garlic until soft.  Add chili powder, salt, and cayenne to "bloom" the flavors.  Add sugar, vinegar, worcestershire and water.  Mix well then add ketchup.  Bring to boil, then lower to simmer for 45 minutes.

This Just In - Dairy Palace Avoids Being Killed By Tornado

Interstate 20 and Highway 19?!!!  Next to that Canton Chevron station seen on TV slightly squished and battered by yesterdays (tornado?) is a restaurant beloved by several Dallas chefs, the World Famous Dairy Palace.  My heart rate doubled as I pictured a drive to Canton, Van or Shreveport without a stop at this favorite family-run place (open 24/7, by the way).

I spoke with Carlos, an employee at the restaurant this morning, and he said while the building sustained a small amount of damage, they will resume operations as soon as the electricity is restored.  He is hoping by noon today.

All these folks are believed to be alive and well after

yesterdays weather event.  Perhaps saved by

the spirit of their hanging sign?

Home Cooking - Monkey Bread

Sunday after Christmas we had our extended family breakfast at my sister-in-law's home, she cooked for 11 adults and kids and I confess we did not bring one thing to eat (bad).  She made two batches of Monkey Bread, and during the meal mentioned that they now sell Monkey Bread "kits" at certain retailers for around $20.  Which is interesting, because all you really need is a bundt pan, and Tom Thumb sells those for about $12 if you don't already have one. 

So to save you anywhere from $20 to $8, here's the recipe you can make in less than 10 minutes at home.

KATHY JO'S MONKEY BREAD
1 can refrigerated Country Biscuits (large can of the large biscuits)
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix sugar and cinnamon in bowl.  Open biscuit can and slice each biscuit into 6 wedges.  Roll each wedge into a ball, roll in melted butter and then in sugar mixure.  Place in bottom of ungreased bundt pan, layer by layer.  When finished sprinkle remaining sugar around top and pour remaining butter over sugar.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Invert immediately on plate, let set 1 - 2 minutes before removing bundt pan.

10 out of 11 monkeys loved this recipe.

Home Cooking - Smells Like the Holidays

The wafting scent of turkey soup followed me from the house to Tom Thumb this morning, apparently a "seller" there as well, the lady ahead of me in the check-out had purchased a quart of theirs.   The air was heavy with the same aroma that permeated my own home, having simmered our turkey carcass for most of Sunday evening.  I'm a turkey soup traditionalist - a must have at the holidays when an easy home meal is desired.  It's such a waste not to squeeze the most out of the deliciousness of Thanksgiving, and the flavor delivers on the promise of the odor. 

Also today I'm making a batch of my Grade A Snack Mix to send to a few of the boys in the Class of 2009 - a week ago or so we (The Moms) had a meeting to pack 29 finals study-aid boxes to ship to our freshmen.  There were a few boys who did not have a mom to represent them at the party, so I'm making an extra batch of my treat to send them for their finals and including notes from some of their old teachers within.

So much holiday goodness comes to us through our sense of smell, and while there are many, many good turkey soup recipes out there, there is only ONE Grade A Snack Mix recipe to make your home smell delicious.  And it makes a terrific holiday gift for friends, neighbors or hostesses.

GRADE A SNACK MIX WITH SEVY SEASONING
1 stick (8 TBL) butter
4 TBL Worcestershire sauce
3 TBL Sevy seasoning
2 tsp. Chili powder
1 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Onion powder
1 tsp. Cumin
8-10 shakes (1/2 - 1 tsp?) Tabasco (depends on how much heat you prefer)
3 generous cups Corn Mix cereal
3 generous cups Rice Mix cereal
3 generous cups Wheat Mix cereal
1 1/2 cups pretzel sticks
1 1/2 cups peanuts (optional - you can also substitute Cheez-Its for non-nut eaters)

Heat oven to 275 degrees, put butter on sheet tray and let melt.  Add Worcestershire, Tabasco and seasonings to butter on sheet tray, stir for a few minutes and allow salts to dissolve.  Spread butter mix evenly over sheet tray.  In bowl, mix remaining ingredients and pour over butter mixture.  Stir delicately to coat all with butter mixture.  Place in oven, stir and turn mixture every 20-30 minutes for about 90 minutes to 2 hours - coated cereal should be crunchy, not soggy.

