Tuesday

Harry's Mom's Meatloaf

For some people, meatloaf is boring but for many households, it's a fairly easy go-to dinner when time is tight. We we make meatloaf, it's always two loaves - Harry loves sandwiches and sometimes, we don't even eat it for dinner but make it specifically for meatloaf sammies.

I love my mom's meatloaf - when she makes it. Mine never turned out the same for some reason. I failed HUGE with a meatloaf recipe in 1984 that caused my then-husband to turn green at the slightest mention of meatloaf for dinner. OK, ok, the sausage wasn't quite as thawed as it should have been and that was long before I learned the joys of a digital thermometer. When Harry and I started The Wright Taste, my ex-mother-in-law - more than 20 years after the fact - chirped "You can't even make a meatloaf and you expect people to buy food from you?"

Harry wasn't, in general, a fan of his mother's cooking. We both have memories of the same general meals and these days, I'm not a fan of the way my mom cooked a lot of things when I was a kid. I still loved them - the only place I'll eat Ragu on my spaghetti is when Mom makes it - it's kind of hard to explain. And I STILL can't get my Boiled Dinner (corned beef and cabbage) to come out the same way Mom does, even if we buy the same brand of corned beef at the same time!

But Harry did like his mom's meatloaf and the first time he showed me the recipe, I thought "ICK!" But, this is the best meatloaf recipe I've ever tried. It's never dry and it's the perfect sandwich meatloaf - it doesn't get crumbly when you slice it and it also freezes beautifully.

This is the "normal" recipe - plenty for dinner for six plus leftover for sandwiches. Save yourself a little time and double the recipe. Freeze one loaf whole to heat for another dinner or freeze it in slices for sandwiches later. I don't know where Mrs. W got the recipe but since Harry was eating this as a kid in the late 50's, early 60s, I don't stand a chance of tracking down the original source.

Harry's Mom's Meatloaf

2 pounds ground chuck
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the evaporated milk, ketchup, dried minced onion, eggs, granulated garlic, Frank's and salt. Mix it well and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck with the bread crumbs - take your time to work all the crumbs into the meat.



Now is when it will get really messy: Have Harry pour the liquid mixture into the ground beef mixture. As you squeeze the liquid into the meat, it will originally appear to be very soupy. Mix it with your hands until the liquid and meat are well-combined, then allow to rest for five minutes. The resting time will give the bread crumbs time to absorb the moisture, so it's possible to form it into loaves.

Add the cooled melted butter and mix well. Now it's time to shape your meat loaf. Only shape it into two loaves if you have doubled the recipe.

This is where I deviate from Harry's mom's recipe: I love ketchup baked onto my meatloaf. Harry's mom always covered it with American cheese slices - the choice is yours.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about an hour. I check the temp and try to keep it between 170 and 180 degrees inside.

Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes. Then, remove to a serving platter (to get it out of the grease), cover with foil and allow to stand for another 10 minutes - this will help the meatloaf "stiffen up" so that it's easier to cut without crumbling.

Monday

Garlic Smashed Cauliflower






Looks like smashed potatoes beside the meatloaf, doesn't it? I've been trying to find ways to incorporate more veggies into our meals and find ways to cook them so they don't taste green. After this meal, Harry said the garlic smashed cauliflower was tasty. He'll never say anything like "Oh - I just love smashed cauliflower! Can we have it for dinner tonight?" But, I know that if I throw this into the mix every couple of weeks, he won't turn up his nose.

I think it was ingenious to introduce the garlic smashed cauliflower with a main dish that he associates with smashed potatoes. We never have smooth potatoes - I just use a potato masher and leave some texture in them. So, it made sense to me to leave some texture in the cauliflower.

I found a recipe from nomnompaleo for "Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes" via Pinterest

While she pureed the steamed cauliflower and garlic, it was good inspiration for me and the recipe is fast and easy. I also cheated a bit - I got the bag of cauliflower florets at Kroger. I was worried that a whole head would make too much and we wouldn't like it. Twelve-ounce bag? No leftovers!







