Classic Wisconsin - Grandma's German Potato Salad

This recipe has a little extra personal meaning since last September. I have a new job, a great job, teaching online. Our offices are in an older building about 2/3 mile from my home, so I walk to work whenever I can. My walk route takes me past Grandma Frances' childhood address. I like to think that the connection adds to the good vibes that come every time we make this recipe - and every time I walk to work.

Since she was Chuck's grandmother, I'll let him write the guest post. He's not the only one who makes this dish, but I still think he makes it best. Based on this piece of history, maybe his talent is genetic!

Grandma Frances' German Potato Salad

This recipe was handed down to us. I remember looking forward to eating this as a young child. We would arrive at Grandma's house on 14th Street in Milwaukee and the kitchen would have this wonderful almost sweet and sour aroma. It can be served warm, which is how I like it best, or you can make it up in advance and serve it chilled. Enjoy!

3 pounds, about 6 medium, Red Salad Potatoes
1/2 cup sliced White Onion (A Sweet Yellow Onion may be substituted.)
2 Tablespoons Flour
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Celery Seed
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup Vinegar
6-8 Slices Bacon cut into 1 inch pieces (I prefer the Patrick Cudahy Thick Sliced, Double Smoked style in the black labeled box).

· Combine Flour, Sugar, Salt, Celery Seed and Pepper into a small bowl or Tupperware dish so they are thoroughly mixed.
· Peel and slice Potatoes into bite size, 1/4 inch thick pieces. Boil until they are cooked, yet still firm, drain.
· In an Electric skillet, cook the Bacon until crispy. Set bacon aside on a paper towel to soak up the grease. Drain all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease out of the skillet.
· Sauté Onion in the hot skillet with the bacon grease for 2 minutes.
· Sprinkle in the dry ingredients mix. Stir in the Water and Vinegar. Stir constantly until it bubbles then let it reduce to a syrupy consistency.
· Reduce skillet's heat to simmer, blend in Potatoes. Blend bacon into the mix. Let simmer and stir occasionally for 30 minutes.

I posted this recipe because it's a great side dish as spring starts. It's also my entry to the Favorite 50 States Recipes contest. I can't wait to see what they choose. Maybe it will broaden my choices for our Eating the Opponent project next year.

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On teaching, voting, and cooking supper

Election Day wasn't bad, all things considered. My ward has a lot of well-informed and politically active people, including our representative in the state assembly. We found the new poll location, pulled our photo IDs out to prove we are who we are, the poll workers blinked at my double name (older people: most young ones don't even notice) because it didn't match the poll listings exactly. It was close enough that they let me vote.

Yesterday I wondered why the meat was taking so long to cook. It looked done, but the meat thermometer kept giving me dangerously low numbers - at least it did until I realized what was wrong and turned the temperature readout back to Fahrenheit. Shhh. You've done that, too, haven't you?

I must learn when to sit on my hands and keep quiet. We are short a teacher temporarily at school, a high school language arts teacher. I'm not a high school teacher, but I do know much of the literature at that level. I offered to help out. I haven't regretted it yet... but remind me later that no one forced me to do this: I stuck my neck out and offered.

Back on the topic of Election Day, my fellow blogger and good friend Green Girl made it through her primary election for school board. Now comes the real work: the main election. Readers, head over to her blog to congratulate her; she deserves it! Instead of complaining about the local schools, she has taken action to make the situation better.

Making the situation better: that's what running for office is all about. Go Green Girl!

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Why I'm taking hiatus from posting Recipes

When I look up recipes via my blog, I find errors. Typos, ingredients left out...

• It's becoming a chore instead of fun. "Oh, no, what will I post this Tuesday?"
• I've found myself repeating recipes too often.
• My recipes are becoming boring - to me. And if I'm bored, you're probably bored.
• Change is good.

On the other hand:

• I'll still post seasonal recipes while the Farmers' Market is running.
• My garden will inspire more; I'm sure of it.
• I like to play in the kitchen; I'll share some of those experiments with my readers.
• If there's a story behind a recipe, it'll make an interesting post.
• I'm working toward incorporating more meatless meals into the family diet. Those may be worth sharing.

