What to Cook

Courtesy of Derek Wolfgram Freewheel Brewing operates an outdoor beer garden in Redwood City. As the cool fall weather rolls in and restrictions on indoor dining continue to be extended, a beer and a meal outdoors remains one of the simple pleasures still available in 2020. Under state guidelines, breweries and beer bars can only serve beer on premises if it is accompanied by a “bona fide meal,” so locations that have a kitchen on-site have had a distinct advantage in remaining open, though many small breweries have had success with food truck partnerships to provide meals during the pandemic. Freewheel One of my regular stops during the last several months has been Freewheel Brewing Co. in Redwood City, near the Menlo Park border. With excellent burgers (I recommend the Hawaiian burger with pineapple, teriyaki and chipotle mayo), salads, hot wings and British pub classics such as bangers and mash and fish and chips, the menu has something for everyone. While Freewheel is known ...

- Dogfathers: Hot sandwiches, brisket and soft drinks - Dave & Phil’s Grill: Hot sandwiches and fries - Jessie’s Place: Hot sandwiches, sausages and soft drinks - Tweedles Mini Donuts: Mini doughnuts, hot drinks and soft drinks - Kona Ice: Shaved ice The Lebanon Oktoberfest event will also be serving several beer and wine options, including Bud Light, Yuengling Oktoberfest, Warped Wing, March First, Figleaf, County Boy, The Common Beer Company and Cellar Dweller, along with wine from Valley Vineyards. Explore How a Butler County family farm became a fall entertainment destination for kids of all ages Guests will also be able to indulge in local German-inspired music throughout the day. The Klaberheads will be performing at 2 p.m., followed by performances by Ken & Mary Turbo Accordions Express at 4:30 p.m. and Jessie Lyn Fisher & The TNT Band at 7 p.m. And, new this year, the Lebanon Oktoberfest will be hosting a stein hoist event at 4 p.m. Explore Dayton Mall to ...

The Community House will kick off the start of the fall season with a dinner for the islands. The “Octoberfest” Community Social will take place on Oct. 9 starting at 6 p.m. and will feature two starters, two main entrees and two side dishes, plus a dessert that is available for an additional fee. Director of Marketing and Event Planning Sarah Jacobson explained that TCH likes to host a community dinner once a month and that people begin returning to the islands in the fall. “So after September, it’s a fun way to get together and celebrate,” she said. For the menu, Resident Chef Jarred Harris will serve up German beer cheese soup and brezen — soft pretzels — with assorted mustards for starters. The main dishes will be sauerbraten — German-style beef pot roast — with spaetzle and chicken schnitzel with lemon thyme sauce, paired with side dishes of potato pancakes and steamed vegetables. For an extra $5, diners can enjoy apple strudel for dessert. “They are all definitely German,...

It's a lovely autumn day on the Vaalserberg, a hilly forest area shared by three countries: Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. Tourists are strolling around. The borders are invisible, people can cross them back and forth as they please. The actual Vaalserberg at 322 meters (1,056 feet) is the highest peak in the otherwise flat Netherlands, where anti-coronavirus measures are lax. Visitors stand close together taking photos, before crowding into the small restaurant serving Dutch specialties like Poffertje pancakes and waffles. None of them are wearing face masks, which are only required on public transport in the Netherlands. If the restaurant were located only a few meters further to the south in Belgium or a few meters further west in Germany, the situation would be different and stricter measures would be implemented. Some children jump around a large rock marking the point where the three countries meet, surrounded by the three flags. "I'm in Germany!...

Helga Stang died on the morning of Sept. 11, still dressed in her pajamas but her makeup carefully applied and both her eyelashes and wig in place. A freshly made plum cake was cooling in the kitchen. “She always got up at 5 a.m., so she probably made it early in the morning and was getting ready to go somewhere when she had the stroke,” said her daughter Heidi Fatica, who found her mother collapsed in a hallway. “There was a little slice out of the plum cake. She probably had it for her breakfast.” Fatica drove to her mother’s Mentor home at 1 p.m. that day after Stang failed to return unanswered calls she’d made earlier. That’s when her daughter found her. “She had a stroke last summer but told very few people about it. She told me then, ‘If it happens again, I hope it takes me,’” Fatica said. Stang had been journaling her blood pressure for her cardiologist. “It was very high,” Fatica said. Stang was 84 and had lived in the same tiny house in Mentor for the past 58 years...

