Basque Oxtail Stew in Brown Gravy

      Another meal from our 4+ week adventure to SE Michigan awaiting medical clearance to head further south.  We discovered Basque Cuisine several years ago during our visit to Northern Nevada and loved it.  These people have lived for many years on the NW border between Spain and France.  They have survived years of conflict regardless of their neutral farming status.  The Germans even used them as target practice for their bombers in WW2.  As such, their cuisine is very meat and potatoes, lots of lamb, pork, veal, rabbit, and gravy.  This will be my 3rd time making this recipe and it blends itself well with the RV crockpot if you wish.
      First of all, beef oxtails can be tricky to find, but asking your local butcher or supermarket meat guy usually gets results. They are meaty joints from the beef tail that are very tasty.  Roasting them beforehand really brings out the flavor.  Obviously the Basque waste nothing.  This recipe is modified for us.

2 pounds meaty oxtails
cayenne, salt, and black pepper as needed
1/2 onion diced
3 garlic cloves diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup flour
1 tomato, diced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
1 tablespoon beef base or 1 cup beef broth

      Line a roasting pan with foil.  Rinse the oxtails with water and place them in the pan in the oven.  Sprinkle lightly with cayenne and salt.  Roast at 450 for 1 hour, turning occasionally to brown, not burn.  Remove tails from oven and set aside to drain off all oils.

      Combine the onion, garlic, and oil in a food processor....process till finely chopped or you can simply chop them if you like it chunkier.  Saute' in stockpot over medium heat till translucent.  Add flour and whisk for 30 seconds.  Add 4 1/2 cups water and whisk till dissolved. Add tomatoes, Kitchen Bouquet, and beef base or broth.  Add oxtails and carrots.  Bring to a boil, turn down to low, and cover.

Simmer in stockpot at low for 2 1/2 hours,  Meat should come off the bone easily when done.  If you desire it thicker or added too much water, thicken with Corn Starch.  You can even put it over rice or taters if you like.  Serve hot with biscuits.

"The priest's pot is small, but tasty"

Basque Proverb

WiFi courtesy of Harbortown RV Park 

Turning Your Sails Into the Wind: Adjusting Our Tact

      It was a hell of a summer with all of our projects.  We completed them despite numerous pitfalls and landmines.  Near the end came some inevitable issues regarding both Barb's and my health.  This is not a blog post of blame, but merely a published realization of what happens at our age.
       For me it was simpler; a matter of my dental bridge installed in 2002 needed replaced.  This required two appointments several weeks apart.  This time they did remove the tooth stub anchors  (that had been root canaled) and replaced them with screws into the jaw line.  4 Adavan 90 minutes prior to the procedure and the subsequent Novocain injections gave me exactly what I needed...…..a lack of pain recognition, or any recognition for that matter.  Dr. Soenen and the folks at Birch Street Dental do excellent work and I have always appreciated their results.  Also, I needed to adjust the prescription for the inhaler for my COPD.
      Barb's history has been more involved.  Shortly after my departure to Washington in late July she made an appointment for pain in her lower left side.  These procedures were accomplished at Au Sable Medical in Grayling due to the unavailability of appointments at Traverse City Munson, Gaylord, or Cadillac.  After several procedures this was diagnosed as a golf ball sized kidney cyst.  They gave her pain medication which helped most days, but not all.

      I returned home the 24th of September happy to be with my family again and able to help Barb through this.  Unfortunately several evenings later Barb experienced a heart attack.  She spent several days in Traverse City at Munson Hospital under excellent care.  She underwent a Chemical Stress Test (where she experienced another arrest) as well as a Heart Catheterization and Angio-plasty where they found very little blockage to define what had happened.  She was released two days later where she recuperated at home.  It took her about 10 days to get back to 'nearly normal'. LOTS and LOTS of sleep.
      However, her cyst pain remained.  They determined the cyst might be aspirated (rather than removed).  This involves draining and backfilling the cyst with alcohol to dissolve it.  Finally she heard from AuSable Medical where they informed her they had referred their recommendations to Munson Medical in Traverse City.  Unfortunately, Munson TC declined to perform the surgery due to the cysts location on the kidney, but in too close proximity to the spleen and bladder.  The next referral was to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.  We decided to take a more aggressive approach to this.  We became 'patient advocates' where we got answers or demanded them in order to proceed.  3 days later we were informed they would need VA approval in order to perform the surgery.  However, it took us only one day to get the VA approval, forward it to Au Sable and then hound them to forward it to UM.  The final phone call came soon after.

