REVIEW: Betty Crockski Food Truck

As you may know by now, I am a proud Polish Buffalonian.  So when I heard Buffalo's dynamic food truck scene was finally getting some Polish presence, I was thrilled!  Imagine, two of my favorite things!! Food trucks and polish food!

I attempted to try Betty Crockski's food on Dyngus Day - but as you can imagine the lines were giant, and our group decided on another, less busy truck.

So when I was driving to get some lunch, and I spied Betty in a parking lot near my work, well naturally I made a proverbial b-line to her truck.  I have to say, I was shocked that I was the only person there so close to noon. I just saw it as my lucky day - I get to try Betty and there is no wait?! Ok!!

The menu had many typical Polish staples, such as Peirogis and Polish sausage.  The Peirogis came in the standard Farmer's Cheese, Potato and Sauerkraut, as well as a very rarely seen Pork version.  The item that caught my eye was the Open Rogi.

 

 

This allowed you to get your Peirogi filling of choice served over a bed of lettuce and a radish-carrot slaw.  The Open Rogi also came with a Dill Vinaigrette.  Anyone that knows me, knows all of this is right up my alley.  So I gave my first Open Rogi a try.

For starters, I asked for two fillings, and in common food truck fashion, they were more than accommodating in allowing me get the two fillings I requested.  I asked for pork and sauerkraut.  The Open Rogi came out, and it was piled high!  These gals are definitely not shy with the fillings.  

The pork was gently seasoned in a Meystard reduction and it was melt in your mouth tender.  The sauerkraut had a wonderful sweet and sour bite to it, cooked with pickled plums in a honey bourbon glaze. It was tender and juicy, as sauerkraut was meant to be.  Adding the Dill Vinaigrette only enhanced the flavors in the pork and sauerkraut.  Taking a Polish traditional dish and making it healthy was very genius, as well as delicious!  If the fillings were this good in a salad form, I can only imagine how wonderful it is in the typical fried dough pocket form!

I highly recommend when you see the red Betty Crockski out and about, that you take a moment to get in line and give her food a try.  You will not be sorry! All my thumbs and fingers up for a huge high five to Buffalo's first and only exclusively Polish Food Truck!  Na zdrowie!!

If you are looking for Betty, her schedule can be found at:

http://www.bettycrockski.com

Food for Feminism

This post is a little different. There are no recipes. While all of this totally my opinion, this is a serious discussion.  Sorry in advance for the long-winded editorial.

I am a firm beleiver that social constructs determine the path that most take, based on their gender identity, and their experiences. While women are making strides, the fact of the matter is, there are less women in science and engineering degrees, women make less money compared to men, women are viewed as sluts if they enjoy sex (even if that sex is enjoyed in a monogamous relationship). Women and men play different rolls in society.

While many women do 'overcome' all the pink frilly clothes they wore in childhood to become strong female figures, and there are many women that have broken through the glass ceiling, it stands as truth that we women still have a long way to go. Women of color and women who are in the LGBT community, sadly have even further to go. And for some reason, we are a rather mean gender. I personally will admit in my formative years, I identified more with men for the simple fact that I hated the drama associated with other girls my age. I had my girlfriends, many of whom I am still friends with today, but they were few. And when I ventured outside that circle of trust, I was bullied and ridiculed. I will also admit, that I bullied someone, to try and fit in. This act is burned in my memory, and to this day I am sorry for that act.  I felt horrible the moment the words escaped my mouth. It was not worth my attempt to fit in with those girls. Why is it we would rather make fun or and judge each other than stand together as a unit?  

Many sad things come of this. Working women judge the women who make the choice to stay home with her children or tend to their house.  Housewives and mothers judge women who cannot or do not have the means to be with their children or make their house spic and span. Models, or women that dress like them, are judged by the women who wear jeans and tees because they are too worried about their appearance and being feminine, and trying to fit into social norms.The jeans/tee girls are judge for not dressing appropriate or not being professional. Heavy women are judged by those that exercise as being lazy or over eating. The women that exercise are being judged by the less fit for always looking good, or accused of starving themselves to look good.  Etc, etc.  Why must we judge? What is the big idea with being an advocate for each other?

