Bringing New Life to Leftovers

I love leftovers, especially holiday leftovers that are wrapped and stuffed in a number of packages and cram-packed into the fridge.

When I was younger, on Thanksgiving Day my parents and I ate lunch at my mamaw's house with some twenty-odd cousins, aunts, uncles and adopted family members. And I always looked forward to dinnertime that night, when we'd drag ourselves into the kitchen, exhausted  and would eat cold turkey, mayo and mustard sandwiches on white bread and I'd eat Jell-O fluff by the spoonful. That was the best part of the whole day!

As I got older, and our celebration became a little more disjointed and we started having our primary meal at my parents house and I'd cart my own menagerie of Tupperware back to mine, I loved re-creating the meal over and over.

I am a creature of habit - almost disturbingly so when it comes to meals. Left to my own devices, I'll master a dish or flavor profile that I fall back to repeatedly. For example, almost every weekend that Jordan's working, I make nachos or quesadillas for lunch. Do I have the ingredients for practically any dish? Sure. Do I have the capability to follow a recipe and create a successful noon-day meal? No doubt. But time and time again, I haphazardly dump Latin ingredients (salsa, guacamole etc.) and chopped up protein leftovers (chicken tenders, pot roast...) onto Santilla corn tortilla chips and nuke it for 90 seconds. Como se dice "deja vu" in espanol?

With that being said, I get a sick pleasure out of reheating duplicate Thanksgiving plates on Friday, Saturday and if I brought big enough Tupperware, Sunday. I recreate the plate dish for dish, I want the turkey, the dressing, the cranberry sauce over and over.

However, I do like to reinvent my leftovers too and today, I think I made a good dish. Jordan was at work today and doesn't like dark meat turkey, so I knew I'd be nibbling on that to leave him his favorite parts for dinner. As mentioned before, my fail-safe is Mexican cuisine so I made the most delicious quesadilla with leftover smoked turkey, shredded sharp cheddar and brie! I may try this again and do just brie and a spread of cranberry sauce, but today I took it in a decisively Mexican profile (go figure).

Despite my sub-par sour cream (I'm a snob) and a lack of guac, this quesadilla is one of my better improvisational lunches. The brie elevated the whole dish - there's melted cheese and then there's melted brie - this gave it a much smoother texture with more gooeyness than stringy meltedness. I think the cheddar contributed more flavor, but the brie added a contrasting texture to the crispness of the tortilla. The turkey, which my dad had smoked, added a much more robust flavor than my usual frozen Tyson grilled chicken strips. It also had some fat (read:flavor!) that a grilled chicken strip lacks.

My dad is a master at this kind of improv with any groceries (he and Jordan did a Chopped challenge where they could only spend $15 to feed four of us 3-courses at a discount store), much less leftovers. He is notorious for getting every last drop of flavor and value out of an item; one of his best examples is a chicken noodle soup made out of KFC chicken and gravy leftovers! I hope to someday have this flair and ability to improvise, but I certainly think this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, with our remaining gallon-sized Ziploc bag of turkey, we'll be able to think outside of the box (and Mexican flavors) for some new dishes this weekend.

Happy eating and reheating!

Saturday update: I just used diced pieces of turkey leg meat to make a wonderful panang curry! Panang curry is often served in Thai restaurants; it's a coconut milk red curry with lots of vegetables and very little heat. It has traditional light and warm Thai flavors without the spice you sometimes find in curries - but I served it with a sprinkle of Thai spice and sriracha for a little oomph. I improvised this recipe- turkey, not tofu; used red curry paste instead of panang curry paste (panang is a red curry with peanuts added - you could probably recreate that, but it isn't carried pre-made in our local stores) and I didn't use Thai basil, either (another shortcoming of our grocery store). The recipe is super easy and other than the coconut milk, we normally have these ingredients on hand, so it was fairly inexpensive (we spent 16 cents on ginger and another 16 cents on snap peas!) and could be a quick dinner in a pinch. If you're looking for a sneaky, not-super-turkey-flavored way to use your leftovers (or any meat/veggie/soy leftovers), this is it! 

