My take on the legendary Boott Mills

The city of Lowell is known historically for its Boott Cotton Mills where early immigrants came to spin and weave cotton during the Industrial Revolution.

Boott Mill

When one asks a Lowell native what a “Boot Mill” is, he or she shouldn’t be surprised if the response is, “a breakfast sandwich.”

Arthur’s Paradise Diner is known for their legendary breakfast sandwiches stuffed with your choice of meat, cheese, eggs and homefries on a toasted bulkie.  The homefries within the breakfast sandwich itself is what sets this breakfast sandwich apart from others.

The proximity of the diner to Lowell High School, City Magnet middle school and the former Arts Magnet school is what helped with is popularity and regular customers.  Students would skip classes to grab a sandwich before heading back to school or not even heading back at all.

Although I didn’t attend Lowell High, my siblings did and my father would drop us off at the same time even though the middle school didn’t start class until an hour later.  I had time to walk 5 minutes to Bridge Street to get a sandwich which only set me back $ 2.00 (that was over 11 years ago).  About ever year, the price would increase gradually by a quarter to .50 cents.  Today I’m hearing that the price is about $5.00.

Since the Mo is sometimes feeling nostalgic for his high school breakfast food, I usually make it for him every once in a while.  Trust me, this is not an everyday breakfast food, not even an “every weekend” food. I probably make it a few times a year.

Here is the recipe for Mami’s take on Boott Mills with a little flare

Ingredients 
Makes 4 sandwiches

Kirkland’s Sea Salt

• 4 Bulkie Rolls
• 2 Tablespoon of Butter
• Ham, Sausage, Bacon or Canadian Bacon
• 4 Eggs
• American Cheese
• 3 Medium Potatoes
• 1/4 cup of minced Parsley
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
• Black Pepper
• Sea Salt Preferred but you may use table salt
• Paprika

Wash and boil 3 Medium Potatoes with the skin on for about 20 minutes.  Peel potatoes and set aside to cool.  After its cool enough for you to handle, cut the potatoes into medium size cubes.

In a large skillet, add the olive oil, parsley and onions.  Add the cut up potatoes, a dash of paprika, sea salt and black pepper into the skillet on med to high heat.  Let the potatoes crisp on each sides before setting aside.

Potatoes boiling on Med to High temp

Cut Potatoes into Medium cubes

Add Onion and Parsley to Olive oil

Add Potatoes

Potatoes in Skillet

Using the same skillet, (again, I don’t want to have too many pots and pans for the Mo to wash), grease the bottom of the pan and crack 4 eggs, similar to sunny side up style.  If your skillet is large enough, only use half the pan and warm up the ham or Canadian bacon on the other side.

Remove the ham once it turns slightly brown.  Flip the eggs when the egg whites are cooked.  I like to gently pop the yolk so its only semi runny and not too runny for when I eat my sandwich.  A runny yoke can make for a messy breakfast.

Melt butter in the microwave so its easier to spread on the roll. Toast the bulkies in a toaster oven, I prefer my counter top infrared oven because its easier to clean and I can constantly check on it without opening the lid or door and letting the heat out.

Lastly, assembly the sandwich with all the ingredients we just prepped. Layer the homefries first, add the egg, add the cheese and top it off with the meat of your choice.  Cut it in half and serve with any leftover homefries.  I placed mine on top of aluminum wrapper just for the same effect.

Not your College Ramen

Mami’s Spicy Japanese Ramen

My friend Helen and I was talking about New York City and eating in Chinatown when she brought up Flushing and Korean Town.  She got really excited and said that she had the best ramen noodles in Flushing, NY.  I was confused, I asked her, “You paid for ramen at a restaurant?”

She explained to me that my experience with ramen is not the same as what the Japanese and Korean eat for their staple dish.  She told me she liked her ramen with bamboo shoots and meats.

This morning, I woke up remembering our conversation. Usually for breakfast, I make the Mo a typical western breakfast of eggs and meat or a simple Cambodian fried noodle dish.  Since I’ve been lacking with the blog, I decided to challenge myself and try something new.  I “Googled” image Japanese ramen and was inspired by some of the photos.  I didn’t choose one dish that I would imitate from but I would gather whatever ingredients I had readily available and use it.

Hard Boiled Egg

I raided my freezer, fridge and pantry and brought out anything that I thought would be relevant to my ambitious new noodle dish.  In my freezer, I found Asian beef meatballs, shrimp, pork belly, and fish cake. In my fridge, I was able to gather scallions, romaine, cilantro, spinach, eggs, and chicken thigh.  Of course we had the dried ramen noodles in our pantry along with some chicken broth and other seasonings.

First I boiled eggs for 2 minutes and set it aside in its hot water for 10 minutes. Careful not to overcook.  After cool, slice eggs into halves.

I deep fried the pork belly, chicken thigh and fish cake.  After they cooled down, I sliced them up.

