White Pizza Recipe

1 jar Artichoke Hearts
5-6 Chicken Breast Tenderloins
1/4 cup onion, chopped
Spinach leaves
2 cups Mozzarella shredded
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Balsalmic Vinegar
Equal parts basil and oregano chopped
1 pizza crust

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Pour out the oil in the artichoke jar and add balsalmic to the jar to marinate the artichokes.

Heat 1.5 Tbsp. Olive Oil in a saute pan. Tenderize chicken breast tenderloins and season with Kosher salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until cooked, turning once, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Add onions to pan after about 4 minutes and saute with the chicken.

Coat pizza crust with olive oil, approximately 1 Tbsp. and top with the basil and oregano. Sprinkle a little of the cheese on top.

Drain the artichokes and add to the  pizza - cutting to bite size pieces if needed. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the pizza. Add the onions and top with spinach. Finally, add the remaining cheese.

If using a pizza stone, let it warm up with the oven.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 1 pizza.

Search for Black Vinegar Yields Interesting Results

I have been searching the local Oriental Markets for Black Vinegar for a recipe I have. I finally found it at T's Oriental Market in north Springdale. Besides the Black Vinegar, they also carry an amazing variety of vinegars - fruit vinegar, red vinegar, etc. Also, I found preserved duck eggs and cooked salted duck eggs sold in 6 packs. May need to do some research before purchasing these.

The greatest discovery I found was Kikkoman Ponzu Sauce - it is a citrus soy sauce. Wow! Talk about great flavor. We tried it as a dipping sauce for fried Yellow Croaker fish and it has become an instant favorite.

Tripe - Revisited

Finally, someone explains how to prepare Tripe.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20010919/ai_n9991983/

Stir Fried Pork

Made a new recipe up tonight. You can find the Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken at Hon Son Oriental Market in Rogers.

1 lb pork cut into strips and pounded/tenderized
1 red bell pepper - cut into large chunks
1 head broccoli cut into pieces
1/4 cup sliced water chestnuts
1/4 cup onion cut into chunks
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. Wok Oil - can find at Price Cutter
2 Tbsp. Sweet Chili Sauce for Chicken
2 Tbsp. Szechuan Spicy Stir-Fry Sauce
1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

Place corn starch and flour into a Ziploc bag. Sprinkle the pork with the salt and pepper and add to the bag and shake.

Heat wok oil in large saute pan or wok over high heat. When hot, add the pork and saute for 1-2 minutes. Flip and saute for another 1-2 minutes. Add vegetables to the pan and continue to saute for 1 minute. Add in Chili Sauce, Szechuan Sauce and Soy Sauce. Cover and let steam 3 minutes, being careful to not overcook the vegetables. Serve with rice.

Tripe - A Unique Experience

Okay. I am going to have to research this one more carefully. I blindly picked up and cooked some Tripe from the Neighborhood Market in Rogers. First mistake was I did not read up on this before purchasing. Did you know that Tripe can come from 3 different areas of the cow. Honeycomb is considered the best by some and smooth is considered best by others. Pocket tripe - don't know much about. What I got, I think, was smooth tripe.

Second mistake, I did not research on how long or how to properly prepare the Tripe before cooking - the package said it was Scalded Tripe. I really need to figure this part out to avoid the following.

Upon opening the package, you could discern a hint of cow, which was not as bad as the fresh Sweetbreads I have tried. But, upon cooking, the hint of cow never went away. Do not know if Mistake #2 if corrected would fix this problem.

Tripe is supposed to be tasteless, picking up the flavors of what it is cooked in. What you want is the textural chewy bite that the tripe has when tender.

Will do more research and try this again after a while - hopefully with better results.

I think this is the first entree I have ever made that did not make it past the first taste - it went into the compost. But, at least part of it went to the dogs and they like the taste of cow.

German vs. Polish

I needed sausages for tonights dinner. So, I went to Richard's Country Meat Market and picked up a couple of fresh German sausages and a couple of fresh Polish Sausages. On first bite, Polish was off to a good start - a lot more spice. The German was kind of boring. But, by the time they were both finished - the German won. Go figure.

It is like the Polish was the Pepsi in the Pepsi Challenge - better than Coke at just one sip. But, if you have a whole can, Coke is better - less overpowering.

There you go.

Top 100 Foods to Eat Before You Die

This is not my list - it is one that people have been talking about for a while. As I finish each one, I am going to change the color to blue to give me a sense of progress.


1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O shot
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Single malt whisky
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
100. Snake  

Sweetbreads - found in Northwest Arkansas

I did not think I would find this in Northwest Arkansas, much less in a WalMart Neighborhood Market - but I did. The Rogers Neighborhood Market across from NWACC on Hudson carries this fresh. I also found it at Ivan's in Rogers frozen. So, I had to pick it up from both places to try.
Very interesting. I do not know if sweetbreads are supposed to have a smell to them, but the fresh ones had a very unusual aroma to them. The frozen did not have a smell.

Also, be aware that sweetbreads is more than just one thing - what I got at the Neighborhood Market resembled something more like mystery meat. The one from Ivan's seemed to have more form to it and less filament. Next time, I think I will call ahead and see if I can get specifics on exactly they carry instead of just "sweetbreads".

How To Reheat Meat Without Making It Too Dry

This method works with just about any meat - seafood I have not tried.

But if you are wanting to reheat the rotisserie chicken from last night, it is best to reheat in a skillet on the stove with a little bit of chicken broth and a lid to steam it. The same works for Lamb, Beef, Pork - just use beef broth instead and by doing it in this method it stays moist and doesn't overcook.

Searching the area for Rennet

I really want to try to make my own cheese - it gets too expensive to order cheeses on line. I have called around to the local stores and cannot find anyone who carries Rennet. One of these days I will find it and then I can purchase the one item I do not own for my kitchen - a cheese press.

Newest Fad - Beef Cheeks

So far there is only one place I have found in Northwest Arkansas where you can get beef cheeks - WalMart supercenter in Rogers. You can get them from Richard's if you order them - but you have to purchase a 60 pound box of them.

At $2.25/lb at WalMart this is a steal. But, when purchasing for a recipe, you want to get at least 2 packages because you will be cutting off a lot of fat and since the cooking time is long and they do better as leftovers anyway, might as well get a couple of meals out of them.

Lesson #1 - learned the hard way. You must cut off the fat before cooking them. I was running low on time and just browned them without cutting the fat off and threw them in the pan with the wine. Big mistake - not only does the fat stay shall we say gelatinous, it also permeates the sauce. So we had a lot of fat with our meat and a fatty sauce.

Lesson #2 - it really does take 3-4 hours of braising before it becomes truly fall off your fork tender. Even if you raise the temperature of the oven, doesn't speed it up.

We have tried several recipes for the beef cheeks and so far the best one is on Epicurious.com. The best part of the recipe is the reducing of the wine which intensifies the flavor and makes it really good.

Now - trying to find a recipe for Beef Cheeks to make burritos!

Review - Rogue's Manor

Rogue's Manor in Eureka Springs

If you have never been here before, it is well worth a trip to Eureka Springs. The Montrachet appetizer is to die for. The main courses we had were a tad bit over flavored but the meat was cooked correctly and the portions are large. The main reason to go here is for the atmosphere. You have to sit in the bar area which is the smoking section - I think one of the last places in Arkansas that has a smoking section and serves food.

The music is early 20th century jazz and on the TV screen in the corner the movie that was playing was "The Mummy". Gotta love that.

The entertainment is the other patrons - while we were there, a gentleman from South Africa was sitting at the bar talking to a blind lady that was drinking white zinfandel and smoking before being escorted back to her nonsmoking seat when her salad was served!