Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Delicious Irony

Memorial Day Weekend 2011.  A trip was planned to visit Cory's sister Jenifer & fam, and to meet their new baby Lucas.  Always on a quest for a blog-worthy culinary experience, I attacked Google head on during our 9 hour car ride.  I was on a quest to find what delicacy was indigenous to Indianapolis and determined to try it and write about it.  Upon first search it seemed steak houses were the #1 most popular food destinations amongst Hoosiers.  While I love a good steak, it was certainly not the gem I was looking for. 

Here in the story is where my title "Delicious Irony" is born...with of course a little back story for entertainment. 

The Back Story
My corn-fed mid west husband grew up in the small rural Illinois town of LaSalle/Peru lovingly referred to as LP.  (SN: I've often wondered if the two town names are combined due to the small size.)  I've been to this town numerous times and the locals have very strong (positive) opinions about the restaurants found there.  I've been lucky enough to have had the super crispy fried chicken at John's Northstar, the Buttermilk Dill salad dressing at Uptown Grille and even a drunk 3am post wedding chow down (with the bride and groom still in full dress) at the Steak N' Shake, but there is always one place I refused to go.  The Igloo. (see above right) The Igloo is categorized as a "Drive-In" although I'm not sure why.  It's a small white concrete building that serves (apparently) awesome food.  They serve their food on wax paper and Febreeze seems to be the principle cleaning agent.  Being that we didn't get too many opportunities to visit Peru, I was forced happy to eat lunch here because Cory had to have a "pork" while in town.  A "pork" is a flattened, fried pork tenderloin sandwich that sticks out about 2 inches in every direction, served on a hamburger bun with your choice of condiments.  Never in my life have I heard of this, and I was nervous about the restaurants condition so I was unwavering in my refusal to try one...it just sounded gross and I highly doubt an "A" sticker would be placed on the front door if visited by DHEC.  I now know that the smallest, dingy-est dives are where you usually find the best food but I digress.  Here is where we connect the first part of the entry with the now. 


The Now Story
Ironically, the #2 most popular food in Indianapolis is...you guessed it...a fried pork tenderloin sandwich!! What?? I've been shunning it all these years (10 to be exact) and here it is, I now know I have to try one.  Indianapolians (not sure if that's a real word) have very strong opinions about where to get a "pork".  Mug N' Bun (best name ever) seemed to come up as the most favorable.  After arriving at our destination, I asked our hosts where this place was and OMG! It was only 5 miles from their house!!!  It seems the tables had turned and I was the one forcing urging everyone to go get a "pork" for lunch.  Well after about 6 hours of impromptu yard work, we were ravenous.  We headed dirty, tired and hungry to the Mug N' Bun and as we pulled in the clouds parted, the sun shone through and I'm pretty sure Angels started to sing somewhere in the background. 



A true Drive In, the carhops still place trays on the your car window (half rolled down!) . The air was thick with the smell of something, everything frying in hot oil.  It smelled like...well...nostalgia.  The Mug N' Bun is over 50 years old and I guarantee not much has changed in that time.  The "pork" is their most popular menu item but coming in a close second is the house-made root beer which was cold and frosty and vanilla-ee.  I surveyed the area, camera clicking away and the anticipation of impending artery clogging was almost too much to bear.   Not wanting to stay in the car there was also a second option to dine on picnic tables around the side of the building.  We went for the third option of eating inside a small building with about 10 tables.  Being that it was not only a holiday but also the weekend of the 100th Indianapolis 500, the place was packed!  Even at 2pm!  I will reiterate that we were all very very hungry when I tell you we ordered $77.00 worth of $4.00 items.  Obviously we all had a "pork" as well as the fries, colossal onion rings and the second most ridiculous sweet potato fries ever, the first being in a previous post which you can read about here: Duck Fat Fries.




 

Monster Onion Rings as big as your head!


