Hard Boiled Eggs

Most people like hard boiled eggs, and we eat them in a variety of ways; straight out of the shell, sliced on a sandwich, chopped on a salad, deviled, pickled, and egg salad. The biggest debates I've experienced are about how to make them. There are several different ways, I've tried all of them, but you have to find what works for you. I was taught to put the eggs in a pot, cover them with water plus 1 inch, bring to a boil, cover the pan with a lid, turn off the burner, let sit for 20 minutes, rinse them in cold running water for a few minutes.

The next way I tried to make them was to bring them to a boil, turn the burner down to medium, and heat for 12-15 minutes before cooling in ice water. The next way was to bring it to a boil and let it continue for 8-10 minutes before cooling in running water. They ALL turned out about the same, AWESOME! But, the best way I've found to make them appears below as a recipe. Since I am single, I only make 4 at a time, bulk it up for the amount you want to make

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP distilled white vinegar
• Enough water to cover plus 1 inch
• 4 large eggs

Directions

1. Bring water and vinegar to a boil over a high heat.
2. Gently add eggs (so they don't crack).
3. Reduce to a slow boil, and heat for 14 minutes.
4. Remove eggs and cool in an ice bath or under running cold water for 15 minutes.

Notes
✔ Using the vinegar helps make them easy to peel, you won't taste it
✔ Cooling them for that time shrinks the yolk so they slip out cleanly
✔ Eat cooked ones within 2 hours or refrigerate for up to a week
✔ If the yolk has a greenish color, they are overcooked
✔ Small eggs need less cook time, extra large need a little more

Remember, recipes are guidelines, not a blueprint. Take some time to figure out what works for your hard boiled eggs by experimenting with times, temperatures, etc. for the size and type of eggs you normally get. But overall, enjoy...

Sausage vs. Bratwurst vs. Kielbasa

An Irishman, a German, and a Polish guy are standing in a garage, each enjoying a cocktail and cigars... Yeah, it sounds like the beginning of a good joke, but it describes how my evening started. We had a very heated conversation about what the differences are between sausage, bratwurst, and kielbasa. Fortunately I had my HP tablet with me, so we searched the web. Turns out that they are all the same. We all had to come to the conclusion that we were all right, toasted, and have some suggestions on how to prepare them.

"Bratwurst" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

from brät-, which is finely chopped meat and Wurst, or sausage.

 "Kielbasa" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

in Polish “kielbasa” simply means “sausage“

 "Sausage" is best explained by Wikipedia as:

made from ground meat (normally pork or beef), mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices with a tough skin around it

The only true "differences" between all of them are the meats and herbs/spices that are used in them. The process is the same. I'm not going to make you scroll down a lot to see any of the differences, use the links if you are interested. Now read on for the suggestions we all had for you in dealing with sausage/brat/kielbasa links:

Care / Prep
✔ Put the links in the fridge as soon as you get back from the store.
✔ Use them within 2 days or simply freeze them for future use.
✔ Eat cooked links within 4 days and put them in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking them.
✔ The internal temp of a cooked link should be above 165 F / 74 C. Use an instant thermometer.
✔ Never thaw frozen links on the counter. Fridge overnight, microwave or use a Hot Water Bath.
✔ Use a different cutting board for your veggies, never chop them on one where you've cut raw meat.

Cooking

✔ Use a medium or medium-low setting to prevent the casing from splitting open.
✔ NEVER boil a link, poach it instead. Bring the water to a boil, turn it down to simmer. Put the links in and let sit for 30-45 minutes. Boiling will cause the links to shed their casing. Make sure you turn them every 10 mins.
✔ Poach links before grilling. That insures that they are cooked, the grilling just adds flavor.
✔ Do NOT pierce the casing while cooking, as it lets all of the moisture out, causing them to be dry.
✔ If the casing does split, use tongs to remove the casing before serving.

Side Thoughts

✔ Poach the links, Spiral Cut them, marinade, then grill.
✔ Blood pudding (my FAVORITE breakfast side) is nothing more than sausage made with the addition of animal blood.
✔ The butcher offers ground (non-encased) versions of the meat that can be used like ground beef. This adds flavor to the dishes you make. Purchase it in bulk instead of just "ground beef."
✔ Serve on a steak bun, to allow room for the extra veggies you grilled.

