A Trademarked Name For A Unique Sandwich

 

We recently went through Lexington, Nebraska, and stopped at a fast food place called Runza.  We had never been to this place before but when we saw they had truck parking, we decided to try it.

They sell sandwiches called Runzas - seasoned ground beef, mixed with cabbage and onions, inside bread that they bake at their stores every morning.  We had to try it as they are regional specialties. 

It was actually delicious.  I looked up the origin of the Runza sandwich, and Wikipedia says:

"The runza sandwich originated from the pirog, an Eastern European baked good, or more specifically, from its small version, known as pirozhok (literally "little pirog"). In the 18th century, Volga Germans (ethnic Germans who settled in the Volga River valley in the Russian Empire at the invitation of Catherine the Great because of their skill in farming) adapted the pirog /pirozhok to create the bierock, a yeast pastry sandwich with similar savory ingredients.  When the political climate turned against the Volga Germans as part of Russification, including the threat of conscription into the Russian army beginning in 1871, many emigrated to the United States, creating communities across the Great Plains. These immigrants, including the Brening family that settled near Sutton, Nebraska, brought their bierock recipes with them.  Sarah "Sally" Everett (née Brening), originally of Sutton, is credited with adapting her family's bierock recipe into the runza and also inventing the name for the sandwich.  In 1949, Everett went into business selling runzas with her brother Alex in Lincoln, founding the Runza restaurant chain.

Many sources agree that Sally Everett invented the name "runza" although it is likely she adapted it from an existing name for the sandwich; either the krautrunz, an older, different German name for the bierock, or the Low German runsa, meaning "belly", alluding to the gently rounded shape of the pouch pastry. The modern German Ranzen, also meaning satchel, derives from runsa. The word "runza" is registered as a trademark in the United States, held by the Runza restaurant chain."

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2006: Riding The Rusty Rails
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Smokin' Birthday

We went to dinner at Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Tucson, AZ for one of Ed’s many birthday meals this week. He ordered a dry-aged steak and Smoked Old Fashioned.  

This is how the Old Fashioned came to the table - in a box, a sprig of rosemary, a thick peel of an orange, and smoke billowing out before it was served.

Very on trend. 

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2024: I Love You

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2020: Sorry, no post on this day.

2019: Daisy Mae Was Nowhere To Be Found

2018: Beware, Stupid People

2017: A Creator's Paradise

2016: The Naked Truth

2015: True Civilization

2014: Late Afternoon In South Dakota

2013: Farm To Market

2012: Providence Silhouette

2011: We Got Fatter But We Lost Weight

2010: Stripping, Vitamins, And Cheesecake

2009: Ocean Front Crowd

2008: He Wouldn’t Recommend His Wife To Anyone He Knows

2007: Spring Has Sprung In My Hotel Room

2006: High School Hottie

2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Same But Different

 

On our way to Las Vegas this weekend, we stopped in Phoenix for lunch at a pretty little restaurant called Blanco Cucina + Cantina.  We have one in Tucson, too, but didn't realize it was the same company until after lunch!  

The meal was good but what I liked even more was the decor.  I want this wall in my house - mirrors, plants, and wicker lampshades included!

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2007: Getting Wet In The Next County 
2006: Down With O.P.P. 
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Four Gourmands Enjoying Cocina Tradicional

Paella, one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine, originated in Valencia, Spain.  

While we were visiting Valencia, Ed found a paella place in El Palmar, about a half-hour south of the city, and it was listed in the Michelin Guide as a restaurant that has been given their Bib Gourmand award.

It's called Arrocería Maribel.  Unremarkable from the outside, but with a beautiful modern interior, this restaurant served us one of the best meals we had in all of Valencia.

Not only was the food amazing, but the dining experience itself was unlike anything I've ever been part of.  It was fancy, but not.  High-end, but comfortable.  It felt costly, but it was insanely affordable - only $22600 US dollars which included a wine pairing with each course for the men.  We girls didn't do the wine pairing.  Without it, the cost was about $38.00 per person. The value for this meal and service was UNBELIEVABLE.  

The first dish was called Esgarraet. An esgarraet is a typical Valencian dish consisting of a salad made with roasted red pepper, salted cod, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. In this one, it had the cod but also had a tiny piece of tuna on top. The crackers in the background were more like a well-done pie dough cracker than what we typically think of as a cracker. It was good. 

The second course was a Buñuelo de calabaza y parmesano (Pumpkin Parmesan Fritter, on the left) and an Empanadilla de pisto estilo Valenciana (Which is a Valencian style ratatouille empanadilla, on the right).

The third course was Crujiente de pato de caza guisado (Crispy stewed duck - it was very tender duck meat encased in this crispy wonton/phyllo dough exterior).  It was very good. 

This is the main dish. It was listed on the menu as Arroz a banda. Which translates literally to “Plenty of Rice”.  It was a seafood paella. The pieces of fish are cod and shrimp.
Our friend Ernesto Casablanca digging in.

