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Friday Night Pizza

By: Mary Sue

07-11-2010

As you may imagine by my obsession with food, I tend to be the one to decides what we are eating for dinner. Sure, I take suggestions, but I typically am the one who searches for recipes, goes to the store, and cooks. So, on Friday, when Erik turned to me and said, “Hey, do you want me to make pizza from scratch for dinner?” I put my feet up and asked how soon it would be ready.

Not really. In real life I asked if I could help and bothered him in the kitchen until he gave me a task.

He made our litmus test pizza, a margherita, the pizza we order each time we go to a new pizza place to see how well they do the basics. It is a simple pizza, with tomato sauce and mozzerella cheese.

Erik baked it in the oven and then threw on some thinly-sliced tomatoes and basil on at the end.

It looked and smelled perfect. We thought we might make this a regular thing. But…

But, it just didn’t taste right. The dough was unevenly cooked, the mozzarella bland (even though it was salted before adding to the pizza), and the sauce (from a can because I am lazy) was tasteless. We cooked the pizza on a pizza stone (that had been heated in the oven for at least a half hour) at 500 degrees.

I know we can do better. Have you? I am curious to know if anyone has a perfect pizza dough recipe or a cooking tip. Give it up!

So, I couldn’t possibly talk about pizza without showing you this clip my sister, Allison, sent me to brighten my day. It is an old school “music video” from Mary Kate and Ashley Olson that someone slowed down. Awesome? Scary? We can’t decide.

Scouring the Internet: Spicy Squash and Lentil Salad

By: Mary Sue

05-11-2010

Blog, NABLOPOMO

It is a bad sign for my NaBloPoMo goal that on Wednesday this week I stopped wanting to write, huh? Well, Friday is proving to be no different. Fridays are supposed to be full of spirit and zeal and mine feels apathetic. Meh, grief. It never promised a good time.

The one good thing I did this week was try a new recipe from Smitten Kitchen for a spicy squash and lentil salad. It was one of those rare recipe browsing experiences when something sounded healthy and delicious – food you know tastes good going in and fuels your body.

(Unlike the homemade pizza we are making for tonight’s dinner. Taste=good, body=a little disappointed)

The key to this dish is roasting the squash in the oven with spicy paprika, cumin and salt, and then tossing in tangy goat cheese, peppery arugula, herbal mint, and crunchy pumpkin seeds.

Want to try it yourself? You can go straight to the source for the recipe. The only adjustments I made was that I included 1 cup of arugula (all my garden grew) and I used pepitas from the store instead of roasting the seeds from the squash.

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Braised Lamb Shanks

By: Mary Sue

06-10-2010

Blog, Locavorism, Recipe

I was talking to my mom the other day and she said she was tired of her meat options for dinner and I thought, “Me too!” I serve the same things throughout the month: roast chicken, steaks, slow-roasted pork, some sort of ground meat product (chicken or pork sausage, beef, etc…), pot roast or short ribs, and maybe some fish. I like meat a lot, but I am not sure I am the best at cooking it. Sigh.

I decided if I am going to try something new, I better find a fool-proof recipe. For me, recipes that are cooked slowly are generally pretty safe. It’s those high-heat, temperature-has-to-be-perfect-or-it’s-dry meats that are tricky. (See: steak, chicken breasts, pork chops, shrimp, scallops, and much more). I decided to cook a lamb roast from Alice Water’s Book, The Art of Simple Food, which is like the slow food bible. This book is wonderful, if you haven’t heard. She encourages buying local, whole foods and then describes how to cook them with relatively easy, yet fantastic recipes. Nothing fancy, just simple, wholesome, and delicious food.

See? How good does that look?

Anyway, so I went to the store in search of a lamb shoulder roast, which only brought strange looks from the butcher as they don’t carry that cut. I walked out with 4 lamb blade chops, which I was assured could be braised. (I am glad the butchers help me sometimes, because, I swear, half the time I have no idea what I am supposed to do when it comes to meat.)

I think the key to braising consists of a few things. 1. Salt and pepper before (up to a day before) 2. Browning- make sure the meat gets a nice brown sear. 3. Delicious braising liquid, without it, your meat will lose flavor.