One batch makes approximately 7 zip-lock sandwich bags full of mix.

Home Cooking - Mom Fairies, How Am I Doing?

So a month or so ago I read this post by Dave Fairies over at City of Ate, and I thought I'd made a food discovery roughly on par with a Dallas Morning News writer finding something amiss at DISD.   Gooey. Butter. Cake.  yum.  And the entire post was a kind of checklist of how to be a good Missouri Mom, did I mention that we have one child up at Mizzou?  Don't worry, he's not studying journalism.

But seriously I read this post and got too excited, because I knew I could do this!  Cardinals fan?  No problem, they are my favorite bird - and red happens to be my best color.  Everyone up at Hillcrest High School knows I can talk through an entire 7 innings of baseball, what's two more?  But wait - there was no recipe included, and not personally knowing Dave's mom, this was a game stopper - like a rain out or a dugout-emptying-fight.

Of course the real challenge for me is the cooking throwdown.  And I confess I was hesitant to take it even though Dave's references to the ingredients included my favorite three:  eggs, butter, sugar.  So I thought about it for a few days as I sat in the kitchen entering accounts payable on QuickBooks.  Thought about it as I waited for my daughter to finish theater practice, thought about it as I waited for my husband to come home from a double shift.

I decide to take an inventory of the recipes on Cooks.com and what is in the pantry, hmm, got this, and this, not that.  What was really needed, I determined, was to forge a way to a new Gooey Butter Cake concoction - because that is what Dallas food is, taking other foods and making our own mark on them (and besides I only had Carrot Cake mix on hand).   After all, what is more tasty than Carrot Cake and sweet cream cheese at the holidays?

Well "perfect" took four tries, a few of the Cooks.com recipes were total failures and my desire to have a round shaped cake required purchasing a 10" spring form pan when the 8" attempt was still too gooey after two hours in the oven.  But I think I got it, the Dallas version that is, and it is a delicious and easy option as either dessert or coffee cake for company or as a gift.

GOOEY BUTTER CARROT CAKE
1 package Duncan Hines Decadent Carrot Cake
1 cup hot water
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 lb. confectioners sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (for dark or glass pans, 325 degrees).  In small bowl, mix packet of carrots and raisins with hot water and let sit for 5 minutes.  Drain all water thoroughly.  In medium bowl, add (cooled) butter, 2 eggs, cake mix, when well mixed add carrot/raisin mixture and pecans and stir.  Pour into ungreased 10" springform pan (or 9" x 13" pan), gently pushing batter up sides slightly.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar, pour the rest in a bowl with 2 eggs and cream cheese, mixing until pretty smooth.  Pour into center of springform pan, allowing it to spread to edges naturally.  Bake for 20 minutes, sprinkle top with reserved confectioners sugar.  Continue baking for 70 minutes.

Have insulin ready.

"We're Not Worthy!"

Said the perfectly ripe beefsteak tomato to the juicy sweet peach. They were referring to the Curds 'n Cream "cottage" cheese made by Dallas' own Mozzarella Company. I had picked up the tomato and the peach at McCall's stand in Blanco two days ago, and wanted to make a salad when Sevy told me about this culinary delight!

So today I ran down to their Deep Ellum factory (open to the public) and picked up a small container for $4.98. Once home I made this salad based on a childhood full of cottage cheese salads, which was enough for two to share, well except I was the only one home.

PEACH, TOMATO AND COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
Large dice beefsteak or heirloom tomato
Large dice (peeled) peach
1 c. Curds 'n Cream cheese
Chopped fresh chives
Salad grind pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

According to Mozzarella Company owner Paula Lambert, this cheese is not made like a traditional cottage cheese, indeed it's mozzarella influence shows in it's mild flavor. The milk used to make this cheese is also the same milk she uses for mozzarella, from farms in the Stephenville/Cleburne area. I usually prefer a cottage cheese with drier curds - but this cheese's cream mixture was absolutely wonderful.