Then there are men. Men are as important to women and feminism as us women are. Because we need them as allies!  We need men that respect women to speak up. So maybe one of us will not be gang raped by a group of predatory men. Maybe one of us will not have to quit our job because our boss has no self control (take into account the woman who LOST a law suit for being fired because she was too hot http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/3586861/). In some ways, feminism is just as much about men as it is women. Because, no one should be judged for who they are.

Men can be advocates.  Maybe one of us will be encouraged to go into a profession typically dominated by men because of a few good mentors (Thank you Dr. B, other Dr. B, Dr. J, and the other male role models at the UB Geology department!).  Maybe one of us will be promoted because of the guidance of one man (and, yes, maybe the guidance of a woman) in her office. Maybe one girl will be confident in high school because someone stuck up for her when being bullied. 

Men, we need you! To teach the next generation of men, to tell us it's ok to be leaders instead of the dreaded 'bossy' word, to show us respect, to treat us as equal, to show others it's ok to be the subordinate of a woman in power, to speak up when a group of predators target a woman.... To stand beside us. Because in the end, this whole thing is about all of us - men, women, gay, straight, black, white, and everything around and in between, all of us having respect for one another and seeing each other as equals.

So, I choose to cook. My husband doesn't. We may have accepted gender rolls. Or maybe, instead, one of us found a talent. One of us found a passion, in food. One of us just likes to eat it, lol!  And that is ok. It wasn't the pink frilly skirt or Rainbow Bright jumper I used to wear that made me like to cook. In fact, it wasn't until I moved away from home and found myself missing the food I couldn't find during my brief stint in Florida, that I finally found a passion in cooking. It wasn't something I was born hard wired for. It wasn't something my mom expected of me. It was something I chose to do, as much as I chose to become a geologist. As much as one woman may choose to stay home with her kids instead of work. As much as one woman may work three jobs to make her family comfortable instead of struggling. As much as one man may feel more herself identifying as a woman.

I do not pretend that I know the struggles of all women. Yet, I do know that I will make a pledge to try to understand, and support any woman or man I encounter. And, if you are promoting acceptance and goodwill, I will be your ally.

So, I will use my food for feminism. Because we all have a right to choose who we want to be. THAT is what feminism is all about.

Farm Theme Party Food Ideas

Last week marked the second birthday of my little nugget, my nephew Owen.  I helped my sis-in-law plan, and it turned out to be a great time!  As you will see from the photos, we had plenty of fun, great ideas from Pinterest, and creativity played a huge roll!  I loved spending time on the DIY projects, and even came up with a fun and cute centerpeice idea that was a hit with kids and adults!

Below are my recipes for BBQ meatballs (home-made and gluten free!), and a hot cheesy corn dip I call 'Farm Fresh' Corn Dip.  

GLUTEN FREE BBQ Meatballs:

I won't lie - I cheated by using a store bought gluten free BBQ sauce that I doctored up.... 

What you need

2 lbs ground meat of your choice

2 cups Gluten free pretzels, crush or ground in a food processor

A teaspoon of garlic powder

Salt and Pepper, to taste

BBQ sauce of choice

Honey

Balsamic vinegar

In a large bowl, combine ground meat, ground pretzels, garlic powder and salt and pepper.  Make sure ingredients are well incorporated, without over mixing.  Handling the meat too much will make it tougher.

Form the meatballs to about 1 1/2 inches around and place on a baking sheet

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until light pink in the center (usually checking one is enough - they will cook further in the next step)

Once cooked, remove and place in a crock pot.  Add BBQ sauce, drizzle about 1/4 cup honey and 2 tspn balsamic vinegar over the meatballs.  Let them cook for approximately 2-4 hrs before serving, stirring once or twice in that time to make sure the honey and balsamic get mixed in.

'Farm Fresh' Hot Corn Dip

Again, I kind of cheated because I used a ready mixed tex mex frozen corn that had green and red pepper and onion already in the bag.  I can call it 'farm fresh' because our local grocery store, Wegmans flash freezes fresh veggies, and it is often said these veggies are even fresher than the fresh produce because they are picked at the prime time and frozen almost immediately! Thank you Wegmans!! 

