Do You Have a Holiday Meal Tradition?

On December 20, 2017December 19, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes2 Comments

We have mentioned before that we have certain meals that we always eat during the different holidays. On Christmas Day, we always have prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, which is typically an English tradition, but we have adopted it for ourselves. It is actually pretty easy to prepare and we usually find prime rib on sale, which makes it more economical for this special dinner. One of the best things about making prime rib are the sandwiches that you make with the leftovers during the following days, especially if you save the juice from the prime rib and make French Dip sandwiches. Last year, we were in Prague during Christmas, so we didn’t end up having prime rib, so we are looking forward to having it more than ever this year. We will be in Chicago visiting our youngest daughter for Christmas, so we will be leaving the cooking up to her. We are looking forward to seeing how she prepares our traditional dinner, but here is the recipe that we would normally prepare.

Ingredients

6 – 8 lb Prime Rib (3 or 4 ribs)
5 Garlic Cloves – minced
1/4 cup Prepared Horseradish
4 tbsp Fresh Rosemary – roughly chopped
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Thyme
1/4 cup Sea Salt
1/8 cup Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
3 Eggs
3/4 cup Whole Milk
1/2 cup Pan Drippings from the Prime Rib

Instructions

Stir together the flour and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Stir in 1 tablespoon of Rosemary and 1 teaspoon of thyme. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the prime rib, bone side down, into a large roasting pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, horseradish, 3 tablespoons of the rosemary, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, sea salt, pepper, and olive oil. Whisk the ingredients until it forms a paste (whisking instead of stirring allows the ingredients to bind together). Generously rub the paste over the top (the fat cap) of the prime rib. Roast the prime rib in the oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours (approximately 20 minutes per pound) until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees. Pull the roast from the oven and set it aside, tented, for 20 to 30 minutes to rest (cutting into the roast without letting it rest will cause the juices to run out and the prime rib to be dry). Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour the pan drippings into a 9 inch square baking dish. Place the baking dish into the oven for 5 minutes to get the drippings smoking hot. Take the baking dish out of the oven, pull the batter out of the refrigerator, and add the cold batter to the pan drippings. Place the pudding back into the oven and cook until puffed and dry, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Traveling Over the Holidays – the Good and the Bad

On December 15, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel Tips4 Comments

Whether traveling to see family or traveling just to see a new place, there is good and bad about being on the road during the holidays. We are definitely the type of people who love being surrounded by holiday decorations, cooking special meals, and spending time with people that are important to us, but we haven’t been home over the holidays in four years. This year isn’t going to be any different as we are heading to Chicago to visit our youngest daughter for a few days and then just enjoying the city on our own for a few days. Last year, of course, we were living in Frankfurt and flew to Prague for Christmas. We have also spent the holidays in places as different as Las Vegas and Punta Cana.

Fountain and Christmas Decorations in Punta Cana

Decorations and Market in Prague, Czech Republic

Lets get the bad out of the way first. Travel over the holidays is often expensive because so many other people are traveling during the same time. That also means that airports are busier, lines at the counters, security, customs are all longer and slower. Another reason for the longer lines is that people travel during the holidays that don’t normally travel. They aren’t prepared and don’t know what they are supposed to do, which causes problems and delays. We have often told each other that we wish they would create separate lines for those people who travel all of the time and those that don’t travel at all. Restaurants fill up quickly, often need reservations, and sometimes have fixed menus as opposed to a la carte. Depending upon where you are, weather can also be an issue causing flight delays, icy roads, and just generally cold conditions. We probably sound like the Grinch right about now complaining about all of the people and the noise, noise, noise.

There are definitely a lot of good things about travel during the holidays as well. First of all, seeing all of the decorations in different places can be amazing. Many cities have special holiday markets, events, plays, concerts, and parades that can create very special memories. Depending upon where you decide to go, you can actually avoid crowds by traveling to places where other people do not typically go at that time of year. Seeing how other cultures celebrate the season and trying unique holiday foods is something truly special. Once you reach your destination, people seem to be genuinely friendly and happy to share their traditions. You can also find unique gifts for friends and family, especially things that are hand-crafted.

Regardless of your reason for traveling over the holidays, it can be frustrating as well as rewarding. The biggest keys to being successful when traveling during the holidays is to plan ahead, make reservations where necessary, and most of all, give yourself extra time to get to your destination. Also, remember it is the holidays, smile and be nice to people, especially everyone who is there to help or serve you. If you are traveling over this coming holiday, we hope that you have a wonderful trip and there are many more good moments than bad.

Beef Empanadas

On December 13, 2017December 13, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, South America4 Comments

One of the things that we were told that we had to try during our recent trip to Ecuador were empanadas. We got a sampler platter of them, which was a great way to try several varieties. Empanadas are dough stuffed with chicken, beef, cheese, or other fillings, usually they have some spices like cumin and chili powder that can be baked or fried. They can also be sweet and made with fruit for a dessert. We decided to make ours using ground beef and peppers, which made for a nice flavor profile. Although you can make your own dough, you can also choose a pre-made dough or even phyllo dough. You can make the stuffing as spicy as you like, but we found the ones in Ecuador to have spice, but not be spicy. They are usually served with some sort of dipping sauce like guacamole, salsa, or we made an adobo aioli. They might not be the prettiest, but they were very tasty. We made a small batch, but you can certainly can increase it to feed a larger crowd.

Our Version of Empanadas with Aioli Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/4 lb Lean Ground Beef
1/4 tbsp Garlic Salt
1/2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1/2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt
1 Clove Garlic – minced
1/4 Green Pepper – chopped
1/4 Red Pepper – chopped
1/4 Yellow Onion – chopped
Vegetable Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a medium frying pan to medium-high heat with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Brown the ground beef with the garlic salt and drain off the grease and set it aside. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of vegetable oil and then add the tomato paste, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, seasoned salt, minced garlic, bell peppers, and onion. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the beef back to the pan and heat for another 5 minutes. Put the mixture aside and let it cool to room temperature. Roll out the dough on a cutting board with flour to keep it from sticking. Cut the dough into 4 to 6 inch rounds. Spoon filling onto each round making sure not to overfill them. Wet the edges with either water or egg so that it will stick when pressed together. Carefully fold the dough over and press the edges together with a fork or with your fingers. At this point, you can deep fry the empanadas until golden brown or bake them in the oven. We did a combination of the two where we fried them in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until the sides were golden brown and then finished them in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees.