One-pot lemony chicken and couscous

A quick and easy weeknight dinner of chicken, vegetables, and couscous. The lemon makes everything taste fresh and the spices provide an unexpected depth of flavour for this simple dish.

Notes

This is a combination of two recipes: Spiced chicken with couscous and Lemony chicken with couscous. I wanted a one-pot meal with chicken thighs and couscous; but I didn't have all the ingredients for one, and didn't really want large chunks of tomatoes in my meal from the other.

My chile powder was quite dead; so the recipe didn't have the same kick that it would normally. The chile powder could easily be replaced by smoked paprika (to provide the same color but not the heat), or omitted entirely.

The vegetables in this dish could easily be replaced by your vegetable of choice (fresh or frozen). Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

If using fresh thyme, use the leaves from 2 sprigs and add them when you add the vegetables.

This recipe would work just as well with any cut of chicken (without bones). If using leftover chicken, additional olive oil may be required.

I will be making this recipe again. The lemon is defintely the strongest flavour; I liberally sprinkled lemon juice over my plate at the table. but even without the juice the zest in the meal is very noticeable in the couscous.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3

Equipment

• Chopping board and knife.
• Measuring cups and spoons.
• Deep frying pan with cover.
• Wooden spoon.

Ingredients

1 cup	Israeli couscous
1 tablespoon	extra-virgin olive oil
6	chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
1 teaspoon	ground cumin
1 teaspoon	dried thyme
1 teaspoon	salt
1 teaspoon	black pepper, freshly ground
2 teaspoons	chilie powder, divided (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon	allspice
1/2 teaspoon	ground cloves
2 cups	chicken broth, fat-free, divided
1	lemon, zested and cut into segments
3 cloves	garlic, minced
1 cup	peas, thawed if frozen
1 cup	corn, thawed if frozen

Directions

1. Put the olive oil into a cold pan and bring it up to medium-high heat.
2. Add the couscous and cook, stiring, for about a minute.
3. Pour the couscous out into a bowl and set aside.
4. Put the pan back on the heat and add the chicken. Sprinkle with 1/2 the chile powder. Brown well on both sides (3-5 minutes each side). Transfer to a plate and leave the drippings in the skillet.
5. Lower the heat and add the onion. Stir frequently.
6. When the onion becomes translucent, add the spices, garlic, and lemon zest (but not the salt). Stir for about 3 minutes.
7. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan well.
8. Add the remaining chicken broth, salt, and couscous to the pan. Stir to incorporate.
9. Add the chicken on top of the couscous. Do not stir.
10. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
11. Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm.
12. Add the vegetables and stir to incorporate. Cover for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables are warm.
13. Serve with lemon segments.

Beef fajitas for 3, spanish rice and guacamole

Beef fajitas are one of those recipes that I tend to make when I don't really want to cook. Funny, because it still involves a lot of cutting, measuring, and the like. But I've made it so often that I can almost make it with my eyes closed (but then I'd probably cut myself and that would be bad).

So, with company coming, I set to work preparing the meal.

First I made spanish rice.

I diced up a red onion (I didn't have any others, so red it would be), and put half in a pot with a nob of butter. Once the foam subsided I added a cup a rice and stirred it. This toasts the rice and provides it some initial flavour. Then I added some chicken stock (freshly thawed in the microwave) and some pureed tomatoes (canned diced tomatoes pureed with an immersion blender). I then covered the pot and brought it to a boil. Once boiling, I lowered the heat, set the timer and promptly forgot about it.

By then, my guest had arrived and joined me in the kitchen. We chatted as I dug out my favourite frying pan. I coated the bottom with a teaspoon of olive oil, and tossed in strips of sandwich steak to fry. As the meat cooked I diced a clove of garlic, mixed it with 1 rounded tablespoon of cumin and half a tablespoon of chili pepper, and added that and the remaining half of red onion in with the meat. I cleaned, and cut a red bell pepper and a green bell pepper into strips and added that to the hot pan.I stirred the mixture to coat everything with the spices and meat juice equally. Then I added a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and a cup of medium salsa to the mix. I stirred it again and let it cook until the rice was done.

I mixed another crushed and diced clove of garlic along with two tablespoons of crushed tomatos and two avocado's, adding another heaping teaspoon of cumin as I stirred. Once the lumps were mostly gone (or at least very small), I stopped and set it aside.

