Turkey Meatloaf

I used to be scared of meatloaf. The name itself is NOT appetizing!!! After falling for ground turkey rather than beef, I wanted to try a meatloaf, but needed more moisture (ground turkey is a lot more dry than beef) so I created this recipe that we really love.

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup chopped spinach (I always use fresh, I've never used frozen...I'm sure it'd work, but recommend fresh) I think this is the key to keep it moist.

1/4 envelope Lipton Onion (or Beef) soup mix

3 Tbs. ketchup

A few splashes worcheshire sauce (that just took me 10 minutes to find the spelling)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (again, I always use fresh, not the green can. You can substitute any cheese you'd like)

12 saltine crackers (smashed into fine crumble) I have also used goldfish crackers...VERY good!

1 egg

Mix altogether until combined. I try to handle as little as possible. I don't use a loaf pan (maybe I'm just opposed to the word loaf, I don't know!) but I form mine into mini football shapes. I make 5 out of the mix. I get a pan on top of the stove piping hot with a little olive oil, then add the mini loaves to get a good sear on them...I finish them off in the oven (375 for 20 minutes or until done)

You can make a lot of variations to this: different crackers, add real onion, add zucchini, different cheeses, BBQ sauce instead of ketchup...it's a pretty easy "no-fail" recipe.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I've been asked to post this recipe, so here it goes. I think it's delish, you'll have to tell me if you agree!!!

2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate (I substitute this with 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder plus 2 additional teaspoons vegetable oil)

3 eggs

2 C. white sugar

1 C. vegetable oil

2 C. grated zucchini

1 t. vanilla extract

2 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

3/4 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans (or about 5 mini pans).

In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate. Beat well. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Hand mix in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. (60 minutes is perfect for the mini loaves, 65-70 is more accurate for a normal bread pan. It also depends on your oven.)

***Carley's tips:

1) When measuring the grated zucchini really pack it in, this is what gives the bread moisture, so don't be shy.

2) I have never cooked with chocolate squares and I probably never will. BUT if you choose to, you would melt the chocolate before adding it to the egg mixture. Otherwise use the conversion I have listed above with cocoa powder and oil.

3) Store the bread, really any bread, in a zip lock back after it has cooled down. This really helps keep the bread nice and moist and yummy! Enjoy!

With Alcohol?

Before I really got into cooking I always heard that when cooking with alcohol, it just cooks out. This is important for our dietary restrictions. However, recently I have discovered that MOST of the alcohol cooks out, but not ALL. So the question for the more experienced cooks in the bunch is, what's your view of cooking with alcohol? Is the remaining amount so small that it really is not worth worrying over? If you do not, and you encounter a recipe with alcohol, do you just leave it out, have you found substitutes, or do you choose a different recipe?

Green Salsa

Many of you already have this. For those that do not, enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatillos

1 jalapeno/2 serano

2 small garlic cloves

2 T chopped white onion

10 fresh cilantro sprigs

1 medium hass avocado

salt to taste

Cut everything up and add it all to the blender. I usually add the tomatillos first then everything else. Also, you may be tempted at first to add water when it looks like things aren't getting blended. Resist the temptation. Just let the blender work and all will be well. The original recipe says the avocado is optional, but I would say it's a must. You can also play with the peppers to vary the spiciness. Alex just made it with half an habanero and said it had a hint of spice. Didn't mention the flavor. When I first started making I used jalapenos, but now I prefer the seranos. Salt is key in this as well, so don't be afraid of it.

White Corn Salsa

Here's the recipe for the white corn salsa we made when everyone was here for Josie's blessing. It was gone in fifteen minutes.

We got this recipe from a friend, Shelly Smith, we met in Charlottesville.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 chopped red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 small bag of frozen white baby corn
• 2 Tbs rice vinegar
• juice from 2 limes
• pinch of salt
• pinch of sugar

Directions

Combine all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips.

Golden Beets

Luke: I love the idea. Thanks for starting it. I hope you don't mind if I kick things off with a recipe I tried last Sunday...

