Kitchen Quick Tips - Easy Cake Decorating

An easy way to decorate a cake is with two paper doilies.   Place the cake on a cutting board.  Place a small doily to fit the surface on the cake.  Sprinkle icing sugar, sugar cinnamon or cocoa powder over the doily covering all open spaces.  Lightly brush off excess on the doily.  Carefully remove the doily to reveal a beautiful lacy pattern on the cake.  Place a large doily on a cake plate then place the decorated cake on top of the doily for presentation. 

The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern in Hubertus, Wisconsin

My husband and I do a fair amount of traveling which always involves food in some fashion.  We traveled by train a couple of weekend ago to visit our kids in Wisconsin.  Now that was a wonderful way to avoid a long and tedious drive when roads tend to be rather nasty especially at the bottom of Lake Michigan during the winter months.   Finding great restaurants when traveling is usually by word of mouth for us combined with a little good luck.  Our kids made 4:00 PM reservations at The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern because she had fond memories of going their as a child with her parents.  It had been years since she had been there but the restaurant still had a good reputation so they thought we would enjoy it.

The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern is located at 1298 Friess Lake Rd in Hubertus, Wisconsin.  Friess Lake Rd is narrow and winding, sure to be rather nasty with any snow coverage.  The restaurant and tavern is located well out into the woods with not much around it.  The building was a one room cabin built in 1845 in the wooded, rolling hills of the northern Kettle Moraine.  It was acquired by Ray and Alta Wolf in 1929 who restored the cabin, added a basement bar and opened it to fellow equestrians where it became headquarters to many fox hunts, hence its name.  Their restaurant opened in 1933.  Ray passed away in 1963 so Alta sold the restaurant and tavern to Karl A. Ratzsch Jr.  When he retired, his son Joseph and wife Jane purchased the restaurant.  The family owned and operated the restaurant for over forty years!  Brothers Thomas and Will Masters along with Jim Constantineau are the new owners of the The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern where Tom and Jim parked cars at The Fox & Hounds over thirty years ago.

There is a sign hanging in the foyer of The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant and Tavern proudly announcing that the location has been home to a restaurant since 1933.  The first thing that you notice aside of the sign is the abundance of wood, only a small hint of what's inside.  The maitre d greets you just inside the restaurant where your dining party is shown to your table.

There is a lower dining area divided in several sections (some as almost private rooms and named) along with the tavern.  Then upstairs dining area divided into sections as well but a bit more open.  Be warned, the stairs leading to the upper level are rather steep!

The pub located on the lower level is warm and cosy, featuring live music on Saturday evenings.  Despite the small size, the ambiance is delightful.  A real open wood fire in the stove at the end of the tavern creates a beckoning welcome while imparting just a hint of smokey aroma to the air while the warming glow dances.  To the left of the fireplace is a small hallway that leads to the restrooms.  Further to the left of the fireplace is the narrow aisle leading to the staircase.

When we arrived the tavern was almost empty.  When we left, it was beyond packed and the only way out for those dining upstairs is through the tavern.  It was wall to wall, packed tight with people.  So, it is best to make reservations for an earlier dining time as the restaurant does fill up rather quickly for reasons that will become apparent below.

It is quite apparent from the inside the building is quite old.  Despite newer windows, there were   drafts coming from around the windows and log chinking.  Yet the upper dining area where we sat was quite comfortable.  There is a lot of rustic touches throughout the entire restaurant.  To the right is the top of the staircase.  There was a very impressive lit chandelier that had been constucted from empty wine glasses placed on an angle in a round metal frame.  I counted 16 rows of wine bottles in the picture I took but it didn't get the very top.  The entire chandelier had to have been 8 feet long or more, reaching over the bar and aisle area just before the stairwell.

This restaurant offers BOGO deals!  Monday through Thursday after 4 PM, Saturdays and Sundays after 3 PM all entrees are buy one get one free of the same or lesser value.  It excludes their Super Surf & Turf (8 oz filet, 8 oz lobster tail as well as the lobster tail entree BUT they do have a special Surf & Turf (6 oz filet, 5 oz lobster tail) as part of the buy one get one free entrees.   Along with the BOGO free entrees, desserts from the dessert tray are also BOGO as are some bar drinks.  This explains why it gets so buy there!

