Cinco de Mayo Meatloaf Minis

Meatloaf evokes all sorts of memories of family dinners and Heinz ketchup glaze. The traditional versions are reliably yummy, but meatloaf can also be a blank canvas for all sorts of creative endeavors. Tonight’s meatloaf masterpiece is a slightly spicy version in honor of Cinqo de Mayo.

Ingredients

1 pound grain fed organic ground beef
1 can organic kidney beans, thoroughly rinsed
1 cup frozen organic corn kernels
1 cup Muir Glen medium salsa
1 cup shredded 2% Mexican blend cheese

How I Made It

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a regular sized muffin tin.

Combine the ground beef, beans, corn, and 1/2 cup of salsa in a large bowl. Form the mixture into balls and press into the muffin tin. Go ahead and fill each cup (the meatloaves will shrink). Press 1-2 tbs of cheese into the top of each meatloaf. Finish with 1 tbs salsa, spreading over the top.

Place the muffin tin on a cookie sheet (in case it overflows) and cook in the oven on the center rack for 25 minutes.  Be careful when you remove the mini meatloaves from the muffin tin — there will be hot grease in the bottom.

Serve with steamed broccoli or green salad. Makes 6-8 mini meatloaves.

How They Turned Out

Even without the usual egg and breadcrumb mixture, they held together nicely.  They were flavorful but not very spicy. And the miniature size helps with portion control.

 

Feast of the Three Fishes (Seafood Fettucini)

My dearest friend is Italian, so for Christmas this year I wanted to make a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes. But that seemed like far too much food (and effort) for just two people. This pasta dish with crab, scallops, and shrimp was a wonderful compromise (half the fishes made for a perfect two-person feast).

Ingredients:

1 lb frozen medium size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lb sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 lb lump crab meat, rinsed and patted dry
2 tbs unsalted butter
4 tsp minced garlic
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup half and half
3/4 cup shredded parmesan, divided in half
salt and pepper
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
8 oz fettucini, cooked

How I made it:

Thaw the shrimp in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Saute the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the scallops and turn down the heat to medium.

Blanch the shrimp in boiling water for 2-3 minutes (it helps address the yucky grey color of the shrimp). Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and pat dry (carefully, they’ll be hot). Add the shrimp to the skillet, then the crab.  Turn the scallops and continue to cook until the seafood is heated through.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the heavy cream first, then the half and half. Stir to combine.  Sprinkle half of the shredded parmesan over the seafood mixture and stir again.  Salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat down to low, and stir occasionally so that a skin doesn’t form while you prepare the pasta.

Cook the fettucini according to the package directions, adding the frozen broccoli four minutes before the pasta is al dente. When done, drain and rinse the pasta and broccoli.

Combine the pasta, broccoli, and seafood mixture in a large bowl, using tongs to ensure that the pasta is thoroughly coated. This is a thin sauce, so it should combine easily. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and serve.

How it turned out:

Wonderful! Not only was it delicious the first night, the leftovers were even better.

(Makes 6 servings)

 

Maple Bourbon Turkey

This started out from a recipe from the Beekman Boys. As usual, there were unexpected (maybe by now they are to be expected?) deviations from the recipe. (The original recipe is available here.)

Ingredients:

1 14-16 pound organic free range turkey
1/4 cup  salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chile powder
1 orange
1 lime
1 small yellow onion, halved
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3/4 cup good quality maple syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups Jim Beam Black double aged bourbon

How I Made It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the turkey, removing the bag of giblets and the neck.  Place these (sans bag) in the bottom of the roasting pan.  Place the turkey, breast side up, in the rack in the roasting pan.

Combine the salt, sugar, and chili powder. Rub the seasoning all over the turkey, making sure to evenly spice the entire bird.

Quarter the orange, lime, and onion. Stuff these into the turkey, then follow with the garlic cloves and the bay leaves.

 

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine the molasses, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and 1 cup of bourbon. Heat over medium heat and stir continuously until blended and smooth.  (This is where I left the Beekman Boys behind — my recipe calls for bourbon in the basting sauce as well as the pan.)

With a silicone brush, thoroughly cover the turkey with the maple bourbon sauce. Make sure to get a few tablespoons into the cavity as well.  You should use at least half of the sauce, but make sure you have enough reserved for basting as it roasts.

