Meatloaf

Growing up, I was not a fan of meatloaf. All the things Alton describes as being wrong with it I wholeheartedly agree with

Great meatloaf is always juicy, but it never falls apart. It is neither bland nor so heavily seasoned that is looses its meaty soul.

The problem is, it was overly seasoned, and did fall apart.

This is the second time I've made this recipe. This is the second time I've had less than thrilling results. I followed this to the letter and did not get a crunch glaze. I was very careful about over mixing the ingredients. Still, the meat came out with a texture I just did not like. The "meaty soul" was lost in this. Considering this came from the same episode as the Burger of the Gods, this was somewhat disheartening.

Also, Alton's penchant for cumin is alive and well. I just really don't like this spice. Alton does. This often leaves me at odds with some of his recipes.

If you have made this recipe and have had success, I'd love to know where you think I might have gone wrong. This definitely falls into the I won't make again category.





Recipe Link

Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops

This is a touch of sweet and a touch of spicy. The pork would have pulled off the bone had I been using bone-in chops. I was not. I'm okay with that. Still delicious.

With the pork as tender as it is, I'm going to try pulling it apart and make sandwiches out of them.




Recipe Link

Dark Salty Caramels

It's that time of year again: The Holiday Season. Time to start making cookies and candies to give as gifts to friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, and whoever else you'd like.

I don't know why I got the bug last night, but I decided to give these a whirl. Especially due to the the top-secret ingredient in the list. So, I measured out the ingredients and away I went. Sadly, these did not keep their shape.

I blew it in two places. The first being that I'm not sure I got the molten sugar all the way up to 350. This being because my digital thermometer fell into said sugar. Surprisingly, it did survive and is working now. But, not at the crucial moment. You don't want to play chicken with molten sugar. One second off and you go from dark to burned.

The second mistake was forgetting to let the molten sugar rest for two minutes before adding the butter and cream mixture.

These are quite tasty. Sweet and salty with a little bit of spiciness due to said secret ingredient. I like them and so did those who tried a sample. Would I make this again? Yup.

Oh...and just what was the top-secret ingredient? Soy sauce.









Recipe Link

Spiced Pecans

As usual, Alton can do some interesting things with straight-forward recipes. This recipe is no different. Alton's love for cumin shows in this recipe as he's added. And, as far as I'm concerned, to it's detriment. I do like the addition of cayenne. But, I really could not detect any hint of the orange. And the cinnamon wasn't as bright as I thought it should be. Mostly, these were sweet and salty with a hint of heat.

When I make these again (which I will for another recipe that utilizes them) I will play a bit with the spices. And the cumin will go. I'm just not a fan.






Recipe Link

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls. The problem is that most rolls are very dry. Also, as much as I love AB's science his baked goods recipes are often lacking. So, it was with some trepidation that I attempted these.

The end result was a deliciously moist cinnamon roll. The icing, tho, was a little overly sweet. Not Cinnabon sweet. Just a little too sweet first thing. Will I try these again? Heck yeah.

Recipe Link

Overnight Oatmeal

So, I decided to try out AB's overnight oatmeal. I did not have dried cranberries or dried figs on hand. I decided to substitute dried dates. 

I've made this oatmeal in the past and did not have great results. The reason: I think this recipe is formulated for older crockpots. I've noticed that newer crockpots seem to heat much hotter than the older ones. I had to chisel the first attempt out of the crock. 

This time, I decided I'd put the ingredients in a ceramic bowl and put the bowl in the crock. Then, fill the crock about half full of water. Set for 8 hours and.....

Well, it is tasty. But, the dried fruit all but disintegrated. Which I do not consider good eats. The integrity of the steel-cut oats was great. Still had just a bit of solidity to them.

I will revisit this recipe once more. I think I'll add more water and set the slow cooker for 10 hours. If it still fails, I'll consider this a lost cause...unless any of you readers out there have some better advice.

