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!

Related posts:

1. Meatloaf: A Mom Dish
2. Creamy Quickie Pasta
3. Red Beans and Rice

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!

Related posts:

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

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.

Related posts:

1. Be A Cooking Samaritan
2. 5 Days of Decadence: Day 2

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!

Related posts:

1. The 5 Days of Decadence: Day 1
2. Cinco de Mayo Feast
3. Turning Lamb Leftovers into Indian Lovin’s

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!

Related posts:

1. Meatloaf: A Mom Dish
2. Potato Salad and a Picnic at Home
3. Using Dinner Leftovers for Breakfast

I always find it funny, hilarious even, when cooks try to come up with recipes that make meatloaf a little more gourmet.  Are they serious?  Meatloaf is a “tight times” dish.  It’s meant to make a little bit of cheap meat go a long way, thus saving a family money.  It’s not supposed to be a fancy dish served in a 5-star restaurant!  I do, however, think that the recipes of old could use a little bit of modernizing.

My meatloaf recipe is what I like to call a “Mom recipe.”  This is a dish that I use as a means to hide an extra vegetable so that my son will unknowingly ingest something good for him.  I’m lucky that my son loves this meatloaf.  I had to do a little experimentation to come up with the current evolution of this dish, and it is by no means really unique but I can say that both my toddler and my husband squeal with glee when I serve meatloaf.  That’s good enough.

Meatloaf

(My Recipe)

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloved garlic, finely minced

2 medium carrots, finely minced

2 eggs

1/2 Tblsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dried parsely flakes

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 Tblsp. dried oregano

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1-1/2 to 2 cups instant oatmeal

You can “hide” any number of vegetables in this meatloaf, but I have found that carrots compromise the taste and texture the least.  Now I’ve tried putting these through a food processor and chopping the life out of them, but the best way to really hide them is to get your handy dandy microplane and grate them.  It takes a little elbow grease, but the carrots disappear into this dish and you’d never know they were there.  I also use my microplane to grate the garlic and parmesan cheese.  I have a tiny food processor to make sure that my onion is finely minced.

Making meatloaf is basically the act of putting all of the ingredients into the bowl, minus the oatmeal, and mix to combine.  Make sure the meat is completely incorporated with the eggs and vegetables and seasonings before you add the oatmeal.

I’ve tried bread crumbs, corn flakes, potato chips and instant mashed potato flakes as the filler for this dish and I have found that oatmeal is the best.  It’s tender and it adds great texture.  Also, it’s really good for you.  When you start adding this to your meat mix, you’re going to have to use your hands.  Only your hands will incorporate it properly and you’ll also need your sense of touch so that you’ll know when you’ve added enough oats to the mix.  You’ll want the mixture to come together in a lump and feel pulled together, but not dry.

I use a loaf pan, but you can use a baking sheet or a baking dish.  Just form the mixture into a loaf.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

I changed up the traditional ketchup topping just a little bit.  I just add a little bit of Dijon mustard to the ketchup for a little extra zing and it tastes great.  Simply combine 1/2 cup ketchup and 1-1/2 Tblsp. Dijon mustard and spread over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake for 45 minutes and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

A traditional side dish for meatloaf  (and really, it is a perfect partner) is mashed potatoes.  However, I don’t have any potatoes in my house at the moment so I had to improvise.  I decided to make couscous.  It is a great side dish that is easy and quick cooking.  It’s little itty bitty pasta and the ways to flavor it are limitless.

I like to use dried cranberries as an everyday flavoring for couscous.  Boil 1 cup of water.  When the water is boiling add 1 tsp. of olive oil, 1 cup couscous and 1/4 cup dried cranberries.  Stir to combine, cover and remove from the heat.  The steam cooks this.  After 5 minutes, fluff this with a fork and you’ve got a super fast and delicious side dish.

