Prime Time for Steak Lovers...

For years, Brian Wong, a 25-year-old technology consultant in San Jose, Calif., longed to buy USDA prime beef. He had tried it at an expensive steakhouse, but whenever he looked in supermarkets or at Costco for the beef with the Department of Agriculture’s highest grading, he was told they didn’t carry it.

So when Mr. Wong saw a cut labeled USDA prime at Costco—selling for $9.99 a pound—he was so startled that he knocked on the window of the butcher department. “I asked them, ‘Is this a joke? Is it really prime?’ ” Mr. Wong says. The rib eyes he bought were the real thing: They were “more tender, more juicy” and more “delicious” than any other steaks he has cooked, Mr. Wong says. - complete article

Summer is here and the time is right...

So....

Pepe's vs. Sally's...

The Golden Local - Best Pizza

Gail Lessard's minestrone with sweet sausage and tortellini...

There's a winter storm acomin'. People are swarming the supermarkets like ants. You decide to rustle up some soup. Good move, make this:

First step, gather the goods:
1/3 cup best-quality olive oil
1 lg. yellow onion, cut into thin rings
4 lg. carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 lg. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut into 1/2 inch squares
3 medium-size zucchini, diced
1.5 cups of diagonally-sliced green beans
1 medium-size green cabbage, shredded
5 cups beef stock
5 cups water
1 one (35 oz.) can Italian plum tomatoes
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Outer rind of 2-inch chunk of Parmesan or Romano cheese
1.5 cup canned cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained
1 lb. cheese-stuffed tortellini
1.5 lbs. sweet Italian sausage (pan fried, drained, sliced)
Freshly grated Fontina cheese

Take a brief rest, being thankful you had all this shit in the house.
Deep breath, GO!

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, saute until transparent (or transgendered, whichever happens first).
   
2. Stir in carrots and saute 2-3 minutes, tossin' and turnin' occasionally
   
3. Add the fennel, potatoes, green pepper, zucchini and green beans, sauteing each veggie 2-3 minutes before adding the next (don't cheat, we're watching you). When assignment is completed, passed in and graded, stir in cabbage cook 5 minutes more (extra credit).
   
4. Add the stock, bonds, mutual funds, water, tomatoes with their juice, spices.
   
5. Bury the Parmesan rind in the middle of the soup (R.I.P.- no calling hours)
   
6. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat, simmer covered low 2.5 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally. The soup will be very thick (something akin to your understanding of this whole process).
   
7. Fifteen minutes before serving stir in cannellini beans and tortellini. Raise heat to cook tortellini, continue to stir occasionally. JUST before serving, stir in sausage.
   
8. Ladle the minestrone into shallow pasta bowls and garnish lavishly with Fontina (no, not THAT Fontina, the stripper you met while hangin' with Plaxico Burriss).

There, you've done it! Pop a cold one and sit in front on that big-screen you bought yourself for Christmas (and hope you didn't really give Fontina your home phone number).

Whew, George, that was a close one!...

NYC eatery grants freedom to lobster centenarian (AP)
NEW YORK – A 140-year-old lobster once destined for a dinner plate received the gift of life Friday from a Park Avenue seafood restaurant. George, the 20-pound supercentenarian crustacean, was freed by City Crab and Seafood in New York City. "We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace," said Ingrid E. Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA spokesman Michael McGraw said the group asked City Crab to return George to the Atlantic Ocean after a diner saw him at the restaurant, where steamed Maine lobster sells for $27 per pound. George had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada and lived in the tank for about 10 days before his release. Some scientists estimate lobsters can live to be more than 100 years old. PETA and the restaurant guessed George's age at about 140, using a rule of thumb based on the creature's weight. He was to be released Saturday near Kennebunkport, Maine, in an area where lobster trapping is forbidden.

Tribute to George:
The B-52's perform Rock Lobster at the Downtown Cafe in Atlanta, Georgia in 1978, about a month before the release of their first album. very cool YouTube clip

Thanks for letting us into your kitchen (it's a little messy, don't you think?)

Happy New Year!

Sharie's Special Apple Sausage Stuffing (it's a secret, so don't tell ANYONE!)...

Sharie (a/k/a "The Rockville Rockette) says this so really easy that even idiots like you can do it (yes, she mentioned YOU specifically). So the pressure is on, folks. But rather than stand there in a panic, carefully gather these ingredients:
1 lb ground pork
2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2 stems celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbl butter
1 cup hot water
1 tbl parsley flakes
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
2 cup seasoned stuffing mix

Stop sweating, you're doing fine (plus it's gross if you sweat into this stuff):

Microwave pork on HI for 3 minutes, or until set. Drain fat and set aside. (This may take longer, no one really knows. It's one of life's little mysteries.)

Microwave onion, apples, celery, and butter on HI for 4-5 minutes, or until onion is translucent (or possibly, in rare cases, transgendered).

Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.

Stuff it, buster!

Good luck, Sharon

Sharie says she always thinks of Jimmy Dean when she thinks of sausage. You may also remember Jimmy Dean's big 1961 hit, Big Bad John.

I guess we're hosed on these gift certificates!....

Sad news on the doorstep.....

25 Center Street Restaurant closes

Record-Journal article about lost gift certificates here

Aaron's Toffee Crunch Grahams...

Ingredients:

12 whole graham crackers

1.5 cups butter (no substitutes; if you do, we will know and we'll have to kill you)

1 cup packed brown sugar (how come you dance so good, girl!)

2 cups sliced almonds/walnuts/pecans (your choice, but choose wisely, because the wrong choice could screw up the entire batch!)