I recently discovered golden beets. I stumbled across them at Whole Foods a couple of months ago. The first time we tried them, we roasted them in the oven for about an hour, along with some carrots and parsnip. I drizzled them with a little olive oil beforehand, and that was it. Very simple, but very delicious. Our roast vegetables accompanied a roast chicken, a traditional British Sunday dinner as we learned from an experience we had in London.

Last Sunday, we tried golden beets again. This time I grilled them. I followed a recipe I found on foodnetwork.com (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-challenge/grilled-beets-with-goats-cheese-and-walnuts-recipe/index.html):

Ingredients

• 6 large whole beets

Marinade:

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dry basil leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Vinaigrette:

• 1 1/4 cups walnuts
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 1/2 ounces red wine vinegar
• 2 ounces pomace olive oil
• 1-ounce walnut oil
• 1/2 pound soft goat cheese
• 1/4 cup chives (cut into match sticks)

Directions

Preheat a grill.

Cover beets by 3 inches with cold water in a large saucepot. Bring the water to boil and simmer until paring knife slides out of beet when pricked. Strain and let cool. While running under water, rub beets with towel to remove skin. Slice beets into 1/2-inch rounds. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and add vegetable oil. Toss sliced beets and hold.

To prepare the walnuts, melt butter in a 10-inch skillet and add walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve left over butter.

For the vinaigrette add all the ingredients and the walnut butter. Whisk well.

To finish, grill beets on both sides for 2 minutes and toss in vinaigrette. Place 4 to 6 slices of beets on each plate and drizzle with vinaigrette. Add 5 dollops of goat's cheese (1 to 2 ounces) per serving, sprinkled with walnuts and chives.

We ate them with a pork loin I grilled and with a walnut apple salad Sarah made. It was all delicious.

Thanks Luke for starting an Eastman food blog. My sister in law started one for the Wright family, and I have loved sharing recipes there. I must tell you that I, too, love food. I love to eat, cook, and even read recipe books. I have been in a 'meal group' for the past three years (mostly during the school year) and have enjoyed having dinner brought to my door three days a week! I cook on Tuesdays for my family and three other families. We start up again in a week and a half, and I can't wait! I recently saw the movie "Julie and Julia" and loved it! So funny! I was inspired to try Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. I have printed out the original and will try it on the first cool day of fall. Can't wait. I'll let you know how it turns out. It is still my goal to put together an Eastman family cookbook. In the meantime, this will be a good place to share.

Introduction

This is my first venture as a blogger. My hope is that instead of being a writer-centric blog, this will be a reader-centric blog, where we can all make content contributions. However, that content must be focused around a single topic . . . food.

It is true that there are countless food blogs already in existence, so why another one? The more the merrier is what I say. Food can use all the help it can get. As obesity rates rise and all that, how can I possibly say food needs help? Recently I heard a radio program on dieting and eating right. The supposed expert was saying that the key to eating right is having the mindset that food is fuel, and that it should not be regarded with joy. I simply do not agree. In the early days, man had to work very hard to acquire enough food to stay alive. I'm sure in those days there was no lack of joy concerning the food on their plates. Just because it doesn't require nearly as much energy for us to acquire food as it once did, does that mean we should enjoy it any less? I say no. In fact, I believe that if we really enjoyed our food, if we made the effort to make every bite matter, we just might be healthier for having done so.

This blog is about celebrating food. I welcome all to celebrate with me. If you love to make it, taste it, or both, then feel free to write about it. Share your recipes. Share your favorite eating establishments. Share your stories of eating while you travel. Anything that has to do with food is fair game.

I hope that my earlier thoughts on food won't drive any readers away. I don't plan on writing like that often. However, I would like to end with one last thought. Another radio program I recently heard was all about cheese. The host asked the guest how she managed to stay thin with all the cheese that she was eating. I love her answer. She simply said, "Real cheese is real food, and my body knows what to do with it."