Heirloom Tomatoes Fresh From The Garden... Delicious!

"Cooking requires confident guesswork and improvisation... experimentation and substitution, dealing with failure and uncertainty in a creative way."

~Paul Theroux, Sir Vidia's Shadow: A Friendship Across Five Continents

 

YUM! There really is nothing more tasty than the fruits and vegetables from a garden you have planted and nurtured and grown yourself! This year we did a scaled down version of last years garden. Just two Heirloom tomato plants! Alan had the chance to do a lot more overtime, which was a welcomed evil, but time being what it is meant doing less planting. It's okay, we have some  ambitious plans for next spring, so all is well! And anyway, how can one feel bad, when there are beautiful, fresh tomatoes in the garden, ready to be enjoyed?!

Tonight, I am making my famous meatloaf. Right now that is it's only name. "My Famous Meatloaf." LOL. Maybe I will give it a proper name, and post the full recipe... shrug... you never know. It's probably nothing super special as meatloaf goes, but Alan loves it, and raves about it every time I make it for him. What can I say, he is easy to please. He is a nice man, who just happens to know all my flaws, but loves me anyway, and I guess it's that love for me that makes my famous meatloaf taste so good to him. I fix it for him with a lot of love, so I am glad that comes through in my cooking.

Another sign that it's almost autumn... I LOVE cooking in autumn! Come to think of it, I created this meatloaf one lovely autumn day, a few years ago. I suppose I could name it...

Carly's Autumn Meatloaf!

LOL.

Any excuse to fit autumn into the conversation.

Wink!

How does all this relate to the GORGEOUS HEIRLOOM TOMATOES? Glad you asked! You see, they are going to be cut up, tossed with some tasty, super yummy, French Feta cheese and some wonderful EVOO, and just a dash of fresh ground peppercorns served on the side of the famous meatloaf. Rustic. Simple. Delicious.

YUM!

"Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has froxen, or the cake has collapsed. Eh bien, tant pis. Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile, and learn from her mistakes."

~Julia Child

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Cooking In Autumn

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

- Luciano Pavarotti

Day 9 Of The 13 Diabetic Days Of Halloween.

I love cooking in autumn. Desserts have been a favorite in past years, but this year I have been really interested in new main dish meals. Alan and I really enjoy hearty, home style type dinners like pot roast, stews and meatloaf. So, while we were discussing what to have for dinner one evening, a couple weeks ago, we decided to get our creative on, and expand on a basic meatloaf. There is nothing like a long drive in the country to make me feel creative.

After we both made a few suggestions back and forth, we finally decided on a ground turkey meatloaf, stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese, and spinach. It was really easy, and if I do say so myself, it was delicious. The cheese gave the whole meatloaf a nice flavor, and the cheese rose to the top of the meat, during cooking, which gave it a nice crust on top. I am going to play with the recipe a little more, and see if I can improve it, but for right now, it is pretty darn good. :) By the way, I figured in all the calories, and sliced a portion of 1/8 of the meatloaf. It came to about 375 calories, and had a nice green salad on the side. My dinner was under 450 calories. :) Good eating, and good for my diabetes.

Carly's Spinach Meatloaf
(Alan calls it GorGonGobbleLoaf)

2 lbs. Ground Turkey or Chicken
2 slices extra sourdough bread (chopped into crumbs)
1 pkg meatloaf seasoning, (Lawry's is what I use)
4 oz, chopped Gorgonzola cheese
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach (thawed to room temperature and drained if necessary).

Directions

Mix ground turkey and meatloaf seasoning in a bowl according to package directions. Separate the mixture in half, and set aside. Put half the mixture in a medium sized baking dish, and put the thawed spinach on top. Next, add the crumbled cheese and top with the remaining meatloaf mixture. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until meat thermometer inserted directly into the meatloaf reads 190, or until it is no longer pink. About 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Note: Different meatloaf seasonings call for different additions, such as milk or eggs. Any seasoning package will work fine for this meatloaf.

I will have more recipes later next week. :) Stay Tuned.

-OndineMonet
"Harvest Meatloaf"
Woodside, California
October, 2007
Evening