Have you Hurd... Taco Tuesday + 2 = Just Plain Old Thursday...

I guess as time passes, that 'special' feeling fades, even at the Local Cantina.  Discovered just this past Thursday that they are no longer featuring the "Throw Back Thursday/$5 Burrito" special.  I added this to my original (3/1/2015) post  , but being uncertain about whether it will be noticed there...  I am also creating this quick post.  Don't want anyone walking into the Local Cantina on Thursday for lunch and having to wash dishes to cover the extra cost of a burrito or...  Even worse..., Going to fisticuffs with the management based on my now erroneous original post.  You can still enjoy the burrito, just be sure you have at least $12 in your pocket.  That should cover you for the full cost of the burrito ($8), plus tax and tip and still leave you with a dollar in your pocket.  Wouldn't want anyone arrested for vagrancy either.***  -wink,wink-  Particularly generous souls and those who prefer to pay for a drink will need to take a few more bucks. -smile-

Original Post:
http://bigmikeshotleads.blogspot.com/2015/03/have-you-hurd-taco-tuesday-2-throw-back.html

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

*** - I am not aware of whether or not the failure to possess at least $1.00 of legal US tender will result in a complaint or subsequent arrest for vagrancy in Gahanna, Ohio.  This is just a casual reference to a great friend from high school who passed away more than a few years ago.  He used to say quite frequently: "make sure you have at least $1 in your pocket.  Wouldn't want anyone getting arrested for vagrancy. "  -sad smile-  Maybe someday I will share a story with you about Steve, a Wheeler Girl named Wanda, and his untimely beer bath at Watt-Powell Park.  Cameras were rolling on that last part, so there is videographic evidence.

Guess I miss him still.  RIP Steven D. Hawkins, aka "Zabrisky".

Have you Hurd... Sunshine state retirees always show up early for dinner.

I don't know what it is about New Yorkers and Chicagoans, but they all seem to gravitate towards exceptional ethnic foods.  Sometimes they find suitable sources when they move further south, whether it be for a career opportunity or the start of their retirement.  If not, you are certain to hear them complain about the lack of their favored delicacies every time they visit 'back home.'  -grimace-

I have some good friends who fit this pattern.  I met them while they were residents of Cincinnati, but Chicago is their real hometown.  Just over a year ago, they relocated to Lake Worth, Florida.   When planning a business trip to Fort Lauderdale, I realized I would be perilously close to their new hometown.  Never shy about inviting myself over, I called ahead and ask if they would be willing to put us up for a night at the start of our trip.  They were more than happy to be our bed & breakfast and insisted we join them for dinner at their favorite local Italian restaurant.  I won't reveal their identities, since I don't want them to be overwhelmed with lodging requests from my readership.  I am not sure if their neighborhood would allow them to start charging for overnight stays either. -sly smile-

Since they hadn't even lived there for a year when we visited, the fact that they had already found a favorite Italian restaurant was promising.  To say my expectations were high would be an understatement of the highest order.  Prior to our visit, if anyone mentioned Mamma Mia, I would think of the Broadway musical featuring the music of ABBA.  Now, all I can think about when I hear those words is fabulous bruschetta and a monster-sized plate of veal cacciatore.  I am sure by now my dedicated readers expect some level of excitement from me when discussing food.  In the case of Mamma Mia's Trattoria in Lake Worth, it is an excitement that extends to my lovely wife.  She still talks about the bruschetta.  Just looking at the pictures while I was typing this post made her want to jump on a plane and head back to Florida.  At least I hope it was because of her memories of the food and not some sudden repulsion to me.  -nervous grin-

I won't say their bruschetta
was better than mine.  I may
think that, but would never
say it out loud.  

Pesto dipping sauce was a
pleasant counterpoint to
the bruschetta.