I blanched the spinach, shrimp and meatballs.

Giant Beef meatballs and small shrimp

Open 4 packages of ramen noodles and remove seasoning packets. Boil 10 cups of water and place dried noodles in rapidly boiling water for 3 minutes. Gently stir to break up the noodles.  After cooking for 3 minutes, drain noodles and set aside.

In medium sauce pan, add 2 cans of chicken brother, (I prefer Market Basket for the price) and 2 cans of water. Add the garlic oil seasoning but not the flavoring seasoning.  Add a dash of fish sauce, a teaspoon of salt and sugar and 2 teaspoons of garlic chili oil and a pinch of black pepper.  You may add more chili based on your preference.  I also like to add a generous tablespoon of fried red onion. (see image below)

Market Basket Chicken Broth

Fried Red Onion and Ground Chili with Fried Garlic

Wash the romaine, cilantro and scallion.  Thinly slice the scallion and cilantro for topping.  Place the romaine on the bottom of a large bowl with 1/4 of the leaf sticking out of the bowl.  Use chopsticks to carefully pick up the cooked noodles and place desired portion in bowl. Add the sliced meats, spinach, seafood, scallions and ciliantro to the bowl in a presentable manner.

Use a ladle to add the soup broth to the bowl and fill almost to the top of the brim.

In the restaurants, the ramen dishes are typically ordered with gyozas or dumplings, so I made served mine with Organic chicken and cilantro dumpling from Costco’s and a ginger soy sauce.

Costco Cilantro and Chicken Dumpling

Enjoy!

7 Appetizers under $ 10.00

With the holiday season in full throttle and the Evites and Facebook event requests for family gatherings and office potlucks start to pour in, one may start to feel strapped for cash.  It’s not bad enough that you already have to buy gifts for your family, then add yankee swap gifts and food or liquor to every party you go to?

Everything seems to add up and that Christmas bonus is not coming quick enough.

In an effort to reduce the stress, (plus my friend Amsi, emailed me asking for recommendations yesterday), I’ve decided to come up with a list of appetizers that are not only tasty but definitely fit the budget for holiday parties or even Superbowl parties for next month!

Disclaimer: Prices are based on my local grocery store (Market Basket) and Costco’s and is subject to change.  Variation of brands also affect pricing.

1. Slow Cooked Kielbasa in BBQ Sauce–
Slice Diagonally (3) 14 oz packages of Smoked Sausage or Kielbasa.  You can also buy it a 3 pack at Costco’s.  I prefer the Hillshire Farms brand. Heat a skillet to a high temperature and sear the sausages until it is browned.  Add the browned sausages and 2 bottles of store brand hickory BBQ sauce into a slow cooker and set on High for 3 hours.
Optional: Add a shot of Jack Daniels for a hint of whiskey
Optional: You can use turkey or lite sausage

Sausage: (3) x $ 2.49 = $ 7.47 Sale price (regular price 2.99 ea)
Store brand BBQ Sauce (2) x .99=  1.98
Total: $ 9.45 for almost 3 pounds of Savory Smoke Sausage

2. Meatballs in Sauce
For those who are Italian, please do not take offense to my non-homeade sauce.
Mix 2 pound of ground beef and .5 pound of ground pork with 1 egg, 1 cup of bread crumbs. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Optional: Add a dash of Adobo seasoning to mixture
Mix thoroughly and shape the mixture into meatballs
Bake in oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees or until lightly brown.
Remove from oven and drain fat
Add meatballs in slow cooker with 2 cans of Hunts Tomato Sauce for 3 hours on High

Previously Frozen Ground beef 2 pounds: Around $5.00 (give or take since the package sizes vary)
Previously Frozen Ground pork=  $1.50
Store Brand Plain Breadcrumbs= $1.00
Hunts Tomato Sauce (2) x $1.00=2.00

Total: $ 9.50 (estimate)

3. Spinach and Cream Cheese stuffed Mushrooms
Remove the stem of 2 packages of mushrooms and wash and drain.  In a saucepan, melt one stick of butter     and 1 sleeve of store brand butter crackers (similar to Ritz).  Set aside to cool. Thaw one frozen package of chopped spinach in microwave or hot water.  Drain spinach and add half of the package to the cracker/butter mixture.  Add one bar of store brand cream cheese.  Spoon mixture into mushroom caps and bake for 15 minutes at 380 degrees.
Optional: Lightly toss the mushrooms in oyster sauce for extra flavor before adding mixture


Optional: Substitute  cream cheese for goat cheese (extra money)

Mushrooms:     (2) x 2.99= $5.98
Crackers:        (1) x 1.50= 1.50
Frozen Spinach(1) x 1.00= 1.00
Cream Cheese (1) x 1.00 = 1.00

Total: $9.48

4. Cheese and Crackers
You can’t go wrong with cheese and crackers! My favorite crackers are by Pepperidge Farms (although we won’t discuss the caloric count!) If you don’t have time to prep a dish or you are afraid you will burn the kitchen down, try this.

