Dining, Recipes

Holiday feasts Part 1

Feeding the troops for the New Year’s LAN party teaches you a few things: patience, planning ahead, and preparing more food for unexpected guests. And…last minute improvisation.

I went with a turkey (Kroger brand again), this time a 17-pounder. Luckily, it barely fit in the brining pot, but it displaced a lot more liquid than my Thanksgiving turkeys. Two things that I observed with the New Year turkey was the milder flavor and the white meat seemed less moist. The reasons were obvious: too much ice water diluted the brine, the turkey had only brined for 12 hours and the breast was not facing down while brining. Let that be a lesson!

Three of my recipes for the weekend worked out reasonably well. The first covered here today was a vegetarian dish of bok choy and chinese mushrooms.

1-2lbs green bok choy, halved and separated
dried chinese mushrooms, rehydrated and stemmed
chopped garlic
ginger
peanut oil
medium sweet soy sauce
corn starch

Normally I would choose the baby bok choy for being smaller and tender, but the asian market was out. Also, I didn’t measure how much mushrooms I put in the recipe, I simply plucked a handful of mushrooms from a pile that I had rinsed and de-stemmed.

In hot peanut oil, I lightly browned strips of ginger and chopped garlic, then added the mushrooms to absorb the flavors. I suppose if I had chopped the mushrooms into strips, they might’ve soaked up the flavors faster. The mixture sauteed for about 10 minutes before I added the bok choy leaves. I covered the pan to help steam the bok choy without turning it limp and watery. Finally, I mixed a tablespoon of cornstarch into a small bowl of soy sauce and water, then threw it into the pan to thicken slightly. When the sauce thickened, I added some more water. If it got diluted, I just added some more soy. Within 15-20 mins, I took it off the pan and served it in a glass dish. Tasty!

More adventures in cooking coming up!

Speculative

Welcoming a new year

I am not alone in looking forward to a better year; 2006 was a bitterly hard year. It had crests and it had falls. I miss my pups, and I miss the people no longer a part of my life. I am thankful we survived many near-tragedies. I am thankful for my friends and their well-being. I am thankful I still have a job and a roof over my head. I am thankful for my hubby. I am grateful for all the simple things. I am happy with our accomplishments and I am looking forward to next year’s goals.

I am reminded at this moment that if the wind blows fierce, I should bend with it so that I will not break.

Goodbye, 2006. Hello, 2007.

Dining, Reviews

Another visit to the Lobster Lounge

Steve Fields Steak and Lobster Lounge

5013 West Park Blvd
Plano, Tx 75093
(972) 596-7100

We went back to Steve Fields for the fourth or fifth visit this year for a pre-Christmas celebration with our good friends, the Rustons. We used OpenTable.com to set our reservation for four, which made booking easy, and we received email confirmation the previous day. Even though we manage to straggle in 30 minutes late, the hostess still welcomed us cheerily and led us to our booth. Our server as usual was knowledgeable and friendly (hey didn’t he serve us on previous visits) and gave us plenty of time to talk, give gifts, and make our dinner selections. As usual I was torn between prime rib and ribeye, and a special surf-and-turf option didn’t make the decisions any easier. Of our appetizer choices, the lobster pizza impressed the most with its crisp-crunchy foundation smothered with cheese. The stuffed mushrooms disappeared too fast for me to make an impression. The sliced-strip bread with its olive oil concoction was still too spicy for DH, but it is still distinguishes itself from other beef palaces’ carb offerings.

Everyone in our party chose a beef entree: beef medallions, a couple of filets, and a ribeye. My bone-in ribeye turned out just a little rarer than usual, but it was still tasty (and DH argued it was gristly). Everybody enjoyed their entrees, with no complaints except that maybe the portions were larger than expected. Well…I do remember being disappointed with the pencil-thin greens that masqueraded as asparagus (that seems to be the standard here). Hey, Steve, could you PLEASE pick some “beefier” asparagus stalks to serve with those steaks?

We finished off the meal with an apple cobbler ala mode and twin raspberry/chocolate cheesecakes. The cobbler wasn’t quite as memorable as the cheesecake, which surprised our friends with two helpings instead of just one.

Another great meal from our top picks of 2006. We’ll be back, Steve!

My rating: 4.5 stars
****1/2

Furkids

Dirty Dawgz comes to town

I heard that Dirty Dawgz opened a location in Sachse…that means no more hikes across Plano to visit the Preston/Park location. I remember the days when we lived in Addison and made the lengthy drive to their Mockingbird store (near the Dallas Dog Park)…then the Preston/Beltline shop. Dirty Dawgz’s success is an indicator of how Dallas loves their dogs…and it sure makes it easier to bathe a 150lb pup in the right-sized tub.

Dining, Reviews

Quick bites: prime rib served all day

Ye Shire Tavern

3600 Shire Blvd
Richardson, TX 75080
(972) 881-7570

While it shares a common owner with the Silver Fox Steakhouse across the parking lot, Ye Shire seems poised to deliver a more satisfying meal that won’t traumatize the wallet. The service that we received for a mid-week dinner seemed more knowledgeable and attentive than the reception at its pricier sibling; the menu was less ambitious and geared toward a casual/bar food crowd. True to the sign out front, Ye Shire serves up prime rib. For $25 it’s a great deal and a delicious, hefty portion–and dare I say, possibly one of the best prime rib plates in Richardson. The prime sandwich also received high marks along with its side of chip-sliced fries. Only the deviled egg appetizer seemed unoriginal, no more memorable than a grocery store deli imitator. Still, some other items on the menu appeared tempting, so it may be worth another trip to Ye Shire for more exploring. As long as you’re comfortable with the casual sports bar-like digs, then you’ll feel at home at Ye Shire Tavern.

My rating: 3.0 stars
***