The atmosphere at Mamma Mia's was quiet and comfortable.  It was a great place to enjoy dinner and catch up with our friends about their new-found home.  The fresh bread and house-made bruschetta and pesto dipping sauce were an excellent start to the meal.  A quartet of delicious salads arrived quickly after we ordered.  I opted for the wedge salad included with my entree.  It's a salad I rarely make at home, so I enjoy it out whenever I can.  This may be the only worthwhile use of iceberg lettuce that I can name.  Which is why I don't make it at home.  I don't allow iceberg lettuce in my household.  I don't even joke about it.               -sinister glare-

Wedge salad... Or as Mamma
Mia's likes to call it... The
Bistecca.  I don't speak Italian,
but it sure looks like a wedge
to me.

Just as we polished off our respective salads, the plates were cleared and the entrees arrived.  Given the enormous portions, I felt like I could easily share mine with two other people.  I am not saying I DID share it with anyone, just saying that I COULD.  I enjoyed every tasty morsel of it myself. -big smile- Although my eyesight and reflexes are not what they used to be.  Someone may have sneaked a sample and I just missed it.  I ordered a side of grilled seasonal vegetables to accompany my veal cacciatore.  Hearing the question in your mind, I feel compelled to share that it was not out of some misplaced desire to make amends with the gods of healthy eating.  I just had a taste for vegetables and Mamma Mia's cooked them to perfection.  They were tender and flavorful and were a pleasant accompaniment to the veal.

I downsized the photo, lest it push the rest
of the blog completely off the page.

Even carnivores enjoy tasty
grilled vegetables when they are
in season.

Although they had a great list of house-made desserts, I had to pass.  Perhaps another sign of my age.  I am occasionally able to exercise restraint when enjoying a meal.  What was it Dirty Harry used to say - "a man's got to know his limitations?"   I had definitely reached mine prior to the dessert course.  Hopefully, my dedicated readers won't think less of me.

If you should find yourself headed to South Florida, you may want to do as I did.  Plan to take a little side trip to  Lake Worth and visit Mamma Mia's Trattoria for dinner.  Arrive early or be prepared to wait a little while for a table.  Retirees don't need to get home and change out of their work clothes before going to dinner.  If you are vacationing there, you won't either.  That gives you at least a sporting chance.  If you manage to save room for dessert, please let me know.  I'll live vicariously through you until I can get back there again.

http://mammamiastrattoria.com/trattoria

 Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,

Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

One more plus for your Dining
Scout and Shade Tree Chef.
If you don't know what this
means, that is what you get
for skipping to the end.  Please
go back and read from the beginning.

Have you Hurd... They have great fried chicken even in Miami...

As I sit here at my keyboard trying to catch up on my blog posts from the last few months,  I am wondering how it is that the specter of big brother worms his way onto our computers with something so un-sinister sounding as 'cookies?'  Perhaps that name was chosen with devious intent to make it sound cute and blind us to this intrusion with fond memories of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies as big as salad plates?   (sinister laugh)  I suppose it will take more than a few wise musings within these lowly pages to vanquish that boogeyman.  So I'll just put him in the closet for now.

Like any of the bad things in life, perhaps even one formed squarely against our best interests, I find it may still be useful to us under certain circumstances.  All those cookies that accumulate on my computer are available to the NSA, but also to the various search engines and news services I visit online.  They use them to custom tailor their offerings to me.  Interesting how the day after I shop for shoes, all the ads that pop up on the Yahoo front page are for shoes... And... The long history of visiting a plethora of food related sites leads to a front page full of articles about "The 20 best  <insert type of food> restaurants in the US."  (Surprise!  NOT!)   I gloss over most of them.  I mean how can you really say what the best pizza places in the US are without visiting at least a representative sample much less considering all of them?   Every town has at least a dozen or more offerings and that is just the local establishments and not chains.  It would take a lifetime of research and since most of the authors of these types of articles are younger than me, I routinely discount the validity of their ratings.  

I think the cover quote says it
all.  

