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.





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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.




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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.









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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.






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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.

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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.

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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