How often have you heard someone say about a particular food, “It’s an acquired taste”? If you cook with nutrition in mind or raise a diverse garden like me, I would bet it’s more often than not. That’s not an indictment of mine or your tastes, but if it is, I plead guilty. It’s more of an acknowledgment that we are on the right track …
Smoked foods such as fish and meat make great appetizers. And when you do the smoking yourself, they seem even better. Recently, I smoked some salmon that was given to me by my brother-in-law, Dean Lutz, in my Masterbuilt electric smoker, which I purchased at Cabela’s about eight years ago. Over the years, I’ve smoked venison, pheasant, grouse and ducks as …
Most cooks have a handful of go-to recipes — the ones that you know will be a hit with whomever you are serving. I don’t have to think too hard to come up with mine, which include a couple of main courses, a sandwich, an appetizer and a dessert. My baked pheasant with wild rice dressing probably tops the list, followed closely by my …
What’s the most popular pie in America? It just depends on whose survey you’re viewing and where it’s being conducted. But in the majority of surveys, apple pie rules. The folks at NPR in 2012 named apple pie as the favorite of those they surveyed. And in a 2008 survey by Crisco and the American Pie Council, nearly one out of …
Cilantro is one of those herbs that doesn’t enjoy the popularity of others such as basil and dill, but for those who like Mexican and Asian cuisine, it ranks right up there on the likability scale. I’ve been hooked on cilantro ever since sampling some salsa several years ago that was made with the lacy green-leaves from the pungently flavored plant in …
Grand Forks photographer Russ Hons and his wife, Paulette, attended the Happy Harry’s Ribfest in Fargo on Thursday night at the Fargodome. There were over a dozen different places to eat, all serving their own flavor of barbecue. Ribfest is a people watchers’ dream as Russ found out. Here are some of the shots he took of the crowd and the …
It’s high school graduation season, and a lot of families are scrambling to prepare for parties for their soon-to-be graduates. Food is always at the center of these celebrations, and there are two routes that you can take: catered from a restaurant, supermarket or culinary service or do-it-yourself. We recently hosted our grandson Rakeem’s party, which was held early because of weekend …
Dorette is the master chef in our household, no question about that. But I have a few dishes that can also evoke oohs and ahs. Today (Wednesday) I’ll be making one of my favorites: rhubarb crisp, thanks to the generosity of our Bloomington, Minn., neighbors Sheila and Bob Owen, who shared their rhubarb with us. Then there’s Russian Cream with …
There’s no doubt that Americans are in love with red meat. Ever since the early times of the United States, red meat has been one of the top five foods consumed by Americans. But the love affair between Americans and red meat has hit a roadblock in recent years. Several studies have pointed out that a diet high in red meat …
People who routinely bake a ham for a holiday meal usually don’t have any questions when it comes to leftovers. Ham or ham and cheese sandwiches are near the top of my list as well as a macaroni salad, the kind that might be served after a funeral. I also just like to nibble on a piece of ham as a …
Many people have fond memories of Easter Sunday dinners. Baked ham usually was the centerpiece of these feasts. If your mom or grandma fixed ham like mine, the meat was scored and studded with cloves, rubbed with brown sugar and sometimes a little mustard and finally baked until the whole house smelled heavenly. Over the years, I’ve made our Easter …
Anyone who has a I taste for the spicy, tangy and aromatic probably is a fan of Caribbean cuisine, a fusion of the foods of many cultures. The main dishes of the region typically are a mixture of vegetables such as peppers — bells and scotch bonnet to name two — tomatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, onions and garlic, various meats that …
Americans eat a lot of meat, more than any other place in the world. That’s a fact. If you were like me, meat was usually on the supper table at least four or five days a week. Perhaps living in a rural area of the country, where meat prices were lower, had something to do with that. Regardless of the reason, …
Martin Luther, at least according to the legend, once said we should sin occasionally to prove our victory over the devil. Historians say Luther probably didn’t, but if so, he was likely joking about the one sin of the deadly seven that tempted him: gluttony. It’s been said a craving for good food is the only passion that gets stronger …
There are a lot people who relish leftovers. But there probably are just as many who view them as a nuisance. You can count me among the former. I believe there are a lot of leftovers that are better the second day. Chili, for one, comes to mind. It’s also a food that can’t really be made in small batches, especially …
