Elastic Waistband Meatloaf and Creamy Broccoli

February 8, 2011 2 Comments

Ahh, meatloaf.  I make it a lot in this house.  Not only is it a total comfort food in cold weather, but it is so versatile.  You can make meatloaf a million different delicious ways.  I’ve posted a previous recipe for meatloaf where I talk about hiding vegetables inside of the dish.  It’s crazy easy and can be really rather delicious.  It doesn’t have to be the dry, tasteless hunk of hamburger and bread crumbs we have all fallen victim to in our lives.  I will admit, though, that I myself have made some truly terrible meatloaves in my adventures to create mouthwatering depression-era food.

And then there’s the recipe I’m giving you today.  I have named it Elastic Waistband Meatloaf because you will want to eat it until your pants get tight.  No, I’m not trying to sell you something, I am telling you how this dish was received after I served it.  It’s damn good.  As a side I made a creamy broccoli dish and (as always) mashed potatoes.  I will not eat meatloaf without mashed potatoes.

Elastic Waistband Meatloaf

My Recipe

1 lb. ground beef

2 eggs

1 cup finely diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tblsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce finely chopped

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup oatmeal

Thick slices bacon for top of meatloaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine beef, eggs, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, chipotle peppers, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl.  Hands are the best utensil for this job.  Once combined, add the oatmeal.  Lightly combine.

I like to use a loaf pan to prepare my meatloaf, but you can certainly shape the meat into a loaf-like shape and cook on a sheet pan.  Take your thick-sliced bacon and cover the top of the meatloaf.  I needed 5 slices.

Bake in the 350 degree F oven for 1 hour.

Creamy Broccoli

My Recipe

1 16 oz. bag frozen broccoli

2 Tblsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Tabasco sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add broccoli and toss about, coating in oil and heating through.  Add soup and mix until broccoli is coated.  Add Tabasco sauce.  I used about 4 good dashes, but you use however much pleases your tastes.  Salt and pepper to taste and cook until the broccoli is tender and heated through.  VERY easy side-dish and very satisfying.

I don’t like broccoli.  There, I said it!  And quite frankly, I get tired of eating it smothered in cheese.  I thought this would be a nice break from that whole dangerous game of murdering vegetables in cheese in order to get people to eat them.  So instead, I murdered mine in canned soup.  It was great.

The meatloaf is fantastic.  The combination of the smokey bacon along with the smokiness of the chipotle peppers in the meat makes this a very rustic-tasting meatloaf.  It has a little bit of warmth because of the peppers, but I assure you it is in no way painful unless you are very sensitive to that kind of heat.  This is also a very juicy meatloaf thanks to the bacon.  It is not dry and crumbly and it didn’t even need ketchup.  That’s right, there is NO topping on this meatloaf.  It just doesn’t need it.

I hope you try this recipe.  I’ll be making it again for sure!

Enjoy!

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Filed Under Main Dishes, Side Dishes Tagged With bacon, broccoli, food, how to, meatloaf, recipe

Cooking With Kids: Applesauce

January 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

My oldest son is 3 years old.  He is your typical toddler in that it is pretty much impossible to get him to try new foods or even eat the old-standby dishes some nights.  Oh this phase in my son’s eating habits makes me want to rip all of my hair out sometimes.  But I will say this:  he LOVES to help me in the kitchen.  If it’s only him taking scraps to the garbage can or standing on a chair and watching me work, he wants to be in on the process.  Because I don’t want to teach him the things that I was taught as a child (men work, women clean and cook) I want both of my sons to be comfortable in a kitchen and to know how to prepare simple meals at the very least.

One of the only foods that my oldest will eat without drama is applesauce.  You know, the sweet kind spiced with cinnamon.  He loves it.  I’ll admit that I don’t make it homemade for him usually, but since we ran out a week ago and he was asking for it, I decided it would be a great chance to make something homemade with my son that is fairly simple but that would include him in almost every step of the preparation.

