Wiener Wednesday: Fantasy Weenie Roast

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

cookoutOK, let me apologize for not having an actual weenie dish for you this week. I blogged the hell out of April and I am a bit tired. And it’s hot here. It’s supposed to hit 90 today in Baltimore. Which is disgusting and disconcerting–it’s only April, Mother Nature!

But since it is Wiener Wednesday, I had franks on the brain. And I thought of this–if I were to host the ultimate weenie roast and get to invite 5 (living) famous people to my shindig, who would it be?

Let’s get to it!

1. Sharon Needles

It has been well documented on the blog how much I love RPDR and Ms. Needles in particular. Self-described as “scary, spooky, and stupid,” it’s more like “adorable, fierce, and smart.” This girl loves Pittsburgh and so do I. She made Pittsburgh the City of Champions again with her win as America’s Next Drag Superstar. I mean, that’s right up there with Hines Ward winning Dancing With the Stars.

Last night my friend Scott sent me this photo of himself and Sharon–that lucky bastard!

Love the t-shirt.

But here’s the kicker–this is what the little screen in the middle says:

writing

Thank you Scott!!!!!!

OMG! Sharon loves me, too! So there is totally a chance that if I invited her to my weenie roast, she’d actually show up.

2. Andy Cohen

The man responsible for Bravo programming, who became a star in his own right. As the host of Watch What Happens Live (and all those Real Housewives reunions), he has proven to be witty, silly, oddly sexy, and he has tons of famous friends–who I am sure he would bring along with him. Including Anderson Cooper.

balls3. Liza Minnelli

If dead celebrities were included, this spot would go to Ms. Garland–but Liza with a Z is a good substitute. This bitch is loopy, fabulous, a legend, and an EGOT. You know that she would randomly break into song and tell stories about “Mama.” Plus she was Lucille II on Arrested Development. Awesome.

So far this is the gayest weenie roast in the history of weenie roasts.

4. David Duchovny

Fox Mulder! Eye candy! He’s straight! And if I played my cards right, I could probably get him into bed with me at the end of the night. Plus he’s really smart and definitely has a sense of humor–I cite the tea cup photo series as evidence.

Ooooh, the last spot. You could always go with some one who I really admire like Bono, for instance. But you know that they would be so pretentious and, frankly, boring. There are so. many. people. that I could go with here.

But for the last spot I choose–

5. Trey Parker

Yeah, the South Park guy. He, too, is very smart and very funny (obviously). And he is extremely talented–you know, with that whole Tony Award-winning musical and all. And Baseketball and Orgazmo just kill me. Plus, he’d play the piano for Liza. They could do a duet. OMG, the entire group could join in on a rousing rendition of “Shpadoinkle.” Well, and he once told me I was hot. That gives him the edge.

It would truly be a Shpadoinkle Day.

My honorable mentions are Jon Hamm (uh, he’s Don Draper!), David Lynch (obviously), and Joan Rivers (she kills me).

So who would be at your fantasy weenie roast?

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I’m Everywhere!

Posted on April 6, 2013 by

Good morning, darlings!

Please hop on over to the Rantings of an Amateur Chef to read a little guest post I did. it’s got it all–history! Hollywood! Whiskey! Also, I tell a little story about Gramsy–the patron saint of DiS!

Click on the picture below and go check it out!

Rob Roy

And everyone enjoy Mad Men on Sunday night!

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Mad Men Canadian Clubhouse Punch

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

I have an irrational crush on Harry Crane. It has to be the glasses.

Greetings, friends!

We are on the cusp of another season of Mad Men. I believe that it has been clearly documented in this blog how much I enjoy what might be one of the greatest television series of all time.

In past years I have made cocktails, canapes, salads, and Steak Diane; for this season I am serving up a festive libation that would be suitable for any celebratory occasion–Canadian Clubhouse Punch! (and yes, this is the punch that I served at my birthday party!)

Punches are just perfect for a party–in lieu of a bar, just have on hand a selection of wine and beer, and then a punch. You don’t have to buy a ton of assorted liquors and mixers and everyone just serves themselves. Brilliant.

