Give the Gift of a.... Mystery Trip!

So unless you're a Count, or Oprah, this is an idea that you might use only for a special occasion, or after you have come into a bit of extra cash - a tax refund, a bonus, a jewel heist, etc.

The idea is to give someone the gift of a surprise trip.  I have done this twice; once with a close friend, and another time for my current boyfriend.  You can either make it a complete surprise, if you're positive the person will be available, or you can let them know about the "mystery trip" and make sure they keep the dates clear, but not reveal the details.

The first time I did this was for my friend Roxann.  I took her to New York.  Neither of us had ever been, and she didn't know for sure where we were going until we got to the airport and printed out our boarding passes.  Part of the reason I chose New York was that Paul McCartney was playing at Madison Square Garden that weekend.

Something funny happened as soon as we arrived in the city.  I had planned the trip partially based on the McCartney concert, which my friend had no idea was going on. When we exited the subway, literally the first thing we saw was an enormous billboard advertising the concert.  It was literally festooned across an entire side of a high rise building, just outside the subway exit.  I thought my friend would notice and the jig would be up, but she made no mention of it.

I printed out the itinerary I had come up with (Statue of Liberty boat cruise, lunch at Tavern on the Green, MSG concert, getting on the list at a hot club, etc) and covered the destinations with post-it flags.  A few hours before each event, I would have my friend pull off one of the flags and reveal our next destination.  It was a fun game and a memorable trip.

Here we are on a windy and hot boat cruise that ended with Roxy looking wistful in front of the statue.

The smallest person to ever visit Times Square...

A couple of years later, I decided to do a similar thing for Kyle.  We had been dating for about a year and I wanted to take him somewhere special for a weekend.  He had never been to New York, so once again I used that as my mystery trip destination (what can I say? It's a cheap, short flight, and there's lots to do there!).  I took him to different places (a Broadway show, an expensive French restaurant, a Brooklyn bar for beer enthusiasts) and once again employed the post-it flag trick for our itinerary.  We had a grand time!

For some reason, Kyle decided to act like a real New Yorker and look furious in every picture.

Still angry....

On the way to a fancy restaurant and feeling either melancholy or resentful about it.... but still catching a great lean against that wall.

Tips  - Make sure the person you want to take on a trip is available and doesn't mind traveling.  Make it a short weekend trip - 3 days is ideal.  Plan the itinerary around your travel companion's interests, and have a "surprise" for every day.  It doesn't have to be expensive - museums are cheap and sometimes free, and so are landmarks. Sometimes the simplest things can be the most memorable - eating a messy and delicious meatball sandwich at a street corner NYC deli, discussing controversial art at a famous museum, having a frosty beverage at a place with a view.  There is something truly rewarding about planning the perfect trip for someone else and seeing the look on their face as they discover what you have organized.  I highly recommend it, if that jewel heist goes off without a hitch.  Good luck!

White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Cheesecake

This is a nice alternative to plain cheesecake - the macadamia nuts give the crust a little added crunch.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

1/4 cup caramel topping

2 pkgs cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees and place a cookie sheet with water on the bottom inside. Mix together graham crackers and melted butter. Pat into the bottom of a 9" Springform pan and about 1/2 way up the sides. Sprinkle macadamia nuts on to the crust.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Then beat eggs in one at a time. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave, being sure to stir and careful not to let them burn (should only take about 30-60 seconds).  Mix melted chocolate into batter and stir thoroughly.

Pour batter into crust. Swirl the caramel topping into the cream cheese mixture with a knife.

When oven is heated, cover the bottom of the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil and fold it up against the sides (so water doesn't leak in). Then place in the hot water bath for about 5-7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Drain water from the pan, remove tin foil from springform, then place cheesecake back on the cookie sheet and bake for about 30-35 min or until top is golden brown. Cool for about 30 minutes before refrigerating, then refrigerate at least 4-5 hours, or until firm.

Tips - This recipe was quite simple and I don't have very many suggestions.  The original recipe called for pouring the unmelted white chocolate chips on top of the crust, but I was worried it would burn, and since I've made white chocolate cheesecake before I knew another option was to melt and mix into the cheesecake itself. Anyway, just a minor modification, I'm sure it would taste good either way.  Enjoy!

Smoky Blue Cheese Crusted Tomatoes

This is a simple recipe that has a surprising amount of flavor.  Grilling the tomatoes gives them a smokiness that is really intense with the blue cheese.

Ingredients:
6 medium tomatoes

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup crumbled blue cheese

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Prepare 1 side of grill to high heat and leave other side unlit.

Mix breadcrumbs and olive oil in a small bowl.  Remove the core from each tomato and spoon out a bit of the tomato to make a nice opening.  Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Fill each with 1-2 tablespoons blue cheese (as much as you can stuff in there!) and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.

