Corn Casserole (aka "Corn Pudding")

During Christmas dinner this year, I was exposed to a medley of American comfort foods at the Gregorys' house: green bean casserole, oven-roasted spiral cut ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potateos, and a new discovery, corn casserole.  I think I've had corn casserole at some point, but I cannot remember when.  Regardless, this was the dish placed directly in front of me during dinner, and I made the best of its positioning! Further, I kept having to heap plates with corn casserole because it was one of the more popular dishes and after six very hungry people, there was still plenty left over.

I'm posting this recipe because it was easily one of my favorites made by Joe's mother, Joanne Gregory.  She's been making it for years, and has made several adjustments to the recipe (an addition of parsley and butter over margarine).  I will be re-posting this recipe in the future with my own notes on how to prepare this dish, but until then, here are the ingredients and the basic directions as suggested by The Times Magazine in its Nov. 4th, 1985 edition (page 39).

Joanne's Corn Casserole
* 1 8 1/2 ounce box of corn bread mix, used dry
* 1 17 ounce can cream-style corn
* 1 17 ounce can whole-kernel corn, undrained
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 8 ounce container commercial sour cream
* 1/2 cup melted butter
* 1-2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1.) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2.) In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.  Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3.) Serve immediately and enjoy!
Makes 8-10 servings. 

Meanwhile, here are some more photos of Joanne's Christmas brunch and hungry family: 

Bring me that Corn Casserole!!

Tom Carving the Ham:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have so many memories of making chocolate chip cookies as a kid.  Usually under the guidance of very patient adults and friends of the family (Linda and Lise, you know who you are!), we made batches and batches of America's favorite cookie, and I would chow down on both the batter and the cookies alike.

Today, I am often more inventive with the cookies I bake--I like to experiment with ginger snaps, dump cookies, and dishes that generally require more work.  Yet, when it comes time to make a crowd pleaser, nobody likes a cookie more than chocolate chip cookies! Nor are any recipes as reliable and tasty as a traditional chocolate chip one.  While baking for the holidays, this is exactly the cookie Sarah and I made!







Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe comes from the back of a Nestle's Chocolate Chip bag.  The recipe is often referred to as the "Tollhouse Cookie Recipe," and is even the same as the one on the back of the McCormick vanilla extract box.  I've retained the original Nestle's recipe here, but added an extra 3 teaspoons to the vanilla extract.  At first, I assumed McCormick was over-compensating the vanilla for the retail of their product (and, they probably are), but the resulting adding vanilla makes such a yummy difference! Try the recipe for yourself with the regular vanilla (1 teaspoon vanilla extract), or make it with the suggested 4 teaspoons.


Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or "plain flour")
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Butter, or 2 sticks, softened
3/4 cup Granulated sugar
3/4 cup Brown sugar, packed
4 tsps Vanilla extract
2 large Eggs
2 cups, or 1 bag of NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup Walnuts, chopped (OPTIONAL)

METHOD
1.) Preheat oven at 375 F, and combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and set aside.  You will need the flour mixture to add to the wet mixture.
2.) In a separate bowl (preferably a kitchen aid bowl), beat butter, sugars (both regular granulated and brown), and vanilla extract on low speed until fully integrated and creamy. 
3.) Slowly, add eggs one at a time to the mixture at low speed.
4.) Then, add the dry/flour mixture slowly, and a little bit at a time.  I usually try to eyeball about 1/4-1/2 cup of the dry mixture at a time until fully integrated.  Remember what Alton Brown says, "Speed Kills Kids," so you definitely want to be patient while combining both the wet and dry ingredients.
5.) Finally, stir in the Nestle morsels and chopped nuts (if using chopped nuts), and mix fully on low-medium speed.  You'll probably need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to fully integrate all of the ingredients.
6.) Drop dough by "rounded spoon fulls" onto an ungreased baking sheet.
7.) Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.  Like most baking goods, you'll know the cookie is ready to be removed from the oven when the edges are browned.  If the tops are golden brown, the chances are very high you'll have very dark/burned bottoms to your cookies.
8.) Let sit for two minutes on cookie sheet, and then remove onto a wire rack/parchment surface.  The cookies will continue to cook on the sheet for these two minutes, so don't worry if you think they're just a hair underdone.  Enjoy!

Chicken Potpie

Chicken potpie.  A dish that many of us never make ourselves, or have ever had made for us homemade.  But the real tragedy in the world of chicken pot pie is that many of us have been exposed to the dish through the freezer section of our local grocery stores, or the not-so-homemade phenomenon of places like Cracker Barrel (I'm not hating on Cracker Barrel, I'm just saying....).  If we're lucky, the restaurant and frozen potpies we buy may taste kind of good, but are seldom layered in the kinds of flavors a real homemade recipe pulls together.

This kind of praise aside, I must admit, this is not an easy recipe, a quick recipe, or a recipe for starters.  This chicken potpie recipe is a recipe that, if done in its entirety, takes several hours to make and lots of focus, but has one of the tastiest of outcomes.  It consists of a homemade pie crust, homemade chicken broth and subsequent filling, and lots of fresh ingredients.

When I first got to Asheville for the holidays, I made this recipe for Joe, his family, and his friends.  I spent about three-to-four hours in the kitchen with the help of his younger sister Sarah (holla!) and the result was, as both of Joe’s parents stated, “divine” (very possibly the best compliment my cooking’s ever gotten!).

Chicken Potpie

The below recipe is in its entirety.  However, you can easily cut corners with the chicken broth, the pie crust, and the preparation of the meats.  Oftentimes, I prepare the pie crust a day ahead of time and refrigerate it so that all I have to do is roll it out when it’s time to put the pie together.  Additionally, the chicken can easily be substituted with leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, and the broth can be regular chicken broth from the store.

Ingredients

Chicken and stock ingredients
1 (3 ½-4 lb) chicken (i.e., a “frying chicken”)
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small onion, halved and separated
2 teaspoons salt

Pie crust ingredients

NOTE: this makes enough pie crust for four discs, or two pies.  It can easily be halved. Also, many pie crusts call for Crisco/lard instead of all butter.  Although the resulting flaky texture may be just that—awesome and flaky—the resulting flavor is way less tasty.  Remember what the wise Julia Childs once said: “You can never have too much butter.”
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt

2 heaping teaspoons of brown sugar
4 sticks of butter frozen, or chilled
10-15 tablespoons ice water

Filling ingredients
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
3 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk (regular, 2 %, or skim all work fine)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (can use dried thyme as well)
1/4 cup dry sherry (“cooking sherry”)
3/4 cup green peas, frozen or fresh, boiled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Egg wash
1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water

Special equipment needed
6 10-ounce ramekins

OR: 2 regular pie pans (i.e., 10 inch pie pans)

PIE CRUST

1.) First, prepare the pie crust and refrigerate.  You’ll want to do this about 3 hours before you make the actual potpie.  Several hours of refrigeration allows the pie crust to firm up and thus, hold together when rolling the dough without being tough, or overworked.

2.) Start by combining the dry ingredients—flour, salt, sugar—, and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon, or sifter.  Add ALL of the chilled butter as tiny cubes.  Usually, I divide the sticks of butter by their tablespoons, and then chop them even smaller.  Using your hand(s), squeeze the flour and butter mixture to integrate until you have pea-sized pieces of butter; you’ll know the mixture is properly integrated when it resembles coarse meal. 

3.) Once the butter and flour mixture are properly integrated, begin adding the chilled water and mixing with your hands.  Since you’re doing a large batch, feel free to add up to 10 tablespoons at once and then slowly add water as you mix the crust together.  Elise Bauer notes on her food blog Simply Recipes, that when you pinch the dough together and if it sticks, you’re ready.  If it doesn’t stick, you’re not ready, so add more water.  However, after doing this recipe so many times, I can tell when the pie crust has become a pie crust by this technique as well as the way it feels.  It’s hard to define the pie’s texture when it’s just right—it’s stiff and sticks together easily when pressed between two fingers, but it also has an air of dryness to it that allows you to work it into balls on a floured surface.

4.) Once the dough is ready, place it on a floured surface and separate the mixture into two large halves; then, separate these two halves into two halves each (you should have four balls).  Carefully work the balls into circular discs on a floured surface, and DO NOT OVER-KNEAD THE DOUGH! You should still be able to see little bits of butter throughout the dough.  Wrap each disc in plastic wrap, or a sandwich bag and refrigerate for several hours.

CHICKEN STOCK AND FILLING
1.) Cook the chicken and the chicken stock.  Wash and clean the chicken, add to a large pot, and fill with water until it just barely covers the chicken.  Add the carrot, celery, and onion (the onion should be broken into pieces from the half).  Add the salt.  Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, and then turn down to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour (45 minutes for a 3.5 lb chicken, and 45 minutes for a 4 lb. chicken).

2.) Once the chicken is cooked, remove from pot and place in a cooling pan for about 15 minutes.  Allow the broth to continue boiling until it has reduced to about a quart.  Reserve 2 1/2 cups broth for the filling.  You will have plenty to reserve and cook with other dishes!

3.) Once the chicken is cool enough to touch and pick clean, do just that.   Remove all of the chicken, and reserve for the filling.  NOTE: As you're picking the chicken clean, feel free to put the chicken's bones back into the broth as the stock continues to boil.  You will definitely get added flavor from this process!

CHICKEN POT PIE FILLING

1.) Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.  In a large skillet, melt the butter, and add celery, carrot, and onions.  Cook the vegetables until they are translucent (about 10 minutes or longer depending on how high you have your heat set).

2.) Add the flour, stir in fully, and cook for one minute.

3.) Whisk/stir in 2 1/2 cups chicken stock.  Whisk in the milk.  Decrease the heat to low, or medium-low and stir occassionally for about ten minutes.

4.) Add the final ingredients: the reserved chicken, thyme, salt and pepper, cooked peas, parsley, and stir well.  NOTE: These will probably not be the final touches you add to this mixture.  Taste the filling and add salt, pepper, and thyme accordingly.  When I last made this recipe, we decided a little extra thyme was what was missing, but it depends from preparation to preparation.  

MAKING THE PIE

1.) Roll out two discs of dough (one for each pan) on a floured surface, and pour half of the mixture into each pie pan.  

2.) Roll out the remaining two discs of dough and flop onto the top of the pie.

3.) Curl the crust on top of itself, or fork for a design.  Cut X's, or lines across the pie crust top for design and to let the pie breathe when cooking.

4.) Prepare the egg wash: mix one tablespoon of milk with one whisked egg, and brush on top of the pie crusts.

5.) Cook for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. 

Peppermint Bark

Chocolate.  I love chocolate.  Is there anything I love more than chocolate? Probably coffee, but it's by a slim margin.  Seriously, though, I LOVE chocolate.

During the holidays, one of my favorite treats to make for friends and family is Peppermint Bark.  Every Christmas, I seem to find more and more people who know what this concoction is, but when I first found out about it...boy, it felt like my little candied secret covered in peppermint.  Further, I'm now beginning to see this treat in the specialty candy section of food stores like Whole Foods and Fresh Market.  Often, one small container of peppermint bark sells for around $10, and is not nearly as tasty as the homemade kind! Peppermint Bark is easy to make, cheap to make (about $5 for this whole batch), and in many ways, tastes like an Andie's Mint.

Peppermint bark is one of those tasty treats that you only really see during Christmas.  It consists of one layer of white chocolate, one layer of regular chocolate (milk, or dark), and one layer of crushed peppermint (usually crushed up candy canes).  For this holiday season, I made it for Stan and Joan, the neighbors next door, and for Joe's fabulous family up in North Carolina.


Peppermint Bark
For this recipe, I always advise dark chocolate.  It takes the flavor to a whole other level! As for the candy canes, you can certainly use regular peppermint candies, but it's always a lot more work than crushing 12 candy canes.  ALSO: it's a very good idea to go ahead and crush the candy canes first.  Since you'll need to have your eyes on the melting chocolate, you won't have much free time, or free hands to be unwrapping and crushing candy canes at the same time.  So, I usually crush the candy canes first, and then reserve them until it's time to add them to the melting chocolate.


