Happy 4th of July, friends! May your weekend be filled with deliciousness and fireworks and beaches and sun. This is one of my favorite holidays, not just because it’s a week before my birthday (did I mention my BIRTHDAY is coming up?), but because it’s a full out summer fest. Everyone gets the day off of work and school (sorry, retail friends) and celebrating includes all things American: processed foods, explosions, and bad country songs.
YEEHAW HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
I sang this song during my summer job performing at an amusement park, and squeezed in “ROCHESTER USA” awkwardly at the end, instead of James Browns’ original “Chicago and LA.” It was pretty memorable, guys.
Happy weekend, kids! I’m seeing this monstrosity in concert this weekend with my fabulous cousin, Casey. I’m so stoked! I’ve heard she puts on quite a show. Judging from this picture… I’d say those rumors are true.
My lovely friend Molly has this really brilliant feature on her blog where she includes a song she’d play while making the recipe she’s blogging about. I love it. I think it’s genius. And who doesn’t listen to music while they cook? So today you can scroll down and listen to the same song I played whilst making thisfattydelicious dish.
My mom calls this one “dad’s famous onion dip” because apparently when he was a bachelor he used to bring it to parties and everyone would RAVE and it was his little secret that it is literally the easiest dish in the world to create. But I had a thought. I love all the ingredients. So I will turn it into a fatty delicious sandwich. Try it both ways, kids! You will not be disappointed.
On the menu:
Chuck’s Famous Onion Dip
2 cups mayonnaise
2 cups yellow onion, diced
2 cups swiss cheese, diced (why doesn’t anyone ever shred swiss cheese? why don’t they sell it pre-shredded in the grocery store alongside the cheddar and the mozzarella? the world may never know.)
Throw ingredients in a big bowl. Stir. Microwave for 10 – 15 minutes or until melted into one beautiful mixture. Stir. Serve with Ritz. Be as popular as Chuck.
To make the sandwich: thinly slice 1/4 of a yellow onion and sautee with butter until the onions are gently browned. Build a sandwich with turkey, swiss cheese, a healthy slathering of mayo, and the sauteed onions. Grill over medium heat until the bread is browned and cheese is melted.
On the menu:
Homemade potato chips
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 large potatoes (I think any kind will work here, but I used standard Idaho)
Seasoning*
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices, using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Toss with oil. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the slices are dark brown, just short of burnt. Immediately after removing from the oven, toss with salt and pepper or seasoning of your choice.
*Be creative! How delicious does shredded parmesan and parsley sound on these? Or a little cayenne pepper? Or just a healthy dose of freshly cracked black pepper? Or you could get REALLY crazy and sprinkle a little sugar and sea salt on them. The possibilities are endless. And if you mess up… well, you just wasted a couple potatoes. Call me. I’ll send you the $.65.
Apparently this is a whole week of self-indulgent posts… Awhile back I Twittered (Tweeted?) that I would love to post about all my favorite songs that include food references (there are a lot of them…), but that probably no one would be interested in that but me. My lovely friend Ashley responded that she’d like to read it, and really… all I needed was one more person who cared. Some of these you may know, and others maybe only my family and an AM radio DJ in South Dakota have ever listened to. Either way, kiddies, here they are.
I went to a panel discussion one time about food writing and Melissa Clark, a food writer and New York Times columnist, said that if you’re really into food and you also like to write, somehow you always find yourself incorporating food into your writing. I like to think if you’re a music lover, whenever you hear a song with food mentioned you pick those lyrics out immediately. Call me crazy. Call me hungry. Just don’t call me late for dinner.
Happy Independence Day, America! This post is totally un-food realted but I am currently stuffing my face with burgers and summer corn right now if it’s any consolation to you.
And please listen to this. It brings tears to my eyes every time.
My mother always tells me, “You had the only Italian grandmother who couldn’t cook.” Grandma Mel may have made more imitation-crab salads than meaty lasagnas, but she made one dish that I will never forget. And in this CONSTANT heat and humidity, my craving for it hit me like a Mack truck.
On the menu:
Rosa Marina Pasta Salad
1 lb of Rosa Marina or Orzo (I had to use Orzo because my local grocer doesn’t carry Rosa Marina)
1 small bag of shredded coconut
1 9 oz container of Cool Whip
2 eggs, beaten
2 large cans of crushed pineapple packed in 100% pineapple juice (no syrup!)
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup cherries, chopped (this recipe typically calls for maraschino cherries, but I had just bought fresh so I used them)
1 large can of mandarin oranges*
3/4 cup of sugar*
*I’m not sure if once again this was my local grocery or a trend in canned fruit, but I could only find mandarin oranges packed in light syrup instead of real fruit juice, which I HATE. Because I could only find the sugared oranges, I only added 1/2 cup of sugar. You really don’t need all that extra anyway.
Cook noodles according to package. Drain pineapple and oranges, but save juice. In juice, cook eggs, sugar and flour until the mixture comes to a boil. Let cool for 5 minutes and then pour over noodles. Cover and refrigerate over night. Next day, loosen mixture with spatula. Fold in chopped cherries, pineapple, oranges, coconut and Cool Whip. Mix well and chill. Eat in front of a fan with a glass of lemon water with a little Buona Fortuna by The Four Sicilians playing in the background…
Lauren E. is a food writer and recipe tester living in New York City. She is a regular contributor to Yumm.com and has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show.
Lauren E. is a food writer and recipe tester living in New York City. She is a regular contributor to Yumm.com and has been featured on The Martha Stewart Show.