Wabi-Sabi Restaurant, in Old Town Petersburg, Four Stars!

My friend and I decided to try something new and I got on Restaurant.com to see what certificates I had that we could try. Well, Wabi-Sabi stood out to us so we checked directions and headed for Petersburg. First, coming from North of Petersburg, take 95 south to the exit just south of South Park Mall (Exit 52) and bear to the right on Washington. Make a second right on (301-1 South) and then a left on Bollingbrook. Wabi-sabi is on the right, they have parking right across the street.

The restaurant is very eclectic with lovely paintings, cool asian art and some old cogs and gears on the walls from the iron works. They have 2 rooms upstairs with a bar on one side and the kitchen/sushi bar on the other. Downstairs they have another bar where they have live bands, comedy shows, open mike on Thursdays and they even said they have a Drag Show .. It happens on the Third Sunday of every Month at 1pm. Call for reservations. They do sell out every month.

The bar upstairs has these two very cool, tall column style fish tanks on either end of the bar. So when seated we got both the regular menus and the sushi menu. We decided to split a seaweed salad with a large salmon filet which they put on the side since it was so big. That salad was delightful, very cool, lightly spicy with a sesame seed dressing and had cuccumbers and mandarine orange slices on the side. The salmon we got Teriyaki style. It was cooked rare, tender as could be and very sweet and lightly flaky. Really wanted more.

Then we each ordered 2 types of Sushi to try. My friend ordered the Tempura Sweet Potato Rolls and I think Salmon Rolls. I had the Eel Rolls and California Rolls. There were eight pieces of each style and they had the best ginger on the side. Of course there was Wasabi, though I never use that. And a little mini pitcher of soy sauce that is at every table. The taste was beyond compare. Very fresh, clean flavor. The vegetables were very crispy and fresh. The presentation was beautiful. (The picture is one I took at the sushi counter, not my own plate. I wanted a good shot with great lighting. The Sushi Chefs hooked me up. LOL)

I can not wait to go back. I highly recommend trying Wabi-sabi in Petersburg, it is worth the drive.
Price, well, get the Restaurant.com deal to help with the price. This isn't cheep, but well worth every penny. I would say $$ 1/2 on a scale of $ to $$$$.

Stuffed Chicken Recipe (And a cautionary Tale!)

Sorry I haven’t posted for a bit. I did the stupid move of rushing a meal and undercooked a hamburger a few weeks ago. I got Food Poisoning. Let me tell you, Food Poisoning is nothing to fool around with. I got lucky, I was only sick as a dog. I did not end up in the hospital, but it was a close call. Always, I repeat always, make sure you cook hamburgers completely. Raw centers are not a good thing. It’s not like steak, which hasn’t been broken down and processed. Ground beef has been run through a grinder and this breaks down the meat and allows bacteria to grow. It could have been much worse. I could have had botulism and had serious organ failure. I did get so dehydrated that my kidneys didn’t work right for 3 days. But, thanks to my brother knowing what to do, “Thank you Dr Jim” and a whole lot of Gatorade, I got through it. Uno was hysterical the last 2 days of my recovery, it seems my stomach was making so much noise it annoyed him. He wouldn’t sleep in the bedroom; he slept out in the hall or the living room to get away from the noise. The Poor baby.

During my recovery time, I of course wasn’t making any money, so that is when my cable bill came due and couldn’t pay, so I lost Cable and Internet last week. I have to log on from some local places that have free wifi. The best is Martin’s Grocery. But I have even logged on thanks to Starbucks and McDonald’s. I hope to fix the situation soon, but pardon my spotty posts for a while. Other bills are more important to me.

In the mean time, I am going to start selling “Pampered Chef” as a Consultant. I am hoping to make a real go of this and get myself on a more solid financial footing. I should have a Consultants page with them soon. I will use my aroseross@outlook.com email when I sign up with them. So you can go to that page to order items once it is set up.

Pampered Chef has some of the best cooking products, bake ware, preparation tools and more. It’s a company I can firmly stand behind since I can use and Love their products. I hope to be having tasting parties and getting many of you as hooked on their awesome kitchen tools as I am.