They served them with cinnamon sugar! Genius





Yeah, yeah...I know.  I look terrible. Just remember this was after 6 hours of yard work.
The "pork's" were tasty.  I asked everyone what their condiment preference was and everyone was different!  Not even the waitress could tell me what was "typical".  I really wanted the complete experience so I tried a little of everything.  American cheese, lettuce and tomato on the whole thing and then a bite with mustard, a bite with ketchup and a bite with pickles.  My only complaint is that the meat itself was breaded (not floured like in LP) and it was a little on the bland side.  I'm thinking that may be by design since people add so many salty condiments. 

What else can I say?  Those LP'ers know their food!  I was delightfully surprised and I can now cross a "pork" off my never have must-try list.  I hope you've enjoyed my deliciously ironic story :)

PS - For all you LP'ers reading this, I may just devote another entry to Rav's vs. Tortellini...you know who you are.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Mixin' It Up - Crowjito Style

I know, I know.  I keep talking about it but I haven't written a post for it.  Well here ya go! 

Let me begin by saying I have been a bartender for 13 years and I just now really started putting together my own concoctions.  Why? I don't know.  Maybe because no one wants to bring their job home or to a party.  "Make me something" - I can't tell you how many times I've heard this from friends and family members.  It's not that I don't want to, it's more like I freeze, my mind goes blank and I don't want to disappoint.  It's like asking a comedian to tell a joke, "Common funny guy, make me laugh".  Also, you've got to remember that I've always worked in chain restaurants where I've made basically the same 40 drinks over and over and over and I don't have the necessary ingredients at my disposal.  With that rant said and done, I have finally come up with a cocktail that I will put the Croissant stamp of approval on. 


2010 Bartending Competition - Making my "waterfall" glass stack


Now, in this day and age everything has been invented.  Every food recipe, every drink recipe.  Someone somewhere has made it, which is why the better, more modern thing to do is improve on an existing recipe, give it your own spin.  Before I give you the drink and the recipe I will go into one more informational section on where the name comes from.

Cro issant = Cro = Crow

This nickname was given to both my husband and my brother-in-law Adam ages ago.  Needless to say it's pretty darn cool so they've both held on to it and we shamelessly use it as often as possible.  Adam even went so far as to get a very large Crow tattoo (much to the chagrin of his mother). 

Being married into the Crow name, I feel an attachment to it and cleverly twisted it in naming my drink:

The Crowjito
My friends are all quite aware of my love affair with the Mojito and this is the one drink I will make them.  There's nothing not to like about it.  It's sweet and tart and refreshing and light and you can do a million things with it.
For my version I have chosen to swap out a few ingredients.

Recipe
2 oz. Captain Morgans Spiced Rum
7-10 mint leaves whole
4 oz. lemonade
splash soda water

In a shaker tin combine first 3 ingredients with a pint glass amount of cubed ice.  Shake like hell until the mint leaves are broken up. Pour into pint glass. Top with soda water and enjoy!
*Helpful hint* - Use a straw, it will cut down on mint-in-the-teeth.

Now here is why my version rocks! I have not only cut the ingredients down but I have also cut the preparation time and cost.  I replaced the regular rum with spiced rum and also replaced several fresh limes (or limeade, not as good) with lemonade.  Using a frozen concentrated lemonade will also eliminate the tablespoon of sugar used in a classic mojito because it is more sweet, less tart than limeade.  Don't skip the soda water! 
It's the final touch, giving the cocktail it's signature light fizzy goodness.

*Helpful hint #2* - If you use a Crystal Light Lemonade your drink will be almost carb free!

Try it for yourself and let me know what you think! Or just stop by my house any day after 5pm and chances are I'll be sipping on one. Cheers!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Team Boccismo

As you know, Cory and I do our best to seek out different, fun things to fill our weekends.  So when he came across a Bocce Ball Tournament, a game we've been playing for years, he was crazy excited to form a team and gather the entrance fee which is how Team Boccismo was born.  Not only was this a fantastic way to spend an afternoon but it was also for a good cause, The Special Olympics.