* 1 12 oz. bag dark chocolate, melted
* 1 12 oz. bag white chocolate, melted
* 1 box candy canes (around 12 candy canes), crushed
* 1/4-1/2 cup skim milk, or cream (for melting the chocolate)

1.) Pour two 1/4 cups of skim milk or cream into two separate saucepans.  Open bags of chocolate and empty them into saucepans--white chocolate in one pan, and dark chocolate in the other.  Now would also be a good time to crush the candy canes before you start the melting process.  First, unwrap all of the candy canes and throw them into a double-bagged ziplock bag.  Close both zippers, place on a sturdy, and non-sensitive counter, and take a can of soup, peas, whatever you have in the cabinet, and bang the candy canes until they are in SMALL pieces.  The bigger the pieces, the harder the peppermint bark will be to eat, so smaller is always better here....and that's what she said, haha.  Moving on.....

2.) Turn the heat on medium for both saucepans.  Don't worry if you're afraid this process will take forever on medium--melting chocolate is freakishly easy and only requires a little bit of heat for the melted chocolate to mix in with your cream or milk.

3.) Stir both pans of chocolate every few minutes so that you don't burn the chocolate and can integrate the cream mixture with the chocolate (this process will probably take around 5-10 minutes for each pan, depending on the heat of your "medium" setting).  NOTE: You'll probably notice that the white chocolate doesn't melt as smoothly, or evenly as the dark chocolate.  For years, this difference confused me, but there appears to be a very simple answer: white chocolate just isn't chocolate.  Apparently, it is a man-made confection that comes from a combination of cocoa, sugar, and milk.  Unlike regular chocolate that has natural compounds and thus, naturally wants to stay in a smooth mixture when melting, white chocolate has the tendency to split into an oily substance and a thicker, gobbier substance.  If this happens to you (and it will), feel free to drain a few ounces of the oily substance out of the saucepan before continuing to the next step.  If you're stubborn and just think the problem will solve itsself, you're wrong because you would need to re-emulsify the compound, and that's just...well, a lot of work.

4.) Once melted, pour white chocolate onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, and spread thinly/evenly with a spoon.

5.) Pour dark chocolate on top of the white chocolate thinly/evenly, and spread over white chocolate with a spoon.  Top with crushed peppermint, and press peppermint into the chocolate so that it will be more inclined to stick in the candy.

6.) Put bark in the freezer for about an hour to an hour and a half.  Then, you are ready to cut the candy, or reserve in the refrigerator until ready to cut.  I've seen numerous ways of cutting the candy.  If you're like me, and like to savor the cutting process, just dig in with a sharp knife and cut out your pieces.  However, since "bark" is in the title, feel free to perform a more dangerous, but effective cutting technique: bang the knife into the bark repeatedly until it breaks off into shards.  This will give you a more aesthetically pleasing-bark-like effect.  Enjoy!

Homemade Pizza

I met the most interesting man last Friday night at the end-of-semester-EGSA party--his name is Samuel Welsh, and many people in the LSU music department know him as the very talented pianist Sam.  Well, Sam was interesting to say the least.  Not only did he amuse me with his crazy stories about getting his own doctoral degree in the Music Department, but he also is pretty cool to look at: stylish blonde hair, bad-ass glasses, and these really big muscles.  I like muscles.

Regardless, one conversation led into another conversation and Sam and I realized that we both had brindle dogs! This similarity seemed crazy to me until we realized that they couldn't be more different in breed and size: Sam's dog, Lucy (also known as Ms. Lady, Snarfleton, etc.), is a brindle Boston Terrier of roughly 25 pounds, whereas Eve is a brindle greyhound of about 65.5 pounds.  As an excuse to create a playdate of what would be great doggie-friends, Sam and I scheduled a get together/cooking lesson of sorts where I would teach him to make something he didn't know how to prepare.  Case in point: pizza.  Not just any pizza.  GRILLED pizza.  One of those delicious homemade specialties that make you wonder why you'd ever eat Domino's ever again.


Pizza a la Brigman
The below recipe is one that I have amalgamated over the years--it's a combination of anything I ever liked in other pizza recipes mashed together in a flavorful bash of goodness.  You can easily use a storebought dough here, but that really destroys the point of homemade pizza on the grill.  So, please see the easy and fast pizza dough recipe catalogued by Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes.  I will try to post my own version of this recipe in the future.  Until then, the below ingredients list is the most specific recommendation I can give you in terms of what to do right here.


* 1/2 Simply Recipe's pizza dough
* flour for rolling
* cornmeal for bottom crust (if cooking in oven)
* about 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil
* salt and pepper, to taste
* 1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
* Tony's Cachere's, to tase
* 1/2-1 cup tomato sauce (storebought is fine!)
* 1 cup-2 cups cheese (depending on how cheesy you like your pizza)
* 1/2 bell peppers, chopped (a combination of red, green, etc.)
* 1/4 cup onions, chopped (red or white will do)
* 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
* 4-8 anchovies, optional
* pesto, optional

1.) Prepare the dough by sprinkling a work surface with flour.  Divide dough recipe in half and use one half for the dough ball of this pizza.  (NOTE: the other half of the dough ball will keep pretty well in the refridgerator for a few days, but if in doubt, freeze it.  It should keep for up to 2-3 months and still taste fresh.)

2.) Begin rolling dough with an actual rolling pin.  The key to evenly/circular pizza is usually a combination of the rolling pin and one's hands, so make sure you have washed your hands when entering into this process! Also, the rolling pin technique works best for me in the same way you would prepare a pie dough crust: roll forward and back a few times, then flip the dough in another direction, roll forward and back.  Flip and repeat until the dough is properly stretched out and big enough for the recipe (about 12 inches in diameter).

3.) Now's the time to begin the stacking process.  As we add ingredients, you want the pizza to be stacked with different layers of flavor--oils, cheese, seasonings, toppings, sauce--but it's key that you're not too greedy here.  Since this recipe is built for a grill (but can be used on an oven), you'll need to make sure you don't OVERSTACK the dough as many Americans are want to do.  Let's continue....

4.) Poke the circular disc of dough with a fork evenly.  This technique allows the dough to breathe and not get giant bubbles during the cooking process.  Sprinkle 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough's surface, and smooth with a spoon.  Add tomato sauce and spread with spoon.  Season with Tony's, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic, and several tablespoons of pesto (pesto is optional).

