Toasted Flour

This is a new trick I've only just picked up while browsing Slashfood. A contributor named Marisa made a Thanksgiving post that I recalled and looked up for Christmas turkey use.



Now, of course, you can just go read her post (please do, otherwise I'd just be copying everything she said), but her and I e-mailed back and forth a few times and a few things came up worth mentioning. I've used uncoated pans (the new saute' pan that Karen just picked up for me, pictured, is great for containing the potential huge mess) while Marisa, I found, used a nonstick pan. I'm pretty sure this is the reason my flour toasted so quickly (12-15 minutes vs. 30 to 60). Also, I just have to say if you have a badass flat whisk you'd normally use for deglazing...that's what you should use.


So, true to the original story, the gravy we made for Christmas dinner was fantastic. With so much flavorful, colored flour, you can expand your turkey juices more and have more gravy then you normally would, and the pre-cooked flour required little cooking to remove the "doughy" flavor that you normally need to work out.

This 2ed batch I just did is for some shrimp gumbo I'll be making tomorrow. A nice dark roux is a tradition of this dish, and this should give me a nice head-start.

Fries

Yes, you likely are thinking this is one of those things anyone can do. And you're right...anyone can make fries. Badly. You see, there is a little bit of technique to this, and many times it isn't done. You know the local fry truck (if you're in Ontario) you hit up all the time? Some do it right, but most of them do it wrong. There are three trucks here in Almonte, and they're all on the wrong side of technique. You can tell not from taste (they taste fine) but texture. If you snack down on the fries and they're tasty-but-limp and even soggy feeling, you know they cheated.

The "thing" is cooking them twice. Once at about 280 F for about eight minutes, then setting them aside to cool. Make a few batches so you have enough. Then you cook them again for about 3 minutes at 375 F. That's it. The first cooking does all the "cooking" and the 2ed does all the color, flavor, and crispiness. If you do the whole step in one go at 375F, see above for cheating = soggy + limp.

Now, leave the skins on. They make the fries look home-made, and the skin has flavor. Same with cutting...just use a knife. If you peel the potatoes and then use some device to make perfect fries, then they just look like they came from a bag which is lame. Yes, I used a mandolin for this batch but it was for five people so I did a pretty large amount and I was in a bit of a rush. :)

Beer-Braised Beef Short Ribs

I'll be a bit lazy and just link to the recipe, but man...this was good. You can serve with mashed potatoes, or as I did, with hot buttered broad noodles.

Pork Medallions with Garlic

The sauce obscures it, but this is actually a stuffed pork roast, the center of the medallion has a little surprise of bacon and, obviously, garlic. The pan sauce with wine and shallots was amazing.

1 bulb of garlic, minced into a paste
2 slices of bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbso butter
flour, salt, pepper

2 shallots, diced very finely
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp of demi glace (I'm sure you have this lying around)

Butterfly the pork roast (you could also use two pork tenderloins and sandwich them) and spread the entire inside with the garlic paste, then lay the strips of bacon inside also, lengthwise. Tie up the roast with string, spacing your string for future individual servings. Dust the outside of the roast with the mixture of flour, salt, pepper. Preheat your oven to 400 F.

Heat a oven-friendly frying pan (no plastic or wooden handles) and add the olive oil first, then butter (the oil raises the smoking temperature of the butter). Sear and brown the roast on all sides. Thow the pan in the oven for 20 minutes or so, don't worry about when it's "done" as this is just to make the outside nice and crusty for flavor.

Remove from the oven, and set aside the roast under foil to rest for a while. Discard any extra fat from the pan you roasted in, and add 1 tbsp of butter, and the shallots. Cook over heat for a couple minutes until softened. Deglaze with the wine + stock and scrape up all the yummy bits with a wisk. Add another tbsp of butter. Add the demi glace if you have it. Add the drippings from the plate you're resting your roast on. Reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Keep warm.

Put a cast iron pan on, get it hot. Really hot. Carve the roast into the medallions, and sear both sides until browned a bit, this will finish the cooking process for the inside of the roast (so not too thick, eh?). Serve with mashed potatoes, veg of choice, and spoon the warm sauce over.

Recipe is blatently stolen from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook, and altered just a touch. :)

Beef and Barley Soup

The winter tires are on, there's a boatload of snow outside, and the fireplaces are going, so let's roll with it. Time for hot soups and stews for thawing you out after stumbling inside from shoveling out the $%@&* driveway.


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef, cubed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large celery stalks, diced
3 large carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped rosemary leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 cups beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup of pot barley
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves.

Heat the oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. Add half of the beef and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef.