I came up with the idea to write about a kid-friendly recipe from Frigidaire’s Kids’ Cooking Academy.  If you join this online community of tips and recipes designed for including the whole family in food preparation, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children and you will be entered to win a few cool giveaways as well.  So please, check it out.  More importantly, include your children or the children in your life in the kitchen.  There’s much to be learned there and it’s a great opportunity to impart your personal wisdoms in a fun way.

Sweet Cinnamon Applesauce

My Recipe

5 medium sized Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

1 cup water

1 Tblsp. apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Step 1.  Make sure everybody is in appropriate food preparation attire.

Step 2.  Peel apples.  This is a great chore for older kids, but my 3 year-old was happy to munch on the peel and dispose of the rest.

Step 3.  Core and quarter apples.  Give cored quarters to child for chopping into chunks.  While normal chopping knives are out of the question with little ones, butter knives are more than enough to cut through the skin of an apple!

Step 4.  Add apples to saucepan.  Add water, cider vinegar, sugar, and cinnamon.  My son loves the dumping of the ingredients, so I pre-measure the amounts in a 1/2 cup measuring cup and let him dump them in one at a time.

Step 5.  Put medium heat under the pan and stir occasionally until apples are soft.  Since the liquid is hot, you might want to keep a close eye on little ones stirring.  They can get over-anxious and splatter hot liquid on themselves.

Step 6:  When apples are soft, add entire contents of saucepan to a blender and blend until smooth and slightly lumpy.  This is a parents chore, but kids like to push the buttons on the blender!

Step 7:  Add applesauce to a container and refrigerate until cold.  Then eat it and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Note to parents:  Don’t underestimate the awesomeness of applesauce.  You can add cherries or figs to the party and make a more interesting taste.  You could also lower the sugar to just a Tablespoon or two, add the juice and zest of an orange as well as some rosemary and serve it warm as a sauce over roasted pork loin.  Play with it a bit for more grown-up uses and maybe….just maybe your kids will be interested in trying different versions!

Enjoy!

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Filed Under Side Dishes Tagged With applesauce, cooking with kids, food, frigidaire, how to, recipe, save the children

Red-Eye Gravy and the Introduction of “Cooking for Martians”

January 21, 2011 4 Comments

As you may have noticed (and I’ve pointed this out before) we are having a sort of culinary Renaissance right now.  Exotic foods are becoming more and more available to us and foods from different cultures are now becoming a mainstay in the everyday diet.  Television channels centered around food are extremely popular and food blogs are numbering in the millions.  Most people are embracing this Renaissance and are more than happy to try new foods.

Most people.

There are people who are not all that impressed with this surge of interest in food and new tastes.  These people like a few recipes and a few types of food and are not really all that interested in trying foods from other cultures.  They don’t want to try any food that they view as “weird.”

These people run the gamut of all walks of life, age, and gender.  However, I have noticed quite a few more of these types of people are men.  It is only for this slightly larger number that I call these people Martians (because Men are from Mars!)

My main inspirations for the Cooking for Martians idea are my father, my brother and my brother in-law*.  These are guys’ guys.  They like steak, beer, sports and hunting.  When I think of rigid unadventurous eaters, their faces float in my head.  I used to be a little annoyed with them for not even wanting to be adventurous eaters, but as I get older and my own stubbornness has become my greatest virtue, I smile when I think about it.

I know what these guys like to eat.  I know what foods make them happy.  Down home rib-sticking food.  The kind of food they were fed as children.  Simple.

There are many foods already on this site that are Martian-friendly.  Some my own recipes, some not.  Because I come from a place where Martians are quite prevalent, I am most comfortable coming up with recipes that are Martian-friendly.  That is something I have noticed about the recipes that are my own creation.  I may not be gourmet, but I sure as heck am Martian-friendly!

I’d like to now dazzle you with a simple but very wonderful down-home dish that’s sure to please most Martians.  Ham and Grits with Red-Eye Gravy.

