A trip down Kielbasa Lane

I finally got around to checking out the annual Polka Festival in Cedar, Michigan. Just like you would expect to find at a polka festival, there was a lot Polish tradition. The town of cedar is small, it has one stop light, one bar and two meat smoke houses. Everybody's name ends in SKI and there is probably more red and white than there is red white and blue - even over 4th of July weekend!

So I found everything that I expected to find at the festival. A big tent with a dancefloor full of 3-stepping senior citizens. It was quite a scene. Are black socks with black sneakers a polish thing? because just about everyone was wearing them. There was lots of beer and even more Polish food. From the entrance of the tent you would of though all those people were bobbing their heads to the polka band. They were'nt. They were pounding down kielbasa!

They had plenty of pierogi, golabki and paczki, but what I went for was the Polish cornerstone: kielbasa and kraut! So did she ...

It was good. I mean, I'm not going to say it was the best I've ever had, but I really felt good about my Polish experience. I figure eating kielbasa at the polka fest in Cedar, Michigan is the closest I can get to eating a kielbasa in Poland without actually going there. Also, polka dancing is simple! I'm no pro, but my secret is to just count to three and kinda skip, hop and hold on to your partner. Kielbasa and lots of beer helps.

PB & Bacon ???

I have told people before, I think anything tastes good with peanut butter on it. And I have also said bacon complements everything. Many of the people who I tell this to don't believe I am serious. They try and create crazy combinations to make me eat my words. Combinations like bacon ice cream, or peanut butter hamburgers. So instead of eating my words, I ate a very interesting find at the Detroit airport Sunday night. A peanut butter honey bacon sandwich on cinnamon bread. On the menu it's called The Exception. 

I mean, if you think about it, peanut butter is just like a peanut sauce, only thicker, creamier. After I explain this rationalization, most people agree that peanut butter really is an easily compatible ingredient. 

And think about bacon. It's salty, smokey and sometimes sweet, and is easily added to just about ANY food item: burgers, salads, guacamole, shrimps, potatoes, gravy, even CHOCOLATE! 

The cinnamon bread worked great with the peanut butter and honey. And the bacon really fit in really well. Do you mind it when a little syrup gets on your bacon? If I'm having pancakes, the bacon is used to get the remaining syrup with, then a biscuit—if I didn't already 86 it with my sausage gravy. 

So the sandwich was interesting. I think it would of been much better if the bacon wasn't so crispy. The soft crunch of the peanuts didn't work to well with the sharp crispy bacon, but oh the after taste! One of my favorite aspects of peanuts is that the taste keeps with you for a while. So on my flight back to Traverse City my mouth tasted like sweet and smokey peanut butter.

So don't be afraid to get crazy with peanut butter and bacon. I say they are 2 very compatible ingredients. 

Check out: The Evolving PB&J

Morel Mushroom Mania

Lets just say morel mushrooms get the attention they deserve here in Northern Michigan. I have been home for about a week in Leelanau county and everybody is going crazy over these shroomies. Wondering why there are so many cars pulled off on the side of the road? It's because the driver is poking through the woods. Morel mushrooms can not be farmed for some reason, only found in the wild. Between mid-May and the first week of June is when the pickings prime. They favor growing in wooded areas after a warm rainy night, particularly around trillium, black ash, poplar and decaying trees. But the best way to find morel is to know where they have grown in years past. And some hunters will go to great lengths. My aunt said she knows a lady who goes up in an airplane and looks for cars that are parked on the outskirts of the woods, morel hotspots. She also said an elderly woman had just revealed her secret mushroom spot to her grandchild on her death bed. I mean these mushrooms are no joke! Just 1 lb. of dried morels goes for over 100 bucks. And you have to be careful where you look. If somebody catches you snooping on their property there's a good chance they will call the law. The reason why people go so bonkers over these shriveled little shrooms isn't because they are rare, awesome looking and expensive, it's because they're AMAZING!!!

They look like sponges, their porous caps, and they absorb butter like a sponge, too. I wouldn't advise spicing them up to much, just saute them in a little bit of butter so you can really get a taste of these fine fungi. Careful not to eat your finger tips off. After Sauteing, maybe sprinkle with a little salt to make them juice with flavor. This morning I made a single egg omelet with spinach and feta cheese. The omelet was just a vehicle for the morel's. I didn't want anything to over ride the shrooms, just complement them. So when cooking with morels, keep it simple. A few raw ingredients working in perfect harmony, there's nothing better.

China Village

The sign in the window that brought me in praises a $3.25 lunch deal. Then I looked on the menu and saw that none of the items exceed $4 anyway, so everything's special! Located in Downtown Bowling Green right across from the police station on West Wooster Street, this tiny little asian bistro has been serving up affordable Chinese since 1988. The China Village is a family restaurant, run completely by one married couple, except on the weekends when it's especially busy. Having only about 10 tables in the whole place, the hostess/server/owner has hardly any trouble managing on her own. And her husband seems to be doing just fine in the kitchen. Each combo dish comes with a heap of fried rice, an egg roll, your entree and your choice of either Won Ton, Egg Drop or Sweet and Sour soup. And, of course, a fortune cookie. My fortune: "You're the baddest dude around." My lunch: Almond Chicken combo platter My bill: $3.25

The Cookie Jar's Cookie Eating Contest

Here are some photo's of the cookie eating contest at the Cookie Jar in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Cookie Jar is really unique, they deliver oven fresh cookies and milk. I've never seen anything like it, and I have never seen any competition quite so entertaining. The objective of the competition was to eat 6 chocoalte chip cookies and 6 half pints of milk as fast as possible, without ralfing. I ended up with 10min 7sec, which isn't entirely bad. The winner got 6min 33sec. It's not as easy as you might think, a lot of contestants coudn't even finish in the 15 minute time frame provided.

Trotter's Brown Jug

Tuna's Bloody Marys

I was at BW3's the other day for a Bloody Mary—their Bloody Marys are really great, except they cost nearly $5—when some stranger told me I need to go Howard's Club H if I want the best Bloody Mary in town. So, being the foodie I am, I went the next day and this is what I found. 

Look at it! It's glorious! A bold Bloody Mary with a light meal clinging to the rim for only $3.75. A block of cheese pinned to a stalk of celery, 3 pieces of shrimp, a lime wedge and a pickle studded with 4 olives. I especially love the shrimp with their heads dunked in the drink for a big sip—even they can't resist. Who knew Howard's offers more than music and pool? Breakfast! But these generous cocktails aren't available all week, only Saturday through Monday (if supplies last). Kermit's and Bob Evans might be losing business if too many people read this. 

The only thing that rivals this cocktail is Tuna's hospitality. Tuna is the bartender/legend who makes these tomato based masterpieces. Great job my friend. So let him be proud and order a Bloody Mary at Howard's. I don't think I will be returning to BW3's very soon. 

Subway's New Southwest Turkey Rueben

So, Subway is thinking about adding a new sandwhich to it's menu, The Southwest Turkey Rueben. One of the advantages of living in Northwest Ohio is the test market products. Last year I was fortunate enough to try out Taco Bell's Breakfast menu, and it was good! But unfortunatly it didn't make it, and I feel it's safe to say that the Southwest Turkey Rueben wont either. The sandwhich is only featured in 16 stores nation wide so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to post my opinion, to let the rest of the country know what they are missing, or not missing. Overall, my Southwest Turkey Rueben experience was poor. The taste just wasn't there. Turkey doesn't have much of a taste and neither does the Sauerkraut they use. If they were hoping the Southwest sauce would make up for the lack of flavor, they were mistaken. All the sauce does is leave a slight burn on your pallate. I was expecting a much bolder and more "Southwest" of a taste than what I got. Subway.... next time you send something Southwest to Northwest Ohio, make sure it's got some peppers on it or something, not just two bland mediums for a boring sauce.