Add the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oregano to the pot. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Return the beef and any accumulated juices from the bowl to the pot. Add the broth and tomatoes with their juice. Bring the soup to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the meat is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Add the barley. Cover and continue simmering until the barley is tender. Stir in the parsley. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Hunter's Beef Stew

The book this recipe is from calls it "Hunter's Beef Stew"...and then calls for cubed beef. Do guys get dressed up in an orange vest and camouflage hat, pack a lunch, grab some rifles and then use skill and guile to track down the crafty and elusive cow? You know, the animal you could stroll up to and kill with a sledgehammer as it patiently waited for you.

Pumpkin Pie

'Tis the season for pumpkin pie. As I had never made one before, I actually made two from entirely different recipes. Both went over well, but this one was slightly preferred as it had a darker, richer color to it so the eye appeal was better.




Filling:

2 eggs slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each nutmeg, ginger
1/4 tsp each allspice and cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (1 lb) pumpkin
3 tsp molasses
2 cans (6 oz size) condensed milk
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 400 F
In large bowl combine eggs, sugar, spices, salt, pumpkin,
molasses, and condensed milk, stir with wooden spoon until smooth.

Lightly brush pie shell with egg white and fill with pie filling.

Bake 55 - 60 minutes or until tip of sharp knife inserted in center
comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack, serve garnished with whip cream if desired

CCK KF1301

Behold! After a few years of loyal service from my Global Santoku G-46, I finally added to my "collection" of one good knife with a second one, a Chan Chi Kee KF1301 cleaver, much desired amongst the knife nerds and hard to find (hushed whispers on message boards about how a friend of a friend has an uncle who knows this guy who knows a place in San Francisco you can buy one). For some reason, outside of Kowloon, Hong Kong the only other official listed store is in Toronto. Which leads to...

Much thanks to my Toronto-area buddy Randy, who stopped by Chan Chi Kee Cutlery in Pacific Mall and picked it up for me...actually he bought it for me, what a guy! I've only just unwrapped it and right after I post this I'm going to maim and kill some tomatoes.

Naan Bread

The instructions are pretty lengthy, so I won't re-post them here (and there are many recipes for this stuff so you can find your own as well) but keep in mind you can do 1/2 of this work a day ahead, so it's no big scary deal. And the resulting flat bread was extremely yummy...soft, buttery, wicked finger-burning hot right from the cast iron pan, I might add.

We brushed the bread as it cooked with a butter / olive oil mixure with a clove of garlic cooked into it (see bottom of picture). Cooking this outside on a fire pit just made it better somehow. We had this with beef kabobs and tzatziki, but of course, some good strong curry would be ideal with this.

Crab Alfredo

Ever consider murdering yourself with dairy fat? Well, here's how you do it, you make this then you eat a lot of it. Now kiss your wretched life goodbye as you moan on the couch while your soul marches towards the glowing light.

This was a) stupidly delicious, and b) so...excessive it took me three days before I could bring myself to look at the picture I took so I could make this post. I think I had some toast and salad the next day, but it's kind of a blur.

Let's roll.

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream (or half & half if you wuss out)
1/2 cup (or more to taste) grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and white pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper
6 to 8 ounces cooked snow crab meat, cut into chunks*

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour, and cook briefly until the mixture looks sandy. Do NOT let it color.

Wisk in the heavy cream, and stir until the mixture forms a thick sauce.

Stir in the cheese, and season to taste. Don't miss out on the dash of cayenne, it's good. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors, and stir in the crab meat. Too thick? Add a splash of your pasta water.

Cook only until the crab is heated through, toss with your freshly drained pasta and get down to the business of entering a food coma.

*Mine was flakier, and sort of dissolved into the sauce. Still really good though.

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

After we cranked out a really nice roasted whole chicken and vegetables (and gravy, hello) Karen got in the mood to bake. Yes, Karen, my wife. That Karen. Yes, I know.

Yes, KAREN. Ok? You can let it go now.

Anyway, she hit it out of the park. Ryan and myself were all over it, and declared that Karen should make it "every day!". Props for recipe to Alton Brown (Good Eats), but Karen made some alterations (rhubarb replaced with blueberries, lime replaced with lemon, etc.).

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons, plus 1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces, plus extra for dish
1 1/2 ounces shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ½ cup blueberries
2 pounds sliced peaches, peeled and sliced into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside.

Place the flour, 1-ounce sugar, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3 to 4 times. Add the butter and lard and pulse until the mixture just becomes crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture with the ice water a little at a time and process just until the dough holds together when squeezed in a fist. Place the dough into a 1 gallon zip top bag and place into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the 1 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the blueberries, peaches, and lemon juice.

Remove 1/3 of the dough from the bag, pinch into pieces and distribute evenly in the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour the fruit mixture into the dish and crumble the dough over top of the fruit mixture evenly. Bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and starting to turn golden.

*If using frozen fruit, increase cooking time to 90 minutes.