Pour 1 cup of bourbon into the bottom of the roasting pan (not over the bird). Cover the wing tips with foil and  tie the drumsticks with kitchen twine.  Finally, tent the entire turkey with non-stick foil.

Roast covered for 90 minutes. Uncover, baste well with maple bourbon sauce, and continue roasting for 30 minutes.

Using a meat thermometer in the thigh, check the temperature.  If the turkey has reached 150 degrees or so, baste again and return uncovered to the oven. (If it hasn’t, keep roasting covered and check every 15 minutes until it reaches 150 degrees).

Roast the turkey uncovered for another 30 minutes, basting as needed (I’m a frequent baster because I like a moist turkey).  After 30 minutes, check to ensure that the turkey has reached 165 degrees. If it has, remove from the oven.

Let rest covered for 15 minutes before carving.

How It Turned Out:

Wonderful! Moist, flavorful, and if you have folks who like the  turkey skin — this will be their favorite turkey ever.

 

 

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Pumpkin is good for you.  Lots of vitamin A and fiber.  So, pumpkin muffins must be good for you, too, right?  Especially with the antioxidants in chocolate added to the mix.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup Splenda+sugar blend
1/2 tsp salt
1 can organic pumpkin
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

How I Made Them:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the muffin tin(s) with festive liners.

Combine the dry ingredients, sifting together with a fork until well combined. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add the pumpkin and canola oil and mix well. Combine the dry and wet mixtures until blended and smooth.  Add the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

How They Turned Out:

Moist with a lovely texture, not too dense or too crumby, these are wonderful with a glass of cold milk. The taste is complex, with chocolate the primary impression at first and the pumpkin and spices coming through underneath.  I’m wondering if some cream cheese frosting wouldn’t be a nice addition, or if it would just be gilding a pumpkin.

 

Adventures in Spices ~ Steak Za’atar

While I am fearless when experimenting with flour, sugar, butter and vanilla, spices scare me. Amchur powder, nigella seed, aleppo pepper, grains of paradise — whatever are these for?  Contributing to my nervousness is the fact that most of my forays with fennel and five spice have ended badly.

And yet, despite these fears, I was inspired. Exploring the Summit Spice and Tea Shop in Anchorage, I was astounded by all the different colors and textures. Herbs and spices, solos and blends — teaspoon adventures from places only National Geographic has ever heard of. How could anyone fail to be inspired by such treasures?

Tonight’s teaspoon adventure is to North Africa and the Middle East, courtesy of an herb blend called za’atar.  Za’atar can refer to a single herb from the oregano, basil, thyme, and savory families — or to a blend of herbs and spices.  The Summit Spice and Tea za’atar blends white sesame seed, ground sumac, marjoram, and thyme. I used it to make a marinade for a lovely bit of steak.

Ingredients:

1 small boneless ribeye steak
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs high quality balsamic vinegar
1 tbs za’atar herb blend

How I made it:

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, and herbs.  Place the steak in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade into the bag.  Zip it up and then work the steak in the bag until it is fully covered by marinade.  Place the bag in the refrigerator and let sit for an hour, turning over half way through.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place the steak on a broiler pan (non-stick or sprayed with olive oil) and cook for about 45 minutes, turning over once at 30 minutes or so.  Cook to desired doneness.  Serve with roasted potatoes.

How it turned out:

The za’atar gave the meat a bright, lemony aroma out of the oven. The steak was tender and juicy, with a complex taste.  Oregano, butter, lemon all at once.  Which is funny, since the recipe didn’t include any of those.

It was good, but not superb. I think next time I’ll try it with salmon.

 

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs

There is something about Sundays. No matter how the day is spent, the evening should be spent around the table with family. Thankfully, my best friend is of the same mind. We have a tradition of Sunday suppers, cooking together and setting the table. I don’t know that everyone always appreciates the napkin rings and fancy serving dishes, but they certainly did enjoy this meal.

Ingredients:

1 4-5 lb fresh whole chicken
2 small organic lemons
1 organic sweet onion
1 stick organic unsalted butter, softened
2 tbs herbes de provence with lavender
1/2 cup organic chicken broth
1 cup water

How I made it:

Remove the top rack and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil or use a nonstick roaster.

Remove the neck from inside the chicken (chicken necks creep me out, so I just toss it — you could reserve it for something else). Rinse the chicken in cool water, making sure to rinse the inside of the chicken. Set the chicken in the roaster.

