New Food Review Blog

I just wanted to make a quick post to announce that I have created a consumer blog called the Fork in the Road. This blog was set up as a result of my “brand x” purchasing behavior influenced by the outrageously inflated food prices that have hit our household budgets hard. While I still consider certain brand labels as my primary choice for purchasing, I have substituted several items on my grocery list that provide just as good if not better results than the brand name alternative. My trial and error experiments with purchasing generic or store brand foods from Target, Meijer, Jewel, and ALDI influenced me to set up a blog to journalize the results. Feel free to stop by my new blog at http://www.brandxfoodreviews.blogspot.com/


With respect to this site, I plan on moving forward with my Czech recipe blog business as usual with some upcoming fun fall family recipes and cooking tips to share. Once we get a cool snap, I will be getting back into the kitchen to make several batches of my yeast raised dumplings and some pork roast. The one great thing I love about cooler temperatures is the ability to use the oven and make roasts. Speaking of fall harvest, I hope everyone is taking advantage of the great produce available at their local farmers markets with a large abundance of squash, corn, and fresh apples. Our family just took a trip out to the apple orchard a week ago and I tasted my first 2011 batch of apple cider donuts. These donuts are sinfully good and I would really like to try and learn how to make these, though I hardly consider my Fry daddy capable of producing an assembly of donuts. I may have to defer to the experts for these.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Liver Dumpling Soup - Bohemian Style

As a kid I always despised liver. I even recall an old “Far Side” comic that displayed a “Liver N Onions” truck driving down a quaint neighborhood road and children are running in the opposite direction with terror on their faces. Not exactly the ice cream man. I do have a soft spot for two liver” bi-products”. One of them is the commercially made liverwurst or Braunschweiger. The other is the super delicious Bohemian liver dumpling soup. This soup is typical of most Czech restaurants and is usually served in a very clear consommé or beef soup. My recipe captures the flavor but does not match the clarity one would find in a Czech restaurant. The difference being that I like to add back the remaining ingredients (in tiny bite size) pieces as it seems a waste to throw them away. My recipe also cheats with using a prepared stock aside from making the stock a la natural with oxtails or soup bones. If you want to go that route, by all means do so. Otherwise, stick to this recipe to save som
Read more

London Broil With Bordelaise Sauce

One underappreciated cut of meat that tastes exceptionally well is the flank cut of beef. When it comes to flank steak, I usually think of two meals off the top of my head: Steak Fajitas and London Broil. These two meals can be made with other cuts of steak such as sirloin, but flank steak tastes extremely good when marinated and sliced the right way. The basic London broil technique involves a good soy sauce marinade setting along with scoring the meat and cooking just to the right temperature. London broil can be either “broiled” as the name suggests or grilled. The key is to cook it no further than medium or pink (between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit). The flank steak will become tough like a round steak if you let the grilling or broiling time get away. Also make sure to cut the meat cross grain into strips to ensure a soft tender bite. Serve this meal with a side of garlic mashed potatoes,   grilled asparagus, and a hearty red wine and you have a meal fit for a King and Queen. B
Read more

Smažené žampióny: Czech Fried Mushrooms

Image
A great savory Czech appetizer or even main course are mushrooms. A commonly served mushroom dish is Smazene zampiony or fried mushrooms. These tasty little  nuggets pair nicely with a cold pilsner or even a glass of wine. As much as I enjoy tasting deep fried foods, I am not a big fan of the deep frying process in the kitchen given the potential mess involved. Also, if I am going to break out the deep fryer or iron skillet for frying, I will usually have several deep fried items in mind to make the effort worth the clean up. For example, if I deep fry mushrooms, I will also consider coating and frying up some zucchini, cauliflower, and even cheese. (Please check out my other post on Czech fried cheese). When deep frying appetizers or even chicken, I prefer to cook with my fry daddy kept in the garage. I will set up a portable table and fry away in my garage which keeps the odor of the oil out of the home. Fried mushrooms are a hit in my home and these go nicely with a sauce accompanim
Read more