Thursday, December 24, 2015

Christmas Holiday Favorites - Tortellini with Lemon and Brussels Sprouts and Pistachio Bundt Cake

We here at the Undercover Divas would like to share with you, two of our favorite Christmas Holiday recipes.  We have found these recipes to be as special as the holiday, itself.

 Tortellini with Lemon and Brussels Sprouts

 (For meat lovers, omit the butter and cook 4 slices of bacon in a skillet.  Drain bacon on paper towels, then saute brussels sprouts in the rendered fat.  Top pasta with crumbled bacon.)

Ingredients:

  1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
  3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  1 pound frozen cheese tortellini
  Zest and juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook brussels sprouts until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium, add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.

With a large slotted spoon, transfer sprouts to skillet.  Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts begin to brown, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, in pot, cook tortellini according to package instructions, then drain.  Toss tortellini with vegetables.  Top with lemon zest and juice.

(Based on a recipe by Martha Stewart)
                      

Pistachio Bundt Cake

Cake Ingredients:

2 packages Pistachio Instant Pudding
1 White or yellow cake mix (without pudding best)
1/2 cup corn oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
5 eggs

Mix and pour into greased and floured Bundt pan.  Bake 350 for 50 minutes.

Filling:

9 oz container of Cool Whip
1 pkg. Pistachio Instant Pudding

After cake has cooled completely, cut into 3 layers.
Mix together and spread cool whip combination on each layer.  Sift powdered sugar over cake when finished.

(Recipe from the kitchen of Mary Pyler)

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

The Haunted John A. Lau Saloon in Alpena, MI - REVIEW

Our travels took us to the northeastern coast of Michigan for a visit to a restaurant loaded with personality and historic character. The Undercover Divas stopped by the “haunted” John A. Lau Saloon in Alpena, alleged to be the most notoriously haunted place in Alpena, if not one of the most in Michigan, itself.
Entering this restored, historic Alpena saloon, past Indian Bob, your attention is drawn to the bar that looks like it came out of the Old West. There is even the portrait of a lady from the past, hanging behind the bar in a gilt-edged picture frame. This is the original section of the saloon. From the life-sized model Indian nicknamed Indian Bob, to the lady in the bathtub and large moose head on the wall, the atmosphere is fun and funky. Fortunately, it still has this historical theme.
A young German immigrant by the name of John A. Lau opened the John A. Lau Saloon in the late 1800s to supply the liquor to the lumberjacks and longshoremen from the Alpena forests. John and his wife, Agnes, ran the saloon for many years. Today, many people believe it is Agnes' spirit that haunts the restaurant. If she doesn't like an employee, they are in trouble. She has been known to throw things and make employees drop their trays.
According to Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators, restaurant customers and employees have seen a woman move up the stairs, felt cold spots, and smelled unusual odors. Most things seem to point to Agnes, but the haunting could be from one of the former customers of the Owens Funeral Parlor, which is now part of the restaurant. It is in this space that many sightings of a woman dressed in period clothing have occurred.
To the right of the entrance, the area that is now the restaurant's banquet room, is where the Owen's Funeral Parlor was located. The basement is where the embalming took place more than a hundred years ago.  Antiques, local photographs and trophy mounts highlight each of four dining areas, The Main Room with an overlooking loft, the Pub, the outdoor Beer Garden, and the warm, private dining area, the Antler Room.
Like the people inside, the restaurant's menu is diverse and casual. One DIVA had the Blue Babe ($10.99), an excellent blue cheese burger. I had the Porker ($9.99). The Porker is a pulled pork sandwich with home-made chips. It was also very good. Saturday Night features the Prime Rib of Beef, ranging in price from $19.99 to $26.99, depending on size. The John A. Lau Saloon serves six Michigan Micro Beers on Draught. They open at 11:30 a.m. for the lunch crowd.
The John A. Lau Saloon's fascinating history takes us back to Michigan's early lumbering days and a very colorful period in our state's history. The region, known as the "Sunrise Side" from its location on the east shoreline of Michigan, was first a site for commercial fishing activity, and is still home to much of those same commercial fishing activities.
The John A. Lau Saloon is loaded with personality and historic character.  We may never know all the violence or tragedies this saloon and town have seen.  Their food is good but a bit pricey. The servers were friendly and delivered the food in a timely manner. Although it is a saloon, they are family-friendly at lunchtime. The next time you are in Alpena, stop by the John A. Lau Saloon. They are located in the “old town” section of Alpena at 414 N. Second Ave.  Phone:  989-354-6898.  You may get lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the ghost of Agnes or John.