Arrange tomatoes topping side up on unlit side of grill.  Cook until the tomatoes are soft and cheese has melted, about 10-12 minutes.

Mini Fried Chicken with Waffles

This is a fun appetizer and a surprising flavor combination that actually works quite well together.

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenders
2 cups buttermilk (or regular milk, if you don't have buttermilk on hand)

2 tbsp hot sauce

3 eggs, beaten
3 cups vegetable oil
Maple syrup
Mini toaster waffles (20 individual rounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Batter:
2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne

Directions:
Drain the chicken tenders on paper towels, making sure to get them nice and dry.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.  In a medium bowl, mix the buttermilk with the hot sauce, and add the seasoned chicken pieces to the buttermilk mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to overnight.

Remove the chicken from the bowl and drain.  Place flour in a bowl and season with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  Add the chicken pieces to the flour mixture and toss well, thickly coating each piece.  Next, dip the floured chicken pieces in egg, then return to bowl for a second coating of flour.  Either place these individually on wax paper, or fry them as you dip them, as they will stick if you pile them up.

In a large saucepan or skillet, heat oil on high until slightly smoking. Carefully add your chicken in batches, being mindful not to splatter or crowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will drop. Stir occasionally until nicely browned on all sides and then remove to a paper towel to drain. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.

Toast the mini waffle rounds until golden brown and top each round with a piece of fried chicken. Drizzle with warm maple syrup before serving.

 

Tips - This is best served as soon as the chicken comes out of the pan, so it's nice and crispy.  Enjoy!

Secret Benihana Shrimp with Ginger & Mustard Dipping Sauce

I recently went to Benihana, somewhat ironically.  Kyle and I were in the 'burbs visiting a friend and it seemed like a fantastic choice as far as chain restaurants go.  The food was delicious and I particularly liked the dipping sauces, which I immediately decided to try and recreate.  The recipes were awfully hard to locate online.  I ended up paying .79 cents of my hard earned money for it, from some "top secret recipe" website!  It was worth the money because it came out delicious and almost exactly like the real thing, so now I don't have to drive 40 miles for this shrimp!

Shrimp Recipe (per person, so multiply by how many you are serving):

5 large, preferably raw, shrimp

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon garlic butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 dash salt

1 dash pepper

Directions:

Heat a griddle as hot as you can get it.  Pour sesame oil on and let it heat until it just begins to smoke.  Place shrimp on griddle and saute about 3 minutes on each side.  Add garlic butter and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until slightly browned on each side.  Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.  Squeeze juice from half a lemon over the shrimp.  Remove from griddle and serve hot.

Mustard Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 tsp spicy mustard

2 tsp heavy cream

1 tsp thai garlic chili sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Ginger Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (can substitute 1 tbsp ground ginger if preferred)

2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed if possible

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp white vinegar

If you do use fresh ginger for this sauce, you can run it through a food processor or blender for a minute to make it nice and smooth.

Tips - These sauces are really tasty - not sure which I prefer, so make both and decide for yourself!  They are also good on beef or chicken, or grilled vegetables.  When we ate at Benihana, we dipped pretty much everything they gave us in them.  Serve this as an appetizer or make a larger portion and serve with fried rice.  Yum!

Panko Crusted Zucchini Medallions

This are tasty little bites that could be served as a side dish or appetizer.

Ingredients:

Several zucchini and/or yellow squash, cut into slices

Fresh basil

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup panko crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the zucchini and/or squash into even slices and arrange on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Next, spoon a dollop of marinara sauce on each slice, place about a half a basil leaf on top, then about a teaspoon full of each type of cheese, and finally, sprinkle with panko crumbs.

Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the squash is cooked through and the panko is brown.

Serve while hot, and the cheese is still melty.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwich

When I first moved to Chicago from CA, I had never had, or even heard of, an Italian beef sandwich.  Can you imagine living in such a state of ignorance and oblivion?  Luckily for me, I soon discovered all of the impossibly delicious and fattening foods of the Midwest - the Italian beef, the bratwurst, the stuffed pizza....

I combined a couple of versions of this recipe to get this right.  I wanted it to be as authentic as possible.

Ingredients:

1 boneless beef roast (top sirloin or round), about 3 pounds

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 bay leaf

4 cups of beef stock

2 cups of water

2 beef bouillon cubes

Italian style sandwich rolls

Toppings:

Mozzarella or provolone cheese

Giardiniera (if desired)

Roasted bell peppers (if desired)

Directions:

Place roast in crockpot and add seasonings.  Cover with water and beef stock.  Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork, then place shredded meat back into the sauce, and leave on warm.