I've written before about how much we love garlic - I never would have thought of steaming it with the cauliflower even though I make garlic smashed potatoes often. The garlic was actually balanced with the strong cauliflower taste - neither was overwhelming. Feel free to adjust the volume of the cauliflower and/or garlic at will.

Garlic Smashed Cauliflower

12 ounce bag cauliflower florets
5 cloves garlic, peeled
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Clean the cauliflower and slice like you would mushrooms - stems and all. Coarsely chop the garlic.

In a large saucepan to fit your steamer, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. While the water is heating, place half of the cauliflower and garlic into the bottom of your steamer basket. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Add the rest of the vegetables to the basket and sprinkle once again with kosher salt.

Reduce the heat to medium and place the steamer basket into the pot and cover. You don't want to cook the cauliflower to mush, so it should be fork-tender in about 10 minutes.

Drain the cauliflower and garlic and place in a serving bowl. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, smash the cauliflower to desired texture. Add butter and pepper to taste, mixing well.

Tuesday

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Harry's Way


I really do have to give Harry the bulk of the credit for these cinnamon rolls that we sold so many of. He tried to get me to make them for two years before I finally relented. I said they were too labor intensive. He said they would sell like hotcakes. We were both right. That's why we had to throw in the towel in 2011 - he was working full time and asking him to come home after a hot day in the plant and spend 2-3 hours rolling out cinnamon rolls would have been incredibly rude. And, I didn't have the upper body strength or the patience to do them myself.

GOOD cinnamon rolls are time intensive and fairly labor intensive. For the time, there are two risings involved with an egg dough. Sometimes egg yeast doughs go crazy and other times they take their own sweet time getting to "ready to bake" stage. For the labor, rolling and shaping the dough takes patience. Harry used a tape measure for every single batch to make sure the dimensions were perfect. He might have been a bit more precise than those cinnamon roll shops you can watch in the mall.

I won't bore you with pictures of all the ingredients - watching those big, burly hands in action should be good enough!


This recipe makes two dozen cinnamon rolls. To be precise, Harry weighed every single batch and cut it in half. He asked me to meet him at Adobe Gila's one afternoon for margaritas. It was there that he presented me with this rolling pin. I know it's kind of strange, a man giving a woman a rolling pin as a gift but know this: Harry uses it more than I do.


After rolling the dough into a 16 inch by 24 inch rectangle, it's time to spread the butter. Please, please, please: don't ever try to pass off cinnamon rolls made with margarine. You MUST use real butter. What you might not know is that Harry MUST use a very particular flexible plastic spatula. It works best if the butter is room temperature but don't ever be tempted to melt it. Just be patient - it will spread.


After sprinkling on a very generous amount of brown sugar mixed with a heavy dose of cinnamon, Harry meticulously spreads the mixture to a uniform thickness. THIS is why I mix the dough and put the cinnamon rolls in the oven, and then squeeze on the icing. Harry does the detail part. It worked well that way.






Ignore the stainless steel table - I'm proud of this shot. You really can see the evenness of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. And those big manly hands were able to start the rolling process very tightly.


Yes, he used a tape measure to cut every cinnamon roll. Remember that you will have to go through all of the above steps twice with this recipe.


Why yes, I did learn a few decorating tips while I worked at the Kroger bakery! Yes, I'm left handed but this is how you should twist a pastry bag and hold it. We were making these cinnamon rolls for Harry to take into work, so we made them in four-pans for traveling ease. A cookie sheet works well when you are serving them individually.





To smear or to drizzle, that is the question. When we were selling these rolls, we were not the only vendor with this as a product. A comment we heard more than once was "Oh, these don't have so much icing on them." Yeah, a mall cinnamon rolls smothered in cream cheese icing is fine but our informal survey says a little goes a long way. Only let the rolls cool for about 3-4 minutes before you start to drizzle. That way, the icing can kind of ooze down between the layers.


And yes, this was breakfast!!