I make an exception for purveyors of that southern delicacy - fried chicken.  I tend to think of these places as being considerably more rare in today's health conscious world.  Perhaps it would be possible to visit quite a few and catalog the best all across this great nation of ours and publish the list for wider consumption.  So when the article "Top 25 Places for Fried Chicken" popped up on the Yahoo front page, I eagerly reviewed the rankings.  Even bookmarked it as one of my internet favorites.  It was my good fortune that I had to travel to towns in close proximity to two of the establishments referenced in the article.  Southern California highway gridlock ultimately kept me from dining at the Honey Kettle. A fellow conference participant who was a resident rather than just a visitor politely informed me it would take 2 hours or more to drive the 40 miles from our hotel to this palace of fried chicken.  In his words "no fried chicken in the world is worth that trip."  Not wanting to miss out a second time when I jetted down to Fort Lauderdale earlier this spring... I determined I would visit the Yardbird Southern Table and Bar come h*ll or high water or both.  

I was able to cajole my lovely wife and a small group of good friends to join me on this mission too.  We made the jaunt from our beachfront hotel in Fort Lauderdale to North Miami Beach near the Port of Miami cruise ship docks on a weeknight during rush hour.  Traffic was bad, but nothing like Southern Cal.  We still arrived in plenty of time to beat the weeknight crowd of locals and found a nice table on the patio.  Weather was perfect for outdoor dining.  Balmy temperatures, fading sunlight, and a light breeze.  

Our hungry quartet sought nothing less than a complete takedown.  We didn't order everything on the menu, but almost everything.  We started with the Yardbird's version of a wedge salad.  Honestly, they could have called it the Wedginator.  Yes, it was a wedge salad on steroids. No, the lettuce wasn't some GMO monster.  It was just  HUGE SALAD.  (mmmm... smile)  Not just a wedge of lettuce, but the entire head.  We probably ordered it out of some misplaced desire to feel like we were eating healthy.  I don't normally do that.  I just order what I want to eat and if it's healthy... That's just happenstance.  Same in this case.  Salad was outSTANDING!  We also added some of the nightly special - skillet cornbread - as a starter.  mmmmmm...  It's "Yardbird Southern Table and Bar," but the cornbread had some Yankee sweetness to it.  Which I favor, as did the rest of the gang.  Nothing left in the cast iron mini skillet, but a few measly crumbs. Smiles all around and excitement for the main feature. (YUM!)

Just like when a large group goes through the painful size/toppings/crust style negotiation at a pizza place, we tried to not have seventeen orders of fried chicken hitting the table.  Most felt a half chicken was more than they could eat, but weren't sure what part of it they would yield to their fellow diners.  So two chickens were fully committed to our meal that night, since it isn't possible for one and a half chicken to be committed.  The other half surely landed on a table nearby.  Perish the thought that anyone would go to a place called The Yardbird and NOT order fried chicken.  (judgmental stare) With our group the longest part of the negotiation was what sides to pair with the birds.  We decided to try nearly all of them.  Whipped sweet potatoes, chedddar cheese waffle, macaroni & cheese, and southern style cheese grits.  Lastly, we ordered some adult beverages to wash it all down.   

One of the friends who joined me that night is built like Kent Tekulve, the tall wiry relief pitcher of the Pittsburgh Pirates of my youth.  In spite of his slender build, he knows good food and especially good fried chicken.  Although we have disagreed on our ratings in the past, we both decided that the Yardbird is top five on our respective lists.  The other two in our party felt likewise. The sides we sampled were also fabulous.  Add our opinions to that of the writers of the article I mentioned earlier, and we have a veritable army of Yardbird fans.  What does any of this mean?  

If you are ever anywhere near North Miami Beach and you are not a communist (see picture above), head straight to the Yardbird, ask for a table on the patio, and order your own plate of "Lewellyn's" finest fried chicken.  In the meantime, you can dream about it.  I have been there already and I'll be dreaming about it too.  Next time I am anywhere near Culver City, I will make it to the Honey Kettle too.  (huge smile)

www.runchickenrun.com 

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,

Michael Hurd, aka Big Mike

This salad is covered in a house
made dressing and should really
have its own zip code.

3/4 of the waffle we ordered.
Not sure which one of us
devoured the other quarter.
Gotta love that bourbon
maple syrup.