Recipe Link

Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Thin

Chocolate Chip Cookies have always been my favorite cookie. Ever. My daughter and I both prefer the thinner variety. To be honest, this version of the Chocolate Chip Cookie needs to be consumed while still warm. In my personal and humble opinion, I don't think this cookie stores well.

That being said, what I like about this version is that the edges are crisp while the middle is just a bit chewy and there is almost a caramel flavor to the cookie. While the recipe does call for 2 cups of chips, I think backing it down to 1 1/2 cups is a bit better ratio of chip to dough.


Recipe

Buttermilk Pound Cake w/ Citrus Glaze

I love spring. Berries are fresh and abundant. And nothing goes better with berries than pound or angel food cake and a little whipped cream. I decided to try out Alton Brown's buttermilk because, a) I had buttermilk and b) it took a lot less butter for this recipe and I didn't have a lot in the house. Since AB used a citrus glaze, I decided I'd forego the berry topping and add his glaze instead. I was not disappointed.

This pound cake is moist and flavorful all on its own. The citrus glaze adds a nice sweet and sour taste that nicely compliments the flavor of the cake.
Recipe - Cake
Recipe - Glaze

Burger of the Gods

I have a recipe I like to use for making homemade burgers. It calls for some of this and a little of that and wave my magic wand...and yum-o.

I remembered that Alton Brown had an episode where he made homemade hamburger. I remembered that he 'ground' his own meat, but I could not remember what seasonings he used. A quick trip to the Food Network site and I had his recipe sitting on my tablet (an ASUS Transformer Prime, if you must know). I marveled at it's simplicity. 8 ounces chuck. 8 ounces sirloin. 1/2 teaspoon of salt. That's it. Period. End of conversation.

And it is sublime. Better than my own with all of the special ingredients I add.

Now, what you see in this picture is what I call near perfection. Sadly, I had no pickles or shoe-string onions. This comes as close as I can to recreating Red Robin's Burger Royale. We have mayo, ketchup, mustard. Lettuce, bacon, avocado, and melted Cheddar cheese. Oh...and sitting atop that all is a fried egg. Nomalicious!

I have re-dubbed this: Burger of the Titans




Recipe Link

Shepherds Pie

This being St. Patty's week I had already been making and planning Irish-themed meals. I couldn't remember if Alton Brown had done a recipe for this dish or not. A quick trip to the Food Network site proved he did, in fact, have a recipe for Shepherd's Pie.

Now, the reality is, since I used beef and not lamb, this would technically be a cottage pie and not a Shepherds Pie. But, no matter what you want to call it, I call it Good Eats.

I will try this with lamb. And I will update.

Recipe Link

Cocoa Brownies

By my standard, a brownie is not a brownie if it is cake-like. As far as I am concerned, a brownie should have a consistency more like fudge than like a baked good. Actually, you cannot legally call it a brownie if it's cake like. That would be chocolate cake sans frosting. 

I like Alton Brown's brownies. Though the show recipe and the recipe on Food Network are slightly different (he has you sift all the dry ingredients together on the show while he has you add the sugars only to the eggs at first, then add the rest of the dry goods in the printed version) I went with the one from the show. And, while chocolaty, I think they would be even tastier using dutched chocolate rather than regular cocoa. And honestly, I don't mind testing out a few theories on building the best brownie. Not at all.

Recipe Link

Buttermilk Pancakes

Eat your heart out, IHOP.

Yesterday was "Free Pancake Day" at IHOP. While I did not go, I decided to make some at home instead.

Since having first tried Good Eats pancakes, I have found no other recipe that turns out pancakes that taste as good.



Recipe Link

Avocado Ice Cream

I've been hesitant to try this. Avocado ice cream? Really? But the avocados were cheap at the local megamart, so I figured what the heck. This is your basic premium-styled ice cream, except were substituting avocados for the eggs. And to quote Alton Brown, "it tastes oddly like avocado and that's a good thing."
Would I make it again? I might. But, if I did I'd add a handful of pig candy. But, that's for another blog.

Recipe Link