(Wash your hands with soap and hot water — chickens are germy.)

Quarter the lemons. Peel and quarter the onion, separating into smaller segments. Stuff the lemon quarters and onion sections into the chicken.

(Wash your hands with soap and hot water — chickens are germy.)

Combine the butter and herbes d’provence well. Scoop out 2 tbs of the butter and massage into the chicken, making sure to get all the nooks and crannies.

(Wash your hands with soap and hot water — chickens are germy.)

Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the roaster. Create a foil tent over the chicken and put it in the oven.

It takes about two or two and a half hours to roast. At 30 minutes, use a spoon to rub more herbed butter onto the chicken and re-cover.  At one hour, add 1/2 cup of water and the rest of the onion that didn’t fit inside the chicken to the bottom of the pan, and rub on more butter.  At 90 minutes, rub on more butter (no — Julia Child didn’t create this recipe), remove the foil tent, and return to the oven.

Let it roast another 30 minutes and then start watching for doneness.  It should register 185 degrees with a meat thermometer when it’s done. Then turn the oven off, re-cover the chicken with the foil and return it to the oven to rest until everyone is sitting at the table.

How it turned out:

Even my sometimes-vegetarian friend couldn’t resist! Tender, juicy, flavorful — just what you need to get everyone to the table.

 

Perseverance Ale Pot Roast

Alaskan Brewing Company, Juneau’s own brewery, periodically releases these amazing limited edition and rough draft beers.  Just released on September 1st is an inspiring creation from the Pilot Series: Alaskan Perseverance Ale. It is a Russian Imperial Stout made with birch syrup and fireweed honey. It is a complex brew, wonderful to sip on a cold autumn evening.  And, while you’re sipping, plotting ways to incorporate it in all sorts of culinary creations.

Ingredients:

2.5-3 lb beef roast
1 bottle Perseverance Ale
4 shallots
6 organic carrots
1 1/4 cups organic beef broth
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 cups sliced baby portobello mushrooms
1 tbs butter
1 can organic tomato paste
3 cans italian green beans
Salt and pepper

How I made it:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Clean and peel the carrots and shallots.  Cut the carrots in half and place in the bottom of a dutch oven or covered roaster. Cut the shallots into quarters, except for one, which is diced.

Salt and pepper both sides of the roast, and then brown the roast on all sides in a nonstick skillet. Transfer the roast to the dutch oven, placing on top of the carrots. Scatter the quartered shallots around the roast and cover.

Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup beef broth and 1 cup Perseverance Ale. Add the garlic, diced shallots, and worcestershire sauce and stir as it comes to a low boil.  Pour over the roast.  Cover and put in the oven for 1 hour.

After the first hour, begin to prepare the mushrooms.  Clean and slice the mushrooms, then sweat them in the tablespoon of butter until tender.  (Remember not to crowd them in the pan. If your pan is too small, add them in batches.)

Take the roast out of the oven and place on a heat proof surface.  Add the mushrooms and replace the lid, but don’t put it back in the oven just yet. In the pan you used to cook the mushrooms, combine the tomato paste, 1/4 cup of beef broth and 1/2 cup of Perseverance Ale.  Stir as it heats, until it’s combined and smooth.

Pour the tomato mixture over the roast and spoon the rest of the “pot liquor” over it until it’s nicely combined. (Be very careful, your roasting pan will be hot.)  Continue to cook in the oven for 90 minutes.

Add the italian beans and return to the oven. Let sit in the oven, turned off, until ready to serve. Pairs wonderfully with mashed potatoes, which soak up all the gravy.

How it turned out:

Amazing!  The meat was tender, the gravy luscious. Potentially BETTER than Julia’s Boeuf Bourguignon.

 

Vegetable Tortellini

I was inspired by these lovely yellow and orange tomatoes.  It’s rare to see these in our groceries in Juneau, and they begged to be used in something unusual.

And it was fortuitous that I bought them, because soon after an impromptu dinner party was thrown.