So, dear readers, I'll still share kitchen stories and kitchen fun and maybe even join in a foodie blog hop or two. But for now, The "kitchen stories" label will have a well earned rest.

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BBQ Beans and Salsa

Simple, meatless, inexpensive, and delicious - I made this with cans, but I think it might be even better with dried beans soaked overnight and cooked in the crock pot. The original, on Dr. Oz' website, was lacking a few details such as amount of barbecue sauce. I was generous with mine. The original recipe also called for enchilada sauce or salsa. I stuck with the BBQ theme in my flavors. It worked.

1/2 lb. pasta - I used spaghetti.

1 can yellow corn - of course, I used frozen corn from last summer's Farmers' Market.

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

BBQ sauce to taste

Cook pasta. Add beans and corn. Stir in BBQ Sauce of your choice. Serve warm.

Now the fun part:

You know me. I'm not going to let a simple recipe stay simple. I added peppers in three colors, all from the freezer. A little onion, diced, made it tastier still. Then there's garlic - or did I add garlic? I was playing by ear by this time. Maybe I left the garlic out and stuck to the barbecue theme.

This was delicious. I had some left over for lunch the next day, too. I love a recipe that leaves room to improvise, and this one qualifies.

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Quick Beef Burrito Skillet

Amigo and I visited our favorite diner for lunch yesterday. For the first time, we ordered almost exactly the same thing: the Mexican skillet. Both of us had hash browns & wheat toast. The only difference - he had his eggs scrambled, and mine were over easy.

That got me thinking. We must be able to make a similar brunch dish at home. I dug into my recipe files, and sure enough, I found one. I haven't made this yet, but it looks easy and delicious. Home made salsa will add an extra homey touch.

Quick Beef Burrito Skillet

1 lb. ground beef

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 can (19 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed

1 cup salsa

1 cup water

4 flour tortillas 6 inch size), cut into 1 1/2 inch squares

1 cup cheese - Mexican style, if you have it

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup chopped green onions

Brown and drain beef.

Add seasoning mix, salsa, water, and beans. Bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes.

Stir in tortillas. Top with cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with sour cream and onions.

Other ideas? Readers, what else could I add - or subtract? I do like things simple, especially on school nights.

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Ah, that caffeinated aroma of a kitchen floor

At least my vacuum cleaner will smell good for a while.

Let me back up. I just vacuumed the kitchen floor. Vacuumed. Not washed, not mopped, not swept, not Swiffer wet-jetted. Vacuumed. I was out of fluid for the Wet-Jet, and I wasn't ready to get down on my knees and scrub. Besides, all the good rags were in the wash.

Let me back up a little more. I just vacuumed up a pile of coffee grounds. Freshly ground, organic coffee grounds. The floor smelled great. So did my pants. If I'd been wearing brown, maybe I wouldn't have thrown them right in the laundry. But anyway, back to the story. My tiny kitchen was half covered by, no, maybe... Okay. I'll back up again.

It was a typical weekday evening. I made my lunch, got my clothes ready for morning, made sure my Kindle was charged. Of course I charged my Kindle to get ready for bed; doesn't everyone? As a final step, I usually set up the coffeemaker for morning. The filtered water was ready, the coffee filter in place, but before I could measure my life in coffee spoons, I needed one more ingredient. As chief groundskeeper of Chez OkayByMe, I gathered my materials: coffee grinder, container, and cleaning brush.

It all began well. The grinder was working well, sending the organically grown, fair trade processed, deliciously blended beans through the blades to become my refreshing beverage of choice. I inhaled with pleasure. When the container filled almost to the top, I applied the small wooden brush to dust the remaining grounds from the grinder. An important step to prepare the grinder for storage, this was also my undoing.

You guessed it, readers. I spilled. Not all of the coffee grounds fell to their death, but at least one third of what I'd just ground hit the, well, ground. With some on my pants and some on my shoes and more, much more, on the floor, I called out to Chuck. "Is the vacuum still downstairs?" He brought it to me and cautiously backed out of the kitchen without daring to say a word.

So there you have it. At least my vacuum will smell good for a while. It'll smell of freshly ground organic coffee.

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Eating the Opponent for the Playoffs

I baked pumpkin bread in the bread machine a few days ago and thought, "Ooh! I should post this." Duh. I posted it just before Christmas. By the way, it's delicious with pecans.