Got 'em all? Okay, let's go!
Line a 10x15 pan with foil. Place graham crackers on foil. In saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar. Bring to boil, stirring constantly (if YOU are also stirring constantly, check for fleas). Pour over crackers on pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 400F for 5 minutes. Transfer to rack (nice rack, btw!) to cool completely. Voilà!!!

Per songfacts.com, regarding the Stones' Brown Sugar: Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics. They were inspired by Claudia Lennear, one of Ike Turner's backup singers (Ikettes) who he had an affair with. They met when The Stones toured with Turner in 1969.

Reet Says Cookies (for the family Christmas party)...

Strict orders from Mary: MAKE TWO DOZEN COOKIES!

So The Reet scratches around furiously to find two cookie recipes that are (1) fast/easy to make and (2) at least edible. She found the following that meet test number one, but we must wait for the latter results.

Meringue Rounds...

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 oz chocolate baby bits

Beat egg whites in bowl (pause).

Just beat it, beat it
No one wants to be defeated
Showin' how funky and strong is your fight
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right
Just beat it, beat it (go ON wit yo funky self!)

Once recomposed, gradually add the sugar, Sugar. Beat 'til stiff (oh, grow UP!). Add vanilla, salt and baby bits. Dab small spoonfuls (perhaps lovin' spoonfuls) of batter onto cookie sheet. Pre-heat oven to 370 degrees. Place sheets in oven and turn oven off! Let cookies stay in oven for 5 hours/overnight (or forever, for all I care!).

Reet says remove from oven (oh, god, it's been so long I almost forgot these suckers were in there!), eat and enjoy. If you are adventurous (or you can't really spell all that great and think you're insanely clever), you can Salsa merengue dance while you eat the Meringue Rounds.

Lemon Squares (very pretty and the lemon flour is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat)...

Gather crust ingredients (while humming along to Peter, Paul & Mary):

1/2 cup butter/margarine

1/4 cup confectionery sugar

1 cup flour

Let's do this!
Mix butter/margarine, confectionery sugar and flour in a bowl (Reet suggests the Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of them all). Place mixture into 9-inch square pan. Do NOT grease pan! Oh, you already did? My bad, I should have told you earlier. Deal with it. Build up the pan (it's good for the pan's self-esteem). Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking...
Assemble:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

rind of one lemon

juice of one lemon

first offspring of one lemon (okay, okay, just kidding)

Hurry, we only have 15 minutes!
Beat all of the above in another bowl (you've already used the Rose, so I'd go for the prestigious Meineke Car Care Bowl) and then pour over crust. Put back into oven and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (VERY IMPORTANT! Be CAREFUL not to let oven get to 360 degrees, because you will be right back where you started!)

You're done! Cut into squares, serve and volley.

Gimme six, loaded...

Many trips in the early 70's to this great spot from our first house in the west end of Cheshire. We were young 'n buffed; we are currently not young. Reet, wanna go to Blackie's for lunch, today?

Blackie's: A Hot Dog Stand To Relish by Robin Stansbury (Htfd Courant)

I'm not usually a fan of hot dogs, consuming perhaps one a year at a Fourth of July barbecue or Rock Cats baseball game. At least, that was true until my husband introduced me to Blackie's Hot Dog Stand, a funky and fabulous restaurant in Cheshire. Everything works right with these dogs, from the soft buns, the split-top cooking of the Hummel Brothers hot dogs and, of course, that magical spicy relish doled out with a plastic spoon.

The look: It's a hot dog stand (a slightly misleading label because the restaurant has two small octagon-shaped dining rooms), so it doesn't get fancy here. Clearly, Blackie's, which was founded in 1928, isn't a secret, as the crowded parking lot during our lunch visit revealed. Maybe that's why Blackie's went through an extensive renovation last year when — gasp — the eatery was closed for seven weeks to expand the kitchen and storage areas. But the remodeling didn't alter the look of the interior of the two wood-paneled dining rooms or the long counter and stools. Ketchup, mustard and relish is serve-yourself.

The vibe: No fuss. Blackie's is a place where construction workers sit side-by-side with folks in suits, kids and grandparents. On a warm day, the two garage-style doors open to let in the breeze. The food is served on paper plates, or in a box to go.

The eats: It's all basic food at Blackie's. Besides hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers are also on the menu, but we didn't hear any orders for burgers during our visit. The dogs are so popular that most who were ordering at the counter didn't even use the word "hot dog," instead just calling out the desired number.
"Three."
"Five."
And — this was true during our visit — "Eighteen."
There are no fancy toppings like chili or sauerkraut, only the divine spicy relish, which the owners say is a family secret. The relish is made of peppers, not pickles, but that is as much as the owners will reveal. You can add a drink and a bag of chips to your order, but why bother? Just order another hot dog, instead.

The prices: Dirt cheap. The dogs are $1.75. Hamburgers cost $2, and a small soda is $1. Our party of five ate a giant lunch for just more than $20.

The verdict: Dog-gone good. - blackieshotdogs.com

I'll have 27 bottles of the Romanee Conti...

Put it on my tab:

12 bottles of 1978

two bottles of the 1961, 1966, 1996 and 2003

single bottles of the 1981, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002

The tab, you ask? $500,000

Record $500,000 paid for 27 bottles of red wine (Reuters)

While the global credit crunch has forced many consumers to rein in spending, one Beijing-based billionaire has splashed out a record $500,000 on 27 bottles of red wine, London-based Antique Wine Company said on Saturday. The anonymous Chinese entrepreneur bought a mix of vintages of Romanee Conti, a Burgundy wine and considered to be among the world's most exclusive with only 450 cases produced each year. - complete article

You asked for it, Nancy K......

