Random acts of kindness, etc. etc..part 2

Meg had only been home for a week, and was already leaving for two weeks to attend an Urban Seminar at La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA.  It's right in the heart of Philly - and it had been a while since I've done any heavy duty city driving.  We get there in one piece (thanks to Daniel, our British GPS), park the car, find her dorm, and decide to get a bite to eat. The school is huge, and sprawling out over a few city blocks.  There's no real way to tell what is part of the University, and what's not, except for the 10 foot high pointy wrought iron fence that surrounds the residence halls.  There's not a lot around, and we notice a restaurant about a block away called The Point on Elkins Avenue. 

We go inside, and order a Margharita Pizza - for those that never had one - it's a simple pizza dough covered with tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella and basil.  Simple, lower fat than the other stuff you normally get.  There is a very friendly person at the counter.  She greeted everyone with a smile, and it seemed like a few regulars came in, and she remembered "their usual".  It took a while to get the pizza, but it was worth the wait.  Crispy yet tender crust, great sauce, just yummy.  I was amazed, because honestly, I was expecting some sort of run of the mill pizza.  We ate, got the leftovers in a box, and it was quiet then, so we talked a bit with the woman behind the counter and the chef who made the pizza.

I brought Meg back to her dorm, checked the time, then decided I would pick up a couple more pizzas from The Point and bring them back to MD for dinner because I'd be getting home around that time and good pizza is hard to come by here in MD unless you are in Baltimore - sorry ppl, NJ born and bred here, I am PICKY about my pizza.

I chatted more with Sharon behind the counter.  She was a doll.  Friendly, Christian, had a great story to tell - Took care of her mom until she passed away 5 years ago, and overcame some personal hurdles she should be damn proud of.  Sweet, friendly, unbelievably nice woman.  I then talk to the chef (whose name is Lenny) a bit more while the pizza is cooking.  He has a son that just graduated college (gah can't remember which one!) that's going into the Army, and a daughter at Albright with a dual major in business and Spanish.  Meg is minoring in Spanish, so a common bond there...his mom was a chef, and taught all her kids how to cook.  He loves cooking, but got a college degree in bio and became an autopsy tech, because it was something that always interested him (me too! which was another common bond) the next question was...how do you go from corpses to cooking??? His kids had grown up, he loved to cook, and retired from the autopsy business, but wanted to keep busy.  A friend got him a job as a cook supervisor at a prison, and he supervised the prison inmate cooks, then that segued into the job he had now with LaSalle which he loves.  And he makes THE BEST pizza -  this is from a Jersey girl, so you know it's da truth. 

A LaSalle security guard walks in on break - turns out he's a Jersey boy! He was a cop in Philly for years, retired, and is now a security guard.  He orders a salad because he has a heart condition and says he can't eat pizza.  I suggested the margharita one, MUCH less fat if he wants to treat himself.  Turns out he grew up in the same town I was born and spent the first six years of my life in - Englewood, NJ!!! We reminisced about Murray's Funereal Home (his family owned it!!!) the great Jewish deli near the monument, Palisade Avenue, and Dwight Morrow high school.  He gave me a shortcut to route 95 that will bypass most of the rush hour traffic - being a Philly cop for 25 years has its advantages!

A couple more people walk in, and get drawn in the conversation.  I didn't catch their names, but we showed off pictures of our kids, and if Meg is wondering why a strange woman said hi to her last night at dinner...you can blame me for that :-)  Plus, she came in with a guy that saw us pull into the lot, he has a 20 year old son, is 40, and dang, doesn't look a day over 30, and is more jacked than his 20 year old son!  I told him I was so surprised at how nice everyone one, especially since this is a city, and I haven't met any ppl this nice, even in the south, and he just chuckled, and said "yeah, everyone IS nice in Philly - it's our way"

By then, I felt like I was with old friends.  My pizzas were done though, and rush hour was coming.  I gave Sharon a big hug goodbye (what a sweetie!) waved to Lenny, the cop (lou I think?) and my other two new friends, and reluctantly left to hit the road.

Lou's directions were impeccable,  I didn't run into ANY traffic, and bypassed all the downtown rush hour crap by the airport.  Thanks!

If you are ever in Philly - stop at The Point and eat one of Lenny's pizzas.  It's part of LaSalle, and has the nicest people ever.  And for a cheesesteak sandwich my cop friend tells me THE place to go is Pat's King of Steaks - but only if your heart and arteries are in good shape :-)

I do have a question though...If people from Philly are so nice, what happens to them when they hit the stands in their sports arenas? 