Change the oven setting to broil and continue to cook until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Grilled Corn

Pull down the husks but leave them attached. Remove the silks. Pull the husks back over the corn. Tie the ends of the hunks with string or a metal twist tie. Soak the corn in water 15 minutes. Grill over medium heat until done, turning on each side, about 10 to 15 minutes.

If you're not eating them right away, wait a few minutes, remove from husks and grill the corn directly for a touch of charring. Mmmm.

Fra Diavolo BBQ Sauce

Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Fantastic bbq sauce, strong with both spicy hotness and brown sugar sweetness.

Fra Diavolo BBQ Sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
3 cups canned plum tomatoes, pureed
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a medium saucepan on side burners or grates of the grill. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper and cook until sauce has thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Red Wine Pot Roast with Honey and Thyme

Recipe by Dave Lieberman

1 bottom round roast, about 4 pounds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 small onions, medium diced
1 head garlic (about 10 to 12 cloves), lightly smashed
1 pound carrots (about 4 medium), roughly chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
2 cups medium-bodied red wine
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes *

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season roast with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over high heat for a couple minutes. Add the meat and brown well on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Remove and set aside on a plate. Lower heat to medium and saute onions, garlic, and carrots for 5 minutes. Add the broth, wine, honey, and thyme, stir to combine, and then add the roast back to the pot.

Cover pot and transfer to oven. Bake for 2 hours, turning the meat over twice. Add the potatoes to the pot and bake, uncovered, for another 30 to 45 minutes longer until both the potatoes and the meat are fork-tender.

* I did garlic mashed potatoes separately, because I was dying for them, and also...this would be a great recipe for a slow-cooker (don't forget to brown the meat in a "real" pan first.

Chicken Wings

One of many things we made while Mel was visiting. :) Very simple. Bake chicken wings, make sauce, toss together, bake a touch more, you're done.



INGREDIENTS:

20 chicken wings
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup red pepper sauce (more or less per taste)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper


DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Bake wings in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through and crispy.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine melted butter, red pepper sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, honey, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix together.

4. When wings are baked, dip in sauce to coat well, then shake off excess and return coated wings to baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and bake for another 15 minutes to set sauce.

Simple Lamb Stew

Special thanks to Linda for gifting us with some lamb. :) Originally, I was going to make a hot and spicy curry with this, but right after Jim and Brian left we were craving something a bit less exotic after the flavor rampage (curry, nachos, cajun pasta...). So, here we are, a classic European-ish lamb stew that was just great.

INGREDIENTS:

4 strips of bacon, diced

2 pounds cubed lamb shoulder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 cups beef stock
1 teaspoons white sugar

1 cup diced carrots
2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces
2 potatoes, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup white wine

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown bacon in a dutch oven. Remove bacon, crumble, and set aside.

2. Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in the dutch oven in the bacon fat.

3. Remove the lamb, set aside. Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes.

4. Add carrots, potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and wine to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf, thicken if needed, serve.

Twice Baked Potatoes

If you don't like these, then I'm sorry, but we can't be friends anymore. Potato, cheese, bacon, butter, salt...everything that is good in the world is right here. These are a fantastic side dish to ribs, grilled chicken, or even a big salad. Not so much with steak or anything heavy, as the potatoes are nearly a main meal themselves, they're filling.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar
cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

4. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.

5. Bake for another 15 minutes.

Donairs

I arise from the ashes of fantasy gaming to bring you an Eastern Canadian classic, donairs! Also known as gyros, and not wildly far away from shawarma, this flatbread sandwich of Turkish origin is relatively unknown away from the coast. It was brought to our shores via Berlin, where Turkish immigrants created a version to suit European tastes.

A variation on the döner kebab known as a Donair was introduced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in the early 1970s. A restaurant called King of Donair claims to have been the first to serve this version in 1973.

The recipe for meat and sauce can be found here. This is the one I've used for years. :)

Hot Dogs

Who likes hot dogs? Boy, I sure do. Who likes history? ... Well, I don't care, here you go.

"A hot dog is a type of fully-cooked, cured and sometimes smoked sausage of even texture and flavor that is softer and moister than most other sausages. It is the sausage most readily eaten as finger food, especially in the United States. It is usually placed hot in a soft, sliced bun of the same shape as the sausage, and optionally includes condiments and toppings.

Hot dogs are also called frankfurters, or franks for short (named after the city of Frankfurt, Germany, the original frankfurters are made of pork only), or wieners or weenies (named after the city of Vienna, Austria, whose German name is "Wien", the original wieners are made of a mixture of pork and beef). In Australia, the term frankfurt is used rather than frankfurter.