Reet's Broccoli Soup

It's Winter. You need something warm and tasty in your tummy while watching your favorite hoops team fail to meet expectations. Whatcha got? Rustle up some Reet's Broccoli Soup and cuddle up with your honey (or your hubby/wife- it's your call).

Ingredients:

6 cups of water (tap is fine, unless you have to impress someone, then get Evian)

2 10-oz chopped broccoli (for those who have seen Dana Carvey's standup routine, take time out to smirk knowingly; others just move on)

3/4 cup of chopped onion

2 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of white pepa (you feelin' it now? gettin' funky? push it good, push it real good)

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

8 oz of American cheese

1 cup of milk

1 cup of light cream (I guess that's the cream without Eric Clapton, but I could be mistaken)

1/4 cup of butter

1/3 cup of flour

1/2 cup of cold water (wtf? I already have 6 cups of water, you say. Just do it!)

Let's do this!
Boil the water with the chopped broccoli and onion for ten minutes. You can continue to push it real good while waiting (ooh, baby baby). Then add all seasonings/cheese and stir until the cheese melts (a Northeastern expression akin to 'til the cows come home'). Add milk, cream (Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce only) and butter.

Now you find out why we needed that extra water. Mix the water with the flour, then very slowly add to the soup mix for texture. When your arm feels like it is falling off, you're done! Pour into large cup and ease onto the couch. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

click here

The Reet says eat here....

Johnny K decided to take me to a special restaurant for my birthday his choice, not mine). We dined at O'Porto Fine Portuguese Restaurant in Hartford, with good friends Keith/Sharon and Vin/Marsha. We started with good wine (I had a diet coke with lemon) followed by great appetizers (my favorite, Camarao Grelhado, grilled shrimp in lemon sauce, was so good that next time I will order that for dinner).

Another good appetizer was their famous Portuguese fried potatoes. (also served as the dinner potatoes); very tasty. The big hit of the night was the Paehla or Paella. Various concoctions were filled with shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, chicken or whatever and served with SAFFRON rice. The SAFFRON rice was everyone's favorite (but not mine). John order Black Pork, pork chops that were cooked to perfection, unlike the dried out ones I cook. Me, well I had a steak with those famous Portuguese potatoes again because I'm a wimp. My recommedation is if you want a great steak go to Anthony's Jacks. Portguese steak doesn't cut it. Now to the deserts, they were awsome! I had cheesecake with caramel sauce, very good. Keith and Sharon enjoyed an Almond Tarte together, and John and Sharon had Creame Brule together. We all shared, except Vin and Marsha, Marsha enjoyed her Chocolate Mousse and only gave Vin a bite. All in all, it was a great birthday evening with fine dining and good friends. I just don't think I would order steak again. And, too much Saffron rice for me.

O'Porto....

A Paehla For Everyone At O'Porto This Month by KORKY VANN, The Hartford Courant
O'Porto, 2074 Park St., Hartford, 860-233-3184

It's "paehla month" at O'Porto Restaurant in Hartford (paehla is the Portuguese version of paella), and culinary festivities around the event include hot deals for takeout customers. Get your dishes to go, and you'll save cool cash on the eat-in cost. The restaurant offers a number of classic combinations of meat, seafood and vegetables, all built on fragrant saffron rice and all great options for anyone looking to impress dinner guests without going near a stove.

We tried Paelha a Casa (the house version) and immediately make a note to add it to our holiday menu. (Discounted paelha to-go prices remain in effect through the end of the year. The takeout price is $30; the in-restaurant dinner regular price is $46 and $40 during paehla month.) The dish, packed with shrimp, clams, mussels, pieces of chicken and pork, chunks of spicy chouriço sausage and accented with red peppers and green peas, is an instant crowd pleaser.

Other varieties include Paelha Marinheiro, which features scallops and shrimp, Paelha Portuguesa which adds lobster to the mix, and Paelha Vegetariana, (a vegetarian version) with seasonal vegetables. There's a two-person minimum order for any of the paelhas and for an additional per head cost. You can expand your order to feed as many as you like. (If you're looking to feed 15 or more, call a day ahead, otherwise several hours notice will suffice.)

Another great deal is a fixed-price selection featuring appetizer, entree and dessert for $26. For starters, we opt for the Crepes Recheadoes, delicate pancakes stuffed with shrimp in a mild tomato broth, then move on to the Salmão à Sousa, a generous grilled salmon fillet, and finish with what instantly becomes our favorite dessert of the season - Tarta de Amendoa - a sweet pastry base topped with a toffee-like crust of caramelized almonds.

To sweeten the pot for takeout customers O'Porto is offering a $5 gift card good toward your next meal with any takeout order now through Thanksgiving.

The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday from noon to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served from 5 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday hours are noon to 8 p.m. O'Porto is closed on Monday. Information: www.oportohartford.com.

Finding The Real New England Lobster Roll

Futile But Tasty Quest (AP) - MASHPEE, Mass. -- Leaning back in his bar stool, the retired postmaster shook his head and jabbed a fork toward the pound of lobster and mayonnaise stuck between bread. Deprived of lobster rolls in Arizona, James Maguire III had returned to his native Massachusetts and consumed seven in almost as many days. He found the biggest and best at The Raw Bar in Mashpee.

"There's more lobster in this one than all the rest combined," he said, giddy with delight. New Englanders speak of lobster rolls with a reverence usually reserved for religion. Devoted sects squabble over the delicacy's origins, they quarrel over recipe orthodoxy and they flock to beloved seafood shacks like pilgrims to a shrine. A winding summertime journey from Connecticut to Maine spanned 250 miles, seven lobster rolls and several thousand calories. The search didn't reveal the one, undisputed lobster roll, but it uncovered some good ones.

