Short & Sweet Sunday - Chicago-Style Hot Dogs

This post is by Matt, the Beer Baron who also loves hot dogs! 

I admit to getting weirdly obsessive about odd things sometimes. It happens mostly with movies and food - both things I absolutely love. If I get a certain movie (like Aliens or L.A. Confidential, for example) in my head, I will obsess about it until I get the chance to see it again. The same thing goes for food. If I crave a certain food, it becomes a matter of when and not if I will eat it next.

Yesterday, for some odd reason, I wanted a Chicago-style hot dog, which we discovered on our first trip to Chicago a decade ago and then had again on a visit in 2013. Rather than drive the 640 kilometres to get a real one (which I briefly considered), I decided to make my own.

A Chicago-style hot dog is an all-beef wiener put on a poppy seed bun, then topped (in this order) with yellow mustard, sweet green pickle relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle spears, sport peppers (pickled peppers), and celery salt. 

Most of the ingredients are pretty easy to come by except for the poppy seed bun, so I had to improvise by using a basting brush to brush melted butter on the tops of my normal hot dog buns so I could then coat them with poppy seeds.

The end result was absolutely delicious. The mix of flavours and textures is really what makes it special. While I never liked Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, I think Chicago nailed it when it comes to hot dogs. Cheers!

Short & Sweet Sunday - Summer Memories

Remember summer?  Sitting on the deck, fresh vegetables and fruit for snacks.  A glass of wine.

Those are purple radishes!

And prosciutto-wrapped honeydew melon.  One of my all-time favourites.

Spring is here!  Soon it will be time for snacks on the deck again.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - Pork Chops & Apple Sauce

Pork chops and apple sauce is one of the meals I most remember eating as a kid.  We'd have "shake and bake" bone-in rib chops coated in breadcrumbs and baked in the oven.  

This is a boneless rib chop. I coated it in panko with a little thyme and fried it in a pan.  The oven would have been even easier.  I made the apple sauce (which couldn't be easier) and served it with thin asparagus.  If you like you could purée the apples into a smoother sauce, but I like the chunky apples.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - Smoked Duck Salad

The Western Fair Farmers & Artisans Market in London is a great place to find interesting local products.  I found this smoked duck breast at Saucy Meats & More, which sells local meat and game.  

I thinly sliced the smoked duck breast over some organic greens from the market.

I  made some smaller, bite-sized slices too.

Then I whipped up a vinaigrette with some cherry juice, dijon mustard, honey, white wine vinegar and olive oil.  It was a great complement to the duck.

The smoked duck tasted almost like bacon and was so tasty.  Some nuts or pepitas sprinkled over top would be a nice touch, but just the duck and greens together with the vinaigrette was lovely.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - Indoor Peas!

Our garden is wrapping up for the year but we still have plenty of herbs and peppers out there.  

In late September, a little snow pea plant started growing.  So Matt brought it inside before the first frost.  

At first it seemed a little wilty after being transplanted into a big pot, but it soon perked right up.

And now the peas are starting to grow.  We should be able to get at least one meal out of this plant before winter.  What a nice surprise!

Short & Sweet Sunday - Cherry Tomato Pasta (again)

For me this is the recipe of the summer.  It was a revelation.  This is the third time I've written about it.

I normally make a ton of pesto every summer since we always have copious amounts of basil, but I'm a little off pesto and this "sauce" has got to be healthier since there's so much less oil and cheese.  

Plus, look how gorgeous:

Lovely!

Slicing the cherry tomatoes in half helps make it more saucy.  Sprinkle with salt and add minced garlic, diced onion and peppers. 

This time I roasted the zucchini separately so it was a little more firm once cooked.

Then tossed all the veggies with pasta water and cooked linguini.

And then some fresh basil, oregano and parsley.  Top with some parmesan cheese and serve!  Delish in spring, summer and fall!

Short & Sweet Sunday - Hot Tip: Corn

Sometimes I find a tip online that is such a great, simple solution I can't believe I didn't think of it before.  My favourite example is freezing ginger.