Red-eye gravy is a thin gravy that is made with black coffee.  It goes perfectly with fried up ham steaks and is a Southern must-have.

Red-Eye Gravy

My Recipe

4 Tblsp. butter

3 Tblsp. flour

4 cups black coffee

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. black pepper

Melt butter in skillet.  Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.  Add in coffee and soy sauce.  Add black pepper. Cook, stirring constantly until gravy thickens slightly.  Serve.

Not all red-eye gravy recipes call for a thickener, but I rather like mine to have just a little bit of thickness to it.  Otherwise it’s just salted coffee and while that is good for some, I don’t like it.

I serve cheese grits as a side.  Grits are super easy to make are are very similar to Italian polenta.  You can make it cheesy, herbed or just creamy.  Very simply to make, just like the gravy.

Cheese Grits

My Recipe

3 cups chicken stock

1-1/2 cups white self-rising cornmeal

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese

1/2 cup milk or half and half to finish

Heat chicken stock to almost boiling in saucepan.  Slowly whisk in cornmeal and whisk until thick.  Add in salt and pepper.  Whisk in cheese.  Finish with milk and serve.  EASY!

This is really good and since I used chicken stock, it’s very rich.  The richness goes nicely with the salty gravy and the ham steaks.

Also, remember that the red-eye gravy, while delicious, it is strong and needs to be taken lightly.  Just a dab will do on your ham.  Just a dab.

I hope this is enjoyed by not only the Martians out there, but by all.

*Look, I know that not every “martian” is a man’s man like my inspirations.  They are just my personal best example.  No offense need be taken with this.

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Filed Under Side Dishes Tagged With cheese grits, cooking, cooking for martians, food, gravy, grits, ham, recipe, red eye gravy

5 Days of Decadence: Day 2

December 21, 2010 Leave a Comment

I have to admit, Day 2 was a million times better than Day 1.  Oh my gosh this meal was outstanding.  It was fancy-schmancy to boot!  I took an ordinary, every day piece of meat and I fancied that sumbitch up like you wouldn’t believe!  I’m feeling quite smug and proud of myself right now!

On the menu tonight was London broil marinated in red wine and served with red wine gravy, creamed spinach, and a fresh vegetable casserole (it’s just veggies smothered in a cheese sauce!).  It was fantastic.

The cocktail for tonight was a good old fashioned Bloody Mary.  Now I know that there are 1,000,001 recipes out there for homemade Bloody Mary mix.  If you want to go through the trouble of testing them and finding the right one and going through a bunch of crap to get a good Bloody Mary, be my guest.  Or, you know, you could listen to your old pal Somer and buy a mix.  I’m not usually big on drink mixes.  Most of the time, it IS better to make your own…but not this time.  This time you have Mr. & Mrs. T’s Bloody Mary Mix!  You can find this stuff anywhere and it is seriously the BEST Bloody Mary I’ve ever had.  We buy the Bold and Spicy version because we like a bit of kick, but they make a milder version for you big babies out there.  (Note:  This is NOT a compensated endorsement of Mr. & Mrs. T’s.  I’m telling you to try this stuff because it really is kick ass.)

I love these drinks.  My father-in-law drinks one or two on Fridays and says that it is his vegetable serving for the week.  And that is all kinds of awesome.

Now on to the glorious dinner!

Like I said, this meal was fantastic.  I was so excited eating it because I couldn’t wait to write about it and share my two creations with you all!  Let’s start with the London Broil.  Here is the recipe!

Smell My Plate London Broil

My Recipe

1 London Broil

2 cups red wine

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup water

1 Tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried parsley

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

Red Wine Gravy (Recipe Below)

Have your London Broil defrosted by the night before you intend to serve it.  It needs to marinate over night.

Place the London Broil in a large freezer bag.  Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour into the freezer bag with the meat.  Seal the bag and be careful to get most of the air out.  Smoosh (yes that is a technical term!) the meat and marinade around so that the meat is well lubricated.  Then place the bag in a large dish and store in the refrigerator.  Turn the bag over once the next morning.