Here's the truth: A proper New England lobster roll includes meat and bread. Everything else is negotiable. Disputes over the lobster roll outnumber the ingredients in one. Are they properly served drenched in butter or smeared with mayonnaise? Hellman's or horseradish? Lettuce or celery? And why lobster, anyway? "There is that weird irony that lobster is such an expensive ingredient and it's being served in such a pedestrian way," said Rebecca Charles, a Manhattan chef who first encountered lobster rolls while vacationing in Maine as a child.

Charles considers herself a fundamentalist. To her, a true lobster roll is cased in a toasted, Pepperidge Farm hotdog bun. It contains cold lobster chunks coated with Hellman's mayonnaise. She mixes in minced celery, salt and pepper, then adds squeezed lemon juice. Warm bread contrasts with cold meat. - complete article

Shrimp and Tasso Stuffed Potato Skins

Courtesy of New Orleans Menu

The baked, stuffed potato skin came from the chain restaurant world, but that doesn't necessarily make it terrible. This version borrows the basic premise and works a New Orleans taste in. Small peeled fresh shrimp are often a bargain and pretty good; this dish puts them to work.

10 medium-small russet potatoes
1 stick butter
3 green onions, chopped
1 lb. small peeled shrimp
1/2 lb. tasso
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Sauce:
8 oz. sour cream
2 Tbs. prepared horseradish
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs. Creole mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1. Select only potatoes without any serious blemishes. Scrub the skins well with a brush or curly scrubber under cold running water.
   
   
2. Bake the potatoes till a little underdone--about one hour.
   
   
3. After they cool, slice the potatoes from end to end into quarters. Scoop a little more than half the white part out of each potato quarter. Save what you scoop out for mashed potatoes.
   
   
4. Heat a tablespoon of the butter in a skillet over high heat. Sauté the shrimp, tasso, and green onions until the shrimp turn pink--just a couple of minutes at most.
   
   
5. Chop the shrimp and tasso mixture roughly.
   
   
6. Turn on the broiler. Brush the insides of the potato tops and bottoms with butter. Broil the potatoes until you see a little browning around the edges.
   
   
7. Remove and spoon into each potato skin about two tablespoons of the shrimp-and-tasso mixture. Top with enough shredded cheese to almost, but not quite cover. Return to the broiler until the cheese begins to bubble.
   
   
8. Mix the sauce ingredients. Serve the potato skins with the sauce on the side for dipping.
   

Serves six to ten.

2006 Wine Tasting Benefit at Mohegan Sun

Brenda sharing cooking secrets with Chef Todd English (Olives of Boston and Tuscany at Mohegan Sun) and Chef Ted Allen (from televison show Queer Eye) Saturday at the
2006 Wine Tasting Benefit at Mohegan Sun.

New eats on Center Street

New eating places are sprouting up and down Center Street these days. Reet Says Eat aims to try them all.

Tonic out, Popular in

‘Popular’ spot will return to downtown by Harry Kyle, The Southington Citizen

Southington’s Renaissance project was developed to bring a rebirth to the downtown business district, and its redesigned walkways, outdoor dining areas and variety of new restaurants and shops have gone a long way toward fulfilling that goal. But, in a somewhat ironic twist, the newest piece of the revival puzzle has an old connection to the central business district as it existed almost 50 years ago.

The Popular Restaurant was once one of Southington’s favorite watering holes. Located at 71 Center Street, it was started as a nickel-a-beer tavern by Horace Secondo and his wife, Edna, in 1937, and quickly became the favorite gathering place in town. The next two generations of the Secondo family carried on the tradition until 1987, when the family sold the business. It continued in operation under the same name until it was destroyed by a fire in 1991. Now a new branch of the Secondo family has come back to town, and plans to combine the mystique and charm of the old night spot with some new amenities, in the hopes of making the Popular name popular once again. complete article


The Fire Place

We ordered a couple of pies at halftime of the Giants-Eagles game, made additionally difficult because they have no website and telephone number was not available from information. So we needed two trips - one to order, another to pickup. The verdict: crust, the most important element of the pie, was almost mushy; very disappointing. We will give them another shot, but the first impression was thumbs down. Too bad, the reataurant has been nicely renovated.

Fire Place heats up Center Street By Robert C. Pollack, Record-Journal staff

SOUTHINGTON — A new, upscale pizza restaurant called The Fire Place is coming to Center Street in May, if the Zoning Board of Appeals approves a pending application for a liquor license. Frank LaRosa and John Pucci, both of Southington, are spending $120,000 to renovate the storefront at 44 Center St. — former home of Apple Annie's — with an eye to opening the new restaurant in mid-May. LaRosa said the 2,400-square-foot restaurant, which will serve both lunch and dinner, will offer pizzas of every description, including shrimp and chicken. - complete article

Reet's "Wake-Up-You-Lazy-Bastard" Breakfast Casserole

This casserole is sure to get that lazy bastard (or, to be politically inclusive, bitch) in your life out of bed and bounding down the stairs to start the brand-new day. Be careful, though, for if you live in a ranch-style house, he/she would then end up on the wrong floor to enjoy the treat.

Ingredients:

8 frozen hash-brown patties (possibilities include Pattie LaBelle (sans Blu Belles), Pattie Hearst, Pattie Loveless, Pattie Duke, Peppermint Pattie, etc.)

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb bacon- cooked, drained, crumbled (in other words, completely demoralized)

7 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Prepare:

Place patties (all of them, kicking and screaming) in a single layer in a greased 13 by 9 baking pan; sprinkle with cheese and bacon.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard powder; pour over casserole.

