Whiskey Cake, Oklahoma City

 

      During our annual sojourn south this year we decided to try a new place on our pass through the 'old stomping grounds' of Oklahoma City.  Whiskey Cake has 12 locations throughout Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas, including the one we visited near Penn Square Mall in OKC. It is veteran owned.  

      On first glance it looks like your typical bar/grill, but it came recommended by a good friend.  Reasonably priced and not crowded as long as you don't come on the weekends or during shopping season.  The Penn Square Mall area can be a nightmare. 

      The menu does vary from one location to the next, but in OKC this is what we encountered.  www.whiskeycake.com/menu.  They do have a full bar and diverse drink menu, but we came for the cuisine.  The drink menu is not only extensive, but expensive as well.  I was going to order my usual Scotch, but not at $37 for a glass.  I settled for a beer, which was just fine.  At first glance it appears to be normal bar food, but there are some interesting choices.  

            The menu offers choices for Brunch as well as Lunch/Dinner.  Salads, snacks, cinnamon rolls, fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs, and a vast array of salads.  Main courses include such offerings as Shrimp n Grits, Bone In Pork Chops, Harvest Sheppard's Pie, many burgers and sandwiches, and Chicken n Waffles.  There are many more.  Even a very good Kids Menu.  

      For our visit during midweek, I chose the Shrimp n Grits while Barb set her sights on The Chicken Cheese Melt.  

      Barb enjoyed her sandwich, but the fries were overcooked.  I loved the Shrimp n Grits; the remoulade was delicious and shrimp meaty.  The flavor and spice were so good I didn't even need hot sauce.  We found the atmosphere good, but the service only fair at best.  Our server, Zach, only showed up to take our order and deliver our check.  He only had 3 tables to serve, but didn't seem interested in checking back with us.  There were only 5 other customers in the place. Total price for our meal was $51.65.  In the end we found our experience to be just ok.  Our rating:  

"I like taking risks.  I like trying new things, whether it be style, or restaurants, or whatever"

Lewis Hamilton 

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Heading South for the Winter.......Packing 3.0

 

      Our favorite time of the year, pretty foliage, cool, and getting ready to head south.  Once the weather turns colder, rain falls with a hint of snow, and leaves are falling we are ready.  Of course, there are a few things left to do to get the house winterized, but machinery/vehicles have already been stowed in the barn, but packing the RV for 6 months is the big task.  This year will be our biggest challenge as our new RV is 5' shorter than our previous unit and with that comes a completely different storage setup.  It was a challenge for my wife and me.  She, however, is the "Logistics Master".  

      The outside tool storage was easier this year.  Since we didn't want the exterior kitchen option, we have plenty of outside storage, a huge compartment.  It holds tools, supplies, hunting clothing, boots and everything for maintenance we'll need.  

Outside storage

      The bedroom has no slide out room for a 'side to side' fit, so the bedroom has narrower aisles than our last unit.  The underbed storage is very nice.  It holds extra shoes, pet food, and golf clubs. A new addition this year for boondocking is the Jackery Unit.  This is a portable, rechargeable power source for anything requiring 120 VAC while boondocking.  It will be primarily used for my CPAP and lasts up to 6 hours over night.  I can recharge it via generator, USB, or even solar; both on the road and off. 

Under bed storage and Lithium Battery Access

Part of bedroom storage

      The bathroom is much smaller, yet the shower is a significant improvement with semi-circular easy-slide doors, and the cabinets/wardrobe hold quite a bit.  The clothing wardrobes are also smaller, but sufficient for us.  

 

Bathroom Wardrobe

Bathroom Storage pt 2

Snack, staple storage

      Now to the kitchen, dining, living room area, the 'coup de gras'.  Barb has always been a logistical wizard of space packing, be it my bags for a long USAF deployment to the groceries in the truck to the RVs.  This would include a full fridge/freezer, another freezer, and staples, spices, and stores for an extended road trip.  It did require a bit of trimming on our part, but my wife is excellent planner/packer.  There are, of course, the usual below bathroom sink and several overhead compartments like any other RV.  