Taking out a second (and smaller) frying pan, I turned on the heat and cooked the corn tortillas until they were soft and pliable (8 seconds according to the package, less time in my experience). I then added a small amount of sour cream, an equal dollup of guacamole, a pinch of cheese and a ladel-ful of fajita mix. I then folded the hot tortilla around the mess and placed it seam side down onto the plate.

Three of these plus a third of the rice and another tablespoon of guacamole made the meal. It was delicious.

Beef fajitas

Serves 6.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs sandwich steak (preferably lean)
  
• 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green) cut into slices
  
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced (I used red)
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• 1 cup salsa
  
• 1 tablespoon cumin
  
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1/2 tablespoon chili pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
  
• 1/2 cup guacamole
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
  

Directions

1. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with olive oil.
   
2. Cut the sandwich steak into strips and add them to the hot pan.
   
3. Mix the garlic, cumin and chili pepper together and add that to the pan, stir well to incorporate.
   
4. Cut the bell peppers into strips and add them to the pan. Stir well.
   
5. Mix the salsa and Worcestershire sauce together. Add them to the pan. Stir well.
   
6. Cook until the meat is cooked, the onions are nearly transulcent, and the peppers still crunchy.
   
7. Heat the tortillas slightly.
   
8. Fill in the following order: sour cream, guacamole, cheddar cheese, fajita mix.
   
9. Fold the tortilla and serve.

Spanish rice

Serves 3.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
  
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  
• 1/2 yellow onion
  
• 1 teaspoon butter
  
• 1 cup chicken stock
  
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, optional.
  

Directions

1. Put the butter in a hot pan. Add the onion and the rice and stir to mix.
   
2. Once the onion starts to become translucent, add the tomato sauce and chicken stock.
   
3. Stir well.
   
4. Turn up the heat and wait for the liquid to boil.
   
5. Once boiling, cover and cook for the duration recommended for your rice.
   
6. Serve hot with a bit of cheese on top.

A hurry-up and Eat dinner (Potato & hamburger fry up)

I try to eat well on weeknights, really I do.

But some nights it's not just my pantry that's against me.

I came home exhausted and never quite did get that nap I wanted. Instead I settled down before the TV with my computer before me. As I did some mindless data entry, I watched home improvement shows. Surprisingly (or maybe not) this combination seems to sap my will to leave the room, go to the kitchen, and cook.

I love cooking, but often figuring out what to cook is the biggest challenge. I'd been out all weekend (coming home only to recharge my computer, load up more books, shower and ... oh yeah, sleep). So I'd not refilled my pantry yet and was getting low on a few staples. In addition, the hamburger I took out on Saturday night had not been eaten; and so had to be used tonight.

So, I had a pound of lean hamburger and no bread, no pasta, no sour cream, no lettuce, and no cheese. This removed the options of: BBQ hamburgers, tacos, enchiladas, or even taco salad. I couldn't use the oven (it's broken), so that took away meatloaf or lasagna. I couldn't make meatballs (no bread, remember?), or bolonaise sauce (no pasta). The beans were either dried or frozen, and I already had 3 cups of chicken chili frozen in the freezer. Frozen being the key word here. I had enough ingredients for hamburger soup, but that tastes best if left in the crockpot for 3+ hours.

The funny thing is - my pantry is almost full and both my fridge and freezer are in a similar state. I try to cook with what I have without buying special things, but I still end up with a fridge full of little bottles and oddities.

Searching through my freezer and pantry, I was able to scrounge a few things. Turning to the Food blog search for inspiration, I found a few similar recipes that mixed up potatoes, hamburger and some spice. They all sounded good, but what I could do was extremely limited by what I had on hand combined with the fact that I only had about 30 minutes to make dinner. Any longer and someone would be ordering pizza. Whether it would be me or my significant other was anyone's guess.

Ingredients

• 5 potato hash browns, frozen
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup hot homemade salsa (or salsa of your preference)
  
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
  
  
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp oregano (dried)
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 bag of mixed Californian vegetables (or any frozen vegetables of choice)
  
• 2 tsp butter, divided (optional)
  
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Thaw the hash browns in a microwave (5-7 minutes on high). Then set them aside on a towel to drain. Note that they must be completely thawed.
   