Supposedly (and according to my husband who is an avid sports fan) they are the worst in the nation.  Any people from Philly care to comment? :-)

Et tu Brute? Caesar salad made easy.

I promise you...once you make Caesar Salad from scratch, you will NEVER buy bottled Caesar Salad dressing again.  And it's easy to make.  Very easy.  Insanely easy.  See...the more you eat fresh, unprocessed foods that don't come in a package/bottle/box, the more you eschew them in favor of home-made goodness

"eschew" - word of the day meaning to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid - I always liked saying the word "eschew" - even though it reminds me of a sneeze - it's just one that gives me pleasure whenever it rolls off my tongue

"ESCHEW"
"Bless you!"
"Oh, I didn't sneeze, I was trying to make a point"

Before we start - let me give you a quick lesson on crushing garlic. Don't bother trying to peel the cloves, just separate 3 of them and see the magic. You need a flat, broad, knife. like this one:

Then, you need a flat surface, preferably a cutting board. Put the garlic clove on the cutting board, cover it with the flat side of the knife, then bang your fist down on it.

Voila! the skin peels off the garlic like buttah, and it's already partly smooshed, making it easy for you to mince.

It's also a great way to get out some aggression on people you make an effort to eschew. Just pretend it's their head or something. The skin will peel off like magic. Poof! Gone! Voila! Now you have a lovely, partially smooshed clove of garlic ready for mincing by your verysharp knife.

Watch your fingers. The easiest way to do this, is hold onto the tip of your knife and move the blade in a 'chopping' motion around the garlic.  Now...on to the salad!

                         

Ingredients: (printable recipe is HERE along with a recipe for home made croutons, if you get ambitious ) Serves 4-6

1 head of Romaine Lettuce
1 egg dropped in boiling water for ONE MINUTE ONLY then rinsed under cold water if you want to skip this step, you can just do it raw.  However, I would suggest using organic, free range, cage free eggs to reduce the risk of salmonella.
1/2 cup Olive Oil - Extra Virgin, Cold Pressed, first press. - don't ask why, just buy.
1/2 cup Parmesean cheese - grated (or you could buy a chunk and grate it yourself - tastier that way)
about 1 inch of Anchovy Paste I promise you will not taste fish - However, if you are too chicken, you can substitute a teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce - it tastes just as good
Fresh Ground Black Pepper Please, please PLEASE do NOT use "ground pepper" - ugh, especially when there are so many inexpensive disposable black pepper mills on the market.
3 cloves Garlic  "ESCHEW" the jarred, already minced crap.  It doesn't have half the flavor of fresh.
1 lemon

Once you smoosh the garlic, add the egg.  Whisk until blended.  Now, while whisking, add a thin stream of olive oil - Your dressing will thicken.  Pretty cool! 

Roll a lemon around on the counter (it helps get more juice out) cut it in half, and squeeeeeze both halves over your egg/oliveoil/garlic stuff.  Whisk some more.  Add your anchovy paste - I put about an inch in (I have a tube I keep in the fridge) - if you are too chicken to try the anchovy paste, then use about a tsp. of Worcestershire Sauce.  It's now ready to toss with your lettuce.  Break up your head of Romaine into generous bite size pieces, and throw into the bowl (or, you can just buy a bag or two of the already prepared stuff)  Toss the leaves until evenly coated with the dressing.  You may want to add more leaves if you don't like a lot of dressing on your salad. 

Add the parmesean cheese (1/2 cup in case you forgot) and PLENTY of fresh ground black pepper to taste.  Lastly, garnish with some croutons and a sprinkling of parm, and you're done.

If you want to get the garlic scent off your hands and cutting board, just rub the lemon halves over them both.  No more odor!  Then, toss it down your garbage disposal to freshen it up - or...squeeze what's left of juice in the lemon halves into a pyrex cup of water, put in your microwave for about 3-4 minutes (or until boiling) let sit for about 10 minutes, wipe clean - How easy is that?

Serve the salad with your favorite pasta dish, as lunch, or add some grilled chicken, a loaf of crusty bread, some white wine, and you have a nice summer dinner.

