Old-Fashioned Meatloaf and a Giveaway Winner!

There are some tried and true dishes that will never go out of style for me.  I love a good traditional meat lasagna, chicken pot pie or shepherd's pie.  It is obvious to me that the reason I love these dishes are because they remind me of my childhood.  My mom made classic versions of these dishes and one bite brings me back to our family's kitchen table.

Recently, I discovered that meatloaf can be added to this list.  My mom made an incredible meatloaf with the traditional ketchup glaze.  While meatloaf has been pretty popular on a lot of "comfort food" menus in restaurants, I haven't had a meatloaf dish that really reminds me of my mom's version.  When Bret made a request last week for a classic ketchup-glazed meatloaf, I decided to give it a try on my own.  The first thing I did was to call my mom and ask for her recipe.  Because my mom rarely cooks with exact measurements, she didn't really have a recipe for me.  I did a quick search online and found a Paula Deen recipe for Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf a/k/a "Basic" Meat Loaf.  I figured that if there was anyone who could do my mom's meatloaf justice, it would be Paula Deen.

First, I gathered my ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef (I used an 80% cut)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (This was about half a small yellow onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (I used half a green bell pepper)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice (This is one cup of canned diced tomatoes with juice)
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
• 1 tablespoon prepare mustard (I used Stonewall Kitchen's Bourbon Molasses Mustard)

I pre-heated the oven to 375 degrees and got to work chopping up my onion and green pepper.  I put the chopped vegetables in a large bowl.

I then added the rest of the meatloaf ingredients to the large bowl - the ground beef, salt, ground black pepper, lightly-beaten egg, diced tomatoes with juice and quick-cooking oats.

I mixed everything together by hand.  I wasn't worried about over-working the meat since the tomato juice and egg added a nice moisture to the meat mixture.

I then greased a loaf pan and tightly packed the meat mixture into the loaf pan.  Earlier this year, I made mini turkey meatloaf using mini loaf pans to shape the meatloaf.  I set the loaf pan aside and let the meat mixture take shape into a loaf.

Meanwhile, I got my ketchup topping ingredients together.

I mixed together the ketchup, brown sugar and bourbon molasses mustard in a small bowl.

I lined a baking tray with aluminum foil and gave it a quick spray with baking spray.  I flipped the loaf pan over onto the baking tray and there was a beautiful meatloaf shape!

I generously brushed the ketchup glaze onto the top and all four side of the meatloaf.

I then put the baking tray into the oven to bake for about forty-five minutes.  The original recipe says to bake for an hour but my oven runs a little hot and I always cut down the baking time.  When the meatloaf was done, it had a beautiful glaze to it.  I let the meatloaf cool down and then carefully sliced it for serving.

The meatloaf was incredibly moist.  I actually think that the meatloaf could have used a little less moisture and I would drain the juice from the tomatoes the next time I make this dish.  The vegetables added a lot of flavor to the meatloaf and the ketchup glaze added the perfect sweet crust.  I cut the richness of the meatloaf by serving it with a side of Green Beans with Coriander and Garlic.

This recipe was a close version to my mom's classic meatloaf.  I'll have to disagree with Paula Deen though and say that there is nothing "basic" about this meatloaf!

Tell me, what is your favorite classic, traditional or old-fashioned dish?

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway for a free Eversave voucher to Sibling Rivalry!  Using Random.org, the winner is...

 ...Melissa from Melissa Nibbles!  Congratulations Melissa!  I'll email you the Eversave "save"!

DIY Lightbox

While I often do alot of cooking on the weekends, there's a good amount that gets done at night or after the sun sets (easy to do in the winter :/).   Thus, when I saw some posts about a diy lightbox, I sent my dad the links and asked if we could make one when I was home.  {home...  over christmas...  this has been sitting in my drafts folder for awhile!!}}

If you know my dad, you know that it would probably be a little more complicated than that ;)   And it was!  But he was only thinking of me, so I say that with love <3.  Given the limited space in my Boston apartment, dad wanted to make something that could be put away when it wasn't in use.  His solution was to use angle moulding (like this) instead of a cardboard box.  I'll do my best to explain how it went down...

First up was measuring out lengths of angle to make the box, I think we went with 18"h x18"d 24"w.  Thus, 8 pieces 18" long (to make 2 square sides) and 2 pieces 24" long (to attach the squares together).  Then I got to cut the angle using a vice grip and saw.  I was pretty focused ;)

Then dad marked the angle and I got to drill holes in the angle where we would attach the corners to make a box.  For the two longer pieces, we flattened out the edge of the angle before drilling holes, so they could be attached to the front of the the square sides.

