I just had to share this funny comment made recently by my youngest daughter, Emma. Our oldest daughter, Becca (a junior in college) has had a boyfriend for almost a year now and his family comes from a small, country town. He comes over for dinner quite a bit when Becca is home and is always surprised by what we have for dinner. He raved about his mom's home cooking (good boy!) and her meatloaf. My dear Emma, very innocently, asked the whole table: "What's meatloaf, Mom?"
I think I laughed so hard I cried. Her question actually made me very, very happy. I had not made meatloaf in probably 15 or more years. Just last night, we had North African Pigeon Pie (OK, it was really chicken, but it was supposed to be pigeon -- I just couldn't find those at Meijers.), orange, onion and olive salad and a sweet potato dish with onions and tomatoes. One of our family favorites is teriyaki chicken stir fry, or this great N. African dish with chicken, sweet potatoes and raisins all slathered over couscous. Believe me, I am not a gourmet cook -- I get scared if a recipe has more than 15 ingredients -- but we certainly do like variety and flavorful meals.
I try at least 4 new recipes a week (from my 12 years worth of Taste of Home magazines or online at Food Network or cook books from the library) and we absolutely LOVE different cultures' foods. So, after Emma said that, I dutifully went online to the Food Network and found Bobby Flay's recipe for meatloaf and gave it a whirl. Result: a big veto from the family. Too boring! Hahahahaha.
Here's my recipe for N. Africa Turkey Stew:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet potato, cut into chunks, about 2 cups
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup peeled and sliced fresh carrots
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 3/4 cup water
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken, both taste good in here -- try to use dark chicken)
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
box or two of couscous
1.Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes, onions, carrots and garlic. Stir. Cook 6 minutes, or until onions are tender, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Cook 1 minute.
3. Add tomatoes with liquid, water and raisins and stir well. Bring to a boil. Cover.
4. Reduce heat to low: simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
5. Cook couscous acc. to package directions. Cover to keep warm.
6. Add turkey (chicken) to vegetable mixture: cook 5 minutes or until heated through.
7. Serve stew spooned over the couscous, sprinkle with pistachios.
Yum!
Till next time, Julie |
Posted by 
Posted by 
Friday, April 11, 2008 - Meatloaf
Karie
www.kariesplace.robertcity.com