Craft on 9 South Glens Falls New York

The exterior of this bar/restaurant does not give any indication of the charm that you will find inside. The menu is eclectic, and what was particularly interesting was that most meals are offered as a full portion and a half portion. The best part about this place is that everything sounds so good that making a decision is hard, very hard.

Al decided to have a half portion of the flank steak, served with broccolini and their homemade fries. Joe had a half salad and a grilled shrimp over seafood risotto. 

I decided to have the Kalamata and green olive tapenade which I loved and chicken wings. The tapenade was served with crostini and gave me three servings. The tapenade just got better with age and I enjoyed it to the last drop!! The wings are breaded which surprised me but they were a very tasty garlic parmesan and it was a generous serving.

Service was excellent, they offer a menu of about 15-20 craft beers, Al had the Pilsner. The beer menu changes so what we saw won't be what you see. 

We were very pleased with our meal at Craft on 9 and while it wasn’t inexpensive it was excellent and we would all love to eat here again. Sonny recommended this restaurant to us and it made us feel safe listening to his recommendations. 

Sausage and peppers in the oven

I thawed out some Italian sausage and then realized that it was hot and humid and the last thing I wanted to do was to stand over a hot stove. I googled sausage and peppers in the oven and found out that it was possible to make them that way. So that became my mission today.


What you need:

1 pound of Italian sausage of your choice

1 large green pepper

1 medium onion


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.




I first cut the sausage into pieces, mine was in the rope form. I washed and seeded the pepper, sliced it, peeled and chopped the onion. I placed everything into a bowl and added my season sea salt with garlic and pepper, about a teaspoon.





I then added olive oil about two or three tablespoons. Toss it all together until everything is well coated. Place on a sheet pan.




I used the oven shelf in the middle. The original recipe called for cooking it 20 minutes, I cooked it 40 minutes and it was just perfect.

Easy one pan fall meal

I have to be honest and admit that this is more of a fall or winter meal than a summer meal unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere or in a very cold climate. However, it is a big favorite with my husband and me and it gives us a good dinner and then leftovers. It is a delicious one-pan meal that is easy to fix.



This meal fits quite nicely in a 12 by 9 pan which most of us have. I, however, have a glass 14 by 10 that I usually use. Begin by adding 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil to the pan. I like flavored oils and the roasted butternut squash flavor was particularly good with this recipe. I get mine from Fiore in Rockland, Maine.

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees and set the rack in the middle of the oven.

My recipe feeds my husband and myself with leftovers so I think I can safely say it feeds 4. Wash 4 potatoes, I like red-skinned ones chopped into small pieces. Add to the pan. Clean 3 small purple turnips, 3 large carrots or 10 baby carrots, and a large red or sweet onion depending on your taste. I also add parsnips when I have them. Try to be sure that all the vegetables are cut into similar size pieces.

To the vegetables in the pan add an additional tablespoon of olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and rosemary to taste and toss the vegetable to cover with the seasoning.

The last thing I added was a ring of smoked sausage (I like Hillshire Farm). I cut it into 2-inch pieces and placed the pieces on top of the vegetables. I covered it with aluminum foil and placed it in the oven for 40 minutes. I removed the sausage at that time and cooked the veggies for an additional 15 minutes without the foil. Check the veggies to make sure they are tender and if you need additional time let it go.

We love this meal, obviously, you can change up the meat used and other types of sausage (Polish, Spanish or Portuguese ) would also work well. It is simple, tasty, and easy cleanup, everything a woman loves about a meal. I love to create a delicious one-pan meal.

Ingredients:
1 Ring Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage
4 Red potatoes unpeeled
3 Large carrots or 10 baby carrots
3 Small purple turnips
Parsnips if you have them
1 Large onion (I like Spanish, Bermuda, or Vidalia)
Good quality olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary

Where to find a great smorgasbord

Merriam-Webster defines a smorgasbord as a “luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes such as hors d’oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, salads, and relishes.” It is a combination of two Swedish words, “smörgås,” which means open sandwich and “bord” which means table. A simple definition would be a table of open sandwiches.

Most smorgasbords today are not necessarily Scandinavian nor do they serve traditional food. As a matter of fact, one area of the country where there are numerous restaurants that have the word smorgasbord in their names is the Amish country of Pennsylvania. For example, the Bird in Hand website lists Bird in Hand Family Restaurant and Smorgasbord as a place to eat.

The Bird in Hand Family Restaurant begins serving what they refer to as a breakfast smorgasbord at 7 a.m. and continue well into the evening with the lunch and dinner smorgasbords. In this case, the dishes offered are traditional Pennsylvania style food. They offer soup, salad and a dessert bar in addition to the meals that alternate daily for lunch and dinner.

Some things you can expect to find at this smorgasboard are ham balls, roasted chicken and pork, and sauerkraut. At dinner, there is a carving station. While this is not what you will necessarily find in Norway or Sweden, the concept of a groaning board is certainly evident in the phrase “all you can eat smorgasboard” and “salad bar.”

Every fall, the Norwegian Capital of Texas, Clifton, offers a traditional Norse Smorgasbord. It takes place at the local Lutheran Church and there are two seatings of 120 people each for two nights. The food served is much more traditional and tickets are a hot commodity that must be ordered in advance. Not only will you get a taste of recipes that have been passed down for generations, you can buy a cookbook so that you can duplicate some of them at home.

What Clifton is to Norway, Solvang, California is to Denmark. There are several Danish restaurants in town that offer a smorgasbord and every year there is a Taste of Solvang, which some people might consider a walking smorgasbord.

To create a Swedish smorgasbord at home may be easier than traveling around the country trying to find a restaurant that serves traditional smorgasbord. Some of the Scandinavian foods that have a place on the traditional smorgasbord buffet are pickled herring, Swedish meatballs, potato salad, pickled beets, shrimp, salmon, cheeses, salads, bread and butter and plenty of delicious desserts. Fish should have a prominent place as well.

So what is a smorgasbord? It can be a cold summer buffet, a warm winter spread or just about anything in between. The common denominator is that there is a table laden with lots of different dishes and offering plenty of choices.

Tasty vegetarian dishes

When you are looking for tasty vegetarian dishes there are countless choices. My favorites are usually ethnic or comfort food and sometimes a combination of the two. Here are two meals that are both economical and easy to prepare that are part of my recipe arsenal.

Eggplant Parmesan

If you are looking for a hearty vegetarian dish that is Italian, eggplant Parmesan fits the bill perfectly. If you use gluten free crumbs it can be gluten free as well as vegetarian. It is not, however, vegan since eggs are used.

What you need:

2 eggs

1 Canister flavored bread crumbs

1 Large eggplant

Olive Oil

Bowl

3 plates

Paper towel

Frying pan

1 Jar marinara sauce

2 Bags grated mozzarella cheese

I usually buy one large eggplant. You need a sharp knife to slice the eggplant into ¼ inch slices. The slices will be round. Place the two eggs in a small bowl and mix with a fork until the yokes and whites are combined. Place Italian flavored breadcrumbs on a plate. Have another clean plate available.

Dredge the eggplant in the egg and then the crumbs and place on the clean plate. The third plate should be lined with the paper towel. Heat the olive oil in the frying pan and then cooked the eggplant until browned on both sides.

Place the eggplant in a single layer in a 13 by 9 pan, stone or glass are good options. On the top of the eggplant place a layer of marinara sauce followed by grated mozzarella cheese. Repeat this as many times as needed to use all the eggplant. You can make your own sauce or use jarred, the choice is yours. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.

Many people who are not generally fond of eggplant find that eggplant Parmesan is the exception.

Mac 'n cheese

One of the most popular meatless meals in the world is macaroni and cheese. Some may consider this a dish for children but that is far from the truth. Making this dish adult friendly only requires adult choices in cheese. While elbows are the traditional shape of pasta, I prefer to go a little crazy and choose gemelli, farfalle or hubby’s favorite ziti.

One of my friends makes the most delicious mac and cheese with American Cheese which is baked in the oven with a Saltine crumb crust. I prefer to make mine with cheddar cheese. I have been known to use smoked Gouda or Swiss in combination with Cheddar or Jack. One of the wonderful things about macaroni and cheese is that it never has to be the same.

I make a white sauce from a roux and add the cheeses. I also add Worcestershire Sauce. It adds a nice little zing to the sauce. Sometimes I bake it with Ritz crumbs and other times I just make it on top of the stove.

Many vegetarian dishes are just as delicious as these two. If you are looking for a good vegetarian cookbook you might want to try The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen.