Mmm...
deviled eggs!!!
Lady Polly's Treats
Recipes
During set up at the lounge, Chef Dente was telling of his days as Dean Martin's travelling chef. One of the most interesting stories concerned Mr. Martin's choice of soup to accompany grilled cheese sandwiches. It became such an issue between the chef and the crooner that it actually landed in court. Chef Dente was released from his contract with Mr. Martin, but forever bound to never reveal the singer's choice in soups. He could only say it was either tomato or chicken noodle. The staff at Vik's were soon embroiled in a minor debate over their choices, and decided they would let the lounge's guests vote as well...
The Results - Tomato: 458...Chicken Noodle: 93
Vik has a passion for the well made grilled cheese. It formed the basis of his diet in the lounge's early years. Now that success has found Vik, he continues to serve the many varieties of grilled cheese as a reminder of his humble beginnings. When Vik's chef, Al Dente, said he received some delicious recipes from Lady Polly, Vik decided they had to be added to the menu.
Lady Polly's favorite sandwiches
Grilled cheese with sliced tomato & pepper jack...(spinkle fresh parmesean on the butter'd side of the bread, then grill)
Grilled cheese (with sliced cucumber and fresh basil)
Lady Polly's hangover cure
Grilled cheese (American) on dark pumpernickle ryeFrench fries
Chocolate milk
Watermelon slice (avoid eating seeds. will disturb you later coming up)
Lady Polly's Bacon Barber Poles
1 lb raw bacon, cut in half2 packages Italian breadsticks
(the thin crispy kind, not the soft doughy ones, with or without sesame seeds, broken in half)
Ok. Now you're going to have to touch the raw bacon at this point, so if you're a bit squeamish about that, you might want to vic (as in evict) a pair of plastic gloves out of your Miss Clairol kit and put them on. I don't know what you'll use when it's time to color your hair, but if you're like me, your boyfriend does it and you've already bought him some Playtex living gloves because the ones that come in the coloring kits don't fit men. Go figure.
Wrap bacon around breadsticks, barber-pole style. Admire.
Lay bacon poles on several layers (I don't know, less than an inch so it doesn't catch on fire) of paper toweling (one my favorite words, "toweling") on a microwavable plate.
Microwave 1-2 minutes. Transfer to second pile of paper toweling to absorb all that nasty grease.
Serve attractively displayed at your next social function or pitch-in party, or consume all yourself after a bad day at the office when angioplasty's sounding good, for a change. Enjoy! (Lady Polly serves these in a monkeywood three-tiered pu-pu tower.)
Recipes
Shrimp Cocktail With Chili Hot Sauce
3/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 to 2 tablespoons horseradish
1 teaspoon minced onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 drops Tabasco sauce
Dash of salt
Fresh cooked shrimp
Combine ingredients except shrimp. Chill thoroughly. Makes 1 cup hot sauce.
Serve in individual cups as shown above. Hook shrimp over rims of glasses.
For trim, snip pointed fans from romaine.
3/4 pound ground beef round
1/2 pound ground veal
1/4 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs (3 slices)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 3/4 cups half and half
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 to 1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon concentrated meat extract
Have meats ground together twice. Soak bread in milk 5 minutes. Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender but not brown. Combine ground meats, crumbs, onion, 1 cup of the half and half, parsley, and seasonings. Beat vigorously until fluffy (about 5 minutes at medium spped on an electric mixer). Mixture will be soft. Form into 1 inch balls (for easier shaping, wet hands when necessary).
Brown meat balls lightly in 2 tablespoons of butter, shaking skillet to keep balls round. (Do not try to brown too many at a time.) Remove meat balls. Stir 1 tablespoon of flour in the drippings; add remaining half and half, coffee, meat extract, and a dash of monosodium glutamate; heat and stir until gravy thickens.
Return meat balls to the gravy; simmer uncovered abbout 10 minutes. Add more half and half if needed. Makes 5 dozen balls.
The Outrigger is a salad boat of hollowed out cucumber carrying seasoned shrimp and crab over a sea of cottage cheese. Fresh asparagus spears make the outrigger.
On paper thin slices of smoked turkey, spread seasoned cream cheese and roll into "cigarettes". Pierce with cocktail picks.
Tongue Treat
Combine ground cooked tongue, cooked mushrooms and a chopped dill pickle with a liberal helping of Thousand Island Dressing. Spread on unsalted crackers.
Waikiki salad-lush tropical fruits heaped high in a pineapple shell. Keep it cool on a bed of crushed ice and tuck in a flower for the exotc touch.
Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosties
1 1 pound can of jellied cranberry sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 3 ounce package of cream cheese, whipped
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Crush cranberry sauce with a fork. Add lemon juice. Pour into paper cups or 1 quart refrigerator tray. Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sugar; blend well. Add walnuts. Fold in whipped cream and spread over cranberry mixture; freeze firm.
If frozen in paper cups, split cups and pull away gently. If frozen in a tray, cup into piie shaped wedges. Serve on lettuce. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
1 loaf French bread, 18 inches long
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons soft butter or margarine
1 1 pound can (2 cups) baked beans or pork and beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded sharp process cheese
5 frankfurters
5 small sweet pickles, cut in fans
Cut bread lengthwise in half; blend mustard and butter, spread on half of loaf. (Use other half for garlic bread or croutons.) Mix beans, onion, and brown sugar; spoon on the buttered bread. Sprinkle with cheese.
Broil about 7 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Split franks lengthwise, without cutting all the way through along one side. Place franks split side up on beans, crosswise on loaf; broil 5 miiinutes longer. Add pickle fans; drizzle mustard down center of franks. Cut loaf in 5 slices so each serving has a frank and a pickle.
Cheese Potato Chips
Sprinkle potato chips with grated cheese. Broil slightly to melt cheese and heat chips. Serve promptly.
Place American cheese on slices of bologna. Heat in broiler until bologna curls. Serve with crackers.
Gnocchi with Fresh Tomatoes, Green Olives and Smoked Mozzarella
1 pound fresh plum tomatoes
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green olives, such as Picholine
1/4 fresh smoked Mozzarella
1 pound gnocchi
2 tablespoons fresh Basil leaves
Pepper to taste
Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot and add 2 tablespoons of salt.
Remove stem ends from tomatoes and chop tomatoes into 1/4-inch cubes, reserving all juices. In a 12-inch to 14-inch saute pan, heat olive oil until, smoking. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until light brown. Add tomatoes and juices and cook 2 minutes. Add olives and remove from heat. Cut smoked Mozzarella into 1/4-inch cubes and set aside. Drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook until they float (about 3 minutes). Drain gnocchi into colander and carefully pour them in to pan with tomato mixture. Return to heat and toss gently until bubbling. Add Mozzarella, basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Pour into heated serving dish and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings
Looking for more food? Try the Gallery of Regrettable Food. Al Dente just loves the place!!! Max the bartender recommends Good Food, devoted to cooking with liquor!