50 States; 50 Meals: Nevada

Well it's a good thing that we weren't actually in Nevada for this meal because it didn't have the "stay there".  Get it?  Bad Joke.

So obviously when anyone things of Nevada they think of Las Vegas and when they think of eating in Las Vegas they think of All-you-can-eat buffets.

Our buffet included the basics you would see on any buffet.  I wanted to keep everything an appetizer size because we were decorating our Christmas tree at the same time.  It is our family tradition to have an appetizer dinner (aka Pickies; aka Appy's; aka Mrs. Flax dinner, Mermaids movie anyone) while putting up our tree so this worked out perfectly.  We had:
99-Cent Shrimp Cocktails
Steak Bites to stand in for Prime Rib
Grilled Mushrooms
Veggies
Summer Sausage - This was to fulfill another Christmas tradition


I filled the green dish with ice and then placed the shrimp on top in effort to make it look like a buffet chafing dish. 

I used Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's recipe for the steak bites.  They were amazing.  Butter and Steak.  What could be better?  To add on to the steak I also cooked up some button mushrooms in some butter too with a splash (or two, or three) of red wine.  I have to say as we get closer to New Year's Eve those steak bites I have been on my mind. 

It was a  very delicious dinner.  We all got to keep our money but I would have liked to catch Britney Spears residency show or the Blue Man group. ;)

Next, we head back to New England for a mapley dinner.

50 States; 50 Meals: Nebraska

I hope everyone had a great holiday season! It is a great season for foodies for sure.

We had a simple meal for our Nebraska dinner.  It was a very Cornhusker dinner, if you will.  We had corn dogs, homemade popcorn and Eskimo Pies for dessert.A corn dog (just in case someone doesn't know) is a hot dog dipped in a cornmeal batter and then deep fried.

When I don't use the air popper I make Olive Oil Popcorn.  I follow the same instructions as you would to make popcorn with a canola oil but with a healthier oil.

Olive Oil Popcorn
1/4 Cup Olive Oil into a skillet
Add a single kernel of corn
Cover and heat at medium heat
When the kernel pops add enough corn to cover the bottom of the pan
Cover and shake
When the popping slows down, remove the pan from the heat
Salt to taste



Then for dessert we had Eskimo Pie ice cream bars.  Christian Kent Nelson, a school teacher and candy shop owner in Iowa, invented the Eskimo Pie in 1921, when a boy in his shop couldn’t decide between an ice cream and a candy bar. But it wasn't until Nelson traveled to Nebraska, where he met Russell Stover who helped him patent the idea and dub it “Eskimo Pie.”

Next up is a state famous for their buffets.

50 States; 50 Meals: Massachusetts through Montana

Oh man has it been busy. Things have been so crazy since August for multiple reasons. Both girls are now in school, dance and Girl Scouts. I knew it was going to be crazy but I have been living day by day for months. I need to visit some organizing blogs. So let me catch you up on the last six states.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts was a whole day affair for us. We started with Dunkin' Donuts Boston Kreme Donuts. Dunkin' Donuts opened In Quincy, Massachusetts in 1950.


Then for lunch we had Fluffernutter sandwiches. This is one of the best sandwiches ever. Bread, Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff. So yum.  The fluffernutter was invented after a man named Archibald Query (that's some name, huh?) invented marshmallow cream in Somerville, Mass.
For dinner we had Boston Baked Beans, of course, and Kelly's Roast Beef Sandwiches.  Kelly's claims to have created the Original Roast Beef Sandwich in 1951.  If you visit Revere Beach you can still pick up a sandwich at their first store.  And how do you have a Massachusetts dinner without having Sam Adams!  It was a wicked awesome foodie day!



Michigan

When most people hear Coney Island Dog they think New York but this hot dog actually originated in a Greek American style restaurant in Michigan.  They call these restaurants "Coney Islands".  There is a debate of which Coney Island actually created this hot dog, also called the Michigan hot dog, but they do agree on the recipe.  A a natural-casing beef hot dog, topped with an bean-less chili (or Michigan sauce), white onions, with one or two stripes of yellow mustard.  The hot dog is steamed and served on a steamed bun.

[caption id="attachment_797" align="aligncenter" width="176"] Michigan Hot Dog w/ Michigan Sauce[/caption]

Michigan Sauce Recipe

Minnesota

The Minnesota HotDish is what the rest of the world would call a casserole.  Simple as that.  Stealing from Wikipedia, "The history of the hotdish goes back to when “budget-minded farm wives needed to feed their own families, as well as congregations in the basements of the first Minnesota churches.”  It seemed that when I Googled HotDish I was finding a beef, green bean, corn concoction with tator tots on top so that was what we made.  It was alright.  Probably won't make it again and I wished I had used the recipe I had gotten from my Minnesota friend.

[caption id="attachment_798" align="aligncenter" width="112"] HotDish[/caption]

Mississippi

So truth telling time.  Anther reason I am behind on this blog is because I got stuck with what to make for Mississippi.  I knew my family wouldn't eat Catfish Po Boys and I didn't have time to make homemade Tamales.  We had this conversation in church one day and my friend suggested that we make Elvis' favorite sandwich.  We aren't sure what exactly is Elvis' favorite sandwich because there are tons of variations.  We ended up having fried smashed banana and peanut butter sandwiches.  I think they would have been better with some of Archibald's marshmallow fluff.

[caption id="attachment_800" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Elvis Sandwich[/caption]

Hubby also made Mississippi Mud Pie for dessert.  Here is the recipe we used.  I didn't prefer the crust because it was so crumbly but it tasted very good.

[caption id="attachment_799" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mud Pie[/caption]

Missouri

I broke my rule of going out and buying the food instead of actually making it and it totally backfired.  So far I have made pizza for Connecticut and Illinois and now we have another style of pizza for Missouri, St. Louis Style Pizza.  This style has a very thin crispy crust and uses Provel processed cheese.  The pizzas  are cut into squares or rectangles instead of wedges.   Does this remind you of any famous pizza chains?

Missouri is also know for Toasted Ravioli, which I love.  However, the grocery store was out of cheese ravioli (I find that odd) and they didn't have Provel cheese.  I knew just the place that has toasted ravioli and thin crispy crust pizzas so we went to Ledo's pizza.  Here comes the backfirst part... They changed their crust so it is now thin and soft.  Doh!  Oh well, at least I had a night off from cooking.

Montana

Yay! I'm at Montana!  Okay so it was a pretty quick decision.  As soon as I read Bison Burgers off the list to my husband his eyes got all big and he nodded his head yes 50 times.  He prepared them the way he would prepare an everyday "cow" burger.  We didn't tell the kids about the meat change and my oldest picked up on it the texture change pretty quick.  They both liked them but were grossed out when we told them it was bison.  I have no idea why eating a cow is any better but I'm thinking it is just because that is what they are used to eating.

[caption id="attachment_803" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Bison Burgers[/caption]

Cauliflower is currently in season for Montana.  I had just seen a recipe for Cauliflower Tots on the blog Skinnytaste.  They were really good.  It was eating a handheld squash casserole because the flavors reminded me of my sister-in-laws squash casserole.

There!! Caught up!! The oven is preheating for our Nebraska dinner as we speak.  Or as the girls call it... fair food dinner.

50 States; 50 Meals: Maryland

I don't think my husband and I can hear someone say crabcakes with out saying that line from Wedding Crashers.  We ate from our home state of Maryland this week and how fitting was it that this week was the start of Preseason football.

There doesn't appear to a rule to the recipe for a Maryland Crabcake which has been unheard of in the other states.  The must haves seem to be, well, crab, mayonnaise and Worcestershire.  Other than that anything goes.  Crackers vs. Breadcrumbs; Milk vs No Milk; Dry Mustard vs. Dijon Mustard; Veggies vs No Veggies.  You don't even have to be consistent with the type of crab.  You just need a pound.  And it doesn't stop there.  You have choices when you sauce your crabcake.  There's lemon, remoulade, tartar sauce, mustard, cocktail sauce or ketchup.  (Please don't use ketchup or mustard for that matter)  There is also two ways to prepare the crabcakes.  There is "Boardwalk" way or the "Restaurant" way.  The crabcakes are breaded and deep fried the Boardwalk way.  The Restaurant way uses lump crab and uses little to no filler.

Really, Maryland?  Take a vote and pick "the" recipe.  With so many choices I was so happy I could turn to my friend Angie and ask her for her recipe.  Angie and her family are awesome crabbers and awesome crab cookers!  I was so jealous when I bought my can of crab.  Why?  Because they never buy crab.  They catch them.

I have never been able to make a pretty crabcake in the past but I think I pulled it off this time.  Must have been the excellent coaching I received.

[caption id="attachment_771" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Maryland Crabcake[/caption]

Angie's Crabcake Recipe

[caption id="attachment_782" align="alignright" width="150"] Natty bOh[/caption]

Of course, we needed to wash that crabcake down with something.  Why not a beer originally brewed in Baltimore?  National Bohemian AKA Natty Boh.  Or if you are an Orioles fan AKA Natty bOh.  Or for federal employees AKA Furlough Beer because of the cheap price tag.

We finished off the meal with a slice of Smith Island Cake.  This cake is popular for its many layers.  The cake can have between 8 to 15 layers.  There is a layer of creme or frosting in between each layer and then frosted with a fudge frosting.  I was so excited to find out that one of our grocery stores sells actual Smith Island cakes.  I ordered an original vanilla and chocolate.  When the lady asked if I wanted the small I didn't picture it being this small but with the fudge icing being so thick it was perfect for our family of four.  I was just sad there wasn't leftovers.

Next we head back to New England for a wicked good dinner.