Sausages similar to hot dogs were made and consumed in Europe, particularly in Germany, as early as 1864. Even in the United States, the hot dog's association with baseball also predates the 1904 Exposition. St. Louis Browns owner Chris von der Ahe sold them at his ballpark in the 1880s. While many persons are credited with the "invention" of the hot dog, according to the National Hot Dog Council the hot dog was invented in the 17th century by a German butcher named Johann Georghehner."

Chicken Corn Chowder

It's warming up now, but last week when it was super cold outside, I went on a bit of a run with hot soups. This is beyond simple. Heck, I taught Jeff to make this years ago (actually, it's a bit updated from back then).

It's pretty zippy, if hot isn't your thing use half of the jalapeños and go from there.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2.5 cups kernel corn, thawed if frozen
3 cups of chicken broth
1 small can of jalapeño peppers
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 cup milk
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
cracked black pepper and salt to taste


Heat olive oil in a dutch oven, then saute' onion until softened. Add kernel corn and saute' further for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and puree the mixture with a stick blender (or food processor). Add all other ingredients and heat through. Once milk is added, ensure the soup does not boil.

Beef and Broccoli

For Yvonne and Tom. :)





INGREDIENTS:

* 3/4 pound lean beef

* Marinade:
* 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (substitute rice wine if desired)
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch

* Sauce:
* 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon water

* Thickener:
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
* 1 pound fresh broccoli
* 2 garlic cloves

* To Cook Broccoli:
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste

* Other:
* 2 tbsp canola oil

PREPARATION:

Cut the beef across the grain into thin slices. Add the marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last (use your fingers to rub it in). Marinate the beef for 30 minutes, at least.

While the beef is marinating, prepare the sauce and vegetables: for the sauce, mix together the oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy, and water in a small bowl and set aside.

In another small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water thickener and set aside.

Wash and drain the broccoli. Cut the stalk diagonally into thin slices. Cut the flowerets into 3 or 4 pieces. Crush the garlic.

Heat the wok on medium-high and add 1 tbsp oil, and coat the entire center of the wok. When oil is just barely starting to smoke, add the beef. Stir-fry until nicely browned. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add the crushed garlic and stir fry very briefly until aromatic.

Add the broccoli, sprinkle the salt and sugar over, and stir fry briefly, turning down the heat if necessary to make sure it doesn't burn. Add the 1/2 cup water, and cook the broccoli, covered, for 4 - 5 minutes, until it turns a bright green and is tender but still crisp. Remove from the wok and drain.

Clean out the wok and add the other tablespoon of oil. Add the broccoli and the beef. Add the flavor sauce and cornstarch mixture in the middle of the wok and stir quickly to thicken. Mix everything together and serve hot over steamed rice.

Turkey Pot Pie

I'm posting this a month late, thanks to my addiction to Vanguard.

Karen's parents were here and we ("we" meaning mostly Diane) cooked up a random turkey. Now, when I was a kid, my grandfather was constantly whipping up chicken / turkey pot pies, and I had never made one, so here was my chance. Karen did the crust, I did the filling. It turned out great, and Ryan packed away a large plate of it too.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 recipe pastry for a (10 inch) double crust pie
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cubes chicken bouillon
• 2 cups water
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cooked turkey, cubed
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust and place in the 10 inch pie pan and set aside.

• Place 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.

• In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam.

• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Seafood Chowder

Angela had a sleepover and spent the day with us, and while she was entertaining Ryan (playing Age of Mythology with him) I kicked out a pretty good seafood chowder. Hey, something I made that I've not already done...I've been re-making a lot of the previous stuff lately, as this has been going for a little while now. :)

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup whole kernel corn
  
• 1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 pound white fish fillets
  
• 1/2 pound shrimp
• 1/2 pound bay scallops
• 1/2 pound crab meat
• 1 can chopped clams

Directions

1. Place 1/2 cup milk, cream cheese, and garlic in a large pot over low heat. Cook and stir until blended. Mix in green onions, carrots, corn, potatoes, parsley, and remaining milk. Season with the spices. Simmer 25 minutes. Do not boil.
   
   
2. If you need to thicken the chowder, finely grate a small potato and add in for starch.
   
   
3. Mix the shrimp, scallops, crab meat, and clams, and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until seafood is opaque.

Brown Sugar Meat Loaf

Can you have too much meat loaf? Perhaps according to your doctor, but it was a rhetorical question so let's move on. I have in the past already done a meat loaf, but this one was quite different so I'll add it as a separate entry. This one was sweet and mild, seasoning-wise. It would be good for kids. I kept some of the brown sugar / ketchup mixture in reserve and brushed it on the top for the last 10 minutes of cooking.


INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
* 3/4 cup milk
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.
2. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.

Leek, Brie, & Beef Bageutte

Seared beef, saute'd leeks in butter, roasted garlic, and melted Brie cheese on toasted bageutte slices? Yes please, and right now.

You don't need a recipe...just throw this together and it'll be awesome, trust me.