More Fun with BACON!!!

As 2022 comes to its end, we come to a beginning.  We make resolutions, promises to ourselves, that we will be someone better in the new year.  I, of course, do not make such resolutions.  Oh no, I maintain that I will continue to be the same witty, sarcastic and snarky woman you have all come to know and love. 

…and with that, I introduce to you all, to, December 30th – National Bacon Day!  Now this is the way to welcome in the new year, with bacon!  There is just something about the smell and taste of bacon that makes whatever it is put on, or in, simply delicious. Bacon is a pork product; a salt cured and smoked part of the pig which comes from the sides or the belly of the beast. The many varieties of bacon are dependent on the parts used and the techniques to preserve it.

Bacon itself has very little meat to it; it is the fat that gives bacon products most of the flavor and richness; also, its crispiness after frying. Before frying, some of the fat can be removed, frozen and saved for later use. The fat left in a fry pan solidifies at room temperature and can be used like lard or vegetable shortening to flavor biscuits, cornbread, and dressings.  Roy loves fresh green beans, especially after I have fried them up in bacon grease.  Can you hear his arteries hardening?

In America, the typical bacon product used is either thin or thick strips. The thin strips, depending on brand quality, can almost be paper thin; frying up very quickly and leaving behind more oil than a cook knows what to do with. One batch I made recently started out as ten-inch strips and quickly whittled down to crispy, melt in the mouth, snack pieces of three inches.  Prime example of, “you get what you pay for”, since the packages were cheaply priced, and now I know why.

The cut of bacon we prefer is thick; more meaty than thin, less fat which makes more for the eating. The typical ten-inch pieces only shrink down to about seven inches; they do not take longer to fry up either. In a 12-inch skillet, high heat, I was able to cook 6-7 pieces in each batch; each batch took only 8 minutes to fry up to delicious crispiness.

Bacon is often used as a sandwich addition, the most popular is the "BLT" or "Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato". I am not a fan of the raw tomato part as I believe the juice of the tomato simply takes away from the crispiness of the bacon, lettuce and toasted bread. For moisture, I slather on a generous dose of mayonnaise on both slices of bread.

 

 

 

Other cuts of bacon popular in, or finding its niche in, USA cooking and baking are Canadian which comes from the back center (or eye of the round). It is more similar to a traditional ham product than bacon; and if you have eaten an "Egg McMuffin" from McDonald's, than you know what I am referring to. From Italy, Pancetta is a non-smoked, cut extremely thin bacon which will add the mild taste of pork without the smokiness of smoked bacon; sometimes it comes flavored with herbs and spices.  A classic Italian dish which features pancetta is Carbonara; pasta coated in a rich and creamy pancetta and egg sauce.

Basically, no matter how you like your bacon, well what can I say, "It's Bacon!!!".

Need a recipe to welcome in the new year, how about Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with a Mexican twist?  This is one of those recipes where I was supposed to make one item, but felt it was boring and needed something more. Instead of plain meatloaf, I decided to use the recipe for Tamale Stuffed Peppers, and add, what else, bacon!

First major decision made was to use a roasting pan with a rack instead of a baking dish. Lining the pan with aluminum foil, rack inserted, but also put a sheet of foil over the rack.  Pricking a few holes here and there on the sheet allowed any excess oil to drip through; the meatloaf would not absorb the excess oil, or cook in it and burn the bottom.  The foil also kept the meat mixture from dropping through and falling apart.

Second decision was to trim the slices of bacon and not tuck them under the meat mixture. Being hidden from the heat would keep them undercooked and bacon needs to be crispy.

The bacon added moisture to the lean ground beef, cut easily without crumbling and did not stick to the foil at all. Every bite was infused with the maple flavor of the bacon; but still able to experience the flavors of the Mexican ingredients too. As a garnish, some cool, freshly made salsa was just right.

