There's No Crying In Cooking..

Picture this:
Candy in the kitchen cooking all the family's holiday favorite foods on Sunday. Christmas music playing festively in the background and the family comfortably nestled around hearth and home. It's a beautiful holiday picture...until it came time to chop up the onions. The kids were horrified by mom's sudden red and tearing eyes and I was stifled by the pain and stinging.

I tried some of my best known tricks for stopping the torture while chopping onions

• Put a match stick between your teeth. (I tried both lit and not lit)
• Run the water while chopping.
• Light a candle.

None of them worked. I was crying like a little baby-and the stinging was so painful that I had to stop completely more than once. I even contemplated shorting the recipe of chopped onions because I seriously couldn't put myself through the agony for one more second.

There's no "Holly Jolly Christmas" without everybody's favorite foods-so what am I to do? What do you do? Because seriously-I'm considering using the scuba mask like my friend in the picture above. Legend has it that as the onions grow under the ground absorb the sulfurs from the earth that cause the painful gasses to emit when chopping. 

A quick internet search shows several tried and true ways to stop the tearing. I'm ready and willing to try anything at this point:

• Cut an onion under the vent-put a cutting board on the stove top and turn on the vent overhead. The ventilation fan is supposed to redirect the fumes away from your eyes. 
• Wear goggles-you can purchase specifically designed goggles for onion cutting, but everything that I read says swimming goggles work just as well.
• Freeze the onion-put the onion in the freezer 15 minutes before chopping. Theory is that the cold inhibits the onion's release of the painful gasses.  
• Put a piece of bread in your mouth-probably the easiest and most effective. The thinking here is that the bread absorbs all the bad stuff, but users of this method report that your mouth will water while chopping causing one soggy piece if bread in the end. 

All in all-I don't care which one causes what as long as it works! Because a Christmas without onions is like the year without a Santa Claus!

Burger Bonanza

Ever have a juicy, delectable burger that you find yourself craving the next day?  I have found the ultimate burger that has been my go-to BBQ staple this summer. I served it recently to some friends who said, "best burger ever!" and that's not the first time I have served them. 

The story goes like this:

My mom and dad were at a Lowes dept store, picking up some home improvement stuff. My dad was perusing the magazines at the checkout line and he found this recipe. On the way home they decided 

to buy the ingredients and try them. The next day mom was on the phone raving about these burgers. About a week later, my dad copied the recipe and gave it to me, without me even asking. Since they were so highly recommended, I made them later that week and they did not disappoint. 

Just in time for the labor day BBQ, I present you with the best burger recipe EVER!

You can thank me later...

Beef Burgers with Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onions

You will need:

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Medium yellow onions, chopped about 2 cups

1 1/2  Lb. ground beef (preferably 85% Lean)

1 Tbs. chopped fresh Tarragon

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce (preferably Lea & Perrins)

4 oz. blue cheese crumbled (about 1cup)

4 Brioche or challah rolls, split

Heat a gas grill to medium high or prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire.

Melt the butter in a 12 inch skillet over medium low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until golden and soft; about 20 minutes; reduce the heat to low if the onions begin to brown too quickly. 

Meanwhile in a large bowl, thoroughly mix the beef, tarragon, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce with your hands. Form the mixture into four 1/2 inch thick patties.

Oil the grill grate. grill the burgers, covered, for 3 minutes. flip the burgers and top with the cheese. Cover and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a burger registers 130 degrees F for medium rare; about 4 minutes more or 145 degrees F for medium, about 6 minutes more. 

When the burgers are nearly done, toast the rolls cut side down on the grill until browned and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the burgers in the rolls, topped with the caramelized onions.

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/beef-burgers-with-blue-cheese-caramelized-onions.aspx

Hot Diggety Dog!

It's the second word in the old classic advertising campaign for American car maker Chevrolet,

"Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet."

Hot dogs are as American as all of those beloved things, and a summertime staple on everybody's grill. How you like your hot dog can be compared to how you like your coffee, right?  Mustard, onions, ketchup (must be Heinz) and relish are the classics, but there is a new wave of foodies that are challenging and old American classic. 

Celebrity Chef Rachel Ray showed us how to dress up the hot diggedy dog in new and exciting ways on GMA this morning! She prepared 7-Layer Hot Dogs with such ease, and set my stomach churning and yearning for this delightful  take on-what?- designer hot dogs?

Rachel Ray's 7-Layer Hot Dogs

Ingredients

1 cup canned spicy vegetarian refried beans

Half palmful ground cumin

4 Jumbo hot dogs (butterflied open only if crisping on griddle)

(Cooking Spray, if crisping)

4 good quality hot dog buns

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1 cup corn chips, such as Fritos, lightly crushed

1 cup crema

Guacamole

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

Salt

2 avocados

1 large jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped

Small handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1 large or 2 medium cloves garlic, pasted or grated

Pico de Gallo

2 to 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno chile, minced

A couple tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1 lime, zested and juiced

Salt and pepper

Cooking Directions

For the Guacamole

In a medium bowl, douse the onion with the citrus juices. Salt liberally and let stand 10 minutes. Scoop the avocado flesh into the bowl. Add the jalapeño, cilantro, and garlic and mash with a fork until fairly smooth. Adjust the salt.

For the Pico de Gallo

In a small bowl, add the plum tomatoes, onion, chile,cilantro, lime juice and zest and season with salt andpepper.

For the Hot Dogs

Place a medium pot of water over high heat and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low, add hot dogs and cook until heated through. This will only take a few minutes. If crisping the dogs, place a griddle or skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add the hot dogs cut side down first to the pan and cook until crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over and crisp the other side for another minute.

To assemble:

Slather some refried beans on the inside of the bun and add a sprinkling of the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. Place a hot dog in the bun and top with some crushed fritos, guacamole, pico de gallo and dot with crema.

Holy guacamole! I know what's for dinner tonight. Rachel the great, also served up several other options for creating a hot dog smorgasbord. Check these out:

Seattle Dog

Spread the hot dog with cream cheese, then top it with grilled onions and sliced jalapenos.

Pastrami Reuben Dog

Wrap the hot dog in pastrami, layer on a slice of Swiss cheese, melt. Top with sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing.

In a Pickle Dog

Top the hot dog with pickle relish, cucumber wedges and dill pickle wedges. Sprinkle with celery salt.

Pimento Cheese Dog

Spread the hot dog with store-bought pimento cheese, then sprinkle with crushed buttery crackers, such as Ritz.

It looks and sounds soooo fun! I'm serving 7 layer and Pastrami Ruben Dogs tonite!

I'll let you know how they come out...

Baby, It's Cold Outside.

Nothing says lovin like a heapin, hot bowl of chili. I love all kinds of chili, as long as it's got a kick to it, and when the weather gets cold and icy, there's no better time for some hot lovin.

I'm always trying new kinds of chili, too. I just got a new recipe for chili that looks easy, but the recipe makes 16 gallons of chili, and I'm not sure I could feed that many people in my house. I'll keep you posted on how that one turns out.

While I love a good beef chili, the past few years have seen me coming back to my new favorite recipe, and it's not the chili of my dreams. Nope, its a vegetarian chili that is every bit as rib stickin', tummy satisfying as it's older brother, and it comes from Emeril Lagasse.

I stumbled upon the recipe a couple of years ago when I had been served a delightful bowl of veggie chili that had me yearning for more. I think I googled vegetarian chili recipe and his was the first to come up. A Food Network 5 out of 5 stars recipe, it's tattered and stained print out has been my go to chili for the past few years because it never disappoints.

Do your tummy a favor and give it some warm lovin. Cuz Baby it's cold outside...

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste
• 1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
• 1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespooon ground cumin
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup vegetable stock, or water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Cooked brown rice, accompaniment
• Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish
• Diced avocado, garnish
• Essence, recipe follows, garnish
• Chopped green onions, garnish

Directions

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

To serve, place 1/4 cup of brown rice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the chili into the bowls over the rice. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of avocado. Sprinkle with Essence and green onions and serve.

Fried Green Dreams

I had a dream about Fried Green Tomatoes last night.

Bizarre? Yes, I'm aware of the absurdity, but it still happened.

I think it was stuck in my subconscious because I was reading an article in one of my food magazines last week about Fried Green Tomato sandwiches. I was thinking about the fact that even though I have never had a fried green tomato, I crave them.

This is what I know about Fried Green Tomatoes:

• It was one of my favorite movies. It stars Mary Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson, Kathy Bates and the late, great Jessica Tandy. It's one of those movies that when it comes on I have to stop what I'm doing and watch it. It was the first time I had ever heard of Fried Green Tomatoes and I have been curious about them ever since. 

• They are a southern thing. Who the hell came up with this recipe? Leave it to the Southerners to fry up a tomato that's not ripe and make it  delectable. I know only Frick and I would try them in my family, but I think I will make them sometime soon. I bet they are just as good cold as they are warm, too. 