Yes - the baked cinnamon rolls can be frozen. If you're into nuking your goodies to warm them up (from room temp) my mom says 30 seconds is perfect. You can also retard the second rising by putting the cut rolls on the pan into the refrigerator the night before you'd like the gooeyness for breakfast. Pull them out of the fridge when you start the coffee. When the rest of the lazy-bones are ready to eat, preheat the oven and bake as directed.

Recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:

2 cups milk
2/3 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons quick-rise yeast
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
8-9 cups bread flour

Heat butter and milk over medium-low heat to 110-125 degrees Fahrenheit. While heating, combine yeast, sugar, salt and 2 cups of bread flour in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. When milk mixture is warmed to temperature (the butter may not be melted), turn mixer on low and pour milk mixture in. Stir on low for 2-3 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once. Add eggs, while mixer is on low, mixing until well incorporated. Add two more cups of flour and continue to mix on low speed for 3-4 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once.

Increase the mixer speed to two and gradually add the remaining four cups of flour until the dough begins to clean the side of the bowl. Continue to knead for 10-12 minutes on speed two, adding additional flour if necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky.

Remove the dough (and dough hook) from the mixer bowl and shape the dough into a ball. Add a small amount of canola oil to the bowl, place the ball of dough top-side down into the bowl, and then turn it over, coating the dough. Cover with a clean towel and set aside to rise until doubled (about one hour).

Filling:

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.

Shaping the Cinnamon Rolls

When the dough has doubled, punch it down. Divide the dough in half and leave one half covered. Working on a large surface, roll the dough half into a 16 inch by 24 inch rectangle, keeping the edges square. Spread 1/3 cup of softened butter across the dough surface. Sprinkle one-half of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over the butter. Using clean, dry hands, spread the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture evenly across the butter.

Working from the 24-inch side of the dough nearest you, roll the dough tightly in jelly roll fashion, taking care to keep the ends even. Cut the roll into 12 even portions and place them cut side down on a greased (or sprayed) baking sheet. Repeat with second half of dough.

Cover the cinnamon rolls with a clean towel and allow to rise until doubled - at least 1 1/2 hours.

Baking and Icing the Cinnamon Rolls

When the cinnamon rolls have doubled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake on the middle rack for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Cream Cheese Icing (but you can use your favorite buttercream)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cups sifted powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth. Spoon into a pastry bag and cut the tip.

Remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven and allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes. Without covering the tops, liberally drizzle the cream cheese icing over the cinnamon rolls.

Try not to burn your tongue by eating them while they are too hot!

Sunday

Vinegar in the pantry...

Thanks to carofm over at sxc.hu


I'll admit that I might be kind of lame in the vinegar department - I know there are so many more out there that I haven't added to my pantry stash. But, I think we do OK with the small variety we have. I want more vinegar. I need more vinegar.

I'm trying a new, hopefully, regular feature topic called Stock-Your-Pantry Sundays. Let's be honest - in order to cook from scratch, you have to build up a well-stocked pantry. It can't be done overnight, but with a well-stocked pantry, if you get a hankering to search the web for a recipe on Sunday afternoon, you should have most of the ingredients on hand. I'm not an extreme-couponer or a bat-shit crazy hoarder, but I think our pantry is pretty well-stocked for just about any last-minute recipe find.

So, for today, I want to talk about vinegar. A splash of vinegar can change just about any dish from "there's something missing, I just don't know what" to "WOW." We have our go-to vinegar sitting on the stove and while it's not the recommended storage method, our red wine vinegar doesn't last long enough to go bad.

Yes, vinegar can go bad. You're thinking "it's fermented - how can it go bad?" Trust me. An old bottle of vinegar can develop a smell - and taste - that is similar to a combination of rotten fruit and a soured wash-mop. Over-exposure to light and heat can cause vinegar to go bad. You'll know it when you smell it.

Like I said, our go-to vinegar is red wine vinegar. We prefer one that is made from chianti because it just seems to have a more smooth taste than a non-defined red wine vinegar. When I take a spoonful of something on the stove to Harry for a taste, his answer is almost always "needs a splash of vinegar." And he's right. Vinegar adds a brightness to dishes that you don't realize is missing until you actually add it.