The Spread

Our Thanksgiving trifecta went off without a hitch yesterday - we were able to see our families and ate very well, two things which we are very grateful for every day.

I shared some of the Thanksgiving recipes we'd be preparing and I promised to include results! So here they are. All of our dishes turned out to be delicious and affordable. And we all know that even our most natural, signature dishes can be come nightmarish when paired with the stress of the holidays, but we had our schedule mapped out so well that prep was a breeze and we weren't frantic and aggravated - which is a blessing within itself. Take a look at our beautiful dishes and you can refer back to the recipes here.

My dad signed on to make the dressing, smoked turkey and desserts. He'd asked us what we wanted for dessert and we just let him choose. He made two delicious pies - one a total surprise for me!  One was a salted chocolate bourbon pecan pie. The filling was incredibly rich with sweetness and only the slightest hint of bourbon or saltiness. It was delicious but far too sweet for me and mom, dad and Jordan are going to "take care" of this pie; I'll just pick off the pecans. But then he surprised me by using the remainder of his pie crust recipe to make me an all-meringue pie! I love meringue, especially when it's "this high" on top of a good custard, but I usually peel the meringue off to eat the custard and save the fluffy goodness for last. This pie was heavenly! Sweet and airy with a very simple crust that highlighted the meringue's flavor that much more. I will not be sharing this pie. Try me.

Jordan's Mock Apple Pie - No one believed that it was made out of Ritz crackers!

 All of the veggies we made for dinner with my parents
- clockwise from left: roasted cauliflower, glazed carrots and twice-baked sweet potatoes

Smoky roasted cauliflower with paprika, garlic and parsley

Twice-baked red and white sweet potatoes stuffed with pecans and apples

Beautiful, rustic and insanely rich pie courtesy of my dad.

Mine!  

Thankful for Bountiful Thanksgiving Meals

I am only child; Jordan is the eldest of six from two blended families.

My families usually had two to three Thanksgiving gatherings spread out over a two week period. Once I started jonesing for turkey and dressing (Southerners DO NOT eat or make "stuffing") there was another family meal right around the corner - dad's family, mom's family and then just us three.

With the uniting of our families, I now have three meals in one single nothing-but-stretchy-pants day. Last year we tried spreading it out as much as we could, but in 2013 we're going back-to-back with Jordan's families and mine. And it's going to be delicious!

We are cooking for two of the three meals; for lunch at Mamaw J's, Jordan is bringing his new favorite sneaky dessert, mock apple pie (recipe below - seriously tastes like magnificent apple pie but is made of Ritz crackers!) and at our late evening meal at home with my parents, I'm making twice baked sweet potatoes (recipe below) and roasted cauliflower (recipe below) and Jordan's making his glazed carrots. (I'll post an update tomorrow with pictures, too!)

I anticipate traditional food at Jordan's Mamaw's and Paw's celebrations, but we're going to be deconstructing our traditional sweet potatoes, turkey and gravy meal with my parents and experimenting a little. My dad is going to smoke some parts of the turkey - either just a breast or the whole damned thing, I'm trying a new sweet potato dish instead of casserole with streusel and opting for the cauliflower instead of green beans (not in a casserole, bleh!).

I'm really excited for this meal that is a departure from our normal Thanksgiving fare, but there are some foods that just scream Thanksgiving and I certainly hope we get tomorrow.

Jordan and I are both in the pro-cranberry sauce camp. I love it - fresh, out of the can with or without whole berries - I could eat it by itself. I actually have a serious weakness for turkey and cranberry combinations; twice in the last year we've tried a new restaurant and I picked out what I wanted, saw that they offered a hot turkey/cran sandwich and  jumped ship on my earlier choice.

