Ode: Logan's Heroes

In Logan, there is a dive-y looking place on the corner of Main and about 1st south called Logan's Heroes. If you were a visitor to Cache valley, you'd never dream of visiting- there's very little parking, the wood panelling on the outside appears to be full of wormholes (although it is painted nicely). It's probably just as well, though, because once you've had a Logan's Heroes sandwich, you will crave it for the rest of your life.

In spite of the dive-y look (or perhaps because of it?) it is a super-friendly place to eat and hang out. It's the kind of place that the "regulars" know to come in the back door- like you do only at a good friend's home. The fake wood paneling, cheesy booths and faded pictures on the wall reminds you of a worn, comfortable family room. The owner knows and remembers everyone (even if you haven't been in years!) and greets you warmly. After we moved to AZ, I returned on a visit and he remembered me and I hadn't been there in at least 2 years!
I don't know what it is about these sandwiches. They appear to be just your average (to slightly below-average) sandwich filled with shredded iceburg, pickles, tomatoes, olives, mystery cheese and meat of your choice (although I LOVE the veggie). Even the picture above makes it look like nothing too special.

But oh, there is nothing in the world like the taste and, for the life of me, I can't figure out what makes it sooo good. My theory is that there is pixie dust (or crack) sprinkled on every sandwich that makes it taste so good. Or perhaps it is the dusting of green flecks (basil? oregano?) that every sandwich gets. Or the delicious, soft and extremely rich-tasting bread.

Who knows? All I know is that when I've lived far away (CA, AZ) I've frequently thought and plotted about how to get one mailed to me. That's how addicting these things are- I'd pay $30 to have it overnighted in a special cold box. They are that good.

BTW- This is my 200th post! Go me! I deserve a reward- like a Logan's Hero...

St. Louis Toasted Ravioli

Since we started eating meatless at home, our "go to" meals have become breakfast for dinner or ravioli or tortollini. Both are quick and easy to get on the table when we are busy.

I was getting ready to make ravioli and sauce for the 10th time (it seemed) and I decided to ask the internets if there was some other option for ravioli. I'm happy to say, the internets came through with a recipe for St. Louis Toasted Ravioli.

This dish is super-easy to make and uses stuff that we usually always have- eggs, milk, seasoned bread crumbs. It can double as a great, easy appetizer that you can make a bunch of all at once. Plus- it was a big hit with the kiddos. Anything that can be dipped and resembles chicken nuggets has GOT to be good- right?

So, here goes. YOu can also get the super-print friendly version on allrecipes.com, but keep in mind I changed it a bit and bake instead of fry...

St. Louis Toasted Ravioli

24 packaged ravioli (or about 4-6 per person)

1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce

2 Tablespoons skim milk

1 egg

3/4 c. Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Beat milk and egg together. Pour bread crumbs into a ziploc bag. Dip the ravioli in the egg/milk mixture and then place them in the bag with the bread crumbs.

Once all ravioli has been dipped, seal the bag and shake to coat. Place ravioli in a single layer on a foil-covered cookie sheet (the foil seems to make them crispier). Bake at 375 until they are brown and toasty looking.

Dip hot ravioli in warmed spaghetti sauce and enjoy!

Yum?

Wow- this is a very interesting photography series of fast-food against a plain black background. Worth a look:
http://www.good.is/post/picture-show-visions-of-fast-food/?GT1=48001

I should print these out and look at them when I'm thinking I need a burger. Although, does anyone else look at the fries and think- yum?

Fee-Fi-Pho-YUM!

It may seem strange, but for DMP and I, Vietnamese food is "comfort food". When we were dating and first married in Logan, there was a little family-run Vietnamese place called Saigon. It had awesome, delicious food for really cheap. We went there a lot for date nights.

After we moved to Tempe, we located "the best Vietnamese food in the Valley". Boy, were they right. Yen Mei was tucked inside the giant Asian food store and was always packed. The decor wasn't anything to write home about, but it more than made up for it in the taste of the food. The funny this is that we were usually the only all-white family or couple in the place. That got us some strange looks, but hey- you know it's good if the locals love it.

After we moved here, we were sad to discover there were no Vietnamese places close enough for regular eating. We've had a fix occasionally (Roy, UT has one for heaven's sake) but never had full access to the goodness whenever we wanted. Until now.

About a month or two ago, I noticed a sign on State St. in Orem "Pho Noodle House- Opening Soon". Can it be? I thought?!?! Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup, so I figured a place named "Pho" had to include some Vietnamese goodness right?

On my way home from work, I noticed an "Open" sign. Joy! DMP, the girls and I went last night. It's menu has a unique hybrid of Japanese and Vietnamese (and a little Thai) noodle and rice dishes, but we were over the moon to discover that they had spring rolls (called summer rolls, but still super delish) which our our absolute favorite. DMP had the Pho made with brisket and it was excellent. It was fun, too, because they give you bean sprouts, basil, jalapenos, limes, hoisin and chile sauce on the side. It is interactive food- you can make it to your taste.

The girls and I got my "regular"- BBQ pork and chicken vermicelli. It is a dish with vermicelli noodles, bean sprouts, cucumber carrots and the BBQ (which isn't like American BBQ, of course). It was SO good. Their vinegar sauce (not sure what it is called but it is rice vinegar, carrots, and other stuff) was the best we've ever had- a perfect blend of sweet, vinegar and it had a little kick. The girls ate their dinner right up- I was so proud but not surprised since EJ is practically made from Vietnamese food (and french fries and corn dogs...).

If you are in Provo, definitely visit Pho. Super-fantastic yumminess. I'll even take you!

P.S. DMP came up with the title of today's post. Don't make fun of him TOO much, it was better than anything I could come up with.

Best. Burger. Ever.

Behold- the Bowling Alley Cheeseburger!

Sure- we may be way more veggie at home nowadays, but we still eat meat when eating out (if the fancy strikes us) and that is a good thing because I can hardly make a trip to Heber to visit my parents without going to the Bowling Alley for a cheeseburger.

When people ask me "where is a good place to eat in Heber?" I usually try to tell them to go to the bowling alley. I don't think any believe me (or have taken me up on it) but that is OK with me- the less the merrier.

You see, the bowling alley burger is cooked one order at a time. Yep, none of this quick "30 seconds" stuff- nope a labor of love like this takes time. The burgers themselves are made of something that tastes like real beef- not cardboardy stuff - and they aren't too thick and have a perfect bun-to-meat-ratio. They are also cooked on a grill that is as old as the rest of the bowling alley and it probably hasn't been cleaned in 50 yrs. (which is a good thing, according to Alton Brown) so the burgers get a nice crust on the outside- not burned, just a crust.

The bun is brushed with butter and toasted on the grill as well. The burger usually comes with a tomato slice, onion slices, pickles and lettuce. Take a second to appreciate the beautiful tomato in the picture above. Delish!

When I was preggo with EJ, a Bowling Alley cheeseburger was pretty much all I craved. I even found myself plotting how to get one from Heber to Tempe, AZ! It is also the cheeseburger by which I judge all cheeseburgers.

I love the Bowling Alley for their burgers, sure, but I also love that the place literally never changes. It still has the look of a 60's classic bowling alley. It also reminds me of my childhood. AJ (my aunt) would take us out of school when she visited and we'd have lunch there. It was a BIG DEAL!

So now I'm really glad to pass on the food and tradition with my girls. If only we could eat lunch without begging for a game of "balling"...

Harvest Veggies & Creamy Polenta Recipe

Here is a recipe that we just created based one we got from the Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook. Bless her, her stuff is usually good, but not very veggie. Her original recipe has chicken in place of the squash and beans, if you want to meat this puppy back up :).

If you try nothing else, make the creamy polenta part- it is SOOO good!

Fresh Harvest Veggies and Creamy Polenta
2 T EVOO
1 c. chicken stock or broth (or veg.)
1 lg. Red onion- thinly sliced
1 zucchini, cubed
1 summer squash, cubed
1 can white beans (cannelloni)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 cloves garlic- chopped

1 pint whole grape tomatoes (we’ve used chopped tomatoes)
20 fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn

Heat EVOO in a pan. Add squash and zucchini and salt and pepper to taste. After the squash has softened a bit, add the white beans, red onion and garlic and cook 3 min. Add 1 c. of chicken stock and cook until the stock has reduced by half- about 3-4 min.