I don't use as much balsamic vinegar as I used to, but I've found others that work very well. I still use the balsamic to make a vinaigrette for Caprese salad and it's my favorite when I'm marinading rib-eye steaks.

I use rice vinegar in almost all of my Asian sauces. I can't label the flavor as anything, but it adds a boldness without masking the other flavors in the sauce.

I really want to add a champagne vinegar to my pantry. I've read so many recipes for a variety of things, including salad dressings, that use champagne vinegar. It's on my shopping list.

Apple cider vinegar is my choice when I need buttermilk. I can't justify the cost of buttermilk when I use it so rarely, so I always make soured milk instead. In a one-cup measure, I pour in one tablespoon of cider vinegar. Then, I add milk until I have one cup and let it rest about five minutes or so until it has thickened. It's perfect substitute for buttermilk.

Do you have more than one kind of vinegar in your pantry? What is your favorite vinegar to cook with?

Thursday

Why my bread didn't rise...

You might remember that I talked about my recent bread failure the other day. As planned, I set out to prove my hypothesis via the scientific method as to what I believed went wrong and why the bread didn't rise.

I was wrong.

Not that I think I was wrong with regards to my hypothesis. But, things kind of turned out differently so I will continue more testing to prove my thought. But, my initial reasoning was not the cause of the Muffuletta bread's failure to launch. And that leads me to a simple Thursday tip:

Always proof your yeast!

I honestly didn't think the yeast would have died in the cupboard. I bought this pound in early June, right before we made the decision to close The Wright Taste. As I always did in the past, I opened the vacuum sealed package and placed it in a container and kept it in the cupboard.

Was it the loss of its hermetically-sealed environment that led the yeast to an early death? I will say that this is the longest time period I've taken to use a pound of yeast in years.

For my experiment, I set up three bowls. In one, I measured a teaspoon of the "old" yeast (which was almost empty, anyway) along with one teaspoon of sugar and one-half cup of 110-ish degree water. In the other two (because I didn't have enough of the old yeast), I set out to prove my hypothesis from Tuesday with a freshly opened bag of yeast, set to expire in November of this year.

Within 5 minutes, the two experimental bowls were going crazy - foamy, happy, that rich yeasty smell you yearn for when you are baking. I quickly gathered the rest of the ingredients and put my Kitchen-Aid to work.

After 10 minutes, the old yeast had not yet begun to bubble. There was absolutely no reaction at all and I can only conclude it was dead.

If you bake bread regularly, it is so much less expensive to buy it in one-pound or even two-pound bags. Save yourself some aggravation - proof the yeast every single time you bake. I pay $2.99 for a one-pound bag of rapid-rise yeast at GFS Marketplace. I can't even buy three 3-strips for that price that will only yield 6-8 loaves of bread at the most. Even if I have to throw away one-third or one-fourth of my original pound of yeast, I'm far ahead on price.

Proof. Your. Yeast.

Tuesday

It didn't rise...

School work and trying to cram as much Harry time in as possible this weekend led to a delay in his Muffuletta. Last night, almost immediately after he got home from work, I started to make the Muffuletta bread. I started with my usual hoagie recipe from Bread Day and went about my normal thing.

I cut the recipe in half because I didn't want to deal with making hoagie rolls or sandwich buns and I've done it before. I still had close to a pound of dough after I portioned out the 20 ounces for the Muffuletta loaf and just rolled it into a long, rustic loaf.

Four hours later, after an emergency change of dinner plans, the bread still hadn't increased in volume and I gave up and went to bed.

I think I've figured out the problem and I'll use the scientific method to prove my hypothesis this afternoon when I try again. Funny enough, I'm positive it wasn't one of the simple problems I wrote about back in the AC days. In fact, I think I'll need to revise that article.

I just wanted to post to leave it out there: no matter how many times we do something right, sometimes it can go wrong. I've baked thousands of loaves of bread and I've had two failures in less than two months - the dinner rolls for Thanksgiving dinner didn't rise, either.