1 box of Pepperidge Farms crackers, I prefer the “Entertaining Quartet” if you are only going to buy one package.  Pick up 2 packages of presliced cheddar cheese and a wedge of brie.

Pepperidge Farms Crackers: (1) x  $3.00= 3.00
Sliced Cheddar Cheese (2) x $2.00= 4.00
(I do have to mention the cheese is really only $2.00,presliced and everything! It’s a steal!)
Brie Wedge (1) x 2.49= 2.49
Total: $9.49 for cheese and crackers

Note: As basic as cheese and crackers come, it is very important to display it nicely. Put some effort into it.

5. Wings, Wings and More Wings
I can write a whole blog about wings as there are so many variations on how to make them. For my last party, I made, Battered BBQ Wings, Buffalo wings and naked wings to accommodate all preferences.  A 10 pound bag of wings at Coscto’s usually cost less than $16.00 so that is about $1.60 a pounds. If I wanted to, I could even save more money and big the wings by the case at the local Asian stores.  Obviously the $16.00 bag is more than the $10.00 budget, but its 10 pounds! You can split the bag and prepare it for 2 different parties, so that comes out to about $8.00 for 5 pounds.

Since there are so many variables, its hard to give an estimate on how much the wings will cost in the end. If its naked, of course it will cost less than the Buffalo wings that require Hot Sauce and side of Bleu cheese and celery.  If you bake them or slow cook them, they will costs less than deep frying them since you don’t need to buy extra oil.

6. Frozen Wholesale Club Appetizers

I’m a huge fan of frozen appetizers. My family usually gets jalapeno poppers, crab cakes, coconut shrimp and my friend Chuba never disappoints at his parties.  He always has an array of pigs in the blanket and an assortment of pastry puffs.  For less than $ 20.00, you can get a box of frozen Hor D’oeuvres from Costco’s with 70-120 pieces per box.  Again, you will have to split the box into 2 parties to achieve the “less than $10.00” goal.  Again, you are bringing A dish to the party, not hosting it.

My new favorite frozen food is Nancy’s Petite Quiche.  Not only are the delicious, but they are also vegetarian, which helps fulfill the gaps for my Vegetarian friends.  There was a coupon for this month, so I think I ended up paying $11.00 for the box of 72 pieces which I served at 36 pcs at 2 different events.

7. French Bread Pizza

Rachel Ray’s French Bread Pizza

Not sure where this recipe came from, I vaguely remembering my sister introducing it to me.
Slice 2 loaves of French Bread into 2 lengthwise long slices
Spread Hunts Tomato Sauce on the bread to cover all the white
Sprinkle Mozzarella Cheese to the 4 slices
French Bread: (2) x $ 1.50= $3.00
Hunts Tomato Sauce (2) x 1.50= 3.00
1 Bag (2 cups) of Mozzarella Cheese (1) x 2.99= $3.00
Total: $9.00
Optional: Add Pepperoni, Sausages or Peppers and Onions for extra costs

To be Continued

Costco’s Chicken & Cilantro Wontons

I try to avoid Costco’s as much as I can.. I have a tendency to stock up on things I don’t need and never seem to be able to walk out of the warehouse without spending at least $100.00. Its kind of like a trap.. stock up on salad dressing and yogurt, but what household really uses it all up before it expires?

We originally got the membership for items like frozen meats, detergent, beer, etc but now it seems like I can never walk away without wanting to try something new that I’ve sampled that day or saw on an end cap. I guess you can say, I’m a sucker for those things. Just like I’m a sucker for CVS Extra Care Bucks and Kohls Cash.. but that’s another post.

I’m a big fan of frozen appetizers for the days I’m too lazy to cook a real meal or had too much to drink to manage the stove. I make my own “Pu Pu Platter” out of whatever I can find in the freezer.  I tried the Ling Ling All Natural Potstickers and thought it was just OK. I thought the wrapper was on the thick side and got a little gummy after boiling them. They were better lightly steamed and pan fried versus using them in a soup. I really liked that it came with its own sauce that you can thaw and serve with the pot stickers.

On our last visit, a new wonton bag in the freezer section caught my eye. It was called CJ All Natural Mini Wonton, Chicken & Cilantro.  The price was only $5.99 so I thought it was worth a try.

… and I’m glad I did! I’ve already made 2 different dishes with it without any guilt or remorse.

These little mini wontons make for a great starter to any meal. I lightly pan fried them and served them with my own home made ginger-soy sauce.

 I wanted to add a little kick to them so I drizzled some Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

The second is a basic Wonton soup. I used canned chicken broth, shiitake mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, diced chicken breast and garnished it with a little bit of scallions and cilantro.

This meal only set me back 6 WW points for a large bowl.

To see my other dumpling recipe, please visit my other post “Cheap and Easy Pork Dumpling”