We learned from a local in Valencia that when you are served paella in a group like this, you divide the paella pan by how many people are eating from it, you “carve out” your own little section, and that’s what you eat from. So that’s what we did!

Here’s the pan after we were done.

For Postre (dessert), we had Tarta de Naranja helada con mousse de chocolate blanco y aceite de oliva, con emulsión de tomillo y flor de "taronger" (which is a Frozen Orange Tart with white chocolate mousse and olive oil, with thyme emulsion and "taronger" flower). Taronger is an orange blossom. Ed shares a goofy grin, excited to get to the ice cream.

The thyme emulsión happened in the lid of the item that the dessert was in. In the lid was a piece of dry ice and a few sprigs of thyme. The server then poured super hot water over it and the thing began to smoke! It was a spectacular display! When we tasted it, it was a very sweet “tea” that tasted like thyme.

Our dessert dishes, one show with its lid.

We absolutely loved this entire experience and would definitely visit this restaurant again.  If you're ever in Valencia, skip the local restaurants in town and take the drive to this one.  It's absolutely worth it.

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2007: Florida Fro
2006: Hail To The McGriddle Gods
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Tell Me You're In Texas Without Telling Me You're In Texas

 

Yes, the hotel had Texas-shaped waffles.  Man, they take this Texas pride thing to a new level!

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2012: I Grew Up In The O.C. Too
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2009: Marking This Day In History With A Vibrant Spot Of Color
2008: Lighting To Do Laundry By
2007: The Benefits Of Dating A White Boy
2006: Shhhhhh, You’ll Wake The Driver
2005: Sorry, no post on this day. The blog didn’t start until May 2005!

Stirred, Not Shaken

 

One of my favorite meals to make is a stir-fry.  This one has asparagus, onions, mushrooms, carrots, and red and yellow bell peppers.  I typically put this over brown rice or noodles and have made a variety of different sauces for it.

It's always quick and delicious.

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2009:  Looking Grand At The Grand Canyon
2008:  Overshadowing Government
2007:  Miami International
2006:  Did You Check The Solenoid?
2005:  Sorry, no post on this day.  The blog didn't start until May 2005!

Touched By Fire

 

While our friends Marlaina & MacG were visiting for Christmas, we decided to go to BATA for Marlaina's birthday.  We always save the "foodie" restaurants for when they are here since they're really our only friends who appreciate this type of menu.

The restaurant has received quite a bit of press, being called one of the best restaurants in the West by Sunset magazine, which described it like this: "With a 400-mile sourcing rule, the restaurant uses micro-seasonal produce and local meats, with every dish containing an element that has been grilled, seared, smoked, charred, or cooked in the coals to create a new, fire-first Sonoran cuisine."

It was mentioned in Time magazine's "World's Great Places 2023" piece

And Bon Appétit magazine included it in its "50 Best New Restaurants 2022" list. 

That's the short list of places it was written about.  There are others. 

Everything was so good that we ate everything before I remembered to take a photo. But I got a photo of these pieces of braised beef, which ironically was the only thing that wasn't completely up to my standards—it was a little dry. But with a spoonful of the sauce it came with, it was actually quite delicious.

Overall, the dinner and evening were wonderful.  Celebrating a friend's birthday, being together for the holidays, trying a new restaurant....all on my list of things that constitute a good time.

Happy Birthday, Marlaina!

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2009: You WILL Think Of God
2008: The Queen Of Copper
2007: Eddie Wears His Christmas Present Friday
2006: The Only Way I Can Tolerate Arizona
2005: I’ve Got Lips

An Apple A Day

I had guests for dinner tonight and made this beautiful apple crostata.  It was a big hit with my guests and super easy to make. 

It's definitely going into my dessert rotation.

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2015: Western Blaze
2014: Where The Boys Are
2013: Trimming The Family Tree
2012: Waking Up With A Fat Man
2011: The King Lived Here
2010: Love
2009: Over The Hill And Over The Top
2008: Mr. & Mrs. Javelina And The Carb Encounter
2007: Disk This
2006: Ghostly Landmark
2005: Shopping In Hell

We Have Italian Cherries. What More Do You Need?

 

I don't know how, as a household that generally never drinks, we wound up with Texas Vodka and Bulleit Bourbon, but there it is.  And I want to know right now who snuck these in.

OK, so other than the two mentioned above, I know where most of the alcohol came from.  We recently pulled everything out of its hiding place and made a display area of sorts for the holidays. It's backlit with Christmas lights.

We have wine, liqueurs, Prosecco, Kahlua, Bailey's Irish Cream, Laphroaig - that last one definitely belongs to MacG.  Something for all of our guests.

We even have Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.  Read about the marasca cherry here.  Italian, of course.

Looks like this holiday season is going to be very merry!

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2012: Just In Case You've Run Out Of Ideas
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2010: I Used To Care But Now I Take A Pill For That
2009: Wet And Woodsy 
2008: Bite Sized Yummy Goodness 
2007: There’s A Time For Everything
2006: Colors Of The Barrio
2005: Puss In Breasts

Color Explosion!