5.) Now, I suggest stacking the pizza in the following order: toppings first, then cheese.  This way, the cheese will melt on top of the topings and you will have a very cool effect: not only will you still be able to see the topings after the cooking process (like any normal pizza), but you will have created a sealant of sorts for structural stability between the cheese and dough.  So, add the the toppings like the ones listed above--mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc., and then the cheese (1-2 cups depending on preference).

6.) Place on heated grill that's been sprayed with non-stick spray.  If your grill has one of those temperature gages, heat up to 350-400F.  Place pizza directly on grill.  Now, this task is much harder than it seems! Since the dough is soft and floppy and now has all of these ingredients waying it down, putting the dough directly on the grill may be a crazy and unstructural process.  Thus, you'll probably need two people (one for each half of the dough.

7.) Once dough is placed on grill, close lid and let cook for 5 minutes.  Check to see if crust is cooked all the way through.  Depending on your grill and the accuracy of the temperature gage, this process can take as little as 5 and as much as 10 minutes.  You'll know the pizza is done when it is one, all melted together and delicious looking, two, the cheese has browned a little bit on top, and three, the crust is a golden brown or cooked thoroughly.

8.) Remove pizza from grill using a metal spatchula and let sit for a few minutes (this process, as many pizza lovers know, allows the pizza to solidify and help the cutting process).  Enjoy!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Seldom do you ever have those recipes where you say to yourself, “Damn.  That tastes SO MUCH like it’s from a restaurant!” This is a rare reaction.  A reaction that is saved for only the yummiest of foods and kitchen concoctions.  But tonight, after a fleeting decision to make a broccoli and chicken recipe over rice, this is exactly the reaction I had!

I am often intimidated by Stir-Fry recipes, or anything that involves creating a brown sauce.  Regular sauces I can handle (Alfredo, tomato, white sauce, pesto, you name it) because I know intrinsically what ingredients are used in making these dishes.  However, it’s the brown sauce that is always a mystery and always the most intimidating.  What is IN a brown sauce? Unless it comes from a packet, I have no idea.  How do you make a brown sauce? So many recipes attempt to answer this question in an easy format, but I am always left in mini-disasters and failed experiments.

Oh, but not tonight.  Tonight, I used a recipe that ended the brown sauce debacle.  Although it is not a thick and creamy brown sauce, it is a delicious glaze that covers the dish in tasty delight. Yes, tasty delight.  Take a look!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry

This recipe comes courtesy of the chefs at Food Network Kitchens.  Although I have made numerous tweaks to the recipe below, I think it is important to link to the original source so you can try my own version, and the original they offer.

NOTES: 1.) Marinate chicken (about 15 minutes) while preparing other ingredients.  2.) Boil water and prepare rice while preparing stir-fry.  3.) Have a cup or so of water on hand to add to the rice, or the stir fry while cooking.  At times in the stir-fry cooking process,  you may need to add water to your pan to prevent the mixture from scorching.  Unlike most brown sauce recipes where you create a lot of sauce, this sauce is much thinner and more like a glaze, so you will need to have water to counteract the hot sticky pan.

* 1 pound chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cubed, or cut up in strips
* 3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on an angle; you can use 1/2 cup onions chopped as substitute.
* 5 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
* 1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced; you can substitute 1 tablespoon ginger powder
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt.
* 1 tablespoon dry sherry; you can substitute 1 tablespoon red wine.
* 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil; you can substitute 1 tablespoon olive oil.
* About 1/3 cup water
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 5 to 6 cups broccoli, trimmed sliced stalks and medium florets (keep the 2 cuts separate)
* 3/4 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional
* 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, optional

1.) Prepare chicken with onions, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and sugar.  Add 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. wine/sheery, and 1 tbsp. oil (sesame, or olive oil).  Mix in a bowl and toss until well coated.  Let sit for 15 minutes while preparing other ingredients.

2.) Wash and chop broccoli.  First, remove thick stems and chop into 1-inch round pieces that will be edible after cooking.  Chop florets into small pieces as well.  Add broccoli stems (ONLY) to a heated saucepan with 2 tablespoons oil.  Cook for about 5 minutes to tenderize these thicker pieces.  

3.) Add florets, remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water (you may need to add more, or keep adding more during the cooking process to prevent the food from scorching in a hot pan).  Cook for about 2-5 minutes, or until broccoli is tender, but still crisp.

4.) Add chicken and marinade ingredients (especially juices) to the pan.  Add 2 more tablespoons of oil and any necessary water.  Add chili flakes.  Stir-fry until chicken loses its raw color, and begins to brown.  Add the hoisin suace (if using), and stir in 1 tablespoon of corn starch diluted in 1/3 cup water.  Mix all ingredients to properly integrate.  

5.) Cook another minute or two.  Taste sauce and add salt and pepper if necessary.

6.) Remove from heat and serve broccoli/chicken mixture over rice.  Suggested rice: Jasmine!

Roasted Vegetables and Fall Salad

What do you get when three PhD ladies who haven't seen each other, like really seen each other in waay too long, get together? Eat, drink cocktails, and watch a movie but of course, silly!

However, what happens when one of these ladies is a vegan, one a former vegetarian, and one a girl who just likes her peas? A meal that's primarily vegetable based (and very healthy) including roasted vegetables and a fall salad.  Yum.

The roasted vegetables recipe below is one of the easiest recipes to whip up, and a big crowd pleaser.  Eat it as the main course as we three veggie loving girls did, or eat it alongside a more carnivore-friendly dish like steak, or chicken.  Finally, the salad is one of my favorite ways to eat salad and I never make it any other way: walnuts/almonds, green lettuce, or spinach, lots of tomatoes and cucumbers tossed with garlic, herbs, and cranberries.  SOO GOOD!

Roasted Red Potatoes and Carrots
This recipe comes from no source in particular.  The combination of olive oil with balsamic vinegar, red potatoes, and other veggies comes from my friend Laura.  However, after making this recipe a good 10-15 times, I've perfected the combination of the below ingredients and the correct ratios for this combination.