 

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with a Mexican Twist

Ingredients:

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 cup each diced onions and tomatoes

1 cup whole kernel corn

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup diced bell peppers

¼ cup diced chile peppers (medium heat)

¾ cup each plain bread crumbs and cornmeal

½ cup milk

2 Tbsp. New Mexico chile powder (medium heat)

10-12 slices thick cut bacon (maple flavor works well)

 

Preparation:

 

Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil; place rack inside; place piece of foil over rack and prick several holes to allow for oil drainage. Preheat oven to 375F.

 

 

 

 

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine all ingredients except the bacon. Remove meat mixture to foil covered rack and carefully form a loaf. Drape bacon strips over loaf, but do not tuck underneath the meat mixture; trim off excess.

 

Bake in oven for 2-2 ½ hours, or until internal temperature reaches 180F. Carefully transfer loaf to serving platter and cut into slices; bacon would have shrunk and can be used as a guide.

 

Makes 10-12 servings.

Happy New Year, and celebrate with bacon! 

Mary Cokenour

 

Spirit of Community at Twin Rocks Café

 Twin Rocks Café

913 East Navajo Twins Drive

Bluff, Utah, 84512

Phone: (435) 672-2341

Website: http://www.twinrockscafe.com/  

Twin Rocks Trading Post

The Navajo Twins

The Simpson Family of Bluff, Utah, has been an integral part of the community for several generations. Duke Simpson purchased land overseen by two sandstone pillars, The Navajo Twins.  He established a trading post in 1988, bartering with local Native Americans, and other residential artisans.  Six years later, with the idea of opening up a small deli to provide sandwiches to travelers, could Duke have foreseen the iconic business he was creating?

Before Twin Rocks Trading Post and Café were even a thought in Duke’s mind, he ran a gas station at the corner of Highways 191 and 162.  He helped Rusty and Lily Musselman build a small trading post of their own right next door; The Cow Canyon Trading Post.  Duke was teaching and establishing values in his children that would benefit the community as well as the family.

As Barry Simpson states, “Twin Rocks has the community in mind; it is about local community and it is about the community of travelers coming through Bluff.”  The Simpsons care about their employees, they are not simply workers, but part of the Twin Rocks family.  “We are living wage employers; we provide opportunity via our own incubator program.  After coming to work for us, one of our employees was finally able to get electricity into her home.  Many are able to go off to college, graduate and then come back to their community of Bluff.”

After purchasing the Trading Post and Café from their father, and there by keeping it within the family, the Simpson sons experienced their own knowledge building and growing processes with the businesses.  Attracting only locals would not be sustainable, it had to attract the interests of travelers as well.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner were made available; many items given that Southwestern flare visitors were looking to experience.  A huge change came about on July 4, 2017 with the addition of new General/Restaurant Manager, Frances Vander Stappen.

Executive Chef, Frances Vander Stappen and Owner, Barry Simpson

Frances hails from northern Utah, did a lot of traveling in her day, and it is no wonder why she fell in love with Bluff.  She is a certified executive chef and very in tune with the restaurant world, as Barry states, “She has taught us a lot!”.  Revamping the menu did not mean losing the Southwestern flare that locals and visitors enjoy, but amping it up!  Green chiles are a staple in many dishes, or can easily be added; Navajo Fry Bread is made with the best flour, Blue Bird; hot sauces and beans from Adobe Milling.  Local sourcing is done as much as possible as dictated by supply and demand.  Sauces and dressings, except for Caesar, are house made and the tastes are fresh.  That is another facet that is important to the Twin Rocks Café menu - fresh, and the addition of healthier, vegetarian and gluten free options offers something for everyone.  If you walk into the Café and cannot find anything on the menu to your liking, that is due to not being hungry in the first place.  

Along with Barry and Frances, their “right hand in general” employee is Nizhoni; a lovely Navajo woman with a beautiful personality and fun spirit.  All the employees are friendly, helpful and make the dining experience at the Café enjoyable.  As a complete family, the Cokenour and Watkins clans always have the best time at Twin Rocks Café.  The atmosphere is welcoming, the employees laugh along with our antics, and the food is always, always the best.

