Bacon & Bleu Meatloaf, April 3, 2018

When winter is encroaching on spring, as it frequently does here in Colorado, a good comfort dinner is perfect. The weather's been all over the place and I'm not averse to having a great leftover meatloaf sandwich when the outside temperature is in the 70s, either, but this dinner was perfect for the snowish weather. I made a different kind of meatloaf than usual, adding blue cheese where I seldom use cheese at all and adding bacon both crumbled within and laid across the top. It was delicious! My wife doesn't like blue cheese and didn't detect it at all, while I felt like it added to the overall flavor fulness, without being aggressive. I made mashed potatoes, corn, and veggies with Caesar dip to go along with the meatloaf.

Bacon & Bleu Meatloaf

5 or so strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (save grease)

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 lb. ground beef

2 eggs

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. dry breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

4 oz. blue cheese crumbles

3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 or 5 more slices bacon, uncooked

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook onion in bacon fat (it's fine to sub olive oil, though) until translucent and softened. Mix together everything but the uncooked bacon. Pat into a loaf, either in a regular loaf pan or in a 13x9 baking pan. Top with uncooked bacon strips. Bake about an hour and 15 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes or so before slicing to serve. Serves 6. 

Caesar Veggie Dip

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pea-sized dollop anchovy paste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh veggies for dipping (we had baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and sugar snap peas)

Mix everything but veggies together. Serve with veggies. Makes enough for 4. 

Old Chicago (Plus Gingerbread Muffins), December 2, 2017

The wife suggested an early dinner before Christmas shopping on Saturday. We'd fortified ourselves with gingerbread muffins I made in the morning and a little nibble of lunch, but sure didn't want any hangry grumpiness to mar our fun excursion. I thought pizza sounded good and was glad she agreed. So, off to Old Chicago we went. This location is fairly new and has previously left a whole lot to be desired, service-wise. The pizza was okay, though, so we hoped the service issues were ironed out.

The kitchen has certainly gotten faster, but, man, the service still lacks finesse. The young man who served us was, I suppose, pleasant enough, but he didn't strike me as particularly ept. I'm finding, in general, that much of the service in Colorado, is a bit on the relaxed side.

However, the boneless wings were serviceable and the artichoke bread quite tasty. You should have seen Wee Boy when he tasted it! I guess that means I should definitely make my artichoke dip for our annual tree-trimming celebration. My Chicago 7 pizza (think "supreme") on their ale crust was yummy, although I will probably get the thin crust next time. Wee Boy thought it was lots better than his plain sausage kids' pizza, especially the green pepper bits! Have to remember that for future visits! Sadly, the margherita pizza my wife ordered fell far short of expectations. We were assured that it truly was fresh mozzarella on the pizza, and that it just isn't spread all over the pizza. It was, in fact, spread over far more of the pizza than it should have been and was not like any fresh mozzarella we've seen. Perhaps they define "fresh mozzarella" as "not stale mozzarella." Anyway, it was basically a cheese pizza with a few tomato slices and a smattering of basil. My wife sent it back, as it wasn't what she wanted, and took over Wee Boy's pizza, instead. While I definitely prefer Ben's Brick Oven Pizza to Old Chicago, it's closer and the food is fine. I would never send someone there on purpose, but neither would I dissuade them.

Oh, and if you'd like to make some gingerbread muffins at your house, here's the recipe. I make them often, especially in December. If you don't already have a traditional Christmas morning sweet, these are perfect. Thank Nigella Lawson, who developed the recipe.

Gingerbread Muffins

1 2/3 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 egg

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

1/3 c. light brown sugar

3/4 c. milk

1/4 tsp. balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp. oil

4 tbsp. dark corn syrup

4 tbsp. molasses

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together. Whisk the egg, then add the sugars to it. By the way, I only had dark brown sugar this last time I made these and it was stellar with all dark. Add milk and vinegar to egg mixture. Add oil, corn syrup, and molasses. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir to mix, leaving it fairly lumpy. Place in muffin cups (I use cupcake papers when I make them) and bake 20 minutes, until tops are dry. Nigella notes that they'll still feel a bit "squidgy." Cool on racks. Makes a dozen. 