Originally created for Kent Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen, he had a 90 day "exclusive", but now also uses it at his Jasper's Restaurant. It is also available for sale at Central Market, put it on your shopping list today!

Home Kitchen - Home Fries In Under 20 Minutes

"Home Fries?" My heart did a pitter-pat as I read this on the menu of a recently opened NY deli transplant in my neighborhood. Also known as American fries, Cottage fries or Country fries, they are typically pre-cooked potatoes pan-fried in butter or oil. Sad to say this deli had not the real thing but the typical "quickie" version of deep fried uniform mini-cubes of processed potato.

My Dad used to make "American fries" (as we called them) growing up, he was the early bird in the family and made his three girls breakfast every morning when we were young. Hubby does a fabulous Southwest version on our Easter and Mother's Day brunch menu, but I love the old traditional potatoes and onions sauteed until burnt darkly browned. Yum.

Most recipes tout the value of this dish, utilizing left over potatoes from dinner the night before. Right. I've developed my own recipe that takes about 20 minutes, or just enough time to cook a pound of bacon in another pan. Please note that I make a big batch - because the leftovers are wonderful mixed with cheddar cheese and baked in a pan for dinner.

QUICKIE HOME FRIES
Wash 4 large potatoes cut in half, cross-wise. Poke each with fork 6-8 times, microwave for 3 minutes. Turn over potatoes and microwave an additional 3 minutes (until tender). While potatoes are microwaving, large dice 2 large onions. Heat pan (medium high) with 2 TBL. oil, when hot add onions. Remove potatoes from microwave, while hot, peel and dice the potatoes and throw them in the pan with the onions. Add another 2 TBL oil, let cook until potatoes and onions are brown on the bottom (5 minutes), then flip. Keep cooking until desired doneness. Season them however you like, Sevy's Seasoning, onion salt, dried herbs, fresh pepper, chili powder, whatever floats your personal boat.

Did You Know? Potatoes (a member of the nightshade family) turn green with exposure to light, it is an indication that a toxin, solanine, has reached a not-good level. Not that it could kill you, but it can cause gastric distress (upper and lower) and headaches. Yuch. So make sure to remove any greened potato "meat" when you peel. Also, solanine can be at an increased level even in some potatoes that are still white - so if a potato tastes bitter - don't eat it!

Holy Macaroni - Have Restaurant Food At Home

Picking up a few things at the corner Tom Thumb, and came across a display of the new line of mixes from Dallas' home grown Romano's Macaroni Grill. According to the box, the name has been licensed for use by General Mills by "Brinker International Payroll Company, LP.", which I think is the general partner of Brinker International.

$5.79 per box for 5 one-cup servings (you have to supply the 1 lb. of chicken it calls for), and the following flavors: Chicken Alfredo with Linguine, Chicken Marsala with Linguine, Garlic & Herb Chicken Penne, Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken & Pasta. I purchased the Alfredo (pictured), and it says you can substitute shrimp - and add broccoli for a twist.

On the side of the box is "Romano's Macaroni Grill is a casual Italian-style restaurant with locations throughout the United States. Each Macaroni Grill celebrates the rich tradition of Italian families, where the kitchen is the heart of the home and everyone shares good times and great tasting food." Great, after dinner do you think they'll send someone to clean the pans and plates?

And in my mail today, an invitation to a Homemade Gourmet party next week, which from the website is also a mix-master of dinner concoctions. I smell a cook-off in the Severson kitchen next week - I'll let you know who wins.

Halfway Between Here and There

Halfway between here and where? Last week Sev & I had a little overnight getaway and while on the road he was very excited to treat me to his latest restaurant discovery (Thanks Kevin!), the Dairy Palace in Canton, TX.

I've been asked several (hundred) times "What do chefs like to eat?", and this place has the home-style menu. The most expensive item is the Catfish & Shrimp Plate at $11.89, they also have a Salmon Burger ($8.99) and a whole section of "Great Tasting Mexican Food" that includes a Supreme Fajita Wraps (with "East Texas Chicken or West Texas Beef") as well as 12 different (World Famous) Hamburgers.

"Country Breakfasts" (served 24 hours a day) include classics like the #5, Chipped Beef On A Shingle ($3.59) or the #8, Chicken Fried Steak-N-Eggs ($6.39). Along an entire side of the restaurant is the Blue Bell Ice Cream Center, with over 36 flavors like "Black Walnut", "Cake Batter" and "Cotton Candy".

As many times as I've been to First Monday Trade Days, I've never noticed this little place off of I-20, usually I take the exit before. But when we pulled into the parking lot (adjoining the gas station on the corner), it was unmistakeable that the Dairy Palace draws quite a crowd.

This place has quite the following with Dallas chefs too following a certain pig hunting getaway. And I have to concur, it's a treasure of a spot that the big city just can't afford to offer. And not only did Sevy and I stop on the way there, but we stopped the next morning on the way back, too.

Jackpots are relative, I'd like to say I had a winning hand with this find.

No, Not That Severson

Friend Vivian emailed to ask if we were related to a food writer for the New York Times with the same last name, sadly no. But it appears we share more than a last name, her latest article was about cube steak, a particular favorite for the kids and myself.

So since today was very busy with a baseball doubleheader, my Dad arriving from Michigan, and working a shift at the concessions stand, I'm going to share with you my recipe for cube steak. Because it's quick, and easy - both to make and to post on the blog. Not only does it make a great dinner, but the leftovers are wonderful heated up and placed on toasted bread for a Pizza Steak Sandwich.

Pizza Steak
4 large cube steaks, cut in half
1 jar spaghetti sauce (your preference)
8 slices mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9 x 12 pan with cube steaks, pour spaghetti sauce over. Bake for 45 minutes. Place slices of mozzarella over each steak and bake longer until the cheese has caramelized and is brown.

Food For Fat (Tuesday)

Just as everyone is blogging about bacon, news yesterday that Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork processor, is cutting production 10%, shuttering 15 plants and laying off 1,800 employees. Not only are exports expected to slow, but beleaguered US consumers have been switching to lower priced "house label" brands. Eventually once supply shrinks enough, prices will begin to sizzle.

So to throw a little fat on the pan and support this necessary industry, I propose Save The Bacon, where "Fat Tuesday" (2/24) be renamed "Pork Tuesday", and everyone make something hideously fattening containing pork. Just for this one year.

My recipe contribution to this expected excess of cholesterol comes from my Granny, Lucille Browning Kressbach who at an early age moved from Logan, West Virginia to Pontiac, Michigan with her (young) widowed mother and sister. Maybe it was growing up in a rural town in WV in the early 1900's , but Granny loved bacon, and Jim Beam. This is a recipe she made for over 40 years for her bridge group, you make it the day before so it's very low maintenance the day of the event.

I make it now for my family it's one of their favorites, but I can't bring myself to make it more than once every three or four months. I've modified it slightly, the chicken breasts today are much larger, so for portion control I've cut them in half. This of course isn't a cooking blog, but in the interest of Save The Bacon, I'm sharing.

Granny's Party Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half crosswise (12 pcs.)

4-5 oz. dried beef (the small round kind they sell in jars)

12 pcs. bacon

2 c. sour cream

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

Grease 9 x 12 pan (with bacon fat, if you have it) spread beef over the bottom. Wrap each piece of chicken with 1 slice of bacon and place on beef. Mix sour cream and soup, spread over chicken. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 275 degrees for 5 hours.

Laissez les bons temps rouler, ya'll.