Lay the meat out to come to room temperature 15 minutes before cooking.  Set oven broiler on high.  Place meat on broiler pan and cook for about 9 minutes on each side for Medium to Medium Rare.

Reserve marinade for gravy!

Strain marinade through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.  Melt 4 Tablespoons butter in a saucepan.  Stir in 4 Tablespoons flour and stir.  Add 1 cup of the marinade and 1 can of beef broth.  Stir until thick.  Serve with London Broil.

Cooked to perfection and tasting oh so faintly of that wonderful Pinot Noir I used in the marinade.  Seriously, folks.  Everybody has been saying for years to only cook with a wine you would drink.  THERE IS A GOOD REASON FOR THIS.

Also, really and truly make sure that when you put the meat and marinade bag in your fridge that you put it in a dish so that it won’t leak.  Like this:

Or if you like to learn things the hard way you can ignore me.  It will only take ONE instance of having your refrigerator leaking with raw meat juice and marinade for you to never make that mistake again.  And yes, I DO know from experience.  Learn from my idiocy, people.

The other dish that I put together was Creamed Spinach.  Can you believe that I had never had it before tonight?  As much as I eat steak one would think that I would have had it by now, but no.  But seeing how I was serving a huge piece of red meat with dinner and Creamed Spinach is traditionally served with red meat, my opportunity was hard to ignore.  It’s not a fussy dish.  It’s really straight forward and seriously only takes a few minutes to make.

Creamed Spinach

My recipe

1 1-lb. bag frozen spinach

4 Tablespoons butter

1 shallot, minced

3 Tablespoons flour

2 cups half-and-half

salt and pepper

Wrap thawed spinach in a clean dish towel and squeeze as much water from it as possible.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet.  Add shallots and stir until soft.  Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring the whole time.  Add half-and half.  Stir until thick.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in spinach and heat through.

That’s it.  It’s really that easy.  And it’s really freaking good as well.  Win-Win.

The third thing that I served is a cheese-gooped vegetable casserole that comes from that cookbook I keep referencing lately.  It’s really good and really decadent.  I don’t usually serve my vegetables swimming in goopy cheese (even though I love it) so I really only make this dish around the holidays.

Fresh Vegetable Casserole

Favorite Brand Name Old-Fashioned Holiday Recipes 2004

8 small new potatoes

8 baby carrots (Did you know that baby carrots are actually mature carrots shaved down?  True story!)

1 small cauliflower, broken into florets

4 stalks asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Tablespoons butter or margarine

3 Tablespoons flour 2 cups milk

salt

black pepper

3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese

Chopped fresh cilantro

Cook vegetables until crisp-tender.  (I steamed all but the potatoes.  Steaming is a good option.)  Arrange vegetables in buttered 2-quart casserole.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make sauce, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually stir in milk.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.  Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with cilantro.  Bake 15 minutes or until heated through.  YIELD:  4-6 servings.

It looks goopy and decadent, no?

3 days to go!

Enjoy!

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Filed Under Beverages, Main Dishes, Side Dishes Tagged With bloody mary, casserole, cocktail, creamed spinach, food, gravy, holiday, how to, london broil, marinade, meals, recipe, red wine, vegetables

The 5 Days of Decadence: Day 1

December 21, 2010 4 Comments

My husband and I come from two families who are very into their holiday traditions.  We each grew up knowing certain traditions this time of year.  When we married, we sort of mixed the traditions from each of us so that we could still, in small ways, have a bit of our childhood with us each holiday season.  We still lived close to family and still celebrated the holidays with at least 3 different groups each year.  Then we moved 3,000 miles away and had to spend our holidays with just the two of us.

That first year we decided that we wanted to come up with a unique tradition that would just be for our small family.  Since we are both food-lovers, we came up with the 5 Days of Decadence.  Basically, we spend the days leading up to and including Christmas eating and drinking and just enjoying a sort of bacchanalia of gastronomical festivities.  Some of the food is a little pricier that what we normally eat, but mostly it is just good cooking served with good drink and followed up by good desserts.  That was 5 years ago that we started this tradition and we look forward to it every year.