As for Eating the Opponent, we're thinking New York Strip Steak and Jersey bagels. Then again, New York pizza has its own style and Lombardi's of Manhattan is reputed to have been the first pizzeria in the U.S. Related to the trophy namesake? My research in that direction has had no results.

On the other hand, there are the famous New York black and white cookies, made from cake, not cookies. They look delicious, but I don't have time to bake a high-maintenance recipe that includes small cakes and two kinds of frosting. I wonder if any local bakeries make them? It might be worth checking. This native New York dish has a roundabout connection to the upcoming game, almost a 6 Degrees type of thing. Here goes.

The last time the New York Giants came to Lambeau Field, there was a big to-do about Eli Manning's favorite TV show being Seinfeld. Not wanting to give comfort to the enemy, our local affiliate refused to run its Seinfeld reruns at the usual time on that Saturday night. Seinfeld has incorporated the black and white cookie into at least one or two episodes. Is that enough for a connection? Well, if I had time to bake, maybe.

My research also turned up New York chili dogs, a.k.a. Coney dogs, but we used those as a tribute to the Detroit Lions. Let's hear it, readers. Can you name a uniquely New York food suitable for Eating the Opponent this weekend?

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Dutch Babies, updated

I made the basic Dutch Baby, an egg and flour pancake, a year or two ago. I saw two recipes for Dutch Babies plus in our Sunday paper, so Amigo and I hit the kitchen during break and made them for brunch. We made the orange-cranberry variation; the ham and cheese option looks good, too.

Dutch Baby with Cranberry Orange Syrup

1 cup milk

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I don't always preheat; this time, it's important.

Whisk milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl. Vigorously whick in flour until smooth. Bring marmalade, cranberries, and 1/4 cup water to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer to the consistency of light syrup. Cover; keep warm.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, heat butter in a heavy bottom 10 inch skillet (cast iron suggested; I used my stainless steel). Heat until light golden brown. Pour milk mixture into skillet. Transfer to the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Without removing pan from oven, sprinkle with sugar. Turn oven to broil; broil until very puffy and golden brown, a few minutes longer.

Serve immediately from the skillet, drizzled with orange-cranberry sauce.

This recipe serves four. Amigo and I had our share and had extra left over. Next time I make this, it'll be on a weekend when we have at least three people at home for brunch. Or maybe I'll cut the recipe in half.

The cheddar & ham option uses the same basic Dutch Baby (eggs, milk, flour, salt, butter) and then adds 1/2 cup green onions and 1/2 cup diced ham to the melted butter. When the onions are soft and the ham heated through, add the egg/milk mixture to the pan and continue.

After 15 minutes in the oven, sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Continue with broiler as above.

Sound good? I thought so. Enjoy!

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Cooking School!

Rouxbe Cooking School online

Lesson One: Pan Frying

I learned quite a bit from this lesson. I'm a decent cook and my adventurous side shows in the kitchen, too. This basic technique lesson included heating the pan, controlling the pan temperature, and when to adjust the heat. The lesson suggested a stainless steel pan that can also go in the oven. I received one for my birthday, and I haven't had the courage to use it yet.

Each lesson follows the same structure: Goals, Video, Practice, Quiz, and Discussion. The videos are good; simple, easy to follow, and yet not condescending or dumbed down. Practical advice exists, too. The pan frying lesson recommends a stainless steel pan, but includes a section on other types of pans, including cast iron.

After the lesson comes the fun part: the Edible Exercises, or Practice sessions. Rouxbe offers a recipe collection featuring the focus skill for the lesson. Choosing is nearly impossible - all of these look so good! I might try one today and a different recipe later on.

If I see anything pan fried that fits our Eating the Opponent plan, look out! I have a stainless steel pan and now I know how to use it.

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Pasta Pan-fried with Butternut Squash, Fried Sage, and Pine Nuts

Do you have a few butternut squash stashed from last summer? This is a delicious way to put a squash on the table.

The original recipe called for an entire squash and lots, I do mean lots, of pasta and herbs. With our almost-empty nest, we made half of the original. Chuck cooked up the rest of the butternut squash in a tradition way, mashing it with sugar and butter.