So in honor of my fried green dreams, I searched the internet for a good recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes and came up with this one from AllRecipes.com:

Best Fried Green Tomatoes (how could I go wrong?)

Ingredients

• 4 large green tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

I Love Me A Nice, Big SANG-a-wich..

I'm loving the changes I've made my in diet, because it keeps me fit and helps me to stay on track and stay in my jeans. Being sugar-free isn't easy, but I've come to get used to the foods I can and can't eat. I get to eat whatever want (EXCEPT sugar) two meals a week, and I usually end up splurging on dinner foods. One of the things I miss is having a sandwich. I miss the good old, wholesome yumminess of having a big old sandwich.

I was watching Rachel Ray's show yesterday and I learned that April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Really? Who decides this stuff? Anyway, this just served to get my sandwich mojo flowing and I decided that tonight would be National Grilled Cheese Night in The Daily Dandy household.

Rachel had a "Grilled Cheese Sammie Smackdown" and she made 3 types of delectable, yummy, gooey grilled cheese goodness. Today I'm sharing the recipe for the one that lit my taste buds ablaze and made me get all giddy with the anticipation of a Grilled Cheese dinner night!

Grilled Deviled Ham and Cheese

Ingredients

• For the Deviled Ham:
• 1/2 pound prosciutto cotto, coarsely chopped
• 1 small rib celery from heart, coarsely chopped
• 1 Fresno chili pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley tops, a small handful
• 1 large clove garlic, grated or pasted
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard, such as French’s
• 2 round tablespoons pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, such as Lea and Perrin’s
• Black pepper
• 
  
• Good quality salted butter, melted
• 8 hand-sliced slices good quality white bread, cut 1/2-inch thick
• 8 deli slices Swiss cheese, such as Jarlesberg
• 8 deli slices yellow cheddar cheese

Preparation

For the deviled ham, pulse-process ingredients in food processor into almost-smooth, very finely chopped spread.

Liberally brush 1 side of 8 slices of bread for 4 sandwiches with the melted butter. 

Build sandwiches: bread with the butter side facing down, 2 slices Swiss cheese, some deviled ham, 2 slices cheddar cheese, and another slice of bread with the buttered side out.

Grill sandwiches over medium heat on nonstick griddle pan until cheese is melted and they’re deeply golden.

All 3 of Rachel Ray's Grilled Cheese recipes can be found HERE.  

And I'm just warning you...you may be thinking about you favorite "sang-a -wich" all day long.

Cookie Monster

No wonder Cookie Monster is one of the most beloved Sesame Street characters of all time, because nothing reduces mature adults into little children more than a plate full of cookies. We had our annual Christmas party yesterday and we decided to participate in a cookie swap. Have you ever done this?

Everybody makes two dozen cookies; the recipe of their choice, and brings them to the party. The cookies get laid out on a table and the guests each get to make a platter full of two or three of each kind of cookie. We had 11 people and about 15 different varieties of cookies to make a generous platter of cookies from. The hostess bought us special Christmas platters to house the cookies and take home as a party favor. It was a blast, and all of the cookies were fantastic. We even ended up swapping a few recipes by the end of the party.

The best part of the cookie swap is that now everyone has all these different, colorful and fantastic cookies, we get to share them with our families! When I got home, the quiet household came to life and more than a few cookies were consumed before dinner. We had gingerbread men, candy canes with colorful frosting and Christmas trees. There were smores bars and wedding cakes and peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses. One woman made colorful bags full of a wonderful mix she called "White Trash", which was Check mix with melted white chocolate and another made homemade English Toffee.

I got a recipe for these little treats:

Pretzel Squares
Rollo Candy
Pecans

Put the Rollo candy on top of the pretzel square, then the pecan on top of that.
Place in an oven heated to 325 degrees.
Watch as the candy melts, just enough to adhere to the pretzel and the pecan to the candy, a few minutes.
Remove from oven and let harden.
Enjoy!

The tough part is now staying away from the cookie platter, especially when a cookie would make a nice breakfast on the go and great lunch follow up. Too bad there's not a fool proof way to remove all the fat and calories these colorful creations are chock full of.

Now that would be one heck of a Christmas present, right?

Today I'm Channeling Sofia Vergara

And it's not why you think.