Baby Gene is giving FACE.

This recipe is from the Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook
(Which is definitely one of my favorite cookbooks–you should get yourself a copy).

Canadian Clubhouse Punch

NOTE: Freeze a block of ice in advance for the punch bowl.
  • Thin peel of 2 oranges
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups orange juice
  • 6 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp orange extract
  • 4 oz blackberry liqueur or brandy
  • 1 bottle Canadian club whisky (750 ml)
  • 1 block of ice for punch bowl
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced in half-moons

1. In large mixing bowl, mash orange peel and sugar. Add ornage juice and lemon juice and stir until sugar dissolves. and orange extract, brandy, and whiskey and stir. cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours.

2. Take punch out of refrigerator and remove orange peel with a slotted spoon. Place block of ice in a punch bowl and pour punch into bowl. Float orange slices in bowl, or garnish each punch cup with a slice.

Yep, I did all that.

mixing of sugar and rind

I mixed that sugar and orange rind!

Well, actually I went a step above and beyond–I didn’t do just a block of ice, I made a decorative ice ring of layered lemon and orange slices. Tres chic!

citrus ice ring

Another use for Jell-O molds!

Let me say that I was absolutely stunned by the Canadian Clubhouse Punch. Well, not stunned–I wasn’t shocked because the recipe is nothing but whiskey, brandy, and a wee bit of mixer–but I was still stunned (with delight?). A stiff libation is A-OK with me, but I didn’t want a house full of blotto guests so I diluted it with some ginger ale. After that, it was all gravy–well, it was delicious punch–oh, you get what I mean.

Continue reading →

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Wiener Wednesday: 115. Hot Appetizers

Posted on April 3, 2013 by

So I threw myself a birthday party!

(over 2 months ago)

So sue me.  I don’t remember every detail of the party or have photos of everything–it was my party after all. And I had, like, 10 people over. So I was busy. And buzzed–from a punch!–but I’ll talk about that later.

So I celebrated me with gusto. I even made an entire DiS! card for the occasion–#115. Hot Appetizers! I am counting this post as a Wiener Wednesday because there are little weenies involved, but this post is much more than that. Oh, so much more!

115. Hot AppetizersHot Appetizers

So come on in, you’re invited!

Continue reading →

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Leftover Corned Beef Casserole (Reuben Loaf)

Posted on April 1, 2013 by

I already made Haluski to use up all of the leftover cabbage from St. Patrick’s Day, but I still had a lot of corned beef left, too. I wanted to do a casserole, but I also wanted to make a Reuben (which is in my top 5 of most favorite sandwiches ever). But I have such a hard time making decisions so I split the difference and combined the two. Brilliant.

The way I made this is so obvious that I don’t even really need to explain to you what I did. But I will anyway:

Reuben CasseroleI put some cooking spray on a loaf pan and filled the bottom with 1/2 a can of sauerkraut, topped that with the shredded corned beef, a mix of 1/3 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing and 1/3 cup fat free yogurt, and finished it with 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese. Before I started putting the layers together I had cubed some frozen rye bread and put it in the microwave with a couple tablespoons of margarine and used that to top the casserole.

After about 30 minutes or so in a 350 degree oven–

There you have it. Reuben loaf.

Yes, I hate it when things (other than bread) are in loaf-form but I used the loaf pan because it was the perfect size for the amount of beef that I had.

So sue me.

I am sure that there are better versions of this online but this was still pretty good. It tasted just like it was supposed to–Reuben. If I did this again I would put on more rye bread topping (with more margarine) and more corned beef. And maybe a little less sauerkraut. But aside from that, this was a solid dish. I pat myself on the back.

I have a shitton of lamb left from Easter (and when I say “shitton” I mean pounds and pounds) so I am going to try to get a new lamb curry recipe to you soon. In the meantime, since the Reuben Loaf wasn’t the most scintillating of dishes, here is a little ditty from the Estonian metal band Winny Puhh. Which apparently translates to “Winny the Pooh.” Which is the most random name for a band ever. Especially this one. I’m not even going to try to explain this video or put it in context.