Ingredients:

1/2 medium butternut squash

1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh sage leaves

1/2 pound farfalle pasta

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 oz. high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds from the center. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes. Toss with the onion, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Mince about half of the fresh sage leaves and toss with the squash.

Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Heat pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finished roasting, heat about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided saute pan. Drop in the rest of the sage leaves and fry for about a minute, or until the begin to shrivel up.

Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in half the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.

These are the amounts we used. I hope the "half a squash" doesn't confuse anyone. It was delicious.

Chuck found this at http://thekitchn.com.

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Eating the Opponent: Chicago!

Why are you reading blogs? It's Christmas Eve! Oh, yes, it's NFL football day, too. My Green Bay Packers play tomorrow, though. However, Green Bay maintains its popularity in the NFL schedule by playing on the national stage again, this time on a holiday: Christmas Day.

In the Okay By Me homestead, we'll eat the opponent on Christmas Eve. Tonight. After a day of wrapping presents and organizing gifts and cleaning the house, I just don't feel up to cooking something special. Neither does Chuck. It's a good thing the Packers are playing the Chicago Bears. We picked up a Chicago style deep dish pizza yesterday from a take and bake place. Followed by Christmas cookies for dessert, it will be the perfect Christmas Eve supper.

After the presents are unwrapped, the brunch eaten, the naps taken (believe me, I'll need one), we'll gather around the Christmas tree and watch our Packers take the field once again. It's Aaron Rodgers' neighborhood, remember, and Sunday promises to be a beautiful day.

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Rouxbe Cooking School

It was an impulse. I admit it. I signed up for a trial of five lessons with Rouxbe Cooking School online. I thought, "Why not?" After all, I enjoy playing in the kitchen, I like to post recipes on my blog, and the folks at home (mainly Chuck, my ever-tolerant and loving husband) will enjoy the results. On top of that, I teach online; surely I can learn the same way.

Each lesson follows the same structure. First, goals of the lesson. We teachers would call those objectives. Second, the lesson video. Rouxbe recommends watching, rewinding, watching again. Next comes the fun part: Practice, also known as Edible Exercises. Last, I'll take an interactive quiz and then participate in a discussion board.

Readers, my dearests, be prepared for reviews of the cooking school. I'm more of a simple cook, where my husband is more of an Iron Chef type in the kitchen. Whenever he's interested, I invite him to look over the lessons and participate in the practice portion with me.

Meanwhile, I'm baking cookies. It is, after all, the night before the night before Christmas!

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When nothing is going right...the Worry Monster

Heard on Twitter - "When nothing in life is going right, go left."

I lean pretty far to the left as it is, so I find other ways to cope. The hardest part of coping with life in general is facing the Worry Monster.

The Worry Monster invades my thoughts when something unpredictable or uncontrollable is coming up, something I need to face but can't really change. The Worry Monster enters through the side door, suggesting I worry about something coming up - a routine medical procedure, perhaps. As I'm consciously deciding not to worry about it, the Monster will suggest something else that deserves worry. By the time the Monster leaves, laughing its evil laugh, I've probably worried about a number of upcoming dates or vague future events.

I fight the Worry Monster by staying active. Politically, the Worry Monster thinks I should worry about all that's going on in Madison. In place of worry, I choose concern. I write letters and emails. I blog. I volunteer with Organizing for America (OFA) by entering data after phone banks and canvass days. I make an occasional donation, but my main contribution is time.

I fought the Worry Monster before the frost came by working in the garden. Simple and mindless tasks such as weeding and watering provided think time. Think time isn't worry; it's work-things-through time. As long as I remembered the mosquito repellent, I could stay in the garden for hours, weeding, watering, and processing thoughts. The garden really does nourish the soul.

Now, when the garden lies sleeping the winter away under a blanket of leaves, I play in the kitchen. Cooking is work; baking is play. It's productive, fun, and a great creative outlet. I've considered attempting sourdough bread; maybe it's time to get serious and create a sourdough starter. Maybe - after the holiday cookies are done.

So take that, Worry Monster. If not much is going right in life, I just turn to the left and get busy.

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Pumpkin Bread for the Bread Machine

Bread Machine, Breadmaker, Breadmaker, Bread Machine. You know what I mean. It's the appliance that allows us busy cooks to have fresh bread with a minimum of fuss.