…and there is my lead in to the food.  We all had not been to Twin Rocks Café, since their renovation (life does interfere with life sometimes).  The additional seating area has windows that open up wide to let in those soft breezes; or there is patio seating outside on the veranda.

There are two Tesla units attached to the building, so a vehicle can feed as well as the owners.

New appetizer on the menu, Bluff-alo Chicken Bites; hand-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a fabulous crunch (balance of the sugar mixture is key) and Adobe Milling hot sauce.  Instead of celery sticks, we received cucumber spears along with the sweetest carrot sticks; both a refreshing treat between mouthfuls of delicious heat.

Many of the meals come with a choice of salad, fries or coleslaw; lucky me chose a house salad with the most outstanding dressing, maple-agave-balsamic vinaigrette.  Almost had to stick a fork in my hubby’s hand as he kept stealing my salad; that is how good that dressing is!

My meatloaf dinner is a mixture of pork, beef, bread crumbs, freshly diced celery, onions, herbs, spices….hey there Frances, were you trying to copy my meatball recipe!?! Ah, but here comes the bite upon the cheek, green chile added to the mix and a nice surprise too.  The red-skinned mashed potatoes are house made, and choice of gravy is brown or white.  I picked the brown gravy which was thick and so lip smacking tasty; I even dipped my hubby’s fries in the gravy.  If he can steal my salad, I can steal his fries!

He had the Classic 7-oz. Burger on, what else, Navajo Fry Bread which makes the best Navajo Taco or Pizza as well.  The meat is a ground mixture of Choice round, brisket and short rib grilled to your liking, but an addition of sautéed onions and roasted green chiles makes it A++. The fries are lightly dipped in a beer batter mixture which makes them crunchy good on the outside while fluffy tender on the inside.

Navajo Taco

That beer batter mixture is used more thickly for the hand-cut Alaskan Cod featured in Beer Battered Fish n’ Chips which is eye-popping amazing!  We enjoyed a sample, and were craving it the next day; dad (Bishop Richard Watkins) was still talking about it the next week! Anyone who is a fish eating lover will enjoy this meal, and still be craving it again days later; it is that great! Wow, wonder if I’ll have to put in an order in advance, to make sure they have not run out?  

I know they make sweet tooth indulging desserts, like Peaches de Chelly; but holy moly, we had eaten so much food, they needed to push us out in wheel barrows.  Alright, not really, but we just could not eat another bite without exploding; oh but we so wanted to…eat that is, not explode.

There are a few other new options at Twin Rocks Café, such as breakfast offered all day! Navajo Blue Corn Pancakes, Omelets, Breakfast Burrito, Pancakes and more!  Need a picnic lunch for that hiking, climbing or river rafting adventure, and I always recommend that; Twin Rocks can fix it up fresh for you.  Meat and veggie packed sandwich with all the fixings, dessert, chips and drink for only $13.50.  

When you walk into the front door of Twin Rocks Café, you will notice the newest addition to their delicious offerings; an ice cream counter that also features espresso, espresso beans, quiche, house baked desserts and more!   Oh, but look to the left and see the gift shop featuring crafts and wares from artisans of the Four Corners; plus, books, maps and other must-haves.

Kachina Dolls

While I have only mentioned a few of the menu items, I need to tell you that each experience at Twin Rocks Café has been great…great atmosphere, great staff, great food.  The spirit of community is strong with the Simpson family, with new executive chef, Frances, and with all the staff.  We sat speaking with Barry and Frances for over an hour; the pride and passion was over flowing; their eyes shining with excitement as they watched us taste the food, “ah” over it, and dive in again for another bite.  Go, visit, have a great time, and enjoy being part of the Twin Rocks community; it is a great, not just San Juan County, but Four Corners experience.

