Norm Matthews

Thanks for the comments and the likes.

My son said that he and his fiance wanted to make dinner for me today and I was not allowed in the kitchen. Too late. I already had a batch of brioche dough rising. It's finished now and the kitchen is clear for the kids. I don't know what they plan but at least there will be some bread to go with it. URL=http://s262.photobucket.com/user/matthewsno/media/DSCN1063_zpsc8557a52.jpg.html]

Made a simple pot roast with mushrooms and au jus with canned green beans and potatoes with sour cream.

Here is my recipe. I have changed some of ingredients to cater to the tastes of my family. We prefer bratwurst instead of any other kind of sausage. The "kids" don't like Italian sausage. I often use just bratwurst and no plain ground pork. MEATLOAF 4 slices white bread, crusts removed 2-3 Tbs. milk 2 tblsp. olive oil 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 1 rib celery, finely chopped Cassie does not like celery so I used chopped water chestnuts and ground black pepper. 2 cloves garlic, minced ( or 3 or 4) 1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 lb. ground sirloin 2 bratwurst, skinned + 1/2 lb ground pork 2 large eggs 1/4 c. roughly chopped parsley 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tbsp. coarse salt & more to taste 1/2 tbsp. freshly ground pepper & more to taste 1/2 lb. sliced smoked bacon 1 lb. of potatoes cut in 2-inch pieces, oiled, salted and peppered or small sized whole potatoes. Glaze to put on top of meatloaf and under bacon 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed 1 tbsp. Coleman's yellow ground mustard 1 tsp. tomato paste Or catsup, mix in enough to make a paste, brush over meatloaf. After adding bacon, you may brush on a light layer of the glaze over the bacon... optional Heat the oven to 375F. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Pour milk over it & set aside for 5 minutes. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery & garlic; cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. To bread mixture, add meat, eggs, parsley, Dijon, salt, & pepper,onion mixture. Combine well. Place mixture in a large ungreased, foil lined baking dish or roasting pan. Shape into a 5 X 12 inch loaf. Overlap bacon across the top, covering meat. Place potatoes around loaf. Season with salt & pepper. In a small bowl, combine sugar, ground mustard & tomato paste to make a glaze. Brush meatloaf all over with glaze. Bake, until juices run clear when loaf is pierced with a 2 pronged fork & the bacon is crisp, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with potatoes or mash them coarsely and serve with peas and gravy.

Thanks. I sent you a copy of my recipe.

Cassie asked for meatloaf so that is what is for dinner tonight. L

Here is an asian style orange marinade I like to use sometimes with game hens. I make two batches and marinade for over night with one and thicken the other with cornstarch to serve over the finished roasted hens. 3/4 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons minced orange rind 3 cloves garlic minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root add to the batch to be thickened and used as a sauce 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

The meat along the spine from below the shoulder blade to the rise of the rump are called prime cuts. This is where the best steaks come and if cut in large enough pieces, the most storied roasts. This is the area of the cow that gets the least exercise so these are tender and are delicious when cooked no higher than medium. They are the rib roasts, the loin, tenderloin and sirloin. They are cooked in the oven to just below the desired temperature and removed to finish cooking outside the oven. The parts of the cow that get a lot of exercise are tougher cuts. They have a lot of flavor but if dry roasted to medium or above are very tough. Tasty but tough. These roasts benefit from long slow cooking like in a slow cooker or in a dutch oven so not only temperature but time needs to be included in the process so that the collagen can break down and and the meat becomes fall apart tender and juicy. For roasts like chuck, 7 bone, brisket, rump, round, and flank look for a good looking slow cooker recipe and follow that for great traditional cooking.

There are roasts that you cook with dry heat such as your rib roast and loin roasts, and there are pot roasts such as chuck, round, rump and brisket. Those should be braised. Braised roasts are cooked at a fairly low temperature in a covered, moist atmosphere such as a Dutch oven and cooked for a rather long period of time with a little water and vegetables added. That is a quick overview of those roasts. You can smoke the brisket or use other methods if you have special equipment.

1 C. Miracle Whip, 1/3 C. creamy French Dressing, 1/4 C. sweet pickle relish, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1 tsp. dry minced onion.

