One potato, two potato, three potato, Potato Skins!!

I was browsing the net the other day and came across an interesting article on the origin of potato skins from the Idaho Potato Commission. I hadn't previously considered the origin of what has become a staple in restaurants across America as well as a must have for football season.

Here at the 6' House Pub we have awesome potato skins on our pub menu! Potato Skins $6.96 with crispy bacon crumbles & cheddar,or broccoli & cheddar~served with scallions & sour cream.

But to digress, a bit from the Idaho Potato Commission's website: The inspiration for the potato skins at R.J. Grunts, one of the first restaurants to offer the now omnipresent dish, came from a radio story about sailors eating the vitamin-rich skins to ward off illness while at sea, he says. “My brother relayed the story, and I said, ‘OK, let’s monkey around with potato skins,’” Melman says.  “I’ve always been a person who pays attention to what people say.  It usually leads me to the new ideas I’ve tried.”

From  http://foodserviceblog.idahopotato.com/history-of-potato-skins-on-the-menu/

I thought this was pretty interesting and decided to do a little more digging on the history of the potato skin dish as we know it and found a hilarious quote about TGI Fridays: T.G.I. Friday's History and Potato Skins: In 1965, perfume salesman Alan Stillman bought a broken down beer joint in New York City. He remodeled it and named it T.G.I. Friday's to attract the "career crowd". Within one week, police had to barricade the area to help control the crowds flocking to the restaurant. His only goal at that time was to meet single women in the area. The rest is history. In 1974, They invented potato skins.

From http://www.bluesbbq.net/recipes/tgi-fridays-history-and-potato-skins

Now in the interest of leaving you with thought's of potato plum fairies dancing in your heads, I give you the potato song and hopefully a laugh or two:

Don't forget to check out our menu at http://www.6housepub.com/dinner.htm and get an order of OUR potato skins, they are delicious!

6 House Pub Menu and Wine Pairing #10

Surf & Turf Salad ~ juicy grilled beef tenderloin & pan seared scallops over baby spinach, with red

onions, glazed walnuts, feta crumbles, served with a creamy maple dressing & an orange slice $15.96

with

Malbec Alamos Mendoza ‘08

Glass $6.46 

Bottle $26.96

This Malbec is full and rich with ripe black cherry and cassis with spicy black pepper and anise flavors with soft tannins at the finish. Terrific with steak and it compliments the seared scallops nicely. The cassis flavors and maple from the dressing add a nice touch of sweetness to balance out the tannin and slightly sharp finish.

Check out the rest of our menu at http://www.6housepub.com/dinner.htm

And our wine list at http://www.6housepub.com/wines.htm.

New Year's Eve Specials and some drink suggestions

Happy New Year to All!

New Year's Menu

Prime Rib au Jus for $18.96,

Beef Wellington with a Liver Mousse Pate and wrapped in a Puff Pastry Shell for $28.96,

Baked Crab Stuffed Haddock for $18.96,

Stuffed Chicken breast with Cranberry Walnut Stuffing for $18.96

Try a couple new drinks out for New Years while you are at the Pub for New Years!

Black Velvet

Ingredients:

• 5 oz chilled stout (Guinness is the best!)
• 5 oz chilled Champagne

Preparation:

• Pour stout into a champagne flute. Add champagne carefully, so it does not mix with the stout, and serve.

Baileys Chocolatini

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Baileys Original Irish Cream (25 oz. per bottle)
• 1/4 oz. vodka
• 1/4 oz. chocolate liqueur

Preparation:

• Add Baileys Original Irish Cream, vodka and chocolate liqueur.
• Shake with ice and strain into martini glass.
• Garnish with raspberries or cherrys

Chard-tini

Ingredients:

• 3/4  oz. Vodka
• 3/4  oz. Chardonnay
• 1/4 oz. peach schnapps
• 1 oz. lemon-lime soda
• 1 slice lemon
• 1 slice lime

Preparation:

• Mix the Chardonnay, Vodka and peach schnapps.
• Shake with ice and strain into a chilled wine glass.
• Top with lemon-lime soda.
• Garnish with lime and lemon slice

Snap, Crackle, Pop

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Tequila
• 7-8 dash bitters
• 1 oz fresh ground black pepper
• Lime wedges

Preparation:

• In a small bowl mix the bitters and freshly ground cracked black pepper until it becomes a paste
• Take a wedge of lime and coat one side with the paste
• Take a bite of the coated lime and then the shot

Peppermint Martini

Ingredients:

• 5 oz. vanilla Vodka
• 2 oz. white creme de menthe
• 1/2 oz. Peppermint Schnapps

Preparation:

• Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a candy cane if available

And check out our wine list at http://www.6housepub.com/wines.htm, beer list at http://www.6housepub.com/beers.htm and cocktails list at http://www.6housepub.com/cocktails.htm

Fruitcake, doorstop or delicious treat?

In our family we receive a fruit cake every year by Airmail from overseas. We having a running joke that it’s the same one, because the one from the year before mysteriously disappeared and no one seems to remember what happened to it. We DO recall not eating the thing and we are pretty sure we didn't use it for a doorstop.

Fruitcake has a bit of a bad rap. Although these two suggestions are my favorite in terms of what to do with one of those rock hard ones that seem to turn up perennially:

1. Hollow out to store valuables - no one will touch it, so your valuables will stay safe!

2. Send one to the junk mail company with a note asking them to take you off their list or you will send more of them.

Here's an old family recipe though that is quite delicious and does not have the traditional nuts or candied citron in it and the Grand Marnier makes a nice touch as well.

