How I Spent My Summer Non-Vacation

Brisket sandwich and Disco Fries at Meat in Lansing, MI.

Well, I think I'm back!

Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year - has passed, as have the 3 subsequent holidays (Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah) which follow it. August and September were chaotic at my day job, filled with 6-day work weeks, some 10-hour days, a 7-day stretch at one point ... oy! Throw in my gig emcee-ing the Girl Scout Cookie Bake-Off on September 19; the reception for "American Foodways: The Jewish Contribution" - the cookbook exhibit I'd been working on since December - on September 24; and finishing work on the dessert buffet for "Gimme Shelter" - the fundraiser for Alpha House, which cares for homeless families - on September 28 ... well, you can see that my plans to be back in early September kinda got thrown off, just a bit. Only a fool would've thought it possible; but I've missed everyone, so I had high hopes!

Pumpkin Torte by Cheryl Hanewich - winner of the
2013 Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan
Cookie Bake-off that I emcee-ed.

And these little diversions don't even take into consideration writing 3 posts/week for AnnArbor.com, which has been absorbed by MLive.com and has returned to being called The Ann Arbor News in print on Thursdays and Sundays ... writing 3 articles for the Washtenaw Jewish News' September issue (the one about the exhibit not only made the front page, but it was above the fold!), and my usual cookbook piece for the October issue ... my parents both being in the hospital this summer, even overlapping one day: my mother fell down the stairs, my father's congestive heart failure is increasingly creeping toward end-stage ... somehow managing to damage my left shoulder: woke up, thought I'd slept on it oddly, didn't resolve, negative x-ray, 4 sessions of physical therapy made it far worse, MRI shows rotator cuff tendinitis but symptoms indicate more, seeing an orthopedic surgeon on Thursday ... sigh. And, of course, I tried to spend time with loved ones so they wouldn't feel neglected - that was mandatory!

Why be bored and twiddle your thumbs, when you can have this much fun, right???

Rather than writing a seemingly endless post that will make everyone groan as they see the unwieldy length of it, let me give you the highlights of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" ... or, rather, how I spent Food Floozie's vacation since I've personally been workin' my little tuckus off.

- Craig's birthday was June 15. We went thrift shopping and antiquing in Lansing, an hour away. And we ate at Meat, a barbecue restaurant that needs to open an outlet in Ann Arbor. Just a few weeks into my hiatus, and I was longing to wax rhapsodic about this place! Disco Fries - OMG!!! French fries topped with bacon gravy - yes, bacon gravy! - and then topped with cheese ... gasp! It could very possibly be one's last meal, but you'd certainly die happy. Good eater that I am, I still couldn't eat all of this; Craig happily finished the sandwich while I greedily devoured the fries. And since they don't serve dessert, they were completely endearing by cobbling together a birthday "cake" for Craig by offering a honey bun topped with a Pop Tart ... :)

- I was a judge at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's 1st Annual Pie Bake-Off. Is there anything better than eating pie on a summer afternoon??? Rhubarb ... peach ... cherry ... sigh.

- I found out that the world is a very small and haymish (warm, welcoming) place, when the grandson of a woman I'd mentioned in an article back in 2009 wrote to me; this turned into a story about food, family, and friendship ... and we all know that these are a few of my favorite things: Frances Maggin's Applesauce Cake and a Great Story.

- The Tigers are in the play-offs against the Red Sox. And last night's game, with that game-tying grand slam by Big Papi, is still reverberating here in Michigan! If you'd like to cheer on the Tigers in tomorrow's game, here are a couple of recent recipes to help you in your mission: Maurice Salad Subs and Greektown Sliders. We could've come back to Detroit 2-0, but now we're tied at 1-1 ... :(

- I have continued my twisted little mission to document thrift shops all trying to sell copies of In the Kitchen with Rosie. Craig at first thought it was a bit perverse, but has realized that this is a gift that keeps on giving; he now points out copies to me as we go to various stores!

- Oh, and before I forget: please vote for my Chocolate Cherry Kugl!!! I'm a finalist in the National Yiddish Book Center's contest to find the best recipes for traditional Jewish foods. A friend of Jeremy's once said it was "like eating crack" ... :)

So, I'm aiming to be back here on Mondays, and may offer some Wordless Wednesdays, too; Frugal Fridays can be found on MLive.com. I'll likely serve up recipes, for the most part, but every so often there needs to be a rant or an amusing anecdote ... something to liven things up a bit! I'm hoping to be able to catch up with all my friends, and just recalibrate a bit after all the nonsense of the past couple of months. Then we'll see where it goes from there!

Mozzarella-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

Fresh mozzarella was on sale at the grocery store recently, so I thought I'd buy a container and then figure out what to do with it.  This is often how things work here - I don't head to the store with a plan, but rather find out what's on sale or being offered as a Manager's Special (on the verge of its "sell by" date and thus discounted).  I bring the loot home and then write about whatever concoctions I've devised with my stellar deals.

This is an elegant and sophisticated dish which gives no indication at all of being inspired by a sale item.  An assortment of pantry staples such as bread crumbs, olive oil, and canned tomatoes were combined with some fresh vegetables and wine already on hand.  The result was a spicy sauce and some tender meatballs filled with melting cheese.  It was exceptionally good!

I'm proud of both my shopping skills and also of how wonderful this meal was!  And I'm trying to win a contest that would offer cookbooks, other goodies, AND a phone chat with the fabulous Lidia Bastianich herself as a prize - would that make a great item for the blog, or what???  So please go to this link and vote for me.  Many thanks!!!

Mozzarella-Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine

Meatballs:
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
6 3/4" cubes fresh mozzarella
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes, garlic, onion, peppers, fresh tomatoes, salt, and peppper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add the wine and the crushed tomatoes; bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and continue simmering.

Make the meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and bread crumbs; mix well. Form 6 meatballs. One by one, flatten the meatballs into small patties; place 1 cheese cube into the center, then wrap the cheese in the turkey, making sure to seal it well. Repeat until all of the meatballs have been stuffed.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook for 5 minutes, turning them frequently to brown them all over.

Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

The meatballs and sauce can be served "as is" for a traditional Italian "secondi" ([seh-GON-dee] = second course), or they can be served over rice or pasta. (In Italy, a first course offers pasta, rice, or soup; the second course would offer meat, and then subsequently there would be vegetables, salads, and dolci - [DOHL-chee], sweets.)

Serves 2-4.

Frugal Floozie Friday -- \aut\ Bar

On a warm, sunny evening recently, Tom and I enjoyed a lovely dinner on the shaded patio at the \aut\ Bar, today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature.

We stood for quite some time perusing the menu's numerous options before settling on our choice; better, we determined, to have the staff wait a few moments to seat us than for our poor server to come back to our table multiple times as we tried valiantly to make a decision among so many delicious choices.

Ultimately we decided to split the fabulously flavorful and feisty Italian Roll-Up: Hard salami and spicy Italian cappicola rolled in a large sun-dried tomato tortilla with provolone, pepperoncini pepper, lettuce, tomato, olive relish, and Italian seasonings.

It was a tremendous amount of food for an exceptional value: $7.25, thus less then $4 each - well within the Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person. And there are also lots of desserts, appetizers and other sandwiches which would have qualified for our mission, too.

The sandwich was tightly packed with so many colors and sensations! Each meat offered its own blend of spices, the vegetables were crisp and cooling, and the relish offered a salty touch. It was a unique and perfect combination of textures and tastes. The fries were crisp with just the right amount of salt, rather than bland or overly seasoned - an ideal complement to the zesty roll-up.

Our dinner at the \aut\ Bar was a wonderful start to a great evening enjoying the sights, sounds and scenes of downtown Ann Arbor.

\aut\ Bar
315 Braun Ct.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-994-3677


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Cheese-Stuffed Italian Sausage Meatloaf

This may not be the most photogenic recipe I'll ever offer to you (trust me - I tried valiantly with different plates and angles and lighting!), but it's truly one of the best. Just imagine it: Italian sausage, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, pesto ... a feast of flavors, if not a feast for the eyes!

Meatloaf often gets a bad reputation because it's usually just plain ol' ground beef mixed with ketchup or bread crumbs or Lipton onion soup mix, but it doesn't need to be that way. Use a variety of meats, change up the sauces and seasonings, stuff something interesting into the middle ... give it a make-over and glam it up!