If you want to dispense with the fancy shmancy "hey, look at me, I can COOK" stuff, put the egg, garlic, olive oil, anchovy paste or Worcestershire Sauce in a jar and shake, shake, shake til' blended.  Pour over your lettuce leaves, then toss with parm cheese and fresh ground black pepper, and instead of humming "My milk shake brings all the boyz to the yard" you'll be humming "My Caesar salad brings all the boyz to the yard"  YEAH!

NOTE:

A very useful tool to have in your kitchen is a mortar and pestle.  You can smash avocados, garlic, bananas, spices, whatever with it.  I have two - a molcajete a Mexican friend got me - it's made from lava rock, and is great for making the rustic salsas, grinding spices, etc.  I also have a wooden mortar and pestle made by Imusa.  I use this one most often.  It's cheap - about $4-6.  Definitely worth it - You can find them in Latino/Hispanic markets, and some Kmarts have them.

Random acts of kindness that have to do with food - sort of.

There are some very nice people in Pennsylvania.  I'm not sure why everyone I've ever met from there is so nice...perhaps it's some kind of "happy, happy, joy, joy" stuff they put in the water - but Pennsylvanians are incredibly nice, friendly, helpful.  In the past few weeks, I've had some great random encounters...

My first encounter was in Indiana, PA.  I was bringing Meg home from college.  We took hubby's truck, because it fits more "stuff" than the Subaru. 

Loaded it up - lots of construction driving to Indiana PA, and so I had to put the headlights on - It's the law.  After loading up the truck so full we couldn't possibly fit any more stuff, we headed off to a local place called The Grapevine Restaurant and Lounge.  They actually have good food there.  My brothers-in-laws Bill and Richard found it when they went up to visit Meg.  If you are ever in Indiana, please go there and get the Caesar Salad - it's a must have.  We had a very nice meal, went out to the car...dead battery. 

Turns out it's not a great idea to leave the lights on for 3-4 hours they were on the whole time we were loading Meg's dorm room into the back of the truck unbeknownst to me - the lights shut off with the engine on the car I drive, AND the one I used to drive before that, and the "DING DING" thingie that is supposed to warn  you not to make such a moronic move is very faint in hubby's car.  Just sayin'... I go in, ask if anyone has jumper cables.  Turns out the owner, Joe Medvetz, is there eating dinner, and HE has jumper cables.  He comes out, the car doesn't turn over.  Worse than that, the alarm starts going off, the windshield wipers start going on, and I look like one of those panicky women in a sitcom - trying to turn off the wipers (which were in the OFF position btw), stop the horn from its infernal BEEP BEEP BEEP, and turn the car over all at the same time.  Somehow with some wrangling, we get the horn to stop beeping and the wipers stop wiping imaginary rain off the windshield.  I turn the car over.  Nada.  Joe and I let it charge up a bit, I put Meg in the driver's seat, and we try again.  The horn goes off...This happens off and on (with the wipers making an occasional "Twilight Zone" guest appearance) and the damn engine still doesn't turn over for about a good 30 minutes.  I call hubby.  

Chef says you can't start the car without the remote (I didn't bring it - it was 200 miles away on Owen's keychain), because the alarm needs to be deactivated - hence the possessed windshield wipers and battery draining horn beeps.  Chef says call home, try and activate remote through phone, hence the call to hubby.  No luck.  Joe calls a local Nissan dealer, I explain situation to hubby who says it's BS that you need to start the car with the remote, he's jumped the car before, but then I pointed out to him, he HAD THE REMOTE.  Hubby calls a Nissan dealer.  It's over an hour now, Meg is gone (she had a dessert date) luckily there was a friend on campus with a car to pick her up.  Hubby calls back when Joe is on the phone with a local Nissan dealer, we compare notes.  Very similar, but a subtle difference from the Local Nissan Guy.  We have to charge the car, shut ALL the doors, lock them with the key, then unlock them, and that should shut the alarm off.  We do that...Success!!!  Right now, I am loving the local Nissan guy even though I never met him. Now the battery is even MORE drained from trying to protect the car from thievery like thieves could get it to GO anywhere at this point So we let the battery charge up for about 20 minutes.  I cross my fingers, say a prayer, and WALLAH!!!!!! WE have IGNITION!!!!!  Joe suggests getting a new battery, since the battery is 7 years old, hubby concurs.  He suggests Sears or Walmart.  Joe has me follow him to Sears, then to Walmart, which were both closed, because it is now just after 8 pm (2 hours into the ordeal)  He follows me BACK to my hotel to make sure I didn't get stuck, waits to see if the car will start up again (it did) and gives  me his phone number and says to call him in the morning if I had any problems. 

