Steak Fries

What is the best way to celebrate the Super Bowl? With steak fries, of course!

As Kevin cut up the potatoes, I looked high and low for the paprika. It had gone missing, and did not want to be found. Finally I found the empty bottle next to the grocery list. Uggg... What to do on a Sunday afternoon with no paprika in the house?

We decided that it would be fine to use another spice in its place, and steak seasoning was the one we chose. They turned out fabulous. If you try other spices, let me know so I can try them, too.

Steak Fries
3T olive oil
1 t paprika
1/2 t cumin
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
4 large baking potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine everything except the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into quarters, then quarter them again. Coat the potato wedges with the oil and spices, and place on an ungreased pan without crowding. Bake until brown and fork tender, about 40 minutes. Broil for a few more minutes to make them extra crispy; we usually stop when they are light brown.

Pumpkin Dip

This pumpkin dip was the hit of the company holiday potluck. At least that's what I tell myself. Three women and two guys asked me about it. They talked about how much they like pumpkin (of course) and how wonderful this dip is. I smiled and reveled in my glory, sprinkling my tidbits of pumpkin lovin' comments through the conversation.

Thie dip bowl absolutely must be labeled during a potluck. Otherwise some people will think it is bean dip and that would be a disaster. Just imagine a salty chip dipped in sweet pumpkin.

You know that handy little trick where you dip apple slices in lemon water and they don't turn brown? Yuck-O-Rama. Don't bother doing that. If you wanted to eat something that tasted like a lemon, you'd just go get a lemon. Apples should never be defiled by the vile taste of lemon. Brown apple slices are far superior to white lemon-apples. And if you're really concerned about it, just serve it with ginger snaps instead of cut up apples.

Pumpkin Dip
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
1 can pumpkin
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t ginger
dash nutmeg
Blend everything with a hand blender until it is smooth and creamy. Refrain from eating the whole bowl immediately with a spoon. It will be hard to show that much restraint.

Enjoy with apple slices, ginger snaps, nilla wafers, or graham crackers.

Walleye Appetizer

My coworker Al likes to tease, and he also likes to get teased. I don't remember how it started, but we both tease each other about keeping "Bankers Hours." He isn't in my direct group, but I often see him in the hall and we have worked together on previous projects.

If he first sees me one day at 11 AM he will stand there, slack-jawed, until I look at him. Then he will act shocked and ask if I just got in because he didn't think I would be at work already. I smile, raise an eyebrow, and reply, "Yep, and I am going to leave in about 15 minutes." When I see him first, the act is replayed with the roles reversed.

Al is also a fanatic fisherman. He has talked about how great fresh Walleye is when it is boiled. Yes, I just said boiled. This recipe is from Al. You may question the sanity of someone who wants to boil fish, but you absolutely must try it before you judge it.

I have not tried it with any other kinds of fish, and Al is adamant that you have to use fish that has never been frozen, and it only works on fish that is 0-2 days old or else it will be too fishy. Walleye has a very mild flavor, and other types of fish may taste too fishy for this recipe.

Here is one fishy fish screaming at you to stop eating fish. He is so angry his eyes are glowing! On second thought, he is also gutless, so his opinion shouldn't matter all that much. Kevin brought the fish home tonight. He left the house at 5 AM this morning to go fishing with John and Mark. Those guys are crazy....

Walleye as an Appetizer

Cube up your walleye. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Dump in the fish cubes all at once. Cook for a few minutes until the flesh flakes. Drain fish and then drizzle it with butter, lemon juice and salt. Eat with toothpicks or with a slice of toast.