Friday

Twelfth Night and Muffuletta

So maybe it isn't the best picture but it's the best one I had. A darn-close-to-New-Orleans-authentic Muffuletta with a side salad. The onions in the middle are definitely a Debbie & Harry thing and we just kind of prefer to warm it in the oven. This is honestly one of Harry's favorite meals and while the olive salad needs to be prepped at least one day before for the best flavor, putting the sandwich together takes no time at all.

So what's all this Twelfth Night stuff? Well, January 6 is an important date in religious customs, marking the Feast of the Epiphany. Christians celebrate the pronouncement that the baby Jesus is the savior from the Three Wise Men. It is written that the kings had traveled for 12 days before reaching Bethlehem, so with the establishment of December 25 as the "official" birthday, 12 days brings us to January 6.

In older times, Twelfth Night kicked off "the season" - weeks of parties and balls leading up to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I think you can guess where I'm leading with this.

January 6 also marks the official beginning to the Carnival season that will end with Mardi Gras. In 2012, the season will be a little shorter than last year as Ash Wednesday falls on February 22 this year. So, there will be less time to celebrate the season with Muffuletta and King Cake (coming soon) and Po'boys and...

My preferred way to buy most of the ingredients for my Muffuletta olive salad is at the olive bar at the store. This recipe will make enough olive salad for two muffulettas and I've kept it in the fridge for up to a month. My friend Angie has a recipe for homemade Italian Giardiniera for home canning and it really is quite easy and quite good.

You don't have to chop the olives and all of the other ingredients super-small. It might look as though I've filled 12-cup food processor, but our model has a mini-bowl that sits on the top of the big bowl. For me, it works perfectly. This is one of the rare times that Harry will let me use "his" food processor.

All mushed up! I pulse 4 or 5 times and use my spatula to scrape it down a bit after the third time.

Parsley, oregano and red pepper flakes. I use about a quarter teaspoon and it adds a nice spice without adding a lot of heat. Of course, if you're allergic to red pepper leave it out.

Here's that funky color again! I've mixed together the minced olives, vegetables, spices and red wine vinegar, then added enough extra virgin olive oil to cover it - about one cup.

Yep - smear the olive salad all over the sliced Muffuletta bread as thick as you like. These are vegetables that Harry will willingly eat because they don't taste green.

Now it's time to play Picasso - alternate layers of the meats and cheeses. We put the sliced onion rings in the middle - it adds a nice crispness and sweetness in the middle of all that meat!

Unwrapped after 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The cheese is melted at the edge, the bread is nice and warm and it's OH SO GOOD! Yes, we made the bread - same recipe as the Hoagie Rolls we made on Bread Day but I cut it in half. Traditional NOLA-style dictates sesame seeds on top but we just sort of leave them off. Also - you don't have to bake your own bread. I will admit to a substitute a few times and if you aren't in NOLA, most local bakeries don't sell the traditional bread. Go to the store and buy a round Italian loaf - it's usually sold in the paper bags in the bakery. We cut the top inch or so off before we slice it in half, just to reduce the thickness.

Harry has had an insanely killer week at work - strange considering he had Monday off for the holiday. I think I'll have Dad run me to the store this afternoon so I can get the Muffuletta ingredients. I can make the olive salad tonight while I'm fixing something fast for dinner. Then, Harry can have his favorite meal after working all day on Saturday!

What a way to kick off Carnival!

Olive Salad for Muffuletta

5 cloves garlic, quartered
1 cup green olives, pitted (pimiento-stuffed are fine)
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted
1 cup Giardiniera, drained and gently chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained (I prefer the small capers)
1/4 cup cocktail onions, drained
1 whole roasted red pepper, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (approximately)

Combine the garlic, olives, Giardiniera, capers, cocktail onions and roasted red pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel chopping blade. Pulse 4-6 times, stopping to scrape a couple of times, until the ingredients are well minced but not a paste. (Alternatively, you can mince everything on a cutting board with a very sharp knife and mix together - it tastes just as good!)
Add the spices and red wine vinegar and stir well to combine.
Add enough olive oil to cover the salad and stir well.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. I've kept this olive salad in the refrigerator for up to a month and trust me, it taste much better later than sooner.