Apparently you can also make this recipe in the oven and then use a meat slicer to slice the meat.  I think this would be more authentic, as the meat for an Italian beef is usually cut in really thin deli style slices. When prepared in a crockpot like this, the meat comes out with a pulled pork or brisket-like texture.  However, the flavors are a perfect match and though I was worried about the texture at first, it made no discernible different in the taste of the sandwich.  So, I've decided I don't need to invest in a giant meat slicer!

To serve the sandwich, toast your buns (this is very important, as these sandwiches are meant to be juicy, and you don't want your bun to be too soggy).  Fill each toasted bun with the meat, being sure to get some of the sauce with each spoonful.  Next, using tongs, dip the sandwich once in the sauce.

I like to add cheese, which turns this into a "cheezy beef".  You can do this using your oven or microwave, whichever you prefer.  Simply add either shredded mozzarella or slices of provolone, and then quickly heat to melt.  Finally, top with giardiniera and/or bell peppers, if desired, and serve.  I personally love giardiniera, and if you are not familiar with it, I recommend trying it on this sandwich - the spicy, tangy flavor of the giardiniera pairs perfectly with the flavors of the Italian style beef.  It's a match made in heaven!

Here's a website I came across that has a lot of info about the history and preparation of Italian Beef sandwiches - Recipe Website

Tips - I don't usually do regular bell peppers on my sandwich, it just isn't my thing, but a lot of people like it that way.  To prepare them, simply slice a green and/or red bell pepper into long strips (remove seeds and membrane) and sautee in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil for about 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Bavarian Pretzels with White Cheddar Cheese Sauce

I saw this recipe in a magazine and couldn't resist the challenge of making my own pretzels.  It was easier than I expected, and delicious. Freshly baked and hot out of the oven?  Irresistible.

Pretzel Ingredients:

1 package active dry yeast

1/8 cup warm water

1 1/3 cup warm water

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 1/2 cups flour

Baking soda (lots)

2 tbsp melted butter

Kosher salt

Pot of water

To make the pretzels:

Dissolve yeast in 1/8 cup warm water. Stir in 1 1/3 cups warm water, 1/3-cup brown sugar and flour. Knead dough until smooth and elastic.

Heat oven to 475 degrees. In a saucepan, measure 2 tablespoons baking soda to each cup of water. Put enough water to fill the saucepan at least 3 inches high. Bring soda and water mixture to a light boil and set heat to simmer. Make sure the baking soda is well disolved.  For the pot I was using, this took about 20 tablespoons of baking soda, which was nearly an entire container.

Tear off some dough and roll a long thick pencil shape with your hands  I found the easiest way to do this was by rolling slowly in an outward motion, sort of pulling the ends away from one another the whole time.

Next, make a U shape with the rope.  Then braid the two bottom ends around one another twice, as pictured below.

Finally, pick up the braided part and simply place it atop the U, pressing lightly down on the edges so that they stick.  Voila!

Repeat with remaining pretzels - I made 10 with this recipe, but it really depends on how large you want your pretzels.

Next, place pretzels one at a time in water/baking soda mixture for 10 seconds on each side or until the pretzel dough is light yellow in color. This may seem odd, but this step is very important to the final product.  The first few recipes I read recommended using food grade lye, which is difficult to come by, and can be dangerous to work with. I really did not want to use the lye, but most of the recipes I came across claimed it was the only way to get that crisp outside and "pretzel" flavor.

Finally I found this recipe, which suggested substituting baking soda. Unlike sodium hydroxide (lye), baking soda or sodium bicarbonate is not toxic or hazardous and is often used as a substitute for lye water.

Once you remove each pretzel from the water, place them on a salted cookie sheet.

The final step is to salt the top of pretzels with course ground sea salt or kosher salt.  Use liberally, pretzels are supposed to be salty!  Place cookie sheet with pretzels into the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle melted butter over pretzels.  Serve warm, with mustard or cheese sauce (recipe below!).

White Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black or white pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

8 oz grated white cheddar cheese

To make the sauce:

Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. Gradually add milk, stirring until well mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Cook for 5 minutes longer; add cheese. Stir until smooth and well blended.  Keep on low heat until ready to serve with pretzels.

Tips: Do not refrigerate this dough, it will become difficult to work with.  The pretzels can be reheated the next day and still taste delicious, just microwave them for about 30 seconds.

This recipe is pretty versatile, you can omit the drizzled butter, or add other seasonings such as salt, sugar, cinnamon, raisins or nuts, etc.  Once I tasted the pretzels, I understood the importance of the baking soda bath.  They have a very distinctive texture and flavor and there is nothing else in this recipe that could account for it.  These pretzels taste very authentic.  Enjoy!