It all started with onions.

It was an innocent beginning. A sweet Texas onion... we Texas ladies know what that means. A Vidalia onion is not a mean onion. If you invited a Vidalia onion to tea it would behave. I mean, really.

If I were a Vidalia onion, I would talk like Juuuulia Roberts in Steel Magnolias. If I were a Vidalia onion, I would be gentile. But somehow I got a wild one.

But, really, let's be serious. I can't chop a shallot or a chive without this kind of reaction. My eyes are tearing up as I type this. It's the sulfur. That is what they tell me anyway.

That's why I am not sure I am cut out for this recipe. I am not cut out for the pain. I really can't take it. I frequently have to leave the kitchen. I do this great maneuver where I press the backs of my hands against my closed eyelids in search of relief and let out a little gasp... Is it worth it? Really? Yes, if you are making the all-time tastiest turkey meatloaf, it is worth it.

My favorite meatloaf

- Olive oil (let's eyeball it, but about a tablespoon)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups minced onions (oh, the pain!)
- minced garlic (a tablespoon? eh, try two)
- 1 tspn dried oregano
- 1 tspn dried thyme
- 1/2 tspn ground allspice
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 pounds of ground turkey
- 1 cup fine bread crumbs
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup minced fresh italian parsley (this means the flat-leaf kind)
- 3 tbspn ketchup
- 1-2 tbspn salt
- 1-2 tbspn pepper


Put the olive oil and butter in a skillet and let butter melt on medium to low heat. When it is all melty and yummy, add the onions and garlic and stir... when the onions look clear or translucent, you are ready for the next step. Add the dried herbs and the allspice, plus the heavy cream. Let this simmer a little, but keep stirring. This picture to the left is where we started...


Step 1 in the picture right below here is where we go next... Let it simmer until it looks like oatmeal and most of the liquid has been reduced out. When the consistency is right, set it aside and let it cool. When it is cool, add the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, parsley, ketchup, salt and pepper. Mix well. Go ahead, get your hands dirty.

Preheat the oven to the old faithful 350 degrees.

Bake this in a loaf pan until an hour has passed. I was able to make it stretch to two pans...
It doesn't sound or look that exciting. But this, my friend, is the holy grail of meatloaf. You try it, and let me know.
















Why or why would you serve meatloaf without mashed potatoes as a side? While you are at it, what about a shitake mushroom gravy? It's easy. Combine 1/2 cup stemmed and thinly sliced shitake mushrooms, 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 beef bouillon cubes crumbled in hot water. Let this simmer for a long while until it resembles au jus or gravy. mmmmmmm.

Keep it simple, stupid.

I love to cook. I love to add a dash of this, and a little of that. I like to be spontaneous. I like to "eyeball it" as my mother says. Who doesn't? What is fun about being a slave to other people's recipes? Nothing.

But you know what is nice sometimes? Simple and sweet. There is nothing as splendid as a simple vanilla, vanilla cupcake.

There are many cupcake recipes out there. There are uber chic new cupcake bakeries popping up everywhere. Sprinkles. Sugarbabies. The Cookie Jar. There are countless cupcake recipes and new cupcake cookbooks. There is one bakery in New York that made the original crazy good, uber chic cupcake. This recipe is from there.



Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes

- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Makes about 2 dozen cupcakes

Vanilla Buttercream Icing

- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar, but it sure is good if you do. (This is the bakery's recipe and I have to say, I added a bit of flour in the end so I could add some thickness. You can't have the icing too runny... that's not cute.)

The resulting cupcakes are so dense and moist, that it almost makes you want to quit your day job and bake all day. Almost... if you like that kind of thing.

well, hello again.

Hello hello. Nice to see you again. We have some catching up to do. I wish I could say that I haven't written because of something important. But that just simply isn't the case. Just life. Everyday.


Food is the first to go.



I am embarrassed by the fast food consumed these past two months. I have to say that those $10 sandwiches eaten at my desk at work while answering emails are a sad excuse for lunch. (Okay, lunch at the vending machine is a bit worse, and I am guilty of that too). WHY oh why do we do this to ourselves? When every minute counts and your body needs fuel, why do we turn to the frozen food section and the meal helper solutions? When your husband is taking the bar exam and you just worked a 14 hour day... you just don't feel like pulling out the apron, that is why. And that is okay.

Time.

Time is my enemy these days. There are simply not enough hours in the day for the food that I want to cook and eat. Here is a good spot for another good beginning. The last draft that I saved was a fat fat fat Tuesday blog about the transition from the sinful fatty everyday to the Lenten season. Now that lent is over and done, and many other events in life have come and gone, we can shed all those wretched parts of ourselves and get back to the meat of it.

Dear blogger / blog-reading / blog-dabbling friend:

I promise to write when I can. I promise to write when I am inspired. I promise to press the "publish" button on all the drafts that make the cut. Until then, here are some greatest hits from the past couple of months...

- the best wedge salad ever with Roquefort dressing
- the easiest and tastiest salsa you have ever made from a magazine clipping
- mustard seed crusted pork tenderloin with caramelized shallots, mashed potatoes, and radishes with butter
- chicken breast with tarragon cream sauce, endive and spinach salad with toasted almonds and dried cranberries

Until next time. Put that box of hamburger helper down and take a deep breath. You are almost there.