In Celebration of Our Nation's B-day

A foodie's celebration for the 4th of July can mean only one thing: good old American food! Of course there will be hot dogs, corn on the cob, bbq, Jell-O, and potato chips. But, this year I was up for a new challenge: creating some of America's favorite packaged goods from scratch.

My first undertaking was Spaghetti-O's. I remember eating the canned version as a kid and also in college (spaghetti-o's in microwavable packaging are a great snack before heading off for a long day of marching band). I always preferred the meatball variety (gotta get that protein in there), but after some research I found our speculations were true all along: there is not actual meat in those meatballs. I also found out there is cheese in the sauce, which I didn't notice before as I don't really think the flavor comes through. So I went to the store, found myself some pasta o's and the fun began!

Homemade Spaghetti O's with Meatballs


7 oz. package of O-shaped pasta
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 quart chicken stock
1 garlic clove, grated
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp butter
3 Tbsp sour cream
Black pepper, to taste


For the meatballs:
1/2 lb ground beef
1 egg white
splash of Worcestershire
handful of breadcrumbs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper


Directions:


Bring tomato sauce and chicken stock to boil in a covered saucepan. Add in pasta and garlic, cook until pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes.


Meanwhile, prepare meatballs. Thorougly combine all of the ingredients and shape into mini-meatballs. Cook in a greased skillet over medium heat. Turn the meatballs to brown on all sides. Add to pasta during the last few minutes of the pasta cooking.


When the pasta is al dente, add in butter, cheese, sour cream and pepper to taste. 

I thought this recipe came out to taste just like the real thing, but vastly improved! The real meatballs added great flavor and excitement when eaten. The fresh garlic in the sauce was sweet and fragrant. The dish even looked similar to the canned version!

I have a few more favorite foods to re-create homemade style, look for more recipes soon. Meanwhile, I'd love your suggestions of foods to re-create. Happy Independence Day!

Wagyu is Like Revenge...A Dish Best Served Cold

I recently had my first Wagyu experience and was very surprised by it. For those of you unfamiliar with this special beef, let me take a moment to explain. Wagyu is a Japanese cow that produces meat with an immense amount of marbling. In the beef world more marbling = more expensive and more flavor. Wagyu cows are given special treatments such as massages and some say they mix sake or beer into their feed. Waygu are fed a special diet much to superior to that of your typical brown Bessy.

Anyway, the point is Wagyu are supposed to be the most wonderful tasting steaks in the world and therefore are extremely expensive and somewhat hard to get a hold of. If your interest is sparked I suggest ordering some steaks online as it is unlikely your local supermarket is in possession of such finery.

Yesterday I had my first ever taste of the much hyped Wagyu steak. I was slightly disappointed the first time I tasted it. I was expecting steak heaven: juicy, tender, buttery, melt in your mouth sort of thing. Instead I thought the texture was lacking (a bit mushy) and flavor was lackluster. I was however, willing to give Wagyu another chance. The next Wagyu I tried was cooked to a much cooler temperature and it was fabulous. It was not quite the steak nirvana I've been dreaming of, but it was definitely one of the greatest beef experiences of my life.

I suppose the realization that rarer is better when it comes to Wagyu is not surprising. Most great beef cuts benefit from less cooking (i.e. prime rib). Which is why I liken Wagyu to revenge...a dish best served cold.