Here's another easy solution to a common problem: taking corn off the cob. I used to steady the corn on a cutting board and dangerously slice each side. Corn went everywhere!  This tip involves two metal bowls of differing sizes.

Place the smaller bowl upside down inside the larger bowl.

Cut the end off the cob of corn so there's a flat surface to steady it.

Place the corn cob end on top of the small bowl.

Then carefully slice the kernels off the cob

The kernels will drop neatly into the large bowl, not all over your counter and floor.

Rotate the cob until all the corn is removed.

You can use raw or cooked cobs for this. This was some leftover cooked corn I saved an used in rice pilaf later in the week.  You can use raw corn and freeze it for later.  The kernels break up easily with fingers or with a spoon while cooking.  

A great tip to help with what can be a daunting task.  

Short & Sweet Sunday - Mojito!

This is the reason I started growing mint in my garden.  This is an extremely refreshing cocktail, perfect for a hot summer day!

I usually use a cocktail shaker for this, but it's easy to muddle the ingredients in a glass.  

Use a handful of mint.

Sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar.

Muddle with a wooden spoon.  Muddling releases the oils and flavour from the mint.

Add the juice of a lime and mix to dissolve the sugar.

And a shot of white rum.

Fill the glass with ice and top with club soda.

Drink on the deck with a good book.  Refreshing!

Short & Sweet Sunday - Cheese!

Recently we drove through Jordan, Ontario to visit our favourite winery Cave Springs. We love their Riesling.  As we drove through town we passed the Upper Canada Cheese Company and couldn't resist stopping in.  They were happy to give us samples of several cheeses, but we loved the Niagara Gold.

It is salty, nutty and delicious. Bread and cheese has to be one of my favourite things in the world to eat. 

Last week we even had it for dinner with some fresh figs. Couldn't be easier or more delicious!

We had some Artisan Oka along with the Niagara Gold for a nice, creamy contrast. 

Short & Sweet Sunday - Green Juice

Green juice is very good for you. Although juice doesn't give you all the fiber and in the whole food, when you juice vegetables you can get all the nutrients of a lot of vegetables that would probably be too much to eat in one day let alone one serving. 

All this makes about 2 cups of juice.  2 celery stalks, 2 carrots with greens, 1 beet with greens, a small bunch of kale and an apple, 1/4 lemon and an inch of ginger. 


The juice can taste a little funky but if you add aromatics like lemon and ginger, plus the apple for sweetness it makes it taste more palatable.  

I bought this juicer based on a review online, praising it as a good quality, inexpensive juicer. The juice is tasty.

Because of the beet, this isn't exactly green juice but it is filled with the goodness and nutrients of green vegetables I wouldn't have time or space to eat otherwise.

Short & Sweet Sunday - Bison Steaks

My husband loves game meat and, although it can be pricey and hard to find, it is also generally delicious.  We particularly like bison. It is so lean and flavourful.  If you ever see it available I highly recommend trying it.

I found bison striploin steaks at a local market and had to bring them home.  We seasoned them very simply with oil, salt and pepper.

And grilled them to medium-rare. We served them with roasted potatoes and steamed yellow beans. A delicious treat!

Short & Sweet Sunday - Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley

I always seem to find interesting grain mixes at Costco. But they come in enormous bags so I need to find interesting ways to use it up.

Israeli couscous is larger than regular couscous and has a nice chewy texture when cooked.  This particular mix also includes a small amount of quinoa, dried chickpeas and orzo.  

Since I didn't read the recipe carefully, I used a slightly different technique to cook the dish, but it all worked out in the end.  

I cooked the orzo in chicken stock with a cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

Meanwhile, toast some pine nuts until light brown, not too dark!  Also, saute some shallots. If you're on the ball you'll saute the shallots first, then add the couscous, spices and stock, but adding the cooked shallots after is ok too.  

To the cooked couscous, add the sauteed shallots, minced parsley and the pine nuts.

Mix it all together...

And serve. 

I served with a grilled pork chop and broccoli.

Tasty!  Now I need to find about 10 more recipes to use up this bag of couscous.