cooking

Get your Fill of Nuts at the Testicle Festival

June 26, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Yes you read the title correctly,it is time for the “Testicle Festival” in South Bend Nebraska at the local Round the Bend Restaurant. Some people refer to them as Rocky Mountain Oysters, Calf Fries, or just, calf nuts or balls, but regardless of the name they are the removable reproductive organs of a calf, lamb or even turkey.

2011 Testicle Festival in South Bend Nebraksa — **2011 Testicle Festival (Day 201 of my 365 Project)**

In ranching country, or just the midwest they are considered a delicacy. Here at Round the Bend Restaurant they are a sometimes considered a dare, a novelty, and a reason to celebrate and have a party one weekend out of the year. I do have to admit, that after living in the Elmwood-Murdock area this was the first time I had actually eaten Beef Fries. They were actually very good. But when you cover anything in batter and fry it you can make anything taste good.

Fierce Food: The Intrepid Diner’s Guide to the Unusual, Exotic, and Downright Bizarre Edible plants and animals: Unusual foods from aardvark to zamia

For eighteen years hundreds of people show up the Friday and Saturday of Fathers Day weekend for bragging rights that they attended this very unique event. Many leave home with a custom T-Shirt. Others leave with one more item checked off their bucket list.

Testicle Festival at Round the Bend in Nebraska — Just some girls getting some NUTS (taken with my cell phone)

Sometimes an adult beverage makes things go down easier and I’m partial to Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Only this time someone decided I needed the “Harder Lemonade” for this culinary experiment. Being in Nebraska you make friends with everyone and an event like this gives everyone a topic of conversation.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 6pk, 11.2 oz

The lady sitting across the table was from Chicago, first time at the nut fest, and she compared them to Schnitzel.If you’re wondering if there is a recipe somewhere, yes there is, but it’s not mine. Check out Cooking on the Sagebrush for authentic back country style cooking or even The Story Lady’s recipe. It’s not just people in Nebraska that enjoy calf nuts. Ree Drummond, the infamous Pioneer Woman talks about nuts, eating nuts, cutting nuts, and even takes pictures of nuts in unusual placements. It’s a way of life in some parts of the country.

You can buy Bull Fries online to cook for yourself, and where else? Amazon. So if you want to try a ranching delicacy, fry up a gag gift for a party, or just act on a dare, go ahead and order some bull fries and tell me how you like them.

Beef, Rocky Mountain Oysters, Sliced And Breaded, Frozen – 10 Lb Case

So next time you hear of a Testicle Festival, pull up a chair, tuck in your napkin and enjoy gourmet cooking, mid-western style.

BTW: My daughter, who worked as a hostess at Round the Bend, told me they served up 2,300 lbs of testicles and ran out before it was over on Saturday. If you’re looking for the location of Round the Bend it’s located between Omaha and Lincoln, exit 426, head south past the Wildlife Safari Park, “round the bend” and at the top of the hill across from Quarry Oaks golf course.

Here is a video of one of my favorite celebrities, Mike Rowe, eating lamb fries during one of his episodes of Dirty Jobs. Just think, NOTHING goes to waste, agriculture is efficient and one of the least wasteful industrys’. My Mom said everything on the pig is used, except the squeal. So do your part. Eat some nuts.

Find a Testicle Festival in your Area

‘Testy Fest’ Returns to Virginia Square

Testy Fest 2015 logo The Montana State Society is again hosting its annual Testicle Festival in Virginia Square this year. The event, which lets participants dine on all-you-can-eat Rocky Mountain oysters while sipping all-you-can-drink beer and Crown …

Day 196/365:Pampered Chef, My Collection

June 20, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

I am having an online Pampered Chef show! You have lived vicariously through my food, so here is some of what I use to make it. If anyone wants to order I have my own order page on the Pampered Chef website. A far cry from catalog orders of days gone by.

Seeing how I post so much food to my blog I thought I would highlight some of the tools I use on a regular basis. I love my Pampered Chef cookware and tools. My ultimate favorite is the stoneware bar pan, it’s the dark pan on the bottom for those of you unfamiliar with stoneware.

The date on the bottom is 1998 and it’s been well used for everything from cookies, chicken, pork chops, to biscotti. The rich brown cured hue has taken years to obtain and it is now a nice smooth non-stick surface which I love to use every week.