To say he's a sweetheart is an understatement.  Terri, you have a wonderful hubby, and Joe, you have a saint of a wife that let some strange broad from MD interrupt a family dinner.

I wrote them a thank you note, and sent them (of course) Salazon Chocolate for being so "sweet" - get it? Besides, I figured they enjoyed good food, and I better stop right here before this turns into another "OMG I LOVE SALAZON CHOCOLATE" post...

So Joe and Terri - I know you probably will not read this, nor the Chef at your restaurant, but thank you for being the kind, helpful people you are, and I am so happy to have met you, and so grateful for your time that you unselfishly gave to me. 

And if anyone is every visiting Indiana PA, again, stop at Joe and Terri's place - the Grapevine Restaurant and Lounge - it's a nondescript storefront on the outside, but cozy and classy on the inside - and the food is great! :)

I should really put a recipe in here...but this post is long enough - look for parts 2 and 3 - I'll give you a home made Caesar Salad recipe that ROCKS, and my adventures in Philly with yet more Pennsylvanians :-)

Cosmos...part 2

Now that the weather is getting warmer (it was 91 here yesterday and hubby actually kicked the AC on "to see if it works") I am thinking about Cosmos.  My thoughts coincide with SATC part 2 coming out in May - yay!  I have mixed feelings about this movie though...On one hand, I'd love to see the girls together again, it looks like Carrie runs into Aiden, and something happens, cos she is calling Big and sayin' "Something happened" which is never good.  However, they are all WELL past the "single Cosmo girl" age, and somehow those extra wrinkles with the haute couture "young, hip" look, just don't seem to go together - and I should talk!

Well, I don't have many wrinkles, but when a woman starts to get to the age where she doesn't want to ADMIT her age, things start headin' south quickly, if you know what I mean.  Honey, you gonna have things saggin, that you never thought COULD sag.  You finally understand where the saying "over the shoulder boulder holder" came from, cos your boulders would just tumble down the mountain if there wasn't SOMETHING holdin' them puppies up.  Braless is no longer an option.  Even your face starts to creep south.  Thing is, so are all your friend's faces, so you are not alone.  You still feel young, you just don't LOOK young.  I for one am going to age gracefully.  I don't care if my lady parts want to fly south - let 'em.  So what if I get a few grey hairs, and start lookin' like my neighbor's beagle Buffy? I'm still ME on the inside, and I can still laugh with my friends, knock down a few shots and some beers (although I'll probably pay for it in the morning), and make double entendres til they are comin' out of my ears. 

Age is what you make it.  If you FEEL old, then you ARE old...but I don't want to see OLD SATC - Can you imagine if they made a SATC 7? Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda would probably be residents of a Dell Webb Sun City retirement community somewhere in the west, wearing floppy hats and teetering around on their 30 year old Manolos.  Samantha would be screwing all the widowers/divorced men in the community, Charlotte would be making scrapbooks of her grandkids, Miranda would be campaigning for elder rights, and Carrie would still be wearing her hair long and loose (although it would be grey) lots of turquoise jewelry, and she and Big would have the nicest house in the community.  Aiden would be living down the block to make things interesting, and Steve would open up a bar in the complex.  And they'd still be drinking Cosmos.

I love Cosmos.  I love making them, I love drinking them, I love the flavor.  I also feel wonderfully self indulgent when I make them.  I found these adorable martini glasses that make me feel special, and started a small collection.  I now have three.  One came from the UK, because they were sold out in the US, AND I paid LESS for it than I would have here (such the bargain hunter!) the other is courtesy of my darling daughter, and the third was the first in my collection.  The glasses are by Lolita , and they've branched out into wine, champagne flutes, etc..but I still think their martini glasses are the best. 

I have flip flops, (because I love flip-flops), "Music-tini" (because I love music - it's a major part of my life), and

"Grandma Got Run Over" (because it's incredibly silly, makes me laugh, and I love seeing her face at the bottom of the glass) and *update* I just obtained a fourth "Lolita" glass - this one is a retired "19th hole"  martini glass I got at a bah-gin on E-Bay dahlin' because I play golf, hubby is avid about golf, and we almost ended our engagement on a golf course - so...sentimental reasons :-P..I'm a happy camper.

