Stroganoff

About
Stroganoff is creamy and peppery and hearty - all of which soul food should be. We love this recipe, as it allows a lot of wiggle room for creativity and adjustments. Stroganoff would be good served with cut corn, green beans and cottage cheese, or a simple salad.

Recipe

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 c sour cream
• 1/2 pkg of egg noodles
• (1 small can of mushrooms, drained)
• (1/4 of an onion, finely chopped)
• (2 cloves of garlic, minced)
• black pepper

Boil 6 cups of water in a medium sized pot (or fill it halfway). Add the egg noodles in and keep on medium-high heat until tender. Meanwhile brown the ground beef on medium-low heat. When noodles are done (about 8-10 min) drain and set aside.When the pink color of the meat is almost gone, add the onions and garlic and simmer until meat is thoroughly cooked through (10 min). Add in the can of mushroom soup, sour cream, and mushrooms (if you want them). Add in generous amounts of black pepper to taste (at least about 1/4 tsp). Stir until heated through and serve! 

(While the onion, garlic, and mushrooms are not necessary, we find that they improve the flavor of the stroganoff a lot, so if this isn't just a quick meal for you, I'd definitely use those if you have them.)

Price Range - $4.00

This is a serving for two without sides and maybe one plate left over, so I'd say it costs about $2/person to make, less with the more you make (the more you buy in bulk) of course. We both had 2 big plates each with another plate in leftovers, so with side dishes, you could stretch this to a 4-5 serving meal.

Verdict - 4.5 stars

We love stroganoff and love even more how easy this meal is to make. It takes 10 minutes and uses ingredients most people already have around. Hubby and I used to eat the Pastaroni kind until we realized how easy and painless it really was.

Grandma Kelley's Waffles

About
Apparently Grandma Kelley is renowned for her cooking prowess: Grandma Kelley's this, Grandma Kelley's that. Her recipes don't do her cooking justice as she has that magic touch and it can never be replicated. I've always thought that grandmothers were excellent cooks and Grandma Kelley having 12 kids and who knows how many grandkids, I guess that makes her a super-grandma. Anyways, I found her recipe for waffles digging through Braden's parents' kitchen cupboards and wanted to try it out.

Recipe

• 2 c all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 2 c milk
• 7 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Place milk, eggs, and oil in a blender (don't really have to, just whisk furiously for a minute or two), then add to dry ingredients and bake in a preheated waffle iron. No greasing of the iron needed unless you wash it regularly (then just give it a quick spray of Pam or wipe it down with some veggie oil on a paper towel, getting into all the crevices). When the steam comes out the sides of the iron, it's almost ready, or bake until it's golden brown.

Price Range

Since it's from ingredients you should already have in the pantry, I'd say this cost nothing to make or if you really must know, probably around 2 or 3 dollars, if even. Makes around 10 waffles, or two batches and then some in a 4-square waffle iron.

Verdict - 4.5 stars
These were great! All the waffles we've previously made were just alright. These were fluffy, light, eggy, and delicious. And the best part? No buttermilk needed for that wonderful childhood reminiscent waffle flavor and texture. We had ours with lots of butter and Mrs Butterworth's syrup and homemade strawberry and Grandma Kelley's homemade pear jam. Of course the hubby had his with cinnamon peanut butter. We might get creative next time and add in chips of fresh strawberries or blueberries.


This is what we use in our kitchen.
We got it as a wedding gift and it's fantastic to have.
But any waffle iron should be good for this recipe.

Korean BBQ & Market

About
111 S Main St - map it!
Korean BBQ & Market is located next to the Italian restaurant Gia's on Main St. It's a tiny, family owned spot that doubles as an asian market on one side and a small Korean restaurant on the other. Despite the BBQ in the name, there is no actual grill on any of the tables, common with most Korean BBQ places. Everything is cooked in the back and brought out to the front. Service is a little lacking, but do remember that it is a family owned joint with quite a language barrier so it's difficult for the owners, but they are super nice and appreciative of their customers and do what they can.

Jeyuk Bokkum. credits to google (sorry, I was super hungry! I will take my own photos next time)

Menu
view menu!
The menu is limited but carries the basics of Korean cuisine without being too intimidating for Logan, UT. It doesn't sacrifice it's authenticity (such as Americanizing dishes) and each dish has a homemade taste presented neatly. Each entree comes out with rice and a spread of 5 or 6 small side dishes meant to accompany the meal. The entrees are big, traditionally for a family style type serving. You can easily order another bowl of rice and share an entree with another person.

Kimbap. credits to google.

