How Did We Miss This in South Dakota?!

We’re in South Dakota tonight for this week’s stateside meal adventure. As we mentioned in a previous post, the Mount Rushmore State was one of Miss A’s favorite places to visit this past summer – and now it just might be her favorite cooking destination too. The South Dakota Peach Kuchen has been a hit on our breakfast plates this week and tonight South Dakota’s official state food, Fry Bread, was also a big winner.

South Dakota Fry Bread can be served as a main dish with taco toppings or as a dessert/snack with cinnamon and sugar. Of course we tested both options! Our taco toppings are courtesy of Laura at Manna & Quail who posted her Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos recipe last night. Thank you Laura! This recipe truly saved us a ton of time tonight (Seriously dinner was done and cleaned up by ten after six!), and it was just the healthy topping we needed.

We prepared the slow cooker recipe around 11 a.m. this morning and then went about our day. At around 1 p.m. we began to thaw the frozen dinner rolls in a greased muffin tin.

Once thawed, about 3-5 hours later, roll the dough into 6-inch circles. Now they are ready to fry or place on the griddle. We fried six of the dough circles in oil in a heavy skillet and cooked the remaining six on a greased griddle. Since the griddle makes this a much healthier meal, we figured that we’d test out the taste difference between the two cooking methods. If frying the dough, once the circles are golden brown, remove and drain on paper towels. For either methods it’s helpful to keep the cooked fry bread warm in the oven while cooking the remaining dough. Now, that’s it! They are ready to serve.

The taco toppings were perfect for the fry bread and truthfully we couldn’t tell a difference between the fried ones and those that were cooked on the griddle. They were equally delicious. Dad, Mr. N and I all helped ourselves to seconds and Miss A devoured her first serving.

As for the dessert, we have another winner on our hands. The cinnamon sugar was delicious and a nice contrast to the taco toppings. The fried version, however, was better this time.

Tonight’s dinner comes highly recommended. It’s very easy, very fast and very tasty. And if you opt to use the griddle, it’s also healthy. Tonight got 3 spoons all around. Maybe even a 4 from Miss A who was chanting, “I need more sugar! I need more sugar!”

Print this recipe: South Dakota Fry Bread

Dishin’ Up Some Good Ole Southern Comfort

After our first weekend of amazing summer-like weather we found our schedule full-up with activities (and an unforeseen event – get better quickly Nana!). Given our wacky schedule we opted to cook-up our weekly stateside meal today, and start sampling new recipes from our next international destination later in the week. The unseasonably humid and warm temperatures reminded us of the South, so today we sampled some traditional cuisine from Mississippi – Buttermilk Biscuits and Crispy Fried Catfish.

We began with the biscuits. It’s a quick and easy recipe. The dry ingredients are combined first, then the shortening and butter are cut in, followed by the buttermilk. Once the dough was formed, we transferred it to a floured surface and began to press it out. Continue reading

Taste of the Green Mountain State

Maple syrup, apples, cheese and Ben & Jerry’s all come to mind when we think of Vermont. We had the pleasure of vacationing in the Green Mountain State several years back and it was one of the highlights of our New England and Canadian road trip. One of the many things we learned about Vermont was that not only is it known for the yummy foods listed above, but it’s also a great dining destination for foodies. Vermont is fairly well-advanced when it comes to sustainable, organic and local farm to restaurant cooperatives. One of our favorites was the Three Tomatoes Trattoria in Burlington – delicious!

Tonight, however, we opted to stick with some down-home, traditional recipes from the Dakin Farm including Apple Cheddar Muffins and (mom if you’re reading this, sit down) an Upside Down Ham Loaf. I am not a fan of meatloaf, to which my mom can attest, but this recipe sounded more appealing than most – especially after we adapted it a bit. Continue reading