Overview Ingredients Steps Overview There are few foods I can think of in my life that have gone from complete unknown to outright obsession faster than kaiserschmarrn. I first encountered it at Kaisy’s Delights in Rehoboth Beach, Del., five years ago. The name means “imperial mess” in German. The story goes that a frazzled farmer created the dish in a tizzy when Austria’s Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife showed up hungry at his home. As a last-ditch attempt to save face, the farmer shredded his disastrous pancake and topped it with sugar and marmalade. My family beach trip is not happening this year. I was already hankering for a way to make my own kaiserschmarrn (it can also be spelled kaiserschmarren) to compensate for the loss when I came across baking instructor Nikki Phelps’s Instagram account, where she demonstrated how to make it. The dish is also popular in parts of Germany, especially Bavaria, where Nikki is from, and she says it has been a part of her family tradit...

Smitty’s Pancake & Steak House at 645 W. Broadway in Idaho Falls. See the changes made during the remodel in the video player above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley. BIZ BUZZ IDAHO FALLS Smitty’s under new ownership after 4-month long remodel project The waiting room of Smitty’s before and after the remodel. | Courtesy Porter Clayton IDAHO FALLS – Smitty’s Pancake & Steak House in Idaho Falls was a hopping place as customers came to kick off their Fourth of July weekend. If you’ve been inside lately, you may have noticed some changes. The restaurant recently reopened after a four-month long remodel to the interior of the building, and it’s now under new ownership. “May 16 was our first day of operations and we had people in here patching up and doing miscellaneous repairs 20 minutes before the door opened,” c...

Karen Lorraine (Oberst Huettl Bailey Peake) Chandler was born on a Tuesday, August 16, 1938 in Corvallis, Oregon. Her early years were lived on the Siletz with her high-spirited mother, Ida Nancy Chandler Oberst and her hard-working father, Carl William Oberst Sr. and six siblings. She had fond memories of the reservation coastal land and loved to tell stories of the first nation people who lived there. She spent the majority of her childhood in the high desert of Bend, Oregon among the sagebrush and juniper with her beloved horse Dixie (named after her favorite western book “Beyond Rope and Fence”). She eloped to Reno, Nevada at the age of eighteen and married her high school sweetheart, Leeland (Larry) Laurence Huettl. Her five sweet children roamed freely on ten acres of Bend countryside adjacent to her parent’s farm, where she built her own home rock by rock. Karen drove school bus in Bend and after the divorce, Tri-Met bus in Portland, Oregon. She remarried in 1976 and bought ...

Pork belly and chopped bacon tacos from Hope Breakfast Bar // Photo by Tony Saunders Each week, Operation: Take-Out brings you specially crafted meals for two with ideal beverage pairings from your favorite local restaurants. We’d like to thank Hop & Barrel Brewing  for their underwriting support in the month of June. THE RESTAURANT: This week’s bacon taco meal comes from Hope Breakfast Bar in St. Paul. Founded in a 142-year-old former fire station just off of West 7th Street, Hope Breakfast Bar is what founder Brian Ingram describes as a purpose-driven business. “In our first year we’ve given almost $380,000 back to the community,” he says. “A lot of that was the 72,000 meals we’ve made for free during the pandemic,” he adds. The restaurant has been delivering its meals to first responders and other families in need in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond. The restaurant’s concept revolves around breakfast all day—Hope’s menu is known for rich, comforting, elevated twist...

Photo: Sturti / Getty Photo: Sturti / Getty Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Image 1 of 18 Photo: Sturti / Getty Starter recipes for people who are terrible at cooking, but want to learn 1  /  18 Back to Gallery Most bad cooks eventually find something that forces them to be good cooks. It might be running out of money for takeout, it might be raising children, or it might be a global pandemic that forces you to stay home and not eat take-out every day. For me it was that last one. How many times can I cook the same grilled cheese sandwich, I asked myself, before my heart detonates inside my rib cage like an over-filled gravy-balloon? The only thing to do was learn some real recipes -- so I oiled up my cast-iron pan, ordered some groceries online, and got to work. Here are my favorite meals that are easy, delicious, and provide ample opportunities for self-expression and experimentation. Kill ‘Em All Chili Necessary Ing...