Who doesn’t love their handy chopper? It’s sturdy enough to chop hard candies that I use on my chocolate covered pretzels, and still stays sharp enough to prepare soup vegetables.

The mini roller in the middle is also a favorite for not only rolling pie crusts in the pan, but granola bars.

What is your favorite Pampered Chef item and why? I might just add it to my wish list.

Day 189/365: Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes

June 13, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Amazing Lemon Cupcake Recipe

I love the tart taste of lemon in any food and this amazing lemon cupcake recipe quickly became a favorite. It’s rare that a Food Network recipe doesn’t turn out good, and this delicious cupcake recipe will have people asking for more.

Lemony Sunshine Cupcakes from the Food Network as just as good to look at as they are to eat.

This recipe and resulting cupcake is actually from my friend Shelli who made these for her co-workers and favorite customers on her last day at Hamilton Color Lab in Omaha. I inherited her job and am the point of contact for all customers and help photographers, artists, and businesses get the most out of their images.

All the customers that came in that day were sad to see Shelli leave, there were calls, hugs, and well wishes as she heads back to school to continue her next life journey. But for the two of us it’s not good bye, it’s just see you later as we were Facebook friends before I found the job.

Recipe was found my her daughter on the Food Network.

Ingredients

For crust and topping:

1 1/3 cups shortbread cookie crumbs, (22 Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookies)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (Shellie suggested to reduce to 2 TBSP)

For the batter:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 small box (3.4 ounce) instant lemon pudding
1 (18.25 ounce) box lemon cake mix (recommended: Betty Crocker Super Moist)
1/3 cup lemon curd

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard muffin tins with 16 foil cupcake liners; set aside.

Place shortbread cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl; stir until well combined; set aside.

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time and mix just until combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add vegetable oil, water, and the box of lemon pudding. Mix until combined. Add cake mix and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Batter will be on the thick side.

Place a slightly heaping tablespoon of shortbread cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Use your fingers or the bottom of a small glass to firmly pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining shortbread cookie crumb mixture for topping.

Use a 1/4 cup spring loaded ice cream scoop and place a level scoop full of batter into each muffin cup.

Load the lemon curd into a small sandwich size resealable bag, removing the air from the bag before sealing. Squeeze the curd to 1 corner of the bag and use scissors to snip a 1/4- inch piece from corner of bag; set aside.

With a damp finger or the end of a wooden spoon dipped in water, make a shallow indentation into the center of each cupcake. Pipe 3/4 to 1 teaspoon lemon curd into each indentation. Sprinkle tops of cupcakes evenly with remaining shortbread cookie crumbs.

Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking, until edges of cupcakes are lightly golden brown.

Serve cupcakes warm from the oven or at room temperature.

Day 187/365: Barbeque Chicken

June 11, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

The answer…slow cooking. Many times I’ve ruined perfectly good chicken because I put it on the bottom rack, and even on low the fat dripped off and the flames singed and burned it to a crisp. Now I put the seasoned, naked chicken on the top rack and the burners on low, as low as they can go.

I let them cook for at least 30 minutes until golden brown, checking every 5 minutes or so, yes they take babysitting if you don’t want the chicken to burn, then lather with barbeque sauce. Regardless of the desire to turn up the heat I don’t, I want the barbeque sauce to bake on, I turn it every 5-10 minutes watching for hot spots on the grill.

Only after I see that the chicken is cooked, juice runs clear (no I don’t use a thermometer) do I turn up the heat to caramelize the sauce. My favorite sauce is Cookies BBQ Sauce, it’s a staple in Nebraska barbeques, found locally in the Midwest and is the only sauce my kids will use. Heaven forbid if I buy something like Krafts.

Day 92/365: Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

March 7, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Just a simple and easy Friday night supper, oven baked barbecue chicken with mixed fruit for dessert. Tried something different this time. Normally when basting sauce onto unbaked chicken the sauce doesn’t stick. The moist skin won’t hold the barbecue sauce, and I like a LOT of sauce on my chicken.

COOKING TIP: Dust the chicken in flour before cooking, then baste with sauce before placing in the oven. Perfect! The flour gives a dry base for the BBQ sauce and even thickened it a little so a second coat could be added when I turned the meat at the half way point. I will have to remember this for other basting sauces in the future.