What you need

One bag corn with peppers and onions (ex: Wegmans Tex Mex Corn)

3 cups cheese (I used 1 cup cheddar, two Colby jack)

Mayonnaise (approx 2 cups) - I used light to make it a little less bad for you!

In a mixing bowl, combine corn mix and cheese.  Slowly add in mayo until it has a thin coat over all the other ingredients.  Transfer the mix to a crock pot, and leave on low for about two hours - you can cook this higher, but make sure to stir and turn down as soon as it melts so that it doesn't burn.

If you wish, season with salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of cumin or a southwest seasoning mix!

Serve with tortilla chips!  This recipe is also gluten free, as long as you check that your dipping chips are as well!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my pal's special day, and I hope it gives you ideas for your parties!  Until next time, have good food, good company, and show your Buffalove!!

Waldorf Chicken Salad

This is a super (gluten-free) recipe that you can use with lettuce wraps, bread, crackers, carrot chips, etc!

All it takes are 4 cooked chicken breasts, marinated in your favorite marinade and shredded, and a few ingredients most people have on hand daily!  

I use this as an appetizer, lunch sandwich, even as dinner when prepared with a soup!

There are many variations and substitutions, so feel free to experiment with this one.  Also, little known fact - many mayonnaises out there are gluten free!  Hellman's even advertises that they are!  I have no affiliation with the company, I just applaud them.

So, that said, let's get down to business! You will need:

-Four marinaded and cooked chicken breast, shredded.

-1/4 of an onion, chopped

-One whole green apple, cored and chopped

-One stick of celery, chopped

-About 1/2 cup mayonnaise (you can slowly add in more if the mixture is too dry)

-2 tablespoons Dijon or sweet brown mustard

-3 heaping teaspoons sugar or 2 teaspoons honey

-Salt and pepper to taste (since many ingredients have salt, I suggest trying a taste of the mixture and add salt slowly to make sure you do not over salt)

Now the easy part - combine the chicken, apple, onion and celery into a large mixing bowl, and give a few good stirs to combine the ingredients.

Add in the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar and pepper.  Stir all ingredients well until all is well incorporated.  

Taste and add salt if needed.  If you add salt, again stir until it is well incorporated. Here is where you will add mayo if the mixture is too dry for your liking. 

Avocado is also a great substitute for mayo, if you want to save in calories (plain Greek yogurt is also another good and creamy substitute)

Place out in a bowl with crackers or lettuce wraps for an appetizer, make with bread, lettuce wraps, or on a bed if lettuce for a meal.  A nice brothy soup is a good pair for this delicious chicken salad!

Enjoy!!

Review - Lloyd Taco Truck

I absolutely love food, if you couldn't tell. The amazing thing about food trucks is that they bring quality gourmet-style food, to various locations, at street food prices.

Take Lloyd, for instance - they provide links to distributors, so that you can see where your food comes from, and they strive to provide farm raised meats, locally grown (when they seasonally can) vegetables, and hormone free products.  All while bringing this food to you at a cost that rivals fast food restaurants!

Now, locally, food trucks have found some resistance.  The brick and mortars feel that the food trucks take their business, that they have such lower overhead, how can they compete?  My feeling is this - if you have good food, why worry?  Food trucks provide options - people would just as likely not go to a sit down restaurant because they can go get fast food, instead - same concept.  Cheaper (albeit not as good or good for you as a food truck) and quicker - and they likely have a lower overhead due to being part of a corporate franchise.  If you are going to complain about a food truck, then you may as well complain about the next corporate drive through restaurant that opens up across the street.

I love most of the locally owned brick and mortars in Buffalo, and I love food trucks.  So here is my feeling on how brick and mortars should view the food trucks.  Are they competition? Yes, but competition is healthy.  The food trucks allow patrons to not only have decisions, but to have better decisions - and just maybe that will make for a better community as a whole. Let's take a stand to get away from the double hamburger (I suppose it's beef, but is it really?) and Large fry society we live in, together. Even if it means a little competing... I know I will still enjoy a sit down restaurant, and the occasional food truck visit.