Since it is in season, I also decided to serve fresh ears of corn.  I tend to think that it is a crime to add a bunch of flavorings to fresh ears of corn.  They don’t need it.  Just spread with a little bit of butter, sprinkle with a little salt and you’ve got a delicious vegetable that is as sweet as sugar.  I’m mentioning this because I wanted to show off these adorable corn servers.

Usually, I am not a fan of kitsch but my mom has a set of these and when she refused to give me her set my husband found me this set on eBay from Japan.  They are porcelain and so so so cute.  I always love making dinner for friends and serving corn so I can use these servers.

Cute, huh?

This is a fantastic and cheap meal to prepare.  The leftovers can be reheated or served on bread as a meatloaf sandwich (my husband’s favorite).  The best part is that my son ate a full serving of vegetables with his dinner and he didn’t even know it.  Enjoy!

No related posts.

I’m going to be sharing a salad recipe with you tonight.  It’s a lettuce-free salad that is delicious and perfect for hot weather.  It is something that, in the Southeastern U.S., every grandmother makes for picnics and Sunday dinners in the summer.  It is a dish that is perfect for those insanely hot, humid summer days.  My mom used to make it and now I make it.  I have yet to find a person who doesn’t love this dish and I encourage you to give it a try on a miserable hot day when it is too hot to cook.

Cucumber Tomato Salad

(My Recipe)

1 small onion, thinly sliced

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced

3 cups chopped tomatoes

Vinaigrette:

1 lemon (use both the zest and juice)

2 Tblsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup light oil

1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

A pinch of salt (use only a pinch!  Any more will draw out all of the water in the veggies and you will end up with a soup and not a salad!)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

If you’ll notice a couple of things; I used grape tomatoes today.  This doesn’t need to be typical.  I’ve used regular globe tomatoes, Roma tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.  Honestly, I prefer the firmer flesh of a grape tomato for this dish, but any tomato is perfect.  Also, I do not use Hot House Cucumbers that are so popular these days.  I guess some people have a problem with the thick skin of a regular garden cucumber, but I find that silly.  I love these blue-collar cucumbers.  I slice them and eat them sprinkled with salt (skin on) and I skin them and make cucumber-yogurt sauces for pita sandwiches.  They are perfectly delicious and should not be disrespected.

Start by chopping your vegetables.

Try to slice your onions so that they are so thin that they are translucent.  Since this is a raw salad, nobody wants to bite into a big chunk of raw onion.  And yes, this is a regular white onion.  I’ve tried scallions and red onion and really, white onion is best.  This is a blue collar dish and should be appreciated for just that.

I only peeled the cucumbers.  I didn’t seed them.  It’s ok.  Cucumber seeds are ok.  Ok?  People have to stop butchering the cucumber!  Also, the extra water is needed in this dish.  It’s why I split all of the tomatoes and don’t remove the seeds.

See?  Split in half and still containing seeds.  Mmmmm….I love grape tomatoes.  Ok, moving on.

Put all of your chopped vegetables in a large bowl and set aside.  Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a medium bowl, whisk until combined, and pour over the vegetables.  Toss lightly to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.  This is one of those dishes that are better the next day rather than fresh.

While this salad is perfectly pleasant at room temperature, it really shines as a cold salad.  The freshness of the cucumbers and the light vinaigrette really offer some relief on miserably hot days.  I hope you try this on your next hot day.  Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Potato Salad and a Picnic at Home
2. Fish Pouches

Chili Lime Chicken

(My recipe)

the zest of 2 limes

the juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tblsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed

Begin by zesting the two limes.  I have a microplane that I use for this and it’s a kitchen tool that I couldn’t live without.  I use it to grate cheese, nutmeg and for zesting citrus.

Place the zest in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.  Cut the two limes in half and juice them into the bowl with the zest.  I have a reamer that I use, and yes, it’s another indispensable kitchen tool that I adore.

Add the olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper to the bowl and whisk well.  Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and toss to coat.  Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat a grill and allow the chicken to warm slightly (just below room temperature) on your counter while the grill is heating.

Once the grill is hot, cook the chicken breasts for at least 4 minutes per side, depending on how hot the grill is.  And yes, that’s a George Foreman Grill….and I love it so leave me alone about it!  That thing is awesome for winter-time grilling and small time grilling where I don’t want to go through the whole process of heating the charcoal hibachi.

As a great side dish for this chicken, I made roasted asparagus.  I know that some people tend to be tempted to make sauces and a bunch of floof for asparagus, but it really is one of those vegetables that are delicious the way they are and don’t need much in the way of seasoning.  Simply snap the woody bottoms off of the stems, wash, and spread out on a baking sheet (and preheat an oven to 425 degrees F).    Drizzle about 2 Tblsp. of extra-virgin olive oil over the asparagus.  Then sprinkle 1 tsp. of both salt and pepper and toss the asparagus for even coating.  Roast in the oven for 5-12 minutes, depending on the size of your asparagus (they can very from very skinny to very thick so watch carefully).

What we have here is a quick and delicious dinner.  When quick cooking time is a necessity, these chicken breasts are insanely convenient.  With a little finesse, they can make a very decent meal.  Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Roast Chicken and Vegetables
2. Chicken and Dumplings: Comfort on a Cold, Rainy Day
3. Chicken Enchilada Casserole

We had steak grilled on our tiny charcoal hibachi, a traditional potato salad, and peach pie.  I’ll share the recipe for the peach pie tomorrow (and believe me, you WANT that recipe) but we’ll talk steak and potato salad tonight.

As a food enthusiast, I feel that it is my duty to explain a few things to you all about steak.  A good cut of steak (ribeye is my favorite, but it’s really a personal choice) needs only salt and pepper as a seasoning.  Don’t be seduced by those “grill seasonings” because they are mostly salt and all crap.  I notice that people who eat their steaks overcooked tend to want “seasonings” or steak sauce and it really is a shame because those things ruin a perfectly good piece of meat.  If a rare steak scares you, try a medium or medium rare steak.  The meat is very juicy and very tender.  Once you taste one that is cooked just right, you understand why a bunch of bells and whistles destroy what should be the dominating flavor.  If a little bit of pink in the middle of your steak grosses you out or scares you, you shouldn’t be eating steak at all.  Stick with chicken, you chicken.

The potato salad recipe I’m going to share with you is a very traditional and very old potato salad.  I see a lot of recipes for potato salads that have vinaigrettes and are light and healthy.  I would love to try a few of these recipes because they really do look delicious.  But when I want to have a picnic, I want REAL potato salad.  I want it cold and hearty and rich.  It’s just what I crave.  It’s not something that I indulge in more than a few times a year, but when I do make it, I make HUGE batches of it so I can munch on it for lunch during the week.  I’ll warn you, though:  if you have heart problems or high cholesterol you probably shouldn’t read on.  If you’re a flavor freak with a healthy ticker, please read on!

Traditional Potato Salad

(This is my recipe)

-6-8 cups potatoes cut into large cubes

-5 hard boiled eggs

-1 cup mayonnaise

-1 cup salad dressing (Miracle Whip)

-2 Tblsp. yellow mustard

-Green onions for garnish (optional)

I used Yukon Gold potatoes and I peeled them.  I have seen people use Russet potatoes and leave the skins on, and that is perfectly fine.  I happen to think that the Yukon Gold is potato perfection and I use it almost exculsively.

Cut your potatoes into fairly large cubes so that they don’t fall apart in the boiling process.  Put the cubes in a dry pot and add cold water to the pot.  This will ensure even cooking.  Also make sure that you salt the water really well because potatoes don’t take in salt after they are cooked and you want that flavoring.

Make your hard boiled eggs.  Surely you kow how to do that, right?  Eggs in pot, water in pot, boil.  You want these cooked all the way through..more so than how you would make them if you were to eat them straight up.  That yolk needs to be cooked to death!  10 minutes at a full boil should make sure that the eggs are properly cooked to death.  Ok, I’m stupid.  I’ll move on.