Reading through their impressive menu, I wasn't surprised to see the price range for entrees in the $20 and above range with many options averaging $26.  I thought that the BOGO deal would not include extras but I was wrong.  Dinner entrees include homemade soup or fresh house salad, choice of potatoes (garlic mashed, baked or savory fries).  A loaf of fresh baked bread with maple tarragon butter.

Appetizers and drinks are extra.  Appetizers average $9 with the exception of the Fox Feast which is an appetizer platter priced at $18.99.  We ordered the stuffed portobella mushroom caps stuffed with cab, topped with Bearnaise sauce and shredded Parmesan cheese to share.  It was scrumptious!

My husband ordered the 18 oz prime rib entree with broccoli cheddar soup, baked potato and steamed vegetables (baby carrots, baby corn, red onions and green beans).  There was a creamy horseradish sauce for the prime rib.  As you can see he likes his prime rib rare, pretty much blue and just barely not mooing!  It was a very generous portion of prime rib, more than he could finish in the meal.  He declared the meat cooked to perfection!   

We had ordered baked potatoes with our entrees.  They were a nice size served in a small baking dish aside of the main plate.  I really did like their presentation including the way they served the baked potatoes. It was simple, unpretentious and kept the focus on the food where it should be. 

The kids and I ordered the surf & turf special that came with a 6 oz steak, 5 oz lobster tail, whole browned mushrooms, and steamed vegetables (baby carrots, green beans, cauliflower).  Hot drawn butter and a lemon wedge was included for the lobster.  This was a beyond delicious entree, very much full of flavour.  The lobster tail was cooked perfectly and nicely presented.  The juicy steak had nice hash marks with a nice flavour.  I normally ask for steak sauce with my eat out steaks but didn't this time

The entree portions were quite generous.  I couldn't finish my steak nor could the kids or my husband his prime rib.  We asked for take-out boxes just for the meat that we reheated for brunch the next day.  We sliced the meat into strips then made a light stir fry to serve with fried eggs and home fries.  The meat remained tender and juicy, a sign the meat had not been originally over cooked. 

We had never heard of The New Fox & Hounds Restaurant & Tavern prior to this visit so I was rather surprised to read some of the reviews on Trip Advisor.  While I do have some reservations about the reviewers on Trip Advisor, we had no complaints at all with this restaurant!  The atmosphere was wonderful, the waitstaff were friendly and efficient, and the food was good.  We enjoyed four well prepared, nicely presented entrees for the price of two so you certainly cannot complain about this.  The only thing I would recommend is to make reservations and go a bit earlier to avoid the crowd.  This restaurant is on our must go to list when we are in that area again.

Freshly Extracted Orange Juice

I recently wrote about using my new Bella High Power Juice Extractor for the first time.  I really liked the results and quickly saw that I could create unique juices that are unavailable in the grocery stores.  Unless you have a free source of fruits and vegetables for juice or you can find them at a good sale price, you won't realize a savings on the basic juices (eg. orange, grapefruit, cranberry, grape).  However, like jams and jellies, juices can be a blend made by stretching the more expensive fruit or vegetable with less expensive or free ones.  It is possible to make the new fruit and vegetable juices that are now popular for less money than store bought plus you can custom the blend to your tastes. 

Store bought orange juice is made from concentrate as are most commercially prepared juices.  Once the oranges are juiced, the juice is stored in holding tanks that have had the oxygen removed for up to a year.  During that time the juice loses flavour.  Many of the popular brands of orange juice use a chemical process (flavour packs) to make the juice taste and smell like oranges.  Pulp and/or sugar may be added to the juice as well.  So, the orange juice you buy in the grocery stores is anything but fresh!

Freshly squeezed orange juice is delightful!  It can vary in flavour from sweet to sour depending on the variety of orange used.  I bought 7 medium sized oranges to test out the juicer. The skins may be left on all produce for juicing except oranges, grapefruit and tangerines as the oils in these citrus fruits is bitter and hard to digest.  I cut each orange into quarters then removed the peel.  The peel need not be discarded if the oranges are organic.  It can be dried and powdered for culinary purposes as well as a natural source of Vitamin C medicinally.  It can also be candied.  There is no need to seed the orange wedges for juicing unless you want to try growing orange trees.  Don't laugh!  I have three small lemon trees started from lemon seeds in a lemon I cut up for Caesar salad.