I just finished up, literally,(cuz I was too lazy to do it last night) cooking a Latin inspired dish for Frack's theatre company to enjoy tonite at their upcoming high school's show rehearsal. It's a spicy, sumptuous, salsa inspired dish that is always a crowd favorite. I've been making this dish for years, and as the recipe in the book, "America's Best Loved Community Recipes" says:

"Marcie Benne and her friends often have small dinner parties and pot lucks, and Marie usually brings her specialty, Enchiladas Con Pollo. She tells us that this is a dish she can serve confidently. "They will always be delicious."

I am living proof that true to her word, they always are! Today I decided to share this little gem with you, so that you can unleash your inner Sofia Vergara too.

Enchiladas Con Pollo from "America's Best Loved Community Recipes"


This is the finished product for tonite

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (8 ounces)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (10 ounces)

1/3 cup chopped tomatoes

1/3 chopped black olives

1/4 cup chopped green chili peppers

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 16 ounce jars taco sauce or salsa (3 1/2 cups)

10 6 to 7 inch flour or corn tortillas

Chopped black olives (optional)

Chopped tomatoes (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3 quart rectangular baking dish.

2. In a large bowl , stir together 1 cup of the cheese, the chicken, tomatoes, olives, chili peppers and onion. Add 1 cup of the taco sauce or salsa and mix well.

3.Place the remaining taco sauce in a shallow dish.(like a pie plate) Dip the tortillas in the sauce, one at a time, covering each side with salsa.

4. Spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up, on a cutting board, and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. (this will be very messy but keep going) Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas.

5. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas and return to the oven, about 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped olives and chopped tomato, if desired. Serve immediately with salsa and sour cream.

Spice up your life and enjoy!

Culinary Throwdown: Obamanation Meals

Today's is the day for Chef Troll's Culinary Throwdown, the theme is a budget meal/dish in our tough economic climate.

Oh baby, do I have a good one for you.

Since we must make a dish for an economically challenged wallet, I decided to conquer breakfast, as it is the most important meal of the day. Today's dish is simple, simple, simple, and good, good, great, but no calorie cutter-as this one is OVER the calorie limit, BIG TIME, but not the budget limit!! But we only live once and since we are on a tight budget here, we might as well be fat and happy, right??

OK, so I present to you my easy, yummy, Recees Peanut Butter Cup Pancakes.

You will need:

1 box of Bisquick-(I don't care what anyone says, Bisquick makes a perfect pancake)

1 Reeces Peanut Butter Cup Candy Bar

1 serving of Aunt Jemima Maple Syrup

1 can of Pam cooking spray

1 egg

milk-

Follow directions on Bisquick box to make pancake batter.

I halved the recipie to cut costs for my small family.

Spray Pam cooking spray lightly onto fry pan and heat till droplets of water sizzle on hot surface.

Pour batter onto hot skillet and let rise, reducing temp slightly to avoid burning pancake.

Chop Reeses candy into small 1/4 cubes-a little bigger than the size of a dime-(in my excitment, I forgot to take a shot of the chopped up Reeses Peanut Butter Cup so this is a re-enactment with chocolate chips, which are no way near as good as Reeses)

Add chopped Reeses to uncooked side of pancake, just before flipping.

Ah Voila!!! The most delactable, delightful, inexpensive pancake you will ever love!!!

Total cost for dish-

Bisquick-$2.59-I used one cup of the large box for the recipe-so it was practically free.

Reeses Peanut Butter Cup- .75 cents.

milk-1/2 cup of a $3.49 gallon-again, pennies.

1 egg-1/12 of a $1.89 dozen=pennies.

1 serving of $1.79 bottle of Aunt Jemima's Maple syrup.

Total cost of all ingredients amout to a little over $10.00-my estimate on my dish would be for less than $5 bucks.

Livin la vida loca!

Today's Special: Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi have taken their place amongst gourmet foodies as their pasta of choice and, believe it or not, they are not difficult to make. The key to these "pillow soft" gnocchi is to knead the dough as least as possible so that they do not become tough and "gluey".

This recipe comes courtesy of Saveur Magazine and are the brain-child of chef Barbara Lynch of Sportello Restaurant in Boston.

FOR THE GNOCCHI:
1 lb. russet potatoes (about 2), unpeeled
1 1⁄4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
3⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. truffle oil
1 egg, beaten

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. (I used 3 potatoes, as they weren't large in size)


Drain the potatoes and set aside to slightly cool.


The potatoes will be soft enough to peel the skin off easily.