I would recommend that anyone with epilepsy avoid this video at all costs, but if not, please press play.

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Wiener Wednesday: Hot Dogs on the Rocks

Posted on March 27, 2013 by

singers-and-swingersThis sounds like a good one, right?

I found this recipe late one night while traipsing across the internet. The site is Retro Food for Modern Times, which featured a little gem of a cookbook called Singers & Swingers in the Kitchen: The Scene-Makers Cook Book (1967).

“Dozens of nutty, turned-on, easy-to-prepare recipes from the grooviest gourmets happening!”

Well with a tagline like that, this cookbook was just begging for it.

Lucky for me (and the world) Singers & Swingers features multiple frankcentric dishes. And maybe I’ll eventually get to all of them, but for today, I chose the one that I thought had the best name:

Hot Dogs on the Rocks….ain’t no surprise…

OK, it’s not by Neil. This recipe is from The Rolling Stones!

hotdogsontherocks

Thanks for the dietary heads-up.

Baked beans, eh?

When I think of baked beans I automatically go to this:

Continue reading →

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Haluski (Polish Sweet Cabbage and Noodle)

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

For St. Patrick’s Day I made corned beef and cabbage and after the holiday I found myself with half a cabbage in my fridge and nothing to do with it.

I like that since it's a 'treasury' they literally put Mama in a treasure chest.

I like that since it’s a ‘treasury’ they literally put Mama in a treasure chest.

I consulted (what may be becoming my all-time favorite cookbook) Mama’s Recipes: A Treasury of Hungarian-American Foods.  I knew that I’d find multiple cabbage recipes in there!

It is cold and snowy here in the Mid-Atlantic (anyone else have a delay or snow day today?) so it is just the perfect day for some good ol’ Pittsburgh comfort food: Haluski.

To be honest, I didn’t eat Haluski growing up. I believe the first time I had it was at a fire hall in Beaver County, PA. I was with my friend Jamie and her grandma, Nanny. It was a party or fundraiser of some sort and the ladies in the kitchen (church ladies!!!) were serving up a buttery, cheesy, noodley dish that I had never seen. What is this magical dish? I asked, and the answer was a word I had never heard. Hal-ooosh-kee. Who knew that cabbage and noodles could be so good?

This recipe is for, Haluska, the Hungarian version. Which is like the Polish or the Serbian version–the spelling is just different. And, as an aside, I did a quick little search and it seems like Haluski–at least what I’m talking about here–is a bit of a Pittsburgh/Western PA thing. But I could totally be wrong. Does anyone outside of the KDKA viewing area eat this?

Halsuka recipe

Fantastic, right? But I wasn’t too keen on cooking with an entire 1/4 pound of butter, so I lightened up my version of Haluski considerably  Here’s my take on Polish Cabbage and Noodles:

Pittsburgh Haluski Light

  • 3 oz. extra-wide whole wheat egg noodles (weight is dried) cooked
  • 5 cups finely cut/shredded cabbage
  • 1/2 cup sliced onion
  • 1/4 cup butter †
  • 1 packet stevia or other no-calorie sweetener
  • 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese*
  • salt (enough to toss with cabbage)
  • black pepper
  • non-stick cooking spray

Sprinkle the chopped cabbage with salt. Cook sliced onion in butter-flavored non-stick cooking spray until soft. Remove onion. In same pan, cook cabbage (water squeezed out) in the butter and sweetener for 10 minutes (more depending on how soft you want the cabbage to be). Stir in noodles, onion, and cottage cheese. Season with black pepper. Warm all ingredients through. Serve.

Makes 4 servings. 6 WW points per serving‡

Haluski

The result is just as good as the real thing. I swear. So the next time you find yourself with some extra cabbage or noodles or cottage cheese, give this one a try. Or just do it any day–this dish is frugal!

