Another Great Coffee

Found another great brand of coffee!  JOY!

Dave's Coffee of Charleston, RI


The Keurig died at work and we've been forced to make our own coffee again... GASP!

All the better though because my boss bought a bag of 1941 Power Blend while in RI for site visits and now I've been introduced to Dave's Coffee.  Listed as a dark roast, it's got just the right amount of kick and has all the yummy flavors of a medium roast with no "burnt" taste.  hmmm

This might compare my love to Starbuck's Sumatra.


-Cheers!

Tyler's Ultimate Meatloaf

Our favorite meatloaf recipe:

Notes: 

• We've made this recipe with a turkey and pork mix for a slightly healthier version.

• To ensure a moist meatloaf, we like to place a shallow pan of water on the lower rack.

Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

 

Prep Time:20 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
Level: Easy

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Tomato Relish:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatloaf:

• 3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 eggs
• Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 bacon slices

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.

Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.

This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side. Unbelievably moist!

Roast Beef

I've been craving for roast beef sandwiches so I bought five pounds of beef, covered it in Konriko and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, and used the searing method described below.

Roasting
There are several methods for cooking a beef prime rib roast. There is the slow method where the oven temperature is set around 200 to 225 degrees and the roast is cooked at a rate of 23 to 24 minutes per pound. This method is common where large upright ovens are used.

The second and probably the most popular is using a medium heat of 325 degrees and cooking for 17 to 20 minutes per pound. Another method, which I like the best, is a searing method where the roast is cooked at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly browned and then at 325 degrees for 14 to 17 minutes per pound or until the meat thermometer reaches 5 degrees under desired temperature. This is because the internal temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees after the roast is removed from the oven. Remember, if the meat thermometer is placed properly it will tell you when your roast is ready.

Jesse and I are still eating roast beef sandwiches and it's been five days since I made the roast.  Our sandwich ensemble:  home made horseradish mayo, red onion sliced thinly, baby spinach, sharp cheddar, on lightly toasted Portuguese bread. hmmm



Note:
If you want to slice it thin for sandwiches, let the roast cool and then place in the refrigerator.  It slices easier when it's cold.

Brooklyn Special

Snatched this one from the Conlans.  Though we have yet to try it ourselves, it sounds mighty tasty.

 

"2 parts bourbon, 1 part sour mix, 1 part sweet vermouth. Shake the life into it and serve smoking cold in a martini glass rimmed with lemon, then throw the twist in the drink and proceed to get hammered. For some reason these things pack a punch!"