recipes

The Great Turkey Meatloaf Experiment of 2017

I wanted to make a turkey meatloaf, but goddamn is turkey meatloaf terrible. Dry, tough, tasting mostly of bland poultry and salt—turkey meatloaf is basically the worst kind of “healthy” replacement foods. I thought what if it could be not dry and taste like something? There began Operation Turkey Meatloaf Experiment 2017. So I threw together some ingredients, mostly orthodox but with some added moisture supports and flavor elements that tasted like something. It came out…good? I was surprised: It was supposed to be fine, but not good. Turkey meatloaf is not good. But this was. Damn....

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You Better Be Hungry: Polpette (Meatballs)

I’m not very good at a great many things. Despite my median height and more-than-median girth, I’m not very good at basketball (wahurd will second this enthusiastically). My chess game lacks an endgame. I never beat Contra. I’m really, really, really bad at tennis (sorry, Bret). But, there some things at which I excel. I’m a good driver. I’m at expert level on Wii Tennis. I’m currently on level 25 of Quizup Simpsons trivia. Oh, and I can cook some good foods. So, shit, why not tell you how to cook some good foods? Thus, here’s a new V+V series. Polpette...

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Baking Case File 1: Cinnamon-Chocolate Cookie Strips

When I was starting college, my dad gave me a cookbook as a present.  It is Betty Crocker’s Quick & Easy Cookbook: 30 minutes or less to dinner every night.  I was appreciative but skeptical.  For one thing, my parents’ cookbook shelf is full of Moosewood tomes, full of lovely vegetarian dishes by the lovely Molly Katzen, who writes things like “Pile up everything in a provocative yet compelling arrangement” in the margins of the recipes. Whereas Betty Crocker seemed too… old-fashioned?  Midwestern?  Full of recipes like “Cheesy tuna broccoli skillet casserole”?  Yes, all that.  So I wasn’t...

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