This recipe had me cook the lamb with onions, carrots, white wine, chicken stock, hot dried chilies and some herbs. It smelled wonderful before I even put it in the oven.

And, then when it came out… I blended the sauce, served it over polenta, and topped with gremolata (which every time I see on a menu, I have to ask for a definition. Maybe now that I have made it, I won’t have to ask!).

The result was so good. I think I might have to add this to our monthly rotation. The lamb wasn’t that expensive ($5.99 a pound) and it made enough for 5+ meals. If you are looking for something new to make, try this!

Braised Lamb
Adapted from Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food

4 bone in lamb shank cuts (I used lamb blade, but other arm cuts will work)
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups of chopped onion
2 carrots, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 small dried chili pepper
5 black peppercorns
3/4 cup of white wine
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups of chicken broth
3 Tbsp of chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic

If you have time, salt and pepper the shanks the day before. If not, do it as much ahead of time as possible.

Preheat the oven to 325. Heat a oven-proof, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Warm the oil and add the shanks, browning them well on all sides. Remove the shanks from the pan and pour out most of the oil. Add in the onion, carrots, garlic, chili pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Then, turn up the heat to high and add the white wine, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. After a minute, add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and allow to cook down by half. Add the shanks back to the pan along with the 2 cups of chicken broth. Cover and place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

While the lamb is cooking, make the gremolata. Combine the parsley, lemon zest, and garlic cloves. Set aside.

When the lamb falls off the bone, remove from oven. Take shanks out of pan and throw away the bones. Place the sauce in a food processor and pulse to create a rough puree. Pour over the lamb meat. Top with a tablespoon of gremolata.

I served this on top of polenta, but it would do just as well on a bed of mashed potatoes, braised greens, or in a bowl with a nice piece of bread to sop up the juices.

Yum!

Delusions and Summer Veggie and Sausage Pasta

By: Mary Sue

01-09-2010

Blog, Locavorism, Recipe

Since my last post cursing the NW for our lack of sun and tomato-growing weather, people keep telling me about their magnificent tomatoes. But, do they give me any? No! Seriously, in my head I am convinced they are lying. This is probably a sign of some mental disorder, right? Paranoid delusions or something? Anyway, until I eat good tomatoes I am going to remain on my anger pony and ride off into the (cloudy) sunset.

Enough ranting about the tomatoes! (It is just that I love them so much and was so excited about canning and eating and canning and then eating again. (Someone please give me an intervention.))

Lately, my CSA is getting more useful to my menus – less cabbage (THANK GOD) and more green beans, squash, cucumbers, potatoes, basil, onions, and corn. I have been freezing things that freeze well and incorporating things without effort into our regular menu.

On Sunday, after a fun girls’ weekend and Erik’s first cyclocross race, I wanted to make something full of veggies, but still substantial. Something that would carry us through a couple days so I didn’t have to think about making lunch. My winter time remedy is all-too-often a homemade meat sauce and spaghetti. I don’t know how after 32 years of eating this I am not sick of it, but I am not. I love it. Fortunately for Erik, I felt I could branch out a bit. This time.

I used the yellow squash, yellow wax beans, basil, and some cherry tomatoes from our CSA. I tossed the veggies with some rigatoni, spicy Italian sausage (you could use chicken sausage, or none at all, if you like fitting into your jeans) and shaved parmesan. This non tomato-based sauce pairs nicely with a whole wheat pasta, plus you can then convince yourself it is healthy. I love delusions.

Just don’t tell me you grew delicious tomatoes without giving me one.

Summer Veggie and Sausage Pasta
Serves 6
1/2 lb whole wheat rigatoni or penne
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
2 T olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced squash
2 cups wax (or green) beans (ends removed and cut into bite-size pieces)
1/2 cup of basil all but a few leaves julienned
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 T of shaved parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the directions. When draining, save one cup of pasta water for the sauce.

After cutting up the squash, sprinkle with salt. Allow to sweat for 3-5 minutes, dab with a towel, flip and repeat.

Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. Add sausage and cook 8-10 minutes until fully cooked and brown. Remove sausage from pan and dump grease. Return the pan to the heat and add 1 T of olive oil to the pan and the squash. Allow to cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then, add in the wax beans for an additional 3. (The wax beans will still be quite chewy. If you prefer them more done, blanch them in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes first.)

Remove the pan from the heat and dump in the pasta, 1 T of olive oil, sausage, tomatoes, and all the julienned tomatoes. Toss and taste for seasonings. If the pasta is too dry, add the pasta water. Before serving, toss in the shaved parmesan and sprinkle with remaining basil leaves.

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Tomato Tease

By: Mary Sue

26-08-2010

Blog, Locavorism, Recipe

When you live in the Pacific NW, it is fairly standard to agree summer is your favorite season. Sure, people claim to love fall or spring, but really, I mean REALLY, everyone loves summer best. The sun is finally out and we can put our raincoats away. It is warm, but not humid. The vegetables and fruits are ripe and juicy. I mean, stop kidding yourselves with this fall stuff.

In other parts of the country, people may feel differently. After visiting my grandma by the beach in Southern California a few weeks ago. I heard many people complain about their foggy and chili summer mornings

(Not demonstrated here, when the sun was happy and shiny.)

And certainly, on my trip back east people don’t love summer. The humidity and the heat are oppressive. (Don’t even talk to me about the subway heat.) Although, it did produce the most wonderful sunsets.

But, there is one thing that they have that I have yet to see at home.

Sweet, flavorful tomatoes. In both places, I had newly picked, delicious tomatoes that had me dreaming of caprese salads, soups, sauces, and canning. I couldn’t wait to get home and see what two weeks away did to our tomatoes. So, I set out to make gazpacho first thing. I headed to the store (because I missed the farmers’ market circuit), and found the Oregon-grown heirloom tomato aisle. I asked the grocer which tomatoes had the most flavor and she got to slicing. I must have tried five different varieties – each resulting in an emphatic, “Meh.” Watery, flavorless, might-as-well-be-winter tomatoes.

Once I make up my mind I tend to be a little inflexible and this tomato thing threw me. Instead of inventing a new recipe while standing in the produce aisle, I decided to make the gazpacho anyway. I plucked a variety of tomatoes from their bins, including some actually tasty cherry tomatoes, and decided to make the best of it. I am glad I did, because in 90+ heat gazpacho is an ideal dinner (and the next day’s lunch and dinner (and the next day’s…)).

I made a gazpacho once last summer. It was good, but it had this funny banana taste to it. I can’t tell you how a hint of banana can ruin a perfectly good dish. After some thoughtful consideration I decided it might be the cucumber’s fault, so I made some adjustments to the recipe. This time I am banana free!

I served the dish the first night with some grilled shrimp and grilled bread; for dessert we had grilled peaches. I think the idea of just serving a cold dish got to me and I had to warm it up a bit, with some char marks. The next night, I made mine with a grilled cheese.

With that, I deplore you, if you find any perfectly ripe, scrumptious tomatoes, (or even if you have to fake it) make a gazpacho. You will thank me.

Gazpacho
Serves 8

3 lbs seeded and skinned* tomatoes, diced
2 tsp soy sauce
4 cups tomato juice
2 cups beef (chicken or veggie) broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cucumber, skinned, seeded and diced
2 zucchini, skinned and diced
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1/3 cup of red onion, diced
1/2 cup of basil, chopped finely
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
Toppings: Avocado, sour cream, shrimp, grilled bread
* To skin tomatoes – cut an X into the bottom of the tomato and place in a pan of boiling water for 15-20 seconds. Let cool and slip off the skins. Squeeze gently to remove seeds. For cherry tomatoes, wash and place in a food processor until pureed.

In a large, non-aluminum bowl combine the chopped tomatoes with the tomato juice, broth, soy sauce, olive oil, and vinegar. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper if necessary. Add to the sauce cucumber, zucchini, garlic, peppers, onion, basil and lemon juice. Stir until combined.

Take out three cups of the mixture and blend in a food processor or blender. Add everything back to the soup and stir. Taste again for seasonings, adjust, and then place in the fridge until chilled – about 4 hours.

