Foodie News: The Great Food Truck Race

Food trucks have come a long way since the first one I visited years ago.  I still remember the great sandwiches they served.  Have you seen The Great Food Truck Race on The Food Network?  Check it out the next time you're looking for something different to watch.

The Great Food Truck Race
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Premiering Sunday, September 2nd at 9pm- "Even Food Trucks Are Bigger in Texas" 
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The teams head to Amarillo, Texas and stop at the stadium of the Amarillo Sox, a minor league baseball team. Tyler announces this week's Truck Stop - the teams must add a ballpark-inspired special to their menu. Top ballpark concessionaire John Ciarrachi judges the dishes and awards the winner a mystery key. On Sunday, Tyler calls the teams with their Speed Bump - their trucks are all immobilized by a parking enforcement boot, but the team that won the Truck Stop realizes they've already won the key to unlock their vehicle - and get to sell food exclusively at tonight's ballgame!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I love Chicken Noodle Soup almost as much as I love Cream of Tomato Soup.  Pair it up with a grilled cheese sandwich, and I'm in heaven.  I ran across this vintage recipe in an old cookbook and thought you would enjoy it.  There is a lot of time involved in making it from scratch.  I've actually skipped the first steps and made this with canned chicken and chicken broth.  While the long version is wonderful, I don't always have the time.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

• 4 lb. chicken
• 2½ qts. water
• 2½ tsp. salt
• 3 cups cooked noodles

Cut a young stewing chicken into serving pieces, bring to a boil and simmer for 2½ hours, adding water as needed. Skim off the fat and add:

• 1 tsp. peppercorns
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tblsp. parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper

Bring to boil again and add noodles, preferably home made noodles. Cook for 20 minutes longer.

Pimiento Cheese Sandwiches

Most pimiento cheese sandwiches are just made with pimento, cheese and mayonnaise.  I like this recipe because it adds green peppers and onions.  Add your own favorite ingredients.  This recipe is very forgiving, so don't be afraid to experiment.  I recommending tasting it before adding the salt.  Then just add the amount you think it needs so that you don't over salt the dish.  Add bacon bits to make this a great dip!
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Ever thought of making a grilled pimiento cheese sandwich?  YUMMY!  Just use the filling in place of cheese slices.

PIMIENTO CHEESE SANDWICHES

Place in a bowl

One-half cup of grated cheddar cheese, and then add

One tablespoon of grated onion,

Two tablespoons of finely minced green peppers,

One jar Dromedary Diced Pimientos, 2-Ounce Jar , drained*

One-half teaspoon of salt, (or desired amount)

One teaspoon of paprika,

One-half teaspoon of mustard,

Six tablespoons of mayonnaise 

Mix thoroughly and refrigerate 2 hours before serving.  Spread on bread, toast, crackers.  Or, use as a dip.

*These little jars are so cute that I can't throw them away.  You can use them to store everything from screws to home-made hand scrubs.  They're also perfect for home-made candles.

HAND SCRUB - Mix 1/4 cup sugar with a tablespoon of olive oil and store in jar.  When ready to use, take a teaspoon out and scrub on your hands.  Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Dump Cake

Have you ever made a Dump Cake?  Basically you take a couple of cans of fruit, a boxed cake mix, butter, dump it all together and bake it.  This makes a quick and easy cobbler-like cake.  The recipe link I'm sharing uses cherry pie filling.  I've made this with peaches and also with apples.  I like to add just a bit of cinnamon to the cake mix to just bring out the flavors.  I even made a chocolate-cherry version once using chocolate cake mix along with cherry pie filling and chocolate chips.

Check out this link to the Pioneer Woman Cooks - Dump Cake.  Be sure to check out the great comments to her post.  There are some wonderful ideas for different versions of this cake.

Coleslaw with Green Peppers

This is a quick and easy slaw recipe with green peppers.  Perfect for Summer - Enjoy!

COLESLAW with GREEN PEPPERS

Shred a head of cabbage fine and place in salted water for one-half hour. Drain well and then add

Two green peppers, chopped fine,

One cup of mayonnaise,

One tablespoon of salt,

One tablespoon of paprika,

One-quarter cup of vinegar.

Mix and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Polenta with Leeks

I love this recipe because it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook.  Using chicken broth in place of some of the water adds a nice flavor, but you will want to reduce the amount of salt.  I usually reduce it to half a teaspoon anyway, but that's because I try to reduce sodium in all dishes I make.  

You can serve this with a nice tomato sauce.  I usually just use a jar of Prego.  You can top it with the sauce and a little cheese.  Then put it under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  Yummy!

POLENTA WITH LEEKS

Place in a saucepan

Two and one-half cups of boiling water,

One and one-half teaspoons of salt.

Now pour in very slowly

Three-quarters cup of yellow cornmeal.

Stir to prevent lumping and cook until very thick. Add

Three-quarters cup of shredded cheddar cheese

One onion, chopped fine,

One green pepper, chopped fine,

One leek, chopped fine,

One teaspoon of paprika.

Mix thoroughly and then pour into a large bowl to cool. Form into patties and then roll in flour and brown in hot oil. Serve with tomato sauce. 

Irish Pancakes

We used to have pancakes on Sunday mornings.  Mom was always finding a use for leftover mashed potatoes.  Have you ever used them in pancakes?  It gives them a delicious flavor.  Try this recipe the next time you're looking for something different.  

IRISH PANCAKES

One cup mashed potatoes,

Two cups flour,

One teaspoon salt,

Three teaspoons baking powder,

Two eggs,

One cup milk,

Four tablespoon maple syrup (or corn syrup),

One and one-half teaspoons nutmeg.

Beat to thoroughly mix and then bake on a griddle. Spread with butter and sugar.

I've made pancakes so many times, I don't really think about all the steps involved in cooking them.  If you're new to this and need more directions, check out busycooks.com for step by step directions.

Check this out for tips on making perfect pancakes.