We are also lovers of pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie has apparently become the most sought after flavor starting September 1, and I actually foundered Jordan on pumpkin-filled things (including ravioli, alfredo sauce, muffins and cakes) this fall; but we both can't get enough of the pie! And another sign of our true love, Jordan gives me the crust from his pie slices - so romantic!

And I need dressing. Again, not stuffing - who wants to eat bread out of a bird orifice? Our recipe has been tinkered with for so long, I hardly remember it's original version that my Aunt Debra made at least ten years ago. Like so many of our family recipes, nothing is measured and you can add more or less ingredients depending on what's in your pantry. It's basis is cornbread and stale French bread, browned sausage, sage, thyme, chicken broth, diced apples and pecans. Some years we add pears or craisins, but it turns out wonderful every time. I'd probably be happy with a plate of dressing and cranberry sauce.

I've finished my grocery shopping, cleaned the house, laundered the place mats and napkins and will be starting my prep shortly. I always look forward to Thanksgiving - it's a legitimate foodie holiday - and the wonderful self-awareness and gratefulness it brings with it. I am grateful that I have a wonderful family and future husband to spend my holidays (and every day) with; that we are comfortably employed and can afford to take the time to be together, to buy ingredients and cook meals; and that we are in good health to visit with each other. I am grateful for you, readers, and hope that you have a wonderful holiday and a delicious meal with those you love.

And here are the wonderful recipes you were waiting for:

Mock Apple Pie: This recipe originated in the Great Depression when apples were too expensive and in short supply; it tastes eerily like apple pie and is a wonderful, warm seasonal dish that epitomizes Fall. My dad used to make this when I was a kid; I told Jordan about it and he didn't believe that such a thing could exist - now he's hooked on them!

Ingredients: (10 slices)

2 unbaked pie crusts (you're welcome to make your own, too)
36 original Ritz crackers (don't go generic, and don't make the mistake of picking up the flavored ones), coarsely broken (about 1-3/4 cups crumbs)
1-3/4 c water
2 c sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 T lemon juice (2T is in the recipe but this makes it too lemony for us)
zest of 1 lemon
2 T margarine or butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 425.

Roll out pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in prepared crust, set aside.

Heat water, sugar and cream of tartar to a boil in saucepan over high heat. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and zest; cool. Pour syrup over cracker crumbs. Dot with marg/butter, sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll out second pastry; place over pie - trim, seal and flute edges. Slit top crust for steam.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is crisp and golden. Cool completely -This step is critical. Without proper cooling, the filling will not set up properly and will be very runny. It is delicious served slightly reheated with vanilla ice cream melting on top.

--------------------------------------------------

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes-  To me, this is a great alternative to sweet potato casserole and gives each person their own dressed-up sweet potato. This is also a good make-ahead dish where you do the initial baking, make the filling and either leave them separate and assemble and reheat later or pre-assemble and warm later.

Ingredients (for 6):

6 medium sweet potatoes (8 oz. each)
1/2 c butter, cubed (this can easily be lessened, it's about the flavor and texture you want- start with 1/4 and go from there)
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 medium apple chopped (I used a peeled honeycrisp - which are undoubtedly the best apples ever - but it's up to you)
1/4 c chopped pecans

Method:

Preheat oven to 400. Scrub and pierce potatoes with a fork. Place on a foil lined baking pan. Bake 45-60 minutes or until tender - check at 45 min.

When cool, cut a thin slice from the top of each potato, discard. Scoot out pulp, leaving 1/4" shell, transfer pulp to medium bowl. Mash with butter and sugar, stir in apples and pecans.

Spoon into potato shells. Return to baking pan. Bake 15-20 min. or until heated through.

 ------------------------------------------------

Roasted Cauliflower: This dish is incredibly simple and is a wonderful side. It has quickly become a last-minute side and I can mix the ingredients in my sleep and with only two real steps, it's just as easy to finish.

