Have you Hurd... Rainy weather in South Florida is common this time of year...

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef had the good fortune of taking a work-related trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in late April.  I know this is a spring break mecca for many college students and even post college-age adults, but the only time I had ever visited previously was a bus ride from the Port of Miami cruise ship docks to the Fort Lauderdale airport.  Given it's long and rich traditions of large throngs of college co-eds, beer fueled shenanigans, wet t-shirt contests, upside-down margaritas, and other peculiar mating rituals...  There was really only one thing on my mind...  -sinister grin- GOOD FOOD!  Naturally, I booked my trip with an extra day to allow for some rest and relaxation before the work related activities commenced and to allow a few extra restaurant visits.

Thanks to an early direct Southwest Airlines flight that was only partially booked (SHOCKING), we landed in FLL with plenty of time to grab our rental car and head out to the A1A for breakfast on the beach.  Not being terribly familiar with the local restaurant scene, I did my normal level of preparation in advance.  Reviewed several online sources for tips on places to visit and also surveyed friends who frequently spend time there.  I winnowed down the list to limit the number of seafood meals, while not completely eliminating them.  You can't be this close to the water and not try at least a little bit of seafood.  If I did, my wife might decide not to join me on any future business trips.  A recipe for disaster, if you ask me.  She loves the surf and I tilt heavily towards the turf.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a Pittsburgh favorite transplanted to Fort Lauderdale too.  The Primanti Brothers has multiple locations in South Florida.  I guess Steeler country is not just in Pennsylvania anymore.  -big smile-  What better place to grab a bite of breakfast to fortify ourselves for a day of seeing the sights.

As an avid cook, I enjoy sitting where I can see what is going on in the kitchen at a restaurant. Whether it is a run of the mill local diner or a five star bistro where you have to drink with your pinky finger extended to feel like you belong... This location of the Primanti Brothers would fall into the former category and they were doing all sorts of fun stuff that time of the morning.  Short order breakfast, mixing pizza dough for the lunch crowd,  and prepping salad ingredients all in a fairly small kitchen.  I am a fan of breakfast at any time of day, but we were on the verge of lunch time.  To say I was conflicted was an understatement. After a raging debate within my own mind, I settled on the knockwurst sandwich dressed with the usual Primanti flair  - cole slaw, french fries, and tomato.  I also added a fried egg, so it would feel like breakfast.  I resisted the strange urge to wash it down with a cold Iron City beer.  In my estimation, the sun wasn't quit past the yard arm yet.

While we waited (and watched) for our food to hit the grill, I put my recently acquired cell phone to good use.  A friend had recommended spending the day at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  Based in his description, it sounded like a great local attraction.  Much to my dismay, I learned that Tuesday is the only day of the week that Vizcaya is closed to the public.  No worries, we could always hang out on the beach as our backup plan.  Just as the thought crossed my mind, torrential rains started to fall.  Upon examining the weather radar on said cell phone, it seemed to be the first of many such storms that would come and go that day.  Texted some friends quickly to line up a backup plan.  Their common response: "when in South Florida on a stormy day, the only thing to do is go shopping."  They recommended Sawgrass Mills, a local shopping district that was both an indoor shopping mall and outdoor outlet mall.  Could turn into a seriously expensive day of vacation, but worth the risk in this particular situation.

Who says you can't have
knockwurst for breakfast?

Our food arrived rather quickly and the staff kept us company as they tended to their other duties and we waited for a break in the weather.  Food was even better here than the location I have visited previously near Pittsburgh.  I am a big fan of the cozy atmosphere.  My wife was not quite so enamored of it.  One caveat if you plan to visit on your next trip.  They only accept cash.  Although there was an ATM on-site, I can't even begin to imagine w the usage fee would be.  Luckily, I had my personal ATM (wife)  with me.  Gotta love a woman that lets you pick the spot and buys your breakfast.  -big smile-






