Chow Bella
Nothing Says “I Love You” Like a Heart-Shaped Meatloaf
Feb 12th
Why, yes, I am recycling my blog posts. Thanks for noticing.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Don’t you love Valentine’s Day? That’s okay — no one else does, either. But it’s wrong to let a holiday pass without notice, so here’s a way to celebrate without being too, you know, celebratory. This recipe originally came from Cooking Light. However, the heart-shaped bit is my own special twist. (My friends tell me I’m very creative.)
Heart-Shaped Meatloaf
- 3/4 cup ketchup, divided
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup minced fresh onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 pounds ground round
- Cooking spray
Combine 1/2 cup ketchup, oats, onion, parsley, brown sugar, salt, pepper and egg whites in a large bowl. Add meat; stir just until blended. Shape meat mixture into a heart on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush 1/4 cup ketchup over meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Attack of the Killer Zucchini
Jul 2nd
And now, the saddest line I might ever type: I’m really excited about my zucchini board on Pinterest!
Just kidding. I’m not that excited about the board. Right now, it’s only got seven recipes. (I’m way more proud of my crockpot recipe board: 64 pins and counting!) This, then, is for real the saddest line I might ever type: I spent yesterday evening taking cellphone pictures of my zucchini.
The zucchini thing started innocently enough, with a harmless-looking little plant from Home Depot. Next thing you know, the zucchinis have taken over my garden, my breakfast, my dinner, my mind! In college, I appeared in “Little Shop of Horrors,” a musical about a man-eating plant intent on world domination. My zucchini plant is kind of like that, except for the man-eating part.
I’ve made zucchini fritters. Zucchini casserole. Zucchini tater tots. Zucchini fries. I’ve added shredded zucchini to spaghetti sauce and pancakes. And still: the squash grows faster than I can cook it. We both know who’s in charge. Today, for the first time, I threw a week-old zucchini into the trash. It will come for me when I’m sleeping. Until then, here’s an old family recipe.
ZUCCHINI BREAD (makes 2 loaves)
Beat:
- 3 eggs
Add:
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup applesauce
- 2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
Sift together & add to wet mixture:
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 3 cups flour
If desired, add:
- 2 cups chopped walnuts
Pour into two greased pans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Chow Bella: Heart-Shaped Meatloaf
Feb 12th
A number of people* have brought it to my attention that despite my claim, when I launched my blog back in . . . when was that? Summer sometime? Well, anyway — despite THE VOW** I made to blog four times a week, in the last couple of months I haven’t blogged four times a week. Or at all.
Here’s the thing. In addition to my awesome career as a blogger (does it count as a career if you don’t get paid?) I actually write, you know. Books. I have a manuscript due March 1, and if I had any idea what today’s date is, I’d tell you how many days that gives me to finish it. I know it’s not a lot.
However. Valentine’s Day is coming up. Woo hoo! So before I get back to working on my manuscript*** I wanted to share my recipe for Heart-Shaped Meatloaf. In truth, this is not really “my” recipe; I got if from Cooking Light. However, the heart-shaped bit is my own special twist. (My friends tell me I’m very creative.)
*My sister
**That’s me trying to get web hits off of people wanting to see that movie about the girl with amnesia.
***Or watching “The Millionaire Matchmaker” with my daughter. (Judge not: it provides countless “learning opportunities”)
Heart-Shaped Meatloaf
- 3/4 cup ketchup, divided
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1/4 cup minced fresh onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 pounds ground round
- Cooking spray
Combine 1/2 cup ketchup, oats, onion, parsley, brown sugar, salt, pepper and egg whites in a large bowl. Add meat; stir just until blended. Shape meat mixture into a heart on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush 1/4 cup ketchup over meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Oct 14th
WHAT CAME FIRST IS IN STORES NOW!
Want to win a signed book
or a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card?
Enter my Baby Name Contest.
A few years ago, I was watching my daughter’s soccer game with my friend Tammi, and she offered me some roasted pumpkin seeds. I took a couple, expecting a little crunch, a little salt — and was floored. Who knew seeds could be so tasty? I asked Tammi where she bought them, to which she gave the dreaded reply: “I made them.”
So much for that.
But then a week or so later, I was carving a pumpkin (yeah, I have my crafty moments), when I decided to give it a try. I couldn’t remember exactly what Tammi had told me, so I tossed the seeds with a little oil, put them on a cookie sheet, baked until they were golden — and voila! They tasted like crap!
(Side note: for anyone who follows this blog but doesn’t actually know me — do such creatures exist? — blog regular Tammi is not my only friend, but she’s one of those people who always knows how to do stuff and where to buy stuff. I told her she should have her own blog but she said no because “I hear they take a ton of time.” Well, yeah, there’s that.)
Here, then, is Tammi’s recipe, brought to you by the folks who invented the cut-and-paste feature.
ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
Ingredients: Pumpkin seeds, oil (olive or other), seasoning. You can use other squash seeds with similar results.
Remove seeds from pumpkin. A large metal spoon or your hands work equally well.
Remove all pulp from seeds. Use a strainer and pick all of the pulp out leaving only the seeds.
Using cold water rinse seeds thoroughly.
Dry seeds on paper towels or in a shallow bowl. Overnight is usually enough time but longer is fine as long as the seeds are dry enough to hold the oil.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Coat seeds lightly with oil. (This is optional if you are going for a healthier version but helps the salt or seasoning stick).
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Spread the seeds in a single layer on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle with salt and/or seasoning. Seasoning ideas : garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, popcorn seasoning, chile powder, or for a sweet version cinnamon and sugar.
Watch seeds carefully and stir every 5-10 minutes. Depending on the size and quantity of the seeds they should be done in 15-30 minutes. Look for a nice golden brown color.
Cool seeds and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Share with your friends who can’t be bothered to do stuff like roast pumpkins seeds.
Chow Bella: Food Truck Edition
Sep 23rd
Years ago, when I was a student at Brown University, there were two late-night dining alternatives: Taco Maker and The Silver Truck. Taco Maker’s food — I use the term loosely — was way better than the truck’s, but it was a ten minute walk away, while The Silver Truck parked mere steps from my dorm. As such, on nights when I was up late and ravenous — from like, studying — I’d hand my dollar bills up to the guy in the truck in exchange for their greasy fries and oily grilled cheese sandwiches.
My husband — we went to college together but didn’t meet till later — remembers it differently. “Their fried egg sandwiches were delicious!” He doesn’t even like fried eggs. But I guess if you’re studying really hard and really late, anything takes good.
Anyway. Here we are in 2011, and food trucks are all the rage, the perfect recession cuisine. Several local restaurants have closed up shop and moved their operations to the road. There’s even a food network show called The Great Food Truck Race. (I almost snarked about wishing I had the kind of time to watch a show about food trucks — but then conceded that I’d open up some hours if I cleared “Millionaire Matchmaker” from my list of must-watch programs.)
This Tuesday I decided to find out what all the fuss is about when I attended Fullerton’s weekly Epic Dinner (which sounds way better than “a bunch of food trucks in a parking lot”). First stop: The Lime Truck, which has to be good because it is on The Great Food Truck Race, and nothing says “guaranteed quality” like reality TV. (Can somebody PLEASE explain to me why Kim Kardashian is famous?)
Snarkiness aside, the Lime Truck has a lamb sandwich (which goes by a more creative name) that is nothing short of EPIC. (Note: I have never used the word “epic” before, and as it felt forced, I will not use it again.) The meat was incredibly tender, the pita was fluffy, and the sauce was tasty.
We also tried the taco trio (chicken, steak, pork) from a Filipino fusion stop called The Pogi Boy Truck. All were good, but the crispy pork was the only one that I’d classify as epic. (Yes, I’ve slipped already. But saying epic just makes me feel . . . young.) At the Pogi Boy Truck, my daughter ordered a cheeseburger on French toast. You heard me. She thought it was a bit much, but I suspect “a bit much” is the whole point.
My son, who’s not a real adventurous eater, went to one of the few non-specialty trucks and got a regular cheeseburger. It tasted like a cheeseburger.
All in all, I’d give the dinner high points for food and low points for ambiance: we sat on folding chairs next to our car and ate off our laps. But the food ranged from good to outstanding, it was cheap (or cheap-ish), and I didn’t have to cook. So I think we’ll be back.
Food Trucks in Fullerton:
Tuesdays: Epic Dinner, 2949 Brea Blvd.
Thursdays: FCLO, 218 West Commonwealth
Fridays: Best Buy parking lot (corner Harbor & Imperial)
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