Bocce - (boch-ee)
- noun
   An Italian variety of lawn bowling played on a dirt court that is shorter and narrower than the rink of a bowling green

Machismo - (mah-cheez-moh)
- noun
A strong or exaggerated sense of manliness; an assumptive attitude that virility, courage, strength, and entitlement to dominate are attributes of masculinity

Behold
Team Boccismo


Dennis, Jeff, Cory & Brian


Dennis made the shirts (super awesome job Dennis!) and even added a special touch on the back representing each members last name.  From L to R: 
Dennis = Dot R R - Dotterer
Jeff = A heart with blood vessels -Vessell
Cory = A Croissant (do I need to explain?)
Brian = Turtle - Mertel

They began very early, 8:30 am, with a round robin consisting of 52 teams.  I received regular text messages with updates.  First game won...second game won...third game won!! They earned their way into the actual tournament beginning with 16 teams.  With about 9 beers and 4 sandwiches each in them, they were ready to start the real competition.  I made my way to Legacy Park to see the action first-hand.








I was very excited for the guys! Here they went, the first single elimination game against a team they barely beat before.  I stood by like a good little wifey, rooting them on...and then oops, they started to falter.  My heart stopped.  "Oh my gosh", I thought.  "It's my fault!"  What you don't know is that I am a perpetual jinx to my husband.  Whatever game he's involved in, the moment I come around he instantly starts a downward spiral.  Be it bags or poker, blackjack or darts...it doesn't matter.  We've actually had lengthy conversations regarding this topic.  I assume this is because I am so breathtaking that he can't help but be distracted...right?  Well I certainly didn't want to claim responsibility for this one so like the good little wifey I mentioned before...I hid.  See below.


I literally found a seat on a rock and hid behind the brush.  And guess what?  They won!



Elite 8!  Learning my lesson I found my way to the playground to join the kiddos as the next game was beginning.  Alas, they lost that game due to a very bumpy court, but at least they couldn't blame it on Delane (insert Milli Vanilli song here).  Out of 52 teams they finished 5th! Not bad for one day of practice!

They all had the best time, got to drink many pints of beers and consume lots of awesome BBQ, received countless compliments on their shirts and raised a good bit of money for charity.  A day well spent.

Long live Team Boccismo!

**I think next year I may gather a ladies Bocce team :)**






Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Nose Dive...Again!

Recently I had some out-of-towners passing through (Hi Chelsea! Hi Alyssa!) and I took them for a tour of beautiful downtown Greenville.  The hosting duty afforded me a great opportunity to revisit my favorite restaurant Nose Dive.  Here is a review of the interesting tasty bites we tried.

*Please note - While you all know I worship unique food, these girls are young college students who would be more apt to dine at Applebees so they were very brave to join me on this culinary experience and I thank them for it*

The Beer

I tried a Bear Republic Ryevalry - American-Belgo-Style Double IPA
It was super good.  Light in color.  Cloudy in consistency.  Tons of citrus followed by a very herb-y taste, I'd say like basil.  It wasn't too heavy but one was enough for me.  Bear Republic Brewery hails from CA - you can "like" them on FB here: http://www.facebook.com/bearrepublic

Side note alert!
For those of you in Greenville, there is a small craft beer store The Community Tap where they specialize in having rare and craft beer on their growler pouring station.  What's a growler you ask? It is a 64 oz. refillable glass jug used for draft beer takeout.  They change the selections daily.  They had the above mentioned Ryevalry just yesterday!...and I missed it.  Like them on FB here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Community-Tap/104211012961122 or visit their website here: http://www.thecommunitytap.com/

Back to the food! I am determined to try everything on this menu, so here are four new dishes I can scratch off my list.

The Appetizer

Prince Edward Island Mussels in a Lemongrass and Chili broth served with crusty bread.