Debbie & Harry's Almost-NOLA-style Muffuletta

1 loaf Muffuletta Bread or round Italian bread, sliced across the middle
One-half recipe of Olive Salad
4 ounces Genoa salami or sandwich pepperoni
4 ounces Capicola ham (spicy)
4 ounces regular ham (OK, for truly authentic you need Mortadella but we don't care for what's available here)
4 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
4 ounces sliced provolone cheese
1 sweet onion, sliced and separated into rings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay the two bread halves on a large piece of foil and smear them liberally with the olive salad. Layer the meat and cheese, alternating at each level. We use the onion rings as the middle layer.
Carefully turn the top half of bread over onto the Muffuletta. Wrap it in foil and heat in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. The traditional sandwich in New Orleans is served cold and one-fourth of the sandwich is a HUGE serving.

Wednesday

I want soup...

Shout out to squidonius at sxc.hu
No - I didn't make that soup or take the pic. A quick perusal through my food porn files found no acceptable soup pics. I have one of a sausage and corn chowder that I posted with an article back in the AC days that drew a comment of "ooohhh...what's the purple - is it onion?"

No - it was taken with a point and shoot that was awesome back in the NOLA days but doesn't work well inside. The "purple" was actually sausage. sigh.

Harry & I really do a decent job of keeping the pantry ready for soup any night of the week. It's fast and we honestly eat a bowl of some sort 3 or 4 times a week through the winter. The speed might be the reason I rarely remember to take pictures of soup in progress - especially on nights that Harry is working.

I threw together a pot of tortellini soup the other night - as promised - and my "work" was done in less than 15 minutes. I had a container of Harry's homemade chicken stock in the fridge and I diced the onions and garlic while the sausage was browning. I did a few dishes while the tortellini was cooking and it was time to eat.

That's why I don't understand complaints of "we're just too busy" when parents say they don't have time to cook but they have time to stop at the drive-thru. In the same amount of time you drive-thru and wait for your order, then get it home and it's no longer hot, you could have a fast pot of soup simmering on your stove. /end rant - sorry.

I've seen Facebook posts from all over the country talking about the current deep freeze. My friend Angie in Savannah lost her pepper plants and banana tree last night - even under a blanket.

It won't be much warmer today than it was yesterday - I think tonight will be beef and barley soup!

What is your favorite type of soup to make at home? No rules - it can be a chili-type, a chowder, hearty, creamy, thin? I'll admit soup is something I always want to hear new ideas!

Monday

An education and a challenge

I mentioned yesterday that I have a lot of goals for 2012. Debbie & Harry's Kitchen is the focus of several of those goals, including traveling to Seattle in June for BlogHer Food 2012!

I spent a good bit of time on New Year's Day just reading. No, I didn't wear down the battery on my Kindle - I was reading blogs. A lot of blogs. Mostly food blogs. I learned a lot from reading these blogs and will not call out anyone for any reason.

1. Posting Frequency - Obviously, if you look at that little index in the right sidebar, I'm only averaging about two posts per month over the last two years. If I ever want to qualify for the BlogHer Publishing Network, I obviously have to be more prolific. They would like a couple of times a week. My personal thought is more often than that, but I can work on it. I was interested to see many beautiful food blogs that had maybe only 1 post per month.

2. Recipes - One of my downfalls is that I beat myself up for not having a recipe every day nor the food porn to go with it. I learned in my blog reading that not every post has to contain a recipe. I thoroughly enjoyed reading food bloggers that talked about their lives in general and only peripherally mentioned food. That was an eye-opener. As important as it is to me to cook, I'm also very passionate about food safety and education.

3. Photos - I freely admit that I don't have the designer's eye nor the proper equipment (yet) to create tantalizing food porn that will leave a reader drooling. We have improved. That studio light in the kitchen is just the start. My collection of funky dishes and place mats from Dollar Tree is helping. One of my faults is the stainless steel tables we work on. We don't have a "kitchen table" or a "dining room table" or a "breakfast nook." That steel gives a funky reflection in photos and I'm trying to remember that when I'm working on something.