Ingredients:

2 yellow tomatoes
2 orange tomatoes
2 red tomatoes
2 medium crowns of fresh broccoli
1 zucchini
3 shallots, diced
2 packages Buitoni refrigerated mixed cheese tortellini
Gourmet Garden Mediterranean Spice Blend
olive oil
shredded asiago cheese

How I made it:

Chop the tomatoes, reserving only the outside flesh (no seeds or goo). Cut the broccoli into small florets. Slice the zucchini into not-too-thin round slices.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, saute the shallots in olive oil over medium heat.  Add the tomatoes and 1 tsp of the Mediterranean spice blend.  Combine gently. And turn the heat down just a little.

Add the broccoli to the boiling water first, then the pasta.  Let cook until the tortellini float to the top and the broccoli is bright green (just blanched).  You may need to remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon before the pasta is done so that it doesn’t get smushy (timing is everything).

While the pasta and broccoli is finishing, add the zucchini to the tomato mixture and cook until just heated through.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the tomato mixture and toss gently.  Add another 1 tsp or so of the Mediterranean spices and combine gently. Top with a handful of shredded asiago cheese and serve.

How it turned out:  

Seconds, please!

 

Pot Roast Palooza

I have a dear friend who is a fiend for pot roast.  She is also a wonderful mother, very careful to only cook the most wholesome vegan meals for her son (his choice, not hers).  This means that she rarely indulges her desires for roast beef and vegetables.  So, as a treat, I made this pot roast last night.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chuck roast
2 lbs organic red potatoes (small)
1 medium organic sweet onion
2 cups low sodium prganic vegetable broth
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper
2 cups red wine
1 lb organic baby carrots
2 cans whole green beans

How I made it:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Brown the roast in a non-stick skillet on all sides and then put it in a dutch oven or other baking casserole (I use my awesome Le Creuset bouillabaisse pot). Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the vegetable broth in the skillet, scraping the bits from the bottom as it comes to a soft boil.  Add the garlic, mustard, and worcestershire sauce. Let simmer as you quarter and separate the onion. 

Surround the roast in the pan with the potatoes (washed and left whole) and onions.  Pour the seasoned broth over the roast and vegetables.  Add the wine.

Bake covered for 90 minutes at 325 degrees. Turn the roast over and add the carrots and green beans (drained). Recover and bake for another hour.  Turn the oven down to 300 degrees for the last 30 minutes.  Let the roast sit in the oven (turned off) until ready to serve.

How it turned out:

There is no photo of this beautiful meal because we set upon it like the Fantastic Mr. Fox. The entire house smelled divine for hours, so by dinner time we could hardly wait to eat.  The meat was so tender, but the vegetables weren’t smushy at all.  And there were loads of leftovers for lunches!

 

Stuffed French Toast with Mixed Berries

Finally, inspiration has struck and I am motivated to actually make more than salad and cheese sandwiches. Today, for brunch, I whipped up some relatively low fat french toast to fuel my best friend’s afternoon hacking through the brush and undergrowth in his yard.

Ingredients:

1 cup egg beaters
1/4 cup organic skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 thick slices of honey oat bread (Silverbow Bakery in Juneau makes wonderful bread)
2 tbs weight watchers reduced fat whipped cream cheese
1 tbs butter (unsalted)
1 cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

How I made it:

Wash the fresh berries, or rinse the frozen berries, and set aside. If using frozen berries, leave them to thaw in a colander over a bowl.

Whisk the egg beaters, milk and vanilla together. Pour into a pie plate or other shallow dish.

Using a sharp knife, cut into each thick slice of bread to make a pocket. Be careful not to slice clean through on any side but the one you started with. Gently fill each pocket with 1 tbs of whipped cream cheese.

Melt 1 tbs butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While that’s heating, place the bread in the egg mixture, coating both sides thoroughly. You can leave it sitting in the mixture 30 seconds or so, to make sure it absorbs enough to create a nice crust.

When the butter is melted, carefully put each piece of bread in the skillet. Let it cook until it just starts to brown, then carefully turn each piece with a spatula (I use a fork , too, to make sure I don’t have a flipping disaster). When the second side is browned and crispy, flip it again and cook the first side until completely done.

Plate the french toast and spoon 1/2 cup of berries over the top. You can garnish with whipped cream, a little maple syrup, or confectioner’s sugar.

How it turned out:

Rich and wonderful, despite being on the lighter side. I used frozen berries, because fresh berries have peaked here. The just thawed berries were a great contrast to the warm french toast and slightly gooey middle.

 

Makes 2 servings (or one if you’re super hungry).