Turkey Loaf

Okay, now that might sound a bit nasty, something like the vegetarian version, "Lentil Loaf". But darlings, you need to stick with me here.

Ground turkey is lower in fat than ground beef, and produces much less "grease" around the loaf. This recipe that I've come up with is simply yummy. I will admit (because you'll inevitably be reading the recipe!) that it does have cheddar cheese embedded in it, and we know that cheese makes everything more tasty.

If the added fat from the cheese leaves you quaking with nightmares, by all means leave it out, and add a bit of water and maybe some dried sage before you shape it into loaves.

For two loaf pans (feeds our family with a good bit for Papa Pyro's lunch tomorrow)

Turkey Meatloaf

4.5 pounds ground turkey (3 packages)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 T minced onions
1 T minced fresh garlic
1/2 t salt, pepper
4 eggs, beaten
1 Cup ketchup
Topping:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
~In a large bowl, stir together ground turkey with next 5 ingredients and mix until well combined.
~In a separate bowl, stir together eggs and ketchup until combined.
~Stir the egg mixture into the turkey mixture (you simply must use your hands for this).
~Shape into loaves and place into 2 9"x5" or 8"x5" loaf pans.
~Bake in oven for 45 minutes (check to make sure it's no longer pink)
~Mix together the remaining ketchup and honey. Spread on top of each loaf and put back into oven for 5-7 minutes to glaze.

Let rest for 10 minutes after removing from oven.

Fresco e bello: Combine with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and dilly steamed carrot coins for a family friendly meal that they'll certainly ask for again!

Auntie's Salmon Casserole

Auntie Erin (Erik's sis) enjoys life with her family in Anchorage, Alaska, and one of the obvious perks is the abundance of seafood (one of our favorites, as well). Uncle Bouncer (Erin's hubby) does a lot of fishing, and Auntie came up with a recipe that she said is just amazing, using some left-over salmon. Here's her recipe, Engstrom-style (you know...a pinch of this, a handful of that...).

In a 3-quart casserole dish mix:

~1 can stewed Italian tomatoes (chopped up)
~1 can tomato soup (the concentrate stuff)
~1-1/2 can water
~1 can mushrooms (with liquid)
~a couple handfuls of chopped up carrots and celery ("I would normally use onion also," Auntie relates, "but I'm trying to lay off them for [baby]Laura's sake!"), but Mama K's readers would be wise to toss in some chopped onions, barring any baby-gas-aversions of your own.
~garlic powder, basil, oregano, and parsley.

Fold in:

~Any amount of salmon, broken up
~Several handfuls of noodles (Auntie used small egg noodles)

Bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours at 350°F, stirring after an hour so the top noodles get fully cooked. (The salmon she used was pre-cooked, but you could probably use raw or even canned salmon if that's all you had.)

Fresco e bello: Mama K thinks that those popular accompaniments of bread and salad would go wonderfully with this salmon casserole. Now, if we can just get Uncle Bouncer to bring down some fresh salmon when they come next week, WE could try out this enticing recipe! Hint...hint!

Pregnancy confessions

Being pregnant does not an excited chef make.

My poor husband is doing his best to keep up with my whims and aversions, but there have been some tough times. For example, we were attending a conference down in Oregon last weekend, and our hotel offered breakfast in the lobby. The first morning what sounded wonderful to me was eggs, over-easy, on top of hash browns. Yum.

The next morning, my thoughtful husband got up before me, headed down to the breakfast area, and brought back what he thought was my new favorite breakfast. Poor, wonderful man. I couldn't stand the site of that meal! I ate a bagel.

He was very gracious about it all.

All this to say that if pickles and ice cream recipes begin showing up on the menu at Mama K's Kitchen, feel free to comment and bring me back to the land of Normal. I might need it.

(However, if the turning stomach at just writing "pickles and ice cream" is any sign of things, you won't need to worry!)

There is no fresco e bello tonight...I'm eating raw almonds and peanut butter sandwiches to keep the nausea at bay. (I know...so sad.)

Bep's Oatmeal bread

Bep has hands-down become our bread baker. At 11, she just has a touch that I simply do not possess. Her bread is soft, light, and tasty...Mine usually turns out wonderfully useful as a door-stop or fodder for the fire.

Here is a great recipe that she has mastered for Oatmeal Bread. It is from our beloved "Church Suppers" cookbook, with the recipe originally written by Anne Riggs of Michigan, and altered a bit by our family.

Ingredients

~2 cups boiling water
~1 cup oatmeal
~1/4 cup warm water
~1 tsp. plus 1/2 cup honey (separate)
~2 packages dry yeast
~2 Tbs butter (we melt it)
~3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
~2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, cool the boiling water slightly and add the oatmeal. In a small bowl, combine the warm water, teaspoon of honey, and yeast and let sit for no more than 10 minutes. Add the yeast mixture to the oatmeal mixture and add the remaining ingredients. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes.

Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a slightly-damp clean towel, and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down, divide into 2 loaves. Place into two 5"x9" pans and let rise again until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and brush tops with butter; cool on wire rack.

Makes two wonderful loaves of bread.

Next up for our family - learning to make it successfully with all whole wheat flour.

Fresco e bello: For a special Italian dinner, add ground or fresh Italian herbs to the dry ingredients, shape into a long loaf, and bake. Add parmesan cheese when you add the butter...bellissimo e squisito!

Bep's Peach-banana bread

This is a great recipe for using up peaches that are ready to "go" (or bananas, as well!). It isn't an AMAZING recipe, but it's good, hearty, and simple. Bep had a wonderful time making it, and we've all had a delicious time eating it!

Makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1.5 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups diced (tiny) peaches (that's about 6 small)
2 mashed ripe bananas


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two bread pans (we use 8x4, but 9x4 works fine, too).

Beat the eggs lightly in a large bowl and add in the sugar, vanilla, and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix until gently combined. Stir in peaches and bananas and pour into loaf pans. Bake 45 minutes to an hour, or until the center indicates done-ness.

(Know that there might be a bit of banana on the knife when you test, but that's normal!).

Fresco e bello: a bit of honey butter on top, and you've got a breakfast treat fit for a king!

Cyber Sauce to Dr. Black

I told Erik that Dr. David Black had mentioned our spaghetti sauce discussion in his blog, and when he got on today, he saw that Dr. Black has mentioned it again!

6:49 AM Wednesday morning shout out to the Engstrom family...By the way, I'm still patiently waiting for that homemade spaghetti, but in the meantime my wife has cooked for me such delectables as chicken and dumplings and pork roast. Boy did I miss her cooking!

Erik's astonished comment: "Did you promise to send him some spaghetti?!"

That was good for a chuckle. No, I didn't promise him some, and after reading what his beautiful wife has been feeding him, it's time for me to start begging for recipes from HER! I wonder if she has a cookbook, or if she just cooks for her family...? Hmmm.

Coming soon...

Peach-banana Bread, a la Bep the Chef!

Stay tuned!