This is just a basic meatloaf recipe. I like to make plain meatloaves in individual servings. Leftovers freeze well. I usually whip up a sauce made from tomato paste, water, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne sauce as the topping but you can also use ketchup mixed with Worcestershire and cayenne sauce to your liking.

Ingredients for 22 servings.

3 lb ground beef (brisket, sirloin, chuck and rib)

6 XL eggs – beaten

1/2 onion –  chopped fine

1 celery stalk – chopped fine

1 hot pepper – chopped fine – any favorite hot pepper- I used a roasted hot hatch chile with the skin a seeds removed. (doesn’t make the meatloaves hot but adds flavor)

3 Tablespoons kosher salt or sea salt

1 Tablespoon black pepper

1 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

3 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1 Tablespoon thyme

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon cayenne sauce ( I prefer Franks Red Hot)

1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped well.

Non-stick spray

Directions

Spray your small fry pan with non-stick spray and put your pan on medium high heat.

Add celery, onion, garlic and your hot pepper if it’s raw. Cook until the onions are transparent and remove from heat and set to the side.

In a large mixing bowl add, beef, eggs, all liquid and all spices (except parsley) mix well.

If or when your fry pan vegetables are about at room temperature add them now and mix well.

Now mix in bread crumbs and parsley.

You can pinch off a small piece of meat and make a meatball shape tester to adjust seasonings if you care too. About ten minutes in a 350 degree F oven will cook it threw.

Get out your sprayed baking sheets and a scale.

Portion the mixture into 4 oz oval shapes and fill baking sheets.

Recipe should make 22 meatloaves that freeze perfect.

“Tasty Meatloaf”

 

 

 

 

Picked up a pint of sweet tri-color tiny tomatoes so I made them into salsa. This salsa taste better than any jarred tomato salsa that you can buy at the store.

This recipe will make about 4 servings

1 pint tri-color small sweet tomatoes – quartered

1/4 sweet onion – chopped fine

1 scallion – sliced thin

1 jalapeño  – chopped fine

3 garlic cloves – made into paste

splash apple cider vinegar

1 small lime – just the fresh squeezed juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. I note if your tomatoes aren’t surgery sweet like mine were you might need to add a teaspoon of sugar.

Enjoy.

 

Yummy!

 

 

This recipe is based on Cook’s Illustrated French Apple Cake Recipe. The Cook’s French Apple Recipe is described as…… “Neither a Cake” “Nor a Custard” “Nor a Clafoutis” “But is a Bit of Culinary Magic that’s all three!” I made the Cook’s Illustrated French Apple Cake (you can see it on TheForkingTruth) and I thought it was a most interesting recipe but for my taste it wasn’t sweet enough and could use some more flavor. What I least liked about the recipe is that it was terribly greasy. I do note I am not the only blogger that felt this way. After I tasted this cake I looked into the internet to see others felt and I found many others felt the same way I did. I do note that Cook’s Illustrated Recipes are well known and cherished and are usually iron clad perfect….but this one recipe needed another day in the test kitchen for me and most people. That’s not to say it’s a bad recipe……It’s still a very good recipe but I just have to tweak it. I also note I never would have came up with exactly with what I prepared if it wasn’t for Cook’s Illustrated.I thought that if I cut the one cup of oil and replaced it with 4 oz of butter I might hit two birds with one stone. I was hoping for less grease and more sweet. I added 1/4 cup of almond flour hoping the taste of almonds would lace the cake and I also added almonds for the topping. I thought instead of apples I would add soft ripe pears that don’t require the pre microwaving. The pears are also much sweeter with a stronger fruit flavor than the apples. The pears also don’t require the added lemon juice so I can leave lemon juice out and the batter will seem sweeter. I also used 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk  with one cup of water instead of whole milk due to that’s what I had around.

Ingredients for about 8 servings

1 1/2 lbs ripe pears

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour (2 T for latter)

1 cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar ( 1 T for latter)

1/4 cup almond flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 XL egg – beaten

2 XL yolks – beaten

4 oz stick unsalted butter – melted

1/2 cup non-fat dry milk

1 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup almonds –  sliced and lightly toasted

neutral non-stick spray – canola or vegetable

Directions

set oven to 325 degrees F

In one bowl whisk together, 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Set to the side.

In another bowl, whisk egg, butter, milk, water, vanilla.

Now add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir till incorporated.

REMOVE one cup of batter and stir in the 2 Tablespoons flour and almonds and set to the side.

ADD the 2 beaten yolks to the BIG BOWL OF BATTER.

Peel the pears and cut into small chunks a little smaller than bite size and toss into batter till done.

Spray your springform pan with non-stick spray

Fill with the main bowl of batter.

Top that with the cup of batter (with almonds).

Sprinkle the one T of sugar over the top.

Place in preheated oven at 325 degrees F

Turn oven light on after 20 minutes if it’s browning just place a loose sheet of aluminum foil over the top.

After 40 more minutes remove the foil.

leave in oven another 15 minutes and remove.

Let it rest a half hour or so on the counter.

Then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Use a soft knife and slide it around the edges to make sure the cake will release and then release the cake.

Cut and serve.

SUCCESS! By NOT adding any additional sugar, changing the fruit, swapping out a cup of oil for 4 oz. sweet butter the cake is much more flavorful, sweeter and not greasy.

Forking Yummy! ……….It’s light custardy, moist, taste studded with sweet pears, laced with a mild almond cream with caramelized ends. It’s just delicious. This cake will please just about anyone. Even people who usually don’t enjoy dessert will enjoy this cake it’s sweet but not too sweet, buttery but not greasy and the pear and almond flavor are delicious.

 

 

 

I saw the Julia Child’s Poached Egg Trick on the internet and I thought why haven’t I seen this before??????

Well any who I thought I’d give it a try!

First take a sterilized pin and poke a hole in the wider end of the egg.

Place the egg in boiling water for about 10 seconds. The directions say exactly ten seconds. I have XL eggs so a gave it one-two more seconds.

Remove the egg from the boiling water and turn the water down to a simmer.

Break the egg and carefully place in the water.

Remove from the water when the egg white is cooked. The directions say 3-4 minutes but on my stove with my pot I got it that way in less than 2 minutes and dried the egg off on a clean paper towel.

Then use as you please.

 

This was so forking easy and quick. What a great trick!

Julia Child’s Easy Poached Egg Trick