When I’m under the weather, very few things appeal to me more than some good ol’ comfort food. You know, the kind of indulgent food that you grew up eating that really warms the soul. Having been sick all last week and still in recovery mode this week, I decided that only meatloaf would make me feel better! My meatloaf was mixed with sauteed fennel, red peppers, onions & garlic and fresh herbs then topped with a spicy chipotle glaze then served with buttery mashed potatoes.

Growing up, my dad was always the cook in the family. My mom baked for Christmas and occasionally other holidays but never cooked. Let’s amend that – still never cooks. To this day, I believe she might use her oven as excess storage space rather than a cooking appliance and I would put money on there being canned goods in the cupboards that I purchased when I was in high school! The one savory dish that my mom would make throughout my childhood was her meatloaf, which I absolutely loved. It was just a basic ketchup topped, well-seasoned ground beef meatloaf, but my god, I loved it! (And loved the meatloaf sandwiches on white bread w/ yellow mustard that followed.) Now, while my version of meatloaf isn’t exactly what my mom used to make, I still think of her and her version whenever I go to make one. And yes, I still use a ketchup based topping!

This one’s for you mom! For always being there for us and providing for us whether we were under-the-weather or just under-your-skin, if not in the kitchen, then in every other aspect of our lives. We wouldn’t have grown up into the kickass people we are (imho) without you playing such a fundamental role in our lives! I love you!

(p.s. mom – if you actually read this, the next time we talk use the code phrase “Adrian Paul likes pretty pink puppies”)

Recipes in this post:

• Spicy Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf

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1. Spicy Chipotle Chocolate Cake
2. Hearty Red Wine Braised Short-Rib Beef Stew
3. The Ultimate Corned Beef Sandwich

As some of you may know, I’m not what one would call a chocoholic. Not even close. I mean, I like chocolate and from time to time I enjoy eating a bite here and there, but generally I never crave chocolate. What I do crave is SPICY. Give me anything spicy and I am one happy hommie. It was my love of spice that inspired this particular recipe and, omg, was it ever a good idea! We’re eating super moist & spicy chipotle chocolate cake with a nutella cream cheese frosting. The frosting on this cake is the perfect soothing creamy element needed to round out such a spicy dessert.

Recipes in this post:

• Spicy Chipotle Chocolate Cake

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1. Fudgy Earl Grey Chocolate Cake
2. Killer Peanut Butter Mousse Brownie Pie
3. Cinnamon Apple Pecan Crumb Bars

As a precursor to dinner, we whipped up some spicy cheese souffles made with pureed chipotle in adobo, aged cheddar, bleu cheese, scallions, and cilantro. Inspired by the current Hay Hay it’s Donna Day, these were nearly perfect little savory and spicy breaths of fluffy egg and cheese goodness.

Deflated chipotle and bleu cheese souffleT: souffle is a little like cotton candy. It’s big. but once it gets in your mouth it all but disappears. Not to say it wasn’t extremely tasty, but… it goes *poof* and there is nothing. Kinda like a big fluffy cat that has been shaved.
A: you do have a point. i didn’t really know what was going to happen tonight. i wasn’t particularly scared of my souffle not rising because of all the research i did before hand, but i didn’t really know what a souffle tasted like! this was the first souffle that i’ve ever eaten! it really did go poof.
T: it was my first souffle too. Just curious, how healthy/unhealthy was this little puff of delight?
A: weeeell… on the cholesterol scale, it’s probably not so good. there was a little less than 1 egg yolk per ramekin and about one egg white. add that to the cheese and milk, and you’re not looking at the most healthy thing in the world. tasty though! quite tasty.
T: ok so if I’m on the biggest loser I’m not going to want to gorge myself on bleu cheese and cheddar souffle. That’s basically what you’re telling me.
A: yup, pretty much! i happen to be a firm believer in “every thing’s good in moderation”.
T: which is why I only smoke one crack rock per day.
A: what-ever like, you are totally not smoking crack everyday! that would totally mess up your tastebuds and make you unable to be a good WWE partner!
T: yeah, as the lovely whitney houston once said, crack is cheap. crack is wack.
A: heheh crack is wack, yo! but souffle is grrrrrreat!
T: it is quite tasty. Is it typically served as an appetizer or side dish?
A: i’m pretty sure it’s served as a side dish most of the time. i could be wrong though.
T: where in the world are people eating souffle on a regular basis? France?
A: that’s my guess. and here. and everywhere! we just hadn’t caught on the souffle bandwagon yet. but you can bet this won’t be the last time i make one of these delicious savory airy “breaths”.
T: When you first said you were making a souffle I thought you were talking about flambe. I’m uhhh…. slow.
A: nah, just unexperienced. i can help you out, baby.
T: yes you can. you certainly did tonight. I gotta rate this souffle a… how can I rate something without anything to compare it to? well, hmm…. it was really tasty. And it did seem really fluffy. I’ll give it a 4.4/5. How bout you?
A: i think i must have enjoyed this one more than you did. i give it a 4.56/5. it was fantastic. i could have eaten the other three…easily. it was cheesy. it was spicy… it had hints of onionness. i just loved it.
T: now I was looking around on the internet earlier today and I saw some chocolate souffles. Ummm… so, what’s up with that? in other words, are you planning to make one soon?
A: well i wasn’t going to, buuuut. maybe i’ll make one for laurie’s birthday dessert! and of course it will have caramel sauce (as she’s requested)…
T: when is her birthday?
A: that doesn’t really matter! the real question should be, “when is she coming to visit?”! that would be mid-february. so be on your toes!
T: i’m on my toes right now, woman!

