It's Really All About The Sandwich!

Su-Lin/Flickr

The basics of a good meat loaf seem simple at best but through the years and many a meat loaf later I can honestly say that there are some people who can take the humble meat loaf and make it taste like.....you know! Sadly my mother was one of those people, she was a really good cook with everything else but her meat loaf would make me shudder. To this day I still feel she put way too many onions in it. My mother was the queen of onions and in other recipes that was just fine but in meat loaf, not so great. My mother's meat loaf was three parts chopped onions to a little over one part ground beef. You couldn't cut a slice of this meat loaf if your life depended on it. Each slice would just fall apart; there was not enough ground beef to hold it together. I guess if she was serving some recipe called "Onion Loaf" this would have been great but when having meat loaf, I find that the meat part of the recipe should be the headliner.
I realize that I am extremely fussy when it comes to meat loaf, it is just one of those foods that I tend to be quite judgmental about. To be fair, I have even made some meat loaves that I wouldn't eat.
My mother liked topping her meat loaf with ketchup and bacon which is pretty common. I don't mind the bacon but I am not real big on the ketchup.
I actually prefer meat loaf with brown gravy or no gravy at all as long as the meat loaf is moist. I have had a couple people who have served me meat loaf and I have actually enjoyed it and gone back for seconds, my grandmother being one and the other being my dear friend Christine.
The funny thing is I could really care less about the initial meat loaf dinner, what I truly look forward to, obsess over and dream about is that meat loaf sandwich I am going to make with the leftovers! I am surprised by the number of people that feel the exact same way. I guess when it comes down to it meat loaf is less about dinner and more about the sandwich!

A Simple Loaf

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground veal
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 or 4 slices bacon
3/4 c. bread crumbs or bread cubes
1/2 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. of onion powder
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients except the bacon in a bowl. Briefly blend well and form into a loaf. Place the loaf on a rack in a 10" baking pan and cover with the bacon slices. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the meat loaf is firm and the bacon browned. Let the meat loaf rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

BananaLicious

My first tasty experience with a frozen banana was many years ago when I was vacationing as a child in Disney World Florida. To give you an idea as to just how long ago that was Epcot Center didn't even exist. While there visiting all the different attractions my aunt and I kept spotting these little carts along the way with a sign that read; frozen bananas on a stick. Well needless to say that perked our curiosity along with the fact that it was 90 degrees and the thought of anything cooling was very inviting. So my aunt and I took the plunge and each got one, they just looked like fun to eat. They were so pretty enrobed in all that chocolate and generous coating of chopped peanuts. The first bite was difficult as they were frozen rock hard. But once we succeeded we were in taste bud heaven. The crackle of the chocolate coating and the crunch of the peanuts were a delightful experience but the true star was that texturally amazing frozen banana. You would swear that we were eating high butter fat banana custard, it was rich and creamy just like ice cream without the drippy mess you would normally get with ice cream on a hot day.
Just recently a local ice cream parlor where we live started carrying frozen bananas dipped in chocolate and coated with various things such as nuts, sprinkles, crushed cookies and the other day they even had some coated with different types of cereal.
Soon the obsession crept in and we were going to purchase these little gems a few times a week until we realized it was taking a ridiculous toll on the pocket book.
That is when we decided that it would probably be easier and a lot less expensive to make these ourselves. It was a delicious decision and now whenever we open our freezer we know that there is something special waiting for us to enjoy.
Just have fun with these, they are so easy to make and keep for weeks in the freezer. The perfect treat for the entire family to make and enjoy together.

Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas

6 tbsp. butter
1-1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate morsels
8 Ripe but not too ripe bananas
8 wooden sticks
Assorted coatings; Nuts, sprinkles, cereal, crushed cookies whatever you like it's completely optional because these taste just as good with the banana and chocolate alone.

Another tasty suggestion: split bananas lengthwise and spread a little peanut butter on flat side then put halves back together. Now you have a whole banana filled with peanut butter ready to dip in chocolate, these are really good!

