I said I’d never do characters – but this is different, right?

It seems lately that I’ve been focusing on cookies – cut-out shaped cookies. I made a batch of ladybugs for my friend Cynthia’s daughter Eleanor’s first birthday party. They turned out ok but a few of them broke in the shipping from Columbus to Chicago, and a few of them had cracked frosting – which I can only assume means too much meringue powder?

Next up were the 4 dozen frog cookies I did for my neighbor to use as a birth announcement. (Sorry the picture came out so off-colored. I was in a hurry.) I bagged them individually, tied them with ribbon and attached a tag with the specifics of the birth – name, height, weight, date, etc. (Forgot to get a shot of the final packaging - but they looked really cute.) These turned out much better. The neighbor who ordered them was thrilled. Her husband will be passing them out when he returns to the office, and she will keep some at home for people who drop by to meet the new little guy. It’s a really cute idea, and I live in a neighborhood where procreation seems to be all they think about, so I may be making more cookies than cakes here for a little while. (I’m also making 5 dozen for a guy at work who’s wife is having twins any day now.)

So for those of you who like to do iced Christmas cookies, here are a few tips and learned a few lessons from the experience:

1. Don’t use too much meringue powder (powdered egg whites) in royal icing (the kind that dries hard) or it will crack after drying.


2. Don’t spread the frosting on too thickly or it will crack when it dries.


3. When shipping cookies to Chicago, always pack well in bubble wrap.


4. Red food coloring – even the gel kind – usually does not get you a true red color.


5. The more red food coloring you use, the worse the frosting tastes.


6. Cut-out iced cookies take a LONG TIME to make, so plan…..and price…. accordingly.


7. Working with colored royal icing can be messy. Wear rubber gloves.


8. You have to take precautions so that the icing does not dry before you want it to. Cover any open containers with a damp towel so that the frosting does not form a crust on top.


9. Let base coat on cookies dry for at least 6 hours (or overnight) before you stack them on top of eachother.

There you have it. Cookie decorating 101. (Oh, there’s sooooo much more I could say – but that would just be whining.)

Comfort and Joy

Tonight was all about comfort food. For some reason I have been craving a good, hearty meatloaf. I really have no earthly reason why, since I could never stand to eat my mother’s.

(Mom, if you’re reading this I apologize for being the extremely picky eater that I was. I now know – after watching Megan pick through a slice of meatloaf like she was looking for a speck of dust – how you must have felt all those nights when I wouldn’t eat what you fixed for us. We all know what they say about paybacks. Well, it’s true.)

So, like a woman possessed by a mysterious meatloaf craving I spent the better part of an hour taking the following recipe and making it my own. (See notations) I started with this recipe because I’ve had the meatloaf at Cap City Diner before and it’s very good. I just wanted to tweak it a bit. We had it with mashed potatoes and baked asparagus. Comfort food doesn’t get any better than this. And certainly early March is rife with comfort food opportunities. Although since I’m starting to see commercials and magazine spreads advertising spring clothing, I think I better lay off the comfort because it’s causing me discomfort when it comes to buttoning my jeans. The diet starts Monday, folks.

Warning: This recipe is not on the Surgeon General's list of Heart Healthy Cuisine, but ya only live once, right?

Cap City Diner Meatloaf

Meatloaf:
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms **I used regular button mushrooms**
2 TB diced white onion,
1 TB olive oil, ***omitted, used bacon grease***
1 lb. ground beef,
1 lb. ground pork,
10 oz. Ground veal **I omitted**
***I added 5 slices of cooked bacon, diced***
1 egg,
3/4 cup bread crumbs,
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley,
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme,
1/2 tsp chopped fresh sage,
2 1/4 tsp minced garlic,
2 1/4 tsp heavy cream,
***I added cubed mozzarella cheese***
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce,
1 tsp salt,
1 tsp pepper

BBQ Sauce:
1 1/2 cups ketchup, ***I used 1 cup***
1 TB Worcestershire sauce,
1/4 tsp garlic powder,
2 1/4 tsp molasses,
6 TB brown sugar,
3/4 tsp salt,
pinch cayenne pepper,
1 tsp cider vinegar,
6 TB water,
2 TB honey, **I didn’t have any, so omitted**
1 TB fresh orange juice, **used the stuff in the carton**
1/4 tsp black pepper

To make the barbecue sauce, in medium saucepan combine first 12 ingredients. Stir well. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

***Cook bacon in a skillet, remove bacon and use remaining grease*** to saute mushrooms and onion until tender. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine meats, egg, bread crumbs, herbs, garlic and cream. Mix well. Add mushrooms and onions. Add 2 TB of previously prepared barbecue sauce.

Add remaining ingredients; mix thoroughly. Place mixture in a loaf pan, pushing down firmly to pack meat into place. Cover with foil. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. ***I ended up cooking mine for 1 hr 10 minutes because it just wasn't getting done. Start with 50 minutes and check it often. Could just be me!*** Remove foil; cover meatloaf with desired amount of barbecue sauce. Cook uncovered for an additional 10 - 15 minutes. Serve with barbecue sauce. Serves 8.