Cover, then bake in oven at 350 degrees for one hour (if it were 360 degrees, you would be back where you started).

Uncover (no, not you!), then bake 15 minutes longer until edges are golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (magic!!!)

Suggested music: "Morning Has Broken" by the sweet-voiced terrorist Yusuf Islam from his album Teaser and the Firecat. Be careful, though, George W. may give you a vacation to Cuba for listening.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's Renaldo's

Reet Says Eat many times over the years at Renaldo's Apizza & Pasta, where a smiling Renaldo always greets our pickup orders with a Hello, Rita. The restaurant recently received a favorable review in the Hartford Courant, which said, in part:

A dozen booths make up the simple restaurant that even on a Sunday night was hopping with patrons picking up to-go orders, and others settling in for a meal. "It doesn't look like much from the outside. It's not the Waldorf Astoria, but we have good food and decent prices," explains owner Christopher Quiroga, a former corrections officer who purchased the place from Renaldo Riccitelli about six years ago.

"Renaldo still works here and he gave me the recipes along with the place when I bought it," explained Quiroga. "We don't give out the recipes, but nearly everything we do here is from scratch." I could tell. The sauce was sweet, obviously from good products, fresh herbs and hours of simmering. Breads, including the grinder rolls, were crisp on the outside and light on the inside, indicative of homemade. - complete review

Located at 378 N. Main St., Southington, CT 860-621-6005

Sharon Mirisola's Chicken 'N Rice 'N Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli

2 cups Success Rice (I guess Minute Rice doesn't make it!)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 stick butter or margarine

1 16 oz jar Cheez Whiz

1 can Durkee fried onions

2 cups of of cooked chicken (cubed)

Prepare:

cook/strain broccoli

cook rice (not sure how long?)

mix cheez whiz, soup & softened butter (using a mixer)

add cooked chicken, broccoli and rice, mix with a spoon

bake mixture in oven @ 350 degrees

top with the fried onions and bake additional 15 minutes

Emilio's for Reet's birthday (yeah, it's open)

Dimly lit, tables close together, Italian music coming from the speakers....and an owner who appears at your table to play the ACCORDIAN for you! I'm a sucker for atmosphere. WE dined out for Reet's birthday; yes, WE, the waitress included herself in our party when asking if WE were ready to order. Annoying, but well-meaning. And WE liked the reincarnation of Giovanni's very much. Jonathan claimed his lasagna was not the equal of Pagliacci's, but good. My Something-All-Emilio was a seafood mixture with spinach and a white wine sauce over linguini. Very nice. (Bonus! If you get just the right seat, you can peer across the street into Blockbuster to pick out your after-dinner flick.)

---

Coming soon: Italian-style food in the old tradition By Jesse D. Smolin, Record-Journal staff

SOUTHINGTON — Emilio Gutic can feel the warmth of candles flickering on the tables, he can hear soft Italian music playing from the speakers, he can taste his homemade food as he eats with his guests and he can see his father, Mario, burst in from the kitchen to play a sonata on his accordion at Emilio's Italian Ristorante. - complete article

Judy & Her Sisters (and Reet) wow the Southington Apple Harvest Festival with their fancypants (the booth)!

The Harvest Honeys display their wares (and some mighty tasty cookies as well) at the 37th annual Southington Apple Harvest Festival. However, the Honeys were admonished by Festival Arts & Crafts officials for calling those who chose not to buy fancypants cookies "cheap bastards and trailer trash sluts."

An eye-pleasing fancypants display

fancypants bakery 153 washington street walpole, ma 02032 Web site email

Spicy Garden Pasta from Rozella Bogasian

Ingredients:
1 lb. penne or pasta
4 ripe plum tomatos (approx 3/4 lb.) cut into half-inch dice (go for snake eyes)
1/3 cup virgin olive oil (discuss definition of virgin)
1/4 cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons of chopped mint
1/4 cup of basil, cut in chiffonade
1 clove of minced garlic (1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon of capers
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Prepare:
Boil water to cook pasta; when boiling, add salt to water and cook pasta according to package directions
Dice tomatos and place in a large, heat-resistant bowl.
Add oil, herbs, capers, peppers and garlic. Stir to combine.
Drain pasta when cooked and add to bowl of ingredients. Stir to combine.
Add the cheese and mix thoroughly.
May be served warm or cold.

Suggested music - For this refreshing dish, grab a nice vino and listen to The Manhattan Transfer's Vocalese, a wonderful tribute to Jon Hendricks.

Friday lunch at The Clam with Johnny Gumbo

"You eat yet?"
"Nope."
"Pick you up in fifteen."

It's Friday noon. Perfect time to review the week and prospective weekend with Gumbo over a brewski and some lunch at Sam's. We choose the bar and each pull up a stool. Real men don't do sundecks. Not being real men, we sometimes do.

Topics discussed over a couple Bass Ales, one Philly cheese and one chicken wrap:

Center Street rumors - Tonic has been sold and will become a sports bar; Brickhouse/Gorilla Joe's will reopen shortly as the "Groggy Frog" and will go after the young professional crowd (yeah, right);

What year will Emilio's open shortly in?

The new seafood place on Eden Avenue not a keeper

Apple Fest crunch time; things looking pretty good; some good music entertainment coming in

Gulp, gulp......we're outta here!

German brews world's strongest beer

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German brewer has concocted what he says is the world's strongest beer, a potent drink with an alcohol content of 25.4 percent that is served in a shot glass. "Everyone who has tried it is enthusiastic. It tastes like a quirky mixture of beer and sherry," said Bavarian brewer Harald Schneider.