 
* 1 bag of carrots (preferrably organic)
* 1 bag of small red potatoes
* 1/2 of an onion, chopped
* olive oil (to taste)
* balsamic vinegar (to taste)
* 5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
* freshly grated pepper, to taste
* kosher salt, to taste
* 1-2 tablespoons of dried or fresh rosemary
* 1-2 tablespoons of basil, chopped

1.) Chop all of the vegetables (red potatoes, onion, and carrots) and throw into a roasting pan; red potatoes should be in eighths, or whatever size seems bite-size enough and will cook thoroughly, and carrots should be the size of carrot sticks.  I prefer using large carrots over baby carrots because they are higher in beta-keratin, and more flavorful.  Plus, organic carrots are even more flavorful in their larger form!

2.) Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I have not put a specific ratio of olive oil-to-balsamic vinegar above simply because I think this an issue of preference.  Laura prefers more balsamic vinegar and less olive oil, whereas I prefer an equal amount of both.  Just go with what you like!

3.) Sprinkle with remaining seasonings--pepper, basil, rosemary, and kosher salt.  Salt and pepper should be to taste because again, this is an issue of how you like to prepare your food.  Finally, press/mince garlic over the vegetables and stir to integrate.  Cover with an oven-friendly lid or aluminum foil.

4.) Roast in oven at 400F for 35 minutes and check for ready-ness (ready-ness = potatoes are soft enough to chew in your mouth, but not so soft that they will mash when being served).  It's possible you will need to cook the dish longer depending on the stove (in my gas stove, 35 mins. is perfect, but in an electric, it will possibly take longer).  Let cool, and serve!

Fall Salad
I have been making some variation of this salad for as long as I can remember.  Every now and then, I switch up the ingredients (i.e., dried cherries instead of cranberries, spinache instead of romaine, you get the picture), but the core ingredients are below.  

* 1/2 head of romain lettuce, or 1/2 bag of spinache
* 1/2 container of cherry tomatoes, or 1 whole regular tomato
* 1/2 cup walnuts, or almonds
* 4-5 cloves garlic minced/pressed
* 1/2 cucumber peeled and cut into circular halves
* 1/4 cup olives, black or kalamatta (heck, even green if you're into that sort of thing!)
*  1/2 cup craisins, or dried cherries

1.) Wash and chop vegetables--lettuce/spinache, tomatoes, cucumber.  Place in bowl.
2.) Add remaining ingredients--nuts, garlic, olives, and craisins.  Toss together.
3.) Add any salad herbs you might enjoy with your salad.  I sometimes toss ground pepper, mint, or basil in between, but these ingredients are not necessary.  Enjoy!

Dog Biscuits

Ahhh, Christmas break. Time to enjoy sleeping in late, working on random projects, cleaning the house, and making dog biscuits. Dog biscuits? Yes, dog biscuits!

As many of my friends know, I have been the proud owner of a brindle/female greyhound since August. Her name is Eve, and despite her bodacious body (she's a runner you know), I like to refer to her as "ma petite grosse!" Meaning, in English, "my little fatty." It's a humorous nick-name because those of us who know her realize that despite her slamming greyhound figure, she is indeed a bit of a pig.

This year, in lieu of making regular batches of sugar cookies, breads, and candies for my family and friends, I decided to make dog biscuits. Almost everyone I know has a dog, and it seems a little crazy that such sweet animals would miss out on the holiday goodies we indulge our waistlines in. Thus, below are two recipes I baked today for my friend's and my pet: one is a meat-based biscuit made with real turkey, cheese, sage, and wheat, and the other is a sweeter biscuit made with almond butter.

Turkey Biscuits

The below recipe comes from BullWrinkle.  Unfortunately, after following the directions to a T, I realized that something was missing from the below ingredients list (water anyone?!).  Clearly, you cannot have a biscuit without water to activate the yeast.  Silly BullWrinkle.  Anyway, I've adjusted this recipe with the addition of 1/2 cup water, 2 more tablespoons oil, and sage instead of parsley.  The end result is aromatic (the kitchen smelled so good!) and a huge hit with the canine community.

Ingredients:

*2 cups cooked turkey -- cut up
*1/2 cup water
*2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
*4 teaspoons grated cheese
*1 tablespoon sage
*2 eggs, whisked separately
*2 cups whole wheat flour
*2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
*4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1.) Combine turkey, garlic, cheese, and sage.  Mix well. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and pour over turkey mixture.

2.) Add the flour, yeast, water and oil. Stir until thoroughly mixed and all ingredients are coated.  Mixture should look lumpy and be somewhat sticky in its dough form.

3.) Roll dough in the shape of balls (if dough is not sticky enough to form balls, then it probably needs more flour or water), and drop onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Cook in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes, or until brown and firm. These biscuits will not grow any larger in the oven from the original ball-shapes.  I have a feeling that if I experimenting with this recipe long enough and let the dough rise, we might have a fluffier biscuit.  However, this result would not be a traditional dog biscuit, but something more human-like in nature!

4.) Store in a refrigerator away from the eyes and nose of prying greyhound, and feed to pet when appropriate (i.e., "Good job! You just potty-trained correctly!").

Peanut Butter Cookie Biscuits

Since one batch of biscuits just isn't enough, I had to make the below recipe for peanut-butter biscuits for Eve.  The recipe is courtesy of The Poop Pantry, and has a few minor adjustments in the ingredients list as well.  Mostly, I changed the key ingredient, peanut butter, to what I had in my own pantry, almond butter.

Ingredients:

*1 cup water
*1 cup quick-cooking oats
*1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
*1/2 cup cornmeal

*1 egg
*1 tbsp. sugar
*1 tsp. salt
*1/2 cup milk
*1/3 cup peanut, or almond butter
*2-3 cups whole wheat flour (my recipe only needed 2, so shoot for 2 cups and if it needs more, add flour in small amounts towards 3 cups.  Be careful not to over-flour! You don't want this too be too dry!)

Glaze:
*1 large egg
*2 tbsp. milk

1.) Boil water in a saucepan. Add oats and butter. Let oats soak for ten minutes. Stir in the cornmeal, sugar, salt, milk, peanut butter, and egg. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour, one cup at a time (you may not need the entire amount) until a stiff dough forms. 