After the stock has reduced, add the tomatoes and cook for 1 or 2 min. or until the tomatoes are heated and starting to burst. Add basil and toss.

Creamy Polenta:
3 c. Chicken stock or broth (can use veg.)
1 c. polenta
½ c. cream cheese
¼ c. Parmesan cheese

Bring chicken stock to a boil and whisk polenta in until it gets thick-ish. Stir in parmesan and cream cheeses. The polenta should have a mashed-potato consistency. If it gets too thick, add some water or stock to thin it up a bit.

Serve the veggie mixture over the polenta.

Food Storage Auditions- Black Bean Burgers and Chicken Salad

Last week, we auditioned two more potential 3 month food storage candidates. 

First we tried the Black Bean Burgers from the excellent Safely Gathered In blog:

Before we proceed with the results of the audition, I want to add my standard disclaimer to this as well as any and all types of "veggie" burger.  If you are expecting it to have the texture and taste of a ground beef burger, you will always, always be disappointed. If you are expecting a delicious grilled sandwich- you may be suprised that you like it in spite of the missing meat.

So- back to this recipe.  It was excellent- one of the best bean burger recipies we've tried (and one of the easiest).  We did almost double the amount of salsa called for in the recipe, and we added about a 1/4 or 1/2 coup of corn (about 1/3 of a can). 

They cooked up nicely on the stovetop, too- crispyish on the outside and mushy (creamy?) on the inside.  We served them with melted cheddar, salsa, tomatos and lettuce.  Kid rating was a double-thumbs-up- Birdy ate her whole sandwich (which is the ultimate kid test). 

My only issue is that I wonder about the suitibility for "shelf storage" since it relies on buns (which, technically I could make- you know, if they have a "hamburger bun" recipe for the bread machine).  However, I think for the practical purposes of the 3 month supply, it gets a "pass".

On Saturday we went to the zoo.  We have a new commitment to NOT eating out, so we decided it was a perfect opportunity to bust out the Chicken Salad  recipe (also from Safely Gathered In) and give it a try (Pic from Safely Gathered In- not mine):

I only became a Chicken Salad sandwich fan recently, and have been pretty committed to a great recipe that my sister  found on one of my favorite recipe sites, Allrecipes.com.  It is awesome, but definately not food-storage friendly.

We really enjoyed this chicken salad. The canned chicken suprised us again by being really good. The craisins gave it a great shelf-stable sweetness and the toasted almonds provided the crunch. Our only complaint was that it seemed a bit dry and we had to add a good 1 1/2 extra tablespoons of mayo.  The girls also thought it was great and ate up their whole sandwiches while watching the rhinos.

So now our total is up to 4 recipes and we have started shopping and collecting ingredients.  I'm curious, readers, shall I continue these reviews? Are you interested? Do you care? Do you want me to just send you our final list/recipes?

Let me know in the comments!~

Award Winning Chili

So, I entered our company Halloween chili contest and WON for the vegetarian category. Yep, DMP's cooking skills paid off (he prepped and assembled, I heated it up and stirred). So, if you are interested, here is my AWARD WINNING Super Chili:

4 cans of beans (your choice) rinsed and drained

1 16 oz bottle of salsa

1 small can of tomato sauce (you know, the really little ones?)

1 regular can of diced tomatoes w/ juice (I used chipotle ones)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

8 oz of velveeta cheese, in chunks

About ½ c. chopped onion

About ½ c. chopped green pepper

Cayenne and Chili powder to taste (I think DMP added 1 tsp of each?)

Dump everything in a pot and bring it to a boil then turn the temp down and let it simmer for 30 min or until melted and heated through. Or, if you prefer, you can put it in the crock pot on low for 3-4 hrs. (or high for 2).

That’s it. It is really good with tortilla chips, saltine crackers, cheese, sour cream and etc.