Mary Cokenour

Meatloaf Again? Stuff It!

…and so it came to pass, three pounds of lean ground beef defrosted and I am clueless as to what to do with it.  I had a game plan when I took it out of the freezer, but the idea just seems unappetizing suddenly.  Writers get “writer’s block”, so shouldn’t a cook get “I don’t feel like cooking now block”?  *sigh* but the meat is defrosted, can’t be refrozen and finances dictate that eating at a restaurant is not feasible.

Personal recipe book out, flipping through the pages, looking for a meal that can be made without too much effort.  Aha!  The old time favorite that seems to bring a sense of comfort and satisfies…meatloaf!  What to serve with it though?  So tired of mashed potatoes with a vegetable; wait, wait, I have leftover homemade macaroni and cheese.  Oh dear, that’s when the desire for something simple and easy got kicked into creative gear.

Of course, no article on cooking will be complete without a bit of historical referencing.  Meatloaf was not an American culinary invention; sorry to burst your bubble Betty Crocker.  A manuscript, called an Apicius, dating back to 900 A.D., is a collections of recipes; one being a loaf made of minced meat (real meat, not the fruity stuff put into pies).  The Apicius was named for Marcus Gavius Apicius, a Roman gourmet who lived during the reign of Tiberius.  American meatloaf’s origin began with the Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish and Mennonite) who brought a recipe for scrapple (mixture of cornmeal and ground pork) from their homeland, Germany.

Basic of meatloaf, a ground meat mixed with some type of ground grain, maybe seasoned with herbs and spices, then baked or smoked.  The “loaf” part of the name indicates the cooking was done in a loaf pan of some type which made for easily portioned slices.  Served with brown gravy, that’s Swedish style; stuffed with hard boiled eggs, ham and cheese is welcome to Italy; ketchup, tomato sauce or brown sugar glaze on top and hello to the USA.  International cuisines have developed their own styles as trading of goods introduced new foods, spices and cooking techniques.

What happened with my basic meatloaf?  I took the macaroni and cheese and served it up of course, inside the meatloaf.  That’s right, I stuffed it!  The aroma in the kitchen was awesome, but the taste of the final product was out of this world.

 Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients:

3 lbs. lean ground beef

1 (12 oz.) bag dried stuffing cubes

1 cup milk

1 (15.5 oz. can) diced tomatoes with sweet onions (available at Blue Mountain Foods)

1 cup diced green bell pepper

2 Tbsp. saltless seasoning mix

1 tsp. ground black pepper

5 cups macaroni and cheese (see Note)

Ketchup for glazing

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F; line a 4 quart baking dish with aluminum foil and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum foil.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients except the macaroni and cheese and the ketchup. Invert bowl over center of jelly roll pan and deposit mixture onto it. Flatten mixture out to edges of pan. Cut macaroni and cheese into 3 sections and line up edge to edge down lengthwise center of flattened meatloaf mixture.

Put hands under lining and carefully lift mixture over filling, press down firmly and carefully peal back lining; repeat with other long side. Seal the seam over the filling and the sides of the meatloaf; smooth the meatloaf mixture over to create a firm seal.

Turn the baking dish over the meatloaf; with one hand hold down the baking dish while lifting the jelly roll pan with the other hand; flip over and let the meatloaf drop into the baking dish. Remove the lining off the meatloaf; make sure to position the meatloaf down the center of the baking dish; smooth over any cracks that may have opened. Brush ketchup over top and sides of meatloaf to create the glaze.

Place baking dish on center rack of oven and bake for one hour; brush a second layer of ketchup over the top and sides and bake for one additional hour.

The meatloaf will be too large to remove from the baking dish, so cut slices and use a narrow spatula to remove to a plate.

Makes 12-14 servings depending on how large the slices are cut.

Note: The Macaroni and Cheese used should have been made previously and refrigerated in a rectangular container to make for easier slicing.  My macaroni and cheese is a 4-cheese recipe; perhaps I’ll share that in another article.  