Here's a special variety of bread for the upcoming holidays. I'm tempted to add raisins or nuts to it: maybe next time.

Ingredients:

Add to bread machine in this order.

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 egg

2 Tablespoons margarine or butter, cut up

3 cups bread flour

3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Select basic white bread cycle. Enjoy!

Adding nuts can happen at the "add more goodies" beep mid-cycle or at the beginning. Readers, any preference as to timing?

Enjoy the bread, and have a great holiday full of good food and family fun.

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Banana Bread with Crumble Topping

Recipe from Bakesale Betty: Oakland, CA. This was part of our Eating the Opponent challenge as the Packers prepared to play the Oakland Raiders.

Ingredients: banana bread batter

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed rip bananas - 2 to 3 medium

2 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

1/4 cup honey (local, of course)

Crumble ingredients:

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

Directions:

Butter and flour 9" by 5" by 3" bread pan or alternative

Whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

Whisk bananas, eggs, oil, and honey. add dry ingredients; stir to blend. Transfer batter to pan(s). Mix crumble ingredients; sprinkle over batter.

Bake bread at 350 for 1 hour - less if splitting it into smaller pans. Cool bread in pan for 30 minutes (if you can wait that long). Turn pan on its side; slide out bread, being gentle with topping. Turn bread right side up and cool completely.

This might just become my Christmas morning standard. It can bake and then cool while we're opening presents. By the time we've left the wrappings as playthings for the rabbit, we're hungry enough to enjoy a special treat. This banana bread with more could be just the right treat.

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Hickory Farms Gift Baskets

Every year I create gift baskets for our extended family. I'm lucky; if I start early, I have time. My gift baskets are no match for the professionals, though. Hickory Farms, for example, sent me a gift basket to review and I was impressed.

When the box arrived, I was eager to open it and see what had come from Hickory Farms. It was like an early Christmas gift from Mom Central! The basket was a good size, wrapped well, and looked like it contained a lot of delicious treats. I emptied the top layer and stood back to look it over.

I noticed that the packaging was paper, shredded small and crinkled. The effect was a nice looking basket with a neutral background for the fruit, sausage, cheese, and more, and then a reusable or recyclable batch of packaging. This was a case of good packaging, keeping the pears and apples from bruising, and filling the basket as well. Within the layers of shredded paper fill were more pears and apples!


The fruits were delicious and fresh. One popular feature at Hickory Farms is their $3 - 3 Day shipping. Freshness matters when giving food. I recommend this shipping option because my fruit and cheese was just right and ready to eat when it arrived. See below for a close-up of the fruit. The racing sausage guys were a little jealous when I paid attention to the Hickory Farms sausages, so I let them join in the picture.

The cheese was fresh and flavorful, a smooth and tasty medium cheddar. The beef summer sausages sliced easily and tasted good with crackers and cheese as we watched our Green Bay Packers trounce the Detroit Lions. This was definitely a winner in my book - er, kitchen. I enjoyed the Hickory Farms basket, and so did the rest of my extended family.

I wish I could have found out exactly where the cheese and sausages were produced. In a state like Wisconsin, where cheeses abound and sausages even race around a baseball field, it's logical to want to trace the origins of these products. Product quality was excellent, and freshness a plus. Wherever the butchers and cheese makers are, they do their work well.

As for the basket and the packaging, there are two birthdays and the Christmas holiday coming up. I know I'll reuse these by filling them with my own homemade goodies.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a product sample to facilitate my review. And what a generous and delicious sample it was!

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And more Granola

In our home, I'm the one who most likes granola.

In our home, I'm also the only one who enjoys coconut.

Here's another granola recipe, this one including coconut. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks good. Maybe I could take out the coconut so Chuck could enjoy it, too. My current granola is delicious on yogurt and makes a good breakfast cereal, too. It's certainly less expensive than the granola-type cereals in the store.

Ingredients

3 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup wheat germ (What about flaxseed?)

1/3 cup sunflower seeds (optional)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (Do you think olive oil would work?)

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup coconut (I hope this is optional. I'd think so.)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup raisins (plump by adding water, microwaving for 1 minute; let stand and drain)

Directions

In a glass dish, heat oats for 3 minutes on high in microwave.

