Literary Dinner: Robber Steak

"There are many odd things to put down, and, lest who reads them may fancy that I dined too well before I left Bistritz, let me put down my dinner exactly. I dined on what they called "robber steak" -- bits of bacon, onion, and beef, seasoned with red pepper, and strung on sticks and roasted over the fire..."
- Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula

As some of you may know, I really love the book Dracula. In fact, my senior capstone project is based on Mina Harker from the novel, so there ya go. Anyhow, Toby also loves the book and seemed to have a keen interest in the meals that Jonathan Harker ate in it. You may not remember, but on our 2nd anniversary he made Paprika Hendl which is featured in the first part of the novel. Earlier this week, he decided to make another dish featured in the book called Robber Steak. It's basically a kebab, but Hungarian Paprika makes a lovely Eastern European treat.

If you look up the recipe (which I just did) you will see that we took great liberties with it. This is in part because we aren't huge red meat-eaters and in part because we were on a tight budget...and also because we don't eat ham and turkey bacon is just NOT thick enough. However, our intentions were good and that counts for something. Right?

We are not super formal so this recipe is SUPER up for interpretation, haha. But, for the sake of having SOMETHING written down, here's what we did:

Ingredients:
1 pound(ish) of chicken, cubed
About half a pint of whole portobello mushrooms, halved (in lieu of bacon)
2 bell peppers, sliced thick
1 onion, sliced thick
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Dash of Hungarian Paprika
Kebab Skewers (is that how you spell it?)

The ingredients minus spices. Do excuse our crowded counter.

Directions:
Pierce all of the ingredients one by one in whatever fashion you please on the stick (see photo below). You can use whatever method of grilling you like, but we used our Foreman grill...well it's not actually a Foreman grill but, close. Anyhow, once all of the ingredients are on the stick, place them in the grill and cook them, turning every few minutes to even out cooking. Every grill is different, and we are still getting used to ours. It took us about 15-20 on medium heat and it was great.

And there you have it! So easy and quite filling. Very healthy too, which is definitely wonderful. We quite enjoy doing these literary dinners and we have more up our sleeves to share. Can't wait to cook (and eat) them!

Have a good day,

~ B ~

Literature love: a new series

...And by new series I mean something that I may not continue but would still like to have a go at it.

I guess that's what all "new series" are at first conception anyway, right?

Well, as many of you know, I am a fanatic over literature and all things books...especially all things 19th century, so I thought it would only be fitting that I reccommend some of the things I've been reading lately..which is a lot of things! The first list of books are all within the Victorian/Romantic era so for those of you who are fed up with modernity, this one's for you!

Literature Love: Victorian Era



1. Bram Stoker's Dracula. This novel is truly an interesting and creepy read. NONE of the films do it justice or interpret it correctly. If you've never read it, you should. And for those of you concerned with the dark or evil represented it, spoiler alert, good wins and it's satisfying.

2. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Don't let the movies fool you, this book is LEGIT. It is full of intrigue, danger, life, death and the struggle between faith and science.You will be surprised by how attached to the creature you get!

3. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. By far one of my favorite books and love stories, this is all about a girl who goes through unimaginable things, falls in love, encounters danger, and follows what she knows is right through it all. Ladies, if imperfect but passionate dudes are your thing...than look no further. Rochester is where it's at!

4. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. You simply must read these. If you liked the movies or the show (as I have emphatically declared love for) then you will be pleasantly surprised by how the dialogue is taken almost completely from the books. They speak as we do! If you like this, then you must continue on with The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Case in Scarlet, and more!

5. Thomas Peckett Prest's The String of Pearls. This story, which was originally a penny dreadful that came out in installments, is the original (or mostly original) story of Sweeney Todd. Don't expect the musical or film, it's its own bird, but it is quite worth the read!

Do you have Victorian era novels you love? What are they? And if you read any of these, let me know how you liked them!

Have a good one,

~B~