Potatoes Romanoff on Today Show

A preview on todays "The Today Show" of a potato casserole dish, "Potatoes Romanoff" had me sticking by the TV for over 30 minutes. Turns out it's a dish Sevy's mom makes, but she adds crushed potato chips on top for a little crunch - and it is truly yummy. You had to feel sorry for Chef Schenk (from the Strip House Restaurant in New Jersey), his presentation would have been fine if they hadn't asked him so many questions about potatoes - which took up too much time - which cut into the actual preparation of the casserole. You can see video and recipe, here.

UPDATE: I made these for Sunday dinner, cut the recipe in half and still had twice as much as was needed for a family of four. Of course I decided to nuke the potatoes to cook them and waited too long, so they were still warm when it was time to prepare the dish. Instead of grating, I crumbled them into small chunks - it worked very well. I did not use crushed potato chips like my mother-in-law, sticking with the recipe's cheddar topping. Not only was it delicious that evening, it made the best leftovers the next day.

Pantry Finds - or Hey, I Forgot We Had That!

New Year, clean pantry. Well kind of - it would be cleaner if I hadn't decided to do a NYE Blogathon. But in starting the job, a few delicacies surfaced that we're going to have on New Years Day.

Mayhaw Jelly, by Pleasant Acres says it's a "Certified Product of Louisiana" (Pineville). I have no idea what a mayhaw is, and for a jelly it's pretty runny, but we're cracking it open and spreading it on our bagels in the morning - or throwing it away if it's horrible. I believe there are some football games on tomorrow, so we'll be dishing up Evan & Burt's (Fort Worth)"Jalalujah" Green Fudge, made with jalapenos, water, onions, vinegar and other stuff.

Evening appetizers will be from Napa, we brought back jars of tapenade: Roasted Portobella with Porcinis & Shallots; and Mediterranean with Olives, Capers & Merlot, all by Made In Napa Valley. We can move on to Tortilla Soup by Chef Dean Fearing, and a salad with Sevy's Caesar Salad dressing. I had already planned on roasting a chicken for dinner, now I'm going to glaze it with some of Dean's Silky Orange Blossom Sauce. We also saved a tenderloin and a NY strip from Christmas to have, we'll sprinkle them with a little of Chef Richard Chamberlain's Steak Rub. To go with the Starthistle honey (Pat Brady, 989-754-6415 - brought back from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last summer) will be warm cornbread.

Best of all, dessert. Vanilla ice cream with lots of Sander's Milk Chocolate Hot Fudge, another Michigan staple. And then I'll have some free space in my pantry.

Foodie Gift Idea #5 - Penzey's Spices

I was unfamiliar with Penzey's Spices until my sister, Missy, came to visit and insisted on going to the store that had just opened next to my dry cleaner's. That was a few years ago, and I still love to go in there and poke around. For years they sold their products almost entirely from catalogue, bucking the trend of moving away from store locations. Personally I think it helps sales a great deal when you can shop-by-smell.

They have multi-spice gift packs, or you can pick out your own. My favorites are the international spice mixes, you can add them to sour cream for dip, toss them into mashed potatoes, make salad dressings. They have use suggestions that I've never thought of.

Let's review the foodie holiday gift suggestions so far: #1 was the Bloody Mary infused vodka; #2, cooking classes at the Dallas Farmer's Market; #3 pie mixes from Hearne, Texas; #4 - a FREE membership to Dallas Uncorked. I have more to come.

Dinner With Friends

Many people have mentioned that they would feel intimidated cooking for a chef, but last night we enjoyed a delicious meal with friends, each couple made one course. We brought two bottles of Chardonnay purchased on our Napa trip for an accompaniment to our appetizer course. Both the Nickel & Nickel and the Gundlach Bundschu wineries hosted our group of chefs and guests in Napa, we sent lots of their wines home. We also enjoyed a delicious Spanish red, Melis Priorat, 2004 provided by our host, it was rich and smooth and is apparently highly rated by others as well.

I had not previously met one of the dinner guests, Ms. Hayley Hamilton, but she was extremely knowledgable about wine and the food business, it made for great conversation throughout dinner. She's the founder of Dallas Uncorked, a social group that is "dedicated to providing an outlet for both the sophisticated wine aficionado and the curious novice, to further their knowledge and appreciation of wine, in an informative and social atmosphere."

