Taste of the Country

Growing up in a town of 1,200 people with one stoplight, a McDonald's, and a small Italian restaurant did not exactly allow my tastebuds to flourish when I was young. Every week was the same: Monday was pizza and wings because my mom cleaned the house all day, Thursday my stepdad made "Smash Sandwiches" consisting of delicious deli meat smothered in ranch dressing with fries smashed into the whole concoction, and the rest of the week my mom cooked. We sat at the table every night and discussed our day while finishing our usual meals that consisted of a meat, a vegetable, and a grain.

My mom didn't eat red meat so any protein we had consisted of fish or some kind of bird; Salmon, chicken, turkey... turkey burger, turkey bacon, we even had a turkey Ham for Easter one year. If I got a good report card in school I always chose a steak as my reward. Being that I was young and my mom's specialties did not include cooking anything from a cow, it was always cooked well done. Well, well done. I remember going to a friend's house for a 4th of July celebration when I was 16 years old and the only thing her dad, Lenny, was cooking on the grill was steak; I was elated. But, when it got to my plate and I cut into it, I thought there was something wrong. It didn't look anything like what my mom cooked for me, there was another color besides brown - it was pink! I asked my friend and her dad if it was okay to eat and they both looked at me like I had two heads, so I took a bite. Lenny told me it was a "damn crime to eat any type of red meat over medium, and that should only happen if you couldn't get to the grill in time to take it off at medium-rare." After tasting that steak, I couldn't agree more.

In college I started exploring more food options like beef ramen, shrimp ramen, Valentina's hot sauce from Walmart to put on the ramen, and every Wednesday we would put together our dollars and change we found in pockets from what we wore over the weekend for "Yuengs & Wings" night at the local bar; I was really living the dream. Sometimes my roommate and I would even splurge and order off the Wendy's value menu.

I was working as the general manager of the country club in my Northeast Pennsylvania hometown when I met my husband, Hank, who was in town for work but originally from Missouri. He had an upcoming job in Virginia shortly after we got together, so we would take turns going to each other's location or meet in the middle in Hagerstown, Maryland for about 6 months. When we would get together we always went out to try some new and delicious food. One of my favorites when I went to visit him in Roanoke, Virginia was a Spicy Shrimp and Grits recipe at the restaurant closest to where he stayed. In Maryland we always went to a certain restaurant where there was an amazing appetizer of baked brussel sprouts with a tangy sauce drizzled over top. We had our first experience with Brazilian food in Syracuse, New York one weekend when he came to visit me; it felt like another day of discovering medium rare steak - amazing!

Hank's job in Virginia was over at the end of November and from there we decided to live in my hometown for a few months until his next job started. I had worked at the country club for 8 years when we decided that it would be my last and I would go on the road with Hank for work. My final day was the 25th of November and we left for Missouri to get his two young boys who came back to live with us. Being in a somewhat new relationship, you find out a lot about a person very quickly when you are forced to stay inside all winter while a few feet of snow pile up outside your window on a weekly basis. We did a lot, and I mean a lot... of cooking!

I loved showing Hank and the kids some of my favorite recipes and trying some of his! He let me in on some of his secrets like ham, beans, and cornbread. If you like hard boiled eggs, try them while they're still warm with a little bit of hot sauce. And have you ever heard of Ooey gooey butter cake? Thank me later.

What I was able to show him was something I grew up with and assumed for a very long time that everyone in the world knew about them: Spiedies. They originated in the area of Binghamton, New York, in the 1930's but, apparently, didn't make it much further than my area in Pennsylvania and surrounding areas of New York.

You start by cubing chicken (or venison, lamb, pork, beef... but chicken is the most popular), pouring some Lupo's (or your own concoction) over it to marinate for at least a few hours, slide them onto some skewers, grill, and enjoy them right off the skewer or on an Italian roll.

One recipe that made it's way into my life when Hank did was his grandmother's. Hank's grandmother taught him how to cook many things but his first attempt at this was when we were still in my hometown and now it is something we enjoy almost every Sunday morning for breakfast. Biscuits and gravy, or as we call it, B's & G's.