BUT - I saw a lot of well-read (stat-counters) food blogs that didn't include step-by-step photos and sometimes didn't even include a photo of the finished dish. Maybe I'm overthinking the food porn? Maybe I'm not?

4. I'm jealous of swag. I'll admit it - I'd love to open my mailbox or see the hot FedEx guy show up with something someone wants me to review. I'll get there. In the meantime, I exploring a few avenues that will make it possible for ME to run some give-aways.

So, I checked in on BlogHer and realized they have a monthly challenge. Just a means to inspire us to post daily, to build up our traffic. I failed miserably at last April's A-Z Blogging Challenge but there's only one theme to think about this month with the BlogHer NaBloPoMo Challenge: Beginnings. It's a new year and while Debbie & Harry's Kitchen isn't a newborn pup in the blog world, we are still in the beginning phases. I hope I can do this.

So, I'm going to join the challenge. Maybe it's the kick in the ass I need to be more regular with my blog postings. And from my reading yesterday, maybe I can find a way to keep people interested even if I don't post a new recipe with 23 8 X 10 color glossies everyday.

Sunday

Merry New Year!!!!

As long as I live, I will never forget the scene on the train in "Trading Places."


Good stuff!

Another year - another year of goals! I did reach some of my goals last year. My weight was not one of them! Oh, we would have good intentions but the food is just so good! I have an awesome incentive this year: I'm going to be a Gramma in June! Yes, we all want to be more healthy and live longer lives but there's something about the impending arrival that sort of kicks you in the ass and says "no, seriously - I want to dance at my grandchild's wedding."

Before that, though, I have a wedding reception to prepare for! Trey and Nicole want it casual - here at the cabin and a rather casual theme for the food: Cinco de Mayo! This is going to take a bit of planning to make it special but stay within our budget. They also want a margarita toast rather than champagne - that's something I can't wait to play with! My first thought goes to strawberry-something-something but the Ohio strawberries won't arrive until June at least.

Speaking of June, I'm going to my first writer's conference: BlogHer Food in Seattle! I'm hoping that Harry will be able to go with me but it truly depends on his work schedule. If he does get some comp time by then, he would much rather spend it catching Walleye on the French River - well, so would I - but I need to take this opportunity to learn.

I've long been a fan of Ree Drummond over at The Pioneer Woman but a few months ago I totally became a fangirl of Irvin Lin at Eat the Love - follow that link and see why. Food porn. Glorious food porn and a more scientific approach to baking than I've ever been patient enough to try. He's also running a giveaway for a few more days. Someday, when I'm a big kid, I'll collect swag that I can give away!

While 2011 was a year of economic recovery for us, I just wasn't quite comfortable enough to say to Harry "Hey - let's go on a taco truck tour!" He's totally psyched about something like that and we will hit up Columbus Food Adventures in 2012. To start the year, we'll be hitting up the Winter Beer Fest in just a couple of weeks!

As for today, it's time to get my kitchen back into shape for playing with food AND dieting! I need to move some of the pantry ingredients that are filling my counters back into storage. The Kitchen-Aid will be removed from its permanent home on my work table to keep room for the fruit basket. Oh - it won't go far, I still have to bake bread. Our traditional New Year's Day dinner of dead pig and sauerkraut is on tap along with garlic smashed taters and a salad.

We're not planning a huge deal for the Ohio State/Florida Gator Bowl on Monday because Harry starts back to the gawd-awful 3:00 AM start time on Tuesday - UGH! Good thing the game is in the afternoon - some simple munchies of guac and salsa along with Devils on a Horse. Harry's more excited about having Tortellini Soup because I haven't made it in a bazillion years! Found a great deal on frozen tortellini at Kroger yesterday and grabbed two bags. Maybe he'll get it twice this year!

Merry New Year to all! What are your goals for 2012? Oh - and I really could use some food ideas for that Cinco de Mayo wedding reception!
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