The recipe called for the potatoes to be worked through a "food mill or a potato ricer", but I used my food processor, being careful not to "over process", then transfer onto a floured surface.

Sprinkle the flour and salt over the potatoes and mix together with hands.

Forming a mound with the dough, create a well in the center.

Add the truffle oil and the egg into the well.

Gently knead the dough together to combine, adding a small amount of flour when dough becomes sticky, until your dough is complete. Do not over knead.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll the dough to a 1/2" thick and cut into 1/2" wide strips. Roll the strips between your hands and the floured surface to form ropes, then cut the ropes into 1" pieces.

Working with one piece at a time, roll it down the back of a small fork so that the tines of the fork make ridges on the surface of the dough. This is important to help the sauce "cling" to the cooked gnocchi. Transfer rolled gnocchi to the floured baking sheet. When complete, cover with a kitchen towel and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Bring a 6-quart pot of salted water to a boil and add gnocchi cooking until they float; about 2 minutes.

Barbara's wonderful recipe calls for a delectable cream sauce with green peas and Chanterelle mushrooms (which I bought) and I HIGHLY recommend (see recipe link above), but of course, the crew at my house put the kibosh on the sauce the second they heard the ingredients. I had to go for my quick, famous old stand by, marinara sauce.

Gnocchi is so delicious, it can be served with any type of sauce; bolognese, marinara, pesto, pomodoro or whatever you like.

I chose a quick marinara so that everyone would be happy.

If everything goes as planned your dinner should look like this:

And if you are as good a chef as I think you are, when dinner is over your dish should look like this:

Thank you to Saveur Magazine and Sportello's Chef Barbara Lynch for the recipe for gnocchi-my favorite pasta. Rest assured, I will complete the recipe the way it was intended to be served eventually.

Better yet, I will take a road trip soon to experience your dish at Sportello and to thank you personally.

Good luck bloggers! Bon Appetit!

The Maturity of Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes And Green Beans

I believe the roots of maturity can be linked to the time that you realize that meatloaf is not what you thought it to be. What used to be the worst, most disgusting food on the planet, you suddenly find yourself deciding that instead, it's quite good. Meatloaf night, as a kid, was a fate worse than death, but you somehow managed to hide most of it, undetected, under the mashed potatoes and went straight to dessert. Then somewhere along the way, you and your taste buds graduated to appreciate it for what it is, a wholesome yet tasty comfort food.

The gateway through meatloaf can take you on a crash course of other previously denounced cuisines. All at once you begin exploring food options that at one time were off limits. Fish? Might not be so bad. Spinach? Essential and pure; as well as other veggies-cauliflower, carrots, peas and brussel sprouts. The mature mind becomes hungry for the goodness it has been missing.

Once the floodgates of meatloaf maturity are opened, there's no stopping one from tasting any and all obscure food choices. The palate is now the scholar and the education, inviting and challenging, with more than a few surprises along the way. Pea soup, eggs, mushrooms, oysters, salmon, tomato juice, even tongue. One thinks, "If meatloaf didn't kill me, maybe these aren't so bad. I'm mature now and I'll try it, at least."

My children are just on the cusp. They will eat half of the meatloaf , mashed potatoes and green beans on their plate, yet still ask for dessert. Upon inspection, I find no meatloaf under the potatoes, but they are still young and time is on their side. They will, however, try new foods. Sushi and spinach among the list of things they now like. They are in the infancy stages of this new found maturity. If only psychological maturity were this easy.



I offer you my favorite recipes for Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans:

Meatloaf:

2 lbs. 85% lean ground beef
1 cup oats
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup ketchup
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/8 tsp Worcestershire Sauce


Pre-heat oven to 350.
Mix ingredients in a large bowl until all ingredients are incorporated.
Place mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan.

Bake 1 hour 15 minutes


Mashed Potatoes:

Peel and cut into quarters 8-10, white potatoes. (Number of potatoes can vary according to servings)

Boil potato quarters in rapidly boiling water until wedges are soft enough to stick a fork through easily.

Drain potatoes and mash in bowl.
Add 3/4 of a stick of butter-cut into pieces-
salt to taste (about a 1/2 tsp)
1/2 cup milk

Mix with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Serve immediately.


Green Beans:

Steam 4 cups cut up green beans (till tender when pierecd with fork) in microwave or on stovetop-according to stovetop steamer directions and/or microwave directions.

Drain beans and put in serving bowl.
Add 2-3 TBSP butter and mix until melted.
Top off with garlic salt to taste. (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Serve immediately.