Goldrush Cafe

I may be a little biased considering my family owns the place, but I can still swear up and down that the Goldrush Cafe has some of the best hangover cures in town. And with all the partying you'll be doing tonight, you're gonna need one. We beat the crowd this morning to feast on three of my favorites:


The John Wayne: this dish has been touted as THE hangover cure for, well, since before I was old enough to know what a hangover was. Its a delicious pile of breakfast: a warm flour tortilla is topped with crispy golden hashbrowns, then 2 fried eggs, the house salsa roja and a sprinkling of cheese. And its served with sausage, bacon, veggie sausage, or for those of us who want to go whole hog, chorizo. Order a cup of black coffee just like the Duke would, and give that hangover a kick in the arse.


Viva Goldrush: The Viva Goldrush never receives quite the same amount of attention as the infamous John Wayne, but its a great hangover cure just as well. Its the classic steak and eggs, served a la Goldrush (topped with the house salsa), with beans and flour tortillas. Forget about the pancakes or heart healthy bowl of oats, you need steak. With beans. And eggs. For breakfast. Its the right thing to do.


Huevos Rancheros: If I could have beans, chorizo, and flour tortillas every day for breakfast I would. Half the time I forget about the eggs, although they are cooked any style and topped with green salsa (delicious), I just love to make little chorizo tacos and sip coffee to my heart's content. No hangover required.

Have a safe and happy New Year's everyone! Stop by the Goldrush once you roll out of bed tomorrow, you'll be thankful you did.


Goldrush Cafe
1913 Skillman
Dallas, TX

Black Eyed Peas & Southern Skillet Cornbread

I almost decided to make Texas Caviar this year, but put it off. Somehow cold, slightly tangy peas don't sound as appealing as a warm bowl of black eyed peas swimming with salt pork and jalapenos. So there's that. And there's the fact that I've been dying to have some cornbread. Cornbread, as I'm sure you know, pairs wonderfully with soupy black eyed peas.

Now I'll be honest, 75% of the time I use Jiffy. It comes in a nostalgic looking box, you add exactly 1 egg and about 1/3 c milk and, well, its ready in a Jiffy. Its delicious and exactly the flavor I remember from my childhood. And each little box of mix? Usually 39 cents at the grocery store- awesome. But every so often I get the hankerin' for good ole fashioned southern-style skillet cornbread made with bacon drippings (yum) and baked in a cast iron skillet for the perfect crunch along the bottom (double-yum). So this New Year's I thought I'd share my simple recipes for black eyed peas, for luck, and skillet cornbread, because you need this cornbread in your life.


Black Eyed Peas
(printable recipe)

1/2 lb. dried black eyed peas
6 oz. salt pork, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 large jalapeno, sliced
1/2 tsp. ham base
salt & pepper to taste

Sort through the peas, removing any debris. Pour water over them to cover by about 3 inches. Cover and boil 15 minutes. Drain the peas and set aside. In the same pot add the salt pork and a little oil. Fry on all sides until it gets a little color. Add the onion and jalapeno, continue cooking until the onion is translucent.
Add the black eyed peas and 5 cups of water or chicken stock. Simmer until tender, season to taste and serve with cornbread.


Southern Skillet Cornbread
(printable recipe)

1 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 c bacon grease

Place a greased cast iron skillet in the oven. Set to 400 degrees to preheat. Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine the buttermilk, egg, and bacon grease. Add wet to dry mixture, mix well. Carefully remove the preheated skillet from the oven and pour in the batter. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before removing, it will come away from the pan easier. Cut with a sharp knife and run knife along the edge to loosen.

Pairs well with black eyed peas or ham & bean soup!

Texas Holy Sheet! Cake

Ah, Texas Sheet Cake. Perfectly moist, chocolate-y, rich, and sweet. Its the epitome of Texas hospitality and decadence. Texas Sheet Cake is quick to make, requiring only a good mixing bowl and a spoon, and will delight host and guest alike with its ease of preparation and amazing taste. And it will have everyone who tries it saying "Holy sheet, this is good!"

