Rancatore's Cinnamon Cherry Chip

It was a perfect night to stop for ice cream at Rancatore's. I tried a new flavor, cinnamon cherry chip. It had plenty of large, dark (I'm guessing Moreno) cherry halves, huge chocolate chunks, and a nice balance of cinnamon. As always, the base was creamy and fresh. Yum.

Mum's Very Easy Calzones

My mother-in-law (let's call her Mum) had us over for dinner tonight. She and my brother-in-law (let's call him George) are on a homemade calzone kick. These really were amazing. She made us three: a ham, cheese and pepper calzone, a pepperoni, cheese and spinach calzone, and one she kept calling "the vegetable one." I tried some of each, and was not so excited about "the vegetable one," but was surprised to find it had meatballs, pepperoni, peppers and mushrooms. It really was a cheese-less calzone for a fellow diner who couldn't eat cheese. Why it became "the vegetable one" is still unclear to me.

Here's how Mum made them:

1. Get fresh pizza dough from the grocery store.
2. Grease a cookie sheet with Crisco.
3. Roll out the pizza dough to cover the whole cookie sheet plus a little extra on one side to grab on to.
4. Spread a layer of various fillings across the dough.
5. Roll up the dough on the long side like a jelly roll.
6. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes.

The filling can be anything you like. Mum recommended that you cook the meatballs in advance, and that you cook any ingredients that might juice as they cook, like the mushrooms or spinach.

Mum and George are on a quest for the perfect calzone. When they find it, I hope to report back.

Chocolate Cola Cake

We stopped at a Cracker Barrel on our trip home from New York. Cracker Barrel is always a fun stop, but we didn't have room for the chocolate cola cake on the menu that intrigued us. Gail found a recipe on food.com that she baked for me tonight. The cake was fluffy and light with a subtle cola flavor. The frosting was a good glaze of moist chocolate.

Even though the picture shows cupcakes, we think they would be better in a pan. The cupcakes were just too messy with the glaze. The recipe below is for a 9x13 cake.

We think there is a delicious variant to try by substituting rum for the vanilla in the cake or the glaze.

Chocolate Cola Cake

Cake:
1 c cola
½ c oil
½ c butter
3 T cocoa powder
2 c sugar
2 c flour
½ t salt
2 eggs
½ c buttermilk
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

Frosting:
¼ lb butter
3 T cocoa powder
6 T cream or milk
1 t vanilla
½ c chopped pecans
1 lb powdered sugar

Sheet cake pan or 9x13” Pyrex pan

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour cake pan.
2. In large saucepan, bring cola, oil, butter and cocoa to boil. Mix sugar, flour and salt; pour in boiling liquid; beat to remove all lumps.
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, soda and vanilla; beat well.
4. Pour into pan; bake 20-25 min.
5. While cake bakes, prepare frosting: In saucepan, combine butter, cocoa and cream; heat until butter melts. Beat in remaining ingredients, and spread on hot cake. Cool and cut.

Polish Pierogies and Beer

I seldom mention semi-homemade meals, but this is an exception. Gail got Poppy's potato and cheddar cheese pierogies at the supermarket. We topped them with some jarred mushroom and onion sauce and some sauteed garden vegetables: corn, tomatoes, beans and eggplant. The potatoes in the perogies were rich with butter and cheese flavors, but didn't have a salty, processed flavor. The whole meal was simple and delicious.

I enjoyed our Olympics beer pairings, so I got some new international beers. Tonight I poured a Polish Żywiec beer. I enjoyed it, but found it hard to get my American taste buds around. It is ostensibly a pilsner, and I can't find any features to say it isn't. But it was a little more bitter and a little less malty than the pilsners I'm used to. It was a good beer, but still confuses my taste.

Chocolate Covered Belgian Waffle

I was in Belgium briefly about a month ago. I wanted a quick bite before I got on the plane to come home. I almost got a doughnut, but glanced over and saw a chocolate covered Belgian waffle. Belgium is famous for three foods: Belgian waffles, Belgian chocolate and Belgian beer. I don't think there was beer in my waffle.

I should have taken the picture before I took a bite. Oh well, but what a bite. It wasn't the best waffle, nor the best chocolate, but it was the best airport food I've ever had. The waffle had crystallized bits mixed in of something like a mix of flour, sugar and butter. The chocolate was almost crisp like hard shell, but not brittle. It stuck to the waffle making it easy to eat.

This is a new guilty pleasure.

Grilled Shrimp with Friends

Earlier this week we had friends over for dinner. I would generally highlight the main dish (I grilled some shrimp), but the main dish was not the star of this meal. Don't get me wrong; the grilled shrimp came out beautifully.

Gail got some large shrimp that were pre-brined. You could brine them yourself for about a half hour in 1/2 cup of kosher salt to 4 cups water. You could boil the brine to get all the salt to dissolve, but then you'd have to wait for the brine to cool before adding the shrimp, and you'd be over-thinking it. You can see in the picture how I skewer the shrimp. That makes them easier to work with on the grill. I cooked them directly over hot coals. (Please use a chimney to light the coals and not lighter fluid. The shrimp won't stand up to the lighter fluid.) Don't over-cook the shrimp. Five minutes a side might be too much, but keep an eye on them.

There, I've gone and highlighted the shrimp. But like I said, that wasn't the star.

The star of the meal was Gail's garden vegetables. Look how beautiful they are. Gail dug fresh potatoes in the morning, and served them simply boiled with sour cream and chives on the side. The potato flavors shined. They were buttery and delicious all on their own.

I've become a huge fan of this particular garden saute. It includes beans, corn and tomatoes in a little olive oil. The beans are crisp and delicious and flavored by the sweetness of the corn and the sweet acidity of the tomatoes.

The salad was almost a garden salad, but we had to buy the greens. Who can figure why tomatoes and lettuce are the salad standards. Tomatoes are a hot season crop. Greens are a cool season crop. There is no time where they can be harvested together. But the tomatoes and cucumbers were harvested together, and were the super-fresh focus of the salad.

I love Gail's garden.

Pies 'n' Thighs in Brooklyn

After dropping off Noele, we went out to dinner with Anna to Pies 'n' Thighs in Brooklyn. What a vibe: Formica tables, red gingham, and chalkboard menus. The food was straight from a '50s diner, and we all had fried chicken, although Anna had hers on a sandwich with bacon. Yes, I do highlight the bacon. The chicken was delicious but otherwise simply fried chicken. For dessert, we shared a slice of their "bluebarb" pie. I don't think I need to explain that. That was a delicious piece of pie. If we go again, I'll still have the fried chicken, but I'll eat less of it and save more room for pie.