"Our members include novice and experienced wine drinkers, all with a common desire to learn about wines in an affordable and relaxed atmosphere. You won’t find your typical “wine snob” at our events! We are average, everyday people from all walks of life that love to socialize, drink and learn about wine. Our members can expect to meet many new professional and personal contacts, while learning about wine and food during monthly walk-about tastings, happy hours, and sit-down dinners. So if you are seeking a way to up your wine IQ in a fun, friendly and hip atmosphere, Dallas Uncorked is the organization for you."

I was floating around their website this morning, and this looks like a fun group. They have monthly meetings around Dallas, and they've gone on trips to learn about wine, places like Argentina and Oregon. The group photos reminded me very much of our recent Cattle Barons Chef trip to Napa - drinking wine early in the day can do that.

So Holiday Gift Tip #4 - give this one to yourself - membership is free. Sign up to join their group and attend some of their fun events in 2009.

Thanksgiving Week Pie Cookoff

I visited the Northaven Gardens Pie Contest, even tho' I didn't have a pie entered. I was sitting in on the class about growing fruit trees in Texas (more on that later). I blame that contest for getting me in the mood to cook pies - which I hadn't done in years. So I decided to try the pie mixes I had purchased a few weeks earlier at Plano's Jr. League 'Neath the Wreath bazaar, and took them to Port Aransas for our Thanksgiving vacation. Made by Easy As Pie, in Hearne, Texas, they are packaged in delightful little gunnysacks tied up with tags that contain the ingredients and directions.

With intriguing names like "Pineapple Upside-Down Pie" and "Dixie Delicious Pie", I had purchased four flavors: "Chocolate Puddle", Cherry Crumble", "Praline", and "Sugar Daddy". All required a frozen pie shell (one of the tags recommended Mrs. Smith's Deep Dish Pie Crust) and 1/2 c. butter; three mixes also required eggs; one required vanilla; and one called for a can of pie cherries.

Sister, who is quite an afficionado of undercooked brownies, loved the Chocolate Puddle pie, as did niece Katy (also 14), but it didn't grab me. Great chocolate flavor, but we served it at room temperature and it might have had more appeal warmed. The Sugar Daddy Pie was a hit with everyone - think of way over-sugared oatmeal cookies baked in a pie - pure sugar rush. Also a hit - and nephew Kenny stood guard over the last piece - was the Praline Pie, a combination of butterscotch chips and pecan pieces. I confess that my least favorite may have been that due to my own error, the Cherry Crumble Pie Mix called for a can of pie cherries - and I now realize that I purchased cherry pie filling. My main complaint had been that it was too starchy - well that explains everything. The crumble was actually delicious, it completely covered the top and contained oatmeal for crunch.

Ease of preparation? Well this cooking slacker would give them an 11 (out of 10) on the easy scale, each one took 5 minutes or less, plus cooking time. If you too can microwave butter, you'll agree. What's not as easy, is ordering two of the above four - the website doesn't list the Cherry Crumble mix nor the Praline mix. But I called, and they still have it in stock, per their instructions, you can place an order for another mix and include in the comments that you want to make a substitution for either of the unlisted mixes. Or you can call them directly and place your order over the phone, (979) 279-2607.

Each mix on the internet costs $8.95 each (plus a flat $6 for shipping). But check their website for monthly specials, in December you can get 25% off orders of $85 or more, so I'm re-stocking to put into friends stockings this year. Holiday Tip #3: These would make fabulous little hostess gifts if you're going to any dinners or parties this season.

Great Weekend For A Pie Contest

And I have a secret weapon to win the Northaven Gardens 2nd Annual Pie Contest. Since Sevy's Grill is a prize sponsor this year it wouldn't look good if I entered and won, so I'm going to share this incredible recipe with anyone who is looking for a hands-down best-ever pie. You don't have to sign up ahead of time, you just bring your pie on Saturday between 9 am and 11 am to their store. Rules can be found here.