2.)Knead dough on floured surface until smooth, about 3 minutes. Roll to 1/2" thickness. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

 



3.) GLAZE: Whisk egg and add milk.  Mix well. Brush glaze on dough with a pastry brush. 

4.) Bake biscuits in a pre-heated 325F oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely. (NOTE: Unlike the turkey biscuits recipe above, these peanut butter biscuits do not need to be refrigerated.  However, I do suggest keeping them in an air-tight container like we do most foods.).

Sweet Potato Souffle

I've been sitting in front of my laptop typing papers for about 3 days now. AND, this week is going to be exactly the same--between grading for the LSU ENGL 1001 semester assessment and finishing my last 20 page paper, I made sure to cook foods ahead of time so that I could eat healthy and not have to cook with my writing schedule.

Well...we'll pretend the below post is healthy. In between my writing this weekend, my friends Joe and Lydia came over in the hopes of distracting me from homeworking. Part of that distraction involved converting 2 baked sweet potatos into a souffle.

What I love about this recipe is how easy, fast, and tasty it is. Lydia and I ate so much of the souffle that I had to go for a run right after dinner because the souffle tasted too good to be true!

Sweet Potato Souffle
The below recipe is my own version of a basic sweet potato souffle only minus the butter and extra calories.  Thus, this recipe is pretty low in calories and nutritional (protein and fiber anyone?!) depending on how heavy you make the brown sugar-pecan-marshmallow crust.

Ingredients:
* 3 sweet potatoes, cooked
* 1/2-to-1 cup sugar (depending on your sweet tooth, or calorie preferences)
* 1/2 cup carnation milk
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon nutmeg
* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/2-to-1 cup marshmallows
* 1/2 cup pecans

1.) Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Peel potatoes and add to a mixing bowl.
2.) Add sugars, milk, egg, and spices to the potatoes. Mash thoroughly.
3.) Add ingredients to a souffle pan and sprinkle with with brown sugar, pecans, and marshmallows.
4.) Cook in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until marshmallows are dark gold.
5.) Let cool for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Turkey Casserole (aka, "Turkey Tetrazini!")

"Turkey Tetrazini!" I can hear it now--Joel McHale from The Soup's soundbite taken from some trashy reality TV show where a woman called out "her man" for eating some other woman's Turkey Tetrazini.

Yes, this is the food that crazy break-up tales are made of, or in my world, leftover turkey from Thanksgiving turns into.

Tonight, I made said dish for Joe and my friend Kris.  Kris's lovely wife, Ellen, made me promise her on the phone today (and about a week ago) that I would make sure to feed her hardworking husband while she was out of town for a few days.  Apparently--and honestly, I'm not surprised--, every day Kris comes home to piping hot dinner by his fantastic wife.  With Ellen away, Kris needed something to satiate his caloric needs post-class and work that wasn't spoiled cottage cheese (don't ask!).  Turkey Tetrazini it is! Although I promise Ellen, there's no reality TV man-stealing going on here! Just yummy American casseroles with leftover turkey.

Turkey Tetrazini

Ingredients:

* 1 box of macaroni pasta
* 1 yellow onion
* 6-8 garlic cloves, pressed
* fresh cracked pepper (to taste)
* Tony's Chachere's (to taste)
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 can cream of mushroom soup (the large kind, like 3 sizes too big)
* 1 cup peas
* bread crumbs for crust (optional)

1.) Preheat oven at 350 F. Boil a pot of pasta over high heat and cook pasta until done. Remember, the Italians believe that good pasta water should taste like sea-water, so don't be ashamed to salt that pasta water. Strain when finished.

2.) Chop onion, and saute over heat with several tablespoons olive oil, garlic, and a few cracks of fresh pepper and Tony Chachere's.

3.) Add cream of mushroom soup, macaroni, and integrate.

4.) Add to casserole dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cook for 20-30 minutes, and serve to friends. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

It's raining outside, I'm somewhat cold, and craving vegetables.  Vegetables? Yes, Vegetables....

What's the answer? Roasted Tomato Basil Soup! Tomato soup is one of my favorites, and this particular recipe is so easy to make.  Plus, it tastes great with a basic grilled cheese sandwich.

The below recipe comes from Tyler Florence with a few changes (less butter, no cream).  Tyler Florence, as some people know him, is my "TV boyfriend."  I just love this guy! His recipes are so delicious and trust-worthy.  I remember the first time I saw Tyler Florence on TV--he was roasting vegetables in brass pans, chopping basil really fast, and talking quickly about how "easy" and "delicious" the food he was making was.  And he was right.  

Roasted Tomato Soup
The following recipe can be altered in any number of ways; for a healthier but equally as tasty soup, omit options like butter, excess oil, and cream from the original recipe.  The subsequent recipe will be flavorful and just as hearty as the original recipe.

Ingredients:
* 2 1/2-3 lbs. tomatoes (any will work here--from the cheap oversized red tomatoes to vine tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, etc.)
* one yellow onion
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 6-8 cloves garlic
* Olive oil (1/2 cup - preferred amount)
* Cracked pepper (to taste)
* Tony's Chachere's (to taste)
* 1/2 cup chopped basil (optional)

1.) Set oven at 350 F.  Wash and quarter tomatoes and add them to a roasting pan; chop onion (thinly) and add to pan.

2.) Drizzle tomatoes and onions with olive oil.  Tyler's recipe calls for a half cup of olive oil, but I like to eye ball it in the hopes of saving a few calories.  Crack black pepper and sprinkle Tony's over onions and tomatoes.  Mix to integrate.

3.) Roast tomatoes and onions in oven for 35 minutes, or until tomatoes are slightly blackened on the skin (note: slightly blackened, too much dark on the tomatoes skin will lead to a flavor-disaster, so please, SLIGHTLY blacken the tomatoes).


4.) Separate onions and tomatoes: add onions to a large boiling pot, and place tomatoes in a blender.  Blend the tomatoes on the "puree" setting, but you can use an immersion blender in the actual soup broth to accomplish a similar puree setting.