SALT LAKE CITY — Berry season is my favorite season. It’s the time of year when berries are really starting to taste good and fresh, and prices are finally going down. Now is the perfect time to either grab some berries from your garden, pick some up at the store, or get them from a local farmer. Not only are berries delicious right now, they're also the perfect way to add some joy to your plate. Take fresh strawberries, for example. I mean, who doesn't love strawberries? Kids gobble them up and adults savor them. They're a crowd-pleaser. Here are my two favorite strawberry recipes: Red White & Blue Popsicles (Photo: Rebecca Clyde) Strawberry Salad with Balsamic Dressing (Photo: Rebecca Clyde) And here's a list of 15 more easy strawberry recipes from registered dietitians to help you enjoy strawberry season: (Photo: Kara Holton) Use it on salads and tacos to add a touch of sweetness and fun! Plus it's a great way to use up basil. (Photo: H...

Light and fluffy, these delicious pancakes make for a wholesome breakfast when topped with berries. Light and fluffy golden-baked German pancakes are best enjoyed for breakfast with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, and a drizzling of syrup and melted butter topped with berries of your choice. The batter is cooked on a cast-iron skillet on a stovetop and then finished off in the oven. Contrary to its name, German Pancakes is actually an American recipe, and has its origins in the United States and not Germany. This recipe is the same as Dutch Baby or Dutch Baby Pancakes. The reason why it’s called Dutch Baby is because German is Deutsch and the sound is similar to Dutch and it was probably misspelled as Dutch. Once batter is ready, cook for an instant on the stove-top and finish off in the oven. Ingredients 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3 large eggs 3/4 cup whole milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for dusting 1 cup stra...

Whether it's pancakes or waffles served with warm maple syrup or whipped cream and berries or a hearty egg dish, these recipes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "From Minnesota with Love,” make breakfast special. Honey Oatmeal Pancakes 2 eggs 2 cups buttermilk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 cup flour 1/2 cup oatmeal 1/4 cup wheat germ 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 2 Tbsp. honey Beat eggs well. Gradually stir in 1 cup of buttermilk, oil and dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add remaining cup of buttermilk and honey, mixing well. Cook on lightly greased griddle. Turn pancakes when they are puffed and full of bubbles. Cook other side until golden brown. Serves eight. German Apple Pancakes 1 cup cream style cottage cheese 6 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup chopped peeled apple Place all ingredients except apples in blender and blend for 1 minute. Stir in apples with a spoon. Cook pancakes on lightly greased griddle....

Special Report Colman Andrews March 30, 2020 5:24 pm Last Updated: March 30, 2020 5:35 pm The diner is a uniquely American institution. Historians trace its origins back to the horse-drawn lunch wagons that began appearing on the East Coast in the 1870s . These evolved into restaurants on wheels, complete with counters and bathrooms, and by the 1910s into permanent structures.  Soon entrepreneurs were manufacturing prefab structures, characterized by stainless steel siding and brightly colored booths , that could be shipped around the country and set up almost anywhere. At their peak in the 1950s, there were about 6,000 diners across America. Today there are more like 2,000, some 600 of them in New Jersey, the nation’s undisputed diner capital . Diner historian Richard Gutman once defined the diner as “[A] friendly place, usually mom-and-pop with a sole proprietor, that serves basic, home-cooked, fresh food, for good value.” Establishments that fit that def...

Peter Stormare, the tall Swedish actor who plays brutes so well, appeared in the back-to-back Coen brothers classics  Fargo and  The Big Lebowski . Much to the delight of fans, Joel and Ethan Coen wrote an inside joke into  The Big Lebowski  for Peter Stormare's character that calls back to his role in  Fargo. Fargo  is the tale of a kidnapping for hire that goes horribly wrong. In it, Peter Stormare and Steve Buscemi play a pair of low level criminals hired to pull off that kidnapping. Stormare's character is Gaer Grimsrud, a quiet and intimidating brooder. Gaer also proves to be a heartless killer, shooting police and witnesses with little or no thought. His partner, Carl Showalter, is Gaer's exact opposite. Carl is weaselly, nervous, and never without something to say. Their sloppy way of doing dirty work propels Fargo along, until Gaer famously kills Carl with an axe and then feeds his corpse into a wood c...