Restaurant Recipe Secrets!

Saint Bernard Hot Dog

Saint Bernard Hot Dog with Swiss Cheese, Mayo and Catsup

The Saint Bernard hot “dog” was a steamed wiener on a steamed bun, sealed in with strips of melted Swiss Cheese and  lathered with mayonnaise and catsup.  The Swiss flavor comes through and gives the hot dog a subtle bite against the mayo/catsup sweetness.  That’s it, simple and yet–different.

I used to get these from a place called Patrick’s in downtown Charleston back in the 1970′s when I worked part time for a then famous Charleston Bookstore which I shall not name.  In any event I don’t think either place exists anymore, at least not the way they used to….

Please leave a comment if this sparks a memory for you or if you have a particular food memory you would like to share.

Dad’s Mystery Barbecue Stew

My folks froze everything! That old freezer was filled with Tupperware and white freezer paper wrapped mysteries and morsels. Masking tape labels if we were lucky with the contents and date frozen, but I think most of it was retrieved by Dad’s memory.

My favorite times were when he had to cook the deer venison that was going to expire…… Grabbing this from the freezer along with some cubed stew beef or whatever other beef cut was about to expire, he would throw it all in the big stainless stock pot and start boiling. Most folks when they cook use timers or keep an eye on the clock but I swear Dad’s timer was a can of beer!

After a beer or two he would add something to the pot, kidney beans, navy beans, whatever beans. Then the sauce–usually tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, hot sauce (Tabasco (TM) or other HOT sauce he had handy), and a splash of the next can of beer.

After another beer or two, in would go onions and green peppers and the cherry tomatoes from his vegetable garden in the back yard.

He would taste it constantly. Adding a dash of pepper here and some salt there, garlic, oregano or Italian seasoning if he thought it would help the taste at that moment.

Finally, after simmering this concoction for 4-5 hours, he would declare it finished! Out would come the bowls and bread and crackers as we were each told to have some, it was dinner! And so we would….. Dad would be at his end of the melamine and stainless steel kitchen table, Mom would be at hers, my sister and I would be on the one side opposite the kitchen wall occupying the fourth side.

How was it? Well I described the meat based “Mystery” Barbecue Chili Stew Stuff…. That was usually pretty good!  When he made it with the fish leftovers……………. Uh!

Eggs in a Frame

Coming soon…………

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