Add brown sugar, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, oil, honey, coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir well to coat dry mixture evenly. Microwave 4 to 5 minutes on high, stirring twice. Add raisins. Microwave 2 minutes on high, stirring midway through cooking.

Cool. Store in airtight container.

Well, readers, what do you think? How does this compare to my other granola recipe? And my other question: would this work in the oven like my other granola recipe? I'll try it as is first, and then play with it a little. Maybe. If I can resist making changes the first time... I hear you. Yeah, right.

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Granola with Fruit Butter

If you're not reading Food in Jars, you should be. This is based on one of her recipes. I made it with my apple butter, and it's making the house smell so good! If it turns out well (and so far, it is), I may include small packages of this in my holiday gift baskets.

2 cups oats (old fashioned are best, quick oats will do)

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup peanuts

1 cup fruit butter or sauce - I used apple butter.

Spices to taste.

Stir together.

Toast at 325 degrees F., turning on the baking sheet several times.

Optional: after cooling, add raisins or other dried fruit. I like dried cranberries, or craisins. As for the nuts, 1 1/2 cups of anything nutty will work.

My apple butter has its own unique flavor, so I didn't add spices. Ginger or nutmeg might have been good. I think any combination of nuts would do. Next time, I might experiment with nuts, too.

It's fun to find a recipe that offers so many options and yet is so easy to make.

This granola is simple and delicious. Next batch might be made with my super-thick cinnamon applesauce.

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Eating the Opponent: Green Bay vs. Tampa Bay

There was a recipe email in my inbox this morning with the subject line: "Plan ahead now for Thanksgiving!" Ahem. If you haven't started planning for Thanksgiving yet, it's not early. In fact, grocery stores will probably be mobbed this weekend with people who really did plan ahead.

Before the harvest celebration next Thursday, the family at Chez O.K. will once again be eating the opponent, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' style. Chuck did a little research and found that the Tampa area plays host to restaurants that serve foods with a Spanish influence, a nod to Florida's history. The menu for tonight features that influence.

Albondigas: Meatballs made from a blend of ground veal and beef with breadcrumbs and jerk seasoning simmered with tomato sauce and carrots and potatoes. No, we're not calling the Buccaneers jerks. We're using seasoning with a Caribbean influence. The tomato sauce will feature some of the last fresh tomatoes, harvested before the final frost and ripened indoors.

Breadsticks warmed with olive oil and cayenne pepper

Fruit salad of Passion fruit and oranges

Key Lime Pie for dessert. I admit it, the Florida Keys are not directly related to Tamp Bay or NFL Football. It is, however, delicious.

Main course alternatives were:

Grilled snapper topped with olive oil, diced tomato, garlic, onions, and artichoke hearts

-or-

Chorizo Espanola: sliced chorizo and onions sauteed in olive oil

We'll save those for next year. Go! Pack! Go!

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Eating the Opponent: Wild Rice Hot Dish

Yep, Green Bay played Minnesota last night. The Badgers played the Gophers, too, for the prize they call Paul Bunyan's Ax. Saturday night Amigo and I had a wild rice dish to invoke the taste of Minnesota.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup Minnesota wild rice, uncooked

1/2 lb. fresh muchrooms, sliced (optional)

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup onion, chopped

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons beef bouillon mix

1 1/2 cup water

Directions:

Rinse and soak wild rice in hot water for up to three hours. Drain.

In a four quart saucepaan, cover rice with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Brown ground beef in a nonstick skillet. Drain any fat or juices. Combine cooked ground beef with remaining ingredeitns in a large casserol dish. Mix thoroughly.

Cove and bake one hour at 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake 15 additional minutes.

Serves 6. Amigo and I had a lot left over.

Daisy's comments: I also added a diced chili pepper, one of the last from my garden. It spiced up the mix considerably. The final result was rather monochromatic. Delicious, but not much to decorate a plate. Next time I'll add something with more color. Various peppers, perhaps, or corn or peas (frozen from the garden or Farmers' Market, of course) would make this look as good as it tastes.

One more addition: this wild rice dish with its flavor and its beef made a great addition to potato soup. Potato and beefy wild rice soup; easy and delicious. I'm packing some in my lunch tomorrow.

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