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Lakeside Family Restaurant, Polish Food in Sterling Heights - REVIEW

Hello my Undercover Divettes.  Hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was great.  I know we all were very happy to see our family.   Before the holiday we Divas had a pretty great food experience.   The place is called Lakeside Family Restaurant, with Polish-American Home Style Cooking.  They are located at 43734 Schoenherr Rd., just south of Hall Rd., in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
We have heard they had the best Polish food in town. The dishes they make are 100% genuine. We were known to visit Hamtramck (Michigan) when we needed a good Polish dinner in the past, but were looking for a place closer to home. Lakeside Family Restaurant fits the bill. The food is as good as the Polish grandmothers make in Hamtramck, and portions are as generous, too. We arrived about 7 pm on a Friday night and the place was jumping. We were lucky to get a table at the back of the restaurant so that we can get a full view of this place. Turnover is swift, so there really wasn't much of a wait.


I was anxious to see the menu and I wasn’t disappointed. Shellie was our waitress and she was all smiles. Suse ordered Dill Pickle soup (her favorite). Gini and I had the Chicken Dumpling soup, loaded with spaetzle (German egg noodles). The soups were $2.69 for small and $3.79 for the large. You can also order soup to carry out. We enjoyed our soup with their great fresh bread. Since we ordered an EntrĂ©e the soup prices are .89 or large $1.39.
Lakeside has quite a few specialty dishes, from homemade pierogies, city chicken, stuffed cabbage or just go with the Polish Combo, so that you get a taste of everything. Suse ordered the Cheese (Nalesniki) Crepes ($6.69), they can be filled with your choice of cheese, apple, strawberry, cherry or blueberry. She wasn’t disappointed with her decision. Gini had the same as myself because of course it was our favorite. It's called the Lakeside Combo. This consisted of one stuffed cabbage, three pierogi, one city chicken, kielbasa, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ($11.99).

Wow, I was surprised at the amount of food we received. I had to try the stuffed cabbage first because that is my favorite. It melted in my mouth, I was in heaven. Gini started out eating her city chicken and mashed potatoes, which is her favorite. I took a taste of the kielbasa and sauerkraut. The kielbasa had that snap when I bit into it and the kraut wasn’t so sour, which I enjoy. Gini was enjoying her potato and cheese pierogies and I couldn’t fit any more food in my stomach so I decided to take home the pierogies for lunch the next day.
Lakeside has more than Polish food. You can get chicken broasted, grilled, breaded or chicken tenders, breaded or grilled pork chops. As a side bar my pierogies were supposed to be potato and cheese but they were sauerkraut. I was a little bummed but I actually never tried it that way and they were still very good.

How can you go wrong with Grilled Tilapia, Fried Smelt or Liver & Onions. Prices range from $7.39 -$8.49. Those Entrees come with homemade mashed potatoes, and vegetable. If you want something light, check out the grilled or crispy chicken salad, tuna, Greek or chef salad, ranging from $5.99 - $6.49. The menu lists burgers and chick tenders for your kids.

The food was exceptional and the portions were generous. Our waitress, Shellie was the best. Prices were very reasonable and food came quickly from the kitchen. They open at 8 am for breakfast, daily. They close every night at 9 pm, except Sunday at 8 pm.  Phone:  586-262-4250.  The Undercover Divas were so impressed, we gave our first FIVE DIVAS review to Lakeside Family Restaurant.  It really couldn't be any better!
Our Favorite Spaetzle Recipe

1 cup plus 2 tab. sifted, all purpose flour
1/8 tea. freshly grated nutmeg
½ tea. Salt
1 extra large egg
6 tab. Milk
3 tab. Butter (unsalted preferred)

Combine flour, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center.
Whisk egg and milk together, then pour into the well in the dry ingredients.
Beat hard with a wooden spoon until all is blended well.

Boil salted water in a large cooking pot. Keep water boiling.
Push the batter through a spaetzle maker into the boiling water.
(or use a slotted spoon or colander to drop batter into boiling water)
Cook spaetzle, uncovered, for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
With a slotted spoon, lift spaetzle to a large bowl of ice water.
Let stand until ready to serve but no longer than an hour or two.

To serve, drain spaetzle well in a colander, then warm in melted butter in a saute pan.
Serve at once when warmed. Four servings.
Can be used in place of potatoes, or in soups.