Peel the eggs and cut them in half.  With some gentle manipulation, the yolk should come out of the white part.  Put the yolk in a medium sized bowl and chop the whites roughly.

Put the mayo, salad dressing, and mustard in the bowl with the egg yolks and mash together so that it’s well combined.

Yes, this is a heart-stopping mixture but if you’ve had it before, you know how good it is.  And hey, this is how it’s made!  Try to not think about how bad it is for you….kind of like when you eat a big hamburger with a large side of fries.

When the potatoes are fork tender, drain well and gently toss with the dressing.  Toss in the egg whites.  The dish will be thick.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and garnish with the green onions.  This dish is very yellow, so a little green is needed if you like.

Instead of the usual close-up picture of the finished product, I decided to showcase the people who eat my cooking the most.  This will be changing hopefully since we are moving closer to family, but these two are always more than happy to be my taste testers.  Happy Memorial Day and enjoy!

No related posts.

I always have at least one whole chicken in my freezer.  A chicken with the bones and skin still intact will have more flavor when you cook it.  The bones and skin lend a richness and a “chicken” taste.  I do keep a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts as well, but when I prepare those, there has to be a lot of hoopla to make them appetizing and they certainly aren’t tasting like a chicken.  I like to roast a whole chicken or cut it up and make Coq Au Vin or fried chicken.  Whole chickens are good.

I use a roasting pan for this dish with a rack.  This is so that the chicken will cook over the vegetables and drip lovely yummy juices all over them and make them gorgeous.  I think I got it at WalMart for $10.  I use it ALL the time and I got a great big one so that I can make my 20lb. Thanksgiving turkey.  Today I made a 6lb. chicken.

Cut up 4 large potatoes, 5-6 carrots, 1-2 onions, and any other root vegetable (like parsnips) that you’d like to roast.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and the sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now clean your chicken making sure you remove the neck and giblets from the cavity.  Wash the skin and pat it dry with a paper towel.  Put it on rack and place the rack in the roasting pan over the vegetables.

Depending on the size of your chicken, you add a quartered onion, 3 cloves of garlic cut in half, and 1 quarter of a lemon.  Since these won’t be eaten, you don’t need to peel them or anything.  Just shove them up in there. You’ll also need to bend the wings back on themselves..just fold them behind like the chicken is relaxing.  You don’t want them to burn.

Now this part os going to sound weird, but trust me…it adds so much.  Where I am from, you would have a hard time finding a kitchen that doesn’t keep their bacon grease stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a crock on the counter.  It’s an easy way to add a smoky flavor to dishes without having to waste some perfectly good bacon that would go better on a sandwich or with eggs.  Melt about 3 Tblsp. of bacon grease and baste it over the chicken.  This will make the skin crispy and OH SO DEEEEELICIOUS.  You could also just lay 3 strips of bacon over the top of the bird but, again, I’d rather save my bacon for better things.  Add a little bit of salt and pepper to the skin.

Now put some foil over the whole thing and place it in a 375 degree F oven.  Again, depending on the size of your bird you’ll need to cook until done.  For my little bird I cooked it covered for 2 hours and then uncovered it for 30 minutes.  When you take the roasting pan out of the oven, take the chicken (still on the rack) out of the pan and place on large cooking board or plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest.  The meat needs to rest for at least 15 minutes.  Stir the vegetables and incorporate all the flavors.

Besides the roasted vegetables, I always like to serve a salad with this dish.  Some simple greens or a Spring Mix are perfect.  I also always like to make my own vinaigrette or dressing.  We’ll talk about those later.  For now just use up that bottled crap you’re using now, but don’t plan to buy any more.

This meal is so good and it makes the house smell so damned good.  When you’re done picking most of the meat off of this, DON’T DISCARD THAT CARCASS!  We’re making chicken stock tomorrow…and you need a chicken carcass for that!  And those veggies taste magnificent cold as a quick midnight face-stuff.  Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Chicken and Dumplings: Comfort on a Cold, Rainy Day