With New Year's upon us its great to have a cake like this at the ready for unexpected guests or casual get togethers. Read on for the recipe.

Texas Holy Sheet! Cake
(printable recipe)

for the cake:
2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder*
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 sticks butter, melted and brought to room temp.
1/2 c buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c water
1/4 c black coffee

for the frosting:
6 tbsp. milk
1/4 c cocoa powder*
1 stick butter
3 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c chopped pecans

*just for sheets and giggles I substituted 1 tbsp. of Hershey's special dark cocoa powder for 1 tbsp. of regular. Use whatever you have on hand, but dark chocolate and I? We have a thing.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together. Add the sugar and mix well.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs until foamy. Add the melted butter, buttermilk, water, coffee, and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased 10"x15" pan, spread evenly. The pan will be very full, place come foil underneath to catch any drips. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

While the cake is baking make the frosting. Toast the pecans and set aside.
Combine the milk, cocoa powder, and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in half the pecans and pour over the warm cake. Gently spread the frosting to cover the entire cake. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.


I know this is hard to resist.
But you must be patient. Allow the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes. Go do the dishes, read a book, take a walk.

Just stop gazing across the room.


Ok enough already, finally slice a heapin' helping and dig in.


Here's my piece, you can have that smaller one on the plate.
Enjoy!

South Dallas Cafe

South Dallas Cafe has been on my radar for a few years since moving from East Dallas to Oak Cliff. I'd originally heard about it on the Willis Johnson show (Soul 73 radio) and soon made the trip down Hampton Rd. to 67 to give it a try.

In all my visits South Dallas Cafe is never one to disappoint. Straight up southern soul food is featured on the daily menu, everything from smothered pork chops (a personal favorite), meatloaf, and turkey wings, to oxtails, chitterlings, catfish and even enchiladas (which I have yet to try). There's also a delicious assortment of sides, greens are in abundance every day of the week, along with macaroni and cheese, yams, and okra gumbo.

And then there's the cornbread. Hot. Water. Cornbread.
Correct me if I'm wrong but they're the only place in Dallas that serves it. I don't even know what the other bread option is, I always always get the cornbread. You should too.

I feel like I'm doing the desserts an injustice, but I have yet to try them. They always beckon, but then I look down at my tray and see the several pounds of food in front of me and swear I'll try one next time. South Dallas Cafe claims the best peach cobbler in Dallas- I have no doubts to its greatness, judging by everything else I've had there.


Our most recent visit was for late lunch on Sunday. We arrived with the church crowd which was a fun group and even enjoyed a few Christmas carols sung by members of their choir. The line was long (did I mention its cafeteria style?) but well worth the wait. The service was, as always, fast and friendly. I devoured some bbq ribs, macaroni and cheese, greens, and okra and my husband got a special fried smothered pork chop with macaroni and cheese, greens, and mashed potatoes. A delicious lunch was had and suffice it to say, we didn't need to eat dinner that night... but we may have picked at our cold leftovers, they were that good.

South Dallas Cafe
7035 Marvin D. Love Freeway
Dallas, TX

Ham & Bean Soup

I hope you had ham for Christmas, and I hope you have a little left and saved the bone. You'll be so glad you did.

I love this soup, it is seriously comfort in a bowl. It's rich, creamy, and full of ham flavor. It makes an amazing Monday night supper when the temperature drops and there's nothing to do but curl up and keep warm.

This past Thanksgiving I begged my mom to make her out out of this world apricot ham. We devoured it and I took home the prize- I mean the ham bone, along with some leftover sliced ham and lots of other odds and ends. I think we had a few plates of leftovers before I decided the ham had to go. I couldn't tolerate another ham headache*, and froze the slices that were left along with the ham bone.