* You can use sour cream instead of the cottage cheese, but I prefer how the cheese melts and gets a little stringy.
† Margarine could be used, but why not use the real thing?
‡ even if you don’t follow Weight Watchers or know the system, you can agree that getting this recipe down from 12 points per serving to 6 is pretty rad!
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Fishy Friday Flashback: Baked Stuffed Bass

Posted on March 22, 2013 by

In the spirit of the season (and by the season I mean Lent) I’m offering you a dinner fit for a meatless Friday. This is from all the way back in June 2011, so I know that this will be new to (a lot of) you!

In addition to this being a surprisingly successful dinner, this post features what might be my best (and favorite) non-sequiter rant. It’s a doozy.

stuffed baked bass

I adore the strategically-placed parsley spring on the dead fish’s eyeball.

I’m not a fan of seafood that is not of the crustacean variety. I’ve mentioned that fact every time a fish card is drawn. In some cases I have been pleasantly surprised, and in others I’m all “I still don’t like fish” and in the case of #28 Tuna-Cheese-Macaroni-Loaf I was all “screw you, fish!” I really need to get over #28. I think I need therapy.

So this brings me to #11. Baked Stuffed Bass. But I didn’t do bass. I did trout because (well, aside from the fact that I couldn’t get a whole cleaned fish of any kind from Safeway) it was available whole and gutted through my farm club Arganica and it was frozen. I wanted to get a fresh caught bluefish but I wasn’t sure how long it would be sitting on the stoop after delivery. So frozen trout it was.

Here I am, having a moment with my trout. Not a flattering photo, but it was an important milestone in both our lives:

It was a lovely trout, weighing in at approximately 1.25 lbs and at about 14 inches in length. It came in a vacuum sealed pouch. I was really impressed by the quality. They must have thrown this baby into the bag as soon as they caught it. It didn’t smell fishy at all, and the eyes and gills looked nice and shiny.

How to stuff any large fish.

Are trouts Canadian? Or is that salmon? I don’t know but I was getting a heavy Canadian vibe from this fish (in the above photo I was totally thinking of Bruce McCullough). Speaking of Canada, I just watched this Canadian movie called Black Christmas (1974) which many consider to be the first slasher film–you know, deranged killer indiscriminately killing teenagers until one virtuous heroine is the only one left standing (see the first half of Jamie Lee Curtis’ filmography).

Well this one is set in a sorority house at some unnamed college and the killer is making obscene phone calls to the sisters, who include Olivia Hussey (famous for the Zeffirelli Romeo & Juliet), Andrea Martin (SCTV), and the one and only Margot Kidder, the Lois Lane to Christopher Reeves’ Superman. Which just totally reminded me of the Can You Read My Mind? flying sequence from the first film. Which is crazyballs and all kinds of amazing.

Anyway, Margot Kidder. She won a 1975 Canadian Film Award for Best Lead Actress for Black Christmas in which she smokes cigarettes, drinks bourbon, swears a lot and gets killed by a crystal unicorn (seriously). She’s not even the archetypal hero girl. She dies. Yet she wins best lead actress. This leads me to believe that they just don’t make movies in Canada (Scratch that. They make Lifetime Movies in Canada).

OH, they also riot in Canada.

CRAZY.

I have made a decision. If I ever have a daughter I am going to name her Margot. Margot Brungo. With a name like that you have to go on to be a famous something or other, actress, singer, nuclear physicist.  Well, a Harlequin romance novelist at the very least. Shit, maybe I should just start writing trashy books and make that my nom de plume.

All this and I never got around to determining if trout come from Canada or not. Hm.

So I guess I should talk about #11.

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Wiener Wednesday: A Hot Dog Program

Posted on March 20, 2013 by

So I thought of something for Wiener Wednesday that I can’t believe I haven’t talked about yet!

From filmmaker Rick Sebak, the man who brought us Stuff That’s Gone, Things That Aren’t There Anymore and Sandwiches You Will Like is what may be his most popular show, A HOT DOG PROGRAM!

Sebak is not one for fancy titles. He’s also done An Ice Cream Show, A Cemetery Special and Houses Around Here. He’s like the I Like Stores That Tell You Exactly What They Are guy (seriously, click on that link. I promise you will laugh).

Well, obviously A Hot Dog Program is a documentary totally about hot dogs. And it is a delight!

I bet you can’t watch that clip without hankering for a weenie!

I actually remember one Thanksgiving in particular back when we lived in Zelienople, watching this show with my brother. By the time the dinner bell rang we were in the mood to visit the Super Duper Weenie Man of Connecticut–not eat turkey and mashed potatoes!

Sebak works out of WQED, the Pittsburgh PBS station, but this puppy has been shown from coast to coast. I know it because it’s listed  on the pbs.org food page.  I’d love to hear if anyone from outside the Pittsburgh area has caught A Hot Dog Program on TV. And if you don’t want to buy the DVD (why do I think that I have bought this as a gift for my brother?) check your local PBS listings–you never know when this gem will be rebroadcast!

Also, I just want to say that it still irks me that I never got the foot long $.99 hot dog at Slots a Fun in Vegas when I was there in 2011. Because it doesn’t exist anymore. SAD FACE.

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BH&G Fish and Seafood Cook Book: Crab-Deviled Eggs and Smoked Oyster Puffs

Posted on March 18, 2013 by

DSCF4991[1]The ladies’ holiday cocktail party continues! I’ve already shared with you the wiener part of the evening and the sparkling punch, but here are the remaining delicious dishes, Crab-Deviled Eggs and Smoked Oyster Puffs. Both recipes come from the Better Homes and Gardens Fish and Seafood Cook Book (1971 edition), one of the books from my collection that I had not yet cracked open.

Well, what a treat this cook book is. It is chock-full of molds and mousses made out of fish filets and crustaceans. I didn’t choose one of those types of dishes because, well, gelatinous seafood doesn’t appeal to the masses, and HELLO! I’ve already been there and done that with #107 Seafood Mousse  and the molded Tuna-Herring Spread and Cheese Spread from #114 Cold Appetizers.

But right now that is neither here nor there. Now why did I choose these two dishes? Because I love anything that’s called a puff. And I think deviled eggs are delicious. And with crab–fancy!

DSCF4835[1]

Well the Crab Deviled Eggs are just like the regular ol’ deviled eggs that my mum makes for holiday snicky snacks. But with crab. Well, that’s a simple change. And a tasty one, too. Here’s the finished product–made especially pretty by my paprika and scallion sliver garnish:

Crab Deviled Egg

So, Smoked Oyster Puffs.

Smoked Oyster Puff recipe

The thing that I liked best about the puffs was that I used a Rabbi Elizer Goldberg Heroes of the Torah glass to cut the Swiss cheese into rounds. Which then looked rather moon-like when put on the rest of the canape.

Heroes of the Torah and SwissSmoked Oyster Puffs

Here is the finished product:

smoked oyster puffs

I put these on both tiny cocktail loaf Pumpernickel and a few cut out pieces of gluten-free bread—my mum has the gluten.

These were OK. Not great. But definitely edible. I liked them well enough.

So that’s it for the lady party! Here is a picture of the full spread:

Holiday Party!

Oh, also on the table, a cheese plate, artichoke dip, an assortment of Christmas cookies, and a platter of my mum’s famous Spinach Balls. That’s the plate adjacent to the punch bowl that is nearly empty. The Spinach Balls are the stuff of legend. I do believe that I have relatives that now come to our yearly Christmas Eve party solely for the Spinach Balls. They are that good. My mum gives the recipe only to very special people.

But maybe if I hit a particular number of hits or subscribers I will share the Spinach Ball recipe. Is that enough of an incentive for you folks to tell your friends about the wonders of Dinner is Served 1972? Think about it.

Let me finally close the book on my holiday cooking (yeah, all the way at the beginning of spring) with this picture:

Sarah Palin who?I shot a gun for the first time over the holidays. I went to the range with my brother, who is a very responsible gun owner. This is me giving some Sarah Palin realness. I mean, what says America more than the birth of Christ and firearms?

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