One week from today is St. Patrick’s Day!  Here are a few fun St. Patrick and St. Patrick’s Day facts from Wikipedia:

• Blue was the original color associated with St. Patrick, not green.
• St Patrick used the three-leaf shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) to the Irish  people.
• St. Patrick died on March 17th 461 AD.
• The Irish Society of Boston organized what was not only the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the colonies but the first  recorded Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the world on 17 March 1737.
• The first parade in Ireland was not until the 1931 parade in Dublin.
• Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1962 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges  and had the idea to turn the river green for St. Patrick’s Day.
• St. Patrick’s Day is a one-day reprieve from the forty days of fasting during the season of Lent. For many Christians this  includes indulging in ale.
• Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. Many people, regardless of ethnic  background, wear green-colored clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched,  usually affectionately.
• And of course, corned beef and cabbage is the food most associated with St. Patrick’s Day in the United States.

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Jamaican buffet, it was a little picked over before I was able to snap the picture, but that's a good thing, right?

Sliders are irresistible as part of an appetizer buffet. Small and easy to eat while standing, they are the perfect casual party food. If you want to prepare the sliders ahead, place patties on the grill or grill pan and just “mark” each side. Transfer to a baking sheet, allow to cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Toast the buns ahead of time, place on another baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature. About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve, preheat oven to 400 degrees, finish cooking the patties for 12 minutes. While the patties are in the oven, prepare the buns by spreading on mayonnaise and stacking on the onion, tomato, and lettuce. When the sliders are completely cooked, just assemble, put in decorative picks, cut in half, place on a platter and you’re ready to entertain!

In the picture above, you might notice the carrot-pepper “palm trees” – cute, aren’t they? Easy to make too, just peel the carrots, then place in ice water to crisp them up.  Cut the peppers as pictured below, then use toothpicks to hold the palms together in a cabbage half.

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The question – What is jerk… not in life (we all know at least one of those!) but in cooking?  The answer – Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica. Jerk seasoning mostly depends on the inclusion of two items: allspice and Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. Other ingredients may include cloves, cinnamon, green onions, thyme, and garlic. When serving a crowd, I often substitute jalapeño for the habanero, since you never know what people’s tolerance is for overly spicy foods.

The shredded beef that I used was the leftover pot roast from a post from a couple days ago. If you don’t have such a thing hanging about, most grocery stores sell prepared pot roast in their meat department or deli.

When assembling the dumplings, lay about about one dozen of the wrappers on the counter at a time, place the filling in the center of each, but only brush and seal 3 or 4 at a time. The dumplings may be made up to one day ahead. To do so; lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with cornstarch and place the filled and sealed dumplings on the sheet, lightly sprinkle the dumpling tops with more cornstarch and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with another layer or two, sprinkling each with the cornstarch to keep them from sticking. Refrigerate until ready to fry.

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Once or twice a year our neighborhood has a Progressive Dinner. Here’s how it works – a notice goes out to all 118 homes in the community. You may sign up to be a “Dinner Host”, which means you do not have to cook, just set up to host dinner for 10 people. Or, you sign up to cook, in which case you are then assigned to provide either an appetizer, an entree for 10, soup or salad plus a side for 10, or a dessert. Those dishes are dropped off at the “Host Houses”. Each couple brings 1 bottle of red wine and 1 bottle of white wine to the “Appetizer House” where everyone first gathers. Names are drawn randomly during appetizers and we all disperse to the various host homes for dinner. The wines travel along to the dinner portion of the evening. Then we all gather back together at a specific house for dessert (remaining wine – in tow). You and your significant other stay together if you are a “Dinner Host”, otherwise the two of you are split up during the dinner portion of the evening. Past themes have included; Italian, Mexican, Western, Mardi Gras, Valentine’s, and Tacky/White Trash (not the best food- think Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pigs in a Blanket, Chili in a Frito bag- but the most fun ever! Pictures below.)

Our house for appetizers; complete with plastic flamingos in the yard, a clothesline on the trailer, and a wheelbarrow full of cheap beer and boxed wine

Me, Whitney, and Joanie (last names omitted to protect the innocent!) complete with candy cigarettes in hand, bad make-up, wads of gum in mouths, and classy overalls!

Twinky, zinger, sno-ball, ding-dong, donut, White Trash cake!

Our next Progressive is this Friday and the theme is Jamaican. Appetizers will be at our house and even though hosts are not required to cook, obviously, I still do. One of the dishes I plan to make Jamaican Beef Dumplings. I found an amazing price on a pot roast at the store today and decided it would be perfect to use for the shredded beef. I cooked up the roast for dinner  and will now use the rest of the beef for the dumplings, that recipe will post in a couple days.