Recipes in this post:

• Chipotle, Bleu Cheese, and Cheddar Souffle

No related posts.

Just because you’re dealing with leftovers doesn’t mean you can’t be creative. Macaroni and Cheese is the perfect vehicle for nearly all leftovers. Several nights ago we ate a spicy southwest mac & cheese made using crumbled leftover meatloaf, sauteed onions, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and cheddar. The dish was seasoned with spicy chipotle puree, smokey cumin, and fresh cilantro, then topped with a mixture of panko and parmesan. Freshly sliced avocado served as a delightful garnish.

T: Today will go down in history as the day of no flies flying. In our apartment.
A: you should be ashamed of yourself, Tyler! killing all those innocent flies! what did the flies ever do to you?!?
T: they were born of satan, that’s what.
A: cool… that’s a good enough excuse for me… die, satan flies, die!
T: there’s one left. and he must die. come to me..
A: uh, dude… the fly can’t read…
T: ahh, but he came, didn’t he? And then he left, the bastard
A: yup… you know, killing flies isn’t the only thing we should be ashamed of. It been a week since we’ve last shared all the goodies we’ve been eating.
T: That is a shame. It’s getting to be almost impossible to get daylight shots. Time to figure out some good indoor lighting.
A: we used the homemade light box for this shot, and it didn’t come out too bad, huh?
T: just not the glorious sunlight we’re used to.
A: true dat… uh, T? you still seem a bit distracted by the fly in the room
T continues to chase the fly and ignore the food blog
T: would you rather have that now-dead fly still buzzing??
A: perhaps! we’re here to focus on the food, hommes. not the flies… although if we ate the nearly 40 flies you’ve killed tonight we could have had quite the serving of protien.
T: yikes. Ok now that’s just gross. Yuck. I wouldn’t even think of… ew you’re just nasty.
A: there are people all over the world who would kill for that mass of flies. just because we silly americans don’t eat them, doesn’t mean they’re not good eats for someone else!
T: ummm… right. Yeah. My feeling on eating the flies hasn’t changed.
A: well how about your feelings on the usage of leftover meatloaf in the spicy southwest mac & cheese?
T: killer. It was super-tasty. I especially liked the cheesy top layer. It was more than just a cheesy top-layer, though. what was going on there?
A: the topping for this is super simple: just panko and parmesan. that’s it.
T: I’ve never heard of panko. Sounds like a video game for the atari. What is it?
A: was atari japanese? because panko is japanese breadcrumbs. they are light and airy and crispy and delightful.
T: they worked as a cheesy-top-layer extender. I liked em.
A: me too. mac and cheese doesn’t always have the most exciting textural aspects but adding the panko top-layer gives it a nice crispy crunchity goodness.
T: fortunately not too crunchity. A nice crisp, without being too crunchy aka crunchity.
A: fo sho… mac and cheese is one of those things that i always have the ingredients for, and it’s a dish that always welcomes leftover ingredients readily. you can pretty much take any leftovers and put them in some fresh mac and cheese and have a glorious meal.
T: I never thought of it, but that’s so true. This was quite a fiesty macaroni and cheese too. Very spicy. An excellent level of spice.
A: nice and smokey too. both the chipotles and the cumin added to the wonderful spicy smokiness.
T: mmm indeed. I love cumin. And chipotles. I give it a 4.4/5.
A: i also really liked this dish, even if it was a leftovers meal. I give it a 4.334/5. i would make it again even if i didn’t have leftover meatloaf to use up.
T: would you make meatloaf and then put that in? Or would you use something else?
A: i definately wouldn’t make a whole meatloaf just for this meal. i think you could easily substitute the leftover meatloaf with browned fresh chorizo, or seasoned ground turkey or beef, or even cooked chicken pieces. really, any meat would do.
T: Chorizo sounds nice.
A: agreed… hmmm… nice…juicy…spicy…sausages.
T: Mmm… hey mandy, you know what I just realized?
A: that you’re gonna get your butt kicked if you call me mandy again?
T: I’ve called you mandy many times. You’ve often threatened a butt-kicking. I’ve never received a butt-kicking. I’m no longer afraid.
A: hmm… perhaps i need to make a serious threat to get my point across… Call me Mandy again and i won’t cook for you anymore.
T: well now Ma… Amandy, that’s not nice!
A: neither is calling me Mandy, tylah…
T: I am not “Tylah.” I am Tyler, maker of tiles.
A: oh sure, you are sweetie… you make lots of tiles…
T: I make so many tiles you don’t even know. That’s what I do, I make m-F’n tiles.
A: where do you put these tiles? are they cyber-tiles?
T: they’re any kinda tile i want em to be.
A: well then! didn’t you have something you just realized that you wanted to tell me?
T: oh yeah. We haven’t blogged about dessert in a very long time.
A: that is a very grave truth! it definately deserves a straight face. i’m working on that! the next post we make will be a dessert post.
T: is that a … promise?
A: you betcha!