Mary Cokenour

One-Two-Three-Four and Time for Coffee Too.

One new recipe.
Two families to cook for.
Three complete meals for a week.
Four hours to prep, prepare and clean up.

No, this is not a new nursery rhyme geared towards the kitchen, and it doesn't rhyme in the least anyway.  This was my accomplishment for this morning; can't decide if I'm leaning towards Super Woman status, or Totally Hot Culinary Goddess.  Besides providing meals for myself and my hubby, I also send meals down to my mother-in-law and her other son who live down in Moab...but I'm getting ahead of myself on the 1-2-3-4 scale.

One New Recipe.

                                                     Roasted Potato Wedges

Ingredients:

3 lbs russet or red skinned potatoes, washed and patted dry (leave skin on)
1/2 cup crushed dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F; use a nonstick jelly roll pan (baking sheet with 1/4 inch lip around edges).

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, angle the knife to cut the first wedge; turn the potato half cut side down and repeat wedge cut with knife; repeat.  Depending on the size of the potatoes, there will be 3-5 wedges with each potato half; place in large bowl.  Add the parsley, salt, black pepper and cheese; toss to coat.  Add the olive oil and toss again making sure to mix in any ingredients that may have settled to the bottom of the bowl.

Spread the wedges on the pan; roast for 25 minutes; turn the wedges over and continue to roast for 20 minutes more.  The outside will be slightly browned and crispy while the inside will be fluffy.

Note:  the olive oil was added last to give the other ingredients a chance to better coat all the potato wedges, not just the top layer which the oil would cover first and make everything stick to it.

Makes 6 servings.

Two Families to Cook for.

As I mentioned earlier, I cook for my husband's family also, so hence the two families.  My mother-in-law enjoys the meals I send down to her, and I enjoy doing it.  Simple as that...and yes, I have a mother-in-law that not only enjoys my cooking, but appreciates it and me as well.  Eat your heart out!

Oh, and don't let the upcoming photos fool you.  There are two trays of each complete meal.

Three Complete Meals for a Week.

Meatloaf with Roasted Potato Wedges

 

Ramen Noodle Beef Stir Fry

 

 

Homemade Italian Dressing Chicken with Vegetables

 

Four Hours to Prep, Prepare and Clean Up.

 

First off, I made sure to get a pot of coffee going; I love my coffee in the morning!

 

After getting the chicken and marinade in a bag and settled into the refrigerator, I began making the stir fry.  What made my time go faster is that I often buy extra vegetables that I use a lot of: bell peppers, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli and cauliflower.  I cut them to the sizes I need, blanch or steam if necessary and portion them out into sealable plastic freezer bags.  When I need them, there they are ready for the using.  The thin round steak was defrosting overnight in the refrigerator, but still slightly frozen when I pulled it out.  This made it so easy to cut thin strips which I mixed with a cup of Hoisin sauce; then I just followed the instructions as listed on my recipe (click  the link over the photo).  While everything was cooking, I had time in between to clean up and start the next meal which was the meatloaf.

 

Again, simply follow the recipe (click the link over the photo); 45 minutes after placing the meatloaves into the oven, I added the tray of potatoes and they finished up at the same time.  I cleaned up and sauteed the vegetables that would go with the chicken.  Fifteen minutes before the meatloaf and potatoes were finished, I began the initial cooking of my chicken which had marinated for the maximum time of four hours.  The chicken was on the baking tray and ready to finish up in the oven as the other items came out.

 

Basically, I began all this at 8am and was completely finished up, including cleanup and packaging up the meals, by 12pm...four hours!

 

During all this, I sipped on Vanilla Nut Creme coffee; dodged cats and dogs milling around my legs, hoping I would drop pieces of chicken or beef; and actually downed a muffin for breakfast.  So, I have decided that not only am I a Super Woman, but definitely a Goddess also.  I'm now going to take a well deserved nap; have a great day everyone!