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Different fats and oils have different uses. Each performs best within a certain range of temperature. Some are made for high heat cooking, while others have intense flavors that are best enjoyed only lightly heated or uncooked and straight from the bottle drizzled on food or used in vinaigrettes.

As with many Asian recipes, today’s calls for peanut oil. Especially in stir-fry, peanut oil is the fat of choice. It has a higher smoke point than many other oils and lends a light peanut flavor which compliments so many Asian inspired dishes. The smoke point of an oil or fat is the temperature at which it gives off smoke when heated.

Other important considerations are food allergies and the type of fat the oil contains; saturated, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated. Here are the differences, straight from the American Heart Association.

“Saturated fat:  Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals and some plants. Foods from animals include beef, beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses and other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk. All of these foods also contain dietary cholesterol. Foods from plants that contain saturated fat include coconut, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats: Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the two unsaturated fats. They’re found in many fish, seeds, nuts and oils from plants. Some examples of foods that contain these fats include salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, walnuts and liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive and sunflower.”
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“Next to music there is nothing that lifts the spirits and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili.” Harry James (1916-1983) band leader and trumpeter.

OK, I wouldn’t go quite that far; to say that nothing lifts the spirits more, but just like most people, I do enjoy a spicy and steaming bowl of chili. There are more chili recipes, and really great chili at that, than one can count. Chili is a truly American dish with so many great variations; with and without beans, mild to very hot and spicy, vegetarian or made with any type of meat imaginable. Hope you enjoy this chunky beef version… until you have time to try it out, one more quote from a famous chili-loving American.

“Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili.” Alleged dying words of Kit Carson (1809-1868), Frontiersman and Mountain Man.
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Isn’t it strange how sometimes you go out for dinner and you are drawn to order the same thing at one restaurant and then another.  Recently, that item for me has been candied pecans. I use candied pecans often at home as well, but there is always something a little different about the ones I get while eating out. I finally asked a chef friend, what the difference was. He informed me that restaurants often first candy the nuts and then fry them. That makes sense, since I often wondered how their pecans were so much more “toasted” than mine. If you would rather not fry the nuts, just go to this previous post for candied almonds, and substitute pecans for the almonds.

You may be able to find balsamic glaze at the grocery store, I know that Trader Joe’s carried it at one time, not sure if they still do, but it is easy to make at home and easy to store extra for use again later.  I served this salad to three men last night, and in their honor, since they are “manly men”, this is a now referred to as a “manly man” salad!
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I’m still on a bit of a high after the Arizona Cardinals won the NFC West title yesterday. While researching area foods for the post for yesterday’s game in Detroit, I not only found the Chop Salad, but also this tasty and famous steak sauce – a Detroit favorite. It brings out the best in beef and adds a spicy punch of flavor.

The Flat Iron Steak, also known as the top blade steak, has been a popular restaurant menu item for the past few years and is increasingly becoming available in grocery stores. It was developed at the University of Florida. The researchers wanted to find a way to use a waste cut of beef from the shoulder of the cow. Though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in its center; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle.

The researchers developed a method for cutting and presenting the steak, an wound up with an amazing cut of beef, a nearly perfect steak for the grill. The Flat Iron, named because it looks like an old fashioned metal flat iron, is uniform in thickness and rectangular in shape. The only variation to the original roast is the cut into the middle of the steak where the connective tissues have been removed.

The Flat Iron is similar in flavor and texture to Skirt and Flank steaks and is best grilled over medium-high heat. For this particular recipe, we are using a grill pan so that we can gather drippings from the meat. Enjoy!
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Do you know anyone who doesn’t like lasagna? I certainly don’t! It’s right up there with hamburgers, spaghetti, and mac and cheese for the all-time family favorites. All those classics have been posted here already, it is now lasagna’s turn.

Toasted and skinned hazelnuts are used in the pesto. To learn how to do this procedure, either go to the Tip Index at the left and look under “Hazelnuts” or click on this link.
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Nancy, Zada, and I have been having a fun couple of days catching up, swimming (Zada), watching Disney videos (Zada and us mom’s too, sometimes), and just hanging out.  Nancy and her husband, Ethan, have lived on a sailboat in southern California for the past 15 years! They began a grand sailing adventure with Zada in December 2008.  The boat and Ethan are currently in San Carlos, Mexico and the girls will be joining him on Thursday to continue their trip.  They’ve been state-side for the past couple of months waiting out the hurricane season.  Next ports of call are the South Pacific and New Zealand!  You too can follow their grand adventures on their blog which is on my blogroll at the right under “Super Non-Cooking Stuff” – “Sailing with Smith & Jones”.  That’s my name for their site because it’s Ethan Smith and Nancy Jones, and I just adored the old TV show, Alias Smith and Jones... remember that?  In their honor for dinner tonight – as in “Smith and Jones” we have … East and West…
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