Bottom line, save a bite or two to give to your dog... they'll appreciate it deeply...

Journey of the Hot Dog

WTF Casserole

It started by having dinner at a local restaurant that specializes in hot dogs. They have over 37 different ways that can be ordered. They come in "regular" size and "jumbo." I usually get the Old Yellar. But then I wanted some simple was for making hot dog meals in my own kitchen, in different ways beyond the "normal." I'm a little old school and keep a tablet and pen next to my computer and take copious notes. I don't know where some of this info originated, these were just the thoughts I jotted down.

Other than all of the traditional ways we've always prepared hot dogs, I only tended to use the WTF Casserole recipe that was jotted down on the back of an envelope in my recipe box. The first new way I tried a hot dog, was by using leftover mashed potatoes. Slit the cooked dog 7/8 of the way through along the length, and fill it with some leftover mashed potatoes (heated in the microwave). It actually was AWESOME. Next time I'll grab some leftover shredded cheese as a topping. I ate it rolled in a tortilla since I don't eat bread or buns.

But I came across a LOT more info that I scribbled in my notebook, and here is what I'll be endeavoring to bring the sensations of eating hot dogs this summer, to the forefront.

✔ Do NOT boil hot dogs. Bring water to a boiling point, turn to simmer. Put dogs in for 20 minutes. Check the temp of the dog with an instant thermometer, but do not boil them.
✔ Use a Dutch oven or stock pot with a steamer rack (like veggies) by bringing the water to a boil, turn to low, place the dogs in, cover tightly and steam for 5-7 minutes. Put the buns on top of them for the last 2 minutes or tortillas for the last 45 seconds.
✔ Grilling requires turning them every couple of minutes, just when they start to darken, but before they become burnt (unless you want them that way). Hot dogs basically have 4 sides to them, so turn them over after about 2 minutes per side. Which means it takes about 8 minutes to grill them.
✔ Over a true fire (when camping or using that fire pit) means dogs should be put OVER the flames or embers, but NOT in the flame itself.
✔ We marinate a steak and add a marinade to poultry, why not a hot dog? I did manage to jot down the URL of a marinade for Grilled Hot Dogs (click the link to go there, I'm not copying and pasting).

Spiral Cutting the Dog

✔ A link to the Why You Should Spiral-Cut Your Hot Dog for Grilling explains in a video an easy step, and provides some sound reasons why you should. I especially like the fact that the spiral cut prevents the relish and onions from sliding off and stops it from curling up at the ends.

Hmmmm....maybe I'll combine the last 2 points about marinating and spiral cutting into a single option of cutting first, THEN marinating... I'll keep you posted.

Coffee Thoughts

I am still "old school" about coffee, to the point that I still use a percolator to make it (refer to my Percolated Coffee entry for more info). But, I came across an Instructable entry for Coffee Cubes that struck my fancy enough to post a follow up to that entry. I mention in the other entry that I let the mug sit for about 15 mins to cool off before I drink it. I worked construction and remodeling for nearly 2 decades, so I got used to room temperature coffee. Now, when I am in a hurry for that first mug in the morning, I started adding ice cubes to the coffee to cool it off.

I don't add any milk, cream, sugar or anything to the mug before I drink it, but the Instructable entry struck me. Instead of watering down my coffee by using just frozen water, I'm going to make the ice cubes from coffee. I don't have an ice maker, I use the old fashioned ice cube trays (the plastic ones like in the pic, not the metal ones but I am considering getting them too from the thrift store). The Instructable entry explains how to use whatever you normally put into your coffee for flavor as well, and it just makes sense to do it. I'm posting the picture from that site as an example. My cubes will look like the 6 cubes on the right of the picture.

Further research indicates that I can make the ice cubes from tea as well, to cool the tea without sacrificing flavor. I'll be using one ice cube tray with coffee and one tray with Earl Grey for the tea. I'm also considering making some ice cubes from some RC cola, but I'm sure the carbonated bubbles will be gone by the time it freezes, but to save the flavor, I'm going to try it. Stay tuned for another entry about that too.