 

Mary Cokenour

 

 

 

 



More Fun with BACON!!!

Being in the mood for a bacon and egg breakfast for the weekend, I pulled the thick cut maple bacon out of the freezer for defrosting. At the same time, I pulled out a package of lean ground beef to make meatloaf for dinner.

After getting home from work, it was just one thing after another; them came the time to make dinner. Looking at the ground beef, I started to reconsider making the meatloaf and I thought of other recipes. I really like those Tamale Stuffed Peppers, but alas, no fresh peppers in the fridge. I could make my Mexican Shepherd's Pie; very similar to the stuffed peppers, but as a casserole. Heh; I spotted the now defrosted bacon, a picture formed in my mind and I decided, "why not!?!"



That's right, Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and I used many of the ingredients from the Tamale Stuffed Peppers to give an extra Mexican twist. Hey, if I can put bacon into or on top of cupcakes, why not a meatloaf? ...and so it began.


Now the first major decision I made was to use a roasting pan with a rack instead of a baking dish. I lined the pan with aluminum foil, inserted the rack, but also put a sheet of foil over the rack. I pricked a few holes here and there on the sheet to allow any excess oil to drip through; the meatloaf wouldn't absorb the excess oil or cook in it and burn the bottom.  The foil also kept the meat mixture from dropping through and falling apart.


Second decision was to trim the slices of bacon and not tuck them under the meat mixture. I felt that being hidden from the heat would keep them undercooked and I wanted the bacon crispy.



The bacon added moisture to the lean ground beef, cut easily without crumbling and did not stick to the foil at all. Every bite was infused with the maple flavor of the bacon; but after swallowing a strong bacon flavor coated the tongue. You were still able to experience the flavors of the Mexican ingredients too. As a garnish, some cool, freshly made salsa was just right.

Yeah, I like playing with bacon.

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with a Mexican Twist

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup each diced onions and tomatoes
1 cup whole kernel corn
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup diced bell peppers
¼ cup diced chile peppers (medium heat)
¾ cup each plain bread crumbs and cornmeal
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp New Mexico chile powder (medium heat)
10-12 slices thick cut bacon (maple flavor works well)

Preparation:

Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil; place rack inside; place piece of foil over rack and prick several holes to allow for oil drainage. Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine all ingredients except the bacon. Remove meat mixture to foil covered rack and carefully form a loaf. Drape bacon strips over loaf, but do not tuck underneath the meat mixture; trim off excess.

Bake in oven for 2-2 ½ hours, or until internal temperature reaches 180F. Carefully transfer loaf to serving platter and cut into slices; bacon would have shrunk and can be used as a guide.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Meatloaf Again...Stuff It!

So there I was, staring at the package of ground beef and wondering, "what do I serve with the meatloaf this time?"  There was the leftover macaroni and cheese; wow, how original, can you tell I just wasn't feeling it?  I'm not really sure how it happened, but sometime during the ingredient gathering process, this idea popped into my head and wouldn't let go.  What if I wrapped the meatloaf around the mac n' cheese?  Could I even achieve such a thing; what the heck would it look like; more importantly, what would it taste like???  Ok, call me crazy, but I just had to try it, just to see if I could do it mostly.

I took photos of the process to go along with the recipe.  The aroma in the kitchen was awesome, but the taste of the final product was out of this world.  Now I can't wait to try out other types of fillings, but don't worry Roy, I will make my regular meatloaf from time to time as I know how much you like the original.  Trial and error...who would have thunk it?

Stuffed Meatloaf

Ingredients:

3 lbs lean ground beef
1 (12 oz) bag dried stuffing cubes
1 cup milk
1 (15.5 oz can) diced tomatoes with sweet onions
1 cup diced green bell pepper
2 Tbsp saltless seasoning mix
1 tsp ground black pepper
5 cups macaroni and cheese (see Note)
Ketchup for glazing

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F; line a 4 qt baking dish with aluminum foil and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum foil.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients except the macaroni and cheese and the ketchup. Invert bowl over center of jelly roll pan and deposit mixture onto it. Flatten mixture out to edges of pan. Cut macaroni and cheese into 3 sections and line up edge to edge down lengthwise center of flattened meatloaf mixture.