Schneider, who lives in southern Germany where beer is a tradition, said his beer fermented for 12 weeks for an alcohol content twice that of Germany's other strongest beers. "People will only be able to drink two or three glasses, otherwise they'll drop like flies," he said.

Schneider expects the holders of the world's strongest beer, the Boston Beer Company, to put up a fight. "I'm pretty sure the Americans have something up their sleeve."

Musings on Malt
Bill Brand's Beer Blog

Tipping point

By Stevenson Swanson Tribune national correspondent

Waiter, there's a service charge on my soup.

Customers at a high-end Manhattan restaurant soon will notice an extra expense when they get their bill, and not only for their soup course. Beginning Thursday, chef Thomas Keller will charge customers a 20 percent service fee at Per Se, his year-old outpost in the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle, where the views of Central Park are nearly as breathtaking as the prices. The service charge is intended to take the place of the customary tip, whose amount is left to the discretion of the diner as a way to reward attentive service.

Keller's announcement has set the food world abuzz. Although service charges for large parties are common, only a handful of restaurants around the country impose such charges on all diners. Keller's high profile as one of the country's leading toques guarantees that the new policy will be noticed, but it is also the size of the charge, a full one-fifth of the total bill, that is drawing attention. Service fees at other restaurants, including Charlie Trotter's in Chicago, hover in the high teens for small parties.

Keller is not trying to make up for stingy patrons. The average tip at Per Se is 22 percent, well above the national average of 18.6 percent. Instead, the move is intended to reduce the wide disparity in pay between the service staff, such as waiters, wine stewards and busboys, and the sweltering souls who labor in the kitchen. Or, as a statement from the restaurant put it, the service charge will "further the establishment of a unified work culture within the restaurant."

As in most restaurants, the front-of-the-house staff at Per Se currently pools all of the tips, while the cooks and other kitchen personnel work for hourly wages. The restaurant says it is becoming hard for young chefs in high-priced New York to live on a salary the restaurant can afford. One of Keller's cooks has quit and another asked to become a waiter temporarily to earn enough to pay his bills. - complete article

History's A Favorite At The Bristol Diner - Customers Eat Up Displays

by Jonathan Shugarts, Courant Staff Writer

BRISTOL -- Gary Wyrebek likes to tell a story about James Levins, who came into his diner one day. As Levins sat eating his lunch, he recognized the picture of Rochelle Oliver, Miss Bristol from 1963, that was on display above the seat in one of the booths. Wyrebek said Levins called him over to the table.

"What made you want to put this up here?" Wyrebek remembers Levins asking. "Her hair reminds me of my mother," Wyrebek responded. Levins said, "That's my wife, and I haven't seen that photo in 40 years." - complete review

Happy 4th!!!!!!

Send Reet some of your favorites!

Hamburger America - a film documentary

By ROGER CATLIN, Courant TV Critic
Film website

Hamburgers - and their odd regional permutations - will grill at countless U.S. barbecues this Independence Day weekend, and Sundance Channel will honor the occurrence with the July Fourth TV debut of the documentary "Hamburger America," in which this state figures prominently.

Two of the eight burger joints profiled in George Motz's film are in Connecticut. Not only does it feature New Haven's famous Louis' Lunch, which has long boasted of being the birthplace of the hamburger in 1900, but the film also highlights the steamed cheeseburgers served at Ted's Restaurant in Meriden since 1959. - Complete article

Ted's Restaurant, Meriden, CT

Louis' Lunch, New Haven, CT

The film also includes a visit to the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, made famous in the "Saturday Night Live" sketch for John Belushi's "cheezeborger, cheezeborger, cheezeborger!"

Linda Clock's Killer Chili

Ingredients:
3-4 lb ground beef
1 or 2 onions
1 pepper
2 cans large plum tomatoes
4 tablespoons chili powder
large can red kidney beans (include sauce)
1 can chick peas (puree if you like)

Prepare:
Brown ground beef and drain
Saute onions and pepper
Add tomatoes
Add chili powder
Add salt & pepper

Cover, simmer for at least 2 hours
Add kidney beans and chick peas
Add a dash of hot sauce if you dare (yes, dare)

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese melted on top
Have a glass of water and an ice cold Dixie close by

Suggested music: Put on the Iguanas' Nuevo Boogaloo real loud

Tonic

I want to like this place hidden halfway down Center Street, but it is the successor to a number of breakfast spots (Coach's, Joe's, Uncle Tony's) and, unfortunately, some ghosts remain. Originally billed as a seafood restaurant in the planning stages, the spot is now all over the place in style and cuisine. The bar (pictured here) is nicely done; high tables at the front allow you to look out onto the Center Street activity. And the rebel eyesore appliance store, Gladchuk's, has closed!!!!!

The problem is three-fold: 1)the facade is DREADFUL, not even an attempt to upgrade the tired storefront look, 2) the main dinning area (as it is referred to on the website) is bland beyond belief; I'm all for understatement, but this is depressing, 3)the food is....forgettable. An inexperienced server asked our 60th birthday boy how his Mahi-Mahi special was, and upon hearing that it was fine (a lie, it was mediocre), proceeded to gush that it was a new thing for the chef (he had been working on it for a month) and that Gene was the first one to have it. Wonderfully reassuring!

Suggestion: Go for drinks, appetizers and a ballgame and sit at the open front end. Hey, isn't that Johnny Gumbo walking down Center????

Website...

Nancy's simple punch (some would say a cheap shot)

Ingredients:
1 can Hawaiian Punch
1 small can frozen orange juice undiluted
1 large can frozen lemonade undiluted
1 - 2 liter bottle ginger ale
several scoops sherbert

Prepare:
You are kidding, aren't you?

