Weekend in Paragould

 

I love Labor Day weekend. In fact, it may be my favorite weekend of the year. Football kicks off, grills light up, and appetites are gorged on mountains of meat, bread, desserts, and countless snacks in between. With any luck, a quick nap can be grabbed after the eating is done. I spent part of Labor Day weekend this year with my family back in my old hometown of Paragould, AR. Mom managed to coordinate things so that all of us kids would be there at the same time. Sleeping logistics aside, we had a great time. And of course, there's always a feast to be had at Mom and Dad's house. This time around was no exception. 

 

Saturday morning, Mom and I got up early and made a grocery run. I had forgotten how slowly people tend to move in smalltown Arkansas...even those who are paid to quickly expedite shoppers from the checkout line at Wal-Mart.  Our cashier, who proudly displayed a badge on her apron congratulating her for 20 years of service, moved with all the enthusiasm of a sedated turtle. An hour and a half later, we were on our way back home with a truckload of supplies. I handled breakfast duties and prepared my quiche along with maple-glazed sausage links and pancakes. After we ate our fill, the girls went shopping, Dad fired up the grill, and I crawled under the Exploder to fix a faulty spark plug. Before long, the rest of the family started showing up and it was time to get ready for lunch. 

 

Dad has been grilling for a long time, so he has the technique reduced to a science. He has a large pull-behind rotisserie grill which could feed a small army with no trouble. On the menu today were St. Louis ribs, chicken, ribeye steak, and burgers, along with grilled corn on the cob.  Mom and I prepared some sides while Dad finished grilling. Everything was prepared and a spectacular buffet was laid out before us. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

 

 

    Grilled corn on the cob - served with my "sweet heat" honey butter

 

Twice baked potatoes

 

 Rolls

 

Mom's fresh garden salad with strawberries

 

 

Big pile of hamburgers 

 

I tested the physical limitations of this styrofoam plate.

We had enough food to feed a group twice our size, and there were 15 people eating. After a short break, dessert was served. I brought a homemade cheesecake with blueberry and strawberry glazes, Aunt Amy supplied a gooey butter cake, and Mom made a chocolate sheet pan cake and cherry pie with sweet cream cheese filling. 

 

 Ultimate Cheesecake

 

Mmmm....calories

 

Well, it would be an understatement to talk about how good the food was. I'll be running for a few weeks to make up for the weekend, but it was worth every bite. 

Catch-up

Wow....just had a big weekend back in NE Arkansas, complete with family time, fun, and lots of food. I'll chime back in later with an overview of the food spread, but for now, here's a quick way to make your morning bowl of oatmeal more exciting. Combine 1 cup oats and a pinch of salt with 1 3/4 cup boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp honey along with 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir in 2 tbsp of your favorite preserves and a splash of milk.  Serve and enjoy!

Bread bowling

 

Ah, the bread bowl...the dish that launched a thousand gameday parties and church potlucks. They're tasty and as simple to prepare as appetizers get. I made this one for Bill's small group, but Bill got sick so the task of eating it fell to Tiff, Juli, Joey, and me.

Bread bowls come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, but the recipe for this one came out of my latest Food Network magazine. It's basically the chopped up innards of a hoagie sandwich inside a bread bowl. Simply dice and mix the ingredients below, then allow to chill for a couple of hours before serving. I bought an extra French loaf to serve alongside, which I coated with olive oil, sliced and toasted.  Simply delicious. Every ingredient can be tasted, but none overpower the others. It really tastes just like a hoagie sandwich from a good deli. Serve this at your next gathering of friends/family....leftovers won't be a problem.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 2 pickled pepperoncini peppers
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 large tomato, halved and seeded
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced genoa salami
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced ham
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced prosciutto
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced roast turkey
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese
  
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 10-to-12-inch round loaf Italian bread
  
• 1 French loaf, toasted with olive oil

Leftover Pasta

Leftovers are the 800lb gorilla of my fridge. I see them there and think "man, I hate to throw this stuff out, but I don't really want to eat warmed-over chicken breast." This usually results in a bowl of completely usable food being ignored and eventually tossed into the trash. Last night, however, I was feeling inventive and thought I'd see what could be done with the remnants of Monday night's Kickin' Chicken Kabobs.

It turned out that using the kabobs again was easier than I had thought.  While at Kroger purchasing some salsa and bread bowl (post forthcoming) ingredients, I grabbed a box of fusilli pasta. Fusillis are the twirly-looking kind. I got back and cooked the pasta to al dente. While the pasta was cooking, I tossed my leftover vegetables and chicken into a skillet with a healthy dose of olive oil and basil pesto and cooked until warmed through. I drained and seasoned the pasta and served with the chicken-vegetable mixture on top. There was a nice byproduct in my skillet from the kabobs as well - a pan sauce in the skillet that I drizzled over the pasta before serving. I really wish I'd taken the time to snap a photo of the end result, because it came out beautifully. All the colors from the vegetables and chicken were too appetizing to wait for, so I just dug in.

So what have we learned today? Don't fear the leftover (cue the cowbell). Yesterday's meals have the potential to be more than just microwave fodder.   Chicken can be tossed with sauce or oil and thrown over pasta, beef can be put on top of a pizza or mixed in casserole, and so on. With a little imagination, your diners may not even notice the repeat.