Yesterday I cooked a nice dinner for a friend of mine and her Mom. It was the first big meal I have prepared in ages. I stuffed chicken breasts with Prosciutto and Manchego Cheese. I coated them outside with a delicious crumb mixture of bread, Ritz Crackers and just enough butter to hold it together. I will post the recipe below. Along with this version of “Chicken Cordon Blu” I made asparagus and Mashed Golden Potatoes. Everything was delicious. My only problem, the deli person who cut the Prosciutto for me, did so wearing gloves that he had handled Turkey with. I am very allergic. And it seems I have gotten more so. I felt like a second round of food poisoning. Thankfully, it didn’t last half as long and I felt tired but okay today. Believe me, I will be having a word with the manager at that grocery about their deli workers changing gloves and cleaning the slicers more thoroughly. I do not want an instant replay ever again.

So here is the recipe for the everyman’s simple “Chicken Cordon Blu” or Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

3 large boneless chicken breasts

24 Ritz Crackers

2-4 slices of sourdough or hearty white bread (depending on size of slices)

2 Tablespoons of butter melted.

6 slices of Prosciutto (or ham if you prefer)

Shredded Cheese (I used Manchego, but Provolone or Mozzarella would be great too.)

Flour

3 eggs

2 Tblsp Dijon Mustard

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Clean the chicken well and pat dry.

Using a sharp paring knife, slice the chicken breast from the thicker meaty side and carefully form a pocket inside leaving the edges intact. (About a ¼ inch all around is good)

You will lay out the prosciutto and put a pile of the shredded cheese on one end and carefully roll it up.

Take each roll and carefully stuff it into the chicken breasts. Two to a breast. Then pinch the opening closed and put on a plate. Take the 3 now stuffed breasts and put them in the fridge for 20 minutes or more to rest and it will seal itself closed.

While the chicken is in the fridge put the Crackers and Bread that you have shredded up a bit into a food processor and pulse until well crumbled and mixed together. Add the butter and pulse a few more times to coat the crumbs. Set aside in one large dredging dish.

In a second Dredging dish beat the 3 eggs with the mustard, blending well.

In the final put enough flour to coat the outside of the chicken breasts. (About ¾ cup)

Take the chicken and carefully dredge to coat with the flour and tap off the excess.

Next dredge it in the egg and mustard mixture. (Using tongs makes this easier and keeps your hands from getting too messy.

Finally dredge in the crumb mixture and really pat the crumbs on so it is well coated.

Place each breast in a 9 x 13 pan (I used my Pampered Chef Baking Dish)

Place the pan in the oven on the bottom rack and cook for 10 minutes.

Then lower the heat to 400 degrees and finish cooking the chicken on the middle rack for 20 more minutes or until cooked through. (You should test to make sure it is done with a meat thermometer inserted carefully into the chicken breast at an angle so you are in the breast and not the stuffed center. The internal temperature should be 180degrees)

 

Remove the pan from the oven when cooked and lightly cover with foil to allow it to set and finish cooking. Though don’t cover tightly or the crust will become soggy.

Serve with steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Bacon Egg Wrap

This is so yummy, but it does take a little prep time. But it's so worth it. Before you start, consider, are you making just for yourself, or are you making for a group/party. For myself alone I just used a ramekin. For a party, I would use large Muffin Tins as you can make 4-6 in each tin, depending on the size.
Preheat oven to 350
What you need:
Ramekins or Muffin Tins
Bacon (I like thick sliced, but you can use thin.)
Toast that you will cut to fit in bottom of Ramekin or Muffin Tin.
Grated Cheese (Many like Cheddar or a Colby Jack. Due to my food allergies, I went with Goat Gouda and Goat Cheddar. Manchego is good too.)
Egg
You can add: Hash brown potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Peppers it is up to your preference. I used spinach and sliced grape tomatoes.
butter

I precook the bacon to half done, still soft but has some of the fat already rendered.
Lightly butter the inside of the ramekin or muffin tin.
Put toast in the bottom. I use a round biscuit or cookie cutter to make the toast fit.
Put the bacon in so it is a circle around the toast and going up the sides of the tin/ramekin.
fill the bacon cup with the veggies of choice (I used the spinach and tomato here)
Top with the grated cheese
Crack one egg over the top
Add just a touch more cheese and a dot of butter on top of the egg.