Ingredients: (for 4 large servings)

1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. smoked paprika
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried)

Method:

Preheat oven to 450.

Place cauliflower in large bowl. Mix oil and spices in small bowl. Drizzle over cauliflower; toss to coat. Transfer to large baking pan.

Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, stir. Return to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.


CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE FINAL PRODUCTS!

Tis the Season for Quick, Make-and-Take, Potluck-Friendly Foods

Yes, dear readers. It's that time of year where it seems all of our spare time is filled with holiday parties, family gatherings and seasonal socials. We get the chance to see friends and family and eat delicious food; but we also have to cook said food, and that can be tiresome, expensive and downright inconvenient and ruin the fun with our guests. So I want to share two recipes I just tried that were delicious crowd pleasers that were easy on my time, money, dishes and skills.

Tonight, we had Jordan's parents over for dinner. And afterwards,we shared dessert and they met my parents. Since the idea of introducing our families (less than two months before our wedding) is stressful enough amid holiday hurriedness, I chose two new recipes that would feed a crowd and not cause a panic attack in front of my future in-laws.

For dinner, we had tossed salad and store-bought (but home-heated!) garlic knots and I made a ravioli lasagna. This dinner took less than ten minutes of prep/set-up and the oven did all the cooking for me. It looked tasty, and tasted just as good. This would be a great make-and-take meal, especially if you have an insulated carrier (otherwise, just toss it in the oven for a few minutes to reheat); it tastes as delicious as lasagna with about a third of the effort! If you had the resources of time and/or money, you could also easily jazz it up - you could add Italian sausage, fresh herbs, sauteed mushrooms or wildly flavorful raviolis or sauces.

Ingredients: Note: I had to double the recipe to make sure we'd be able to feed six, but here's the original formula.

1 bag frozen ravioli (any flavor - I used Great Value brand five cheese)
1 jar pasta sauce (I used 1 jar Newman's Own marinara, 1 jar organic portabello mushroom, see note)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13x2" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 3/4C sauce in the bottom and spread evenly. Layer half of the ravioli on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat.

Cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes to get cheese melty and bubbly (I added more cheese here, too). Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes.

----------------------

For dessert, I tried a strawberry cheesecake with a pretzel crust from Iron Chef Michael Symon on The Chew. Michael shared this family recipe that was his 96-year-old grandfather's signature holiday dish and I figured if a whole family has enjoyed it for a generation, it had to be good. This recipe was also quite easy but tasted like I'd slaved over a stove for hours. The filling is creamy and smooth with the signature tangyness of cream cheese and sour cream but is well-balanced with sugar and the saltiness of the pretzel crust. This recipe is easy for travel - no reheating required - and is perfect for making ahead (I made mine a day early). And, like the lasagna, this recipe would allow for great customization. You could use any topping instead of strawberry or could leave it plain.

Ingredients:

For crust:
1 1/2 c pretzels (ground)
1/2 c graham crackers (ground)
1/4 c sugar
8 Tbs unsalted butter (melted)
pinch salt

For filing:
24 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 c sour cream
1 c sugar
5 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
10 oz. strawberry preserves

Method:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pretzels, graham crackers, 1/4 sugar and butter.Add a pinch of salt and press it into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9x13x2" glass baking dish. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream the cream cheese on medium, scraping the sides often. Next, add the sour and mix until combined. Next, add the sugar and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla. Pour the filling over the crust and bake for one hour or until the center is no longer jiggly.

Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes while prepping the jam. In a small sauce pot melt the strawberry (or any flavor) jam over low heat. When melted, you can strain it if you don't want seeds or blend it if you want it smoother. Pour onto the cheesecake and smooth into an even later. Let the cheesecake cool for 30 minutes to an hour then slice while still warm. Refrigerate to chill completely.

The good news is, cooking this meal was completely stress-free, and best yet, our families got along great!