Price Range - $6-$20
The price is a bit pricey, as with most Korean restaurants, but it is meant for family style meals (that means grab your friends/family and make it an event!). You'll find prices range from $7.95 to $19.95 an entree. Lunch is definitely the cheaper option if you're trying it out or don't want to share entrees. Hubby and I ordered two entrees and a side of Kimbap, a small snack, really, and it came out to $24. We were stuffed and couldn't finish our meals (and we were starving before we left the house!)

Soondooboo Jjigae. credits to google.

Verdict - 3.8 stars
Since I can make all the Korean staples at home (like Kalbi, Bulgogi, Kimchi Jjigae) we were in the mood for something authentic we couldn't make. Hubby had a Jeyuk Bokkum which is a dish consisting of spicy, marinated then fried pork with onions, bellpeppers, mushrooms (and some other veggies, I think I covered most of them) and I had the Soondooboo Jjigae, a spicy tofu stew popular in the winter seasons and an order of Kimbap, a kind of Korean sushi consisting of imitation crab, cucumber, yellow pickled radish/daikon, and carrots. The Jeyuk Bokkum was delicious and tasted homemade and the Kimbap tasted just like my mom and I make back home. The Soondooboo Jjigae was lacking in flavor, not as flavorful in depth as it should be and I definitely wouldn't order it again. Usually it is rich and has seafood and/or meat, but it only had tofu and mushrooms. The side dishes were delicious and the kimchi is good (you can usually judge a good korean restaurant by the kimchi). We had a good time and were satisfied, but not the best Korean I've had, but for Logan, it's alright. For your first time trying Korean, try the Kalbi, Bulgogi, Doejibulgogi, or the Jeyuk Bokkum.

Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill

About
473 S. Main St - map it!
Pounders is a casual Hawaiian joint that is open Mon-Sat 11-9. They serve up the good old rice with meat combo. They range from chicken cooked in various ways to traditional Hawaiian Kalua Pork, smoky, slow cooked pork and Locomoco, a hamburger patty on white, sticky rice with two eggs and smothered in brown gravy.

Menu
view menu!
The menu is split in half by meats + sides entrees and Pounders Originals. The meats + sides are combos of your choices of one, two, or three meats ranging from Kalua Pork to Papalani Chicken (a must try!) and a side of macaroni salad and rice. They also have burgers and other meat-lover-heaven goodness. The food is hearty and comes in large portions. I love that they have a balanced menu filled with "safeties" and more intriguing traditional Hawaiian food.

Price Range
The price ranges from $4.95 to $24.99 (but that's for like, 5 people). Kids can eat there for $2.99. I would say it's a bit pricey for what it is, unless you're willing to bump it up and share. Extra meat comes in a heaping to-go box, so that is totally worth it. For a meal for two, you can expect somewhere around $20 with drinks. Single person, anywhere from $7 to $12 with drinks.

Verdict - 3 stars
Hubby went out on a Friday night to grab Pounders to go and waited an HOUR for one order. There were groups there that came after him that got their order before he did. That definitely dampened our mood. We had the Kahuna, (an order of 3 meats, a side of rice, and a side of macaroni salad) with a side order of extra meat and extra rice. The Kalua pork was pretty dry and bland compared to the ones I've eaten before and the macaroni salad tasted strongly of bulk macaroni salad, the one eerily similar to the one that we served at Honeybaked Ham, scooped out of a huge white bucket and very mayonnaise-y. The rice was disappointing because there were so much meat but a tiny scoop of rice (like literally 3 tablespoons of rice) so if you're ordering for one, definitely get an extra scoop of rice (even though it's super pricey at $1.50 for the amount they give you). The Papalani Chicken was definitely our favorite- so flavorful! They were sold out of Kalbi and gave us two Teriyaki Chickens instead of the Pounders Chicken we ordered alongside the Kalua pork. So with a screwed up order, an hour of standing around wait time, and two tiny scoops of rice with bland Kalua pork later, we give it 3 stars for the Papalani Chicken alone. We'll try Pounders again sometime after the initial shock wears off.

Pupusaria El Salvador

About
95 E 1400 N Logan - map it!
Pupusaria El Salvador is located kitty corner next to 5 Star party supplies and where Tummi Yummi's used to be. It's a quaint little family-owned place that serves great pupusas and amazing tacos. The prices are great and it's a thoroughly delicious and satisfying meal. They have food deals going on Monday through Thursday (which you can check out in the side bar on the right).