2. Meanwhile, fry up the hamburger and toss all the dried herbs and spices over the cooking meat. Brake the meat up into little chunks and stir often.
3. Once cooked thoroughly, drained the meat well.
4. Dump the hash browns into a big glass bowl and mashed them up with a fork.
5. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the salsa to the mix, and stir well to combine.
6. Add the drained meat to the mix and mix again.
7. Put 1/2 the bag of mixed Californian vegetables into a bowl with a little water and a pat of butter. Cover it. Microwave the bowl for 5 minutes on high or until the butter is melted and the vegetables are warm to the touch and free of frost.
8. Pour the hamburger-and-potato mix back into the frying pan with the rest of the butter. Fry it until everything is warm and somewhat steamy.
9. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
10. Serve the hamburger-and-potoato mix with the steamed Californian vegetables while hot.

Review

We both liked it.
It was hot, filling, and spicy. It was almost too spicy for me (but that's because I went nuts when I made the salsa and made it super-hot). The meal was well-rounded-ish and would probably be better with more vegetables added to the fry up. It would have tasted a lot better too if I'd shredded my own potatoes and added a shredded onion to it instead of starting with ready-made hash browns.

I didn't add enough fats or liquids to make it stick together when I fried it the second time--so it was a bit awkward to eat; rather like a plateful of peas.  Tasty, but it takes time.

Half my plate was filled with vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and a few slices of carrot); while the other half was filled with the fry up, and I still have enough left-over for lunch today.

This is something I'll definitely make again (with only a few minor changes).

Chicken fried rice (attempt #1)

Tonight was an attempt, and while it was easy, and did taste good, it was also really mild. We like things a little more spicy, so there will be an attempt #2.

I made about 6 cups of long grain brown rice (after cooking) in the rice steamer; it takes a bit longer, but I'm guaranteed to have good rice. In addition, I cooked the rice in homemade chicken broth - just to add a bit of flavour.

After the rice had cooled, I finely diced a teaspoon of garlic, two teaspoon of ginger, and 1/2 a very small onion (yes, we have no scallions). Then I gathered the soy sauce and the egg-replacement together around a hot pan with a bit of oil in the bottom. I already had 2 cups of diced Easy Asian Chicken leftovers, 1 cup of peas, and 1 cup of corn; both freshly thawed.

With the oil hot, I added the ginger, garlic and onion to the pan. I stirred the ingredients until the onions were just starting to become opaque and the garlic was fragrant. Then I took the rice and carefully dribbled it into the pan, a bit at a time; being careful to break up clumps as they occurred. Once all in and well mixed with the ginger, garlic and onion, I mounded the rice up and made a dent in the middle. Into this I poured two lightly-beaten eggs. I then stirred the rice to get the eggs to mix well as they cooked.

I added the chicken, peas and corn, and finely two tablespoons of soy sauce. I mixed again until the rice changed color, and served it hot.

It was a bit bland. I don't want to add more soy sauce (as I'm trying to watch my salt intake), so next time I'll try the Weight Watcher's version of this recipe.

Original recipe by Mark Bittman.

Fried rice with egg (modification - Chicken fried rice with Peas and Corn)
Taken from How To Cook Everything, p212. Lightly modified.
Ingredients

3 tablespoons	peanut (preferred) or other oil
1 teaspoon	garlic, minced
1 teaspoon	ginger, fresh peeled & minced
2 tablespoons	scallions, chopped
3-4 cups	rice, cooked
2	eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons	soy sauce
	salt and ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the oil in a large skillet, and turn the heat to high
2. Once hot (about a minute later), add the garlic, ginger and scallion and cook, stiring constantly, for a minute
3. Turn the heat down and add the rice,a bit at a time, elimanting lumps
4. Stir frequently for about 3 minutes to mix well
5. Mound the rice and make a hole in the mound.
6. Pour the eggs into the hole.
7. Stir slowly to scramble the eggs and mix them into the rice
   Add the soy sauce, chicken, and thawed vegetables.
8. Stir to mix.
9. Serve hot.

Easy asian chicken parts

This recipe is a real crowd-pleaser; and so easy it's a story unto itself. I served it last night to a bunch of hungry friends, and while I do have leftovers - it was not for want of trying to finish it all.

I usually serve this dish with a loaf of fresh multi-grain bread and a big bowl of romaine or mixed salad with a simple vinaigrette.