Related posts:

1. Knorr Homestyle Stock Bad Boy Macaroni and Cheese
2. Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf
3. Baked Rigatoni with Turkey Bolognese

For dinner we’re eating an unconventional take on (s)mashed potatoes and a fairly conventional version of meatloaf. The meatloaf was made with ground turkey and filled with onions, red bell peppers, parsley, worchestersire, and some pureed chipotle in adobo (for a smokey flare). It was finished classically- by topping it off with ketchup before baking. The meatloaf was served on top of fresh basil pesto smashed red potatoes and the plate was garnished with drops of pesto.

A: okay, so i had this novel concept: pesto smashed potatoes. Unfortunately, they weren’t quite what i had hoped for. Not to say they were bad… just not some yummy buttery decedent potatoes. what’d you think of them t?
T: I pretty much agree with you. They were good. But, some things are classics for a reason. Plain old garlicy and/or cheesy and/or gravy-y taters are hard to beat. Not to say that the pesto smashed potatoes were bad. Also, I think the other kinds of mashed/smashed potatoes I mentioned might have gone better with the meatloaf.
A: Sadly, I agree. In my mind the pesto smashed potatoes were going to rock. actually, i just had a ton of basil i needed to use and wanted to make something different. But i really did think they were going to rock. I’ve been craving some of “mom’s” good old-fashioned meatloaf for a while, so even though i wanted to change up the meatloaf to make it fit the potatoes… i really really wanted to be feasting on some classic meatloaf.
T: interesting. What would you have done to the meatloaf to make it go better with the pesto potatoes?
A: well… i would have used basil in the meatloaf instead of parsley. i would NOT have used ketchup on the top, i would have replaced that with a homemade marinara. I probablly would have added some fennel and feta inside the meatloaf itself too.
T: Oooh feta. You could have just said “feta” and I would have had the same response.
A: feta…
T: Ooooh. Say it again.
A: feta…feta…FETA
T: AAAHHHH! … I like feta.
A: da… feta is gouda!
T: not quite sure how to respond to that one. Yes, da feta is gouda. I was just thinking, what’s up with Ketchup vs Catsup? How is ketchup spelled, and where did Cat Sup come from?
A: well… seeing as how you have the world at your fingertips, via the world-wide-web, i suggest you spend the evening looking that up and give me a report on it in the morning. Since I have NO clue.
T: Better yet, we could let one of our super-intelligent readers do it for us! Is it Ketchup or Catsup?
A: if all you’re asking about is the spelling… i would go out on a limb here and say that it’s ketchup or catsup depending on what part of the world you’re in.
T: True. Europeans and Australians have their ways of spelling things…
A: and we have our ass-backwards way of spelling things.
T: now, Amanda. I agree that our government does a lot of shitty things, but that doesn’t mean that the way we spell things in this country is wrong.
A: touche, T, touche. we just have our own spelling culture.
T: that’s right, and it’s no worse than any other spelling culture out there. I’m proud to spell like an American.
A: uh…. uh… duder, i think we need to abandon this conversational ship before she sinks any further. please?!?