The peeled quarter wedges fit nicely into the hopper but I did have to refill it a couple of times.  The only thing different with juicing the oranges was needing to peel them.  The juice goes into the pitcher to the right while the pulp goes into the pulp basket (left).  A small amount of pulp can be added to the juice if desired.  The remaining pulp can be dried then powdered or it can go into the compost. 

The seven oranges were quickly juiced on low power..  It actually takes longer to disassemble the juice extractor for clean (less than 5 minutes) than it does to extract the juice.   At this point the juice is ready to be enjoyed!

When the juice is first made there is a layer of foam on top of it because the stainless steel blade basket revolves at a high speed.  The juice quickly fills the pitcher which cause the foaming similar to what would happen if you shook a jar of juice.  This foam settles down rather quickly and has no effect on the flavour of the juice. 

The seven oranges gave a yield of almost 750 ml (3 cups).  I paid $2.50 for the oranges so the freshly extracted juice is definitely more expensive.  The taste is definitely worth the extra price!  It is also fresher than juice commercially made from concentrate.  It still is not 'picked that day fresh' as oranges as well as other citrus fruits are shipped to Ontario from Florida or California.  Clementines are an exception as they are usually imported from Morocco. 

I'm only making the fresh extracted juices in the amount we will use within 3 or 4 days.   store homemade juices in mason jars in the beverage chiller of the refrigerator.  It's an easy and inexpensive solution as I have so many mason jars.  It also means I have taken one more step of reducing kitchen waste by eliminating a large portion of frozen juice concentrate containers (not recyclable) and juice bottles.  I usually use a Bernardin storage lid in the refrigerator by my supply is low so a recycled snap lid and ring was substituted. 

Even though the freshly extracted orange juice is more expensive and the price will fluctuate more than juice made from concentrate, I am confident is a healthier choice for us.  I can't wait to buy some oranges from the Indian River trucks from Florida.  They come up each spring with about as fresh of oranges as you can get here.  There are two drivers so the make the trip from Florida to Ontario within a day.  These oranges are so good, they sell out their truck with a day or two!  In the meantime, I have to use store bought oranges. 

I'm also planning on buying a juice extractor for our vacation home in Florida where I can get inexpensive citrus.  During the orange season, finding free fresh oranges is very easy.  In our resort, residents not wanting oranges from their trees put them in a box free for the taking.  I just found out we can bring oranges back from Florida so will bring some the next time we drive. 

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Homemade vs Store Bought

If you have followed this blog, you will know that I put a strong emphasis on homemade and cooking from scratch.  The reason is not quite as simple as saving money.  True I save a substantial amount of money by home canning, making homemade convenience foods and cooking from scratch but one primary reason for doing so is healthier food not laden with excess salt, sugar, HFCS, as well as artificial food additives and preservatives.  I like being able to put unique foods (eg. vegetable powders, fire roasted sauces, jams, chutneys, and etc) on the table that can't be bought in the grocery stores.  There's also that sense of pride at becoming more self-sufficient with less dependence on the grocery stores.  So the big question is, 'Do you save money by doing all of this?' because most folks are seeking to reduce their foods costs.  The second big question is, 'Doesn't it take a lot of time?' because the food industry has so engrained the concept that cooking from scratch takes a lot of time in order to push their instant, heat & serve and convenience foods on consumers. 

The Economics:

I'm a numbers cruncher so I do know what our home canned, homemade convenience foods and cooking from scratch costs.  The costs include everything that went into making that product for the pantry or freezer as well as the cost per serving for meals.  For example, a 4 L bag of corn for the freezer costs: the gas to drive to the farm, the zipper style bag, the cooking fuel for blanching and the water for blanching and cooling PLUS the hydro from the moment that bag of corn goes into the freezer until it is used to keep the corn frozen.  This is one reason why I prefer home canned foods over home frozen because once canned, there is no hydro used for storage.  Actually, there is a cost for storage that most do not consider.  If you convert a bedroom into a pantry and that bedroom is one eighth the size of your house, then one eighth of all expenses related to running your house (eg. heating, utilities, maintenance, taxes, mortgage, etc) are being used to maintain that space for storage.  The same applies if all you are using is a closet. 