Broth was amazing. Fragrant, spicy, I almost asked for a spoon.  The mussels were...hmmm...ok.  I hate not giving a stellar review to my beloved Nose Dive but I admit I lost a little faith in the food this trip.  They were a little overdone and rather stringy.  Don't get me wrong, I sopped up all the goodness at the bottom of that bowl with the bread.
The Main Course(s)

First up, I had another appetizer, a Scotch Egg.  A scotch egg is a classic pub dish containing a hard boiled egg wrapped in a ground meat mixture (in this case pork) and deep fried.  They are commonly eaten cold, although mine was more room temperature and they elevated the dish by pairing it with a celery remoulade, roasted red pepper puree and a little slaw.  Sigh...it was just eh.  Rather dry, pretty bland.  But it too, is scratched off of my list...forever.

Next comes Alyssa's Chicken Sandwich.  This leans toward the more normal side of their offerings but it was magic just the same.  Tender chicken served on a french baguette with caprese salad fixings in the middle (basil puree, fresh mozzarella, roasted cherry tomatoes and arugula).  She of course got it with the duck fat fried sweet potato fries which may be the only item I revisit over and over again.


On to Chelsea's meal, the Croque Madame.  The Madame is the female counterpart to the Monsieur, a fancy grilled ham and cheese.  What makes it a Madame is when you add an egg on top - delish!!! It was pretty ridiculous.  Ham, Gruyere, Lusty Monk mustard, Mornay sauce and a fried egg.  Rich, creamy, bread-y...an Atkins nightmare.  Paired with the ever popular sweet potato fries it was a feast worthy of 3 extra days on the treadmill.


The Dessert

Ok, I have to apologize to the girls on this one because before the waiter could even ask us if we wanted dessert I was foaming at the mouth as he crossed the room towards us and I verbally tackled him with my order.  Dark Chocolate Candied Bacon Brownie with Oatmeal Porter ice cream.  It was....well...different.  Some bites had very little bacon which gave you intense chocolate flavor but other bites were chock full of very smokey crunchy bacon bits, which, when mixed with the soft brownie tasted like a little acrid campfire in your mouth...but in a good way.  Then when you paired it with the sweet, bitter ice cream it was a confusing tangle of tastes.  It was like The Matrix.  I didn't really understand it, yet I know I liked it, but yet I wasn't sure why.  Will I have it again? Probably not any time soon...unless I get more visitors :)


Thursday, May 5, 2011

I tried something new #2. Grade: A-

So it's 9:00am.  The twins have been sent to school and Quinn has been fed, cleaned, clothed and sent to school as well.  I find myself alone at home (insert relaxing sigh) and I'm hungry.  I start to search the cabinets but there isn't too much to find.  No cereal.  No pop-tarts.  No frozen breakfast sandwiches.  Those of you with kids older than 5 will surely appreciate this next reference.  You know the Nematode's from Spongebob? For those of you not familiar, they are a group of ocean organisms that travel in fast moving herds consuming everything in their path...well...that's what my family is like.  I buy food, the food is gone. Sure I have eggs but they're not suiting my mood.

I reluctantly get out the box of frozen waffles.  Eh.  I need something better than this.  Hmmm...I have banana's.  And strawberries.  And brown sugar! So this is what I did for a "something new" breakfast.
I melted a Tbs. (or two) of dark brown sugar in a small sauce pan with a few teaspoons of butter margarine making a "sort-of" caramel.  I then added a half of a sliced banana and sauteed for a quick minute.  I sliced a few strawberries fan style and toasted my waffles.  I then topped my crisp waffled with the banana's and the sliced strawberries and drizzled the dark caramel over the top.  Yum!! No syrup needed here!

I give it an A- because I overcooked the banana's just a bit and some fresh whip cream would've made it that much more special (and made me have to stay an extra 15 at the gym today). 