Ok, I suppose you should look away while SOMEONE puts some muscle into this roundhouse.

St. Patrick's Day

The first ever St Patrick's Day celebration in America happened in 1737 in Boston, and the city still boasts one of the USA's biggest St Patrick's Day parties. The annual parade begins from Broadway at the MBTA Station and goes to Andrew Square, boasting floats, fancy dress and all the usual hullabaloo we've come to associate with this quintessential Irish celebration. Expect marching bands and pipe bands from all over North America. St Patrick's Day is one of the only national holidays celebrated outside its native land - a clear indication of the Irish influence thoughout the world and especially in the USA

Half a mile from the county fair
And the rain keep pourin' down
Me and Billy standin' there
With a silver half a crown
Hands are full of a fishin' rod
And the tackle on our backs
We just stood there gettin' wet
With our backs against the fence
"It Stoned Me", Van Morrison


Irish Soda Bread from Food Network.com

Recipe courtesy Brother Rick Curry, The Secrets of Jesuit Breadmaking, HaperPerennial, 1995

(brilliant idea: before starting, pour/consume a pint of Guinness)

5 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
2 1/2 cups mixed light and dark raisins, soaked in water for 15 to 20 minutes and drained
3 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg, slightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter 2 (9 by 5-inch) bread pans.
Stir together the sifted flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Cut in the butter and mix very thoroughly with your hands until it gets grainy. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.

Add the buttermilk and egg to the flour mixture. Stir until well moistened. Shape dough into 2 loaves and place in the pans.

Bake for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Cool in the pans for 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Suggested music: Tough one here, for you can go in a number of directions. Start with the Irish Tenors' "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"; then Jonathan suggests you pick up the pace with some loud, rowdy punk from south Boston's Dropkick Murphys; next, taste the exquisite offerings of the Chieftains; then finish off with THE Man, Van Morrison, who, in my not-so-humble opinion, is fantastic (ok, a little impersonal) in concert, despite what Keith and Vin may say. OMG!!!! I almost forgot the talented, Pope-bashing Sinead O'Connor!

Oh, and reward yourself for such culinary and musical taste with another pint of Guinness. Brilliant!!!!

Alligator Sauce Piquante by Michael Gowland

Preparation Time 1-1/2 hours
Serves 8

2 lbs farm-raised alligator tail meat, cleaned
(ed. note: I may be talking out of school here, but once you've wrestled (rassled) and killed the alligator, isn't the rest kinda anti-climactic? Or maybe it's just me. Proceed......)
3-5 t blackened seasoning blend
4 oz butter
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 t garlic, chopped
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 dried oregano
1/2 dried thyme
1 T crushed red pepper
5 t Blackened seasoning blend
1 bay leaf
1 t brown sugar
6 oz beer
1 can tomato sauce
6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 T corn starch dissolved in a little cold water (optional)

Place a dry cast iron skillet on high heat. Season the cleaned alligator with blackened seasoning and sear on both sides in the very hot iron skillet. You may also prepare the meat on a barbecue grill. When the meat is cool, cut into cubes.

In a 6-qt Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic over medium high heat. Add the dry seasonings, Worchester sauce, brown sugar and stir. Add the beer and bring to a boil. Add the tomato sauce and turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cubed alligator meat and cook for an additional 40 minutes. Taste to correct the seasonings, add the corn starch slurry (add slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps) if needed to thicken the sauce and finish by adding the green onions.

Serve with white rice. Enjoy.

Suggested music: Dr. John from his Gris Gris album would compliment this nicely.

Final comment: It is rumored that deep in the Everglades there exists a comparable recipe for "Unsuspecting Sunbather Sauce Piquante" by Wallace Gator

Chili today.....

Texas Chili - The main differences between Texas chili recipes and those other chili recipes is that "real" Texas chili has no beans and the main ingredient, after the meat, is chili peppers - whether chopped, diced, powdered, or liquified. Oh, and Texas chili just tastes better. More...

$20,000 prize-winning chili - here; more chili recipes from pepperfool.com

quote of the day: "Chili should be hot as hell and make you have to fart like a racehorse."

Where's the beef?
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A diner at a Wendy's fast food restaurant in San Jose, CA found a human finger in a bowl of chili prepared by the chain, local officials said on Wednesday. - story...

Have a good one....

Sharie's Spicy Shrimp Cocktail

This recipe will warm you up on a cold winter night.

Mix together:
1/4 C catsup
1/4 C lime juice
1-2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Add:
1 pound jumbo shrimp; peeled, cleaned and de-veined
1/2 C chopped plum tomato
1/4 C chopped red onion
1/4 C fresh snipped cilantro

Refridgerate for 2-4 hours.
Add 2 peeled, chopped avacodos.
Garnish with a wedge of lime.
Serve chilled.

Keith likes the spicier version that has Sharie playing a game of 'Find the Shrimp'

Suggested music: Try some low country blues from Shrimp City Slim and his band, possibly from their CD "Ancestor Worship: The Boston Sessions 1980-83"

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme....

Fat Tuesday At AJ's -Save the date, February 8th. The Southington Rotary Club will host a Mardi Gras evening of hot jazz with interesting food and wine as a fundraiser for the Rotary Foundation. More...

God, it's cold outside; how about a nice chili recipe to warm us up!

It's a Bundt and it's a beauty! - H. David Dalquist, creator of the aluminum Bundt pan, the top-selling cake pan in the world, has died at 86. More...