University of Michigan Medical Center

      Unfortunately when the call came it was to schedule Barb for a pre-surgery consult on October 31st.  Surgery would come after.  We were running out of 'weather window' so we packed up the RV and winterized our house in order to depart.  We traveled south to Ann Arbor. Nearly all the campgrounds in this area are only open till the end of October, but we did discover two campgrounds open year around in Monroe, about 35 miles to the SE.  This is farther than we wanted to commute and more than we wanted to pay, but we didn't have much choice this time of year.  Averaging 12.9 mpg on the trip down we set up camp at Harbortown RV Resort.  Full hookups with cable, golf, indoor and outdoor pool, clubhouse, laundry etc. for a pricey $56/day.   A very nice park.  It did, however rain and snow mix most of the time we were here.  Later on when we switched over to the monthly rate it became $675/month.  There are nice laundry facilities here, but they are a bit on the expensive side so we do ours in town.
      We did drive over 2 days early just to test the route and see where we needed to be.  We test drove the route from the campground to UM 2 days early.  Regardless, we came back to camp and made our reservations in the long term loop for November.  Again, a lack of choices, but at least we had a home while we waited.  Her surgery consult appointment on Halloween did not go well.  The Urologist did not think the Cyst on her Kidney was big enough or in the right place to cause pain.  Aspiration of the cyst was a simple outpatient procedure.  However, when he palpated Barb's lower left front she screamed.  He referred us to the Main UM Medical Center Emergency Room. 

Harbortown RV Resort

      We spent 6 hours at the UM Emergency Room to no avail.  Blood Work, Urine, and another CAT Scan turned up nothing.  All internal organs are fine and there is no evidence of Diverticulitis or other Colon Issues.  No fever, no temperature, no infection...….just pain.  They simply updated her pains meds (which didn't make me too happy) and sent us on our way.  So we were forced to regroup again and contact the VA.  We are still awaiting notification for Barb's Gastroenterologist appointment.
      While we waited even longer we spent a bit of time exploring the area when Barb was up to it.  We got to visit the Shipshewana on the Road at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.  We fought out way through hundreds of folks so Barb could buy a new Alpaca sweater and some Amish beef sticks.  We  also checked out the River Raisin Nat'l Battlefield and Sterling State Park on Lake Erie as well.  We endured some pretty cold days/nights while we were here, with about 10 nights being off the grid from RV water and running our tank heaters.    

      While camped here I prepared some tasty meals, among many other things to include: Seafood Gumbo, Beef Pasty/gravy, Hidden Valley Ranch Crockpot Pork Steaks, Miso Soup, Tabasco Smokin' Firehouse Ribs, Clam Chowder, Taco Night, and Wild Boar Meatloaf.  After awhile it became evident that we would be here long enough to enjoy our Thanksgiving meal here as well.  We found the perfect small 'bird' and enjoyed Turkey, Dressing, Gravy, Cranberries, and Deviled Eggs.  Small feasts on the road, but plenty of leftovers!  

Beef Pasties w/gravy and Steamed Cauliflower

Tabasco Smokin' Firehouse Ribs w/corn n tater salad

Wild Boar Meatloaf

Pigs in a Blanket with Brie Cheese

      So for now we are STILL here in Monroe awaiting further word.  We did plan on a shorter travel circle this winter to save money, but this is ridiculous.  It has been 17 days since Barb was first seen at UM.  The VA office in Traverse City has been very supportive and going out of their way for Barb, but the referral process into the larger VA MACHINE is another matter.  So that's it for now.  Unfortunately, we experienced  our first truck malfunction  since our warranty expired back in February.  The throttle body digital fuel injector controller failed and the part had to be ordered which put us behind one day leaving home at the beginning.  Cost? Eight million dollars.  Did you really think I was going to tell you?  During this stop I did upgrade the RV factory onboard battery with a new Trojan Deep Cycle with better amp hours.  It is getting colder these days, but the park has winterized, insulated, heated utility pedestals so we're staying warm.  You do go through a bit of propane during this type of camping, but that is one item here that is relatively cheap.  We cross our fingers and pray that it won't be much longer, but if need be...….it is what it is.  For now we'll just hunker down, enjoy Thanksgiving, and wait on that phone call.  Hey, we're saving money.  We just need to get Barb healthy.

"I am not young enough to know everything" 

Oscar Wilde

WiFi courtesy of Harbortown RV Resort MiFi

Tony Packo's Toledo, OH

       

      What trip to this area would be complete without the Ultimate Cultural Coup de Gras?  If this place doesn't ring a bell it was made even more famous in the long running TV show MASH as Maxwell Q. Klinger's favorite hometown Toledo eatery.
       Tony Packo was the son of Hungarian immigrants, growing up on Toledo's east side.  He learned the restaurant business from his brother, John.  In 1932 Tony and his wife, Rose received a $100 loan from relatives to open their own sandwich and ice cream shop.  Tony's signature sandwich, sausage with sauce on rye, was created when he decided to add a spicy chili sauce to enhance the flavor of the sandwich.  He used a Hungarian sausage called Kolbasz, but because it was so large, decided to cut it in half.  Not only did it resemble the American hot dog, but he could sell it for 5 cents.  Very nice considering the depression economics.  Over the years his creation has grown to the worldwide famous entrée that is Tony's Hungarian Hot Dog.  

      Over the years Tony's has grown to include 5 locations throughout the Toledo area, but the original still stands at 1902 Front Street.  www.tonypacko.com/  The menu is still the same as it always has been over the years to accommodate popular demand.  Of course the Hungarian Hot Dog is still the favorite, but there are some additional choices to accommodate even the most discerning, let alone Hungarian, tastes.  Chicken Paprikas, Stuffed Cabbage, Hungarian Open Face Roast Beef Sandwich, and Chili Mac are some of these.  There is also a pretty decent assortment of appetizers and sides.  

Tony's Original Hungarian Dog

      Of course 'the original' demands the most attention......and did on our visit as well.  Packo's Original Hungarian Hot Dog served with mustard, onions and hot dog sauce, or the Front Street American Frank with mustard, onions, and hot dog sauce.  Pickles, peppers, or sweet hots on the side?  It's yours to add.   I was completely impressed with their "Dog Packs"   These can range from 2, 3, 5, or 10 dog packs or if you want "THE WORKS" there are the 5 or 10 Dog Packs both with a Bucket of Chili.  This is by definition COMFORT FOOD.  

Hungarian Dog, Bowl of Chili, Coleslaw, and Chicken Paprikash

     Barb and I traveled the 19 miles south to Toledo on a Monday.  We arrived with appetites stoked and ready for some tasty carbs.  It is remarkably easy navigating to get off  I-75 to I-280 and find Tony's as well as a large parking lot.  We were sure it would be well worth it.  We were also aware it would be much harder to get back home without the smell of this meal on our clothes to arouse the furbabies.  Challenge accepted?  

Lunchtime fills up quickly

Digging in

      We arrived at about 11:40 a.m. and just in time.   The lunch crowd begins and the line goes easily out the door.  Most are workers from nearby factories or the ships in the river.  We were met immediately by a gentleman who could tell it was our first time.  He showed us the menu and then when we decided exactly where to go at the counter and who to see.  While there we discovered they were also offering a seasonal promotion for Hungarian Vegetable Soup, Meatloaf & Mashed Taters, Kolbasz Sausage & Baked Beans, as well as their signature Chicken Paprikas.  ALL hot dogs are $2 on Tuesday during this promotion as well.  After a bit of indecision......Barb ordered a single dog and fries while I went ALL IN ordering 2 Hungarian Dogs w/everything and German Potato Salad.  The extra dog is only $1.99.  Be sure to ask about the walls full of autographed hot dog buns.     

Somewhere underneath it all are 2 Hungarian Dogs

      We found the food to be delicious and very filling, served by hospitable waitresses working very hard.  The head waitress at the counter really barks out the orders, never missing a beat.  She would have to be loud and in command with this lunchtime crowd.  The sausage is delicious, with a 'snap' when you bite in just like Bockwurst.  I didn't care for the dog sauce, but the chili and cheese were awesome.  Barb loved hers, but didn't care for the spicy sweet pickles on the side.  I loved them.  Our total tab for this meal was $21.16.  This place is a 'CAN'T MISS'.  Our only regret is that it may be awhile before we are in this area again......or maybe not.  I rate this one the full 5 STARS.    

"Some people wanted caviar and champagne, when they should have had beer and hot dogs"

Dwight D. Eisenhower

WiFi courtesy of Harbortown RV Resort 

Eureka Eatery! Monroe, MI

      When in the Detroit Regional Area one does not simply think about Greek Cuisine without visiting Greektown, the quintessential downtown dining and entertainment experience.  We have eaten downtown before and the reputation is well deserved, but one of the days we were out exploring the Monroe area we decided to stop in and try a place that is highly recommended throughout this area.  The amazing part is that this 'foodie destination' is located in a Sunoco Gas Station at 3080 North Monroe Street on the outskirts of town! 

      We were not phased one bit as some of the best food we have ever eaten has been enjoyed in roadside stands, gas stations, and even truck stops across the country.  They are located back in the corner next to one of the largest liquor stores I have ever seen.  It is walk up counter service with several long tables to dine in.  Like any good Greek experience Gyros of any possible flavor are available as well as a number of other Middle Eastern selections.  They also offer online ordering as well as catering.  You can see the entire menu at Eureka Eatery

Gyros!

Short Rib Poutine

      Schwarma?  They got it.  Grilled Cheesesteak, Chicken Bruschetta Wrap, Falafel Wrap, Fattoush, Tabbouleh, and a myriad of deserts are on the menu as well.  They have a Short Rib Poutine that will satisfy desires you didn't even know you had!  You can even order Pita Bread with one of their signature spreads.  They offer fresh hummus flavors every two weeks.  Chick Peas anyone? 

A great selection of spreads

      However, one of their best offerings might well be the "Create Your Own Entrée".  You simply start with the checklist and decide....

Step 1   Bread or Bowl or ala carte 

Step 2   Pick your meat

Step 3   Add some toppings

Step 4   Add some sauce

Step 5   Extra toppings or extra cheese?  (the Truffel Fries are delicious) 

Make it your way possibilities!  

      As I said earlier, Barb and I stopped in for lunch while running errands and exploring.  There isn't 'always' a line, but it is no secret either.  Admittedly, the fact that you are dining in a gas station is still a bit of a surprise.  No matter.  After a bit of consideration and anxious anticipation Barb ordered the Gyro while I went with the Order It My Way w/lamb, red onion, cukes, olives, and extra Feta. I also ordered the Truffle Fries.  

Barb's Standard Gyro

My Make it your way Gyro

      Our total tab for 2 sandwiches, large drinks, and Truffle Fries ran $20.  The food was delicious, in fact they were the largest gyros we have ever had with easily TWICE THE MEAT.  This is a hell of sandwich for less than $7.  Counter service was very good even though there was a little wait.  The place is known throughout the area.  It is worth the trip for lunch or a great take out idea for dinner.  Unfortunately for us, dinner was still at home the crockpot upon our return.  I rate this one 4 STARS (out of 5)

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world"

JRR Tolkien

WiFi courtesy of Harbortown RV Resort