This year, Day 1 consisted of the one big-ticket item (besides the lamb we have on Christmas Day) that I purchased for the 5 Days.  A smoked duck.  I paid $35 for a teeny tiny smoked duck and was curious to see if it was worth my money.  My experience with duck is, unfortunately, very limited and mostly comes from a Chinese Buffet experience.

I also served roasted butternut squash, homemade Potatoes au Gratin, and cranberry sauce.

And yes, that cranberry sauce is the jellied stuff from a can.  Homemade cranberry sauce is on next year’s to-do.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.  We also have a pre-dinner cocktail.  I decided to make a cocktail that I haven’t had in years.  Since it is named after a candy and pretty much tastes like candy, I thought it only fitting to have around Christmas.  The Tootsie Pop!

Tootsie Pop

2 oz. Grenadine

5 oz. Amaretto

3 0z. lemon juice

2 drops chocolate syrup

Layer grenadine, amaretto and lemon juice.  Stir.  Add 2 drops chocolate syrup. Let sink and drink.

Ok, so this drink is a throw back to my younger days when I was more of an Appletini kind of girl instead of the “Waiter, the bartender skimped on the vodka in this.  Have it remade please!” kind of woman I’ve come to be.  It’s VERY sweet and I was surprised to see that it was hard for me to finish.  But if you’re not a big drinker and like those sweet cocktails with training wheels, this is perfect.

Now about the dinner!  There wasn’t much preparation needed for the duck as it was fully cooked (as smoked meats tend to be).  I just had to reheat it in my oven.  EASY!

As for the butternut squash, I could give you a recipe, but it’s really not necessary.  An oven at 350 degrees F, one butternut squash, two cups carrots cut on the bias and two medium onions diced.  Put them on a sheet pan covered in foil, coat with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar and roast for 45 minutes to an hour.  Again, EASY.  The only thing not easy about it is peeling and chopping the squash.  I think butternut squash is divine, but it is a royal pain in the ass to break down.  Tip:  Sharp knife and forearm strength come in handy here.

The Potatoes au Gratin was a little more involved, but still quite easy.

Potatoes au Gratin

Favorite Brand Name Old-Fashioned Holiday Recipes 2004

1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes

6 Tablespoons margarine of butter, divided

3 Tablespoons AP flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1-1/2 cups milk

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese

4 green onions, thinly sliced 3/4 cup cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray 1-quart round casserole with non-stick cooking spray.

Place potatoes in 2-quart saucepan; add enough water to cover potatoes.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until partially done.  Potatoes should still be firm in the center.  Drain and rinse in cold water until potatoes are cool.  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt 4 Tablespoons margarine in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add flour, salt and pepper, stirring until smooth.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened.  Add cheese, stirring until melted.

Cut potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices.  Layer 1/2 of the potatoes in prepared dish.  Top with 1/3 of the onions and 1/3 of the cheese sauce.  Repeat layers twice, ending with cheese sauce.

Melt remaining 2 Tablespoons margarine.  Combine cracker crumbs and margarine in small bowl.  Sprinkle evenly over top of casserole.

Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly and potatoes are tender.  YIELD:  4-6 servings

It was a good dinner.  A nice way to start off the 5 Days.  The duck…well it was good but I won’t be buying it again.  Next year I’ll see if I can get my hands on a goose.  And if not a goose, then just a regular duck so I can sauce it up and maybe make Duck L’orange.

The side dishes were great.  Warm in the tummy and good-tasting.  We were very satisfied and ready for a nap after this meal.

I hope you enjoy your own holiday traditions and have a wonderful week!

Enjoy!

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Filed Under Beverages, Main Dishes, Side Dishes Tagged With butternut squash, cocktail, food, holiday meal, how to, potatoes au gratin, recipe, smoked duck, tootsie pop