So what is on the menu today.

Something simple but delicious.  We got to do it the Everyday guy way.

Stopped at the supermarket before I came home ….just for back up.   The rest is from the fridge and the garden. (It helps to always buy some extra things from the supermarket.)

Gonna make … Stuffed Meatloaf with Roasted Potatoes

Important – Preheat your oven to 350.

Ingredients

-       ¼ lb. of the following

• Lamb
• Pork
• Beef
• Turkey

-       From the Garden

• Chiles (I am using one chi
• Tomatoes (2)
• Chives
• Rosemary
• Poblano pepper
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Basil
• Vietnamese Coriander.

-       Salt / Pepper to taste.

-       Garlic Powder.

-       Grated Cheese – (Aged Manchego)

-       Olive Oil

-       Two eggs

-       Sundried Tomatoes

-       Potatoes

-       Bacon

-       Mushrooms (I have a gourmet blend but you can use whatever you have in da fridge.

-       Onions – I used Red but you can use what you have.

Chop finely – onions and everything from the garden.

Place your meat in a bowl.  Mix thoroughly together with the onions, herbs, salt, pepper and garlic (to taste).

Form a loaf.  With the palm of your hand, make a divide (canal).  Place in the mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.  Fold back into a loaf.

Oil your pan.

Slice Tomatoes in thin circles. Place on top of the loaf.

Now wrap the loaf with the bacon – that is the best part.

Place in the oiled pan.

Slice your potatoes.  Season with salt pepper and garlic. I also had some of the herbs left over added them into the potatoes as well.

Place them around the loaf.  Top the loaf with grated cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and into the oven!

To see the final product.  Check out the video!!!!!

Thyme, Oregano

One of the most important things to me for a lot of reasons is My Garden. Gardening does a lot of things for me.

- A good garden is the key to Great Cooking!!!!!
- A place to relax after working or a long trip!!!!
- A source of accomplishment!!!!!!!

While I do everything from buying seeds from a site like www.burpee.com or picking up plants from my local greenhouses (even Home Depot) and open-air markets (like Union Square Flea Market – NYC), the important thing to look for is quality. A lot of time, you get “bad seeds”, or the plants are dying, or you don’t get them in soil fast enough.

While not an expert, I can share with you what I have done to help my plants and flowers grow. First, as you can see from the pictures, almost everything I grow is in pots. I happen to use a few tricks that I have learned – eggs shells and charcoal.

Yes, I like to use them as fertilizer when I am initially planting the seeds or putting the seedlings in the pot. Charcoal is especially great because, it helps you regulate the amount of dirt you need. Another important thing is the size of the pot. With plants, like tomatoes and peppers, the larger / deeper the pot, the better the growth, but you don’t need to fill it all with dirt, try putting charcoal in the bottom using about a 8 : 1 ratio.

The key is to enjoy what you are doing and use it daily in your cooking. (not fancy pots as you can see from my pictures – LOL!!!!!!!)

Marjoram, Dill, Thyme, Chives

ENJOY