Ok, so to the food.

I ordered a chicken and a fish taco.  Rocket sauce on both? Oh, yes.  Delightfully flavorful and spicy, the rocket sauce reminds me of a liquid mole sauce with chili pepper spicy flavor - I may be wrong, but whatever it is, it is delicious!

My tacos came without the pickled onions - not by choice.  This is a small complaint, because the meats were seasoned perfectly!  The cool crunch of the shredded cabbage (and radish on the fish taco!) and mild flavor of the corn tacos was outstanding paired next to the seasoned chicken and fried crunch of the fish. I seriously could not stop eating until the last bite was gone.

Two tacos were plenty of food for me, I suspect people with a larger appetite should go for a burrito.

So, Lloyd is here, and it is delicious!  I look forward to the next time I cross paths with Buffalo's first food truck - they have this cooking in a box thing down to a science!

Review - Dock at The Bay (Banquet)

Tuesday was my sister's pinning ceremony, as she begins her graduation from her Surgical Technology program.  I am so proud of her I am just gushing!  2013 is proving to be a giant year for our family!

The pinning ceremony took place at a well known local restaurant called Dock at the Bay.  The restaurant is known for their menu; however this would the first time I ate off their banquet menu.

My favorite thing by far was the bruschetta offered as part of the hors d'oeuvres.  With three different kinds offered (traditional tomato, red pepper and spinach), there was something for everyone - or in my case everything for someone.  They were not overly salty, and the freshness of the ingredients shown through.  Additionally, their vegetable tray included summer squash and zucchini - which I had never thought of to eat raw, but it was refreshing and delightful!

The main meal included a salad, pasta (baked ziti), roasted chicken and roast beef on weck sliders.  I tried everything but the chicken, which I just couldn't eat from being stuffed from all of my other food!

The salad and the pasta weren't stand out, but they were fresh and tasted good, what you would expect from any banquet.  The sliders were out of this world!  Perfectly cooked on a mini Kimmelweck bun, and served with a nice, hot horseradish - for those not from Buffalo, a Kimmelweck bun is salted on top and has caraway seeds sprinkled on the salt, and it is the quintessential piece of a roast beef on weck sandwich!

To wrap things up, I have to mention that while the banquet room was out dated, the water front views of Lake Erie and the cheery staff service made up for it.  Additionally, I get headaches from many wines out there, but I was pleased that their house Cabernet was smooth, and left my head feeling quite alright!

In a nutshell, I would have no worries about Dock at the Bay catering an event.  If you were hosting a wedding or another more formal event, I would opt for chair covers to help update the look - that aside, Dock at the Bay offers a lovely menu and outstanding views, sure to help make any event memorable!

In finale, congrats to my sister, and her classmates, Surgical Technology Graduates of 2013!!

Open Face Fried Bologna Breakfast Sandwich

So, it has been a while since I have posted a blog entry - simply because the 'Blogger' app was a little buggy.... But I am back in action, for better or for worse.

This simple breakfast takes a Western New York staple and turns it into a yummy morning taste of heaven!

Fried bologna sandwiches are everywhere - from diners, to ball parks, to mom's kitchen. Typically served up on a hard roll and smothered with Weber's mustard, this simple lunch meat turns into a tasty treat to die for!

What you need:

Note - this is a per sandwich recipe

Olive oil - approximately 1-2 tspn

3 slices of bologna

Diced onion - approximately 1/8 to 1/4 cup

Slice of rye bread (any bread may substitute)

Weber's Horseradish Mustard (if you are in a region that does not have Webers, any yellow mustard will do).

One egg

In a small pan, warm half of the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the bologna (i like to cut mine into small squares) and onion. Fry to desired texture - I like my onions well caramelized and my bologna crispy. Meanwhile, toast bread.

In a separate pan, heat remaining olive oil. Crack open egg and fry. You can prepare the egg any way you like.

Plate the bread, butter if you desire. Top with bologna mixture. Spread desired amount of mustard. Top with the egg.

Enjoy eating this breakfasty twist on a WNY classic!