Part of kitchen pantry

Engel Portable Extra Freezer 120VAC or 12VDC

      In the end Barb made it all fit.  Everything we'll need and most of what we want.  Sometimes you can't stock enough ahead as you would like.  For us it was space available.  This unit will weigh more, but we'll compensate some by leaving all the water tanks empty till we arrive.   We depart in a couple of days now, ready for the adventure.  We're planning on THE BIG CIRCLE this year: Michigan for 4 months > Texas> Washington> Montana>Michigan. 

 

"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and fill my soul" 

John Muir

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Shrimp Buzara Croatian Style Over Pasta

 

      This another Italian dish from the Lidia Bastianich collection.  It is a modification of a Croatian dish.  Delicious shrimp, fish stock, tomato, and white wine sauce.  Some carbs, but lots of protein with plenty of favor, especially if you add good garlic bread.  The more shrimp, the better.  I leave the tails on.

2 pounds BIG shrimp, raw

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup hot light fish stock

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

1 pound of (your choice of) linguine, fettucine, spaghetti, gemelli, angel hair, etc. 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup dry white wine

1 Tbsp breadcrumbs

Parmesan cheese for garnish

1 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

      Dissolve the tomato paste in the hot fish stock.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add the onion and garlic, and sauté over moderately high heat until golden.  Season with salt and pepper, add the wine, and bring to a boil.  Add the stock and tomato paste mixture, reduce the heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

      Heat water in pot for pasta.  For this I chose Orecchiette.  Cook for the required time; drain pasta and reserve.  Insert shrimp into the simmering sauce and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are just warmed through, about 2 minutes.  

      Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and parsley, mix well, and cook a minute longer, uncovered.  Plate pasta and serve shrimp and sauce over pasta with Parmesan.

"The smell of shrimp is comforting.  The myriad of dishes it lends itself to is endless"

Lennon Parham 

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No Risk Whiskey Bear Steaks

 

      Since we now have a freezer full of fresh Michigan Black Bear meat of course there will some recipes.  We looked forward to the challenge.  Our larder is filled with roasts, steaks, and burger, as well as one ham for smoking later.  For this first trial we chose a very nice steak recipe endorsed by the Wyoming Fish n Game website.  

2 good bear steaks

Marinade

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup Worcestershire 

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar 

2 shots whiskey

Kosmos SPG to taste 

Garlic powder

Paprika

Olive oil

2 Tbsp unsalted butter 

1 tsp minced garlic

      Marinade the steaks in sealed bag and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, as much as 24, turning occasionally.  This is crucial to curing the meat.  Remove from the fridge and bring to room temperature, around 30 mins.  Dry thoroughly with paper towels.  

      Season the steak generously with SPG, a few dashes of garlic powder and paprika.      You may cook these in a skillet or broil as long you achieve an internal temp of 165F.  B Before cooking drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil all over the steak.  Heat cast iron skillet on high until hot.  Add 2 tbsp olive oil and reduce heat to medium high once the oil is slightly smoking.

      Carefully add in the steak, one piece at a time and allow it to sear in the pan for about 2 minutes.  Turn the steak over and add in butter and garlic.  Let the steak cook while occasionally monitoring temp.  Meat is done at 165F.  This can be tricky as bear meat is sufficiently cooked at 165F for 3 minutes.  If you like your steak rare, it may not happen.

      Remove from pan and place the steak on a plate.  Cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Serve with your favorite side dishes.  Baked taters w/trimmings and any veg work well.  This time I served them with a mix of Brown/Wild Rice and Corn o' Cob.  We loved the steaks, finding the tenderness a little tough but easily solved by slicing thin.  The flavor is very good. 

"I would think it be fitting, I think, if all the last manmade tracks on earth would be found the huge footprints of the great bear."  

Earl Fleming

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Got SISU?

Got SISU is Finnish:  got guts, tenacity, or bravery?

      Cudighi (coo-di-hay) is an Italian sausage that originated in northern Italy seasoned with sweet spices but is now primarily made and served in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  You’ll see it on the menu of many mom-and-pop restaurants and bars that serve burgers and sandwiches.  If you’re a “Yooper,” you’re most certainly familiar with cudighi.  You’ve had it in a sandwich with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, on pizza, or in other dishes that would traditionally be make with Italian sausage.  

      While the cudighi originated in Northern Italy, it's now primarily served in the Upper Peninsula—particularly in Marquette County. The sandwich and its signature sausage were initially sold in northern Michigan by Italian immigrants in 1936, who called it 'Gudighi'.

      We were 'turned on' to it by some friends we met while camping and rockhounding in the Keweenaw Peninsula.  They referred us to Ralph's Italian Deli in Ishpeming, home of the cudighi voted best in the UP.  The meat comes in mild, med, or hot.  I can eat all three, but Barb loves the medium, so be it.  It is available most parts of the UP.  We found our most recent batch in Houghton from Vollwerths Meats.  

      The meat is a sausage that can be used in just about anything you would use pork sausage for.  Sandwiches, casseroles, mac n cheese, breakfast.  The Italian spices and herbs give it something a bit more.  It leaves you with a full, comfortable, tackle the day feeling.  These are a few of our favorite recipes.  

Cudighi Sausage Sandwich

1 lb Cudighi

1 small red pepper, sliced

1 small green pepper, sliced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 Tbsp sunflower oil

kosher salt and pepper

1 slice goat cheese, (optional) Provolone, Monterey Jack, or Mozzarella

Good Focaccia or French Baguettes

Mustard Sauce  (you can make your own)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp yellow mustard

1 tbsp stone ground mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

kosher salt and pepper to taste

      Mold Cudighi into patties.  Slice peppers and onions thinly, about 2" long.

      Mix the mayo, mustards, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and minced garlic together in a small bowl. Season with Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

      Add about a tablespoon of sunflower oil to a cast iron pan.  Heat to medium-high and add the peppers and onions.  Cook until soft and browned.   Remove from the pan.  Add the sausage patties and cook for about 4-6 minutes each side or until cooked through.  Use a spatula to gently press down the patties so the entire sausage touches the cooking surface.  If using cheese, add to the top of each patty when the patties are nearly finished and let melt. Remove from pan.

      Add the sliced baguettes, inside down, to the pan and toast.  Flip and toast the outside slightly. Remove from pan.

      Spread mustard sauce on both slices of the baguette. Add one sausage patty to the bread and some onions and peppers.  Serve hot. 

  

Freaking delicious, this WILL fill your tummy

Breakfast/Brunch Skillet

1 lb. Cudighi Sausage crumbled

6 cups Potatoes cubed

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

½ cup Onion chopped

¼ - ½ pound Cheese Curds

4 Eggs

1 Tbsp Parsley chopped

      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet/cast iron over medium heat, cook the cudighi sausage.  Remove sausage from the pan, leaving the drippings.

      Microwave the potatoes to give them a head start on the cooking process.  Place the potatoes in a shallow bowl and microwave for 4 minutes, covered.

      Add the olive oil to the pan.  Once the oil is heated, add the potatoes, salt, and fresh ground pepper.  Let the potatoes cook for 15-20 minutes, turning over every 5 minutes to brown, not burn.  After 10 minutes add the onions.  Reduce the heat to low.  Add the sausage and curds to the pan.

      Create four shallow wells in the sausage hash. Crack an egg into each well. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the eggs are set. If you like a firmer egg, cook up to an additional 2-3 minutes.  No additional seasoning is needed.  Tasty as is, serve. 