Menu
The menu is limited but each entree is delicious and any Mexican food lover will find a new love once they've had it. They serve pupusas, carne asada plates, tacos, and more. Pupusas are basically a corn tortilla stuffed with cheese and sometimes refried beans or pork (I always get everything in it) melted and steaming hot to fill or eat with curtido, a spicy, vinegar based coleslaw (no mayo) that is highly addictive. There is something here for everyone. Also, if you've never had agua fresca (fruit juice), they have it here and you should definitely order it.

Price Range
The price range is very affordable. They have deals going on from Monday-Thursday but even if you're not going on one of those days, you should definitely go (it only saves you a couple bucks). It's satisfying, soul-food that will have you coming back for more a couple times a week. It's a cute little grandma cooking up authentic food in the back, and you can't slap a price on that! It's great for get-togethers, a quick family bite out, or a casual date. I'm not exactly sure, but it ranges from $1.50 or so per taco/pupusa to $10 a plate.

Verdict - 4.4 stars
The hubby and I adore this place. The food is immensely satisfying and I just can't get enough of that curtido (it's probably the best curtido I've had yet), paired with their spiciest sauce on a pupusa doesn't get much closer to happiness for me. The tacos there are small but loaded with savory steak meat and top La Tormenta's tacos by tenfold. The Carne Asada plate is of actual steak, not like La Tormenta's super thin, questionable-cut of meat. It's definitely a different craving than Mexican, it's a pupusa craving! The owners there are super super nice and casual. You go in, sit down wherever, and order! Once you're done (sad!) with your meal, you pay up front. It's not as well rounded as La Tormenta in menu, but it shines in the differences. Definitely go and try the pupusas, tacos, and carne asada (and order extra tortillas if needs be, they're amazing), you'll see us there on a regular basis!

Wok On Wheels

About

123 E 1400 N - map it!
Wok On Wheels is located right next to the Little Caesars across from the mall. They've got an ad in the Aggies Coupon Book for a lunch special for $5.49 which included an entree, ham fried rice, egg roll, and a drink. A pretty good deal for any Chinese food lover. And they deliver for free with a $8 minimum order.


Menu
view menu!
They serve the basics you can find at any Americanized Chinese food place. Meat with veggies in a special sauce. Sweet and sour. Mongolian beef. Cache Valley's Tiny Spicy Chicken (I've been eating Chinese food all my life and I've never seen that one before). Everything is safe, there is more variety at mall food courts. If you have a favorite Americanized Chinese dish and don't care for anything hardcore Chinese, this will hit the spot.


Price Range
The price is decent for the amount of food you get for a lunch special. Everything is under $8 except for the family dinners. And a family dinner for two includes 2 entrees, egg rolls, fried won tons, ham fried rice, and fortunes cookies for $13.98, that can't be beat.

what beef with broccoli is supposed to look like

Verdict - 2 stars
I've eaten at this place once and never went back. I had Beef with Broccoli to-go and it was searing hot in one side and slightly cold on another- a sure sign of microwaving. The beef was sparse and mushy. It was a weird mushy where it felt like the beef just sat in water. Like fake, processed beef. The sauce that was on it was like duck sauce (that goopy red stuff meant for egg rolls). I asked the kid before I ordered it what it was and he said it was simply beef with broccoli in a sauce. Coming from an asian background that usually meant thinly sliced beef with pan fried broccoli in a dark teriyaki sauce with a bit of garlic. This had raw carrots in it, onions, bamboo shoots (which I love, but in this felt like a half hearted attempt to be Chinese), smushy broccoli caked in sauce, and of course that low quality beef. I tried eat the ham fried rice since I was so hungry but it was super bland- not fried and really dry. When I picked up a piece of ham for a closer look it had that grayish color and it smelled rancid. The ham in the ham fried rice had gone bad. That turned me way off and I will never go back there. This meal is so simple to make that I can't believe Wok on Wheels couldn't get it right. I probably should go back there one more time to make sure, but there is no excuse for rancid ham and microwaved food. Go to Panda Express, it delivers on quality and offers more authenticity. I love Panda Express and that will be my go-to Chinese in Cache Valley. Or I'll make it myself.

La Tormenta

About
105 E 1600 N - map it!
La Tormenta is located on the strip mall to the left the old Walmart (if you're facing Walmart). While the name provides entertainment in forms of wondering what the owners must have been thinking (plotting?) naming it the way they did, is it La Tormenta in the bathroom aftermath? Is it La Tormenta while waiting for the food? (We pompous English speakers crudely translate by taking off the a/o at the end). It's a dive-type of place, lacking decor and ambiance- but aren't those the best? No showy gimmicks, just honest to goodness soul food.


