Sassy Cooks: March 2009

If you want an easy side dish this is it. It goes with everything from omelets to steak. It is quick and only takes Potatoes, oil and some spices.

I always have potatoes on hand. We have bags full out in the garage from Nathan harvesting tons he grew last summer. It is such a blessing to have him know so much about gardening and loving it. He has tried new stuff every year. It is my favorite time of year. I will be sharing with all of you how he grows certain things and using them in recipes. I am excited!!

For now lets start with Pan roasted potatoes..

Start out deciding how many you want, and you feel will be enough to feed your family. I used 6 medium and 2 large for this batch and it fed two adults and two kids with some leftovers for breakfast goulash tomorrow.

Wash the potatoes and pat them dry, them cut in the half and slice into cubes, this is how I do it.

Get a cookie sheet out and poor about a 1/3 cup Canola oil on the pan.

Dump all the potatoes in the pan, don't blend with the oil just yet

Sprinkle a tablespoon dried chives, I forgot to take a picture, I think you will forgive me since no one is perfect right=D

Give it a couple shakes of Garlic salt all over the batch, I like lots!

and a couple shakes of season salt.

we like a little kick so I sprinkle red pepper flakes too, this is an option to your liking.

then grind lots of fresh black pepper all over.

This is where your hands will get dirty.. mix all the potatoes and spices with your hands, flip and rub all the goodness in to the potatoes.

Then spread out in a even layer so they cook evenly put in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Before you take them out of the oven do a fork check for tenderness=)

When you serve them have a little cheese and sour cream for a little extra yummyness, even hot sauce is good or just plain old ketchup. What ever makes your horn toot.

Enjoy!

~Sassy~

Food history is full of surprises. The history of an American staple, for example - meatloaf - offers more than a trip down culinary lane. It provides a glimpse into how advances in technology have shaped the way we eat and prepare food today. Back in the day meatloaf was made using that attach on the counter meat grinder. We can still use these things toady but we can go to our local grocery store and pick up a package of hamburger ready and wrapped to go.
Early meatloaf recipes called for veal, which was less expensive than beef at the time. The meat in one widely published version was first cooked then chopped, blended with other ingredients, molded, then cooked again into a loaf.

In many parts of the United States, meatloaf is a popular dish. In 2007, it was voted the 7th favorite dish in the United States according to the Good Housekeeping website.

During the Great Depression cooking meatloaf was a way to stretch the food budget for families, using an inexpensive type of meat and other ingredients as leftovers along with spices it was popular to add cereal grains to the meatloaf to stretch the meat; the tradition lives on with the merits of producing a lower-fat dish with superior binding and consistency. The meatloaf is typically eaten with some kind of sauce or relish . Many of these recipes call for pasta sauce or tomato sauce to be poured over the loaf to form a crust during baking. The tomato-based sauce may be replaced with simple brown gravy or onion gravy, but the meatloaf is prepared in a similar manner, barbecue sauce, tomato ketchup, or a mixture of both tomato ketchup and mustard may also be used. Another variety of meatloaf is prepared by frosting it with mashed potatoes, drizzling it with a small amount of butter and browning in the oven. The meatloaf is normally served warm as part of the main course, but can also be found sliced as a cold cut and can also be considered as a typical Midwestern comfort food , or even soul food.

This is my take on Meatloaf. I took a classic out of my Grandmas cook book Meatloaf and put my Sassy twist on it.

First start out with one and a half pounds ground hamburger. I usually get 7% or less fat. You don't want your meat loaf floating in a pool of fat the entire time it cooks. YUCK! I freeze my hamburger straight out of the package when I get home I buy in bulk to save money so no pretty picture of Hamburger. I am sure you can all live with that right???

First start off by chopping half of a yellow onion.

I chop it pretty fine so that you don't get a huge bite of just onion.

Next chop 4 garlic cloves

Add to mixing bowl, make sure it is a big mixing bowl.
Then comes the spices..

1tbls chives

1/4tsp. red pepper flakes.

2Tbls. Worcestershier sauce

1tbl spoons Cayenne pepper

2Tbls Dijon mustard

a couple shakes of Garlic salt

a couple shakes season salt..it says it's magic I don't know about that but it does the trick..hahaha I'm so funny or at least I try to be.

Then add 2 eggs.. I am so excited our Chickens have started to lay eggs again. There is nothing like green and dark brown eggs! They make me get butterflies in my tummy.