You can vary the spiciness of the dish by using mild, sweet or hot Italian sausage; and you can lower the fat content by using links made of turkey, if you prefer.

This dinner was devoured so quickly that there wasn't even a hope of leftovers for the next day - pretty good reviews for a meatloaf!

Cheesey Italian Sausage Meatloaf

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound ground turkey
1 small red onion, chopped fine
4 tablespoons pesto, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
4 ounces Gorgonzola, divided
1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sausage, turkey, onion, 2 tablespoons of the pesto, salt, pepper and oregano. Take two-thirds of the mixture and press it across the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie pan. Place half of the Gorgonzola and all of the parmesan into the center of the circle, leaving a 1/2" border. Carefully spread the rest of the mixture over the cheese, and seal the edges.

Bake for 45 minutes, then brush with remaining the remaining 2 tablespoons pesto; sprinkle the remaining Gorgonzola over the top. Bake 5 more minutes.

Let the meatloaf rest for 5 minutes before cutting into portions.

Serves 6-8.

International Week -- Transylvanian Goulash

Every time the subject of goulash comes up in conversation -- and it actually does come up in my conversations, sometimes! -- people tell me about a dish they make with ground beef that almost sounds like a soupy sort of sloppy joe mixture. I'm sure it's fabulous, and I've made similar meals myself. But it's not actually goulash, especially if the macaroni that many folks mention in the same breath is added to it ... really, I mean it.

According to the online Budapest Tourist Guide, goulash "was (and still is) a very popular dish among herdsmen in Hungary. They made it in a cast-iron kettle hung above open fire, out in the fields. Herdsman is gulyás in Hungarian, so that’s where the dish’s name comes from." The basic ingredients are a tomato base, meat, onion, sometimes green pepper and always paprika.

The basis of my own recipe comes from an article in The New York Times Magazine section from February 5, 2006. It featured Transylvanian Goulash, though unfortunately no reason for it being Transylvanian vs. Hungarian is given; both territories were once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, so the basic dish would have been tinkered with throughout the region.

The article told of Joseph Wechsberg, the supreme authority on Austro-Hungarian food who once wrote for The New Yorker and for Gourmet, whose book entitled The Cooking of Vienna's Empire was published by Time-Life in 1968. A friend and collaborator said of Wechsberg: "His writing about food ... was so unbelievably precise, you couldn't argue with it."

And so, when I found the recipe for Transylvanian Goulash that had come from Wechsberg, I knew I had found the real thing. I tweaked it slightly, eliminating a mixture of cream and flour which would only serve to thicken it a bit at the end, but that's not a particularly radical deviation; it's not as though I took out the sauerkraut.

Yup -- sauerkraut. The goulash starts with pork cubes, adds sauerkraut and caraway seeds, and includes a bit of tomato sauce for the base. Long, slow cooking in the crockpot turns these few basic ingredients into an amazing melange of flavors, and a bit of sour cream offered for serving -- to be stirred in, if desired -- makes it richer. I have a note scribbled on my modified version of the original that simply says "EXCELLENT!!!"

Please don't think that sauerkraut is only for hot dogs ... trust me here. Even my beloved friend Wendy, who loathes anything vinegary, really enjoyed this and said that it's very well balanced and smooth. Jeremy ate two huge helpings, and was sorry there wasn't more!

Make a batch of goulash, and you'll come home at the end of the day to a house that smells amazing with the tantalizing promise of dinner, and you'll nourish both your body and your soul when you indulge in this delicious meal ....


Transylvanian Goulash

2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-1/2 pounds pork chops, cut into 1" cubes
1 pound sauerkraut not from a can, drained and rinsed well
3 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2/3 cup tomato sauce

splash of hot sauce, if desired
sour cream, for serving

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat; add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent.

Layer the onion/garlic mixture, the pork cubes, and the sauerkraut into a crockpot, alternating layers. Combine the broth, salt, paprika, caraway seeds, and tomato sauce; pour over the pork. Cover and cook on "high" for 4 hours or "low" for most of the day. Serve the goulash with a splash of hot sauce and/or some sour cream, if desired.

Serves 4-6.