T: I’m going to stay on this ship until it’s on the bottom of the ocean.
A: while i would like to keep you around for a bit longer… it is your life… do as you will!
T: Ok, it’s at the bottom of the ocean now. What do we talk about next?
A: well, we’ve hit up how the potatoes were a bit off, so what’d you think of the meatloaf itself?
T: I thought the meatloaf was great. It tasted very much like mama would have made. Except in my case “mama” was Ghee, my grandmother.
A: yeah. i don’t really see your mom getting her fingers all dirty mushing up meatloaf for you. Some yummy fried chicken, yes… meatloaf, not so much.
T: she did get her hands dirty in raw meat many times while I was growing up. I think that’s something she was glad to give up, though.
A: my mom never had to give it up! she never cooked when i was growing up.
T: what about those green beans and tomatoes? and, … MAMA’s MEATLOAF??!
A: heheheh okay, you caught me there!!! there were only two things my mom cooked when i was a kid, really really dried out and over-cooked herb-baked skinless chicken breast (no oil added for baking) and MEATLOAF! one of them was quite tasty and the other one turned me off of white meat. any guesses which is which?
T: Ok, yeah, but what about the green beans? You gotta give mama credit where credit is due, yo!
A: okay, the third and final item my mamma made (aside from hamburger helper) was this lebanese tomatoes and green beans dish that one of my grandmother’s border’s (who happened to be lebanese) taught her to make. So thank you “man who taught my mom how to make one more decent dish”! (btw, i love you mom)
T: girl you lucky I ain’t slapped ya, the way you talk bout yo sweet little mama. hmmph. (tyler bobs his head left and right)
A: boy! you met my momma! i think i’d call her a fiesty little mamma! (and sweet, of course) lucky for me, my sweet little momma “doesn’t like blogs” and won’t read a word of my trash talking!
T: you got me there. Ok, so I give the meatloaf a 4.45/5 and the potatoes a 4.1/5. That averages to approximately 4.3. But that seems a little low, so overall I give it a 4.35/5. What about you?
A: okay, i give the meatloaf a 4.3/5 and the taters a 3.8/5. If i’m going to rate them together i would have to give them a 3.95/5. I should have not given into my whim to have classic meatloaf if i wasn’t making classic smashed potatoes. The two items just didn’t work that well on the plate together even though they were both good…..sooooo… i just can’t bring myself to give the meal overall a score above a 4.
T: heard that. BTW, I’d like to give a quick shout out to Sam Adams, the patriot brewer, for making his tasty Octoberfest beer. It’s quite good. It’s smooth, has a nice warm flavor- somehow gives off the essence of pumpkin- which is fitting for the season. I think I’ll have one right now.
A: Cheers Sam (Adams of course)!
T: I bet Sam is proud to spell like an American.
A: nice.

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2. Turkey Cooking Basics
3. Chipotle Brined Grilled Butterflied Turkey

Tonight we’re eating a mexican fusion meal. Corn roasted in its husks with a chipotle lime butter and layers of refried black beans, freshly roasted red peppers, avacado, and spicy seared chicken breast. The plate was garnished with a cilantro tomatillo salsa.