Roasted Cauliflower Soup, October 4, 2016

Last night, we had a delicious roasted cauliflower soup. I'd intended to serve t with rolls, salad, & some kind of fruit. However, Jeannene had picked up some asparagus and some pre-diced butternut squash she hoped I might make. I was delighted to sub those for the salad. I tossed the squash with olive oil, salt, & pepper, then roasted it for half an hour in a preheated 400 degree oven. I broke the asparagus into smaller pieces and cooked it, with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt & pepper, on high, covered and stirring often, for a couple minutes. Then, I added a dash of key lime juice because I am out of lemons. I added some bolillo rolls from the grocery's bakery and canned pears.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

A drizzle of olive oil

Salt & pepper

1/4 c. diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. chicken broth (sub veggie broth for vegetarian)

1 1/2 c. half & half (I used fat-free)

1/2 c. milk (I used 1%)

A pinch of tarragon (use fresh, if you can get it & the bagger doesn't forget to put it in your sack)

Shredded cheddar (I used 2%)

Sour cream (I used light)

Chopped scallions

Crumbled bacon or veggie bits 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower with oil, salt, & pepper. Roast, on a baking sheet lined with foil, half an hour. Cook onion until translucent in a soup pot that's been coated with cooking spray (or use a bit of butter or olive oil). Add garlic & cook until fragrant. Reserve a small handful of roasted cauliflower. Add the rest to the pot, along with half the broth and 1/2 c. half and half. Cook 5 minutes, then blend until mostly smooth. I love my immersion blender for this, but if you haven't got one, you can do this (carefully) in a regular blender in two batches. Add the rest of the liquids and heat through. If you have the time & inclination, you can simmer it another half hour. If you're impatient like me, you don't have to do that. Chop the reserved cauliflower and dump into the pot, along with tarragon. Cook another 5 or so minutes. Serve with the cheese, sour cream, scallions, & bacon. Serves 4-6.

Zuppa Toscana, February 24, 2016

We went from no snow at all this morning to probably 6 inches this afternoon. On such a snowy day, it's lovely to have hot soup for dinner. Luckily, I had a copycat of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana slated for tonight. I served it along with some Texas garlic toast and clementines. Very simple, very satisfying. You can make this healthier by subbing veggie crumbles for the sausage and skim milk for the cream. To make it vegetarian, just use all veggie broth with veggie crumbles replacing the sausage.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. hot sausage

1 lb. regular sausage

56 oz. chicken broth 

14 oz. beef broth

16 oz. whipping cream

6 or 7 potatoes, sliced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 bunch green kale, chopped

Brown the sausages. In a soup pot, mix broth and cream. Heat until almost boiling, stirring often. Add everything but kale. Cover & simmer on low about 45 minutes. Add kale and cook another 5-10 minutes, to wilt kale. Serves 4-6. 

Sausage & Potato Stew, January 26, 2015

Jeannene decided she'd like to come to the gym with me in the evening to check it out, so I made a simple meal that was easy to get ready by the time she got home from work, just a pot of sausage & potato stew and some Pugliese bread. We like to swim and we're wimps about the cold, so it seemed like a good idea to have something that would warm our bellies, too. This stew fit the bill perfectly!

Sausage & Potato Stew

1 lb. breakfast sausage (turkey sausage would be great, as would veggie crumbles, but I would add a tablespoon or so of olive oil, if you use those)

1 tbsp. flour

4 medium red potatoes, diced (peels left on)

1 onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

32 oz. chicken broth (I like the low-sodium variety)

Salt & pepper

Thyme (a generous pinch or two)

Cook the sausage in a stock pot until browned. Drain off the fat and toss the sausage with the flour, stirring to coat well. Add the rest and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium heat, cover, and cook about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes or so. Serves 4-6. 

Beef Stew, January 11, 2015

Last night, I redeemed myself for the horrible pork chops I made earlier in the week. I started Sunday dinner, a long-cooking beef stew, Saturday night and cooked it an hour and a half then. Yesterday, I popped in into the oven in the early afternoon and let it cook the rest of the way. We'd planned to have Pie and Bubbles over for Sunday dinner, as we usually do, and had a beautiful round of crusty Italian bread, a honeydew melon (and blackberries to scatter on it), and a store-bought chocolate pudding cake all ready to serve them with the stew. However, we got a text shortly before serving time telling us that Pie wasn't feeling well, so we were on our own for dinner. They missed out on the best beef stew I've ever had or made. Next time you have a block of time during which you can run your oven, you should absolutely make this!