      Think of this as a hybrid cross between Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage and Italian Sausage.  The blended taste is incredible and worth the journey.  We don't get it often but love it when we do. 

SAD SIDE NOTE:  It was announced recently that Ralph's Italian Deli in Ishpeming will close the end of this month due to retirement.  The best cudighi in the entire UP. They will be missed. 

“A recipe has no soul. You as the cook must bring soul to the recipe.”

Thomas Keller

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Yogi Palooza Barb 1.0

      Well, here we are, THE YEAR.  Barb has been putting in for her Michigan Black Bear Tag since 2013.  I drew mine, my 2nd, last year to no avail.  Barb is hungry.  She waited 11 years for this hunt.  We have hunted together for years.  Although she had no interest in hunting wild pigs with me, she wanted a bear.  She is a good shot, always has been.  She will be using her Remington Model 7, 7mm-08 with 150 grain Core Lokt bullets.  This is the rig she has harvested several Axis deer at our winter place in Texas as well as a nice whitetail buck in Oklahoma.  Of course, a good bear is much larger with very sturdy bones, but my bride can put the shot where she wants to.  

      Of course we want the meat, but my wife's Dream Bucket List is a bear rug.   We have several leads on taxidermists but am always on the lookout for suggestions.  Ironically, she will be guided by Paul Martin who also drew his own tag.  I offered my own assistance, which will be handy as Paul wants to hunt as well and won't be able to accompany Barb in the blind every night.  He and his son will still provide guide services as needed.  Paul has had exceptional success here in the lower peninsula and knows the area well.  This is a shorter season than what I hunted in the Upper Peninsula. 10 days vs. 6 weeks.  Regardless, Barb was ready.  We will be hunting in several areas, but still pretty close to home.  

Great trail cam pics of bears over the bait prior to the season

      I worried a bit about Barb being patient in the blind for about 5 hours.  I told her she can bring her phone, BUT NO VOLUME and no smoking.  I didn't even know if it was possible for her to go that long without........well, peeing.  It did take a turn toward the unexpected as the guide decided to send his son along to accompany Barb.  I was hoping to be there but knew that he was the best qualified to help her ID the right bear, locate it, and retrieve it.

  

Guide Jon Martin and Barb

       On opening day I dropped Barb off with the guide about 20 miles SE of our home in the Manistee River Valley at 3 p.m.  I returned at 6:30 to wait out the last 90 minutes or so of opening day.  Only 17 minutes later I heard a shot close to our proximity.  Even though this was a poor cell phone area, about 30 minutes later the text came:  I made the shot, a quartering forward.  The bear is about 100 yards out.  We're waiting for it to die.  Another 30 minutes later they both walked out, hands covered in blood, yet both beaming with satisfaction.  They had gutted the bear but couldn't move it because it was so heavy.  

      The guide called 3 of his friends to come out and help drag the beast to the truck.  Barb and Jon got some good pictures when they found the bear and we all took some more once they got it back to the truck.  When we got the bear to the processors about 90 minutes later, it weighed in at 220lb. dressed, which equates to about 275lb. live weight.  The cape, head, and paws/claws were done by the processor.  We picked them up and had DNR inspect and seal them within 2 days.  Then we delivered it to the taxidermist.  

      I couldn't have been prouder of my wife.  She has always been a good outdoorswoman and a very good shot with a rifle.  She was still a bit shaky when she arrived at the truck; a good hug was in order.  I tried twice with no success the past 11 years, but Barb was successful on Season #1, Day #1.  It's no less of a Bucket List victory for both of us.  Of course, there will be a few bear meal recipes to come.  

      A special note:  our own friend/guide Paul harvested a monster 300 lb. beast 2 nights later.  I can't say enough about how good Paul Martin is as an outdoorsman and bear guide.  He definitely knows his stuff.  We highly recommend him if you draw a Michigan Bear Tag in Red Oak.  

"May this intelligent animal always have a place"

Mike McIntosh

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