The Great Food Junkie Wishes One and All a Very Merry Christmas!

Were you starting to think that the Great Food Junkie was going to play the part of Ebenezer Scrooge this year? I know my readers are completely heartbroken that they haven't heard from me since just after Thanksgiving. I promise that I had always intended to write something for Christmas. I even have a few pictures to show you. The Great Food Junkie has been busy cooking this Christmas. Unfortunately, He didn't always remember to take pictures.

Christmas has always been the holiday most associated with traditions. For me, that has held true this Christmas season more than most. This holiday has been about traditions my family has practiced for years, reviving even older traditions, and starting new ones. There were times I thought Topol was going to come around the corner, singing "Traditions!"

Let's start with orange slice cake. Orange slice cake has been one of those traditions that has been in my family for many years. Apparently, the tradition started for us around 1973. It was at that time that my mother was first introduced to this delight. She asked for the recipe, and finally received it in May of that year, as we were preparing to move. Orange slice cake is one of those desserts that can easily be mistaken for a fruit cake. If you are one of those who comes across an orange slice cake, and mistakes it for a fruit cake, you are certainly going to miss a wonderful treat...unless you are love fruit cake...then hopefully, you are delighted to be introduce to a new treat.

Orange slice cake is a wonderful mixture of chopped orange slice gummy candies, dates, coconut, and pecans, covered in a scrumptious orange juice glaze. If the orange slice cake has not been sliced yet, do not fear. It is still easily identifiable...even if still covered. It will be the cake causing the greatest sag in the table. I do like to some times refer to orange slice cake as "How many calories can you pack into one cake" cake. Quite simply, the cake is super rich, super heavy, and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. But, it is one of the greatest pleasures you will ever taste.

Do any of you GFJ readers remember spiced gum drops? They were these little brightly colored gummy candies coated in sugar crystals. One of my memories as a kid in the seventies was my mother making gum drop cookies for Christmas. I wanted to make some for Christmas so I called my mother and asked for the recipe. Much to my dismay I was informed that she threw that recipe away because she was tired of hearing my brother and I complain about having to cut gum drops. Apparently, complaining was another holiday tradition my brother and I participated in. Fortunately, there is a thing called the internet. A quick search brought up the recipe at the Taste of Home website. I tried it out, and the results immediately took me back to my childhood. Fortunately, it didn't take me back so far I ended up in a scary pair of plaid bell bottom pants.

Pictured with those cookies is some apple cider. That is one of my new traditions. I've drunk apple cider many times, but have never really made it. I took a gallon of apple cider and poured it into my slowcooker, set on high. Into the cider, I put two cinnamon sticks, ten whole cloves, six allspice berries, one inch of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced, and a thinly sliced orange. I let it steep on high for about two hours, then set the slow cooker to warm. This will definitely become a new Christmas tradition. As the picture shows, it is great chilled as well.

Another new tradition is pimiento cheese wafers. For many years, I have cooked cheese cookies, which are a simple mixture of rice crispies, cheddar cheese, butter, flour, and a touch of cayenne. This year I tried something different. It was my wife's fault. She came home from her office Christmas party talking about these wonderful pimiento cheese cookies her coworker brought. She asked for the recipe. We waited, and waited. Being somewhat impatient, I once again decided to turn to my friend the internet. I found a good looking recipe. Of course, once I had bought all of the ingredients, the coworker emailed her recipe...which was nothing like the one I was using. Oh well. Below are the results.

I followed the recipe, but something tells me they could have baked for at least another five minutes. They just didn't crisp up as much as I liked. However, my son seems to like these even more than the regular cheese cookies. According to him, Rusty and T-Bone are great fans as well. Apparently, I have just created a new Christmas dog treat.