With 8 pieces, I put together two squares (for the sides of the box).

On top of the screw went a washer, lock washer and nut, then tightened. 

Don't forget to check to make sure everything is aligned!

Once the two squares were assembled, we screwed on the longer pieces of angle that attached the two squares together.  A little finagling was required to make sure they were tight enough to stand up, but loose enough to allow it to fold in on itself.

Lucky for me, my mom happened to have an old white sheet that pretty much fit over my light "box" (frame?), so I just have it draped over the angle.  The frame sits on an old foam core board, and I can swap in/out poster board, napkins and placemats.  I have some velcro that I can use to attach different backgrounds/tissue paper/fabric when I get my act together, but for now I've kept it simple. 

Voila!

I'm still playing around with it, but it has certainly helped my night-time shots!   My lights can probably be optimized  (I've got three situated around it), but it's a start.  I've got some compact fluorescent bulbs in lamps, but honestly I'm not sure they're the best.

Pasta w/Spinach Sauce & Shrimp

Does anyone have any tips or tricks you'd like to share??  My photography, especially playing with lighting, is very much in progress!!

Drunken Pound Cake

First up, I've had a lot of great reader giveaways going on my blog post lately and I wanted to announce the winner of the Spring Wine Fest Ticket Giveaway.  Using Random.org, the winner of my giveaway is (#4) Erin from the Sweetest Times!  Congratulations Erin!

Thanks to everyone who entered and I wanted to remind you all that today is the last day to enter my other giveaway for the Free Eversave Voucher to Sibling Rivalry!

In lieu of a regular blog post today, I'd like to ask you to head over to my friend Jen's blog - Beantown Baker.  I am a guest blogger on Beantown Baker today and I'm sharing a wonderful recipe for Drunken Pound Cake. 

Here's a photo for a teaser...



Happy Friday!

Savannah Day 2 - Belford's, Architectural Tour and the Olde Pink House!

After a great first day we were looking forward to what our second day would bring.  On Saturday we made reservations (or attempted to) for Sunday brunch at Belford's right in City Market - a couple of blocks of shopping and restaurant in the historic district.

Belford's Patio Area

Arriving on the early side we were lucky enough to grab a table for brunch under the large awning on the patio.  While it was warm, there was plenty of shade and ceiling fans circulating the air, making for a lovely time.  We thought we were going to a champagne brunch but those tricky Georgia state laws prevent any liquor service before 12:30pm on Sundays, so it was just straight brunch for us!


When I saw baked brie on the menu, I jumped right on it.  Not very southern, but it was calling my name!

Baked Brie

 The baked brie was yummy, and the puff pastry was nice and flaky.  The spreads really made this dish, though.  The honey was from the Savannah Bee Company, which is absolutely amazing.  So good, in fact, that we actually stopped off at the store and brought home some souvenirs!  Nick got the Blue Crab Frittata.

Frittata and Grits

The frittata was an open faced omelet with blue crab meat, roasted corn salsa and Cheddar cheese.  This dish had some good crab chunks, but after the grits from last night, these seemed a bit elementary - still delicious, though.

After brunch we had an Architectural Tour scheduled, one of the few things we had scheduled before we got down there.  The tour received all sorts of amazing reviews on Trip Advisor, and after reading up on the tour and finding out that it was a 90 minute walk around the city, we figured why not!

The owner/guide is a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design and is a knowledgeable fan of the city, and we met him in the center of the city in Chippewa Square, right next to Oglethorpe's (the founder of Georgia) statue.

Chippewa Square

Among some of the great things we saw/learned was the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (the founder of the girl scouts!)

Scouts Started Here

And the Davenport House, which is a perfect example of a Federalist-style house.

Davenport House

Other places included the Kehoe House - all of the white and gray portions are actually rod iron!

Kehoe House

One of my favorite was the Owens-Thomas House, a part of the Telfair museums.

Owens-Thomas House

This was one of the best things we did all weekend.  It was a great tour of the city by someone who really knows and loves where they are.  We really learned a ton and actually enjoyed the process!

That night we had reservations at the The Olde Pink House, which is literally in an old pink house right on Reynold's Square.

The Olde Pink House

The restaurant is only the most recent of tenants in this house: it has held secret meetings that helped secure the original independence, it was a bank for planters, and a General's headquarters during the Civil War to name only a few uses.  We sat in a smaller room upstairs that was originally the master bedroom of the house.  Each room was decorated like you were sitting in a house rather than a restaurant - almost like the original L'Espalier or Mama Maria's.

I started the evening with a refreshing raspberry vodka lemonade drink.

Yum

I could have continued drinking these for the entire evening, but still wanting to enjoy and remember the evening, one was enough!  To begin our meal he had a bread basket with a variety of fun breads, including a warm yeast roll with sea salt and rosemary, corn muffins and biscuits.

Southern Bread Basket

The bread was really amazing - the yeast bread has such a great flavor.  The corn muffins were definitely not Jiffy!

For an appetizer, I just could not resist ordering the “Southern Sushi,” which had smoked shrimp and grits rolled in coconut-crusted nori. 

Southern Sushi

This was such a fun, playful dish - a great combination of flavors.  When I dipped the roll in the wasabi sauce it added a nice spice to each bite.

Nick had heard about this restaurant was told to get fried green tomatoes, so he chose the BLT salad, which used fried greens, applewood bacon and a sweet corn cream over greens.  The salad was delicious - Nick thought the tomatoes were perfectly cooked, and that the thick bacon was some of the best he had ever tasted.

BLT Salad

While I only had one of the first type of drinks, I had to try the raspberry martini - the puree and the fresh berries were just too tempting.

Martini

This drink did not disappoint!  For entrees, Nick had a pork tenderloin with bourbon sauce that was served with collard greens and a yam with vanilla butter.

Pork Tenderloin

I ordered the crab-stuffed grouper with a white wine lemon sauce, mashed potatoes and mixed beans.

Stuffed Grouper

I haven't had grouper in a long time, so I was excited to order this, especially since it was stuffed with crab.  The fish was well cooked and moist.  The two types of flavors worked well together and made each one even better.

While we were completely stuffed, we had to order dessert and went with the pecan pie.

Pecan Pie

The pie was also cooked with a chocolate, adding a whole other layer of deliciousness.

The Olde Pink House was a great restaurant and a bit more fancy, making for a great night out on the town.  Perfect for our Easter Dinner!

Day 2 was another success - we really got a better feeling for the city and learned the lay of the land.  We were not looking forward to having to go home the next day, but were ready for a hearty lunch at Paula Deen's - saving some of the best for last!

Soy Ginger Salmon

Happy Friday! Happy Royal Wedding Day!

This recipe is inspired by the way my Mom used to always prepare Salmon. It's comforting and familiar and involves baking the mild orange fish in a ginger, soy, teriyaki and lime based marinade. I was pretty "lazy" last night and only took two photographs of my ingredients / prep work. That being said, there isn't a whole lot to this preparation. And sometimes ingredient photos are a pain in the butt.

At least we have some pretty looking green and yellow peppers. Seasoned with salt & pepper and sauteed in a little olive oil the simple preparation compliments the range of salty, sweet and garlicky flavors in the salmon recipe I will do my best to detail from memory below. The amount of ingredients are generally proportionate to the size of the piece of fish. I had about a pound.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Soy sauce

2 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp ginger, grated

1 lime, juiced

1 lb salmon fillet

1/2 green pepper, sliced lengthwise

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced lengthwise

1 cup jasmine or white rice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the first five ingredients in a baking dish. Add the salmon and marinate for about 15 minutes, brushing the marinade over the piece of fish a few times to coat the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until fish is cooked through - it should flake to the touch of a fork. As the fish bakes the marinade will take on a sticky glaze like quality.Meanwhile, I sauteed my peppers and simmered a cup of jasmine rice on the stove. The salmon would also work well with a pairing of asparagus or green beans, or whatever crispy green vegetable you had on hand or happened to be craving. The fish and peppers are filling on their own, but I'm partial to a fluffy forkful of jasmine rice, maybe even doused in a little more soy sauce. The soy and teriyaki sauces mingle to form a flavorful base for the mild fish accented with bright bursts of lime and potent ginger. The fish itself is flaky yet filling, and not to mention a healthy dose of Omega 3s.It has been awhile since I enjoyed cooked Salmon (I eat sashimi or smoked more often these days) but it used to be a staple in my weeknight meal rotations. It actually used to be my favorite fish, but I ate it all the time at restaurants and cooked it so much that eventually it was too much of a good thing!I'm glad I thought to bring it back. Plus, it's super easy to make. Did you see how small that list of ingredients was? And I had lunch leftovers! Salmon heats up quite well the next day. What's your favorite type of fish to cook?

A Return Visit To Bosphorus

Bosphorus, which only opened about three months ago, is one of my neighborhood restaurants, and I really wanted to get the word out about how great it is and also learn a little more about traditional Turkish dishes, so I talked with Hakan, the general manager, about setting up a blogger dinner. He was happy to host a small group of bloggers, and so this past Tuesday Daisy, Elizabeth, Emily, Meghan, Michelle, and I descended on the cozy Inman Square eatery and feasted on a variety of Turkish dishes.

The dishes at Bosphorus are all traditional Turkish dishes, and Hakan and his cousin, who owns the restaurant, both used to work at a restaurant in Turkey before deciding to set up shop in Cambridge, so they've got plenty of experience with the fare.

We all settled in at a table right by the windows where we knew we'd have great natural light for our pictures. And then the food began to arrive. We started with ezme and pita bread. The ezme is a spicy tomato and red pepper dip. Like chips and salsa or fresh bread and olive oil, this was the perfect way to take the edge off but pique our appetites.

Ezme (spicy tomato and red pepper dip made with onions,
green peppers, parsley, olive oil, and spices) 

Pita bread

We all ordered Turkish wine in anticipation of the dishes to come. I tried a white that the waitress described as a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite whites, and I was not disappointed.

While we were nibbling on pitas with ezme and sipping our wine, Hakan brought us out two meze platters. These platters are not on the menu, but any of the meze we tried can be ordered individually. I loved everything on the platters, especially the artichoke salad, bulgur salad, and stuffed baby eggplant.

Haydari (thick strained yogurt dip with garlic, mint, and olive oil)
Zeytinyagli sarma (vegetarian stuffed grape leaves with with rice,
pine nuts, currants, onions, and herbs)
Mercimek koftesi (red lentil patties made with mashed red lentils,
cracked wheat, scallions, and parsley)
Patlican ciftlik (char-grilled eggplant puree mixed with red and yellow peppers,
olive oil, and lemon juice)

Kisir (Fine-ground bulgur (cracked wheat) mixed with parsley and tomato paste,
garnished with romaine lettuce and tomatoes)
Hummus (mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice)
Imam bayildi (whole baby eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, onions, and herbs)
Artichoke salad (artichoke hearts and fresh vegetables tossed with olive oil & lemon juice)

We nearly polished off the platters because everything was so light and flavorful but tried our best to save room for the entrees. We shared three of them, which ended up being just the right amount after all the mezes.

Sultan's chicken (pan-seared chicken breast stuffed with spinach, mushrooms,
apricots,  and almonds, served over potato puree)

Bosphorus kebab (braised lamb shank wrapped in eggplant, served with bulgur pilaf)

Sebzeli guvec (mixed vegetable casserole with potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms,
carrots,  peppers, and celery, served with bulgur and yogurt)

The lamb was easily my favorite. It just fell right off of the bone, and the concept of wrapping it in eggplant was completely new to me. The sultan's chicken was not something I would have thought to order, but I was glad we tried it because I really liked the sweet and savory combination with the apricots and figs. The vegetable casserole comes with bulgur and yogurt and makes for a very filling meal -- you won't even miss the meat.

We were all pleasantly full at this point but eagerly awaited the dessert offerings. Desserts at Bosphorus, besides the baklava, are unexpected and completely different from anything I've ever tried before.

Kunefe (shredded phyllo dough filled with fresh mozzarella cheese, baked,
and topped with syrup and pistachios)

Asure aka Noah's dessert (a festive pudding of cereal grains, chickpeas, beans, dry fruits and nuts)

Sekerpare (baked semolina and almond pastries soaked in a sweet, lemony syrup)

Baklava (layers of phyllo dough filled with pistachios and sweetened with syrup)

The kunefe had the most interesting texture, and it waffled between savory and sweet with its strings of mozzarella and syrup and pistachios. Noah's dessert was not my favorite because I'm not a fan of chickpeas (in whole form -- I love hummus and falafel), but minus the chickpeas, I could see myself eating it for breakfast. The sekerpare also had an interesting texture -- they were soft, moist, and crumbly all at once. And while I've had baklava before, I found this version softer with very finely ground pistachios.

We all truly enjoyed our meal, and I want to give a huge thank you to everyone at Bosphorus for having us in for dinner. I know we will all be back, and I hope those of you who live locally get a chance to check it out soon too.

Have you had any of these dishes or any other Turkish dishes?


Also, don't forget to enter my Eversave Boston Sibling Rivalry voucher giveaway!