Put hands under lining and carefully lift mixture over filling, press down firmly and carefully peal back lining; repeat with other long side. Seal the seam over the filling and the sides of the meatloaf; smooth the meatloaf mixture over to create a firm seal.

Turn the baking dish over the meatloaf; with one hand hold down the baking dish while lifting the jelly roll pan with the other hand; flip over and let the meatloaf drop into the baking dish. Remove the lining off the meatloaf; make sure to position the meatloaf down the center of the baking dish; smooth over any cracks that may have opened. Brush ketchup over top and sides of meatloaf to create the glaze.

Place baking dish on center rack of oven and bake for one hour; brush a second layer of ketchup over the top and sides and bake for one additional hour.

The meatloaf will be too large to remove from the baking dish, so cut slices and use a narrow spatula to remove to a plate.

Makes 12-14 servings depending on how large the slices are cut.

Note: (The Macaroni and Cheese used should have been made previously and refrigerated in a rectangular container to make for easier slicing.)

Mary Cokenour

Update your own recipes to keep it new.

Basically, anyone who cooks has their own "recipe book", whether it's kept in an actual book, on a computer, recipe cards, or just scraps of paper, we like to know what we've cooked and how to repeat it. Many cooks use the same recipe always and never think to alter it in any way; and sometimes that's the way it should be depending on the recipe. Some recipes are meant to be played with; they invite our imagination and creativity.

Back on January 31st, I posted my Basic Meatloaf recipe, and even gave ideas on how to alter it. Well, this weekend I played with it once again, and hubby and I both swear that it's the best I've ever come up with. Totally simple, totally awesome in texture and taste.

So, into a very large mixing bowl, I first put in my 4 lbs of lean ground beef (for 2 loaves). Now chunky salsa (medium heat) was on sale at the local market and I picked up a couple of jars; I added one jar (15.5 oz) to the mixing bowl. I opened up the cabinet door to get the dried Italian seasoned bread crumbs, but sitting next to it was a bag of seasoned bread cubes to make stuffing. There was only 2 cups left in the bag and I figured....why not? So into the bowl that went with 1 cup of milk; and a good thorough hand mixing; covered the bowl with plastic wrap and waited 15 minutes.

Preheating the oven at 375F, I sprayed 2 - 1 and 1/2 qt baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray; uncovered the bowl and divided the mixture evenly in half. When taking out each portion, I noticed that the mixture stayed together well, didn't try to come apart and I formed the loaves easily in the baking dishes. I then gave each loaf a good coating of ketchup, popped them in the oven for 30 minutes; I gave each loaf another coating of ketchup before letting the loaves cook for another 45 minutes. Removing each loaf from the dish was an easier task than usual; they usually crack and break apart even if using two large spatulas, but not this time.

Then came the cutting and tasting; the slicing was so easy; again, no cracking, breaking or crumbling. The taste...the sweetness from the ketchup glaze, a little heat from the salsa, but you could really taste the peppers and onion. Here and there a bread cube was visible, but the meat was moist...it was addictive and hard to stop eating it. Amazing, simply amazing meatloaf.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next altered recipe was to a one pan meal I make with Ramen noodles,
Oriental Chicken, Vegetables and Noodles which I originally posted on April 15th.

I basically used the same recipe, but made these changes:

Instead of stir fry vegetables, I used 1 bag (12oz) thawed peas and carrot and 1 can (15 oz) baby corn. At the end of cooking, I quickly stirred in 2 beaten eggs to give the dish richness and shine. Absolutely delicious!

So there you go, a little alteration to two separate recipes which creates something a little more awesome for the dinner plate. Enjoy!

