A Tree Burning in Don's Honor + Meatloaf & Creamy Mashed Potato Recipes

A few nights ago, we had a special family evening. We took down our Christmas tree and Don's Christmas tree so that we could burn them in a ceremonial manner. We invited the neighbors over. Various people wore Don's winter hats and gloves. We cheered, ohhed and ahhed. We toasted him with Jameson's using the fine cut crystal glasses and told stories. It was really very fun.

Ellie made dinner that night. She opted to recreate one of the favorite meals that Grandma Eleanor used to serve us when we would have Sunday dinner at their house. Ellie served meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas. The kids sat in their usual places for dinner. They made the mashed potato and pea volcanos like they did when they were little. It was all very fitting and memorable. Plus, Ellie's food was very tasty!

Here are the recipes she used:

Pioneer Woman's Meatloaf
via: Pioneer Woman

1 cup Whole Milk
6 slices White Bread
2 pounds Ground Beef
1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
3/4 teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
4 whole Eggs, Beaten
10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
Sauce:
1-1/2 cup Ketchup
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
Tabasco To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.
With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)
Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.
Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.
Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.
Serve with mashed potatoes. Yummy!


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Creamy Mashed Potatoes
via: Pioneer Woman

5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
3/4 cups Butter
1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper
Preparation Instructions
Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.
Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.
Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.
Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.
Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Ethan Turns 20 + Hassleback Scalloped Potatoes and Peach Almond Tart Recipes

Yesterday my boy turned 20. How is that possible? I don't feel old enough to have a 20 year old son, but I sure am proud of who he is and who he is becoming.

The time has gone by so quickly; it seems like just a few days ago that he was still a boy.

We will host a birthday BBQ this weekend.

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HassleBack Scalloped Potatoes
Via; Tasty Kitchen

2 whole Golden Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 piece (about 2 Inches Long) Parmigiano-Reggiano, Sliced Thinly
⅛ teaspoons Garlic Powder
¼ teaspoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
¼ cups Heavy Cream
¼ cups Cheddar Cheese Blend

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Scrub potatoes.
You need 2 wooden spoons with handles of the same width. Place a spoon on each side of the potato and start slicing the potato into thin slices. The spoons will stop the knife from cutting all the way through the potato.
Slice the butter into thin pieces. Alternate the butter and the parmesan, stuffing them in between the slices of the potato. Season the potato with garlic powder and kosher salt. Drizzle the potato with olive oil.
Bake at 400ºF for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle heavy cream over the potatoes. Top with cheddar cheese.
Place back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes. Remove and serve!

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Peach Almond Rustic Tart
via: Karmelowy (in Polish)

Here's a translated version of the recipe,with a few small adjustments by me.

Ingredients for the dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of salt
6 TBL cold butter, cut into cubes
4 tablespoons cold water

For the filling:

1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup sugar
4 ripe peaches, cut into 1 cm slices
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon brown cane sugar (demerara)
¼ cup apricot jam, honey or maple syrup (optional, optional for brushing the dough)

In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and start to knead using your hands until the consistency of the dough will become grainy. Then pour in the water and continue kneading until the dough becomes a solid (not too long).The goal here is to mix the dough as little as possible and keep it as cold as possible, while still having it workable. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. If you have a food processor you can use the pulse function to make the dough. Pulse the mix until it becomes similar to sand. Then add in the water and mix just until the dough begins to cling together.

Turn on the oven and set it to 375° . Remove the dough from the refrigerator and on a floured surface roll it out into a circle with a diameter of 30 cm. Then transfer them to the baking tray lined with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix the ground almonds with 1/4 cup of sugar. Place 3/4 mixture into center of the dough, leaving 1.5" to 2" margins. Place the peaches in the shape of two circles and sprinkle with the rest of the fruit mixture with almonds.

Then fold the free edges of the dough in toward the center of tarts, pressing the edges every few inches to get the right shape. Brush the folded edges with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Place on one of the lower shelves and bake for 45-50 minutes until the pastry is nicely browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Then you can optionally heated oil cake jam, honey or maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Ethan Comes Home for a Short While + a Few Recipes

Ethan was able to come home for about a day and a half. He will go back to work on Monday afternoon.

He wanted to have a nice grilled meal so we had steak, fingerling potatoes and grilled corn with butter, lime and paprika.
The kids agreed to a nice picture for mom.

They thought they needed a knarly picture, too.

And well, you have to have some silly photos, too.
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Grilled Corn with Butter, Lime and Paprika

Fresh ears of corn with the husks attached
Butter
Limes, quartered
Paprika
Salt and pepper (optional)

Pick out ears of corn that have husks that are bright green and fit snugly around the ear of corn. The kernels should be in tight rows right to the tip of the ear of corn, and be plump and milky.

Gently pull back the husks and remove the corn silks. Sometimes I run the ear of corn under cold water as this helps make it easier to remove the silks. Don't worry if you leave a few on there. They will burn off. put the husks back in place and soak the whole cobs in a pot of cold water for 15-20 minutes. Be sure they are completely covered. This will help steam the corn kernals.

While the corn is soaking, preheat the grill to about 350 degrees. Place the corn on the grill, shifting and rolling the ears a few times to make sure that all of the sides are heated equally. Some of the husks will burn. This is okay.

To serve them, putt the husks back (be careful - they will be hot) and run butter over the ear to coat it. Serve this with pieces of lime and some paprika. Have a light hand when seasoning, or let each person season his/her own.
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Seasoned Fingerling Potatoes

2-3# Fingerling Potatoes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt (optional)
Rosemary (Powdered, if you have it. You'l find it at spice shops like Penzy's)
1-3 Cloves Garlic, minced

Scrub the fingerling potatoes and cut them into similarly sized pieces. Toss them with olive oil to coat them. Heat a skillet to medium high. Add in the potatoes. Saute, stirring often. About 10-15 minutes into the cooking add the garlic and rosemary. Saute until tender and nicely browned. Season, or not, to your taste.