Goulash has a long history, dating back to the ninth century in the medieval Kingdom of Hungary. Today, gulyás is one of Hungary’s national dishes. Without getting into too many specifics about the original version — the dish might be a little too much for those with a weak stomach — old-fashioned goulash featured meat that was cooked and dried (pemmican), stored in what we would consider …
Chicken ala king is one of those dishes that’s not only been a staple of many families over the years but also one that can be made with a variety of ingredients. As the name implies, chicken is the star of the creamy entree, which also features vegetables. But which ones complement the chicken can vary from recipe to recipe. Generally, …
Growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, eating leftovers was a given for most blue-collar families, and roast beef hash was one of the dishes that many people point to as a go-to meal. As kids, my mom often would fix Dad, my brothers and I hash a day or two after having a Sunday roast beef dinner. To me, it …
Have you ever eaten a dish that seems to be intoxicating? I’m sure we all can name a dessert or two that would fit into that category, especially if it contains alcohol. Perhaps a cake recipe with beer, an ice cream sundae topped with wine-soaked fruits, dessert cocktails, ice pops made with wine. And even ones without booze, such as Better Than …
Anyone who is familiar with farming and has hunted in northwestern North Dakota knows about lentils. Williams and Divide counties are among the top producers of the legumes in the country. I’ve been chasing pheasants in the area for years but yet have never done much cooking with lentils, which are among the most versatile and nutritious foods available. (Lentils are a powerhouse of nutrition. They are …
There’s been an argument simmering over the years about whether chili should contain beans. To make a long story short, it depends on who you ask. In Texas, there’s a saying, “If you know beans about chili, it’s that there’s no beans in chili.” In other parts of the country, particularly in the North, beans are a staple. And, of …
Homemade soups are awfully hard to beat. And when eating out, there’s something soothing about knowing that a restaurant’s soup is made from scratch. Maybe the reason is that you are a soup maker yourself or your mom or dad was accomplished at that, too. Both are true in my case. I usually make a pot of soup at least three …
Some chefs have those “hanging out in the kitchen” moments with a grandparent or a mother. I did not. The style of food I grew up with was a budgeted one. The house bank account was structured that X amount of money went here or there, and that was that. So, when it came time for a purchase at the grocery …
As I write this, today is my last day of cooking in 2016. Soon after I type these words, I am off to the store to pick out flowers and some last-minute items to prepare a four-course meal for members of the Grand Forks Country Club. While many others will be celebrating the old and thinking of what needs to change …
I am not a big dessert guy. I rarely order them when I go out to dine, and putting a nice cake together isn’t a bug I get too often. Baking in general has never been my strong suit. I blame that only on myself. I have never spent as much time working on it as I do perfecting other …
No holiday celebration would be complete without finger food. And one that you might find on a lot of snack tables is the traditional party mix made with Wheat, Corn and Rice Chex cereals, mixed nuts, Cheerios and other crunchy goodies. We always had a good supply of party mix when I was growing up. Mom used to make a couple …
Nothing takes the chill off a cold winter day than a big bowl of soup. That’s probably been true since early man started throwing meat and vegetables in a pot over an open fire pit. One soup that’s been around a long time is borscht, which is derived from an ancient soup originally cooked from pickled stems, leaves and umbrels …
Traditions are what make holidays special. And food is a big part of that for most families. When I was growing up, Grandma — and later Mom — would make baked oysters for our big Thanksgiving Day celebration, which was attended by all my aunts, uncles and cousins on the Menard side of the family. Since then, the dish has become synonymous …
It’s hard to go wrong with mac ‘n’ cheese. That’s a saying that’s probably been said by many a mom when they’ve been contemplating what to make their kids for supper. One of the nicest things about this classic comfort food is that there are so many variations a cook will never run out options. Therese is generally the mac …
There’s hardly a better time to prepare a pot of stew than when bad winter weather is impending. And by the looks of the forecast here in the Northland, there’s no time to waste. Along with chili, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, just to name a few, there’s hardly a better comfort food for a blizzard than a bowl …