I think every woman needs to have something that makes them feel special...indulged...and, oh, I don't know...bubbly?  Lolita Martini glasses do that for me.  I don't want a huge collection - I drink out of them, then wash them carefully and dry them before they go back in their boxes...but I don't mind getting ones that are part of the reflection that is ME, so it just goes to reason that I would not be content with just the original Cosmopolitan recipe.  I sort of made it my own, and I love the difference, and...I am willing to share it with you.  Here's hoping that YOU get YOUR favorite "Lolita" glass, shake up some Cosmos, put your feet up, and feel bubbly.

First, a decent vodka is a must.  It's the main ingredient in a Cosmo, and everyone seems to have a preference for vodka these days.  There's so many to choose from, all of them touting that they are the best, but I found the best, and it's cheaper than Diddy's, smoother than Smirnoff, and tastier than Stoli, and Tina-wina...guess what? It's made in Austin, TX! YeeeeeeeeeHAH!!!!  Tito's Handmade Vodka.  I love this stuff - not in an alcoholic sort of way, but I love it.  It's smooth, you could drink it straight, and very reasonably priced.  Read his story, it's kinda cool - It started out as a hobby, making flavored vodkas for friends, then he started trying to make his own vodka, succeeded, and the rest well, I'll let you read it :)  Best vodka I've ever had, and I've had a lot of vodka over the years I've been of legal drinkin' age.  Get it, nuff' said.  Besides, you'll be supporting a fellow Texan.  Hell, I'm an east coast gal, and I LOVE his vodka.  Tito hon, you got mah vote!

OK...you got the vodka.  Now, you need Limoncello, which is a lemon liqueur from Italy.  The original recipe calls for an orange liqueur like Cointreau, but I like Limoncello.   You will also need cranberry juice and orange juice, kapish? Good.  Here are the rough "parts" for my "Chris-tini":

2 parts vodka
1 part cranberry juice
1 part Limoncello
1 part orange juice.

Put in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice.  Shake it like a polaroid picture.  Strain and pour into your martini glass.  Enjoy.

This is easy to adapt.  If it's too strong for you, add more cranberry/orange juice.  If it's not sweet enough, add more juice.  If you like it sweet, I'd suggest getting the "Cosmopolitan" bottled drink mix, which has more sugar in it than plain cranberry juice.

For a variation, use Cointreau instead of Limoncello.  This is closer to the original "Cosmo" recipe, with the exception of the addition of OJ.

Further variations:

-Substitute Red Rum (which is Virgin Islands Rum infused with Tropical fruits) for vodka in either of the above recipes.   It's very good with Red Rum.  I had a bottle hanging around that I bought for some obscure recipe I made years ago, and decided to see how it would taste in a martini - yummy.

-Use Red Rum, pineapple juice, Cointreau with a splash of OJ for a "Tropi-cini"

Enjoy!
Part 3 will be more alcohol, Sinclair Lewis' punch revamped for the 21st century.  I bought the peach brandy and dark rum yesterday, and I'm mulling about the possibilities in a cocktail shaker around 5 pm this afternoon :-)

Sex and the City - Part 1

I loved Sex and the City.  I think I saw all the reruns not once, but twice.  I saw the movie too.  Not quite as good as the series, but still in the spirit. 

I envy the closeness of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha.  I think every woman can see themselves, and/or relate to at least one of the characters in the show, or secretly wish they were more like (insert name of choice here)  Me? before I got married, I was Carrie - yet secretly wishing I had the cojones of Samantha.  My best friend was Samantha - a free spirited ballet dancer trying to make it big in Manhattan, and having a string of relationships that were satisfying, but not in the enduring sense, more in the biblical sense if you catch my drift.... Unwilling to settle for one man, she preferred many.  She had great sarcasm like Sam, and always had a comeback waiting if one was needed. 

My daughter actually got me interested in SATC when the reruns came to TBS - We DVR'd every episode, and then some.  We laughed with the girls, rooted for Aiden, and had a love/hate relationship with Big.  We yelled at the TV, hoping to knock some sense into Carrie, and wished fervently that Charlotte would just follow her heart instead of her dream.  We wanted to smack Miranda when she broke up with Steve.  This show also got me hooked on Cosmos.  No, no no...I don't drink in excess.  Ask my kids.  But I do enjoy a Cosmopolitan every once in a while.

