Review - Taste

My mother and I both had off the Monday after Thanksgiving, so we did what any mother and daughter would do with the Holidays looming ahead... We packed up and went Christmas Shopping.

We went to the 'Made in the USA' store in Elma, then took a jaunt to East Aurora, NY. East Aurora is just one of the most nostalgic places to shop, with Main Street decorated for the holidays, friendly shop staff and one of the oldest and largest 5&10 stores still operating, Vidler's. It is literally like taking a step into another era.

When we had enough of the shops and bought gifts (some for ourselves) to our hearts content, we stopped at a small coffee shop and cafe that we both just adore, a place called Taste. The scene is warm, with a touch of Hollywood, as each seat in the place offers a perfect view of faces like Marilyn Monroe and Charlie Chaplin painted outside of the windows on the side of the building facing the cafe. Instead of numbers or names being called out when your food is ready, you are assigned a name of a Hollywood star. We had the pleasure of dining with Ellen DeGeneres that day. Additionally, regular menu items shout out to WNY and East Aurora history and landmarks, such as the Moo-o-o-g, a roast beef sandwich named for the aerospace engineering firm located in Elma.

We ordered the 'Stuffing the Bird,' a seasonal sandwich that is basically Thanksgiving in a sandwich; turkey, cornbread stuffing and cranberry-orange chutney piled high on a sesame bagel. The flavors of the savory and sweet are fantastic on this sandwich. My only critique was that last year it was served on a bread (if memory serves me well, it was a multi grain or wheat bread), which I feel lent better to the flavors of the sandwich. That said, it was still a wonderful sandwich, and one was plenty for the both of us.

Additionally, I ordered a cup of the Stuffed Pepper soup. Stuffed sweet peppers is one of my mother's staple dishes, and this soup was like her stuffed peppers in Soup form, from the flavorful sweet peppers and tomato soup broth to the pleasantly seasoned beef and rice. The soup was served hot, and tasted exactly like 'mom makes.'

Taste is a place that will not disappoint, and while there are plenty of high quality restaurants in East Aurora, each with their own distinct flavor and personality, Taste is quirky, yummy, and great for a quicker bite. I hardly ever go to East Aurora without a stop here.

Sherry Spiced Cranberries

As I started to cook more and more, there were a few things that I found so easy I was shocked that people didn't just make them. For instance, cranberry sauce is so easy - you buy a bag of cranberries, add sugar and water according to the bag and cook until the cranberries burst - cool to the desired temp (I personally like them still warm, some people like them cooled and refrigerated) and then serve.

This is a slightly different dish - in which you can season as much or as little as you want - feel free to adjust the amounts of spices to your desired taste. For instance, if you don't like curry? Leave that out.

What you need:

1 bag (approx 2 cups) fresh cranberries

1/2 cup dry cooking sherry

1 & 1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

Approx 1/4 teaspoon of the following:

Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Curry Powder

Combine the ingredients into a medium size sauce pot. Cook on low until the cranberries burst. Allow to cool to desired temperature. It takes about 5-10 minutes, so don't turn your back too long!

See? Easy!

You can substitute the sherry with whiskey, bourbon or wine. If you use wine you may want to use 2 cups of wine and no water, or 1 cup water, 1 cup wine. A dry red will work best with the flavors in this dish.

With the spices, start out with a little and add more if you want - for instance, curry is powerful and a little goes a long way in this type of dish!

I personally love the way the smokiness of the curry intensifies the 'bite' of the sherry.

Enjoy, and please feel free to comment!

Easy Chicken and Fennel bake

This is such an easy main dish, but it will seem like you took ages making it! It's tasty, and is nice enough for a dinner party, but easy enough for a weeknight!

Here is what you need:

4 chicken breasts

Salt and pepper, to season

One fennel bulb, tops removed and sliced.

One large apple, cored and sliced

One medium onion, sliced

1/4 cup apple cider

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken breasts in baking dish. Salt and pepper to season chicken. Top with fennel, apple and onion slices.

Add the apple cider and vinegar to the dish - note that if you don't have cider, you can use apple juice. Also, any vinegar will do if you don't have apple cider vinegar.

Drizzle olive oil on any exposed fennel, onion and apple slices (ie: any that is not covered by liquid)

Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Enjoy!

This meal can also be made using citrus fruits (lemon/lemon juice, orange/orange juice) or pears (pear/pear juice or cider). Both flavors will complement the anise flavor of the fennel!

Good ol' Polish cuisine - Slow Cooker Pork And Sauerkraut

So, when winter hits, my body totally wants and loves the Polish food I grew up with - funny that I hated most of it growing up....

Sauerkraut was one of my most hated foods as a kid - I mean I loathed when my mom would cook with it because the house smelled of cabbage, and I couldn't possibly fathom putting it in my mouth.

But as they often do, tastes develop and change, and sauerkraut in almost any form is pretty much one of my favorite foods. So why wouldn't I love Pork and Sauerkraut slow cooked into tender juicy goodness?

It takes all of ten minutes to prep and can cook while you work - and it is fantastic! So here is how to enjoy this staple of Polish (and German) cooking!

What you need:

Approximately 1 lb Pork Loin Chops or Pork Tenderloin

2 - 12 oz cans sauerkraut

1/4 cup red wine or cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

Place the pork in the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper (you can also add Caraway Seeds)

Cover with sauerkraut. Add vinegar.

Cook on low for 7-8 hrs.

Serve with green beans, potatoes, corn, perogis - the possibilities are endless!!