Grand Marnier Fruitcake

Recipe Yield 1 - 6 inch round pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dried orange flavored cranberries
• 1/8 cup chopped dried sweet cherries
• 1/8 cup chopped dried mango
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup dark molasses
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Grand Marnier, split in half.

Directions:

• Soak the dried fruit in 1/4 cup of the Grand Marnier over night, covered and store at room temperature.
• Grease a 6 x 3 inch round pan, and line with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs. Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix into the butter and sugar in three stages, alternating with the molasses and the heavy cream. Stir in the soaked fruit.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes. While still hot, sprinkle with 1/2 of the set aside Grand Marnier. Let cool. When the cake is cooled remove from the pan and sprinkle with the remaining Grand Marnier.
• This cake is best stored wrapped in Cheese cloth soaked in Grand Marnier and does actually improve with age.

I tried one of these ideas a few years ago, the Chocolate covered fruitcake balls and they were great, so here is a great article about Unusual Uses: Christmas Fruitcake Leftovers 7 Ways (real ways to recycle fruitcake)

http://www.diylife.com/2009/12/21/unusual-uses-christmas-fruitcake-leftovers-7-ways/

Don't forget: Gift Certificates for the '6 House Pub and the 1896 House make wonderful stocking stuffers for that special person in your life or a great getaway for your parents (or your kids).

Tis the Season to Give….Chocolate!

Gift Certificates for the '6 House Pub and the 1896 House make wonderful stocking stuffers for that special person in your life or a great getaway for your parents (or your kids).

In addition, everyone loves goodies for the holidays, especially CHOCOLATE ones and what better way to tell your family and friends how much you appreciate and love them is make them chocolate truffles!

Here are some links to my favorite, easy to make and delicious recipes from around the web:

Easy Chocolate Truffles

http://www.marthastewart.com/356071/easy-chocolate-truffles

With this recipe, I prefer to leave the cardomom out and the lemon peel actually tastes better zested

Nutella Chocolate Truffles (these are a totally yummy!)

http://steamykitchen.com/13940-nutella-chocolate-truffles-recipe.html

Avocado-Chocolate Truffle Recipe (strange sounding but delicious)

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Candy/AvocadoChocTruffles.htm

As an alternative to rolling the truffles in powered sugar, they are wonderful rolled in toasted and then fine ground up almonds.

Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles

http://www.grouprecipes.com/27314/baileys-irish-cream-chocolate-truffles.html

With this recipe, while very easy to make, just make sure you don't hit the chocolate up too much as you are stirring in the egg yolks as you could end up with chocolate scrambled eggs. J

Easy Champagne Chocolate Truffles

http://www.epicurean.com/featured/champagne-chocolate-truffles-recipe.html

For this recipe you can do without the orange oil and it tastes a tad better with a touch more sugar then the recipe requires.

Burger and Wine?

Anytime!

While most people think of beer as being the traditional accompaniment to a burger, reds and some whites compliment them well too! The Six House Pub offers a great selection of burgers, and a choice of Beef or Buffalo for your dining pleasure!

Check out the selections of the “Six” House   Bovine Burger Bazaar!

The Guernsey~Our basic no frills

The Belted Galloway~Bacon belts & melted Cheddar       

The Texas Longhorn~Smothered with grilled onions and mushrooms   

The “Aloha” Dexter~ bacon & cold pineapple Jalapeño salsa     

The Polish Red~polish sausage & fried onion rings         

The Mediterranean Cow~Gorgonzola, grilled Portobello 

mushroom slices, roasted red peppers, tomato basil aioli   

Add cheese  or Add Goat Cheese     

Cheeses :  American, Cheddar, Feta, Goat Cheese, Gorgonzola, Pepper Jack, Provolone, Swiss 

May substitute Garden Burger on any of the above

All burgers served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle & pub fries. 

May substitute House coleslaw for fries

Of our wine list, I would suggest these as great accompaniments to a great burger!

Shiraz Red Diamond ’06

Glass $6.46

Bottle: $26.96

Pinot Noir~Smoking Loon ’0 8

Glass $6.46 

Bottle: $24.96

Shiraz~Wolf Blass South Australia Yellow Label ‘07

Glass $6.46

Bottle: $24.96

Or if you prefer a white that can stand up well to a burger try the:

Chardonnay~Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve  ‘ 08/09       

Glass $7.96

Bottle: $29.96

Check out the rest of our menu at http://www.6housepub.com/dinner.htm

And our wine list at http://www.6housepub.com/wines.htm.

Happy Thanksgiving from the 1896 House

While Thanksgiving is mostly practiced in North America, (the United States and Canada primarily) it is still a time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for, no matter where in the world we are. During this historic holiday let us all give thanks to our friends and family.

All the staff at the 1896 House would like to wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving day and hope that any people staying with us during the holiday have a wonderful time.

For the folks that will be staying home and cooking Turkeys this Thanksgiving, here are some great tips to make your holiday a safer and more tasty holiday.

Tips for avoiding cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day

http://www.bnd.com/2011/11/23/1953578/tips-for-avoiding-cooking-fires.html

Safety tips for cooking Thanksgiving turkey

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/10413259/

Thanksgiving Safety: 7 Tips to Avoid for Food Safety

http://www.livescience.com/17169-thanksgiving-food-safety.html

Thanksgiving 2011: last-minute tips

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/23/2516113/thanksgiving-2011-last-minute.html

Thanksgiving time saving tips

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20111123/LIFESTYLE/111250304/Thanksgiving-time-saving-tips?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFrontpage%7Cs

Tips for Not Starting a a Major Fire When Deep-Frying Thanksgiving Turkey

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/health/food-and-nutrition/tips-not-burning-house-down-deep-frying-thanksgiving-turkey

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday! Cheers from the 1896 House!