The final tradition is brunch. For about ten years now, our family has enjoyed brunch on Christmas morning. It's not a fancy brunch. Simply a breakfast casserole, and one or two side items. Unfortunately, the casserole this year is one of those things I never got a picture of. It is like the orange slice cake, in that it has very little redeeming value other than absolute great taste. Take twelve slices of bread and cut it into cubes. spread half the cubes in the bottom of a greased 13x9 baking dish. Then sprinkle on a pound of cooked crumbled breakfast sausage. Cube one pound of Velveeta cheese and evenly layer about two thirds over the sausage and bread. Layer the remaining bread, followed by the rest of the cheese. In a bowl beat nine eggs, three cups milk, a teaspoon of mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Poor the egg mixture over the other ingredients in the baking dish. Cover, and allow to chill overnight. When ready, bake uncovered at 350 for one to one and a half hours, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Like I said, it has little redeeming value, but it sure tastes great!

I just have one tradition to go. I have my black eyed peas and ham hock ready for New Years Day. So what traditions do you have for the holidays? Please share.

Eat Pizza and Promote Peace!

It is my firm belief that if God had given the Israelites pizza every day while they were wandering around for forty years (There's a good argument for GPS, if there ever was one), they would not have rebelled quite so often. After all, what one food item can easily present members of all food groups in a delicious, easy to hold form factor? Perhaps, if Moses had come down from the mountain top with some pizzas to feast on whilst reading the stone tablets, God's chosen people would have taken the time to actually comprehend the message he was delivering. I bet the whole Israeli/Palestinian conflict could be ended tomorrow, if the leaders would just sit down and hold a "Pizza Summit".

This pepperoni is divine! You can have Gaza.

Now! One might get the impression that I am ever so slightly partial to the culinary delight that is Pizza. I'm not really sure what would ever give one that impression, but he/she would be...

...correct.

What is there not to love about hot gooey cheese, tomato sauce and a crunchy crust. Even the act of cooking pizza is bliss itself. Would you consider visions of a hot bubbly meatloaf sitting in the oven romantic? How about a pot of brussels sprouts boiling on the stove top? That certainly gets the emotions going. However, they are NOT the emotions of romance and desire. But, then you imagine a pizza baking in a wood fired oven...

If that doesn't get you going, you are one cold hearted person!

Let's get something straight right now. Everyone thinks of pizza as Italian. What we eat over here, in the great US of A, is NOT Italian. The pizza we all grew up with is American through and through. I've been to Italy. I've had Italian pizza. I'm sure it tastes wonderful...to Italians. Yes, you can get a pepperoni pizza in Italy. But, that is really just an Italian selling you American pizza. That's the beauty of pizza, though. No matter where you go, you will probably find pizza. In each place, it will be different. Pizza is such a universal dish, yet completely customizable to the culture. The closest most of us will come to a true Italian pizza is a Pizza Margherita. This is pizza in one of it's simplest, yet most delicious forms. Tomato sauce, crust, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil.

Everybody has their favorite local pizza joint. Pizza is one of those dishes that stirs up the passions. Everyone thinks they know where the best pizza is made, and all of you non-believers can just shut up, and go to...I think you get the picture. I'm like everyone else. I have my favorites too. None of those favorites include the three national pizza chains. Don't get me wrong. They aren't bad, just not great.

When I am looking for a place to go and relax with friends, while enjoying some of the best pizza, the family and I head over to Pietro Pizza and Subs. This place is run by a mother/daughter duo, two of the nicest people you will ever meet. Pictured below, is one of our favorite pizzas from Pietro...the Meatza pizza!

Pietro uses a fairly thin crust that puffs up nice and plump around the edges. It is not exactly like, but very similar to, a New York style pizza. If we are feeling especially sinful, we will order a stuffed Meatza. That sucker is a Meatza pizza with an additional crust put on top. that Top crust is covered in butter(I think), Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasonings. Very good, and very messy. If you are in the mood for something good, but not necessarily pizza, I can certainly recommend the strombili (definitely large enough for two people), or the Italian salad. If there is one complaint I have, it is that Pietro uses canned mushrooms on the pizzas and salads. Fresh would be much nicer, especially on the salads. However, if mushrooms are the only problem, I'll just shut up and keep chompin'.

A coworker of mine recently introduced me to my second favorite source for pizza. That would be Papa Murphy's. Papa Murphy's is the fifth largest pizza chain in the country, with over 1200 stores in 37 states. The interesting thing about Papa Murphy's is that you don't eat there. In fact, our local store has just one little bench. They don't even cook the pizzas for you. They simply build them, and hand them over...with instructions. While they may not cook their pizza's, they certainly do build some of the best pizzas you will ever bake. Do you want a pizza that tastes better than delivery? Go to Papa Murphy's. Don't let those DiGiorno people fool you. They make frozen pizza. It may be glorified frozen pizza, but it is still frozen pizza. I have yet to buy one that "tastes like delivery". Papa Murphy's is more expensive than frozen pizza, but definitely comparable to, if not better than, the national chains in price.

Last night, I went to Papa Murphy's. I got a Parmesan Chicken deLite, and a Stuffed Meat pizza. After tax, it was $26.50. Considering how big the pizzas were (The Parmesan Chicken was 14" and the Stuffed Meats was 16"), it was a very reasonable price. Straight out of the store, these pizzas had me salivating.

The Parmesan Chicken deLite had a thin crust, fresh tomatoes, chicken, and spinach, covered with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. The Stuffed meats had pepperoni, ham, bacon, and sausage on the inside with mozzarella cheese. Then they topped the top crust with beef and a cheese blend. After they wrapped the pizzas in plastic wrap ( with their own convenient paper baking trays) I headed down to the local Home Depot and rented a giant winch to lift those bad boys up, and get them in the car. (Ok, I made the last part up.) I called home, and told my indentured servant (also referred to as a daughter) to put the oven on 425. When I arrived home, both pizzas went in the oven, and 40 minute later, we were eating the type of food that has the power to resolve any conflict.

Admit it! That looks good!

The crust on the deLite was crunchy on the outside, but soft enough underneath to fold the pizza. The crust on the Stuffed Meat...let's just say that I had to get a ladder to see over the edge of that thing.


So! Where's your favorite place to eat pizza? I bet it's not as good as mine. What are your favorite toppings? Have I made you hungry yet? Go ahead. You know you want some. Go pick up a pizza or two, and help promote world peace.

OoLaLa! Lasagna!

As you know, I am really into comfort food. Fortunately, I have a very broad view of what the term "Comfort Food" encompasses. Comfort food, in my humble opinion, is quite simply food that makes you feel good. It reminds you of home, and reminds you that the world really isn't going to h*ll in a hand basket. In the summer, that could be a dish as simple as a ripened tomato, sliced and sprinkled with course ground salt and fresh ground pepper. In the winter, it could be a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup, or chicken and dumplings. Every once in a while one comes across one of those dishes that transcends the seasons. It represents everything that a comfort food should, and is just as desirable in the heat of summer as it is in the chill of winter. One such dish is lasagna.

Lasagna! If there ever was a king of comfort foods, lasagna would certainly be a contender...if not outright champion. Nothing seems to say comfort like a giant serving of noodles, meat sauce, and both gooey and creamy cheeses, all layered on top of each other. Lasagna seems to be one of those comfort dishes though that appears to be daunting to many cooks. However, it really is easy to make. I think what makes lasagna so daunting is the fact that when it is a success, it is truly amazing. However, when it is a failure, it always seems to be a spectacular failure. There rarely ever seems to be a lasagna that is just OK. This past week I got a taste of both.

