Made a Meatload, I will never be the same.

this is how i felt through the entire process

Don't ask me why I had a craving for meatloaf, my former vegetarian self is rolling over in his grave. I would like to reassure my vegetarian self, that I will never crave this again. It could be the amount of Walking Dead that I've been watching, but the tactile nature of making meatloaf disgusted me half way through meatloaf production, and I really wanted to abandon ship. I initially envisioned a cute little meatloaf in a bread loaf pan, however this recipe from the barefoot contessa had another vision, a mass of ground meat beat, packed and slapped down onto a baking sheet and shaped into a rectangle or death! (i might be a little dramatic here). This recipe apparently serves 6 -8 ppl, (no way in hell), this recipe will likely serve 20,000 people easily, and I'm not being dramatic now. Although the finished product had a good flavor and I will probably make the sauce again for another dish I would regretfully crown this my first culinary failure of 2013. But if hunk's of meat are you thang, here's the recipe;

looks manageable here

Meatload:

1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh chivesplus 1 teaspoon for the sauce
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh thyme leaves, plus 1 teaspoon for the sauce

serves 6-8 ?  ah no, too much...  

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus 1 teaspoon for the sauce
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups finely ground Panko
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
I added:

-three garlic cloves

-1 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes

Sauce:
cups chicken or beef stock
8 to 10 cloves roasted garlic
3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

For the sauce, combine the broth, roasted garlic and butter over medium high heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until lightly thickened. Add 1 teaspoon of each of the chopped thyme, chives and parsley. Slice the meatloaf into serving portions and spoon the hot sauce over the meatloaf and serve.

all and all, make the sauce, not the meatload.

Holiday Unwrap

of course there was too much of this

As the holiday season finally draws to a close, and that early Monday Morning curtin call draws near,  I thought I would share my favorite holiday culinary hits and misses. 




 



Pizza works on so many levels, even for a grown up pizza party.  One of these is made from a pita, and the other is made from an experienced pizza dough / maker.... I can't remember which one, (too much sampling from the first photo), but i do remember that both were great.

 

Above: 

Buffalo mozzarella, basil and salami (?)

Right: 

 sauteed mushrooms, with arugula and topped with truffle oil.

Pizza Interogator: WHAT'S ON YOU? ! ? :  Pizza: ah... ah... Buffalo mozzarella, basil, chrizo and basil(?) I think, should have made more notes.

I didn't do much baking this year, but I did make some zippy snappy ginger patties:

crystallized ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups all - purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup unsulfured molasses

1 extra-large egg,

1 1/4 cups chopped crystallized ginger 

The Bounty

I guess I did do some other baking, i made 1 lbs of home made dog treats!  (what a great pet parent), unfortunately Watson doesn't like them now... Fortunately they aren't bad with a little goats cheese and fig jam...

On new year eve, Watson may have dressed up, but before the ball dropped, he was bow tie less and running around the house.   I blame it on these holiday drinks that really made the season extra bright, but don't talk to Watson the next day:

 

Watson before

Watson after, the next day.

2 cups (16 ounces) good vodka (recommended: Stolichnaya or Finlandia)
1 cup (8 ounces) orange liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
1 cup (8 ounces) pomegranate juice (recommended: Pom Wonderful)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
Lime peel strips, to garnish

Combine the vodka, orange liqueur, pomegranate juice, and lime juice in a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to use. Pour the mixture into frozen martini glasses with a twist of lime peel and serve immediately. 

 Hope everyone has a great 2013, and  weeee! the Mayan's were wrong!