Middle Earth Munchies at Denny's

"Hobbits eat at least seven meals known as breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper." - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

In addition to being foodies, we are nerds. We love cult classics and pop culture references, we read constantly and have innumerable books in our house, play board games weekly and get fan-boy excited about upcoming blockbusters, including this year's installment of The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug. 

To incorporate our geek enthusiasm and hunger, we decided to venture to Denny's to try out their Hobbit-inspired menu for our "supper." (They also did a menu for the first of the three Hobbit films, which debuted last year; we didn't sample that one).

I thought they'd only have a few items, but was happily surprised to see a wide variety of options to suit any Middle Earth mealtime.

The menu features several "luncheon", "dinner" or "supper" options including a hellaciouly spicy burger inspiring by the dragon Smaug and a dwarves feast of turkey, dressing and gravy. They have a wide menu for the sweet-toothed hobbit (especially one seeking a tasty treat to share at "afternoon tea," like woodland elf pies, Radagast's red velvet pancake puppies (like a fritter), and two pumpkin-themed drinks for Bard the Bowman. 

I think if a restaurant has a specialty that they're known for, that's your best bet for quality and value; so being at Denny's, we went for breakfast foods. Jordan "built his own Hobbit slam" with eggs, hashbrowns and Hobbit-special menu items sweet potato pancakes and breakfast sausage. 

I ordered the "Hobbit Hole." Go ahead, laugh, I think it's a horrible name too; but bear in mind that Hobbit holes are the doors to their hillside homes in the Shire and it's fashioned after a toad-in-a-hole (often called an eggie-in-a-basket) with two eggs inside cheddar buns, hasbrowns and I opted for make the 50 cent upgrade to breakfast sausage, too. 

Like many grand slam combinations, Jordan's order was HUGE. I think eggs and hashbrowns are standard fare, so they were your normal diner sides. However, the pancakes and sausage were terrific. It's rare that I diss any pancakes because despite our culinary skills, we cannot make good pancakes in this house; it's impossible. But these pancakes were better than average, and surpassed good. Most diners' pecan pancakes have a few chopped up pieces in them, but these had large chunks of candied cinnamon pecans. This was an incredibly sweet adjustment to already saccharine pancakes, but was wonderful. There was a cinnamon drizzle included in the presentation (with syrup on the side) and I don't know that it added much to the fluffy, flavorful and autumnal-tasting pancakes. 

The sausage was also delicious. This was a large sausage (like traditional English bangers) and was very flavorful. It tasted like a blend between a hot bulk sausage and an Italian sausage. The casing had a wonderful crispness and held inside it a juicy sausage that tasted of pepper, sage and onion. I'm a bacon purist the end, but I know we made the right choice for our meal's meat component. 

I was only slightly less pleased with my meal. My favorite breakfast my mom used to make me was her toad-in-a-hole. She'd butter the bread, cut it out with a cute cookie cutter and cook my eggs in that just right way that you can never explain to a waiter. My waiter didn't ask how I'd like my eggs cooked so, silly me, I just assumed they'd be cooked how momma makes hers - I suppose you'd call it over easy. However, I think they sliced a hard boiled egg into it's bun-case. The idea was wonderful but the application was kinda sloppy. Had the egg had a runniness to it that would've been sopped up in the fluffy, cheesy bun, it would have been perfect; this version fell just short. But you can't fail with hashbrowns and that wonderful "hearty breakfast sausage." The biggest joy for me was that my fear of having heartburn that surpassed the desolation of Smaug was never realized!

We both ended up being so satisfied and utterly full that we had to skip Hobbit "dinner!" 

If you've got a Denny's franchise nearby, this is certainly worth a stop, if for nothing more than being a fun novelty to bring Middle Earth to your dining table. It would certainly be a good precursor or follow up to a screening of The Hobbit,  out December 13 (in US theaters). 