You will cook this in the oven for 20 minutes or until the white of the egg is fully cooked. (I like a firm yolk, so I cook it about 25 minutes.)

Remove from oven and carefully remove your bacon egg cup using a spatula to lift it out of its bakeware. Serve.
If you have the time and inclination, this would be awesome topped with some Hollandaise. I like using Marzetti Dressing in place of the Hollandaise. Though this time I went plain.

Enjoy!

Just thought I would put this out here too! Please share, please help me go viral. I really would like to find my Birthdaughter!

Stuffed Burgers... Heaven in a Bun!

Okay, so I had to give a title that would catch the eye. :)

What can I say, I honestly love how this simple recipe came out.

So I made a batch of my favorite Avocado Salsa, though I had to improvise as I didn't have the green onions or fresh cilantro. I had 6, slightly smaller avocados, and used them all. I had a large red and yellow bell pepper which I used. To substitute the cilantro I used dried and I just used chives instead of onions. A milder flavor is always my favorite. So this batch came out creamier more like guacamole in texture. This prompted my idea to use it stuffed in a burger.

So here is the recipe for the ultimate stuffed burger.

I took fresh ground beef, 88% lean. I added 2 TBSP of Ketchup, (I use a brand free of high fructose corn syrup.)

I mixed the meat with the ketchup to give it a bit more moisture.

I pressed out a thin burger and topped with some sheep milk feta (Found this at Costco in the Cheese and Lunch Meat section) and a heaping spoon of the Avocado Salsa.

I topped with a second patty (both about 1/4 lb) and pressed the edges together to seal in the cheese and avocado mixture.

Sprinkle the outside with a pinch of sea salt and tuscan herbs.

I cooked this on medium heat in a fry pan, no oil. The avocado will exude it's own oil and I have a ceramic coated fry pan. Cover to hold the heat in and keep the burger moist. I turn the burger at least 3 times to get well browned and cooked through.

The feta will melt inside and add to the gooey goodness.

Remove from the heat. I prepped the bread or bun by toasting lightly. I put a couple slices of manchego cheese on along with some fresh mixed greens and topped with the burger. This is such a juicy burger you will definitely need a napkin handy. Enjoy!

(Here are the promised pictures.)

Christmas Celebrations, Ruminations and New Years Hopes & Dreams!

I spent Christmas on Christmas Eve at my brother’s house! It was so nice to have family time and visiting with my Brother, his wife, and their son Roger and his wife and kids. Their children are so much fun and very artistically talented. Amber loves to draw and has a very good eye for perspective already. Anthony is more the 3 dimensional artist and likes to build things. I hope to teach him how to make the clay dragons like I do. Though I bet his will be even better than mine in no time.

My sister-in-law and I love to cook, so it’s always fun to talk cooking, cookbooks and such with her. I wish we had more time to just get together and cook and have fun.

Later in the day the rest of the friends that they invited arrived for the dinner. Since many of these people have joined us for the holidays for many years it feels like extended family when they arrive. The conversation was full of the joy that makes the Holiday all that much more fun. It was a wonderful day!

The only damper for me was that lost feeling I can’t shake. I feel like that square peg trying to cram into a round hole. It’s trying to be happy without Mom there. She was so much a part of my life that I feel out of place without her. I have done all I could this year to get that feeling of cheer, but I feel like I fall just short of the goal. I know it’s more than just losing Mom, it’s everything else that has happened. I am still very knocked off kilter. As you can see in this picture, just 2 years ago it was a big family gathering at Christmas, my other brother came to visit with his family, Mom was still doing pretty well and well, I hadn't known the deep betrayal that would hit me from my husband. This year, there is no Mom, so Joe and family didn't come up to visit. And it's just Uno and I here with Husband in Jail and a divorce in the future. I hope 2013 is better. I will hopefully be divorced and I am looking for a way to solve my money problems. I hope to get time to write more. I would like to finally put my cookbook together and maybe e-publish it. I want to build up my cooking blog and try and post at least every other day. And one way or another I will get back to Florida for a visit at the very least.  That would really help to fill the hole for me.