Melt butter and chocolate together and simmer over low heat stirring until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture into a dish and set aside. Peel bananas; insert stick into end of banana. Immediately dip each banana into melted chocolate and coat evenly, then roll in your choice of coatings pressing gently into chocolate. Place on waxed paper lined tray and freeze until firm, about 2 hours, serve frozen. To store wrap each in aluminum foil and keep in freezer, these will keep for weeks if people can stop eating them long enough!

photo/ae/flickr

The Dark Side Of Nutrition

For a delicious treat that is high in nutrients and antioxidants we'll have to travel to the dark side. No, we are not meeting Darth Vadar for lunch although eating these might just lighten him up a bit. I guess in some instances even the dark side has a silver lining....enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Cherries

3 ounces of a really good dark chocolate
1 cup of dried tart cherries

Put chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute stirring halfway through. Remove the bowl from microwave and stir in the cherries. Spread out on a wax paper lined baking sheet and put them in freezer until firm (about 10 min.).

Keep in air tight container in cool place always ready for snacking.

FYI - this works really well with dried blueberries, of course you can dip anything your heart desires, it's chocolate after all!

Canadian French Fries Hold The Ketchup!

My parents and I spent anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks a year in Canada for the first 15 years of my life. We formed many friendships while there and got to experience a wide range of food from many different provinces. While visiting areas of Quebec we noticed that everywhere we went they served an item called; "Poutine", it is a very popular snack food there. Poutine is actually a plate of French fries but don't go reaching for the ketchup, these fries are served with cheese curds and hot gravy. May not sound good, it doesn't actually look good but boy it sure tastes good and that's what matters most. The only downfall that I have found making them in the states is the cheese curds I have to use. In Canada they are known for their fresh cheese curd, which are very buttery and salty. Here I rely on the packaged brands in the dairy case which are fine just a bit bland in comparison. The curd actually adds that saltiness we like with our fries, I haven't tried this yet but I was thinking that feta cheese might also work well with this given that it too is quite salty.

Poutine

1 portion of crinkle-cut French fries (any brand)

1 cup heated chicken or beef gravy

1 small bag of curd cheese

Bake or deep fry French fries as indicated on the package.
Spread out evenly on a plate and add curd cheese (as much as desired). Once gravy is steaming hot, pour over cheese and French fries.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Photo/JoeShablotnik/Flickr

Hee-Kah-Mah...........Jicama

Igb/flickr

A girlfriend of mine turned me on to this glorious root back in the seventies and I have loved it ever since. I have had it in a variety of ways but the majority of the time I eat it as a snack (recipe below). The only thing I sometimes change is using lime instead of lemon or I may leave out the chili powder. It’s a great low- cal snack. Jicama is mostly water, Jicama is high in Vitamin C, low in sodium, low in fat and has only 45 calories per cup. I think it tastes like a cross between a water chestnut, potato and a pear with a really nice crunchy texture. It’s a terrific little vegetable and easy to find in most produce sections. Try Jicama in salads, Jicama is especially good mixed with certain fruits especially oranges. You may also cook Jicama just treat it in the same way as you would a potato.

Jicama Snack

1 Jicama

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder

Peel Jicama, cut into slices, sticks or cubes, arrange slices on serving plate. Drizzle with lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and chili powder, best when chilled.

I put them in a Ziploc bag or plastic container and take them with me; they are a great on the go snack.

Baby Ruth Squared

Baby Ruth Candy Bars are a real old time favorite. This recipe takes that classic taste we all know and love and transforms it into and easy to make treat. I highly suggest making a double batch cause these won’t last long.

Baby Ruth Squares

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 heaping cup peanut butter (Creamy)

TOPPING:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons of butter

Cook corn syrup and sugar until it boils. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, peanuts and cereal. Press into 9 x 13 inch pan. For topping bring sugar and milk to a full boil, remove from heat and add chocolate chips and butter, mix well. Spread on top of cereal mixture, let cool and cut into squares.

Just Nuts!

What would a holiday be without some good things to nosh on while making merry. This one is quick, easy as well as delicious and addictive. Just don’t forget to save room for dinner!

Nuts Italian Style

4 cups of nuts (any)

2 Tablespoons of butter

2 Tablespoons of soy sauce

1 envelope Good Seasons mild Italian

Sauté nuts in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce. Remove pan form heat and stir in salad dressing mix. Place nuts in single layer to cool.