And according to this sci fi bloke, eating like a Hobbit is a great way to diet. No really, he kinda make sense. 

Happy Birthday, Food Network!

Food Network's Original Logo from 1993

I would easily consider myself, Jordan, my dad and sometimes my mom as foodies. We enjoy eating new food, we enjoy cooking with obscure ingredients and experimenting with flavors. But it wasn't always this way and I realized that one of the biggest influences on my life - not just what I ate, but how, when and what I learned to cook - was Food Network, who is celebrating their 20th birthday this month.

My parents have always kept me in the kitchen with them; there are pictures of me standing on a stool cooking and I won a blue ribbon at Mountain Heritage day as a five year-old with green beans I helped can. But I only owned one cookbook of my own, a children's version of the classic red-and-white-checkered Better Homes and Gardens classic cookbook. I enjoyed making dishes from it and memorized my first "signature dish," cornflake chicken, from within its very retro pages and realizing that I enjoyed cooking.

I was only five years-old when Food Network first started airing their food-laden programming, mostly talking about cooking and some segments with locally known chefs like Emeril Lagasse, and at that time we certainly did not have satellite or cable. I remember us starting to watch FN when I was in my tween years and I began to understand that there were so many flavors and techniques I'd never tried and that cooking (and eating) could be fun and exciting.

On a special birthday show aired this weekend, FN revealed that their most downloaded recipe is Alton Brown's baked mac n' cheese from his Good Eats show. I remember the first recipe I downloaded and made at home was from a Bobby Flay show where he visited a high school home ec class and taught the students how to make a braised pot roast. I copied his recipe and made some of my own changes to make a spicy, robust roast that my parents loved (ironically, my first FN dish was too hot for me to enjoy).

We'd always eaten traditional Southern food, inexpensive frozen foods and our ventures into the exotic and fancy were limited to occasional trips to Olive Garden and making copy-cat recipes with jars of alfredo sauce, frozen broccoli and canned chicken breast. Good Eats made the unfamiliar comfortable and brought new techniques and flavors into our home. Unwrapped brought us information about the production and development of our favorite foods. Jacques Torres transformed chocolate into art. How to Boil Water introduced us to Tyler Florence and taught us cooking basics. And Emeril brought "Bam!" into our vernacular.

Everyone changes as they grow up and of course our life has changed in obvious ways - my parents are more financially stable, the Internet puts everything at our finger tips, the racial make up of our area has changed and brought with it a change in grocery and restaurant offerings, and we've travelled more and met new people - but thinking back on it, I can't deny that FN was a major force in our culinary change. We've grown with FN from simple shows like Water that taught us how to pick good recipies and ingredients, to 30 Minute Meals that pushed us to be more organized and skilled, to creating our own recipies and thinking we could win Chopped.

A recent story of NPR's Weekend Edition discussed FN's growth and 20-year evolution and postulated that they may be tired and blase. But I couldn't disagree more. Between FN, FN magazine and Cooking Channel (owned by FN but with a hip, young, edgy vibe) there are programs for novice cooks, half-assed cooks (Sandra Lee, anyone?), big eaters, connoisseurs of food porn, reality tv junkies and lovers of good stories (check out CC's My Grandmother's Ravioli). I assert that as long as there are people - and especially families - who love to cook, shop, eat, drink and talk, there will be an audience for the Food Network.

Here's to 20 more years. Cheers!

Hidden Local Gem: Mindy's Cuban Restaurant

Jackson County, NC doesn't strike me, a native, as a culinary wonder and I do struggle to think of "great finds" to share with friends who visit. However, a recent addition - or expansion, really - is quite the gem.

Around a year ago, a bakery opened in one of the most poorly designed shopping centers known to man (this strip of shops is tucked behind the Zaxby's drive-thru with limited parking and visibility from the main road). Mindy's Bakery was owned by a Cuban family who made wonderful desserts from scratch. They offered giant slices of a variety of cheesecakes, puff pastries like eclairs and cream horns, custom cakes and a variety of sweets. I'd been there a few times but it was so out-of-the-way I often forgot about it, and then, like too many shops that have been sucked into the strip, it disappeared. 