Admittedly, this dish tastes best if marinated overnight, but even a one-hour bath in the marinade will give the chicken the flavor it deserves. Using some of the marinade as a basting liquid will help crisp your chicken and provide additional flavor. I originally found this recipe on RecipeZaar. Posted by Kittencal, I really haven't modified it much as I've found it to be very tasty and the amount of marinade is good for a lot more than 10 drumsticks (but you'll need a really big bag or pan, and you'll want to rotate things soaking in the marinade regularly; about once every 2-3 hours). For an even darker color on the chicken skin you can use dark soy sauce; but that just adds a lot of salty flavor along with the coloration.

Leftover marinade keeps well in the fridge for about a week. If you add it to sour-cream you get a really interesting-flavored dip that tastes good with vegetables.

I've never tried baking this dish as I prefer the light charring you get when you cook chicken on the barbecue.

Ingredients

1/2 cup	soy sauce, light or low sodium if desired
2/3 cup	lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/2 cup	honey
1/2 cup	sesame oil, light
4 tablespoons	garlic, crushed & finely diced
42 tablespoons	ginger, crushed & finely diced
4 teaspoons	chili flakes, additional to taste
	black pepper, to taste
4	green onions, chopped
10	chicken drumsticks or thighs

Instructions

1. In a bowl whisk together the first 8 ingredients.
2. Add the green onions to the mix.
3. Place the chicken drumsticks in a large resealable bag.
4. Pour a little over half the marinade on top and seal bag; remove as much air as possible from the bag.
   
5. Turn and shake the bag to coat the chicken evenly with marinade.
6. Refrigerate for up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.
7. Cover the remaining marinade and keep in the fridge.
   
8. Set grill to medium heat.
9. Remove the chicken and discard the marinade.
10. Place the chicken on the grill (if using a barbecue) or on a baking sheet (the oven must be preheated to 375 degrees C).
11. Grill, turning chicken until crispy and golden brown and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. (In the oven, cook for 10 minutes, then turn. Parts are done when the meat registers 160 degrees C - about 20 minutes).
12. If grilling, baste the chicken with the remaining marinade several times during the cooking. This will make the skin more crisp and provide a lot more flavour.
    

A sour dinner story (with a happy ending)

It was late. I got home and fell asleep on the couch, but when I woke up - I still had to make dinner and do the dishes. I was feeling pretty sour and it showed.

The chicken was completely thawed and downright weepy in its own wrapping. I didn't care and rinsed it throughly under cold water. It was pretty slimy, but still fresh. I slammed it onto a clean plate, where my attentions seemed to just make it weep a bit more. I ignored it.

Leeks and I just don't know each other well; and maybe this was not the best way to introduce ourselves. They were cold and hard from the fridge. I got rid of their tough green leaves, leaving the whites to chill on the chopping block. Once quartered and rinsed, they were starting to open up, despite my sour mood.

I could still tell there was some dirt yet undiscovered amongst their many layers. Another rinse or two made sure I had the whole story.

I quartered the quarters and then began the laborious process of dicing them as finely as my chef's knife would allow. As the cutting board got full, I put the remains of my work into a small bowl to one side. As I went the leaks began to weep a bit, making them clingy. They clung to the knife, so I scraped them off. When they clung to my hands - I used the knife to scrape them off again. They sat in the bowl, resentful. I worked over all chunks, bringing them down to size. By the time I was done, my arms were tired.

With them set aside, I took out the butter and cut two portions of roughly 2 tablespoons each from the block. The butter was soft and willing. I threw one portion casually into a hot pan, and it danced with joy. I added the leaks once the butter was exhausted, and stired them both briskly around the pan until the butter and the leaks merged into one.

I let them sit in the hot pan for 5 minutes or so while I did dishes.

My chicken broth was so uptight it had gelled, so I was unable to measure it exactly - but ended up dumping a cup into the leaks, rather than the 1/2 cup that the recipe called for. The heat made it relax, and it began to mix with the leaks without my forcing the issue. To that I added a big pinch of thyme, some freshly ground pepper and some salt. The herbs mixed with the broth made a heavenly scent that almost covered the strong oniony smell of the leaks.

To this I added a few shots of lemon juice, just to sour the mood. The chicken went in atop the bed of wilted leaks, and sat proudly there, no longer weeping. I dumped their water into the pan and closed the lid.

Ten minutes later the chicken were truely steamed. I took them out and set them on a clean plate beside the stove to cool down. I then pulled all the sauce out of the pan and beat it into submission. The smooth pale yellow sauce that resulted definitely showed the presence of lemon, but it smelled of thyme, pepper and leak.

The sauce (and a good helping of white wine) went back into the pan, and the chicken were carefully covered. The heat went up and I covered the pan once more to bring everyone back up to temperature.

I served it with steamed peas (microwaved with a bit of water), and brown rice. The rice was bland in comparison, but the sauce was delicious. So much so, I'm having this version of lemony chicken for lunch.

Lemony chicken
Recipe by Mark Bittman.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, washed and well diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon thyme
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and black pepper, to taste
parsley, minced fresh (garnish)

Instructions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until softened (about 5 minutes).
3. Add the stock and thyme.
4. Bring the dish to a boil and allow it to bubble for a minute, or two.
5. Ad the chicken.
   
6. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the meat is just cooked through (about 5 to 6 minutes).
7. Remove the chicken and keep warm.
8. Turn the heat to high and cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until 3/4 of a cup remains (about 10 minutes).
9. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the lemon juice.
10. Add the remaining butter slowly, stirring all the while.
11. Season with salt and pepper and return the chicken to the sauce to heat through.
12. Serve over rice.
    

A dinner tale gone terribly wrong.

I got home and I was exhausted. Traffic was bad on the main routes I typically take. The bus ride is pleasant enough (especially with a good book), but I've developped walking the 30 minutes from the transfer station to home. The walk, especially Thursday in the surprisingly pleasant but warm weather, did me in.

I barely noticed the masses of people walking in the opposite direction, all with a mildly annoyed and purplexed look. The route is typically not croweded at all; yet yesterday I had to dodge people. Half the road is closed to traffic as they finish resurfacing it, and even that looked busy with foot traffic.

It took some time to figure it out. It was no-car day and the train was free - so many people took the train to work. Unfortunately the train broke down and its passengers were given two options: wait for the next train (about 45 minutes), or walk to the subway (about 30 minutes). It was a clear, sunny and warm day - so many walked.

Many of the confused people I passed were saying this like "if I just keep going west, they said I'd see the metro" and "It's just a few blocks more." The walk, according to Google maps, is just under 3KM. While it's not a long walk, it is not easy on those of us unuse to such exhersion. And with road work all along that strip, catching a cab as they walked west was not going to be busy. Every bus that passed me was packed so full the driver had to open the back doors to
let people out.

So I got home with a pleasant tale to tell, but no urge at all to actually cook. We raided the piggy-bank and ordered pizza from Nico's along the back river. It's pretty plain - medium thick fresh pizza dough, spicy and pleasant tomato sauce, good pepperoni and a slathering of mozarella cheese over the top and baked to perfection. There's no dough balls (like there use to be) to keep the top from touching the cheese, but the edge crust is plenty thick and chewy
without being bland.

I didn't make it - so there was neither drama, nor action, in its arrival (other than the rush to the door when the bell rang, and the scampering for change); but it was a welcome treat regardless.

Tonight it's meatloaf - so back to the trials and tribulation of home cooking. :)

Something simple for five.

Another dinner-time story.

Tonight was a game night; which meant four friends plus my SO and myself for dinner. Typically I "say" I only spend about $5 a head for such a meal. The ground rules are simple. Bring food to supplement the meal, or give me $5 to cover the cost of your portion. I gave up costing out these meals when I realized that I wanted to cook elegant food.

But tonight I opted for something simple: Monterey Jack cheese with Jalapeños and steak sandwiches with homemade tomato & bell pepper soup.

First, the bread.
She was tired from being fresh yesterday, and didn't really react until I cut and tore her wide open. Only then did the reminder of her tantalizing fresh smell fill the air. She was crusty to begin with, but now the crust was thickening and she was hard to cut. I tried to sweeten her up with a light coat of grainy mustard; the yellow and brown seeds glowed on her pearly-white insides.

Then I covered half of her with a luscious white blanket of sliced Monterey Jack Cheese. This was, however, a sultry blanket that had pockets of Jalapeño in it. I could tell it was a good match at once as the blanket completely hid her smell and the bread seemed to snuggle-down under its weight.

The steak was read with envy. Cut thin, I knew it was going to shrink on me. In fact, I was depending on it. I threw the steak into a hot grill pan, flavored slightly with a thin spray of olive oil, and proceeded to ignore it as the steak hissed and spat at me. When the spitting got too much I put a cover on it and waited until the steak started to weep before finally giving it my attention.