So I wish all of my friends and family here, in Florida and spread out across the country and world a very Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with family, cheer and blessings! And may we all have a Bright and Happy New Year full of possibilities!

Merry Christmas everyone!

German Stӧllen Bread

This is Mom’s recipe for German Stӧllen Bread!

There were many revisions over the years. She also divides the recipe for making half a batch or 6 loaves instead of 12. I am going to type out the most recent revision then copy the 4 pages of her hand written recipe to post along with it. She has a note to read the whole recipe and revisions each year before she would start making the loaves for that year.

I remember Mom and I having a production line of making loaves of bread each year. We would make somewhere between 18 and 24 loaves. She would take some as gifts for her Minister at Church, friends from Church Circle; Dad would take to boss, or special clients. And of course we would have some for ourselves. She would freeze at least 3 so we would have this delightful fruit bread for at least several weeks for breakfast or a special after school treat.

1994 Revised Stӧllen Bread Recipe

For 6 Loaves       For 12 Loaves                     Mix Together:

¾ cup                    1 ½ cup                                 Lukewarm Milk

½ cup                    1 cup                                     Sugar

¾ tsp                     1 ½ tsp                                  Salt

2 pkg                     3 packages                          Dissolve fresh dry yeast in:

¼ cup                    ½ cup                                    Water, lukewarm, & stir well. Add to:

2                              4`                                            Eggs

½ cup                    1 cup                                     Shortening (mom used Crisco)

2 cup                     4 cup                                     Flour

                                                                                Put all this in mixer bowl with dough hook attached. Add:

2 cup                     4 cup                                     flour and mix very well at slow speed. Add:

1 cup                     2 cup                                     more flour when mixed until dough leaves side of bowl.

Put out on the Table (Mom had a formica topped kitchen table, she would sprinkle the top with flour and do this step) and knead for about 5 minutes with a little more flour until it “Feels right”. (It’s springy and has a tight consistency.)

Put in large, greased bowl covered with greased aluminum pie pan & place in slightly warm oven. Be sure to put a cookie sheet underneath in case it runs over and drips down when it rises. (She would prewarm the oven and turn it off, so it was warmer than room temp. This creates a warm, dry atmosphere and reduces the chance of humidity changing how well it rises.)

Punch down in 2 ½ to 3 hours and let rise- turn over to bring greased side to the top.

Second rising is 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Meanwhile – prepare the fruit & nuts by putting each of the following into 2 equal piles.

This much in each pile

For 6 Loaves       For 12 Loaves                     Ingredients

½ cup                    1 cup                                     Old English Fruit & Peel Mix

½ cup                    1 cup                                     Raisins

½ cup                    1 cup                                     Currants

¼ cup                    ½ cup                                    Citron

¼ cup                    ½ cup                                    candied Cherries

¼ cup                    ½ cup                                    mixed orange & lemon peel (candied)

½ cup                    1 cup                                     Broken Pecans

1 Tblsp                  2 Tblsp                                  grated fresh lemon rind

Put ½ the dough and the abovelisted fruit in the mixer with dough hook – on slow speed & let the mixer do the work of mixing in the fruit. When well distributed, turn out on floured board – let rest for 15 minutes to make it easier to handle and shape into 5 loaves (approx. 13 oz each) Let rise one hour while preparing second half of the dough.

Bake only one cookie sheet in each oven at 350° degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Frost with XXXX icing and decorate with candied Cherries & Green Pineapple creating flowers. Be sure to use evaporated milk for icing – skim milk makes a grainy consistency.

* In 2000 not too successful because dough didn’t rise properly & bread was too dense and heavy.

      In the future start the first steps very early so dough can have plenty of time for 3 risings & still be finished the same day.  ( If Cannot finish in one day, do NOT put dough in refrigerator overnight. (It seemed to have killed the yeast.) Just leave it out & punch it down the next morning.

These are the 4 pages of the original recipe from Mom's Cookbook! She had this filed in the book under "Yeast Breads"!