5.) Mix all of the following ingredients with the onions in the boiling pot: 3 cups chicken broth, pureed tomatoes, garlic cloves (pressed with garlic press, or chopped), and bay leaves.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

6.) Add last 1 cup of chicken broth, as well as any desired seasonings such as 1/2 cup of chopped basil, or cream to the pot.  The original recipe asks for a couple of tablespoons of butter (yum!) and a few tablespoons of cream.  Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce

During the holidays, it's really tempting to just buy the cranberry sauce in a can and call it a day. Honestly, I agree because I get it--canned cranberry sauce is delicious! It's so sweet, the perfect gelatin consistency, and the manufacturer's are super considerate by creating the places to cut the sauce with the shape of their can. I'm joking, but I really do appreciate canned cranberry sauce for all of its middle-class glory.

However, what producers of canned cranberry sauce don't tell you is that it's incredibly easy to make your own sauce and even TASTIER than the original canned delight. All you have to do is buy a 12 ounce bag of cranberries, add some sugar and water, and boil it all together until bam, cranberry sauce! Don't believe me? Check out the recipe below.

Cranberry Sauce
The below recipe comes from the back of an Ocean Spray 12 ounce cranberry bag, but you can find other online recipes that are similar instantly.  One that I would suggest is the Cranberry Sauce recipe available at Simply Recipes.  It's very similar to the one below, only minus the spices.  YUM!

Ingredients:
* 12 ounces of cranberries
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup water
* cinnamon sticks (optional)
* 1 tablespoon orange peel (optional)
* 1 tablespoon nutmeg/allspice/cloves, or any combination of the three (optional)

1.) Add sugar and water to a large sauce pan and bring to a boil.  While heating up, whisk the ingredients together until the sugar has full dissolved.

2.) Wash and add cranberries to the water/sugar mixture.  Bring water back to a boil and reduce heat to medium for the next 10-15 minutes (or, until all of the cranberries have sufficiently "popped" open).

3.) Now, your cranberry sauce will begin to look like a thicker-jelly-based sauce.  At this point, you can add any number of ingredients because your recipe is almost complete.  I like the addition of basic fall seasonings such as cinnamon (sticks), nutmeg, allspice, orange peel, and/or cloves.  However, these ingredients are not necessary for a tasty sauce--you can leave the sauce by itself and it will certainly taste delicious.  Enjoy!

Butter Pie Crust

Time is important, and when it comes to baking foods from scratch, one might as well make the most of their time baking.

Where am I going with this statement? Well, tonight is the evening before Thanksgiving, and boy do I have A LOT of food to make.  But, I don't want to skimp on my recipes in order to save time.  For example, I'm not the kind of cook that buys those pre-made pie crusts in the hopes of creating a flavorful pie.  Instead, I always make my pie crusts from scratch if I can spare the time!

Below is my favorite pie crust recipe of all time--it's great for pies (i.e., apple pies of which the recipe originated at Simply Recipes), or other dishes such as pot pie, or quiche.

I also want to add that what makes this recipe so spectacular is without a doubt the heaping brown sugar you add.  I've never come across a pie crust recipe with this combination, and the hint of flavor makes a wonderful addition to the final recipe.

Butter Pie Crust
I've made several changes to the original recipe; primarily, I have doubled it in hopes of making twice as much pie crust at once (who doesn't want a ton of pie crust?), and I have also ommitted the need for almond flour or finely ground almonds, but these still work.

Ingredients
*5 cups flour (all purpose works great here)
*4 sticks of unsalted butter
*2 teaspoons salt (I prefer kosher)
*2 heaping teaspoons of brown sugar
*6-12 tablespoons ice cold water

1.) Combine all flours, salt, and brown sugar.  If using a food processor, pulse 6-10 times to mix thoroughly, if mixing by hand (which is what I do), sift ingredients.

2.) Cut butter into 1/2 inch cubes and combine with flour.  If using a food processor, mix until mixture resembles course meal.  If using your hands, like me, mix by mashing up the butter with your hands.  You'll probably need to go through the butter lumps to pull apart butter in the forms of pea-sized balls before moving onto the next step.  The idea you want to keep in mind is that the butter should be no bigger than a pea-sized balls before adding the water.


3.) Add the ice cold water several tablespoons at a time.  Since you're doing such a large batch, don't be afraid to add a good bit of butter when you first begin this process.

4.) Mix water into flour/butter mixture until a dough ball forms.  Once the dough starts to stick together when you pinch it together, the ball is almost done.  Flour a clean work surface and move the dough ball to that surface.


5.) Work dough ball into two large spheres.  This way, you can save one dough ball for the freezer (future pies, yay!), and use one for the big festivities tomorrow.

6.) Finally, cut both dough balls in half for a total of four dough balls.  Shape into spheres, or discs and cover in plastic wrap or seal in sandwich bags.  Regridgerate dough balls until you are ready to roll them (preferrably in the time frame of 2 hours - 24 hours).  It's very important that you don't over-knead the dough.  Also, if you see bits of butter in the dough, tha'ts okay--these bits will lead to a flakier crust. 

Vanilla Cupcakes

Tonight, I made the annual end-of-semester cupcake treat that I bake for my students.  Many of my peers often look at my funny when they realize that I, yes, "bake" for my students.  My logic is this one: by the time Thanksgiving break, or Spring break rolls around, many students are exhausted and need a little sugary boost to make it through their exams.  The answer? CUPCAKES!

For this particular batch, I used a basic vanilla cupcake recipe courtesy of Paula Deen.  Many foodies know Paula as that sweet-as-pie Southern lady who uses tons of butter and sugar to make the yummiest of American comfort foods.  I love Paula as a TV personality, but have often butted heads with her recipes.  Something always goes wrong when I make a Paula recipe! Case in point: disaster key lime pie incident of 2009.  Enough said.

Thus, one might imagine my hesitation when I found this recipe, and subsequent delight when I finally tasted it.  THESE CUPCAKES ARE DELICIOUS! They're very simple, but exactly what one would want in a batch of universally pleasing vanilla cupcakes.  Add that to a simple buttercream frosting and sprinkles, and you have a real crowd pleaser!