It's a family favorite made by my grandmother, and every single female of the Alban clan makes this pie for holiday meals. That being said, we had some disagreements about the methodology, which my aunt put to rest at a family gathering this summer.

So even though this isn't a cooking blog, I consider this too valuable not to share.

GAMMIE'S DREAMY CREAMY PEACH PIE
Graham cracker crust (for 10" pie): 1-1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 c. sugar, 1/2 c. melted butter. Mix together (reserve 2 TBL. for later), press into pie plate and bake for approximately 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling:
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. sliced (fresh) peaches
1 TBL. Lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
2 TBL. HOT water (as in boiling)
1 env. Knox unflavored gelatin

Prepare crust and bake to allow time to cool, once cooled, put in refrigerator to chill. Mix sugar, peaches, lemon juice, salt together. Mix HOT water with gelatin and stir until dissolved (don't let it set), stir into peach mixture. Whip cream until thickened (almost to soft peak stage), fold into peaches, then pour into chilled pie crust, refrigerate immediately. When "set", sprinkle reserved crust mix over the top.

While I won't be entering this great pie, I will be at Northaven Gardens for the FREE program at 1:30 - "Growing Fruit Trees in North Texas", with Christine Hensle. Hopefully their fall stock of pomegranite trees are in, I've have been waiting since spring for the "real fruit" bearing version. Oh, and I want to find out who wins at 2:30.

Home Kitchen - THE Sandwich

There's THE Hotel, THE Burger, but in our house, there is only one THE Sandwich. I've been making it for school lunches since the kids were in elementary school. Sister used to have a schedule of which friends got to share it on which days, now they're old enough to make it themselves.

Simple yet delicious, to me it is the essence of comfort food. So while this isn't a cooking blog, we're about to get a cold front through and this would be a quick, warm meal - add a cup of soup and make it perfect.

THE Sandwich

2 slices Tom Thumb Country French Deli-Style sliced bread

2 slices thinly sliced smoked ham

2 slices thinly sliced roasted turkey breast

3 slices Oscar Mayer hard salami

2 slices mozzarella

Turn oven broiler on high, and place bread directly on oven rack. Once a nice light brown, remove and on the uncooked side layer ham, then turkey, then salami on top. On the other slice (uncooked side), layer the mozzarella slices to cover. Place both back under the broiler until the salami edges are curled and crunchy and the cheese is speckled with caramelization. Remove, put halves together and allow to cool on a little on a rack (or else the bread gets soggy) - but not too long - this is best warm.

On The Road - Golumpki Soup

Arriving home, Sister asked "Where'd y'eat?". "Flap Jack Shack, 3 times", my reply, as it is my Dad's regular haunt. "Did you have the soup?", and I immediately knew she meant Golumpki soup, which her Grandpa had turned her onto last year. While yesterday was a warm 88 degrees, today the skies are crying (to my vegetable garden's delight) and it seems like an appropriate day for soup, so I'm going out to get the ingredients to make it for her tonight.

Well, there is not much on the internet about Golumpki soup, but in my Polish Cookery Book (by Marja Ochorowicz-Monatowa), there is a Stuffed Cabbage Roll recipe called "Golqbki de Slodkiej", Bingo! Also called Golabki, it is a Polish dish of cabbage stuffed with ground beef, chopped onions, rice and tomatoes. So I'm marrying various recipes together to create something new, going to vet it by my personal chef first, of course.

GOLUMPKI SOUP
1 qt. beef stock
1 qt. water
1 TBL. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
3 strips bacon, chopped
2 TBL. butter
2 c. chopped fresh cabbage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans crushed tomatoes
1 c. cooked rice
Salt and pepper

In frying pan, cook bacon until crisp, reserving 1 TBL. bacon fat. Clean pan and brown beef in reserved bacon fat, drain and set aside. In large pot, melt butter and saute cabbage, onion and garlic. When softened, add stock, water, beef, bacon, tomatoes, and rice. Let simmer 45 minutes and season to taste.