Happy drinking...savor the flavor, not the temp...

Unstuffed Cabbage Soup

I can't say that I ever had stuffed cabbage rolls...if I did, I don't remember because my family never really used cabbage, except to make coleslaw, and we always had sauerkraut on New Years. But, I have heard a LOT of people talk about it, and they seemed to like it. So, when I came across a recipe on allrecipes.com, I decided to at least try it and make a pot full of what would taste like stuffed cabbage, but be a warm soup.

The recipe below was typed as I made it but I actually cut the amounts in half because I was making it for just me, like my grandmother always taught me, "recipes are nothing more than a good guideline...make it what you want, and with what you have..."

(cabbage boiled for 15 mins, patties about to be dropped in)

Unstuffed Cabbage
1/2 of a large head of cabbage
1 (12 oz) bottle chili sauce + 12 oz of water 
1 liter Schweppes Black Cherry ginger ale
1 lbs ground mild Italian sausage
Various herbs & spices (explained below)
1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste. Cut cabbage into 1-inch wide strips and put in a 5 quart stock pot or Dutch oven. Add ginger ale and chili sauce, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 15 minutes.


Meanwhile, add Italian seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, and garlic pepper into meat. Amount depends on what you want it to taste like. Mix well with egg. Form into patties and add to the pot.

Simmer, covered 2 hours. Taste for seasoning and serve. Makes 8 servings.

It made the apartment smell FANTASTIC all afternoon while it simmered. I occasionally stirred it, and added some ground black pepper. And yes, I did use my instant thermometer to make sure that the patties reached 170F. So, overall, I liked it. I have enough of it left that I'll probably be eating it for a few days. A couple of neighbors caught the aroma when they were walking by and I had opened my door for a second, so they begged me to give them some of it.

I'm glad I used my Italian cooking background on seasoning this recipe, because I love the tastes...and I always keep grandma's quote in mind. So, I used what I had on hand. Hence the black cherry ginger ale, ground sausage, and herbs.

The only other thing that I think I'll do next time, is make them into small meatballs instead of patties. Though, the patties make a good sandwich if you use a slotted spoon to take them out of the pot, and wrap them in a tortilla, with a slice of muenster cheese....

Homemade "Chicken Helper" Casserole

I posted a recipe for Mish-Mash Casserole (thank you Elektra Q-Tion for the name) and had 1 extra chicken breast in the fridge, so I decided to make a homemade version of Chicken Helper. This is related to my post about Homemade "Hamburger Helper" Casserole. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1 cooked chicken breast
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• 1 can Campbell's Condensed Creme of Chicken soup
• 1 can veggies (sweet peas, corn, or mixed), drained and rinsed.
• 4 oz. of a package of shredded cheese (your choice of flavor)
• Old Bay Seasoning (your choice of amount)
• Tortillas (see comments at the very bottom)

Directions:

1. Boil the water, and make the macaroni according to the instructions on the box.
2. If the chicken breast needs cooked, boil it for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the toaster oven to 375 F and oil an 8x6x2 Pyrex casserole dish.
4. While draining the macaroni in a colander, pour the soup into the stockpot you used.
5. Sprinkle as much Old Bay seasoning into the soup for the taste you want.
6. Return the macaroni to the stockpot with soup.
7. Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces, and put it into the stockpot too.
8. Add the can of selected veggies.
9. Stir well.
10. Pour that mixture into the 8x6x2 Pyrex casserole dish and even it out.
11. Place that in the toaster oven for 20 mins.
12. Slide the dish out (using oven mitts) and cover it evenly with the shredded cheese.
13. Return it to the toaster oven, and bake for another 8 minutes.

You would have enough to serve at least 5 people with this, but that also means you have enough leftovers if it is just you. It is easy to make, and tastes great. You could use any other seasonings/herbs based on your choice, but this is AWESOME! Another suggestion is to put a few leaves of lettuce on a tortilla, scoop the mixture onto it, roll it up, and ENJOY.