Now, the history differs, but the one constant is the drink was invented in the 1970s.  The official recipe of the IBA (International Bartender's Association) is as follows:

4.0 cl Vodka Citron
1.5 cl Cointreau
1.5 cl Fresh Lime juice
3.0 cl Cranberry juice

Preparation Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well and double strain into large cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wheel.

Notes: The drink should be a frothy bright pink colour Also...cl = centiliter - It's metric - something every other country in the world uses but us...think about it.  To simplify things, just substitute "parts" for "centiliter" and you can make the 'part' as much or as little as you want.

I thought a drink like this HAD to be around longer than the 1970s, so I pulled out my trusty "Esquire's Handbook for Hosts", 1949 edition, which was a hand-me-down from my parents. 

Well, actually, it was more of a save from the trash, but I have fond memories of that book.  The cover had cariacatures of famous actors and actresses, and there were a lot of cartoons in the book which I liked to read as a kid, some of which were probably not that appropriate, but at my age, I don't think I "got" them...

"It's Pop! And he's holding up a man on each arm again!"

There were also card games, party games, and recipes for appetizers, some main courses, but mostly tons of alcoholic beverages.  I was really surprised that there were hardly any vodka recipes.  Most were for gin, scotch, bourbon, and mixed drinks.  There was a punch recipe from that book I made once for a bridal shower that got everyone, even the self proclaimed one-in-every-bunch that says "I never drink, and if I do, I never drink enough to get tipsy" - tipsy. This is a punch with a punch.  Make sure you have designated drivers, because you cannot taste the alcohol, and this punch is...well...alcohol and fizzy stuff...'nuff said.  It's absolute yummy, and looks beautiful!  Miranda, Carrie, Samantha, and Charlotte (especially Charlotte) would go wild for it...

It first appeared in 1933, where, I don't know...but it has more history than the Cosmo, and...it's a Pulitzer Prize winning author that "authored" this concoction.  It serves a lot...depending on how much your drinking buddies can put away...

Sinclair Lewis' Punch and if you don't know who Sinclair Lewis is...shame on you!

2/3 cup Lime or Lemon juice (I use 1/3 cup of both)
3/4 lb  of powdered sugar
1 cup cognac
1 cup peach brandy
1/2 cup Jamaican rum
1 quart + 2 cups of carbonated water (selzter)
lemon/lime slices for garnish

1.  Mix the liquor and sugar in a punch bowl until the sugar is dissolved.  Slowly add in the seltzer, then add a generous amount of ice.  Garnish with lemon and lime slices, serve to guests, and watch the hilarity ensue.  I will experiment with the proportions to give you a single serving for "SATC part 2" - I'm sure it will be a reeeeallly tedious task, and not much fun at all *snorts*.  Actually, it's quite a sacrifice on my part, tasting all ratios of this concoction until I get it absolutely perfect *hic* but nothin' izzzzzz mor' impor'nt than makin' it eashy, right?....right?.....RRRRRIIIIGGGHHHT????!!!!! *runs off to the liquor store to buy some peach brandy for "experimentation" purposes only

The girls would be proud :)

P.S. Honestly Tina, I was thinking about doing a blog on Cosmos for my next entry, since I'm kinda tired of putting everyday recipes up...I was starting it today when I read your blog - eep! :-)

Oh...and SATC part 2 WILL have Cosmo recipes in it - promise! :-D

Meatloaf - it's what's for dinner...ummm no it's not!

Yes, Tina, I know you despise meatloaf, and for a very good reason - the same reason Meg hates strawberry milkshakes...so let's not call this meatloaf, shall we?  Let's call it..."It ain't a loaf, but it's Meat" - How's that? or "MeatMosh" Hmm...I like that better..."Meatmosh"

Now that we have the title out of the way - I know everyone has their favorite "Meatmosh" recipe.  They also know what goes with "Meatmosh".  For me, it was always baked potatoes, a vegetable, and applesauce, cos that's how my mom made it - for my hubby, it was gravy, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable.  In fact, our first argument in our married life came from his query when I put my "Meatmosh" on the table "Where's the gravy?"  He then escalated it into nuclear proportions by announcing "This isn't like my mother's.  You should get HER recipe and learn to make it right"  Word of advice to any husbands, boyfriends, SOs, whatevers...Never, ever, EVER...I repeat...NEVER say your wife/gf's cooking is not up to par with your mother's...even if it isn't.  Find something good to say about it, even if it tastes like a cross between an old gym sneaker and rotten eggs...I'm sure you can find something like "Honey, the presentation ROCKS, but I am STUFFED from lunch at work today - How about brownbaggin me the leftovers tomorrow, k?" and give her a kiss/hug for her efforts.  She doesn't need to know that you'll throw it in the trash.  By finding the POSITIVE, it will POSITIVELY ensure you a nice, warm spot in a big fluffy bed with your mate, rather than a cold, uncomfortable couch that is not QUITE long enough, kapish?.

I experimented with a lot of recipes, until I found one that actually works for me - it's consistently good every time, unlike before when I'd usually just throw whatever I had in the kitchen into the meat in various quantities, so the quality wasn't always consistent.  I think my family is happier, and that makes me happy, because I can actually SERVE the leftovers, and they'll eat them.  It's easy, you literally just dump everything in a bowl and get down n' dirty mooshing it with your hands, pop it in a loaf pan, and bake it for an hour.

Mom's Meatmosh  - serves 4-6 (printable recipe is HERE)

1.5 pounds of meatloaf mix (if you eat veal) if not, then 3/4 pound each ground pork and beef  -You can really interchange any meat you'd like - turkey, chicken, beef, pork, veal, or any combination thereof - doesn't matter.

1 6 oz. can of Durkee's fried onions -For a twist, try the cheddar fried onions...I would, but my family would disown me if I ever put cheese in a meatloaf - believe me, I've tried!
1 package of ranch dressing mix I use one I get at the natural market - the ones in the grocery store (*kaffHIDDENVALLEYkaff*) have MSG in them.
1 cup of bread crumbs, or...stuffing mix if you have any left over taking up space in your cabinets Stuffing mix gives the meat a nice flavor - put a bit more Steak Seasoning in if you don't have stuffing, or add some fresh ground pepper and garlic.  You can never put in too much garlic! :-D
2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick - I love this stuff - I use it in everything from meat to eggs to baked potatoes to veggies.
1 egg
1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce - If you don't like the BBQ flavor, simply substitute Ketchup.
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup milk if needed *

1. Preheat Oven to 375.

2. Mix ingredients, and form into a loaf.

*add milk last, and don't use it all if the meat seems to be getting too moist.*

3. Put in a pan and bake for an hour.

If you want, serve it with gravy, or just plain.  Make mashed or baked, doesn't matter.  Serve it with ketchup or BBQ sauce, makes no never mind to me - Enjoy!

Indulgences...or...name your poison

Humans are a selfish lot.  I think it may have something to do with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but nursing school was more years ago than I care to share, since I am getting to the time of life where a woman winces inwardly when asked her age, and may fudge it down by a few years if she can pull it off.  Most of us go through life trying to fight these selfish urges.  We donate to charity, we sacrifice for the good of others, we try to live our lives the "right" way.  Being human, that doesn't always work.  However, if we can be unselfish where it counts, and a little selfish where it doesn't, I think it's a job well done.  I try to live my life by practicing tolerance, looking for the good in everyone (even the wench that cut me off on the Thruway) and accepting people for who they are without trying to change them (my husband is the only exception to the latter - but that is because he's forgotten most of the good teaching he received from HIS mother as a child) 

I do have two indulgences.  Two things that I will not "compromise" in any way, shape or form.  One is chocolate.  I must have Salazon Chocolate.  I tried the others, Salazon shines.  Don't get me started, or I will wax poetic and this whole blog post will be a love story for the brand.  I have some previous posts where I drooled over Salazon, read those, then go out and buy a bar or two.  Or three.  Ok ok, round it out, make it four, then it will last you for a while.  The good thing about Salazon, is it's so good you really can't pig out on it, because you want to savor the flavor.  So you take a little piece, and like the hamster that stuffs its little cheeks full of fruity goodness and then runs to its little house to enjoy the bounty because he doesn't want to share, you find a comfy chair and a good book away from your family (because if you walk into the room where they are congregated watching TV or doing whatever, you know your chocolate bar will be gone before you can say "Hey! that's MY chocolate!" the minute they get a whiff - I know it's happened to me)...or...if you are outside walking a mountain trail on a crisp spring morning, you break a square off and save the rest for when you reach the summit, making sure your fellow hikers either have their own bar, or, if they were silly enough not to bring one and decided instead on that "goop" crap, you surreptitiously sneak a bit from your day pack when they are otherwise occupied with tripping over a tree root on the trail.  Either way it's an indulgence that enhances your experience rather than overwhelms it.  If I want a piece of chocolate, it has to be Salazon.  It can't be Hershey's, Nestles, Theo's, Vsoges, or some other bar that claims to be chocolate.  It can't be the store brand that is on sale for 99 cents this week only, because I won't buy it.  I'll pay the extra for Salazon because it's my indulgence.

The other indulgence I have is for coffee.  I'm not quite sure how that started, or how my palate developed to where I reeeeaaallly can't stand bad coffee.  You know, the kind that tastes bitter and smells sort of metallicy and acidy.  I've run the gamut with coffee.  I started out drinking it very light and sweet, and gradually went to black.  When you drink black coffee, you can TELL A BAD COFFEE much easier then when you camoflauge it with cream and sugar.  Just sayin'.  I drank my coffee black for years, until I found out I had GERD,  so I switched back to cream, but no sugar, and decaffeinated.  I drank it that way for a while until Starbucks became the fotm, then I sort of got used to adding a bit of syrup to my coffee.  Now I'm at lightly sweet with regular cream.  I guess that would be a "regular with half a sugar" at the Dunkin' Donuts Drive Through.  The small "quintessential New England" town in CT where we once lived for 5 years had a population of about 15000 people and TEN COFFEE SHOPS.  Count em'. TEN.  Coffee was a big thing in Madison, CT.  Now, they weren't all "Coffee Shops".  I'm including any place where any Madisonian went to get their morning cuppa Joe.  That included the mom n' pop breakfast shop called "the diner" by locals,(probably not to confuse it with the myriad of COFFEE SHOPS in town,  but it was really a storefront - what makes a place a "diner" as opposed to a "coffee shop" or "restaurant"?, the Dunkin' Donuts, and various other eateries, as well as the two main Coffee Shops in town, The Madison Beanery  and Willoughby's, both of which are still there 10 years later, which is a testament to how much New Englanders like their coffee. 

I was a Beanery aficianado, Willoughby's beans were alway a bit bitter IMO, but it's a matter of taste.  I guess I just answered my own question as to where I refined my coffee taste buds. 

One day I was surfing the web and came across The Coffee Fool.  Their claim drew me in.  I must confess, at first I thought they were crazy.

If you're a tad adventurous like us, you look for stuff that will change your life for the better. But, in a world with millions of products, great things are not always so easy to find. Thankfully you found our ad while you were doing something else (omg that line just made me go "HUH?" when I first read it)and decided to check out a potential new coffee experience for yourself.

"Wow".  I thought to myself.  They are either deluded or confident -maybe that's where their name came from - "Coffee Fool", which could mean either a fool for coffee, or they're foolish enough to claim their product is heads above the rest.  I perused the flavors and was drawn in by their "Coconut Dreams".  The description reads "Only for those who would be quite at home, shipwrecked on a paradise island with enough coconut trees to last a lifetime" .  They must know about my secret fantasy.

When I lived in Madison, CT and went to the Beanery, I would always get their coconut coffee when they had it.  OMG...if you have not tried coconut + coffee, you are missing out, I kid you not.  Amazing nutty flavor with a hint of the tropics. Since the Beanery doesn't sell their beans online,   I decided to try a bag of Coffee Fool's  "Coconut Dreams" - what do I have to lose but a few bucks?  Well, I lost more than a few bucks, because one bag, and I was hopelessly hooked.  Just like Salazon ruined ANY other kind of chocolate for me, Coffee Fool ruined any other kinda bean.  They are the best.  Everything they claim is true, and zomg, their coffee flavors are the bomb.  My favorite is "Snoodle-Doodle" which has a hint of cinnamon, coconut, hazelnut in it, three of my favorite coffee-ish things.  Everything they claim is true.  I have never had better coffee in my life, and believe me, I've had a LOT of different coffee.  It's fresh, aromatic, flavorful, NEVER bitter, acidy, or metallic.  Drinking any coffee by Coffee Fool makes me smile, just like eating Salazon chocolate.

Yes, it's a tad pricey, but not overpriced.  The quality is amazing, the coffee definitely worth it, so I will induge myself.  It's not like I indulge myself with jewelry, plastic surgery, clothes, shoes...it's just two simple things - chocolate and coffee - I will not compromise quality, and I am willing to pay a bit more for something I like, because I am worth it.

What are your indulgences?