Brunch Sausage Bread

Ingredients:
1 roll Spicy Jimmy Dean Sausage
8 oz. package cream cheese
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In medium size skillet, brown sausage. Drain fat and add in cream
cheese. Stir until completely blended.

On a greased cookie sheet, spread out 1 can of crescent rolls,
pinching together to make "crust".

Spoon sausage mixture over crescent rolls just to 3/4 of an inch away from the edge.

Unroll the other package of crescent rolls. Make a crust for the top and
pinch the bottom and top halves together to form a pouch.

Cook 10-12 minutes or according to the directions on the crescent rolls.

Serve warm.

Note: if you are a wuss and don't like spicy things, you can use regular sausage instead.

Suggested music: Well, "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean is what Reet has been known to hum about the house. She won't give the reason.

Judi's layered Sopranos appetizer

Ingredients: 3 pkg. crescent rolls 1/2 lb. salami 1/2 lb. ham 1/2 lb. pepperoni(large) 1/2 lb. provolone 7 eggs (mix well and add grated cheese) 1 jar roasted peppers

Furio Giunta

Prepare:
Grease 9"X13" or larger pan.
Layer 1 1/2 cans crescent rolls on bottom (seal seams).
Layer salami, ham, pepperoni, provolone. Add egg mixture and then peppers.
Layer rest of crescent rolls on top.
Brush egg on top of rolls.
Bake 350* for 1 hour or less.


When Judi wants to impress a Soprano, she whips up this tasty treat and he's, shall we say, BADA BING!

Suggested music: forego "Theme from the Godfather" and throw on some vintage Eddie Fisher singing "Oh, My Pa-Pa"

Super Bowl meatballs in beer sauce

Sauce ingredients:

12 oz Teresa (pronounced Terrraaaaza) Heinz Kerry ketchup (it's a tad bitter)

12 oz chili sauce

12 oz beer (flat, perhaps your favorite right out of the can)

Meatballs ingredients:

3 lb ground beef

1 small onion, chopped and sautied

2 eggs (over easy, wheat toast with little jam thingies, home fries, coffee)

3 slices of bread, soaked in beer

salt 'n pepa
My man is smooth like Barry, and his voice got bass
A body like Arnold with a Denzel face

Prepare:

mix meatball ingredients; roll into bite-size pieces (no jokes, ladies)

bake for 20 minutes, drain

combine sauce ingredients and add meatballs; simmer (if YOU are simmering at this point because significant other is a lazy bastard/bitch, take a deep breath and a sip of that flat beer)

Reet Sez: I use my crockpot to simmer all for several hours. Do not hesitate to use any meatball recipe or prepared meatballs. This can be made ahead and reheated; LEFTOVERS MAKE GREAT MEATBALL GRINDERS!!!

Suggested music: your favorite team's fight song or be groovin' about the kitchen to Whatta Man by Salt 'N Pepa

Reet's snuggle 'n sip broccoli soup

Ingredients:

10 oz chopped broccoli

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

8 oz American cheese

1 cup milk

1 cup light Cream (perhaps without Ginger Baker??)

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

Prepare:

boil broccoli and onion in 6 cups of water for 10 minutes

add all seasonings/cheese and stir until cheese melts

add milk, Cream, and butter

add flour and 1/2 cup of cold water very slowly

heat until near boil

Serve in large cup and sip while reading that book you've been meaning to get back to.

Suggested music: John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman

Sally Walker's holiday beef tenderloin

Ingredients:

6-8 lb whole tenderloin

2 lb mushrooms

butter

burgundy wine

Prepare:

sprinkle with rosemary; rub garlic on top of roast

tuck narrow end under (the roast's, not yours); remove connective tissue (fat)

place tenderloin on wire rack in large roasting pan and stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part.

roast at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes or to 140 degrees on the thermometer

take out of oven and pour 1 cup (or more) burgundy wine over beef to make drippings

slice into 1/2 inch thick portions

saute' 2 lbs or more mushrooms in 1/2 cup butter; arrange around meat on festive platter and serve the starving masses. ENJOY!

important note: check meat sooner if you like it rare (we like it medium-rare) and don't forget that the roast will continue to cook for 10 minutes after you take it out; also, sometimes I have turned the oven down a bit towards the end.

suggested music: Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding - (oh, she may be weary, young girls they do get weary, wearing that same old funky dress)

alternative music suggestion: a rousing HALLELUJAH! chorus from George Frederick Handel's Messiah with everyone joining in as the beef enters the dining area!

broccoli casserole side dish

From the Evelyn McGowan collection

Ingredients:

3 bags of chopped broccoli

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup milk

4 oz cheddar cheese

1 cup Helman's mayonaisse (bring on the Helman's and bring out the best)

Prepare:

butter baking dish

mix/melt soup; mix in all other ingredients

top with toasted bread crumbs

bake in oven @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes

Serve as side dish (double/triple recipe if nothing else served).

Suggested music: Black Broccoli by Godzik Pink

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

From the entire management and staff here at REET SAYS EAT, we wish everyone a delicious 2005.

Irene Flynn's american goulash

Special request of Andy McGowan

ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef

peppers/onions in quantities of your taste

2 large cans of tomato soup

1 large can of whole tomatos

1 lb. of elbow macaroni

salt/pepper

Prepare:

brown beef in skillet; set aside

saute onions/peppers in butter; set aside

cook macaroni

add 1/2 can water per can of tomato soup; warm mixture

drain elbows and put into large pan

mix in beef, peppers onions; slice whole tomatos into mix

pour soup over top

bake in oven @ 350 degrees for 1/2 hour

Pour a cold beer or a cheap chianti and dive in!

Suggested music: American Woman by Guess Who (unless you prefer the updated Lenny Kravitz version)