Talk to just about anyone who hunts, and they’ll probably tell you hunting is much more than shooting something. It’s about the camaraderie, about being outdoors. And in my case, it’s about watching how much fun my dogs have in the field when hunting upland game. But there is another part that’s not easily dismissible: the food that’s prepared — and eaten — …
Fall can be a bittersweet time of the year for gardeners. Those who grow flowers and vegetables see what they’ve been caring for since late spring slowly — or quickly in the case of a hard frost — dying off. A couple of things can ease the pain a bit — the flower pots we bring in for the winter and …
There are some foods that are made to go together. Bacon and eggs. Peanut butter and jelly. Hamburgers and fries. Macaroni and cheese. Mashed potatoes and gravy. I’d like to add another combo to the list: Salmon loaf with creamed peas and potatoes, a pairing that’s been part of my food repertoire since my youth. As are many of the …
The other day, I mentioned casually on Facebook that a nice neighbor of ours had come to the door with a Tupperware container full of tuna noodle hotdish (minus the crumbled potato chips for the top). I added snarkily something about it being almost as much fun as attending at a Lutheran funeral. Well, that seemed to wake up the internet a bit. Almost 200 Facebook friends chimed in with …
Anyone who has contemplated making bean soup for the first time and goes to the internet looking for a recipe will likely find one that suits his or her tastes. That’s because there’s hardly any limit to the number of bean soups that a cook can make. Perhaps the main reason is that beans come in all shapes, colors and sizes, and when you …
Hunting season has arrived in the Northland. For many cooks, that means it’s time to start digging through their recipe boxes for some tasty wild game dishes. Over the years, I’ve listened to some of my readers complain about wild game recipes because they can’t “bear” the thought of eating magnificent Canada geese, which mate for life, or a Bambi, with whom they …
Many people have fond memories from their youth of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. For a lot of families, it was a matter of economics. Both peanut butter and jelly were relatively inexpensive compared to luncheon meat, making the sandwich combo a great alternative for snacks or school lunches. That’s the way it was at our house, although we were occasionally treated with …
Where are the best peaches grown? That’s a question that isn’t easily answered. People from Georgia will insist their state produces the best peaches. After all, that’s the home of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, Ty Cobb, aka the Georgia Peach. Still others might say California, South Carolina, Washington or Texas. My money is on those raised in Colorado, on the western …
Pork chops are one of those foods that appeal to cooks for a number of reasons, Besides being quite tasty and easy to prepare, they are very versatile. Pork chops can prepared in a number of ways, including baked, fried, grilled and breaded. They also are very budget-friendly. Like chicken, pork is cheaper than beef. Typically, a pig is ready for butcher after eight to nine months, …
Beef Stroganoff has become an extremely popular dish ever since it originated in 19th century Russia. In fact, there are probably as many variations of the dish as there are cultures in the world. For example, in Brazil, host of the 2016 Summer Olympics, it is known as estrogonofe, and chicken or shrimp sometimesis substituted for beef. The Swedes make a variation — korv-stroganoff — that …
Many people will tell you that dill pickle recipes are a dime a dozen. Just ask anyone who’s purchased a quart of pickles — sometimes at a cost of up to $10 a jar — at a bazaar or food festival, only to discover they’re no better than the ones they can buy at the supermarkets. I’ve canned my share of dill pickles over the years, using …
I love old school technique in cookery. We as humans have come a long way from fire. Imagine the lessons learned along the way. Those lessons that later have become techniques — or rules — in cookery. Why are the rules of a proper sauté important to follow? Hot pan, little oil/fat, ingredients cut very fine for fast finishing. You simply cannot …
There aren’t many vegetables that get a bad rap. But zucchini is one of them that does. I once read somewhere that zucchini is the Rodney Dangerfield of vegetables. It doesn’t get any respect. One of the reasons given by people who don’t like zucchini is just that, it keeps on giving. Usually it’s gardeners who let their zucchini get out …
A big thank-you to the organizers of this year’s Reynolds Rib O’Rama, Reynolds (N.D.) Community Betterment, for inviting me to be one of their six judges. I’ve judged chili, pie, ugly dog contests and more but never a rib contest. (To be clear, the ugly dog contests were not cooking events.) Reynolds’ beautiful city park was filled with cooking teams and …