 

This is my new favorite meal - roasted mixed vegetables.  This batch has cauliflower, carrots, garlic, shallots, onions, mushrooms, and honeynut squash. After the roasting, I add some chopped cilantro and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.  It's pretty amazing.

I toss the vegetables in olive oil, salt & pepper, and this seasoning created by Tabitha Brown who I have been following for several years on Instagram.  It's delicious!

I have served it over wild rice, Jasmine rice, and Italian barley.  I've also made it into tacos, using warm corn tortillas.  In both cases, I drizzled the vegetables with this dressing (I added the tahini to the recipe) and was in heaven.

Give it a try.  You can thank me later!

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2010: Ella Ella Eh Eh Eh
2009: What’s All The Glee About?
2008: Connecting Over The Mystic River
2007: Randomly Weird
2006: Eddie Acts Like A Five-Year-Old Friday
2005: From Earth To Heaven

Hot And Sweet

Ed and I have been eating a lot of salads for lunch lately.  They're filling, light, and perfect for the hot weather we are still enduring out here in Tucson.

My favorite dressing for months has been this one.  It's absolutely amazing. 

Although it has apple cider vinegar, I add lemon juice, too.  And, I add the tahini, garlic powder (sometimes fresh), onion powder, and salt and pepper.  It's soooo good.  And it thickens in the fridge so it's also perfect for dipping vegetables.  If it's too thick the next day, I just add more lemon juice and shake it up before drizzling.   

But today I made a sweet and spicy mango dressing because Ed bought enough mangoes for us to open a fruit stand.  This is the one I went with. 

I followed the recipe almost to the letter - I left out the olive oil because I'm trying to lower our daily fats, and I used a jalapeño because that's what I had on hand.  It was very, very good. 


I'm definitely adding it to the salad dressing rotation.

  

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2010: Long Beach Lights
2009: 4423 Humboldt Avenue
2008: Eddie Tourist Friday
2007: Ripe For A Dognapping
2006: What Lies Beneath
2005: Big Sky Country

There's A New Treat In Town

I'm into a new treat these days.  They're healthy, homemade, and delicious.

Made with dates, nuts, oats, vanilla, and cocoa powder.  When the mixture is done, I typically just roll them in cocoa powder, but this time I rolled some in cocoa, some in chopped nuts, and some in coconut flakes.  

Here's the recipe:

10-12 pitted Medjool dates. (I soak them in hot water to soften them and then I chop them in small pieces)
1 cup nuts (use any kind you like)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Put everything in a food processor, pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped, and start to look thick and stick together.  Once combined, roll them into balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  

Put them in the fridge until they're chilled.  Store in a Tupperware in the fridge.  

I will tell you that they're not going to last long.  They're delicious!



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2018: Pork Chop Express

2017: Full-Blown Wonder
2016: Saguaro Nest
2015: I Do Laundry And Bring Strawberries
2014: A Match Made In Trucking Heaven
2013: Shiny Ride Home
2012: Chow Fun And Coconut Bliss
2011: Beautiful By Nature. Dirty By Choice.
2010: Let’s Go Shopping!!!
2009: A Magnificent Place To Wait For A Train
2008: Old Blue Eyes Was Right When He Said It Was A Very Good Year
2007: The Hills Are Alive…Or Are They?
2006: Nostalgia
2005: 37 Going On 20

A Healthier Version Of A Burger And Fries

I've been trying not to eat any red meat lately so I decided to try a veggie burger.  If anyone told me last year that I'd be eating a veggie burger, liking it, and actually craving it as a meal, I'd say to them they were nuts.

But I found this delicious veggie burger at Whole Foods.  It's the Black Bean Veggie Burger by a company called Actual Veggies.  

I used these buns which my friend turned me on to, and put a thin sliver of mayo on the bun and topped the burger with lettuce, tomato, and raw red onion.  On the side, I made baked french fries tossed with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

What a delicious treat!!

I know these types of food products are probably different for everyone.  Some love a brand, some hate it, others like one kind, some like another.  But this one was a hit for me and I'll definitely be having it again.

Nothing is a substitute for a nice meaty ground beef burger, but I was happy with this meal.  For me, it was just a healthier version and satisfied my desire for a "burger".

Try it.  You might like it!

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2023: Sorry, no post on this day.
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2019: The Luck Of Double Sevens
2018: What Surfing Produces
2017: How To Make A Girl Feel Like She's On Top Of The World
2016: Resting Bitch Face Is Real
2015: No Rooms To Let
2014: Beautiful Brutalism In A Bucolic Bourg
2013: Have A Little Faith In The Romantic Comedy
2012: The Perfect Volunteer
2011: The Men Who Stare AT Goats
2010: A Peek At A Working Team
2009: Alligators Are Not A Girl’s Best Friend
2008: Forget Your Cholesterol. Get A Hearing Aid.
2007: Sizzling Good Time
2006: Amarillo May Smell Like Cow Shit, But They Have Some Pretty Tasty Steaks
2005: List Of Fives