Manic Meatloaf

I awoke on Valentine’s Day morning, my birthday, to a gorgeous crimson sunrise. I was excited to be spending the day with friends and family on my favorite day of the year; a day to pamper and to be pampered.
It was a stellar day that began with waffles and ended with meatloaf, both in the shape of hearts. (The meatloaves were a brilliant suggestion from my husband as I pondered what to make for a cozy dinner.)

I ran around non-stop from coffee to a pedicure to breakfast to lunch – all with friends -- and then sprinted to my kids’ school for a Valentine’s Day party. I was on cruise control, enjoying my day but in the back of my mind I was wondering how or if I’d manage to make the heart shaped meatloaves.

When a conversation with my friend Kathe turned to the topic of dinner, she loved the meatloaf idea and said she had some chopped meat to make some too. Yay! I’d be able to squeeze some cooking with friends into my favorite day of the year. So I rushed home, grabbed the chopped meat, bread crumbs and heart shaped ramekins, drove to Kathe’s house for a fifteen minute interlude where we squished, mixed and molded our love infused dinners.

Although our crazy schedule didn’t allow for a sit down family dinner, each of my children (and later my husband) got a kick out of the ketchup drizzled x’s and o’s atop their meatloaf hearts. It may have only been meatloaf, but it ended the day with smiles and a little love. Every Valentine’s Day should be as good as it was this year.

My Meatloaf
1 pound ground turkey meat
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, diced finely
1 cup bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves
2 eggs
Chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
A bit of ketchup

Mix all of the meat together in a large bowl. Fill the heart shaped ramekins (or pancake molds) with mixture and draw x’s and o’s with ketchup. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Cooking With Friends: Peach Pie Anyone?

Cooking With Friends: Peach Pie Anyone?: "There’s nothing like a piece of homemade peach pie in the middle of February to brighten the spirits. Yes, it’s true! -- Especially if it’s..."

Peach Pie Anyone?

There’s nothing like a piece of homemade peach pie in the middle of February to brighten the spirits. Yes, it’s true! -- Especially if it’s made with farm fresh Jersey peaches and a homemade crust. But how you might ask did I possibly make a peach pie in the dead of winter? There are no peaches in the grocery stores, or at least any local or sweet ones, so you may be wondering how I pulled this one off.

Well, I’ll give you my little secret. Back in July, I had a surplus of peaches from my CSA. I decided to make a few batches of peach pie filling with a friend who also had too many. This week, when I stumbled upon my very last container hiding snugly beneath a bag of edamame beans in the freezer, I decided that there’s no better time than now! My 13-year old pie-loving son was more than thrilled when I greeted him with a fresh-out-of-the oven slice of pie. If you can imagine, he asked if it was made with canned peaches! I think I even impressed him.

If you’re wondering why you didn’t think to do the same over the summer with your excess fruit, don’t! There’s always next summer. Food freezes exceptionally well – just look at the enormous frozen food departments in grocery store across America. Farm fresh foods are no exception, which brings me to my next point. Cooking with friends to preserve the harvest reaps long term benefits. We may not be shopping at farmer’s markets or snipping herbs from our garden in February, but at least we’re enjoying the delightfully fresh flavors from seasons past.

As my frozen supply of farm fresh tomato sauce, pesto, corn stocks and pie fillings dwindles, I am encouraged. The ground hog may not have seen his shadow, but I’ve got my sign that spring is near. With every bite I savor from seasons past I am inspired by what’s soon to come and the foods I will surely preserve next time.

Simple Peach Pie Filling
10 fresh sweet yellow peaches, skins removed and cut into thick slices
1/2 cup white sugar
1 -2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
dash of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized pot and heat slowly, stirring until the mixture becomes thick. Cool and transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container until ready to fill a pie.

Cooking With Friends: Rice Balls and a Simple Chain of Events

Cooking With Friends: Rice Balls and a Simple Chain of Events: "Today’s blog recounts a simple chain of events that says a remarkable amount about cooking, friends, knowledge and inspiration. One rece..."

Rice Balls and a Simple Chain of Events

Today’s blog recounts a simple chain of events that says a remarkable amount about cooking, friends, knowledge and inspiration.

One recent afternoon, my friend Debbie and her Japanese friend made onigiri, a sticky Japanese rice triangle topped with a strip of dried seaweed. These sticky rice creations, a staple in Debbie’s friend’s house, are a quick and easy meal to pack in bento boxes for lunch or dinner. Debbie was so inspired by her friend, that as soon as her cooking date was over, Debbie got the itch to demonstrate her newly acquired skill to me. After schlepping all three of her kids to a Japanese market for the ingredients (short grain rice, seaweed strips, seasoning flakes and dried salmon) she was ready to teach. We just needed to find the time, which we squeezed in later the next week.

Debbie moistened her hands with water, placed a mound of warm rice in the palm of her left hand, and began to mold and turn. With her thumbs tucked above her other fingers, I watched as she shaped the rice into tidy triangles, making a hole to hide dried flakes of salmon and then topping it with a neat strip of seaweed. With a few simple squeezes and turns, she recreated the simple steps her friend taught her the week before. As she worked, I asked why the triangle shapes were called rice balls, but she chuckled, said she didn’t know and had just taken her friend’s word.

My curiosity led me to delve into the history of onigri, which I learned had been a Japanese staple since the 7th century, before the use of chopsticks. White rice is formed and filled with fish, roe and even pickled fruits, fillings which are sold today in jars in Japanese markets.

These tasty treats are no different than our own modern solutions for a quick, satisfying meal that comes in small packages. For my family, it’s a quesadilla, empanada, burrito or dumpling and other quick and easy food. Interestingly, we modern moms aren’t so different from our Japanese ancestors! I did find out that rice balls can be round, rectangular or triangular, but not why the various shapes are called balls.

When it was my turn to take a stab at, I struggled at first with the simple task of shaping my rice into a triangle. I’m not that coordinated (or artistic) and tasks that require crimping, folding or decorating take me a bit of practice sometimes. But once I realized that I didn’t have to use my left hand (as my left-handed friend did moments before) I switched to the right and got into a groove.

It didn’t take long for us to make a platter of these rice treats, which my kids would later enjoy as an afterschool snack. But I left Debbie’s house with more than a plate of food. I left with a new bit of culinary knowledge, a new skill and a connection to an unfamiliar heritage. I also had a simple story of how inspiration moves from one friend to another, as we teach, share and enjoy foods from our own unique cultures -- another example of what cooking with friends is about.

To learn how to make Japanese Rice Balls, I found this useful instructional article on Serious Eats: http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/01/how-to-make-onigiri-japanese-sushi-rice-balls.html


PS – I am sure the rice balls can be made into heart shapes! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.

Cooking With Friends: Cooking with friends for a weekend away!

Cooking With Friends: Cooking with friends for a weekend away!: "Cooking with friends for a weekend away! What an amazing reason to get together and cook with a friend. That’s just what Suzy and I di..."

Cooking with friends for a weekend away!

Cooking with friends for a weekend away!

What an amazing reason to get together and cook with a friend. That’s just what Suzy and I did before our two-family ski trip to the Catskills this past weekend. Since a full day skiing with the kids can be exhausting, the delightful après ski restaurant experience often doesn’t happen as it should. Melt downs, tantrums and pleas for television tend to replace the breezy relaxation that the adults crave. So to avoid any last minute desperate dining experiences, Suzy and I made and froze several dozen meatballs in anticipation of a Saturday night pasta dinner after a fulfilling day on the slopes. With tired feet and aching backs, we knew we'd have no desire to cook, never mind from scratch. This way, we could chill on the couch in front of the fire and our growling stomachs would be satisfied nonetheless.

Along with the meatballs, the gang was privileged to enjoy the last of my coveted farm fresh Jersey tomato sauce (Boo hoo! I need summer now to restock!). For the rest of our weekend nibbles, Suzy and I raided our fridges and freezers for salad fixings, breakfast breads, muffins and cookies. We divided and conquered and when not on the slopes, we ate our weekend away. Not only did we eat well, but we saved a ton of money by avoiding a pricy dinner.

And one more thing! While a weekend away can be brief and fleeting, cooking ahead of time with a friend enhances and prolongs the experience. Isn’t it the journey and not the reward that fulfills us most in life?

If you’re planning a trip away with a friend, make sure you think about cooking with a friend.