*does anyone else get these? Headaches from eating ham? My grandmother has them too apparently.

A few weeks later I was craving ham again and pulled out the bone and leftover meat and set it in the fridge to thaw. The next day I whipped up this fantastic soup, its one I look forward to each winter.


Ham & Bean Soup
(printable recipe)

1 leftover ham bone, about 2 1/2 lbs
leftover sliced ham, cubed
4 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 c cooked beans, I had a mix of cannellini, great northern, and butter beans
(1 19oz. can cannellini, 2 15oz. cans great northern, and 2 15oz. cans butter beans, drained)
1 29oz. can cream of celery soup
2 c milk
1 tsp. ham base*
pepper to taste

*I have not been able to find this in grocery stores, my uncle kindly ordered me a huge jar from the restaurant supplier they use, its wonderful! You may try Amazon for a similar product, but they do not have the brand I was given.

Take the ham bone and remove as much of the meat at possible, mine had a few cupfuls left clinging to the bone. Cube the ham and set aside, you will need about 4-5 cups.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to a large stock pot on a medium heat. Add the ham bone and turn a few times to brown the remaining fat on the bone. Toss in the celery, onion, and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant. Add 6 cups of water, cover with a lid and boil for 20 minutes to make a quick stock.

Add the cubed ham, beans, soup, milk, ham base, and pepper to taste. You will likely not need any salt. Simmer over medium low heat about 30 minutes. Remove the ham bone, serve with crusty bread, crackers, or skillet cornbread.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and best dishes in the New Year!

Ojarascas

I have no formal training in the culinary field, (or photography for that matter) and I don't speak Spanish fluently. So from time to time I come across something perplexing. It gets under my skin until I figure it out for myself and make sense of it. Take these cookies, for example.

I've always known these as Ojarascas, (although I also call them sand cookies) and you can find them at Hispanic markets and any panaderia by that name. My mom and I love them, and we'd often pick up a bag along with our pan dulce.

Recently there's been some talk of Mexican Wedding Cookies, which I have had once in my lifetime, and Polvorones which are common in panaderias. Now all three of these are pretty similar, they all have a shortbread kind of consistency and a very basic list of ingredients. My dilemma was trying to figure out what the subtle differences were, how is that wedding cookie like (or not like) my ojarasca? So I did some research, compared recipes, and translated some Spanish. Here's what I've come to conclude, please add your insights in the comments!

Mexican Wedding Cookies - made with butter and powdered sugar, ground nuts are often added to the dough, cookies are dusted with powdered sugar. Melt-away texture.

Polvorones - can be any variation of shortbread cookie. The name comes from the word Polvo, which translates to dust (describing the texture of these treats). I have always known Polvorones to come in different colors, yellow, pink, white, brown and resemble a large sugar cookie. They are also sometimes flavored- orange, chocolate, vanilla, almond.

Ojarascas - made with manteca (pork lard) and granulated sugar, cookies are dusted with cinnamon sugar. Crumbly texture.

Out of the three the Ojarascas are my favorite. I assume the manteca is what sets them apart- Ojarascas are not overly sweet and the cinnamon sugar gives them a delicious flavor. Ojarascas are a great treat anytime but I especially like to make them at Christmas- perfect with coffee or Mexican hot chocolate and they make a wonderful addition to any cookie tray.


Ojarascas
(printable recipe)

6 c flour
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/8 c vegetable shortening
1 1/8 c manteca (lard)
1/2 c water

for cinnamon-sugar:
1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon

Combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Whip the shortening and lard until fluffy. Slowly add the dry mixture. Once half has been added add the remaining in all at once with the water. Knead until the dough begins to come together. Roll out to 1/2" thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut with a small round cutter, place on parchment and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The cookies will still look pale. Remove them from the pan immediately and roll in cinnamon sugar to coat the entire surface.

Makes 4 dozen, feel free to halve the recipe.