Sunday Dinner Beef Stew

3 lb. lean beef, cut into 2" or so cubes

6 slices bacon, diced

1 small onion, chopped

5 larger-sized red potatoes, quartered

3 large or 5 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks

8 oz. mushrooms, halved

3 medium onions, quartered

A big handful of mixed fresh parsley and dill, chopped

1 c. dry red wine (I used Gnarlyhead cabernet sauvignon)

10 oz. can beef consommé 

6 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 tsp. each salt, pepper, and thyme

1 tbsp. minced garlic

3 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brown beef, bacon, and chopped onion in a Dutch oven or oven-safe soup pot, about 10 minutes. Add everything else, stir well, cover, and bake, covered, about one and a half hours. Uncover and bake another 2-3 hours, stirring every so often. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serves 6-8. 

La Luna Cooks Gooseberry Patch: Chai Tea

Sometimes, I do remember to put the crockpot on in plenty of time. When my sweetie arrived home from work last Friday, I was able to offer her one of her favorite Starbucks orders, chai tea. [Just an aside---is it my imagination or have they recently changed the recipe for their chai tea, making it much spicier? I don't like it nearly as much these days] It's a perfect relaxer for a chilly fall evening at the end of a hard work week and I imagine I'll be making a lot of this over the winter.

The recipe is very, very simple, relying solely on plain old black tea (I only had family-sized Luzianne iced tea bags and whole spices, with milk at the end. Oh, and sugar. I used a little less than the scant end of the suggested spectrum and would happily go with even less. I think it can be drunk quite cheerfully with no milk, as well. When we'd each had 2 of our Good Luck Cat mugs-ful of the tea, Jeannene went looking for more and was terribly disappointed that I'd only made half the recipe. Now, I know better. I would like to get some whole cardamom pods to add to this next time, as suggested in the recipe, and perhaps some star anise, which was not suggested, but which would look and taste scrumptious!

La Luna Cooks Gooseberry Patch: Hot Spicy Cider for a Crowd

I don't know about you, but I am forever forgetting to start crockpot dishes on time. Sometimes, it means dinner is something else entirely (pizza, anyone?). Sometimes, it simply doesn't matter. The case of this cider is the latter. It has just begun to be really blustery and chilly in Michigan. My mom and I had been out at the art museum all afternoon. My sweetie has a cold, with a very sore throat. I wanted to make her something warm, cozy, and soothing on the throat. Had I been thinking before we ran off to ogle the Diego Rivera murals and fabulous African masks, I would have set a pot going when we left so my honey would have something delicious to sip, all along.

However, when we got home and I remembered that I'd intended to make the cider, my mom agreed that we should go ahead and make it to go with dinner, anyway. This is all to say that if you are making a crockpot cider recipe and run out of time, you should feel free to pop it on top of the stove, instead. This particular recipe calls for ground cloves and allspice, plus cinnamon sticks. I worried that the cinnamon sticks would not have imparted their flavor to the drink by the time it was hot, but it was plenty redolent of cinnamon.

My mom referred to this drink as "cider punch" which is an apt description. It calls for sugar and orange juice, in addition to the spices. I used half the sugar and still felt it could be reduced. Frankly, I don't think it needs any sugar added at all. The cider and juice have plenty of sugar theirownselves. So, next time, I will skip the sugar. Furthermore, I need to remember that I dislike loose ground spices in my drinks. Even making this stovetop, I believe I'd rather use whole allspice and cloves next time. Better yet, I will stick a Post-It note on the door reminding myself to throw everything in the crockpot before I go gallivanting!

P.S. "For a Crowd" is a little misleading. Perhaps the recipe creator is thinking of wee punch cups, rather than the hearty mugs we use around our house, but just 2 of us (my wife bowed out, despite the soothing qualities, when she got a whiff of the strong dose of cloves) drank about a quarter of the recipe with one serving each. I made a half-gallon, which is half the recipe, and poured the leftovers back into the jug, leaving it half-full of spicy cider. So, if you use bigger mugs like we do, count on the whole recipe serving about 8 people, rather than the 16 the recipe claims to serve. Perhaps we are simply cider gluttons, though!