Next I Tried Something New: Fruit salad with fresh basil and mint.


Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Short and Sweet Book Reviews - Book #1

Apologies for the lapse in time between postings, it's been a busy week.  To make up for it here is number one in a series of Short and Sweet book reviews I will be doing. 

Book #1
 Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
by Chelsea Handler

Grade: B+

You love her, you hate her.  It really doesn't matter because clearly she doesn't care what you think, but I personally love her.  I want to be her. 

Chelsea was born in Jersey as the youngest of six children to a rather dysfunctional family and she's willing to tell you every hilarious, if not uncomfortable, moment from her childhood to now. 

The book is a series of tall-ish tales beginning when she was about 10 that seem to be a little much to believe, but if you've ever read her or seen her show you know it's all true. 

Her antics begin in elementary school when she convinces her class that she will be playing Goldie Hawn's daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin.  They continue into her teen years and early adulthood where she ended up in prison.  They then conclude in her 30's where she basically spent her days and nights drinking, doing stand-up, engaging in gratuitous one night stands and ending up famous. 

Excerpt from pg. 65 (A few hours after sitting in jail, arrested on DUI suspicion)

My name was called rather quickly and I went into the office, sitting down across from a Latino woman in her forties. "Hi," I said, with a bounce in my step. "Hi, Miss...Handler?" she said, looking up at me with what I took to be sympathy.  Finally.  "Yup, that's me," I said, shaking my head at the injustice of it all.  "Okay, there are a couple options. Do you have any special skills?"  "Skills? Not really, no.  I'm good at reading, I can type pretty fast...I'm not sure what you're asking me?" i asked confused.  "Well, you're here for work placement, so there are different things to choose from: You could work in the kitchen, or anything from license plate to wooden wind chimes, or you can enroll in school and get your GED."  "What are you talking about? No, no, no...I'm not working here, you don't seem to understand.  First of all, I am supposed to be getting bailed out this morning.  I do not want a job making wind chimes or fixing cars and I already graduated from high school...barely, but I did, so I don't need a GED! I want to go home! I just want to go home! What exactly is the problem with you people?" "Listen, Miss Handler, everyone thinks they are going home.  But the reality of the situation is that eighty-five percent of the inmates booked end up spending a minimum of six months here, and if you want to start earning money, the thing for you to do is get a job."  "That was it.  I stood up and placed my hands on her desk.  "Listen up, miracle ear," I told her. "I spoke with my aunt last night , and she has already paid the money to get me out, okay? I am waiting for them to release me any minute. That is the situation.  So for all I care, you can put my name down to plant prison flowers, or style inmates' hair, or head up the womens' f*cking field hockey team.  I am not staying here!"  "Next." she said.  I looked up at the ceiling.  "Are you there, vodka? It's me, Chelsea.  Please get me out of jail and I promise I will never drink again.  Drink and drive.  I will never drink and drive again.  I may even start my own group fashioned after MADD, but I'll call it AWLTDASH, Alcoholic's Who Like To Drink and Stay Home."


I will sum it up like with an analogy.  The beginning was like the waiter forgetting to ring in your appetizer so your entree comes and it's really good so you forgive him.  The middle was like an amazing dessert, rich with character.  The end was like getting that appetizer your waiter forgot about but now you're full and you don't want it anymore. 

 The funny just wasn't balanced throughout.  It's like she had stroke of comic genius days writing and then "it'll do" days writing.  I will say her 80's pop-culture references were probably the best part because I completely identified with them and could place myself in the scene with her as she told her stories.  Which brings me to my last and final point.  It has nothing to do with the book but when I looked up some facts of imdb.com I found out her birthday is 1975.  That means she's only 1 year older then me.  Huh? 


Birthday: Sept. 21, 1976
Birthday: February 25, 1975

Ok, ok.  Maybe that was my senior year high school yearbook picture but common! Am I that wrinkly???

Next Short and Sweet Book Review: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain