Shannon Dogs - It's What's for Dinner

It's been long enough since we've made Shannon Dogs that I think at least half of the kids at our table were uninitiated before last week.  The other half were either hiding their enthusiasm for this classic comfort food or failed to recognize its culinary import in our heritage.  Maybe they were distracted as they made final considerations for elections the next day.

But when the meal started, it was clear - Shannon Dogs are a winner with kids and adults alike.

 

Maybe it's been a while since you've had a Shannon Dog, or maybe you haven't ever tasted this treat.  Here's the quickie overview (and that's all there is, really):

1. Sautee equal parts sliced hot dog (sorry Andy), chopped onion, and chopped celery
2. Fill hot dog buns and top with shredded cheddar
3. Place them in a 9x13 and bake until the cheese is melted

Some notes: 
We served these with garlic roasted potatoes.  Also, the celery and onion is from our garden (Elisabeth insisted that we plant celery, though I knew that it wouldn't grow.  Ahem!).  And we introduced an adult version of Shannon Dogs that use jalapeño smoked sausage instead of hot dogs.   There's room for interpretation.

 

 

Cake? Chocolate!

Chocolate Cake is the theme of our delectable desserts this week.  I think we've consumed at least 2 pieces of chocolate cake (per adult) every day since Sunday.  We've finally finished off the cakes (yes, plural) - to the great delight of my waistline.  But we'll still enjoy looking at the photos and reminiscing of the amazingly delicious and decadent chocolate we shared.  So, we'll share a photo or two with you, as well.

This cake (the first of our cakes) was created by Steve (but I got to do the frosting and assembling portion as he had to be at church early for a business meeting).  The recipe said it would feed 10 people - but I think they would need to be very hungry to be able to finish 1/10th of this cake in one sitting.  It took 9 people 2 or 3 days to finish off this cake (not all 9 people ate it at the same cake-testing time).  The frosting is very fudgy.  The cake is very dense.  But the cake is somewhat healthy - it contains both apple juice and raisins.

The second cake we consumed has no photographs of it.  It was a birthday gift from a friend and about 1/4 the size of this cake, but still was consumed over 4 days by multiple people.  It was a very dense flourless cake - another birthday indulgence.  Let's just say it was very, very good.

Dairy Belles

The girls made butter from heavy cream this week.  The process consisted of filling a glass jar half full of cream, then shaking shaking shaking!

They ate most of the butter on their baked potatoes for lunch, but saved a little for Dad to eat later (it was very good).

It's Friday? It's Pizza!

We've had a Friday pizza tradition on and off but currently it is ON.

Tonight we went for a short walk while the pizza dough was rising.  We were hunting for interesting leaves and made a quick stop at the park.  By the time we got the oven fired up the kids were h u n g r y!

Add a few minutes for the pepperoni and cheese pie to bake (and cool) and the kids were fairly famished.  And they ate with corresponding fervor.

Meanwhile, the adults waited oh so patiently for the grown up pizza (which the kids ate pretty well too).  This has no tomato sauce - it's sliced yellow tomatoes, cream cheese, and garlic topped with mozzarella and sprinkled with red pepper and basil.  I think we overdid it a little with the garlic.

Mmmmmm!  "When's next Friday, dad?"

A few things on our table tonight

You might be trying to finish off that huge pot of ham and potato soup, or maybe you've hit the doldrums of autumn food already (if that were possible).  Well, here's a little inspiration for you.

Sliced green and red bell pepper and yellow tomato (the latter from our garden).

Eggs on their way to being hard cooked, potatoes being transformed into french fries and meat simmering on the back burner (yes that's sliced beef and hot dog).

Not shown: Sliced onions, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise. 

All of the above was combined in the making of our dinner tonight - Pique Macho!  The menu was provided by our good friends and we've made it a few times.  It's a favorite!  I'd provide a photo of the assembled meal, but it was too rapidly consumed.  Besides, I didn't want to offend anybody with culinary sensitivity.

If you are not sure what combination of flavors have just entered your imagination, I offer you this refreshing bowl of tomatoes (also from our garden, and rapidly consumed).

2012 Sourdough Olympics

It's been over 8 shameful months since the last bread post (and sourdough at that).  I thought we should hold a little sourdough olympics.  I've created my loaves.  To be qualified all entries must be submitted by midnight the day of the closing ceremonies, whenever that is.

Bread will be judged based on visual appeal, perceived goodness, and potential for causing an insatiable appetite for a slice or two.  Only sourdough will be considered for the gold, but any bread or bread-like substance may be submitted.

Now you may think that nobody in the Barnhart family has indeed baked bread these last few months.  Maybe it even seems that the Barnharts don't care for bread any longer.  But I can assure that Rachel has been busy kneading, baking, slicing, and buttering.  We went through a strictly sourdough phase in early 2012 with a couple loaves per week.  Then, inexplicably, we switched to lofty sandwich loaves of the highest quality.  Rachel excelled at both.  Meanwhile, I secretly absorbed as much bread lore and bread crumbs as possible.  These loaves are my first in a long time.  Rachel has moved on from daily loaves to a batch of four that lasts as little as two days, and up to a week.  The kids like it plain fine and with butter better.

One more thing I can assure you.  I just finished off the two slices pictured above and it was superb.  I'm wondering if I should put the bread away or just leave it out a little longer.  After all, I might have to take another slice to keep it from going stale.

Let's compare!

Is it just me, or are there several similarities between this photo and the photo in the previous post?