Archive for March 2010
March 31, 2010 | 
Author 
Posted in 
Tags: 
Dixie Kitchen – Evanston, IL
So I must have been feeling a little homesick for my momma, because when the topic of dinner came up I passed by my usual staples of Indian, Thai, or Sushi and found a “Cajun” restaurant!
A small guilt trip laid on my lovely hubby and we were off to try out “Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop” in Evanston, IL, a suburb right to the north of Chicago. In truth the “bait shop” part of the name worried me, not that I thought it was really a bait shop in the middle of downtown, but rather because the name screamed “Kitsch” and that’s not my style. But the lure of cheese grits and pecan pie was too great for me to resist.
The restaurant is a small place and is overwhelmed by all the stuff on the walls and hanging from the ceiling. The decor is just a little too cute and makes Applebee’s look like a minimalist lives there. To be fair, Joel loved the decor, saying that he felt like he was eating outside.
But enough about that, let’s talk about what mattered, the food!! It started great with a basket of warm Johnny Cakes brought out right away. Yum!! For an appetizer I gave in to the Fried Green Tomatoes and Joel went for the Popcorn Shrimp. They had both been dredged in corn meal and fried. Joel’s generous serving was gone in about 45 seconds, so I know he liked them. My portion was meant for sharing, since 5 thick tomato slices were too much for me. I’m not a fan of cornmeal anything, but the tomatoes were lovely, slightly vinegary and mild, so the overall effect was nice.
For dinner Joel ordered the Jerk Chicken, with the worry that it might be too spicy. There was no need to fear. The chicken was peppery, but not chipolte/jalapeno spicy, more black pepper spicy. It was a half chicken for $12, with a side of rice, cole slaw, and deep fried plantains. My dinner was the Trout Pecan with the creole mustard sauce also for $12. My comment to Joel after a few bites was “Sorry honey but my mouth is having an affair with the cook.” IT WAS AMAZING!! It was so moist and creamy it was like butter. (Trout butter – that sounds gross!) The trout had been dredged in pecan flour and then grilled. The result was a slightly sweet trout, but with the addition of the mustard sauce it was sublime. The plantains were warm and exactly what you would expect. My other side was the cheese grits. Oh cheese grits how I love you. I swear Dixie Kitchen makes theirs with bacon fat!! How else can you explain their yumminess?? There HAS to be bacon in there somewhere!!
I wish I could rave equally about dessert, but in a rare turn of events we were both too full to have any. 
Next time we’ll skip the apps and dive into the pecan pie and peach cobbler. And there will be a next time.
http://www.dixiekitchenevanston.com/
Total bill was $45 before tip.
My personal food scale goes like this:
- I’d eat again right now if my stomach could hold more.
- I’ll be back again soon.
- I’ll be back again eventually.
- I’ll come back only if my friends insist on it.
- I’d rather eat at McDonald’s.
Dixie Kitchen gets an “I’ll be back again soon.”
– Rebecca
Chicken Fried Bacon
Food..for thought ;-} (Fried in bacon fat, with a bacon vodka crushed bacon bits egg batter..)
Mac n’ Cheese
I was never a fan of macaroni and cheese, because the boxed stuff was sooo blah! But, then I decided to try making it homemade. Yes, I’m 29 years old, and had never eaten homemade mac and cheese. So like any good foodie, I searched the Food Network’s Web site, and finally settled on Em’s Mac n’ Cheese by Emeril Lagasse.
Oh.My.God. So good! And, a BIG hit with friends and family!
To be fair, I don’t follow the directions exactly, and use an entire package of cheddar and don’t use the Essence part of the recipe. Instead I add a little garlic salt and a lot of cracked pepper — both in the cheese mix and on top before I add bread crumbs. I also use 1 percent milk and add an extra tablespoon of flour while I’m whisking.
I’ve made this several times and its always been a hit. I prefer to use Kraft Natural Cheese, Sharp Cheddar. (I’ve tried it with other cheeses and it hasn’t come as good.)
Here are some photos from the process. It’s a great, quick and homemade meatless meal. I served it with Frontera Chardonnay.
Here are some shots of the process — you will see where they correspond with the recipe. It’s fun to make with a bunch of friends, too.
Click here for the recipe! And please share your favorite macaroni and cheese recipes below! I’d love to try them out.
Here is the buttered pan.
The mix of the butter and flour.
Mix in the milk.
All set for the oven!
Finished! So Yummy!
And, always remember to have some Fun.Friends.Adventure. in your life!
Cheers,
Michelle 
Clean the drain, or make pretzels?
The King of Salt and Dough
The German-speaking countries of Europe are full of very interesting baking creations. From rye bread to pumpernickel, croissants to Frankfurter Kranz , fruit cakes like zwetschgentorte, dumplings in their huge variety to just regular brötchen (potato breads, too), the list is enormous. But if there is one that sticks out as representative of German baking it’s the pretzel. We know it here as a salty, hard snack that goes well with beer, which is great in its own right. However, in Germany, especially in the south, it is a high art form that bakers spend considerable time perfecting. As of late, I have been doing some practicing myself and, along the way, have learned some very interesting things about this ages-old form of bread.
Pretzels are basically bread dough that has been dipped or boiled in some sort of a salt solution. If you open a cookbook and proceed to make them, the salt will be sodium bicarbonate, otherwise known as baking soda. The formed pretzel is dipped or boiled in the solution, then baked. I like these and like making them, but I always wondered why they never came out that deep, mahogany brown that I know to be the distinguishing color of pretzels I get at the German deli. Then I found out from a German baker why; I’m using the wrong salt. To achieve this color, one must use instead sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as lye. That’s right; the same thing that cleans out drains also makes beautiful pretzels. It’s not poisonous, once baked it converts to bicarbonate, a rather harmless substance. That does not mean that one does not proceed with utmost care when making them. Since I can, I’m going to make them both, as the only difference is the salt. That way I can show, side by side, the difference. I shall then allow you to decide.
Start with basic white bread dough. You can pre-buy this, pre-make and refrigerate it till ready or make it fresh; it just needs to be at room temperature before you start. For our purposes we’ll assume the dough has gone through its first rise and has been punched down and start there (if you have questions on how to make a basic dough let me know; we bake all of our own bread and have it pretty well down. And a Kitchenaid makes it a snap).
Preheat oven to 450⁰.
Take four cups of water and add 1/3 cup of baking soda to it. This is for our baking soda pretzels. Set this aside. In a stainless bowl, add 4 cups of warm water. To this, add ¼ cup of lye SLOWLY. Stir with a wooden spoon and when dissolved, set aside.
Divide the dough, enough for one loaf, into 12 equal parts. The parts should be balls of dough about 2” in diameter. On a smooth, non-floured surface, start rolling the dough into an even strand that is 12-15 inches long.
rolling the dough for pretzel
Try not to add flour, as you want it a little sticky so the pretzel form will not fall apart. When the strand is made, fold it into a pretzel shape. I couldn’t take pictures of this while doing it, as I only have two hands, but here is a little diagram I absconded with from another website:
The mystery revealed
All pretzels made? Ok, take two cookie sheets and lightly grease. Place the baking soda water on the stove and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the pretzels one at a time and boil them for two minutes, turning once. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and place on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt to your liking, and place in the oven for about ten minutes or until brown.
Boiling pretzels in water and baking soda
Now, the others. Put on some painters gloves to protect yourself. With the lye water, place pretzels in the bath and let them sit for 1½ minutes. Fish them out and place on the cookie sheet, salt and bake for about 10 minutes.
The Outcome:
Left: Lye Pretzel Right: Baking Soda Pretzel
Well, they are different in appearance, but not too much in the taste department. I guess I would make the baking soda ones more often, as they are a little easier to make. But I must say that they never last long whichever one I do make. Also, we go through more American prepared mustard when I am on the pretzel-making kick. Enjoy!