Lenore's Thick Veggie Soup

My cousin, Lenore, is a fabulous cook and is always very generous with her recipes. This soup recipe is one she shared with me for a family cookbook years ago. The cookbook was never put together (one of the projects on my plate for the coming year) & I didn't try the recipe until February of this year. I needed something good, simple, and easy to keep warm for long periods of time, as we were busy packing for our wedding trip. I have been missing out on deliciousness! This with some crusty bread or rolls and a piece of fruit makes a fine winter supper. I have made some small changes, but the credit must go to Lenore!

Lenore's Thick Veggie Soup

1 tbsp. oil

1/2 c. diced onion

1 c. chopped tomato (I subbed a can of diced tomatoes, it being winter)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 c. sliced zucchini

1/2 tsp. basil (in summer, I would toss in some fresh, chopped basil)

4 c. chicken stock (you can easily sub veggie stock for a vegetarian/vegan soup)

1 c. sliced carrots

2 tsp. chopped parsley

Salt & pepper, to taste

Cook onion & garlic in oil until translucent. Add the other ingredients, except the broth, cover, & cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Add broth & bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove a cup of the veggies, using a slotted spoon, and blend the rest with an immersion blender or, very carefully & in batches or you can make a huge mess and burn yourself, in a regular blender. Return the reserved veggies to the rest of the soup & heat through.  

Bean Soup As Good As Travis Griffith's

When I was a young woman, I loved my grandmom's cooking. One of the things she made well was ham & bean soup. When Jeannene was small, her dad did almost all the cooking in their family. It was how he showed love and he was a magnificent cook. He loved to make things like prime rib and shrimp cocktail and other classic dishes. However, he was from Harlan, Kentucky, and his southern roots shone in his cooking, too. He was famous for his biscuits & gravy. He was also well-known for his delicious ham & bean soup. The other night, I made a pot of my own. Upon tasting it, Jeannene said, "Daria. This is as good as my dad's. I wish he were alive again just so he could eat this." She proclaimed it, "Fabulous" and I was very honored to be placed in the ranks with Travis. I think my grandmom would have liked it, too. I served it with corn muffins and slices of Opal apple, a new variety to me, and Jeannene's new favorite apple.

Ham & Bean Soup
16 oz. dried navy beans
2 quarts water
1 center cut ham sliced (1 1/2-2 lb), cubed
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cubes Knorr ham-flavor bouillon (or 4 smaller-sized cubes, such as Wyler)
1/2 c. tomato juice
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar

Rinse beans and sort through to ascertain that any stray bits of rock or what-have-you have been removed. Place in large soup pot with water to cover and soak overnight. When ready to cook, drain beans and add 2 quarts water. Add all but flour and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 3-4 hours. Mix flour with some of the soup broth and the brown sugar. Add to pot of soup, cover, and cook another hour.

Good, Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

With all the single digit and below-zero temperatures and snow we're having, you won't be surprised to know that we're really digging comfort food this month. Last week, I made a big pot of soupy beef stew, plenty for nice hot lunches, too. I served it with a beautiful loaf of Pugliese bread (Jeannene has fun calling it "pugilist bread") from the grocer's bakery and my new favorite orange, the pink-fleshed Cara Cara. Have you tried them? Fab!

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

2 lb. beef, cubed (I buy the pre-packaged stew beef for convenience.)

2 tbsp. butter

Flour 

3 cloves garlic, halved

1 tsp. thyme

2 bay leaves

48 oz. beef broth

3 potatoes, diced

7 small carrots, sliced

1/2 lb. frozen pearl onions

1 can diced tomatoes

Salt & pepper

Melt butter in soup pot. Toss beef with enough flour to coat all the pieces, shaking off any excess. Brown in butter. Add the rest and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 1 1/2-2 hours. 

Cold Weather Green Salad

I love a beautiful salad, even in cold weather and especially after the indulgence of the holidays. This one, inspired by The Splendid Table's How To Eat: Supper, is a stellar salad and if you want to make it a main, just add a little more protein. You could throw in extra cheddar or even some cooked chicken.

Mix half a red onion, thinly sliced, with 3 tbsp. good vinegar, salt and pepper, and a couple tbsp of a dark, grainy mustard, in a large salad bowl. Combine curly endive, baby spinach, and red leaf lettuce and toss with dressing in bowl. Add apple and pear slices or chunks. Throw in some cubed extra-sharp cheddar (Cabot & Tillamook are especially great), a handful each of dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. Toss in some fresh, mild herbs such as mint or basil, if you wish. Drizzle the whole shebang with 4-6 tbsp olive oil, walnut oil, or hazelnut oil. Serve promptly.

Thanksgiving in January

More comfort food! Turkey and mashed potatoes aren't just for November. In fact, I was once invited to a Thanksgiving dinner right around Easter. It was delicious. Here are a couple twists on the stars of That Meal in November.

Thyme & Garlic Turkey Breast

                 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme                  2 garlic cloves, crushed

                 1 tsp. lemon pepper                            1 (approx 2 lb) turkey breast half

                 1/8 tsp. salt                                         Sprigs of thyme for garnish

        Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix thyme, lemon pepper, salt, and garlic. Loosen the turkey skin, rub the thyme mixture on the meat beneath, and press the skin to secure. Coat broiler pan with cooking spray and place the breast, skin side up, on it. Insert meat thermometer and bake about an hour and a half, until thermometer registers 180 degrees. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Cut into thin slices and garnish with thyme sprigs. 

Lemon Mashed Potatoes

Boil & drain about 5 peeled, diced potatoes. Mash with 1/2-1 c. Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper until smooth & the consistency you like. I like to use a manual potato masher, but if you like an electric mixer or potato ricer, by all means, use that!

Black Bean Chili for Deep Chill Week

I have been informed that we are supposed to have a HIGH of zero degrees next week. A high. That's not very many. It was zero when I got up this morning and I begged on Facebook for someone please to help Princess Elsa control her magic. I don't like to be frozen! If you are somewhere in the brr zone this week, too, you might consider putting on a pot of black bean chili and making a pan of cornbread. This is how I do black bean chili. If you're vegetarian, sub another can of beans for the beef. I like mine with plenty of sour cream and shredded extra-sharp white cheddar.

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 tbsp. peanut oil (you can sub whatever kind you have on hand)
1 lg. yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. whole cumin seeds (or a tsp. of ground cumin)
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
15 oz. can black beans
Salt and pepper, to taste

Brown the beef with the onion, garlic, and chili in oil. Drain the fat and add everything else. Simmer, covered, about an hour and a half.

Cozy Supper for Our First Night Home

Due to Jeannene's super new job, we have relocated to a lovely home called Butternut Hall in Southeastern Michigan. She started a little over a month ago and loves it, but has been living in the Days Inn this whole time while I finished my time pastoring in Dayton and got our Columbus household ready to be moved. Over the last several weeks, we have both been subsisting largely on restaurant meals and easy meals at home (whatever home has meant for each of us) that don't require much/any cooking. 

Jeannene was away for work the first several days of our Butternut Hall life. Last night, I went to fetch her from the Detroit airport. It would be her first real home-cooked meal in over a month, so I wanted it really to taste (& smell!) like coming home. I opted for an old-fashioned beef stew and our favorite salad, Robyn's Tuscan Kale Salad, which I have posted previously. I even baked a cheater dessert, those break-and-bake chocolate chunk cookies. I'd rather do homemade, but most of my kitchen is in boxes and the rest in shambles right now. The stew was delicious on a drizzly November night and the house smelled marvelous when we stepped inside. I hope you have more room in your kitchen than I did, and don't have to rest your cutting board and cookie sheets across the sink, but even if you have a tiny bit of space, this meal is doable!

Homecoming Beef Stew

2 lb. boneless beef chuck steak, fat    trimmed, cut into largish chunks

1/2 c. flour

Salt & pepper

3 tbsp. butter

1 onion, chopped

24 oz. beer*

1 lb. tiny red potatoes, halved (you could dice regular-sized ones, too)

3 carrots, peeled and cut in very thick rounds

1 turnip, peeled and cut into large dice

(I would have also added a large parsnip, but the delivery did not arrive at the grocery, so I was out of luck there. You should add one, though, peeled and cut like the carrot.)

Dredge the beef, in batches, in the flour, seasoned with salt and pepper. In your favorite stew pot, melt the butter on medium-high heat. You can use olive oil, instead, if you like. Brown the meat on all sides, which will take about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the beer and deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the crispy bits incorporated. Add the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 2 and a half to 3 hours, stirring every now and again, until everything is very tender. Serves 4-6.

* I used a Tecate and a Dieselpunk IPA because that's what was on hand. Use whatever you like, but I don't recommend light beer in stew, ever. I toyed with using some hard cider and may very well do that next time.