Don't stare too long at that golden brown goodness.
It may cause you to want to be like Billy Joel and
"...hop a flight to Miami Beach (or to Hollywood)..."

Whipped sweet potatoes.
And no, I don't know what
they did to deserve that
whipping.  Seemed sweet as
pie to me.

Grits, they're not just for
breakfast anymore.

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.

Have you Hurd... Great pot... and I didn't have to drive to Colorado to get it...

Before the law enforcement authorities show up at my front door, I should share a photo of the pot to which I am referring.  It is all washed and ready for action on the stove.  I have it in my possession now thanks to a timely tip from a good friend and fellow cook & baker.  Her recommendation is worth a thousand online product reviews.  I have mentioned her before and her positively mad skills with the red velvet cake.  I will not reveal her true identity here for purely selfish reasons.   I do not want to start a bidding war for her baked goods.  I fear my pockets would not be deep enough to ensure a continued supply for me and mine.  A journalist isn't the only one who needs to protect his (or her) sources.  -sly grin-

This is likely the last time it will look this
pretty, so I had to take a picture.  I am going
to subject all 12 quarts of it to frequent and
sometimes punishing duty.  -sinister laugh-  

Given that prices on the internet fluctuate wildly and I consider the pricing on this item to be highly favorable, once I had secured said pot for myself... I beat a path to the keyboard to share the news with my dedicated readership.  Perhaps many of you have one of these already.  If so, I guess that makes me a slow learner.  If not, you will want to grab some plastic money and go straight to your keyboard (or mobile device).  I have wanted to replace the cobbled together pasta pot I have been using for a long time, but never seemed to find a replacement within a suitable price range.  An 8-quart stock pot with a wire seafood basket worked, but it wasn't pretty.  I needed more capacity somewhat frequently.  It was just not big enough to boil 3 pounds of pasta at the same time.  I got chills down my spine every time the metal feet on the wire basket scratched the non-stick surface on the bottom of the pot.  I winced every time I grabbed the strainer handle and got my oven mitts into the boiling water...  I struggled mightily, waiting for for a Calphalon sale to break my way.

Imagine the completely shocked look on my face when the sale broke my way, but instead of Calphalon... It was Cuisinart...  In my book that is usually just a French-sounding word for vastly overpriced.  I have never had a bead on their quality, as I was never willing to pay the price they asked. A good friend and former co-worker summed it up best.  We were buying a wedding gift for an associate and I told him there was toaster on the registry, but the price was quite obscene.  His response was "well, at that price it MUST be a Cuisinart."  Indeed it was.  -smile-  So the sale on this particular piece of Cuisinart cookware must be monumental.  If you are at all interested, hit the link... If you have Amazon Prime, use it for free shipping.  It will most likely be on your porch in a day or two.  I ordered mine Thursday at lunch time and it arrived Friday afternoon.  I plan to put it in play this weekend.  If it lives up to my expectations, and I have little doubt that it will, I will discard a stockpot, large wire steamer basket, and maybe even a counter-top steamer.  Trying to keep the cupboards as orderly as I can.  Why have three things to do the job when this one pot will do it all?

Just in case you are wondering, this still doesn't even mildly deter my aversion to nearly all things French or French-sounding.  I will still avoid French restaurants, French dressing, French Fries, and French poodles.  In the meantime, my mind will busy itself with semi-ridiculous comparisons to the movie The Godfather.  You see, this friend has been baking cakes for me and giving me hot leads on great cooking equipment.  These are considered pretty big favors in my world.  And just like in The Godfather, I wonder when and how I will be expected to return the favor.  She does happen to come from the part of Ohio known for it's mafioso past.  That is all I will say about it for now.  I think I hear that Beatles song in my head now... "I get by with a little help from my friends..."  -nervous smile-

Details to confirm you have found what you are looking
for...  Happy Hunting...  :-)

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-77-412-Classic-Stainless-12-Quart/dp/B0000UV01S/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&srs=2587949011&ie=UTF8&qid=1428165489&sr=1-2&keywords=cuisinart+multi-pot

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