Vanilla Cupcakes, or Paula's "Old-Fashioned Cupcakes" Recipe
Recipe courtesy of Food Network and can be found here.

Paula's original recipe calls for a mixture of cake flour with regular all-purpose flour.  For those of you who don't have cake flour on hand, I am happy to report that regular all-purpose flour works just as well.  Granted, the cupcakes don't have that cakey-density that cake flour offers, but are still light, fluffy, and vanilly-delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Old Fashioned Frosting, recipe follows

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.  Set aside.

2.) Combine the following ingredients in a bowl: flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Add 2 sticks of butter in one inch cubes and mix with hand mixer.

3.) Then, add the wet ingredients starting with the eggs.  Add eggs one at a time, then combine milk and vanilla extract with the batter.  Mix thoroughly.  My batch was particularly lumpy with butter, so if you have this same problem and just can't get the butter to even out, don't worry, the butter will melt and combine during the baking process!


4.) Scoop batter into cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full.  Put in oven and cook for 17-20 minutes.  If you are using a gas stove, you'll want to watch the golden-color of the cupcakes.  If the tops of the cupcakes are just beginning to turn golden brown, pull them out, because they are done! However, if the tops are golden brown, there is a very good chance you have burned bottoms (this happened with my first batch, so I made sure to pull out the cupcakes when they were just beginning to finish baking/turn golden colored.  This change made for perfect gold brown bottoms, not burnt bottoms!). Ahh...that sounds funny!

5.) Finally, wait until the cupcakes are completely cooled to decorate.  I used a spray butter cream frosting from the store, but Paula suggests you use her "Old-Fashioned Frosting" which is essentially butter cream (milk, vanilla, butter, and confectioner's sugar).  You can find the Old-Fashioned frosting on the same website as the cupcake recipe listed above.  Add frosting and sprinkle with cupcakes.  Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Recipe Preview

For Thanksgiving, I'm doing all of the staples: turkey (fried!), mashed potatoes, sweet potato soufflé, biscuits, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, apple pie, pumpkin pie, etc.

You get the picture, yes?

In the following week, I will (hopefully) be posting a listing for all of the above items. Until then, I thought I'd share the original recipes with you below. As always, I will be making my own changes to the following recipes.

Turkey (Fried) courtesy of Alton Brown
Mashed Potatoes courtesy of Elise Bauer on Simply Recipes
Sweet Potato Soufflé courtesy of Enita Estroff
Cranberry Sauce courtesy of Elise Bauer on Simply Recipes
Green Bean Casserole courtesy of Paula Deen
Pumpkin Pie courtesy of Elise Bauer on Simply Recipes
Apple Pie courtesy of Elise Bauer on Simply Recipes

Meatloaf

Tonight, I'm making my friend Joe's favorite food--MEATLOAF. Joe has spent the entire day "playing army" whilst doing a field training exercise known as "FTX" in the rain and chilly weather. Needless to say, when Joe told me he was coming back, I thought, "What better comfort food is there to serve a hard working army man?" After much meditation, I heard the gods say, "MEATLOAF."

So, here is the best recipe for the best meatloaf I've ever made. I've tried tons--many from the Food Network (of which cooks, I won't mention here) and many that have been given to me from family and friends. Thus, when I came across the below entry, I was intrigued--spicy pork sausage and ground chuck versus regular old 3 pounds of beef? FASCINATING! This combination is both flavorful and not too far from your original beef-based meatloaf recipe.

For tonight's recipe, I have used 1.5 pounds of spicy turkey meat (of which you can substitute spicy pork), and 3/4 of a pound of ground chuck.

Finally, the original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of fresh chopped parsley. Unfortunately, I always forget to buy this item when making meatloaf. Fortunately, the output is still flavorful and delicious. Thanks again, as always to Elise Bauer and her meatloaf recipe on Simply Recipes. Have I mentioned that I'm possibly Elise's biggest fan?

Also, two very useful notes from my friend Joe: one, when we were sauteing the vegetables, Joe asked if we had put any butter in our vegetables.  Actually, I had.  The recipe below calls for 2 tablespoons of butter when sauteing the vegetables, but after 5-7 minutes, the vegetables needed more lubrication and were starting to blacken, not brown (this occurred possibly because I was using a gas stove, which, in all cases, is always hotter than an electric stove).  Finally, once we started combining these sauteed vegetables with the other ingredients, Joe had the brilliant idea of using a potato masher.  This addition was really useful--the mixture was consistently combined (which you will see in the photos below).

Classic Meatloaf Recipe

Elise notes that many meatloaf recipes call for ground veal or pork in addition to ground beef.  Elise continues that "You might want to experiment with a third each of beef, pork, and veal."  However, I would like to note that ground turkey is an equally good option here, so please try the above combinations with turkey.  You won't be disappointed.  Furthermore, if you don't have access to spicy ground pork or Italian sausage (which, for those of us who shop at Walmart, it is indeed hard to fine), add "a pinch of fennel seeds and a half teaspoon of hot sauce to regular ground pork."


Preparation time: 20-30 minutes to prep, 1 hour to cook (possibly 50 minutes in a gas stove)
Ingredients

* 1 cup of finely chopped onion
* 1 celery rib, chopped fine
* 1 Tbsp minced garlic (or, 5 small-medium size cloves)
* 1 carrot, chopped fine
* 1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions (can substitute onion)
* 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (you may need more when using the butter to saute the vegetables)
* 2 teaspoon salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)
* 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
* 2 tsp Worscestershire sauce
* 2/3 cup ketchup
* 1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck
* 3/4 pound of spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links); again, ground turkey, or regular pork sausage works well here (just add the above spices to get the same effect)
* 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
* 2 large eggs, beaten slightly
* 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In a large heavy skillet saute onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and scallions/onions in 2 tablespoons of butter (you may need to add more halfway through), over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover (or not) the skillet and stir occassionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 a cup of ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute, or until carrots are tender.


3 In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, and parsley using either your hand, or a potato masher. Form into a loaf and put into a rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides; a traditional loaf pan works well for this process. Cover the loaf with remaining ketchup & spread with a culinary brush.


4 Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour, or 50 minutes in a gas stove.

Serves 4 to 6, with plenty for leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches.