BEER, WURST AND POTATO SALAD

What could be better for a tailgate party or for a celebration of a big game than meat salad? On Sunday thousands of people will be freezing as they watch the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers duke it out. I would much rather be at home eating good football party food.

Deliciously different!  Enjoy!!!!

Earlier in the week I did cooking Kielbasa with Matthew’s Secret Sauce for the Chicago Bears. The Polish are the largest ethnic group in Chicago. I wanted to do something for the Packers so I dug through my Wisconsin books for recipes. I found this recipe which I have changed a little in Recipes From Wisconsin by Laurie and Debra Gluesing.

Meat salad, perfect for a football game.  I like it served warm.

Reading the recipe I couldn’t quite wrap my tongue around the flavors. I wasn’t sure if it would be good or awful. It is wonderful and very different. The recipe calls for the salad to be served cold, but I definitely think I like it better warm.  You can still make the salad ahead of time and serve it warm.  Just pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes before serving. Since Milwaukee, not far from Green Bay, is known for its sausages and its German population I think this is a great recipe to serve as you root on the Packers or even if you are rooting against them.

BEER, WURST AND POTATO SALAD
I left out the dill weed as I am not real fond of it. If you don’t have any dill weed, but want the flavor, use a little dill pickle juice. If you like pickles in potato salad, a little finely chopped dill pickle would be good in this salad. I used small German Butterball potatoes. I would probably use more next time I make the salad. I like a waxy potato rather than an Idaho mealy-type potato for this salad.

1/3 c beer
3 T olive oil
3 T cider vinegar
1/8 t dried dill weed
1/8 t dry mustard
1/8 t dried thyme, crushed, I used fresh which I have growing in the basement
¼ t dried basil, crushed
1 T parsley, minced, I used dried because it was all I had and it is snowing heavily here
1 large clove garlic, minced
Salt
Black pepper
2 to 4 potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced, I would use at least 4 large ones
½ large red onion, chopped
½ lb. knockwurst, cooked and sliced, I used German Wieners as I can’t get knockwurst
NOTE:  I think some finely chopped celery would be good in this salad.

Ingredients:  Beer, olive oil

cider vinegar, dried dill weed, dry mustard, dried thyme

dried basil, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, potatoes, red onion, and knockwurst or German wieners.

If you want dill flavor and do not have dill weed, add a touch of juice from dill pickles.  Finely chopped pickles would be good in the salad if you like pickles.

In a pint jar with a cover, mix all the dressing ingredients which are the first 11 ingredients. In a bowl, combine onion, potatoes and knockwurst or German Wieners. I put the potatoes and German Wieners into the bowl while they were still very warm. Shake the dressing well to combine and pour over the salad. Mix well. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Wash potatoes.

Put potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until fork tender.

To make the dressing, measure the beer. 

Add oil and vinegar.

Add herbs.

Add garlic.

Put into a pint jar with lid.

Shake to blend.

Use one-half of a red onion.

Chop.

Slice sausage.

Drain cooked potatoes.  Put them back in pan, put back on burner and shake pan to dry the potatoes.

Peel and slice potatoes.

Heat sausage.

Put onions, potatoes, and sausage in a bowl.

Mix well. 

Shake dressing and pour over salad.

Ready to serve.   

I definitely like this salad served warm.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!

MOVE OVER GREEN BAY PACKERS AND WISCONSIN---THE DUTCH ARE THE REAL CHEESE HEADS

Sunday is the big football game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers to determine who goes to the Super Bowl.  Green Bay Packers fans are called Cheese Heads.  The people in the state of Wisconsin are frequently called Cheese Heads too.  However long before Wisconsin was a state or there was a City of Green Bay, there were Cheese Heads.

The team colors of the Green Bay Packers is Green and Gold.

To the tourist the Netherlands is tulips, windmills and cheese.  The tiny country of the Netherlands is the largest exported of cheese and milk products in the world.  It is said the Dutch would rather export their cheese than eat it themselves.  The Dutch are good merchants.  Cheese Head started out as a derogatory name, but is now viewed as an honorary nickname.  Friesland-Campina company exports more cheese than any other Dutch cheese producer. Annually around 480,000 tons of cheese is produced, which is exported to over 90 countries. 

The Bears team colors are Navy and Orange. The Royal Family of the Netherlands is the House of Orange.

The Packers and Wisconsin are very recent newcomers to the nickname Cheese Heads.  It is said in the Middle Ages when the farmers of North Holland were forced to go to war, they used their wooden cheese molds for helmets.  The enemy could easily identify which army they were facing by the cheese mold head gear; therefore, they called the Dutch Cheese Heads.

 Isn't history fun?

FAMOUS FRIED RICE

In Missouri, I was famous for my fried rice.  This is back when most women had honorary titles like "First Lady of the College" and worked as hard as they would if they had a regular job.  The only difference was there was no pay.  Women were famous for the gardens, housekeeping skills or cooking skills, like the special cake they took to every church dinner or in my case my fried rice.

I have written for my children and now grandchildren an unpublished cookbook which contains over 800 recipes.  Of all the recipes in the cookbook, their favorite dish that I cook for them is my Famous Fried Rice.  They love their Grandma's Spaghetti and my Fried Rice. 

Famous Fried Rice good with any meat.  Wonderful any time of the year.  Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

In Missouri I made big pans of this rice when I had company and everyone always wanted the recipe. I would make it in the afternoon without the green onions and keep it warm in my electric frying pan.  Just before serving, I would add the green onions.  Adding the onions just before serving keeps their fresh taste.  Fried rice is a simple dish, but as with most simple dishes it relies on high quality ingredients for maximum flavor, taste and texture. Chicken, shrimp or vegetables can be added to the basic recipe, if desired

FAMOUS FRIED RICE
To make fried rice, the cooked rice must be well chilled.  If you need to make it in a hurry, put the cooked rice in the freezer to chilled.  I find only long, or extra long rice makes a decent fried rice.  It is the only kind I use.  I have started making fried rice with brown rice as it is healthier. 

1 c extra-long or long grain white rice
2 c cold water, to cook the rice
Bacon, 4 to 6 slices or to taste
3 to 4 eggs, beaten
2 T Soy sauce
Green Onions

Use long grain rice, either white or brown.

Ingredients:  Rice, soy sauce, bacon, eggs, and green onions.

Use a good brand of soy sauce.

In a heavy saucepan, bring rice and water to a boil. Cover pan. Reduce heat to very low and cook rice for 15 minutes; all the water should be absorbed. (For brown rice, use the cooking direction on the package.)  Chill rice. One of the secrets of making good fried rice is the rice must be COLD before frying. Dice bacon, fry until crisp; drain, reserving the grease. Scramble the eggs in a little bacon grease; chop into small pieces. In a large frying pan or wok, heat 3 to 6 tablespoon of the reserved bacon grease. Add the chilled rice and heat until grains of rice are separated and coated with bacon grease. Add soy sauce to taste. Add the bacon and the eggs to rice mixture and mix together. Up to this point, rice can be prepared and kept warm until serving. Just before serving add chopped green onions, I like a lot of onion. Onions are added at the last minute to retain the fresh flavor.  Taste for seasoning, add more soy sauce if necessary. 

Cut bacon into strips.

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon.  I use my electric fry pan but a regular frying pan works well.

Fry bacon until crisp.  Remove bacon to a paper towel.  Pour off the bacon grease and reserve.

Beat eggs in a bowl.  Do not season.  Put a little bacon grease in a small frying pan, add eggs and cook.

Cook eggs by stirring them around in the pan.  They do not have to be fluffy like scrambled eggs.

Chop cooked eggs into pieces.

Chop green onions and set aside.

Pour some of the reserved bacon grease into large frying pan.  Add chilled rice.  Cook, stirring, until rice grains are slightly coated with bacon grease.

Season with soy sauce.

Mix in the soy sauce.

Add prepared eggs and bacon.

Stir well.

Add green onions.

Serve and enjoy!!!!  I like to serve Fried Rice with green peas.

CHRISTY'S BEEF STRONGANOFF

The white stuff is piled up outside and the weather person says the thermometer is going to dip into single figures or maybe even negative numbers.  I guess we have a Siberian Express on its way.  Sounds like a good time to have a hearty Beef Stronganoff.

So simple and so scrumptious.

In the late 1940's after suffering through The Depression, the rationing of World War II and the troops coming home from far away places, Americans were ready to fall in love with foreign foods which they viewed as gourmet.  The 1939 World's Fair had introduced the country to foods from many different places.  After the war, friends were organizing into Gourmet Clubs to experiment with different flavors and techniques.  As Jane and Micheal Stern write in American Gourmet, "Like coq au vin and boeuf bourgiugnonne, beef stroganoff was the gourmet's antidote to the stark dryness of many traditional American specialties (fried chicken, grilled steak, baked ham).  Epicures, so this logic goes, want their food to be juicy and luscious, the meat cosseted in a rich gravy and accompanied by bouquets of vegetables and fulminations of spice.  How much more sensuous it was to slurp a high-spirited stew than to saw at a sauce-less, and hence puritanical, piece of meat!'

Sensuous Beef Stronganoff.  Enjoy!!!

When I was in Missouri, I bought my meat by the side and kept it in the freezer.  On a busy day when I didn't have time or forgot to defrost meat for dinner, I would grab a frozen block of hamburger and put it into a fry pan to cook and defrost at the same time.  It frequently because Hamburger Stronganoff.  I am not sure if my children have happy memories of that dish or not.  However, I don't feel too badly about my recipe, especially after I read that President John Kennedy's chef, Rene Verdon, used canned cream soup in his stronganoff that was served at the White House.
Fashionable Food by Sylvia Lovegren


Tenderloin of beef is absolutely wonderful in this recipe.  However, sometimes the budget doesn't run to expensive cuts of meat or you want to serve a large group of people and the cost of the meat would make this recipe prohibitive for you.  I like using top sirloin of beef or sirloin tips.  When I made this recipe, Tom had purchased a huge family pack of sirloin steaks.  Then due to the chemo, he didn't eat it.  My freezer was full so I pan-fried all the steaks to use in other dishes. 

Another handy hint, for when the budget is tight but beef is what you want, is to use Adolph's Tenderizer.  I use it to tenderize chuck steaks to make into shish kabobs. It is found in the spice or meat section of grocery stores.  It is all natural, I only use the unseasoned version.  It is made from an enzyme which comes from the papaya fruit which breaks down proteins in meat and therefore tenderizes it.  Has your mouth ever been a little sore after eating a lot of fresh pineapple?  Fresh pineapple contains the same type of enzyme.  That enzyme is also the reason you can not use fresh pineapple in gelatin desserts.  They never gel as the enzyme breaks down the protein.


CHRISTY’S BEEF TENDERLOIN STROGANOFF
Although you can use a cheaper cut of meat, Christy says using tenderloin is well worth the cost. She also adds canned button mushrooms, drained, to this stronganoff.


1 ½ lb. beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
2 T flour
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 ½ c beef broth
¼ c sour cream
2 T tomato paste
½ t paprika
Salt to taste, I used beef bouillon for broth which is salty
Hot cooked buttered noodles

Ingredients: Beef tenderloin or your favorite cut, flour, butter, olive oil, beef broth or beef bouillon, sour cream, tomato paste, paprika, salt and noodles. 

Our family adds mushroom, Christy like the button mushrooms; I had stems and pieces in the cupboard.

In a shallow bowl, or resealable plastic bag, toss beef in flour. In a large wide shallow skillet, brown beef in butter and oil. Gradually stir in broth. In a bowl combine sour cream, tomato paste, paprika and salt. Bring beef mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; slowly stir in sour cream mixture, Do Not Boil. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  At the very end I like to add additional sour cream.   Serve over the noodles.

Cut meat into thin slices.  Use raw meat, I happened to have some left-over steaks that I used.

Put flour in a plastic bag.

Drain mushrooms.

Put beef slices in plastic bag with flour and toss beef to cover with flour.

Beef tossed in flour.

Ready to go.

1-1/2 cup hot water to dissolve bouillon.

Put bouillon in hot water and stir to dissolve.

Put butter and olive oil in large wide shallow pan.

Heat until butter foams.

Add floured beef to butter/oil mixture and brown on all sides.

In a bowl, combine sour cream, tomato paste, paprika and salt.

Stir to combine.

Add mushrooms to browned beef.

Gradually stir in beef broth and bring mixture to a boil. 

Immediately reduce heat; slowly add sour cream mixture.  Once sour cream is added to NOT ALLOW MIXTURE TO BOIL as cream will curdle. 

Cook, uncovered, on LOW heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

  Mixture will thicken slightly.

After 15 to 20 minutes, I add additional sour cream.

I like the look of the streaks of white sour cream in the mixture.

Ready to eat!  Enjoy!!!