Both of our strategies for making B's & G's are pretty similar, with only a few minor differences; the biggest one being that the kids secretly tell me that mine is better. First, you brown the Jimmy Dean Pork Maple Sausage Roll in a pan while seasoning it with some Cavenders Greek Seasoning and a dash of Lowry's Seasoned Salt. Drain most of the oil in the pan and start coating the pork with flour. Once you've got a good, thick coat on the pork it's time to start slowly adding whole milk while continuously stirring on a high heat. Once it starts boiling lower the heat and keep stirring occasionally until it thickens up. Hank prefers Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Biscuits and I like to use King's Hawaiian Savory Butter Rolls to give it a sweet and salty taste.

I had lived in 2 different houses throughout my childhood and teenage years up until I graduated college. Since we started moving around the United States in January of 2019, I've lived in 8 houses. The worst part about us moving around (with 3 kids) every 4-6 months is the packing, the unpacking, the organizing, the cleaning... but the best part? Meeting so many different types of people and trying so many different types of food. So, I'd like to share some of my favorites from some of the different places we have been.

Our first move was to Alton, Illinois, which was right outside of St. Louis, Missouri. Hank went to college in St. Louis and knew the area pretty well, so we explored downtown fairly often. My first discovery was provel cheese. I need to give a little background about my love for cheese... when Hank and I first met we were inseparable. I was running around for an event for work and saw a good friend who proceeded to ask where Hank was. I explained he was snacking on a block of cheese in the car, to which she replied, "he might actually be your soulmate." Now back to provel...

Provel cheese is this amazing, buttery, soft pasteurized cheese made of cheddar, swiss, and provolone cheeses. I first discovered it on an Imo's salad. Imo's is known for St. Louis style pizza, a fantastic Sweet Italian House Dressing, and my next discovery out of St. Louis: Toasted Ravioli.

Most sources credit St. Louis with the creation of this tasty appetizer. The boys loved ordering them if we'd go out to eat so much that we decided to try our hand at a homemade version. You need frozen cheese ravioli and to let them thaw. Combine 2 tablespoons of whole milk and 1 egg together in a small bowl, then add some breadcrumbs to a shallow dish. Dip the ravioli in your milk mixture and smother them in breadcrumbs. In a large heavy pan you need to heat about 3 cups (2 inches) vegetable oil on medium high heat until a small amount of breading sizzles in the pan. Fry a few ravioli at a time for about 1 minute on each side, drain on paper towels, sprinkle on your favorite type of parmesan cheese, and serve immediately with hot marinara sauce - or ranch, like me.

Our next move was to Greeley, Colorado, and if you've ever smelled the air there it does not leave you with much of an appetite. It is a major beef-producing area and the smell hits you like a ton of bricks. We always went for Sunday drives and on one of those drives I discovered what, apparently, everyone around Denver already knew about: The Smothered Mexican Hamburger.

This giant burger is tucked inside a tortilla with cheese, refried beans, and smothered all over with spicy Hatch green chile. It was more than I could handle, but that's what I have Hank for.

Our next move had a common theme with Colorado, but much better weather. El Paso, Texas had green chile everything. If you went to Whataburger, Sonic, even gas stations had green chile options for everything. We could see Juarez from the AirBnB we stayed in for the few months we were there, so of course you could expect El Paso to have some of the best Tex-Mex food you can find.

One of our last places we were at was Baytown, Texas where there was never a point in time that I didn't see or didn't want a cajun boil. I've always loved crab and have always been terrified of crawfish. There was no room for me to be scared anymore once we were in that town! I thought that crab legs and butter were the best thing, until Hank's son started noticing how incredible it was. My one and only defferal of this is getting a cajun boil. "It's spicy," is one of my favorite things to say to the kids, even if it is lettuce. A cajun boil is what my last meal would be if I were on death row.

I do not particularly like lobster, but I love crab. A crawfish is a mix between both and in order to cook it correctly you have got to have one ingredient... Crab Boil.

I think I will continue to expand my tastebuds over my lifetime, but I am so grateful that I was able to develop them more than I could ever imagine.