Mexican Fusion Seared Chicken BreastA:so, what’d ya think of dinner tonight?
T:I enjoyed it. My favorite part was the tomatillo salsa stuff.
A:which i don’t think we actually have a picture of. that stuff was rocking. I really thought the whole meal had a freshness… or lightness, to it that a lot of meals i fix don’t have. i fresh roasted the red peppers and corn. I’ve been getting all of my produce from a local california produce market. trying to do the eat locally thing!
T:yeah it did taste pretty fresh. It’s funny because the beans weren’t fresh at all.
A: I know, but they had soooo much lime in them when i initially made them (back in like, february, or something) as a black bean soup, at your mom’s request. I just defrosted the leftover container and buzzed them with the hand blender and voila! refried black beans with an oh-so-fresh flavor!
T:wow I didn’t realize it was from that soup. Freezers are amazing contraptions.
A:yup! i thank mr. “i’m the first man who made a freezer” everyday!
T:Yeah, thanks Mr Imthefirstmanwhomadeafreezer. You’re awesome.
A:WOOO HOOO! Maybe we could give out a whatwereeating award to him. seriously. I have saved SO much money by freezing leftovers.
T:Yes, we should award him a whatwereeating award. What will the “trophy” be? A piece of cheese?
A:sounds about right! maybe we can shellack it and he can keep it forever… in his grave. he is dead right?
T:umm… heheh, I was thinking it would be a “virtual” trophy. You know, a digital one. And I don’t want to be the one who digs up his grave so he can have a piece of shellacked cheese in there with him.
A:but what if he really wants a shellacked piece of cheese in his grave? isn’t it our duty to give it to him? he did win the award you know.
T:alright well you can have a conversation with him, find out what he wants, dig up his grave, whatever! I don’t want to hear about it… in fact, I think it would be best if you kept that as your own little secret.
A:WHAT! You think i’m crazy don’t you? okay, maybe a little. i guess i can agree on a virtual award.
T:The alternative would be to put the shellacked cheese in the freezer. You know, in honor of the freezer.
A:hmmm… i think you’re on to something. can we use a piece of cheese i don’t want to eat. i have one of those we can shellack tomorrow (then freeze).
T:We could use American cheese. Nobody wants to eat that.
A:i actually have a piece of bleu cheese in the fridge that i was thoroughly unimpressed with…i know… me…unimpressed with bleu cheese?? it is really not good.
T:should we shellack it? how do you shellack something, anyway?
A:i think it’s like a varnish. you can find it in any hardware store.
T:I’m liking this idea. Let’s go for it.
A:Awesome! weekend project! well, now that we’ve fully honored mr. thefirstmantomakeafreezer or whatever his name was, let’s focus on the blog. I give this meal a 4.2333/5. It was refreshing and light…not at all greasy. I would eat this meal again in a heartbeat (if i were to ever make it again, which probably won’t happen)
T:yeah, you would have to make the soup first. it wouldn’t be as quick as it was tonight. Well, I give this one a 3.7/5. It was enjoyable, but I didn’t like it as much as most of the meals you make. I think what got me was the pureed beans. They aren’t my fav in general. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, just wasn’t as magical as some of what you make.
A:it wasn’t but i really did enjoy the flavors. I am a lot more of a bean fan than you . You mainly like them saucy and whole right? i like them refried, mushy, whole, firm, saucy, dry, or anyway they come. yum!
T:Yeah I love them whole, and with a lot of liquid. Like, soupy bean soup!
A:which these were until i gave a nice buzz! oh well, you can’t win ‘em all. This meal focused on a few flavor and didn’t really try to mask anything. just accentuate the ingredients.
T:well I’d say you won! just because i’m a picky bean eater doesn’t mean this wasn’t a success.
A: i don’t mind having a few losses. not that i consider this a loss, a rating in the 3s is a pretty darn high rating.
T:yeah. It is. The tomatillo sauce alone would have gotten a very high score. You should share that recipe with the folks out there.
A:i certainly will! and think i’ll give the recipe for the roasted corn with chipotle lime butter.
T:oh, yeah. Maybe you should make more of the tomatillo salsa just to make sure you remember how to make it
A:that can be arranged. We’ll see how close i can come to reproducing it tomorrow!

Kwaherini mabibi na mabwana!

Recipes in this post:

• Roasted Corn w/ Chipotle Butter

Related posts:

1. Chipotle Glazed Meatloaf