Mop Sauce

Since you're going to be cooking the pork shoulder for a very long time, you're going to need to keep it moist on the outside while it cooks and develops a great crust on it. You're going to need the following ingredients:

Mop Ingredients

1 cup Water
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp. Dry Rub (or more)
2 Tbsp. Chili sauce (Heinz)
1 Tbsp Honey
1 tsp. Liquid Smoke (Colgin))My brother uses a BBQ sauce instead of the chili sauce. It's really up to you. You can find many dry rub recipes on the Internet, or buy them in the local grocery store. 

Add honey to vinegar and water

Combine the mop sauce ingredients together in a small non-reactive
pan (stainless steel). Heat until the sauce is hot and the honey and brown sugar is dissolved. 

Add chili sauce to the pan

Feel free to experiment here. A little of this, a lot of that...  

Add BBQ rub

We're cooking indoors so add some liquid smoke

Whisk the ingredients together

When you're ready to use the mop sauce get out your mop. You're going to mop every 20 minutes, or every 2 beers if you don't have a watch.

Get the mop good and wet

For my next trick I'm going to slow cook a pork shoulder indoors and hopefully make it taste just like it was cooked low and slow outdoors. I just can't wait! 

I still need a small gas grill. Any suggestions?

© TMelle 1998-2011

Indoor Pulled Pork

6 Pound Pork Shoulder

I still haven't purchased a grill and need to make some pulled pork indoors. Can I replicate the flavor of cooking a pork shoulder being cooked on an outdoor grill with plenty of smoke chips? Can it be done? I think with a little help from a product called "Colgin® Hickory Liquid Smoke" it can be. In addition to the liquid smoke you're going to need a 1 gallon Zip lock bag, some of your favorite dry BBQ rub and some sea salt. My brother who lives in the south makes a pretty good rub.

Load on the BBQ rub

When you buy a pork shoulder at the store the fatty side is generally not visible to the shopper. No problem with that because we're cooking this low and slow in our indoor oven. Trim any excess fat from the shoulder and massage the shoulder with a generous amount of your favorite dry rub. Next sprinkle the shoulder liberally with sea salt. 

Sprinkle on sea salt

Refrigerate overnight

Once the salt is rubbed into the shoulder, place it into a 1 gallon refrigerator or freezer bag. Store the shoulder overnight in the refrigerator. Buy or prepare your favorite BBQ sauce for you the next day. 

TO BE CONTINUED!    

     

© TMelle 2012

Life In A Condo

Last October my wife and I made a decision that would change our life forever. We decided to move from our 2nd Floor 3 bedroom two flat with a basement, to a first floor 2 bedroom condominium. The first thing that we would be giving up would be the backyard. 

2 kettle grills (not pictured), 4 burner gas grill, and room to play

How do we give this up for a 12' x 4' cement patio? Forget the fact that my propane grill won't fit on the patio. Forget that my Weber kettle is not allowed because it is fueled with charcoal and the occasional wood chips for that honest smoky flavor. 

Can you smell that?

My father cooked on a Weber kettle, I cooked on a Weber kettle, my son's and daughter's cook on Weber kettles. I would say that we have over 60 years of kettle cooking behind us. I bought a propane grill two years ago and it just doesn't compare. Men, smoke and fire were meant to be together.

Gas Grill cooking

Won't fit on my patio

Don't get me wrong a gas grill comes in handy from time to time. You most certainly have more cooking surface to use, and adding a wood chip firebox brings you close to a kettle, but it's just not the same. Try standing a couple of beer can chickens on a gas grill and closing the lid. 

Chicken on the throne a.k.a Beer can chicken

Life just won't be the same

I guess I have to find a good 2 burner propane grill, preferably with a large lid, and a small side burner. Where, or where do I put a table and chairs. My hand built picnic table won't fit anymore. No more garden either. So I ask you, what am I going to do? Association rules and regulations. Who needs them?

On a positive note we no longer have to cut the grass, tend the garden, take out the trash, and shovel snow from the driveway. We also have a swimming pool, pond, a walking path and minimal stairs.  

If there are any condo dwellers out there that can help me with suggestions to help us through this transition, your comments would be appreciated. Living in small spaces is going to be a challenge. Don't even ask me about working in a tiny kitchen. Someone once said that change is good. I will be updating this blog from time to time about living in small spaces.
Memorial Day, the last Monday in May is, in the Midwest the first official barbecue day of the summer. I need to get a grill soon. Any suggestions?  

Cheeseburger with melted white American cheese and grilled onions

© TMelle 2012

April showers bring...

Tiger Lilies

May flowers, wedding showers, baby showers, communions, confirmations, Bar and Bat Mitzvah's, graduations, barbeque, and a multitude of other activites including "High Tea."  My mother came from an era when women, especially wives were expected to be good in the kitchen. It really was a rite of passage with recipes being passed down from generation to generation.There were even classes in “home economics.” Mostly girls took this class and they were taught how to run a home, including how to cook. 

Ribbon Sandwich Loaf, aka. Pirates Treasure

You’re probably wondering what this has to do with mom and High Tea. This was, in a way, the way it was when my Mom was a young wife. She actually took some art and cooking classes so that she could improve her home skills. She was, in my opinion always trying something new in her younger years. What you may or may not know is that Mom was also an artist. What some of you might not also know is that she actually worked sometimes. 

My Dad colorized

Color photography was not invented yet, so they would add color to black and white prints. Mom was skilled at this technique and that is really how she met my Dad. She had a job coloring prints of soldiers returning home from WWII. She fell in love with my Dad's picture, while she was colorizing it, much like they do with old black and white movies today.

Loaf of bread

While writing this cookbook I discovered that when it came to cooking, mom was amazing for her time. I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that when she was growing up and living with her grandmother and mother's house she learned from them.

When mom gave me her tattered cookbook it had no front or back cover, and the spine was missing. While going through the pages I came across a picture of something called a “Pirates Treasure Sandwich Loaf.” I did not find a recipe in the book for it. The picture sparked a memory of Mom making a similar, if not the same loaf. I immediately called her and described the picture and the layers of the sandwich. Much to my amazement she immediately knew what I was talking about. She said that she was often asked to make one of these for a wedding, or baby shower.

Bread sliced horizontally

You’re probably wondering by now exactly what a “Pirates Treasure Sandwich Loaf” is. So did I. Mom said that you get a unsliced loaf of bread from the bakery. She would cut the loaf lengthwise into layers. The fillings or the "Pirates Treasure Sandwich Loaf” can be almost anything that you can think of. The consistency of the fillings has to be such that it will stay in place when you slice it. The filling can be Egg salad, Tuna salad, Chicken salad, or any other thing that you can think of. You can’t use tomato slices! They will slip out when you try and cut it. There are many recipes on the Internet called sandwich loaf, ribbon sandwich loaf, pirates treasure and many other names. What ever you call it and however you make it, it is serious retro-comfort-food. My Mom used chicken salad, egg salad, and ham salad for hers. The frosting was made from cream cheese and a little bit of milk. You don't have to make it in a loaf shape. Thin sliced "Pepperidge Farm  Very Thin Wheat, or white bread works well for this. http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/ProductDetail.aspx?catID=755    

Add butter and egg salad layer

When you create the “Pirates Treasure Sandwich Loaf,” You build the layers carefully by taste and the number of layers is really dependent on how old the bread is (day old works best), the actual density of the bread and how good you are at cutting the layers. It is very similar to making a torte cake (see recipe in desserts). I just had to try it.

Wrap and refrigerate until firm

So if you’re like me, I just had to try it. Armed with the basic concept, off to the retro kitchen I went recreate a classic. It really is worth the effort. I would wager a guess that none of your friends or family have ever heard of it, or tasted it. 

Remove crust from loaf (snacks for the cook)

Once the crust is removed it's time to frost the loaf. It is a simple mixture of softened cream cheese and milk. The cold sandwich will make it easier to frost the loaf using an offset spatula. If you can frost a cake you've got an advantage over me. 

Cream cheese frosting

Next you have to decorate your sandwich loaf. They didn't have ultrasound and people generally did not know what kind of baby they were having. My mom stuck with yellow and other colors. Today you could use pink for girls, or blue for boys. People would ask my Mom to make this loaf because she was so good at decorating it. 

Decorated sandwich loaf

When you are finished and before you cut it into finger sandwich slices or squares, it will look just like a frosted cake. My kids opened the refrigerator and asked “what kind of cake is this?” The payoff is when you slice into the loaf and discover the treasure. 

Side view sliced loaf

If you prefer to make tiny finger sandwiches try making the loaf using the thin sliced Pepperidge Farm white or wheat bread. Enjoy! 

Tiny finger sandwiches

For a "Party Sandwich Loaf" recipe by Betty Crocker go to 
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/party-sandwich-loaf/38bf7e0c-fa74-4887-9148-ddbe86ba2752

© TMelle 1998-2012

Soft Boiled Eggs

Soft boiled egg in an egg cup

Every now and then my mother would make soft boiled eggs. She called them 3 minute eggs. How she made them amazed me, and scared me at the same time. I'll get into how to prepare soft boiled eggs in a minute. Cutting them open is really the tricky part. I watched her many times pull a very sharp knife from the drawer to crack open the egg. 

Crack the shell through in one motion into the palm of your hand

She would hold the egg in a cloth napkin in her left hand and without a second thought slam the knife blade into the egg shell in one swift motion. It scared the hell out of me. This is something that seemed extremely dangerous from a safety point of view.  She did it perfectly almost every time. My wife can do this as well as my mother. It never worked when I tried it. If you're going to try this at home, get a Kevlar® kitchen glove so you don't cut your hand by accident. I don't have a Kevlar glove so I had to look to a different method.  

Not exactly a soft boiled egg

Once the shell is cut open she would use a small teaspoon spoon to scoop the egg out of the shell, leaving the egg shells behind. She would serve the soft boiled eggs with toast points. You just dip the toast points into the runny yolk of a perfectly prepared soft boiled egg and enjoy. I preferred serving them with English muffins.

Slightly over cooked - you get the idea

My personal view is that poaching an egg is far less difficult than making a soft boiled egg. When do you add the egg to the pot? When do you start timing a 3 minute egg? Prep and timing seems to be the key. Finding the exact moment when the egg white and egg yolk are perfectly cooked without being able to see it is extremely difficult. None of this matters when you can't crack open the egg when it's done cooking.

To make soft boiled eggs, start with room temperature eggs. Place them into a pot and bring to a boil. Once the water boils, turn off the heat, remove pan from the hot burner, cover with a lid and let them sit for 3-4 minutes (your choice). My mother preferred 3 minute eggs with toast. I prefer them at 4 minutes with English muffins. Since peeling a soft boiled egg is extremely difficult, I needed a way to cut them open. Enter the "Egg Topper."  I don't know anyone who has one, or has ever used one, I was sailing into uncharted waters here. 

Traditional Egg Topper

The traditional egg topper has many teeth that cut through the shell. The one I tried did not work very well and seemed to crush the egg top when cutting it. It still was better than using a knife.  Egg shells should not be in your soft or hard boiled eggs.

Rösle Egg Topper

One day while looking at glass tile for our kitchen we noticed several very cool and functional kitchen tool and towel racks mounted on the tile walls. We asked the salesman if they sold these racks and kitchen tool holders. They did not, but he gave me the company name (Rösle) and suggested that I go on line to find them. When I went to their website http://www.rosleusa.com I found what I was looking for. They also sold an egg topper. Their description of the topper said  it "Cleanly cracks the top of the egg shell so that it's easily lifted off by hand or with a knife (works on both soft and hard boiled eggs). Pull handle up and release, spring mechanism causes vibration and sharp edge in dome perfectly cuts shell. No more egg shells for breakfast! Fast, efficient and fun for Kids - one snap of the handle and then lift off shell top". I had to have it and promptly placed my order. 

When I received the egg topper I wasn't disappointed. It was a modern version of the toothy mid-evil torture device I purchased earlier. It worked! Now all I have to do is get the egg cooking timing right. If they're any soft boiled egg lovers out there please let me know how you make perfect soft boiled egg.

Off with their heads

Finally

 

© TMelle 1998-2011

St. Patrick's Day

Time to get your Irish on again

Once again I'm updating an old post about St. Patrick's Day. The Irish side of my family took this holiday very seriously. We even marched in the City of Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade for a couple of years until we had to give up our parade position to some more politicians, most of whom were not even Irish. If you've never done Chicago in the winter they dye the river green as well as the beer. If you come in March you'll want to bring a heavy coat because it gets pretty cold in the windy city. 

St. Patrick's almost always gave mom a break from cooking, so that we could enjoy a Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner away from home. There were a few restaurants where we enjoyed their corned beef and cabbage. Like most holidays, I always enjoyed cooking and eating at home. Cooking at home always meant that we would have left-over's for the next day, which almost always involved a Reuben sandwich, or corned beef on rye with Swiss cheese. In most cases there was still enough left over for corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast.

New England Boiled Dinner

I really first learned that corned beef and cabbage was not a traditional Irish meal brought over from Ireland until I was married. My wife had been cooking since the age of twelve and corned beef and cabbage was something that she made often. In her family it was called a "New England Boiled Dinner." My mother gave my wife one of the best compliments a daughter-in-law could get. Every year we would bring her a homemade corned beef and cabbage New England Boiled Dinner. My mother told her that she made it better than anyone in the family. What a compliment

Mom's Corned Beef and Cabbage to go

Other than corned beef and cabbage dinner. Mom just loved a Reuben sandwich, or a corned beef on rye.    

Corned Beef on Rye

Reuben

Last year my daughter told me that a friend of hers made a corned beef brisket, using a recipe that uses Guinness Beer for the liquid.  My daughter, who normally doesn't care for corned beef loved this version better than ours. The Guinness recipe (found on the internet) was oven baked. I wanted to use a slow cooker so I combined both recipes and had a very delicious St. Pat's dinner. So grab a couple of recipes and get your Irish on.

You might even get lucky

INGREDIENTS
3-5 lb. Corned beef brisket
1 whole Bay leaf
4 whole Cloves
10 whole Black peppercorns
2 Tbsp. White vinegar
2 Tbsp. Sugar
2 cloves Garlic (smashed)
2 tsp. Salt
2 stalks Celery
6 whole Carrots, peeled, quartered
6 small. Onions, outer skin removed
8 small Red potatoes, peeled and quartered
6 small Rutabaga, peeled and quartered (optional)
1 head Cabbage, cut into wedges
 
DIRECTIONS

Depending on the size of the brisket, it should take about 45 minutes per pound to cook. Remove the brisket from the packaging and rinse it off. Place the brisket into a Dutch oven or stock pot that is large enough to accommodate the brisket and all of the vegetables. Cover with water to an inch or so above the brisket. Add the vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, peppercorns, cloves, salt, garlic, and celery. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat, place a top on the pot and simmer for 2 hours. Occasionally check the pot to be sure it is not boiling. If there is any foam on top of the water, skim with a slotted spoon.     
At the end of 2 hours, add the onions, potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots to the water and then recover. Add boiled hot water to cover the vegetables (not from the sink). Turn up the stove and bring to boil, then lower to simmer. Add the cabbage on top of all the vegetables and cover. Watch so that the water does not boil. After about 45 minutes, check the vegetables for doneness by inserting a fork into them. When they are tender, transfer from the pot to large bowl, cover with foil and keep in a warm oven. The celery, bay leaf and garlic cloves are in the pot for their flavor and will be discarded. The corned beef is done when it can be pierced easily with a fork and fall off the fork when you pull out. Cut the brisket across the grain into thin slices. Arrange vegetables around the beef. Serve with horseradish, mustard or your favorite sauce. Enjoy!

Erin go Bragh

© TMelle 1998-2012

Valentine's Day

Be my Valentine

It happens every year, and every year I am never really ready for it. This year is no different. I decided to dust of an old post from this blog and update it a little bit. This Valentine’s Day why not treat yourself, a loved one, family member or friend to a delicious breakfast or dinner that goes the extra distance to show how much you care for them. Anyone can make a dinner reservation. How special is a breakfast or dinner that you make yourself?

Heart shaped Jello and molds

To pull this off you're going to need some heart shaped molds. You can buy them at your local gourmet cooking store. Can you guess what I'm making here?

Heart shaped French toast

Get out your favorite French toast recipe ingredients and make up some heart shaped French toast pieces, served with real butter, real vanilla extract and real maple syrup. You can try mine if you like.

Use the real ingredients... It's Valentines Day

3     large      Eggs (beaten)
1/4  cup        Milk
1     tsp.        Vanilla, add to eggs
8     slices     White Bread (slightly stale)
as needed     Butter
as needed     Pure Maple Syrup**
as needed     Powdered Sugar

as needed     Cinnamon, add to eggs
as needed     Butter, shortening, oil, or Pam (for frying)

Kiddie Cocktails for the children

Break the eggs into bowl. Add the milk, vanilla and whisk these together. If you like cinnamon, sprinkle some on the top of the egg batter. For extra cinnamon flavor use cinnamon raisin bread.
Preheat your griddle to about 325-350ºF. Spray your griddle with Pam, or use a little butter, or shortening (more or less depending on the size of your griddle) to prepare the griddle, or pan that you are using. Dunk both sides of bread into egg mixture. Remove the slices of bread from the egg mixture and place onto the hot griddle. With the tip of your spatula, lift the edge of a slice so that you can see the bottom. When the bottom is golden, flip it over and cook the other side. When they are golden on the second side, remove from the pan and place on a platter. Stack each piece on the platter overlapping each other. Dot each piece with butter and dust with powdered sugar. Serve 3 heart slices per serving. Serve warm syrup on the side.

Breakfast is served!

For the children why not whip up some Kiddie Cocktails? Fill a champagne flute with 7UP and then add a couple of drops of Maraschino Cherry juice. Serve cold and garnish with a whole Maraschino Cherry.

For the adults a Mimosa is always a good choice. Fill a champagne flute or tulip glass half way with champagne or prosecco and then the remainder of the way with Orange juice. Garnish with a fresh strawberry, or a blood orange slice on the glass rim. What a great way to say Happy Valentine’s Day.  

7UP is a registered trademark of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. ©2012 Dr Pepper/Seven Up 

© TMelle 1998-2012