Asian Style Short Ribs

By: Mary Sue

05-08-2010

Blog, Recipe

Sometimes, when I don’t update the ol blog, it is because I am eating out. A lot. Sometimes it is because I haven’t been cooking anything good or locally grown. Lately, I can not rely on the over-used excuses. I cook a ton and get the majority of my food at the farmers’ market. What gives? I think it might be a little thing called summer. Ah. Summer. You see, in summer, there is a thing called the sun. And if you live in Oregon it really only comes out a few months of the year – and every day is full of happiness, rainbows and miniature ponies. Apparently, I would rather be enjoying it than writing the blog.

But, since I do cook sometimes, I have been stock-piling things to share. I made some Asian-style short ribs recently that were fantastic. Usually I make a version that is a little more traditional, but I needed something with more zing for the warmer weather.

I searched the internet for options and found this recipe from Emeril. I changed it a bit, but I kept the core of his recipe by adding hoisin sauce, ginger, and orange juice to the braising liquid. Makes for a yummy combination.

Emeril suggested serving this over rice, but I chose a horseradish mashed potato (to make, just add a couple tablespoons or prepared horseradish when mashing).

The end result has a distinctly lighter flavor than my traditional, heavier short rib recipes – which means you can eat it in the summer while enjoying the SUN!

Asian-Style Short Ribs (Serves 6)

4 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 4-ounce portions
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 cups of water
1/4 cup sliced green onion bottoms, white part only (save green parts for final presentation, if desired)
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tbps fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. Pat dry and then sprinkle the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat the 2 Tbsp of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (that can go in the oven) over med-high heat. Brown each side of the short ribs, turning after three to five minutes (be sure not to crowd the pan too much). After browning, combine soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onions, hot sauce, and 1/2 the orange juice into the pot and cover tightly. Place in the oven for about 3 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone.

Take the pan out of the oven and turn the heat up to 425. Remove the short ribs from the pan, but keep the braising liquid. Pour off the fat and place the rest of the liquid on the stove on medium-high. Add the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil until the liquid has reduced to about a cup. Discard solids and stir in the remaining orange juice and lemon juice. Return the meat to the pan, toss and heat in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Spoon meat and a little juice over a pile of mashed potatoes – adding the green onions if you wish.

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Cabbage OVERLOAD: Braised Cabbage and White Bean and Cabbage Slop

By: Mary Sue

19-07-2010

Blog, Locavorism, Recipe

So, when I first started getting my CSA from Sungold Farms I was pretty excited. I love contributing to a farm directly and sharing in the abundance of crops. I knew the downside would be some vegetables I don’t normally cook, but I thought it would be a fun challenge. What I didn’t consider is getting an abundance of the same vegetable week after week – and having to come up with something new to do with them every time.

In this case, the offender is cabbage. For the past month, I have received a head of cabbage a week. Have you ever tried to eat a whole head of cabbage a week? And then repeated week after week after week??? Unless you really love cabbage, I wouldn’t recommend it.

On the plus side, it has expanded my cabbage recipes – which basically consisted of this red cabbage salad and a few coleslaw recipes – and some of them are pretty dang good.

One required seasoning the cabbage with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes…

And braising (i.e., cooking slowly for a long time) in chicken stock. Since I have a thing for poached eggs, I threw one on top when it was finished braising.

Delicious. I am glad I found the recipe on Orangette, which she adapted from Molly Stevens.

Braised Cabbage
Makes 4 main course servings
1 head of green cabbage
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, sliced diagonally
1/4 cup chicken broth (vegetable broth)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (less if you like things less spicy)
Poached egg, if you felt like it

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Discard the outer, bruised cabbage leaves (if any), cut the cabbage in half and cut out the core. Quarter each half, so you have eight wedges. Place wedges in a baking dish, add olive oil, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven for one hour. After which, stir the dish, recover and place back in the oven for an additional hour. Serve as a side dish or with a poached egg as a yummy dinner.

White Bean and Cabbage

Erik refers lovingly to this dish as as Cabbage Slop. It is a not quite a soup, more of a thick stew. I loved that I got to use some of the bacon I bought at Full of Life Farm the week before and it really made the dish. But, when doesn’t bacon make things better?

White Bean and Cabbage
Makes 6 servings
3 strips of bacon, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 head of cabbage, cored and cut into chunks
1 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups of cooked white beans
2 Tbsp fresh chopped sage
1 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the bacon over medium in a dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pan. When crispy, remove from pan and dump all but 2 Tbsp of bacon grease from the pan. Add the onions to the pan and cook for five minutes, until softened, add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Next, add the cabbage, chicken broth, and white wine. Cook for three minutes, until wilted. Add the bacon, herbs, red wine vinegar and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

If you were sad hoping to get more cabbage recipes, don’t fear… I have a couple coleslaw numbers coming up real soon. Does anyone out there have any fantastic cabbage recipes to share? Or, better yet, who wants a head of cabbage???

Portobello Mushroom Burgers and Wigging Out

By: Mary Sue

08-07-2010

Blog, Recipe

Since I was six months old, I have been going to Shasta Lake with my family for the 4th. Every year, we pack up the car, drive 8 hours, and arrive in a hot, dirty, electricity-free and absolutely perfect place. It wasn’t until I was 22 that I saw 4th of July fireworks – and only because the 4th happen to fall on a funny day of the week and I caught them when I got home.

We eat, swim, drink, play, eat, dance, swim, lounge, and eat some more. It is one of my favorite places on earth.

And my family wouldn’t be my family without making ourselves look stupid.

This year we wigged out a bit. Got wiggy with it. Went a little wig-crazy. Oh wait, wigs and eye wear, but I didn’t have any glasses and I sort of forgot that part of the costume. I notice that I tend to be a costume slacker, but I try. (Can you find me without my signature ginger hair?)

One of my favorite parts of Shasta is planning the meals. Planning food for 20 people and three days is challenging, to put it mildly (take-the-phone-off-the-hook-and-work-with-excel-for-five-hours frustrating), and super-duper fun. I love looking at our 13 heads of lettuce and thinking, “Is this enough?” (Hint: It usually is…) More than that, I love cooking. And it gets me out of doing things like digging up sewage lines (which I have done and is as gross as it sounds) or carrying heavy, dirty things in the 100 degree weather.

This past year, we introduced a new entree to our rotation: Portobello Mushroom Burgers. We have a few vegetarians in the fam and like to have options for everyone. Ironically, the vegetarians left early and we didn’t bat an eye about serving vegetarian burgers to a bunch of meat eaters. They are that good.

Portobello Mushroom Burger
Serves 4
4 portobello mushrooms, clean and stems removed
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
2 tsp olive oil
dash salt
ground pepper
handful of basil leaves
1 avocado, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbls mayonnaise
4 slices provolone cheese
4 ciabatta rolls

Brush mushrooms with olive oil and grill or bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. At the same time, grill the veggies or throw them in a separate baking dish (cook for at least 25 minutes in the oven).

Separate out 8 whole leafs of basil and chop the rest. Combine chopped basil with minced garlic and mayonnaise. Place in the fridge until ready.

Once the veggies are out of the oven, turn the oven on to broil. Slice the ciabatta rolls in half and place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Add a portobello mushroom, then some of the roasted veggies, two basil leafs, avocado slices and top with the provolone cheese. Place the buns in the oven to melt cheese and brown the top bun – watch carefully, this shouldn’t take long.

Remove from the oven and spread the aioli on the top bun. Sandwich and serve immediately. Then, tell me if you miss the meat!

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Grilled Ahi Salad

By: Mary Sue

17-06-2010

Blog, Recipe

I went to the store this evening, looking for some fish to serve for dinner. We have been trying to eat healthy around here, mostly to try to counter the massive quantities of food we indulge in when we go out, and fish seemed like a good option. I planned on making the Halibut with Wasabi Pea Crust, but the halibut was $18.99 a pound. Sheesh.

Fortunately for me, the ahi was on sale and I remembered one of my favorite recipes of all time: grilled ahi salad with avocados and lime.

Immediately, I pulled out my phone and looked for the recipe on this here blog. I haven’t made this in a while and wanted to make sure I had all the ingredients. Wha? Not on my blog? Then I remembered why… Because NONE of it is local. But, since it is delicious I decided to make it anyway and share it with the rest of the world/the people who read my blog.

I found this recipe in an Ina Garten cookbook a couple of years ago and then have made a few changes. It is hearty enough to serve as a whole dinner and clean-tasting enough to serve as an appetizer or side.

You start with grilling some tuna…

I cooked mine on a grill pan for just a few minutes on each side, so the inside stays raw. Then cut up the avocado, green onions, and red onions. Finally, everything gets mixed together with some lettuce and a spicy-lime dressing.

I tell you – make this. Even though it isn’t local and the avocado may be rock hard because it isn’t totally ripe. Make it.

Recipe – Grilled Ahi Salad
Serves 4

1 1/2 lb of Ahi Steak – shashimi grade
2 T toasted sesame seeds
4 cups of salad lettuce
2 avocados, cut into bite size pieces
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of 3 limes – 6 Tablespoons
1/4 cup of olive oil
15 drops of hot sauce (Sriracha)
1 t wasabi powder (or extra hot sauce)
2 t soy sauce
1/4 t sesame oil
1/2 t honey
1/2 t ground pepper
1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Heat a grill or grill pan on high. Add salt and pepper to both sides of the ahi steak, then brush with olive oil. Once the grill is thoroughly heated, add the tuna to the grill for about 2 1/2 minutes a side. You want the fish to the have char marks on the outside, but still be raw on the inside. Once cooled a bit, cut into bite size pieces.

At the same time, toast the sesame seeds on low heat in a dry pan. Once they start to brown, remove from the pan.

Combine the dressing in a small bowl. Mix together olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, hot sauce, wasabi powder, soy sauce, honey, and ground pepper.Taste for seasonings and add salt or more hot sauce. Cut up the avocado and add it to the dressing.

Plate the lettuce and mix with a bit of the dressing. Then, add 3/4 of the avocados, the red onions, and the tuna. Top with the rest of the avocados and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Finish with the green onions and sesame seeds.

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Mini Meatloaves

By: Mary Sue

22-04-2010

Blog, Locavorism, Recipe

Way too often around here, I make three or four times too much food for dinner. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but cooking for two is just not something I am good at doing. When ever I do cook the correct portions I am worried throughout the entire cooking process and meal that my dining companion is not going to get enough to eat. Have you ever served dinner and not fed people enough? It feels like you have failed, no matter how good the food was the people will only remember that were still hungry.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I made some meatloaf and as I was putting it together realized that I had WAY too much meat for the two of us. So, I decided to freeze a couple for a rainy day.

This week, it might have well poured… I came down with a stupid cold and did not feel like cooking much of anything. One of the downsides to being a locavore is the lack of easy foods. You know how nice and simple a bowl of macaroni and cheese would have been to make? Or soup from a can? But, alas, I remembered I had those mini meatloaves in the freezer and all I had to do was defrost and bake them.

This picture doesn’t have to do with anything, but my nose is dripping and it makes me feel better.

Anyway, the mini meatloaves are from a recipe I found in Cooking Light years ago. The mini-ness makes sure that there is lots of the yummy crust, a moist, flavorful interior and lots outside area to put a yummy ketchup based sauce. Because, it wouldn’t be meatloaf without some ketchup.

Recipe (trying out something new here, let me know if you guys like the recipe in the post or always as a downloadable link…)

Mini Meatloaves
Serves 4

1/2 cup of ketchup
2 T Dijon mustard
1 t of Worcestershire sauce
1 lb ground sirloin
3/4 finely chopped onion
1/4 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 t salt
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl combine the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire – reserve 2 1/2 Tablespoons. Mix the remaining ketchup mixture with the beef, meat, onion, breadcrumbs, salt, oregano, pepper, and egg, stirring until combined. Form four mini meatloaves and place on a parchment paper-lined, silpat-lined, or greased cookie sheet. Spread the remaining ketchup mixture on the loaves. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until done.

Here is the downloadable recipe:
Mini Meatloaves