Not much to share on the shopping trip from the retail side.  The unbelievable crowds on a weekday afternoon made me wonder if anyone ever really works in Fort Lauderdale?  I am not used to people stalking the parking lot for a space on a Tuesday afternoon when Christmas is more than seven months away.  I tried to find some cool flip flops for the beach in a store that sells only flip flips.  Though I tried mightily, I was unable to find any in my size.  Apparently, people with size 15-4E feet are not meant to wear cool flip flops on the beach. -frown-  I ameliorated my disappointment with a Haagen Dazs Belgian chocolate milk shake.  In the words of (Uncle) Jesse Katsopolis of Full House fame "HAVE MERCAYYY!"  Probably more than a thousand calories in a cup, but I am pretty sure I will sweat it off in the outdoor sauna of an unseasonably warm South Florida spring day.  As an aside, my first stop was at Ben & Jerry's.  They had some good stuff on the menu there too, but it is never good to visit someplace just before they resupply.  Most items on the menu were unavailable due to inventory shortages.  -big frown-  Will have to save the Chocolate Therapy for another time.  I'll be dreaming about that chocolate pudding swirled chocolate ice cream until then.

Inside these pages is an
incredible array of  pastries.
Do not stop here before
getting your cholesterol
and blood sugar tested.

The last pleasant surprise of the day was a quaint little bakery that was mixed in with the outlet mall shops.  I know you aren't used to me using words like quaint and little when describing food, but the sweet aromas wafting out of this place pulled me in like a tractor beam.  We picked up a sampling of pastries to share with friends who would be putting us up for the night.  Nothing says "thanks for the food and lodging" like a sack of scrumptious French pastries.  We selected some deluxe chocolate croissants (chiocolate filled and chocolate covered), hazelnut cream-filled croissants, and chocolate cream-filled baked beignets.  It may seem like heresy to even suggest a baked beignet, but having tasted one of these...  I can vouch for them.  If you find yourself in Fort Lauderdale at the Sawgrass Mills shopping district, don't leave without a stop at Paul Maison de Qualite' for some fresh baked delights.  It may be busy, but well worth a wait in line.
-mmmmm...  inhale deeeply, eyes closed, remember the beignet-




This is the first of multiple posts from our trip.  Please keep reading for details on our trip to the Yard Bird in North Miami Beach (near Port of Miami cruise ship docks) where a good friend and fellow fried chicken aficionado from Austin, TX joins me on my quest.

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

www.primantibros.com

 http://www.paul-usa.com/shop/en-US/Shop/PAUL-Sawgrass-Mills-at-The-Colonnades_315

Have you Hurd... Sometimes you have to kick your game up a notch to hang onto the trophy...

It may come as somewhat of a surprise, but your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef is not much of one for drama.  Even the televised, overwrought supposedly unscripted variety that seems to be dominating the lineup these days.  Consequently, I don't watch any of the competitive cooking shows on TV.  I have never entered any creation of mine for judging in any major competition either for much the same reason.  Just.. Can't... Handle... The... Drama...

I will occasionally stray from that when the competition is friendly and the outcome benefits a worthy cause.  The last time I entered our church chili cook-off, I managed to bring home first prize amidst fierce competition.  I skipped it the next year, and the competition took a hiatus of its own the year after that.  When I heard it was back for 2015, I pondered a good long while before finally agreeing.  I received a personal plea from our church youth leader.  He was concerned about the small field of competitors.  Since the proceeds from the event would benefit the youth mission trip and he was coordinating all the details he felt compelled to work the proverbial phones.  Given the length of time I pondered the decision, I had little time left for planning and execution once I decided to officially enter and I was squarely on the horns of a dilemma.  Should I stick with my tried and true recipe or offer something new in an attempt to WOW the crowd and outflank my competitors?  Maybe do both?  Hmmmm....  -grimace-

Isn't it funny how we think we are always putting our best on the field at every turn.  We don't ever let up, even when we are just practicing... Right?  Then we face serious competition and we are motivated to an even higher level of performance?  I am sure it sounds silly to most folks.  It is JUST a church chili cook-off after all and the competition is certainly more friendly than I might encounter anywhere else.  Yet I still find myself digging deep to come up with some way to gain a competitive edge.  I like to think the rest of the field was similarly motivated.  Perhaps even inspired.  The best thing about that is everyone improves as a result.  And the youth group gets a big boost for their mission trip.  Is that what folks like to call a "win, win?"

I decided I would put both my original recipe in the contest and a new chicken and white bean recipe that I had tested on a few folks before with some success.  Made a few tweaks to the second recipe to kick it up a notch for game day and I was ready to rock.  Well, almost ready to rock.  As is usually the case with my cooking projects, I needed to recruit someone with mad skills in the kitchen to help bring both creations to life.  Since it was incredibly short notice, I figured a family member is the most likely candidate.  Thankfully, I have a nephew who is a rising star in the kitchen.  He can cook some of my Mom's recipes better than me.  Texted first, then called, and GOOD NEWS!!!  HE WAS WILLING AND ABLE TO ASSIST!  In the inimitable words of the "A-Team's" John "Hannibal" Smith...  I love it when a plan comes together.  -big smile-

Can somebody please go
to the basement and bring
up the canned tomatoes?

Evan chopping away.  He
chopped more than he cares
to remember that day.

Evan and I spent the rest of that Saturday shopping for ingredients, slicing, dicing, browning, draining, seasoning, opening, and pouring to fill two large roasters with chili.  He was willing to sacrifice a late night online computer gaming session to drive the last batch over the finish line.  After tasting, he pronounced the chicken and white bean recipe to be his favorite.  Not surprisingly, the folks at church agreed with him.  Our chicken and white bean chili brought home the first place trophy.






I let Evan keep the hardware and the leftovers, since he did most of the work.  I largely directed his efforts.  How is it that I always end up "holding the clipboard" as my family likes to say?  I will call it my good fortune more than anything else. -wry smile-  Even if we didn't bring home the trophy, I enjoyed spending time in the kitchen with Evan.  I think he loves to cook almost as much as I do.  Hopefully, he won't ever figure out I am just an untrained hack.  Until then, I look forward to more opportunities to bring along my best Sous Chef.  -big smile-

A mere 12 hours later... It's
ready to serve.

Who would have thought
that would lurks beneath
this lake of goodness is the
heart of a champion?

Evan and his brothers with
the trophy.

Here is one recipe for your use and improvement:

Big Mike's "Faith on Eighth" Chili
5 Pounds Ground Sirloin, Browned and Drained
5 Pounds New York Strip Steak, Cubed, Browned, and Drained
7 Quarts Canned (Seasoned) Garden Tomatoes (three chunky, four smooth)
1 Four Ounce Bag Penzey's Regular Chili Powder
2 Tsp Penzey's Garlic Powder
2 Yellow Bell Peppers, coarsely chopped
2 Large Onions, coarsely chopped
2 Cans each: Great Northern Beans, Black Beans, Dark Red Kidney Beans, Light Red Kidney Beans,
     Mild Chili Beans (in sauce), Medium Chili Beans (in sauce)
2 Small Cans Diced Green Chiles
1 Cup Sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large (22 quart) roaster and simmer for 8 - 12 hours for best flavor.


I will gauge the level of interest before revealing any details about our contest winner.  May be a secret worth keeping.  -sly grin-

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

www.penzeys.com

Have you Hurd... The shakedown cruise was also a lasagna love affair...

I know they say dogs don't experience
human emotions, but I think Kimmie's
sad looking face expresses how I feel
when I let you all down.  

I know it has been quite awhile since I have posted anything new for my dedicated readership and I have no good excuse for that.  So I will violate on Leroy Jethro Gibbs many rules and start off with my apologies.  The Shade Tree Chef has been busy in the kitchen, but just not successful at converting these experiences into worthwhile reading for my small legion of fans.  Tonight, I am forcing myself to begin the arduous process of catching up.  I can hear the strains of Dancing with the Stars in the background.  If you know me at all, you can appreciate just what a sacrifice this is to maintain my position at the keyboard.  Not quite grinding my teeth, but certainly thinking about it.  -smirk-






It started out with a recommendation on a pasta cooking pot with a fancy French sounding name and leapt headlong into a request from a good friend to make a few pans of lasagna for her son and the rest of his cast / crew mates at Grove City High School.  I really wanted to put the pot through some paces in the kitchen and start the breaking-in process.  Fortunately, it takes an army to put on a production of Les Miserables and that army needs fed during tech week.  They don't want anyone passing out from hunger during the long and grueling sessions leading up to performance weekend.  It started out smaller than it ended up being, but it was still a treat to cook for the kids.  They seemed to really enjoy the food and made quick work of it once we started serving it.  I even went out on a limb and made a pan of meatless lasagna.  Vegetarian is never my first instinct, but I am always willing to do it when a good friend asks.  Based on the crowd reactions and the performance of the new pasta pot, I believe it all turned out rather well. -fist pump-

I put a good combination of cheeses and good noodles in my lasagna, but I think we all know that the heart of any good lasagna is the sauce.  Since I considered the vegetarian to be the more challenging of the two alternatives, I started with that.  I coarsely chopped carrots, zucchini, red bell peppers, and onions and sauteed them in olive oil and garlic until they were tender and starting to brown on the edges.  Then I added tomato sauce, grated Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheeses, garlic, oregano, sweet basil, salt and just a touch of sugar.  I know many cringe at the sight of more than one of those ingredients.  I will say that I have never called my sauce authentic.  I don't imagine it adheres to anything even close to an Old World Italian recipe.  That is because my people don't hail from anywhere close to Italy.  It is just the unique combination of seasonings and other ingredients that I have found pleases the widest range of palates and most importantly - MY OWN.  - smile-  I simmered the sauce in a Le Creuset dutch oven until it had suitable body.  Then I introduced it to some cooked lasagna noodles, cottage cheese, sliced Mozzarella, Provolone, and Asiago cheeses.  I do three complete layers with a single variety of sliced cheese on each layer and cottage cheese and sauce on every layer.  If this were math class, the correct order of operations in my kitchen is noodle, cottage cheese, sauce, and sliced cheese.  As a ball park, I use slightly more than a pound of cottage cheese and 8 ounces of each type of sliced cheese for a full pan of lasagna.

Since this was not my first rodeo, I figured the meat sauce would be a slam dunk.  This went against the admonition I have given to many others when cooking in large quantities...  That admonition would be "don't even think about seasoning to taste when cooking big food."  I advise folks to make sure they have a complete recipe.  Measure everything by weight.  Trying to season 20 quarts of meat sauce to taste turned out to be just as time-consuming as I warned others it could be.  And if not for waiting for my backup taster to get home and sample the sauce...  I might have been a Seinfeld episode in the making and over seasoned the sauce.  -grimace- When I had finally reached the point of running out of key spices and feeling that it might NEVER be right, I decided to wait until my wife got home and could check it for me.  In the hours the sauce bubbled away pleasantly , the seasonings hit their peak and upon her arrival, she tasted it and declared it needed no further tinkering.  - long sigh of relief - I swear I could faintly hear the refrain of Brady Paisley singing Waiting on a Woman.  -big smile-

In the 20-quart roaster, I combined three #10 cans of tomato sauce (Midwest Fancy), one half pound each of grated Romano, grated Parmesan, and Grated Asiago, 5 pounds of Italian sausage (Carfagna's Italian Festival blend), 5 pounds of ground sirloin, and the aforementioned combination of spices.  The meats were pre-cooked and drained and I used Penzey's spices for all but the sugar (Domino, if that matters to you).  I suppose I could tell you exactly how much of each of the spices, but a cook has to have at least one secret.  -sly grin-

Once the sauce was ready, I layered the meat lasagna similar to the meatless one I described earlier with one key difference.  In the middle layer of the meat lasagna, I also include thinly sliced old-fashioned capicollo (spicy Italian ham).  I think the words old-fashioned are a polite way of saying fatty as the other version of this product is noticeably leaner.  Since the point of adding it is to kick up the flavor, I think fattier works just fine in this case.  If you are getting your cholesterol checked tomorrow, please don't ask me to make you lasagna for dinner.  You will be happy, but not your doctor.

I am sure as you are reading this, you are wondering just how many pans equals a lasagna love affair for the Shade Tree Chef.  The original request for three pans turned into four and a separate request came in from another friend.  Total number of pans was 5.  All assembled after work and refrigerated overnight to be baked not quite 24 hours later.  I think there is some disagreement in my household about this too.  By my wife's arithmetic, 5 pans = sheer madness.  Since I am the cook and the author, I am going to stick to my original premise and say it is indeed a love affair.  And everyone seemed to love eating it...  So I think they've got my back.

In closing, I will say again I am sorry for the long hiatus.  Hopefully, this new installation whets your appetite once again for my amateurish stylings in the kitchen and on the page.  If you keep reading, I'll keep writing. -big smile-

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd aka Big Mike

www.penzeys.com

Almost finished pan of  meatless
lasagna.  Will add a generous shake
of grated cheeses just before baking.

I guess you could call this one
of my stock photos.  I failed to get
any meat lasagna photos, so I
snagged this from an earlier edition.
Still looks tasty to me.