Menu
La Tormenta offers great, authentic Mexican at an honest price. I always go for the smothered burrito, and at $4.99 it comes with a side of rice and beans and a slow simmered beef burrito smothered in what has got to be the most cheese I've ever consumed in one sitting. But whereas that's enough to leave me a little over comfortably full, hubby always orders a couple of either the regular tacos or crispy tacos (not hard shell, actual fried tacos) alongside his burrito. You can probably tell we don't branch out of the smothered burrito, but why settle for less when we can order the best every time? They offer so much more, like stuffed peppers, the carne asada plate, fried fish, beef stew, and so much more. The quesadillas are lackluster, a simple tortilla filled with a white cheese and nothing else. it's teeny and at $2.49, definitely opt for the tacos instead ($1/ea for regular, $1.25 for crispy). All of the entrees come out with a cute mini condiments bar, a trio of salsa verde (which I slather on everything), grilled onions (it used to be pico de gallo but I actually prefer this more), and pickled jalapeños and carrots.

Price Range
The prices they have set for the more popular dishes have slowly gone up, but it's minuscule and they set them so low initially that it doesn't bother me. For a great meal for two coming in at around $10, I won't complain. It might not be romantic date material, but it satisfies like none other.


Verdict - 4.2 stars
While La Tormenta does not mean 'the torment' for us crude translators (it actually means 'storm'- brought to you by my lowly Spanish education), hubby and I love this place to bits and visit there at least once a week. It's so far one of the best Mexican in Cache Valley and it's taken the Logan college fooding scene by delicious brute force, nothing less we expect from La Tormenta. If you're looking for messy, satisfying, honest to goodness Mexican soul food, this is the place.

Hamiltons Steak and Seafood

About
2427 N. Main Street - map it!
Hamiltons is set up with tables and booths in a very open, lodge-style building. It has a huge fireplace right in the center and big, exposed wooden beams in the ceiling and I aspire to live in it one day. They serve everything from seafood to steaks to chicken. It's a great environment for a nice date or a refined family outing and especially great for weddings. Hamiltons is where we had our wedding rehearsal dinner, so it's held in a special place in our hearts. That being said, let's pick it apart.


Menu
view menu!
Their caesar salad is ordinary, but their candied apple salad was fresh and playful (the sweet caramel vinaigrette is creative and delicious). The potato chowder is a must-try. It's not all all thick and chowdery but very like a soup and comforting. I preferred the miso glazed salmon over cedar plank salmon and my husband loved the chicken cordon bleu more than the herb chicken (I don't quite agree, but then again I'm not partial to chicken cordon bleu like he is). The steak was tender and everything it should be, but it is a steakhouse right? The desserts are simply the best, the sorbets are exactly what I imagine if eating perfume would be like in the best sense possible (airy, sweet, flowery, you get what I mean), and the german chocolate cake is so rich, the two of us couldn't finish it. The cheesecake was fantastic, although simple. And whenever you see an apple crisp on the menu, you know it's good. The creme brule made me sad because it was grainy and not custard-like as it should be. But if you crave it like I do, order it! It's still good (Haagen Daz makes an amazing creme brule ice cream by the way).

Price Range
Hamiltons is definitely on the pricier side from a college student's point of view, but the work they put into it goes above and beyond the standard. The menu is very well thought through and they use great ingredients. If you're looking to feed more than 10 people, going with the catered reservation is the cheapest way to go. It's just like the normal setting, you just get to pick the food people will want to order 48 hrs+ in advance.


Verdict - 4.3 stars
I love Hamiltons. It's a beautiful environment that makes you feel at home with great stick-to-your-ribs food and definitely an accessible fine dining option without being snobby. There is something there for everyone, no matter how shy or adventurous, picky or gluttonous.

We love food. We really love food.

Logan is very different. Cheese factories instead of sky scrapers, open fields with cows instead of suburbia, and mountains all around instead of suffocating greenery. We love it. But oftentimes I've wondered what in the world I was doing in Logan, UT. So many times I've frantically said to myself, there's nothing here!

But after several years of living here, you find there are things going on every day and new places to haunt.

Utah is amazing for food. Maybe it doesn't have it going on as much as Austin, TX (mm.. I adore Austin..) but it holds its own. Guy Fieri once said that his favorite city for food is Salt Lake. And I totally agree. Utah has so many small, local restaurants, and that's what you want! Small dives almost always serve amazing food.

Logan isn't Salt Lake City, but it's where hubs and I currently go to school. So we'll be posting lots of reviews from Logan's eateries, good and not so good for those people wondering, is it really as good as everyone says it is?