FoodiesTalk

At the suggestion of my fellow Foodie I made a rice dish tonight that was very "fifties" but absolutely delicious and so simple. As much as we complain -- about the lack of time to cook, too rushed, haven't gone shopping, and any other excuse we can think of -- there really is no excuse not to make this dish. Just keep the following ingredients in your house: Uncle Ben's Converted Rice (not instant), a can of Campbell's Beef Consomme (not beef broth), an onion, and butter. That's it. It took me exactly eight minutes to prepare and then it just cooked itself merrily for the next twenty minutes.

Heat 1/2 stick of butter, add one cup of rice and stir until lightly browned, add 1/2 C chopped onion and continue to saute until softened and lightly browned, add one can of Beef Consomme and 2-1/2 cups of water, stir, bring to a boil, lower the heat, do NOT cover, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed. It should take about 20-25 minutes. I added no salt as it was unnecssary due to the consomme.

I served my rice with a grilled strip steak and fresh steamed green beans. Simple, easy, and absolutely heavenly. Margy and I always laugh about our Mom's old fashioned recipes as compared to the exotic and sophisticated recipes found in today's cookbooks and magazines. But, amusing or not, they were always comforting, easy to make, and delicious.

Drove to PA early this am to visit a friend and on our return, Tim and I enjoyed a marvelous burger and a "brewski" sampling at EBC...the Ellicottville Brewing Company. Owner Peter Kriendler has a lovely establishment and micro brewery there with two different sizes of "to go" jugs..great idea for a party. Had a nice chat with Norm Koch of the old-line brewing family; loved the Octoberfest brew. The trip included some Kevin O'Connell style "leaf peeping". At the south side of Springville, stopped at Tom's BBQ joint and sampled the pulled pork. Bought a pound to bring home and now I wish it were two !!

Since the Journal started their Saturday edition just one month ago, we've enjoyed the recipes provided in the "Pursuits" section. Keeping with our love affair of Mexican, last week we enjoyed Emeril's kicked up comfort food "Cowboy Casserole". This week we are trying the Barefoot Contessa's "Cheddar Corn Chowder". The recipes, usually are fairly simple, easy and obviously, season appropriate. A shopping list as well as from the pantry list is included...Great idea.. you can find these on line, too. Margy

There is a hidden treasure in Youngstown, Bandanas. Rob Kudel, former chef at Cozumel on Elmwood in Buffalo presides over the kitchen with great results. Stopped in the other night to catch the end of the baseball game and tried a quesadilla and some waffle fries (homemade). Delicious. Rob and his wife Melissa own the place and have built up a nice business there. Check it out at 930 Lake Rd around the corner from Niagara Frontier Country Club. PS Sundays, he does Mexican and calls it "Fiesta Sundays".

Finally, hubby and I were able to get there...after the early show of "The Aristocrats" (which by the way was extremely funny, but would have been funnier if there were more than 6 people in the audience). Zetti's is basically across the street (plaza) from the Amherst theater. We spoke to the owner who by now is on a first name basis with both Alan Bedenko and Mark Criden, fellow Buffalo Spree writers. This is definitely a food writer's paradise as one can wax eloquently about their amazing menu and varieties of NY style pizza. We ordered to go: garlic knots; a sausage, pepper and onion roll; slices of pepperoni(spicy) and mushroom, cheese, and white garlic with cheese pizza...the food stayed warm all the way to Lewiston and we enjoyed a mini feast!!!! For the 2nd or 3rd time on this blog, we highly recommend this gem of a restaurant with take out and a new dining room. Margy