Mary Cokenour

Cooking as a dramatic sport….sure, why not?

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I like to watch cooking shows; have both Food Network Channel and The Cooking Channel on my television lineup.  One show I have been watching is “Worst Cooks in America”, and this is their second season, featuring last season’s winner, Anne Burrell, and challenger, Robert Irvine.   The premise is average, everyday people, who cannot even boil water, and if they did, they would burn it; they are put on teams (red or blue).  The chefs teach each team member a dish which has to be, usually, replicated; or, for a challenge, each person has to come up with something original.  There is a cash price for the overall winner; one person is chosen for each team, must cook a gourmet meal for judges who determine the overall  winner, and, thereby, the winning chef.   

My problem with the show is, mainly, the recipes; they can be complicated, and for a beginner, I don’t believe they’re given enough time to reproduce the dish, and get it as close to perfect as they can.  A professional can get a dish together, start to finish, in 30 minutes, but a beginner would take more than 40 minutes for sure.  Ah, but that’s the whole idea, isn’t it?  I mean, how can the show be interesting and dramatic if all the chefs did was teaching, and not add pitfalls in?  If all one wanted to do was see recipes done by a professional, all they have to do is watch any of the numerous shows on either channel.

Back in the 1990s, I taught cooking for Adult Education; I enjoyed sharing and teaching.  Some of the students were clueless, so I worked harder with them; some students were know-it-alls, and I wasn’t really sure why they were in the classes at all, since they already knew everything.   Sometimes I would hold a class in my own home for those who couldn’t make the classes at the school, or just needed to learn basics fast (usually brides-to-be who wanted to impress the new husbands-to-be).     When it comes to cooking and beginners, patience is a big virtue; you have to ease them into the techniques and the terminology, or they will be so lost, they’ll never be found.

So, what would be an easy dish to teach a beginner, what about a favorite American comfort food like meatloaf?  Not only is meatloaf easy to make, it is very versatile.  It can be made with any type of ground meat or poultry, even combinations of same.  I remember when supermarkets sold a meat mixture of ground beef, pork and veal (have you seen the price of veal !?!) which was labeled “meatloaf mix”; and while it could be used to make meatloaf, it was, more than likely, used for meatballs.

Then there are the ingredients that go within the ground meat or poultry: vegetables, seasonings, breads, liquids, cheeses, even hard boiled eggs (chopped or whole).  I’m going to be posting a basic meatloaf recipe in this blog today, but it’s what you can do with it that’s the real trick.  Instead of plain diced onions and tomatoes, how about using a jar of salsa for a little extra kick?  Or use the salsa as the topping, instead of a tomato sauce or ketchup.   Thinking Oriental; use ginger and soy in the mix with a teriyaki glaze over the meatloaf.   Don’t like meat, ground chicken or turkey can be used, but they’re bland, so be generous with the seasoning.   Bread crumbs – fresh, dry (ground or soaked in milk), plain or seasoned; and the types of breads available are endless.  Liquids, to help moisten and flavor, could be milk, beaten eggs, wine, broth.    Besides having meatloaf as a meal, served with sides; it makes a great cold or hot sandwich.

Experiment, have fun and find an enjoyment in what you’re doing.  Sure, you might fail, but don’t dwell on that, and you’ll learn from the failures.  Imagine the great meals you will make, and that will keep the ego and inspiration up.

Basic Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 egg

1 small onion, diced

1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 cup Italian style bread crumbs

ketchup

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray 2 qt (oval or rectangular) baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the ketchup.  Mix thoroughly; remove to baking dish and shape into an oval loaf.  Spread ketchup evenly over top and sides of meatloaf.

Bake for 1 hour, uncovered; remove and spread a second layer of ketchup over top and sides.  Return to oven, bake an additional 1 hour, uncovered. 

Remove from oven, let rest 15 minutes before placing meatloaf on serving platter.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour