Not Your Usual Suspect Potato Salad

It's spring and almost summer, and that brings all kinds of fabulous fresh foods at the market.

Did I mention that spring is my favorite season

It is, and not just because of all those great fresh fruits and veggies, but also because I can finally hit the beach after that long cold boring winter.

Let me get back on track, I'm here to talk about food, not the beach. I'm here to talk about this:




This is a potato salad, but it instead of mayo you drizzle olive oil on it. The sharpness and crunchiness of the onions contrasts beautifully with the smoother milder flavor of the boiled potatoes. The tomatoes, fresh basil, and olive oil round out the rest of the flavors for a refreshing fabulous salad. And the colors are beautiful. Make this for your mom and she'll start to wonder if you were abducted by aliens.

It's so easy to make and its great for lunch, or a picnic on the beach. And it only takes 5 ingredients plus some salt and pepper.

2 medium Tomatoes
6 medium Red Potatoes
1/2 Red Onion
2 or 3 pieces Fresh Basil
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Start by cleaning and then cutting your potatoes into manageable sized pieces. Cut them in half and then quarters or sixths, depending on how big they are to start with.

Drop them into a stock pot and cover with water. Add about a half a teaspoon of salt. Turn the pot on med high and boil until tender. I really don't know how long that is because it depends on the size of the pieces. Check them after about 5 minutes with a fork and that will give you an idea of how much longer they need. If it is easy to stick a fork in them, then they are tender, if not keep cooking.

Meanwhile you can cut the onions and tomatoes and the basil. There is a great video on food network on some basic knife skills. Alton over at Good Eats demonstrates about half way through the video how to chop your basil. He even shows you how to pare, slice and chop a red onion at the end of the video. You'll notice he uses a paring knife and a chef knife. I did all my cutting with the chef knife pictured above. His entire episode on knives was great and I highly recommend it.





So I sliced the onions into long slices and I cut the tomatoes into about eight slices each and then cut those in half so they would be closer to bite sized. I sliced the basil like Alton demonstrated, and then chopped the slices to make them smaller.

If you don't want to wait for your potatoes to cool, you can drain the hot water in the sink carefully and then fill the pot again with cold water to speed the cooling process. They don't have to be really cool, you just need to be able to handle them comfortably.

Once the potatoes are cool, transfer them to a large bowl. Next I dropped in the tomatoes. See how boring this salad looks without the onions and basil.



Then add the onions and basil. Add a liberal amount of salt and some pepper. This is ultimately up to you, but I feel like it needs a lot of salt. Gently toss the the ingredients together and you could taste the corner of a potato to test the seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil, I used about a quarter cup. Use enough so that when you gently toss the salad again, everything is coated. I used a big plastic bowl with a lid. I popped on the lid and gently shook/rolled the ingredients around.

I cooled the potatoes enough when I made it so I could serve it right away by letting the sink run for about 2 minutes with cool water. But I think this salad tastes much better if you let it sit in the fridge overnight. The flavors all seem to incorporate.

Yota's Yummy Meatloaf

I told a friend that I was going to make meatloaf for my next blog post. He thought it would be too hard. What he doesn't realize is that after Mac and Cheese, the next thing I learned to make was meatloaf, from scratch. My mom's instructions were pretty simple. Open fridge, remove eggs and whatever condiments or other stuff looks good, and mix it with the ground beef and some breadcrumbs. No real measurements, and lots of messy fun, because the best way to mix the meatloaf is with your hands.

Let me introduce my ingredients (This time :))


So we've got ground beef, eggs, mustard, Italian bread crumbs, salsa, and ketchup. I've also been known to add BBQ sauce, chopped onion, diced tomato, or whatever else is on hand. I cheat by using Italian bread crumbs so I don't have to season. Yet again I made enough for lots of people, so what's pictured is more than you'll need. I've cut the recipe down for you. I don't really measure when I make this recipe, but I'll give you my best guess.

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
2 tbsp mustard (yellow, spicy, whatever makes you happy)
4 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp salsa
2 tbs Parmesan Cheese (not pictured, just pretend its there)
1/4 - 1/2 cup bread crumbs (Start with 1/4 and add more until you get the right consistancy)

So throw everything in the bowl, like so:


Looks like a big goopy mess! The kid in me is cheering right now.

Now add the bread crumbs:


This is the point where we get our hands dirty. Just dig in. You could start one handed so you have a free hand to sprinkle in some more breadcrumbs if necessary. Or you could jump in with both hands. Ok so both hands is way more fun.

You looking for a consistency that is still moist, but not falling apart. Also, you don't want to over work the meat because you'll end up with a brick instead of a meatloaf. (Think Hagrid's tea cakes).


Now its time to shape our meatloaf. All you need is a baking dish, and either some oil or some spray release like Pam. Spray your pan, drop your meatloaf in the middle. Shape it like, well, like a meatloaf.

At this point some people slather the top of their meatloaf with ketchup like its some kind of frosting. I never do. I just don't get the concept, I spent all that time making the meat moist and flavorful, why would I want to bury all that flavor under ketchup?

Bake at 350 for about 1 hour. You're looking for an internal temperature of 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Or you could cut it open and make sure it is not pink in the middle. A meat thermometer is not expensive, is easy to calibrate, and best of all keeps you from getting food poisoning from your own cooking. The one I have even has a handy chart with internal temperatures.

Anywho, now that I've finished my rant about the strange ketchup frosting (why?) and the joys of a thermometer (brilliant!), let me show you what my meatloaf looked like before I cooked it.


Hey, um Yota? that doesn't look like a meatloaf. You know that looks a lot like, well, I don't want to hurt your feelings.

No really you can tell me.

It looks a lot like hamburgers.

I knew I couldn't pass off my hamburgers as meatloaf. But wait! I use the same recipe to prepare the meat for meatloaf and hamburgers.

I put these on the grill, but you could just as easily put these in your fry pan. Add a little oil to your fry pan and cook over med heat. cook about 7 minutes per side, depending on thickness. You want the same internal temperature of 160 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now this is the point where I would post a lovely finished shot of my hamburgers, but the battery died on my camera, and well honestly, we were too hungry to save one while we waited for the camera to charge. So just pretend that there is a nice picture of a hamburger with all the fixings here.

Hope you enjoy!

More Than Just Mac & Cheese

Ah, Mac & Cheese. I have such fond childhood memories of this classic straight from the box. It's the first thing I probably learned to cook.

Yes, I said from a box. I could make it from scratch, but that wouldn't meet one of the requirements I set for this blog: cheap. Oh and easy. Anyway there are already some really great recipes for homemade Mac and Cheese like this one over at Pioneer Woman. Hers looks mouthwatering. I haven't had a chance to make it, but it requires making a roux. (A what?!? Exactly)

But the point here is not to just read the directions on the box for you, but rather to give you a few tips on how to make Mac & Cheese more than just Mac & Cheese. Let's start with the cast of Characters:

Ok so I know it looks like a lot, but I made a double batch (I was cooking for four), so I'm going to cut all the amounts I used in half for you.

1/2 pound Ground Beef (I used chuck because it was on sale, and drained off the excess grease)
1 box Mac & Cheese (the kind with the powdered cheese)**
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine (equivalent to 1/2 stick)
8 ounces frozen broccoli
1/2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
**If you get the Velveeta kind, you won't need the milk or butter.

In your spiffy new Sauce Pan either spray some non stick spray (Pam) or add about a tbsp of vegetable oil. Turn the heat to medium high. Meanwhile in your new sauce pan boil some water. I usually fill the pan just less than half full for mac and cheese, but you can follow the box directions for exact measurements. Turn this pot on high, and cover so it boils faster.

Once the oil is hot, (it will flow more easily around the pan), add the ground beef. Season with the Lawry's Seasoned Salt. (I will admit I guesstimated this measurement a little conservatively. Taste it once the meat is cooked and add more if you like.)

Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, break the meat up and mix around as you brown it. You don't have to stir it constantly, but you do have to watch it so it doesn't burn. Cook until there is no more pink. Remove from heat, drain the excess fat, and set aside. This is a good time to taste it to see if it needs more Lawry's or you could add garlic, salt, pepper, whatever floats your boat.

Meanwhile your water should start boiling. Go ahead and add the pasta from the box of Mac & Cheese. We're cooking the mac and cheese per the directions on the box. Meanwhile, drop the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with about two tablespoons of water. Microwave on high for about 6 minutes. (Check the package, I cooked a whole pound, it might be less for a half a pound) If you don't like broccoli you could add any other frozen veggie that you like.

Once the pasta is cooked, (You can check if it's cooked by fishing out a piece, rinsing it in cool water and tasting it. Or look it see if the edges are starting to turn lighter in color then the centers. Or if it sticks to your cabinet when you throw it at it a la You Can't Do That on Television).

Anywho, once it is done, strain the pasta. In the now empty sauce pan, add the butter, and milk. Warm that up on the stove on a medium low heat to melt the butter. Then added the cheese packet and stir until smooth. This seems to make the cheaper versions of Mac and Cheese taste less powdered.
Add the pasta and stir until mixed. Now I added the pasta to the dish with the meat, but if you could do it the other way around too.

Finally I added the broccoli and stirred it all together.

Then just scoop some onto a plate and enjoy.

Ok so just to recap:

1/2 pound Ground Beef (I used chuck because it was on sale, and drained off the excess grease)
1 box Mac & Cheese (the kind with the powdered cheese)**
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine (equivalent to 1/2 stick)
8 ounces frozen broccoli
1/2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Salt and Pepper to taste
**If you get the Velveeta kind, you won't need the milk or butter.

Brown the ground beef and season to taste.
Cook the Mac and Cheese per the package directions
Cook the Broccoli per the package directions (I microwaved it)
Mix the three together.
Do a final taste test and add more Lawry's Seasoned Salt, or Salt, or Pepper, or Garlic, or whatever floats your boat if necessary.
Enjoy.

This is just one way that I turned Mac and Cheese into a meal. There are lots of things you could do. Instead of Ground beef you could use cooked hot dog or sausage. Broccoli could be green beans or peas, or no veggies if you are so inclined. All you need is a little imagination, and willingness to experiment. Sometimes you'll fail, but sometimes you'll amaze yourself.

I hope you like it!