The Dec. 25 Special Dinner

By Aureliux
(2 votes) (report abuse)
OK, we had a really good, very productive and wonderful time going over what we all did to enjoy our great Thanksgiving Dinner.

What are the plans that we'd like to discuss for Christmas?

I always used to make a special pilgrimage to a custom high end meat market to get these special steaks that are kind of hard to find. And most of the time when they are found, they aren't marbled right for my taste.

Anyway, I'd fire up my barbecue with some real charcoal, cook everything else on my wood stove in the kitchen, and we'd have dinner around 2:00 PM

This year I may just have to go visit Ownen's in Cle Elum and see what they have for my Christmas dinner!

When I was on the other side of the hill, years ago, would always go down to Green River Meats.

A.
Finding a Deal On Prime Rib byClem December 05, 2008 (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Owens is probably a good choice. I think they still run their own feed lot where they fatten a few cattle at a time. I have found its pretty hard to get decent beef from any of the local grocery stores. Some of the beef cuts can be pretty tough. I will probably be looking at something from Fred Meyer or Costco. Costco beef is definitely a cut above the supermarkets but you might pay a little more.
bycdub December 05, 2008 (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
When buying beef, make sure the beef is labeled "Choice". Most of the meat in the supermarkets is not choice, but labeled as thier "blue ribbon beef", "ranchers best" or what not. This is not a USDA grade. These are usually lesser quality grades of meat.

Locally, Super 1 has chioce beef, and it appears that they also "needle" most of their meat, which makes the meat eaven more tender, this process puts tiny holes throughout a larger cut of meat with surgical steel needles, before it is cut by the butcher into consumer cuts for the meat case.

Owens has a good selection of meat, and it seems to be aged a little longer also. And, of course you can't beat their BACON!!
The Big Beef Quality Issue byAureliux December 06, 2008 (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I think the biggest issue with beef is what producers can afford and how feed lots have changed the diet for the steers in the last 40-50 years.

Anyone out there with more info and sharper facts than I have? Please feel free to speak up and educate me on this matter.

BUT if I remember right, once upon a time in America, feed lot beef used to get a lot of carrots, corn, and sugar beets. That was along with any other grain that happened to come along with whatever hay was also available.

On the last west side of the hill farm "I" was working on, we were SO LUCKY to get the surplus used grain from the Olympia brewery. Cows went absolutely nutzoid over that stuff...

Now it seems that feed lots are using a totally different feed made up of oats, soy, and wheat? Marbling is thinner, color is a lighter red and the fat is now completely white like lard or crisco.

Suppose loosing all the sugar beet fields when U&I sugar folded might have something to do with the diet change. Carrots do color the beef nice and dark red, and along with a high quantity corn quality feed the fat turns that lovely buttery yellow.

So that is the beef I grew up with. The grade "Choice" was one cut below what we used to get, "USDA Prime GRADE A" and the last place I ever bought some was in Auburn, WA at Green River Meats.

And then I could also go off on milk production and quality when I could buy pure un-homogenated non-pastuerized Jersey milk in gallon glass peanut butter jars from a local farm. Was almost 50% cream which was HEAVY and dark gold, and after it was off the milk what was left was bright yellow in color and so rich you'd think you were drinking half and half. But it was skim milk! Awesome stuff.

A.
Then there are Potatoes byAureliux December 06, 2008 (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Have found the ultimate potato. I have also grown a few of them. Suppose it's an improvement over the old historical yellow Fin that I always liked so well.

But this one is called Yukon Gold. I use it for everything. Have found them at Costco. When I get up around Burlington, Sedro Wooley, ect. there is a warehouse up there that has an outlet.

THEN I get my 2nd favorite, Purple Beauty. Dark purple all the way through, sometimes has a few white splotches on the inside. THAT is my all time best frying potato. Although I have also baked and mashed them a few times. When I did get around to growing some, they took off like insane weeds in my garden as they are also a powerful indeterminate that doesn't know when to stop until they freeze out in the late fall.

When I still had my wood cook stove at the other house, I would LOAD the little oven with all kinds of potatoes and bake them. Then once they were done and cooled down they'd get processed through the shredder on the Kitchen Aid, put in gallon zip lock bags, and frozen.

Could make these interesting multi-colored layered hash browns that would be an incredible yellow-gold on one side, and deep purple on the other. Then once fried and crispy, BOTH sides would have that great lovely browned color.

There are a few other spuds that I like to use for specific things. Like when I make the Greek garlic fried potatoes with feta I use the reds. Boiled new spring potatoes always works with the white rose variety. I used to start some of those real early just so I could reach under the plants in the spring and rob them of the little round treasures for lunch. And they are another one that will go crazy and never know when to stop growing. Everywhere the joints of the plant droop and hit the ground, more roots pop out and then little potatoes start to form right away!