I turned it and the weeping continued. When it was evenly gray in color, and the pans high points had given a pleasant set of stripes to its hide, I introduced it to the cheese. They immediately bonded and stuck together throughout the meal.

The bread and the steak didn't get along quite so well. I popped the whole sandwich into a hot oven for 10 minutes and left the ingredients to get better acquainted.

On another burner there was a pot filled with a soup I'd beaten into submission some time ago. It was cold, clumping together, and sluggish. But I knew where it had come from and what it was made of. The heat slowly warmed it to a fragrance that was familiar and subtle. Tomatoes, fresh from the season, pared with sweet red bell peppers and red onion, melded together into a thick soup.

By the time the soup was boiling, dinner was ready.
The only regret was that I had not made more.

A dinner time story (No-loaf Meatloaf)

This recipe originated from Sandi Richard's Cooking for the Rushed recipe of the same name. My version's different - less sweet, more sassy. Her site has more information about her books, and a few of her recipes can be found on the Food Newtork website.

By the time I got home the ground beef was still giving me the cold shoulder. I took it out of the frige and slammed it on the counter. I can't help reacting to its temperment that way - but I knew it wouldn't help.

I dug out my roasting pan and set my oven to 400 F; it's a little slow and the dial's going - but the oven is an old friend, so I adjust the heat up just to cover it's failures. I lined the bottom of the roasting pan with tin foil for easy cleanup, then used some extra virgin olive oil in an atomizer to spray the grill so things wouldn't stick. I suppose non-stick spray would be better, but olive oil and I go way back, and we work well together - so why change now?

I carefully lined up the other ingredients and equipment for tonight's dish: corn flakes, homemade salsa, Worchestershire sauce, 2 cloves of garlic (peeled), egg whites, the pepper grinder, a good knife, and a spatula.

Ignoring the temperment of the ground beef, I took it out of its wrap and threw it into my big pirex bowl. Homemade, the salsa is a bit biting, but I'm use to her sass. 1/2 a cup covered the ground beef nicely.

The recipe calls for garlic powder, but I grabbed fresh and slammed it into submission before dicing it fine and throwing it into the bowl with the beef. I added a tablespoon of Worchestershire sauce for the class he always brings to a dish, then jammed my fingers into the still chilly beef and began working everything together. Spoons and spatulas are fine, but there's nothing like a massage to make ingredients relax and start mixing. That, an egg white, and about 1/2 a cup of a ground up corn flakes will bind any unreasonable mess into a whole.

Once everyone was well mixed, I divided them up into four. Using my hands (still) I rolled the mix into four (roughly) equal-sized balls. Then, one at a time, I flattened the balls into rough loaf-shapes.

The loaf-shapes went onto the roasting pan's grill.

Back to my bowl I added another 1/2 cup of salsa, 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayanne pepper. I mixed this together with the spatula, careful to scrape the sides and get everything together. Then layered it like a blanket over the loaves. Then the roasting pan went into the hot oven.

Feeling lazy, I dumped 2 cups of frozen green beens into a casserole dish and added 1/2 cup of water. I covered it and set it in the microwave. Then I set the alarm to scream at me in 45 minutes. When it screamed - I came in and turned the microwave on high, and set the time again for 5 minutes. Then I walked away so I wouldn't hear the green beans cry.

When the timer screamed again, dinner was ready. The meatloaf was a bit too hot for me (next time I'll cut back on the cayanne pepper - she's just too much for me to handle), but good none-the less.

Made a nice dinner for 2 with enough leftovers for two meatloaf sandwiches (upon which I loaded some sultry Montaray jack cheese with jalapenos).

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, lean
1 cup corn flakes, ground
1 cup salsa, divided
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 egg white
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, smashed and diced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.
2. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with foil and spray its grill with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Mix together the beef, ground corn flakes, 1/2 cup salsa, 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce, egg white, pepper and garlic.
4. Shape into 4 loaves and place them on the grill.
5. In the same bowl, mix the last of the salsa, Worchestershire sauce and the cayenne pepper together.
6. Spread the mixture over top of the loaves.
7. Bake the loaves for 50 minutes or until the internal temperature is over 160 F.

Serve with steamed green beans, a nob of butter, and some more ground black pepper.