But, this weekend, we found them again! They have moved and expanded to be not just a bakery, but a Cuban restaurant serving six+ entrees, a variety of Latin sides and their wonderful desserts. And this is exciting for several reasons: 

1. The desserts at Mindy's Bakery were great - who doesn't love scratch-made flan?
2. Jordan works at a deli whose signature sandwich is a Cuban (traditionally includes roasted pork, ham, mustard, pickles, crusty bread - all hot pressed) and we love to try other versions, especially authentic ones
3. The owners are a husband and wife team whose children run the front-of-house and one of the youngest (of their12 children), Andres, was recently a contestant on "The Next Food Network Star" which we watched religiously. We've spotted Andres around before, but never had a chance to talk to him, much less try his/his family's food.

For the locals, Mindy's is now located in East Sylva Shopping Center (why there are directional districts in a town of less than 30,000 I'll never know) beside Jack the Dipper and Robbie's Charburger. It's a discreet location but they have brought Caribbean brightness to the area. The door is painted a vibrant turquoise and there's vintage patio furniture and colorful benches outside. The interior of the restaurant features just as much Cuban flair with bright colors, vintage furnishing and fun retro styling with sheet metal. 

They focus on simplicity and authenticity at Mindy's. As I said before, their menu is small with three "meat entrees" and three sandwiches, along with sides like tostones, sweet plantains and beans and rice. We both ordered traditional Cubans with beans and rice that were made to order by the husband and wife. While we waited, we had a great talk with whichever chef wasn't manning the cook top at the time. Jordan and the owners discussed the finer points of Cuban sandwiches and I told them how I was already planning to come back to order tostones. 

Our $7.50 sandwiches arrived and were delicious and huge. In the traditional three compartment clamshell, they filled the large section to the brim with fresh black beans and rice, while the gigantic sandwich covered the other two compartments. And after hearing about my love of tostones (which are plantains that are fried, smushed flat and then fried again) they gave us a free order of the biggest, most flavorful tostones I've ever had. So my first suggestion for your trip to Mindy's: bring your appetite or a friend to share your meal with. 

They explained to us that they make their Cuban pork each day and marinate it in a homemade sauce, which they gave us a side of for taste-testing and tostone-dipping (ask for it!). The sauce is a tangy, garlic and citrusy blend that we think gets its body from tomatillos (since they were already talking shop with us, we didn't get too nosy about secret family recipes). While the flavoring is different, their pork reminded me so much of pork my family would can at home. It fell apart with the slightest touch and tasted like it had been cooked slowly with care.

Their bakery case is still impeccable; I can't wait to try the "flan-cake" that looks like a tres leches/flan hybrid! And they still do custom cakes and will be making some great dishes for Thanksgiving and Christmas (one will be a pecan caramel cheesecake pie!). And they're fine tuning their offerings and menu and will hopefully be adding some other traditional treats like Cuban coffee. 

Mindy's is only open Wednesday- Saturday (11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.) because the owners are full-time students, so get your Cuban fix while you can. We arrived right after opening on Saturday and mostly had the dining room to ourselves which gave us a lot of time to talk to the owners about their restaurant, their family and their food. And my second tip, straight from the owner: don't let their serious expressions fool you, they love to talk and are super friendly. As we were finishing up, more people started filtering in and placing huge orders and they had a sincere talk with everyone. 

I'm a full supporter of small businesses and want to see this family and their love-filled restaurant succeed. If you're a local or live or are traveling through Western North Carolina in general (I doubt there are five Cuban shops in all of WNC) pop into Mindy's. They are cooking their culture with their children and sharing inexpensive, huge, flavorful meals with their community.