Mom’s Meatloaf

Mom Knows Best

Next to mac & cheese, meatloaf is probably one of the most common comfort foods. If you add some mashed potatoes and peas you have the comfort food trifecta. I have found that people are rather passionate about meatloaf…they either love it or hate it.

For better or worse, everyone has their special family recipe for meatloaf. Say the word meatloaf in my family and you are bound to get a number of strong reactions, depending on who is making the meatloaf and who is doing the eating.

My grandmother was an excellent cook, and made any number of tasty dishes for her family over the years. But meatloaf was not one. I’m not sure where things got sideways, but her meatloaf was pretty bad. Sorry Gam. Truth hurts.

My mother, however, made awesome meatloaf. Well, I thought it was awesome. My sister was not really a fan, and there was always grumbling whenever it was announced that we were having meatloaf for dinner—which was pretty often, ‘cause it was easy, tasty and made great sandwiches the next day for lunch.

Mom’s recipe is the same recipe that is on the back of the dried Lipton Onion Soup mix box, but Mom adds her own personal touches, and they are TOP SECRET. (Okay, maybe not TOP SECRET, but it sounds cool.) Basically, they involve swapping out some ingredients, and using whatever is on hand instead of bread crumbs.

For my version, I start with the onion soup mix. Most of the time, I use a mix of ground beef and ground pork,which makes it taste more like a meatball. If I want more of a beefy flavor, I’ll use all ground chuck. Usually I make my own breadcrumbs from the sad, leftover ends of the sandwich bread. (I think they are better than the dried ones you buy in a can.) But sometimes I just rip the bread into small pieces. Never do I use ketchup. It ‘s just wrong. As for the eggs, sometimes I mix them with a little water and sometimes I use milk. Depends on my mood.

We tend to have meatloaf for dinner every couple weeks, which may seem like a lot. But it is one of the few dinners that we all agree on, and that I am pretty sure will actually be eaten by all.

Here is my version of Mom’s Meatloaf. Read more…

Classic Borscht

To Russia With Love

If you are a sports nut (guilty) this week has to rank up there with one of the best. What started on Sunday with the Superbowl will end with the Olympics where the use of the title World Champion is more appropriate than anywhere else.

I have said this before, but I will say it again, “I love the Olympics, and I love the Winter Olympics especially.” The winter version of the games is the great equalizer. The dominance that the US shows during the Summer is gone. We are no longer the perceived favorite in everything. Countries like Norway and Finland finally get there day in the sun.

I geek-out about the Olympics. For example, it has become a tradition for me to plan a meal around the country where the Olympics are being held. This was great when the Olympics were in Spain, Greece and Italy. This time around is a bit of a gastronomic challenge. I really don’t know much about Russian cuisine. (I believe this calls for some investigative cooking!)

When you think of Russian food most people think caviar, potatoes and vodka. Well, I do at least. The one other dish that immediately comes to my mind though is Borscht.

Now, I am not a friend of the beet. I think they taste like dirt. For some reason though, I like Borscht. Maybe it’s because the first time I had it was in a random little (extremely little!) Russian restaurant in San Francisco owned and operated by a Russian woman who knew what she was doing. I was skeptical at first but one taste was all it took. It was fantastic.

Borscht is not something I eat often. (Rarely would be more accurate.) The reason is this soup takes some time to make. But it is worth the effort—even if only to just try it once. It is also an excellent way to get into the Olympic spirit this weekend, and to celebrate the Opening Ceremonies.

The recipe below is my favorite. Read more…

Pho Dinner in Less Than 20 Minutes

Your Vietnamese Grandmother Was Right

So everyone in my family is either sick, getting sick, or getting over being sick. The kids are getting over being sick, finally. My husband is sick. really sick. Poor baby. I am getting sick and trying to will myself into not getting worse while I nurse the others back to health. Not sure if I am winning that battle.

I am trying to combat the sickness with hot and spicy Vietnamese Pho. It’s my personal take on the Grandma’s Chicken Soup cure. I figure if nuclear hot, anise seasoned broth doesn’t kill the virus maybe the Sriracha sauce will. That’s stuff can do anything.

I’d like to say that I take the time to make the broth from scratch, but that would be a big, fat lie. I have done it and it makes a delicious stock, but I don’t have the time, nor do I feel well enough to spend multiple hours in the kitchen. I am all for authenticity but, please!

Pacific Foods makes a great ready-made Pho broth base that we carry in our Asian section. I usually use the beef, but the chicken is great too. Because I like the broth to be more beef-y, I add about 2 cups of beef broth to the Pho base, and maybe a little bit more salt. I have also been known to add demi-glace. It depends on your preference.

Just ask our guys in the meat department will slice you some extra-thin meat to cook in the boiling broth. They are happy to do it. I prefer Sirloin but again, it’s up to you.

Whatever your soup cure of choice, I wish you all good health. Get some sleep. Drink liquids. Wash your hands often, and if all else fails you can try a few shots of Sriracha. Read more…

Risotto with Porcini Caramelized Onion and Sage

The Big Show
On Monday, I spent hours walking up and down the aisles of this year’s Fancy Food Show at the Moscone Center. I love this show. It’s so motivating! And while there may not always be a huge number of new producers or revolutionary products, every time you get that many food people in a room I can’t help but come away feeling energized and excited about the world of food. (By the time we left the show I was totally ready to buy a goat farm and make my own cheese and/or caramels. And don’t get me started on grinding my own wheat for bread, or foraging for mushrooms).

As always there numerous interesting products to try. I found an amazing mushroom product company called Wineforest Wild Foods. They are based in Napa and have some of the most beautiful mushroom products. We will be bringing some of their products in soon but you can check out their website. I’m looking forward to the Porcini Polenta and the Forest Farro.

Food-wise it seems that lately there are a lot of great things coming out of Portland—and the Pacific Northwest in general. One of my personal favorites was a company called Unbound Pickling. All of their produce and herbs are sourced locally, and each jar is hand packed. They’re gorgeous. My two favorites were the Bacon Pickles (anything with bacon!), and the Pickled Walla Walla Sweets. So tasty. Look for those on our shelves soon.

Tea is always a big category but this year it wasn’t just your usual cuppa. A company called Owl’s Brew introduced their line of Tea Mixers crafted for cocktails. They were outstanding, and very refreshing. Perfect for the coming Spring and Summer seasons. With three different flavors meant to be mixed with a variety of your favorite spirits, there’s something to please everyone. My favorite was the Pink & Black with Whiskey. (This was one of the first things I tasted when the show opened at 10 AM! Nothing like a shot first thing in the morning.)

The one big takeaway that I had from the show, and I think everyone noticed, was a big shift across all the categories to real food. By real food, I mean that producers are making things simply and with actual food—not chemicals or engineered food-like substances. Ingredient lists no longer require a Ph.D. to decipher. Sodas are being made with cane sugar. Bye-bye corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Agave is king if you don’t want regular sugar, and it was an ingredient in a huge number of “healthier alternative” products, and some of the not-so-healthy foods and drinks as well. And yes, there was, of course, plenty of kale and chia.

This change in thinking was to me by far the best thing about the show this year. (Well, that and the fact that the crazy water fad appears to have exceeded it’s 15 minutes of fame. Finally.) It was all about the food and nothing but the food, put together by people with a passion who know what they are doing. And it is good. Read more…