Here is one I use for poultry Combine 2 C. brown sauce with 1/2 C. undiluted concentrated orange juice, 3 Tbsp orange zest cut in very thin julienne strips, and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Simmer 5 minutes and add 2 Tbsp grand Mariner, Cointreau or Cognac. just before serving add 1/2 C. orange sections. Heat through.

I have a 12" skillet and a sauce pan made by them and like them both a lot. I have an All Clad skillet and don't like it nearly as well. The AC handle is uncomfortable.

I used an enameled cast iron for frying for years. I was interested in getting an electric fryer for the safety. My son has walked off and left the cast iron pot on the stove and I worried about a potential fire. I kept looking at fryers and passing on them because they were all too small. If I was going to get one, it had to be big enough to hold a decent amount of stuff. I have a prejudice against anything made by DeLongi. I have had three products from them that didn't work very well and/or broke shortly after buying it. I recently got the Waring fryer and have used it with good success and it is very easy to clean... not hardly any more work than cleaning an enameled pot.

I have never tried to make coconut milk from dried coconut but these directions might help. Remove the meat from a coconut and grate it in a food processor. A large coconut should yield 2 cups of coconut meat. To milk a coconut, pour two cups boiling water over 4 cups grated coconut meat. Let stand for 20 minutes. Strain through double thickness of cheese cloth, squeezing to remove all liquid. Store this liquid in the refrigerator. If it is to be heated, bring just to the boiling point. Otherwise it is apt to curdle. Makes 2 cups of Coconut Milk Coconut Cream To make 2 cups of Coconut Cream you will need 6 cups of grated coconut meat to 2 cups of boiling water. Proceed the same as for coconut milk. Let the liquid chill for a couple of hours., The cream substance that rises to the top is skimmed off. This is called Coconut Cream.. It may be served as a sauce or it may be whipped. Be careful about whipping, however, or you could end up with cocoa butter.

I would venture to guess that the Pyrex glass isn't the only formula change. I bought a Corning Ware white ceramic casserole dish at Walmart a few years ago and was surprised that it was so cheap. I wasn't surprised for long because it chipped just like low fired earthenware after only a few uses. PS on the bottom it said No Cooktop, No Broiler and Made in China

Yes, it lasts until Dec.31. I also was not charged any tax. If I had bought it locally, I would have had to pay over $45 in sales tax and not got the rebate. Shipping on that mixer would have been over $65.00

King Arthur currently is offering the 7qt. KA mixer with free shipping and a $50. mail-in rebate.

The 'kids' are both working tomorrow so turkey dinner was today.

Challah for dressing is a great idea but our dressing was cornbread. I made some really good dressing one year with annadama bread. We ate one loaf for our dinner tonight. The other loaf is going to my sister's tomorrow for Thanksgiving at her house.

it's already gone. It was The first thing my son grabbed.

A couple years ago I got a 4 1/2 qt. at an antique store for Cassie but she has a cake/cookie/cupcake business as a sideline and it has become too small for her. I use it occasionally. When Cassie and Charlie got engaged she had a 6 qt mixer on her wish list for a wedding present and i got it for her. It's hidden in the closet. In the meantime she has been using mine. Now that the new one will use the six quart bowl and all the attachments without having to adjust the bowl-to-beater clearance any at all, I feel she won't be wanting my new one as much. The one I got her is the color she picked out.. its a pearly color.

Ah yes. I never know when I want a new color in the kitchen. Red is the color of the season. Here is the first fruit of the KA baked today to get ready for the big meal: Challah. More pictures of the bread in the Baking section. BTW The 6qt bowl and all the mixer blades work perfectly when put on the new mixer too.

My son and his fiancee both work on Thursday so I am doing Tday dinner tomorrow and today I'm baking stuff so the oven will be clear for the turkey tomorrow. I just got a new mixer yesterday so I gave it it's first use with some challah bread. The dough in the mixer] getting ready for the first rise and after braiding and done

I didn't need this one until I saw it. I asked people to talk me out of getting it. No one did. I have three KA mixers now. I suppose one needs to go into a garage sale.

The new mixer arrived today. Of course I can't keep it hidden from Cassie, especially not with Thanksgiving so close. To mess with her a little though I told her a couple days ago that I was going to paint the old mixer red for the holidays. The old one is out of the kitchen so I have to wait to see how long it takes her to notice it's a different color. It is quieter than the old one and start up is smoother.