A lot of the cooking I do doesn’t rely on recipes. I just throw things together and see if they work together. This is one of those recipes. It came about after having a discussion with a friend about what exactly meatloaf was as she had never had it before (at least that is what I gathered from the conversation-if I was wrong please correct me!) and I had mentioned that I was going to be making one today.

The most basic recipes for meatloaf consist of ground beef mixed with breadcrumbs, chopped celery, carrots, and onions which is then shaped into a loaf in a baking dish or a loaf pan. (Baking it in a loaf pan is actually not a very good way of making a meatloaf…)

I had intended on making this meatloaf relatively simple but when I went into my fridge I realized some key ingredients were actually missing. I didn’t have celery or onion. So I had to improvise using what I did have on hand : carrots, zucchini, roasted red peppers, and some dried chives. And because my husband requested it when I told him I was thinking about making meatloaf, I also had some Sambal Oelek to use.

I normally add recipes here after I’ve successfully made them, not while I am making them. The meatloaf is currently sitting in the oven baking and I am already adding it here even though I am not sure that it will turn out. (I have a pretty good idea that it will.)

(more…)

With the weather warming up I find that I make more salads. This 7 layer salad is great for bbq parties or summer pot-luck parties as it feeds a lot of people. It can also be assembled the day before (but not necessary) if you want.

I like the fact that the recipe uses both Boston lettuce and baby spinach-two of my favorite “salad” items. They hold up really well with all of the other ingredients.

The recipe comes from my mother and I am not sure where she found it originally. It is rather brand specific leading me to believe it came from a magazine. (The ones that provide recipes for whatever it is they are advertising and want you to buy.) I’ve kept the brands in the recipe as I saw no reason not too.

(more…)

Okay, this is a recipe I found in one of the German cookbooks. (The recipe translates to: Meatloaf with Bacon and a Potato crust) The moment I saw it I knew that I had to make it. I mean really what is not to love about it? It’s meatloaf wrapped in bacon and topped with mashed potatoes.

As is my usual MO we had friends over for dinner the night I made it.

For all the translation that I had to do in my head the recipe was in fact fairly simple. I made the potatoes in advance and reheated them in the microwave just prior to topping the meatloaf. This allowed me to get around having to time everything just right.

Normally I make meatloaf with a bread crumb mixture but this one called for milk soaked slices of a day old baguette. I had never used this method before, but I must say that it worked wonderfully and I was pleased with the cohesion of the meatloaf as well as the amount of moisture it retained. Because the meatloaf was topped with mashed potatoes and I really didn’t need a starchy side to go along with it, I made some French-cut green beans to go along with it. They were a nice compliment to the mustard foam/sauce that I made just before serving.

(more…)

I don’t make pork tenderloin very often. It’s too much like a roast for me and I have yet to perfect that particular dish either. The balance between a moist and dry roast is sometimes rather elusive. I came across this recipe in Concert in the Kitchen. I thought that it was an interesting take on the Pork Tenderloin as I had never seen one that was breaded before. Surely the tenderloin would retain its moisture with a crumb crust. So I tried it.

As I gathered the ingredients I felt that the amount of bread crumbs was a bit much, but then again I chose a smaller tenderloin as it was just for two people so the amount could have been correct for an average sized tenderloin. And I used dried rosemary (1/2 tsp) instead of fresh rosemary. The entire process was quick and relatively easy to do. It was completely done within 20 minutes of putting it in the oven. I served it with mashed turnips and potatoes.

(more…)

Teufelssupe translates from the German to Devil’s Soup. The reason they call it the Devil’s Soup does not only come from its red coloring, but the kick in heat that it has from Sambal Oelek. Sambal Oelek is a fresh red chilie paste that you can find in most supermarkets in the “asian/indian” isle. It can be used on just about anything that you want to give a kick of heat to. Just use it sparingly as a little goes a really long way. I used 1 tsp to start then after tasting it added another. That second tsp increased the heat of the soup by quite a bit.

The soup is also made with Gulasch meat (a mixture of pork and beef stew meats) which when I think about it isn’t all that surprising since it is very much like a German Gulasch just with some vegetables and a kick.

The preparation is super simple and the whole thing cooks for about an hour depending on how tender you want the beef to be. It thickens up over time but doesn’t quite get as thick as a stew would.

(more…)

I pulled out Maine Coastal Cooking, a cookbook that my mother purchased 2 years before I was born, and decided to make something out of it. The cook book has recipes dating all the way back to 1664 and contains a small book at the end titled The Accomplished Cook: The Art and Mystery of Cookery.

I decided to make an Irish Stew. There were two variants of this recipe and I chose to go with the beef and vegetable version. Yet again I decided to make a recipe that required the use of a vegetable that I hadn’t worked with before, the turnip. I used a regular turnip instead of a yellow turnip because when I bought turnips I didn’t know that yellow turnips were actually ruddebegga. The things I learn about when I decide to look in my cookbooks…

I used half the amount of beef and smaller potatoes. The next time I think I will increase the amount of carrots. I let the meat and onions simmer for about 2 hours before adding the remaining vegetables and simmering for another half hour. The meat was tender and the vegetables had just enough firmness to them.

(more…)

I made Penne with Sausage, Peppers & Tomato Sauce on Friday last week. It was one of the many recipes that I collected over the years from different magazines that I had yet to actually get into the kitchen to make. I am really glad that I decided to try this one.

I’m all about simplicity and this is the epitome of a simple Italian dish. I used Johnsonville Mild Italian sausage, the next time I may try the hot version. I only used two bell peppers, a yellow and a green. They added just the right texture. I may try using an orange pepper as well the next time I make it.

It saves well, though I haven’t tried to freeze it. I would imagine that the peppers would break down a bit too much and become really limp.

The recipe serves six (at least that is what they suggest) and I think this would make a wonderful meal to invite friends over for dinner. It really doesn’t take much time at all.

(more…)

The Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers is actually my own concoction. I was randomly throwing things together one evening trying to make something edible. (This was during my college days and food was rather random.)

Initially I just mixed the Rice-A-Roni with the meat and diced tomatoes and ate it like that. It was while I was eating that I had the idea to use it as a stuffing in bell peppers. I think it was the Rice-A-Roni that gave me the idea. Most stuffed peppers that I have had in the past were stuffed with some sort of rice mixture.

I don’t make it very often, I am not sure why, but it is a favorite at the dinner table. Since I am usually cooking them for two people there is usually a lot of stuffing left over. It reheats really well and can be eaten on its own.

(more…)

*This recipe was sent to me by my mother in late 2006. She found it in a magazine while working in Germany, thus the recipe is written in grams. It was rather interesting that the actual recipe listed the butter with the Tbsp measurement.

(more…)