I found myself suffering from an insatiable craving for lasagna this week. I can often go months at a time without suffering from these cravings, but when they do hit they hit with a bang. I thought I would get to satisfy these cravings on Wednesday. The wife and I were at the store, looking at the frozen lasagnas. Please don't freak out. There are actually some very tasty frozen lasagnas. Of course there are some that end up on the other end of the spectrum as well. The problem with frozen lasagnas, is that if you are not accustomed to eating late at night, these are out of the question. They simply take too long to cook. There are some smaller ones that can be microwaved, but most of those fall closer to the disaster end of the scale than the amazing success end. Anyway, we ended up eating spaghetti and meatballs.

The next day, I thought my prayers had been answered. The mother in law had hosted a Christmas dinner the night before and served two frozen lasagnas. One was a meat lasagna. The other was a five cheese lasagna. Miracle of miracles, she had over half of the five cheese lasagna left over, and took pity on me. That night I could hardly wait for the leftover lasagna to heat up. Beep, Beep! The oven timer ended. I pulled out the lasagna and began to salivate. It looked really good. Then I took a bite. Mmmm! A very bright and tasty tomato sauce followed by the creamy texture of...

Dry wall spackling! I took another bite. Yep! Definitely spackling. I looked over to my left. The look on her face said it all. She was preparing to put up some drywall as well. I like ricotta cheese as much as the next guy. That was NOT ricotta cheese. Like I said, there is no inbetween. This was definitely a spectacular disaster. My insatiable appetite for lasagna had yet to be placated.

Now it is Sunday. The wife and I are finishing up on some Christmas shopping. We have to stop by Kroger to buy a gift card. I convince the wife to let me buy the ingredients to make a lasagna. Everyone should really try to make a home made lasagna at least once. We try to eat healthy for the most part. We aren't always successful. Okay! We are less successful than I would like to admit. One of the ways we try to be good is by usually cooking with ground turkey or chicken. However, tonight my wife found a pound of ground pork marked down for quick sale. We decided to blend that with a pound of ground chuck. Now I happen to be somewhat impatient with some cooking, as well as cheap. I don't have the time to make a home made marinara or spaghetti sauce. I also think it is ridiculous to have to spend five dollars or more on a simple jar of sauce. Heck! Spending two dollars on a jar of sauce chaps my hide. What do I do? I buy a one dollar can of Hunts spaghetti sauce and fancy it up with some basil, salt, pepper, fresh garlic, and cinnamon. Don't worry. You don't need to get your glasses subscription checked. I really did say cinnamon. Give it a try some time. Just a small amount can really add a truly inspired note to your next pasta dish.

Anyway, I won't bore you with a long drawn out story about baking a lasagna. I don't have a secret family recipe for lasagna. My family is as white Anglo-saxon as one can get. Not a drop of Mediterranean blood to draw from. As a result, no secret family recipe for lasagna, handed down from generation to generation. I simply took the recipe on the back of the Barilla no-boil lasagna box, and modified it to my own liking. I am happy to say that there was nary a small morsel of meat left over. That entire dish of lasagna disappeared in no time flat. So, without further adieu, here is my recipe.

Jim's Meaty Lasagna

Ingredients:
4 cups mozzarella
15 oz small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
One jar or can of your favorite marinara/spaghetti sauce
1 - 28 oz, or 2 - 14 oz cans petite diced tomatoes with juices
1 tsp cinnamon
1lb ground pork
1lb ground chuck
2 eggs
1 package of no-boil lasagna noodles

Brown pork and chuck in a skillet, seasoning with salt, pepper, and dried basil. Drain off rendered fat. Add the spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes with juice. Stir in cinnamon. Heat to a simmer, seasoning to taste.

Mix together cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella, parmesan cheese, and eggs.

Spray a 9" X 13" baking dish with cooking spray. Spread one cup of meat sauce in bottom of dish. Cover with a layer of noodles. Spread 1/3 of cottage cheese mixture, followed by meat sauce, and one cup of mozerella cheese. Do two more layers of noodles cottage cheese mixture, and meat sauce. Add the final layer of noodles, last cup of meat sauce, and final cup of mozzarella.

Loosely cover with foil, and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove the foil and bake an additional five to ten minutes, until cheese is bubbly, and just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest up to five minutes before serving. Serve with garlic bread.

Bon Appetit!

Four layers of gooey heaven!

The Other Vegetable! (Come on! You know you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about!)

What vegetable comes to mind when I use descriptions like hot & steamy; creamy, golden & delicious; sometimes stringy; ooey gooey! Do you have any clue? Think about it. This is something that almost every reb-blooded American kid absolutely loves. Ok. Truth be told, it's not really a vegetable, but it might as well be. I can't think of a kid, or adult that wouldn't love to find a heaping spoonful on his or her dinner plate. Maybe the picture below will help.

OOOOH BABY!

Oh yeah! That's right, Baby! We're talkin' mac-n-cheese today. Of course, some of you are probably rolling your eyes at me right now, since I am calling mac-n-cheese the other vegetable. Well...lump it! Why shouldn't it be called that? Isn't that where you find mac-n-cheese on 75% of restaurant menus...listed with all the vegetables?

Mac-n-cheese is just like society. It ranges all the way from the inexpensive, non-assuming, box of powdered mac-n-cheese dinners (think Kraft Mac-n-Cheese), to luscious casseroles of macaroni noodles baked in 40,000 varieties of cream and cheese (including cheeses made from milk that came from animals we never knew made milk). That's right, folks. Even mac-n-cheese has a social class structure.

My brother-in-law tells me that he fed his kids Kraft Mac-n-Cheese so much, they wouldn't touch anything else. I have to admit, there is something about that simple packet of powder that mixed with milk, butter, and boiled macaroni, just can't be beat. It is cheap. But, cheap does not always equate to bad. This type of mac-n-cheese is by far, the most versatile variety. There is no end to the possible dinner creations that can spring from that little cardboard box. Slice and saute some smoked or polish sausage, then mix in with mac-n-cheese. One simple ingredient and you have a new dish. What is Hamburger Helper? Mac-n-cheese in a box with instructions to add ground beef. Wow! That was hard...Not! However, after time, the masses revolted. "We're tired of ground beef!" they said. "We want something different!"

"Fine!" said the Hamburger Helper people. "Use a can of tuna instead!" With that, mac-n-cheese became a great seafood dish.

Add a can of chili, and what do you get? Chili Mac! Mac-n-cheese has gone Tex-Mex.

It is truly one of the great wonders of the world how versatile a box of macaroni noodles and powdered cheese is.

My son, Joseph, is an equal opportunity mac-n-cheese lover. His loyalties don't just lie with the cheap stuff. He'll just as gladly go for the gooey, stringy, fancy concoctions that come out of the ovens. He loves the stuff so much, that no restaurant is worth its salt if mac-n-cheese can't be found either on the entree menu or the side menu. I have to agree with Joseph, while the cheap mac-n-cheese in a box is absolute bliss to eat, sometimes one craves something with a little more glamor. While 40,000 cheeses might be overkill on flavor (and certainly the wallet) there is certainly something to be said for the flavor that comes from mixing the creaminess of cottage cheese, butteriness of provolone or jack cheese, and the sharpness of cheddar. Boxed mac-n-cheese will never give you the image of a spoonful of heaven with strings of cheese stretching from spoon to dish.

I know I am not the only one with opinions on mac-n-cheese. I also know there are other great ideas for elevating the boxed stuff out there, just waiting to be heard. Leave me some comments. Please! I beg of you! Tell me your favorite way to fix mac-n-cheese.

At the end of this post is a link to a recipe from the Food Network show, Diners Drive-ins & Dives. This recipe for mac-n-cheese is easy, and absolutely awesome! For all of you campers out there, who love to do dutch oven cooking, the recipe is perfect. Joseph and I have fixed it in dutch ovens several times, to rave reviews.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ruths-diner--gramma-claires-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html