Smoothie, anyone?

I'm not sure I know anyone who doesn't like smoothies of some kind or another. There are so many varieties out there. My introduction to them was at a Jamba Juice on vacation in California 10 years ago. I made some in a cooking/home ec class in high school one day, which was fun. I made enough that I had a tray I was passing out to friends as I passed them en route to the next class. I tried getting Gage to drink a smoothie I came up with a few weeks ago as a way to get more protein and calcium into his diet. He didn't like it, but I loved it. It consisted of:

1/4 c. smooth tofu
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. low fat vanilla yogurt
1 c. frozen strawberries slightly defrosted
1 tsp. sugar

Just pop it into the blender and puree until smooth. Man is it good. I might try it with blueberries and other fruits when I have the money.

Another thing I do every now and then (just for me), but isn't so much a smoothie is 1 cup of frozen strawberries (again partially defrosted), 1 cup of lemon lime soda and a teaspoon of sugar. Since the strawberries I get aren't sweetened before freezing the sugar adds a little sweetness. Anyhoo, I put that in the blender and puree. Some of the carbonation from the soda gets fizzed out, but there's still a little. If I want more carbonation I start with half the soda and puree the strawberries, then add the rest of the soda and pulse it a few times.

Cooking: Rotisserie Fried Chicken

One of my favorite ways to cook is with my rotisserie. Lately my rotisserie cooking has turned to some minor experimentation. The other day, I got a hankering for fried chicken but didn't really feel like making it. So I thought I'd give the rotisserie a try.

I dredged the chicken in flour, dipped it in egg wash and rolled it in breading like I normally would. Then I rubbed down the rotisserie basket with some vegetable oil and put in the chicken. I put it in the rotisserie and set it for 40 minutes.

40 minutes later I had fried chicken without the frying. It was awesome.

Cooking: Beef Patties w/ Mushroom

I didn't write this down as I went, so I'll just give you the gist. Then you can take it and run with it, no? Ok, so last night I took some ground beef (about half a pound of the good lean stuff). Mixed it with some salt and pepper (and nothing else) and formed it into 4 little patties.

I put the patties in a skillet and gave them a good sear on both sides then I took em out and set them aside.

Then I put about a tablespoon of butter into the pan and started to sweat about 1/3 cup of diced onion. When they were nice and translucent I added 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms. I also added a dash of salt and pepper and some Mrs. Dash grilling seasoning (it was the chicken blend, but who's counting?). I covered that and let it cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes stirring often.

Then I reduced the heat to low and put the beef patties on top of the mushrooms and onions. Covered it again and left it for 10 minutes. It was mighty tasty and went well with mashed potatoes. My original plan was to make gravy, but halfway through I realized that I didn't have any flour.

Cooking AND Writing

Here's a combination of cooking and writing for your reading/dining enjoyment. My technique for grilling the perfect steak on Associated content.

If you're interested in seeing what else I've written for Associated Content. My cooking articles include my technique for cooking perfect chicken soup and using up turkey leftovers. Enjoy!

Cooking: Meatloaf

I have several meatloaf recipes, to be honest. Many of them are fairly unorthodox (like an italian meatloaf that's to die for). I made one last night and thought that I would share the recipe:

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. diced onion
1/2 c. chopped white mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped portabello mushrooms
2 tbsp. butter or bacon fat (or a combination)
dash of salt, pepper, ground cloves and ground thyme
1 egg
1/2-1 c. italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-8 slices bacon (uncooked)


In a skillet, melt butter (or bacon fat) and add onion and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent then add salt, pepper, cloves and thyme. Continue to cook until onions start to brown a little then set aside to cool. In a large bowl combine ground beef, garlic and 1/2 c. breadcrumbs. Mix well with your hands. Add mushroom and onion mix and blend into the meat. Mix in egg and parmesan cheese, add additional bread crumbs if needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking pan with non-stick spray, form meat into loaf shape in the pan. Cut bacon in half and wrap it over the top of the meatloaf, tucking the ends underneath. Bake at 350 for 40-55 minutes (depending on the shape/thickness of your loaf). Bacon should be a little crisp and a little chewy on top.

Serve it up with a side of mashed taters with mushroom gravy. It's lip-smackin delicious.

Just something to note. Yes, you can reduce the fat by using meat with less fat in it, but the resulting meatloaf will be drier than you might want. You're better off using moderation. A single serving of meatloaf (a 3-ounce slice) along with a nice salad and a side veg or two. Perhaps next time I do a meatloaf I'll do one with turkey and lots of veg.