A.
RE: Then there are Potatoes byAngel Girl December 06, 2008 (3 votes) (report abuse)
Hi everyone I have to admit....


I "am" a POTATOE-OLIC!!!! I love them any way I can get them...especially baked potatoe's
Special Dinner byCleElum1 December 06, 2008 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Hey All,

I feel like I just had my x-mas dinner. I cooked "big" tonight. A 7 lb. beef roast in the slow cooker till it shedded easily with a fork, yukon gold potato's quartered and sprinkled with parsley flakes, gravy made with drippings and cr. of mushroom soup, nuked frozen broccoli, Grands buttermilk biscuits with butter and sorgum molasses. Good stuff!!!!
Yeah! Sorghum, GREAT Stuff. byAureliux December 07, 2008 (1 votes) (report abuse)
OK,

Another one of my culinary bells has been rung. I love sorghum. It is also not molasses. They are a lot alike. Sorghum is actually a plant that sort of grows like grain and the Amish still have a lot of it in production.

Molasses is good too, but it's kind of a left over from sugar production.

Sorghum is exactly what it is, as far as I know the only processing it gets is, the stalk goes through a crimper then a roller that presses the juice out.

So part of the best news of all is, sorghum is grown in the good ol' USA.

I used to put a tiny drop of it in the kid's hot cocoa when they were little. Amazing how it improves the taste. I've put it in milk shakes, heavy cream for coffee, used it on everything from pancakes, crepes, to waffles, AND toast.

Actually never did try it on those nice little biscuits. Now that is on my list of things I AM going to try!

There are several fantastic cookie recipes out there that it can be used in. I have put it in my chocolate chip cookie mix with great results.

Once I made a topping for angle food cake with it.

Always added some to my whole wheat bread recipes.

And I never missed adding it to my home made Boston Baked Beans

Did put some in chili once in a while. I know it sounds odd, but one tablespoon in there with some of my home grown fresh ground Bohemian horse radish did wonders. AND no one could ever figure out what I did that was SO different, after they ate me out of house and home.

Only place I've ever seen it for sale in E-burg is at the little health food store on 6th. Everyone else sells plain old molasses.

Thank you for spiking my memory on the sorghum!

Happy Meals Forever,

A.
Re: Then there are potatoes byAlbert December 06, 2008 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
When I was a kid, one potato dish my family and I always looked forward to was one my Mom fixed when we harvested the red potatoes. We would look for the little marble sized potatoes and pick them off the plants roots and they would be cooked with a white sauce and fresh garden peas. Haven't had for years but very much enjoyed. I can remember a number of good dishes you can enjoy but only if you have your own garden.
RE: Re: Then there are potatoes byCleElum1 December 06, 2008 (2 votes) (report abuse)
Hey Albert,
I've fix creamed potato and pea's but they probaly wasn't as good as what you had as kid with fresh garden red potato the size of marbles. I usual fix it once or twice a month in the winter because it's something that I can make as a big pot, and have used just about every kind of potato and frozen pea's. They make an excellent side to so many dinners.
The One Hill One Potato Patch byAureliux December 07, 2008 (1 votes) (report abuse)
I was in a rented house in Phoenix, AZ for a short period of time in 1971. There was a tiny little empty square patch of dirt next to the house, facing south.
Had a few russets that were coming alive on their own so I took a screw driver, because it was all I had at the time, and poked around in the dirt until it was loosened up enough to insert a few potato starts.
Dirt spot was less than 2' x 2' and I got this started around the end of February, just about the time things quit freezing at night.
I had potatoes, the plant looked kind of neat growing up against the house, I had to water it twice a day when things really warmed up but I bet I got close to 10# out of that one spot. And some of them got huge.

A.
CleElum1...red potatoes byAlbert December 06, 2008 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
You talked me into trying it for myself. I'll get some small red potatoes and cut in half or quarter and throw in some of those frozen Wash/Calif petite peas. I'll just make a simple white sauce. I agree....won't be near as good as those fresh little potatoes and fresh peas....but what the heck, it should still be okay...I hope.
RE: CleElum1...red potatoes byCleElum1 December 06, 2008 (2 votes) (report abuse)
Hey Albert,
Absolutely, try it and let me know how it turns out for you. It doesn't have to be as good as long as it is good! Hope you enjoy it !!!!!!!!!!
Here's more on the 'taters byAureliux December 07, 2008 (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Another one I used to grow is called the Nooksak. Super big russet variety and some did really get up to football size. When I baked them I used stainless steel kebab skewers so the insides wouldn't take so long to cook through.

I did try several times to grow Kennebecs. That is THE one for French fries. Nice standard oblong sized with very smooth skin, easy to peel and, as far as I know, has less water and more fiber than any of the other varieties.

SO if you have ever tried making your own French fries out of store bought russets and found it didn't work out real good, it's because they are the wrong spud for the job.

Same thing with regular fried potatoes.

When I wanted hash browns and didn't have any pre-baked and shredded? I'd peel whatever kind I had, run them through the shredder, put them in a glass pie plate with whatever seasoning I wanted on them, and then I microwave them for about 3 minutes. Get them HOT, perhaps not quite cooked but the idea is to get the excess water out of them so they'll fry right without sticking or soaking up too much oil.

A.
Alaskan Peanut Potatoes? byMaxtodon December 07, 2008 (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Anyone ever try those? Unusual if they get bigger than thumb sized. Plants are smaller than the standards and they are great boilers.

Fun to grow, good to eat, unusual to have around, haven't seen seed starts for them for quite a few years.
CommentsRSS Feed
Want to leave a comment? Log In to your account
Want to leave a comment? Log In to your account