The main way to save on preserving and stocking a pantry is to get the raw ingredients for the least amount of money possible.  There are ways to save on the produce, meats, poultry and fish being put up for the pantry and freezers as well as for fresh cooking from scratch.  Home grown produce will save you money.  If you garden, consider trading your excess with friends or neighbours for something you need.  I trade produce from my garden for perch from a friend who loves to fish.  He doesn't garden and I don't always get as much fishing in as I would like to so it is a win:win for both of us.  Another of my friends makes amazing banana cake that is sure to come our way for a jar of my home canned salsa.  If you know a farmer who raises livestock, they may consider raising a cow or pig for you if you pay for the feed.  Many municipalities are now allowing backyard chickens that when producing will lay an egg about ever 14 hours so four chickens can give you a lot of eggs!  If you have access to a water supply, locally caught fish is yours for the time it takes to fish.  Wild game can be another money saver if you have access.  Beef and pork are best bought in bulk where the price over all cuts of meat per pound is greatly reduced.  It is also wise to take advantage of good sales on produce and meats.  Produce in particular should be bought locally and in season.  I put up enough to get from one growing season to the next and then some just in case the next growing season isn't very good.  Supporting ingredients like flours, pastas, sugars, rices and beans are best bought in bulk as they have long shelf lives.  Other ingredients like pectins and ClearGel are best bought online if there is no local source.  I always watch for free shipping!

Many food suppliers are making their products available online as well.  I can order Digby scallops delivered to my door, next day service at half the price they are going for in the grocery stores.  Cheeses and spices can also be found cheaper when ordered online.  Now, some specify that you have to order a certain amount to get free shipping so if I don't want to spend that much, I go in with someone else just to be able to get free shipping.  Just as in brick and mortar stores, online stores offer customer loyalty discounts and promotions so I always watch for those as well.  If ordering fresh foods like scallops, they do want you home for the delivery to protect against spoilage but it can be a real cost savings ordering foods this way.

Bulk food stores can save you a lot of money as long as you stick to the basics and avoid impulse buying.  We have two bulk food stores in our area that I only shop at once I have a list of needed ingredients.  These stores save considerably on basic spices, salts, sugars, teas, coffee and so much more.  The reason being, is you can buy just what you want so you don't have to pay $4 for a spice that you only need a teaspoon of.  Just buy a couple of teaspoons of it knowing you can always buy more if it is something you end up liking. 

When it comes to cooking from scratch, there are many ways to keep the costs down to $1 to $2 per serving which is well within the range of frugal eating.  Cooking from scratch even if you don't do any home food preservation is the number one way to save your food dollars.  You don't need expensive ingredients to cook low cost, healthy and tasty meals.  If you are really trying to save on your food dollars focus on homemade soups, stews and casseroles.  Waffles, pancakes and eggs are great money savers as well especially if using a basic batter.  Sandwiches and salads are usually inexpensive as well.

Timing:

Cooking from scratch is not as time consuming as the food industry would have us believe.  A basic cake made from scratch or a homemade cake mix takes no more time than one made using a store bought mix.  Cookies from homemade refrigerator dough take the same time to bake and are just as easy as store bought but they are considerably less expensive.  A homemade version of any of the 'Helper' boxed store bought versions is just as quick to make as the store bought.  For the most part, many meals can easily be made at home without consuming a lot of time.  In addition to that, there are time saving appliances (eg. slow cooker, microwave) and cookware (eg. pressure cooker) to reduce the time needed for cooking.  Some foods by default take more time to prepare than others.  These include fermented foods (eg. sauerkraut, fermented pickles), yogurt, cured and/or smoked meats, dehydrated foods (eg. fruit roll-ups, dried fruit snacks, jerky)  but the cost and flavour savings more than offset the timing of which you can be doing something else while the food is in process. 

A surprising number of meals can easily be made in 15 to 30 minutes, completely from scratch simply from ingredients from your pantry and/or freezer.  Longer cook methods can still take low prep then cooking in the oven or stove top but quite often you can be doing something else while the meal is cooking.   Consider, if you order a pizza that takes 40 minutes for delivery, you can actually make homemade pizza using homemade frozen pizza dough in about 20 minutes.  Going through the drive-tru can tie up 20 to 30 minutes of your time plus the extra driving and you still have to set the meal up at home but in that total time of an hour or less, you can easily put a healthy, homemade, cooked from scratch meal on the table.