Italian Sausage Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

This is a yummy and super easy meal that is perfect for a weeknight.  You can easily prepare these peppers the night before and then throw them in the oven to bake when you get home from work cutting down on your time even more.  I call for Cubanelle peppers which are one of my favorites!  They have a mild heat yet taste sweet at the same time, especially after cooking.  But if you prefer a spicier pepper, Hungarian Hot peppers are a great substitute.   When I make these, I like to use a combination of Cubanelle peppers and mild Italian Sausage.  It has just the right amount of spice, but mild enough for the kids to enjoy.  Jackson my 6 year old couldn't stop raving about these at dinner.  He even ate the pepper!   It was too cool. 

Italian Sausage Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers
4 Cubanelle Peppers (banana or Hungarian Hot peppers will also work nicely)
1 lb ground Italian Sausage (sweet, mild or hot are all delicious choices!  Use your favorite)
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with pam, and cover bottom with a bit of spaghetti sauce, just to keep everything moist. Sauté onion and minced garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the ground Italian sausage and sauté until no longer pink. Pour pork mixture into a large bowl and add bread crumbs, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and one beaten egg. Stuff them into halved cubanelle peppers (banana or Hungarian hot are also good choices). Top with remaining sauce and shredded mozzarella. Cover and bake for 50 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve alongside a nice green salad and some crusty bread, enjoy!

I apologize for the not s great photograph.  I am having problem with the memory card for my camera.  So iphone it was today! 

Traditional Meatloaf

Meatloaf.  Comfort food at its best.  I just love it!  And for something so simple, people sure have lots of different recipes for it!  some use just beef, some add veal to the mix.  Others cover it in ketchup or BBQ sauce.  And other recipes call for diced veggies, like peppers, carrots or even corn and black beans to be added in.  Sometime you are directed to use oatmeal and other call for crackers or breadcrumbs.  And while all of these recipes are delicious, and trust me, I try every single one I find, This one is the most simple and to us the most delicious.  Sometimes just the most basic of things turn out to be the very best.

Be sure to follow the directions to remove the meatloaf from the roasting pan right away or otherwise it will begin to soak up all the greases that were removed during cooking- no one wants greasy meatloaf- yuck!  This recipe is taken from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, but honestly it probably most resembles all of our mom's- before recipes started to get complicated!

My pictures only show one loaf.  That is because, well, we just couldn't wait  and gobbled up the other one before I could photograph it!

Traditional Meatloaf
2 lbs lean ground beef
20 Saltine crackers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Gently mix the beef, cracker crumbs, egg, ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, and onion until blended.  Shape the mixture into 2 loaves and place side by side crosswise in a 9x13-inch pan.  Bake the loaves for 1 hour, or until they are browned.  Transfer to a platter immediately and allow the loaves to cool slightly and firm up before slicing.  Garnish if desired with fresh herbs.

recipe from Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood

Guest Poster Sara, from Finding the Time- OBA Blog Swap!

As promised earlier this morning, I'm happy to introduce you to Sara from Finding the Time.  I had the lucky opportunity to sit next to her at out last meet up and really enjoyed chatting with Sara and getting to know her "in person".  Thank you so much Sara for being a guest here today!  For a full listing of today's blog swap participants, please visit Poise in Parma.

Don't forget to follow me over to Sara's blog and read my guest post there! See you at Finding the Time!

Well hello, My Retro Kitchen readers! I’m Sara from Finding the Time! I’m excited to be here today thanks to the OBA Blog swap. I’ve been reading Amie’s blog since I met her at an OBA meet-up a few months ago and I’ve even tried a few of her recipes!

I’ll be honest; I’m not much of a cook. I was brought up going out to eat A LOT and my fast-paced life has me often cursing my lack of forethought when I come home from work with no plans for dinner. Luckily, if you visit my blog today, Amie has posted some tips for people like me! YAY! I hope you’ll stay around after reading her post. You’ll find a fun little mix of CLE pride, puppy love, DIY attempts and general silliness.

I do have a few “go to” recipes that make regular appearances on my dinner table. One such recipe I received at my bridal shower from a mom much like Amie! This crock-pot chili recipe is perfect for me because it requires only about 20 minutes of prep. After that you let the crock-pot do all the work! What could be better?!

Easy Chili
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion – chopped
1 package of McCormick Chili Seasoning
1 large can (21-28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15-16 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15-16 oz) black beans – rinsed
1 can (16 oz) mild chili beans
3 chopped carrots
1 can corn

I like to start by mixing all the canned ingredients (chili seasoning, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, black mild chili beans corn) in the crock-pot on low heat. It gets things moving and makes me feel accomplished! BTW- you might notice that the photo above has pinto beans instead of mild chili beans. I used those this time because they were what I had. It definitely changed the taste so – live and learn - stick with the mild chili beans!!

Cook beef and onions in skillet while cooking carrots covered in water in microwave for 5 minutes.  Drain beef/onions and carrots and add both to crock-pot. Stir well.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 1-2 hours.  Done!

I love this recipe because it makes enough to last multiple days in my house (with myself and my husband who LOVES to eat). I’m not a huge fan of leftovers but chili is just so versatile! One day I’ll have it in a bowl with cheese and sour cream, the next on chili dogs and one final meal of chili mac (served over spaghetti). For me, the one condiment that the chili cannot be served without is hot sauce. It tastes good all the time!

Souperburgers

The theme for this month's girl's night with my girlfriends Bonnie and Dawn was Soup and Sandwiches (and always a dessert of course!).  The way that our meals always go is we pick a theme and then each girl gets to pick whatever they want to make for their portion of the meal.  I always wanted to make French Onion Soup, so I volunteered for that part.  Dawn picked sandwiches and Bonnie chose to make an Apple Crisp for dessert for a change.

I am posting Dawn's recipe first this time.  (The other two recipes will be posted this week.)  It tasted great and was pretty simple.  The original recipe called for ground beef, but just before cooking we realized that pork was purchased on accident.  Well it definitely didn't taste like an accident.  Actually I think I preferred the added flavor of the pork in place of the usual ground beef or turkey.  But use what you like, they will all work nicely.

"Here is the recipe for my sandwiches. They are called Souperburgers and I think they're just a little twist on Sloppy Joe's." --Dawn

Souperburgers
original recipe from recipe.com

1 pound ground meat (turkey, beef or pork)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can Condensed Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 sandwich rolls

Cook the meat and onion in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it is well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat.

Stir the soup, mustard and black pepper in the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Divide the meat mixture among the rolls.

(I'm gonna admit I didn't catch the play on words in the name of the recipe (the Souper part) until I got home and started writing the recipe.  But it uses condensed tomato SOUP.  ding ding ding!!  I think tomato paste and a bit of tomato sauce would work fine in place of the canned soup.  If you go this route be sure to salt your mixture a bit- there is no salt in this recipe since there is salt in the soup.  But the soup sure made it easy!)

"Sweet" and Smokey Turkey Shepherd's Pie

print this recipe

"Sweet" and Smokey Shepherd's Pie
adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients
2 large (orange) sweet potatoes, also named yams, peeled and cubed
1 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
Coarse salt
cooking spray
1 1/3 pound ground turkey breast
1 tablespoon smoked paprika, available in small cans on spice aisle of market
(You may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons each sweet paprika and cumin combined- which is what i did.)
Coarse black pepper
2 tablespoons, 5 or 6 sprigs, fresh thyme leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 ear of corn, kernels cut off (you may also use 1 cup frozen corn)
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt, divided
3 tablespoons butter
1 large egg, beaten
fresh chives, chopped or snipped

Directions
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Heat a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray your pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Add ground turkey to the pan and break it up. Season the turkey with smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and thyme. When turkey browns up, add onions and carrots. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then add red pepper, corn and peas cook another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook flour 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and combine. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and combine. Simmer mixture over low heat.

Preheat your broiler to high.

When potatoes are tender, add a ladle of cooking water to the egg. Drain potatoes and return to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add remaining 1/2 cup sour cream, butter, half of the chives, and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk.

Pour turkey mixture into a medium casserole dish. Top turkey with an even layer of smashed potatoes and place casserole 5 inches from hot broiler. Broil the potatoes until golden at edges and remove the casserole from the oven. Garnish the casserole with the remaining chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

This is a wonderful recipe; completely comforting and full of a great mingling of flavors.  The original recipe from Rachael Ray adds in bacon and uses only Idaho potatoes.  I am heading towards my big grocery shopping day, so I needed to improvise with what ingredients I still had in my pantry.  I only had  one Idaho potato and two sweet potatoes, and I also had one ear of corn.  So I thought it would make a nice contrast adding in the sweet potatoes and sweet corn to play on the smokiness of the paprika.  I also omitted the bacon from the original recipe because I was fresh out- I know, how depressing!  We definitely didn't miss the bacon, although I am sure it would be a tasty addition.   We all agreed that this recipe is a keeper and one that will easily slide into our regular rotation of favorite meals.  It is also a huge kids pleaser!  Jackson love, LOVED this meal.  He gobbled his right up telling me it was so yummy.  And the fact that it only goes under the broiler for about 5 minutes, you get a nice comfort meal without heating up your kitchen.  Perfect.


**Be sure to come back tomorrow for My Retro Kitchen's next giveaway!  It is an awesome one provided by my friend Melissa Kroft of Tastefully Simple!!  You don't want to miss out on this one- I promise!

Spaghetti and Meatball Pie

This is a super yummy dish that is a nice change up for the regular stand-by of spaghetti and meatballs.  Everyone in our house loves it, including my 3 1/2 year old.  It is creamy, jam-packed of flavor and incredibly satisfying.

In the summer when the zucchini's are lining up our countertops and filling my fridge I like to grate some up ahead of time and store in re-sealable plastic bags.  This way it is super easy to grab a handful here or there and throw it into whatever it is I am making at the moment.  Spaghetti sauce is the perfect place to sneak more vegetables into your families diet.  When shredded or diced you honestly have no idea it is there, visually.  But it adds so much extra flavor and nutrition to your meals.  Your kids will never ever know it is there.  If you don't have zucchini on hand you can totally skip it.  This is a nice dish to add or subtract ingredients with whatever you happen to have in your fridge.  But by all means, if you have it use it; grated or matchstick carrots, sliced or chopped mushrooms, grated zucchini, chopped bell peppers... etc.  I have done this dish with no veggies except onions and it turns out good too.  But we all prefer it with the extra veggies.  

Spaghetti and Meatball Pie
8 oz. dry spaghetti noodles (half a box)
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 well-beaten eggs
1 lb ground turkey or beef, divided (1/4 for meatballs and 3/4 for in the skillet sauce)
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup-1 cup shredded zucchini (optional)
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 (8-oz.) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (don’t drain) or 4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1 Tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (I prefer cottage cheese for this, but both work.  I use whatever I happen to have on hand)
1/2 cup Mozzarella or Moneterey Jack cheese, shredded

For the meatballs (makes about 4-6 meatballs)

the reserved 1/4 lb ground meat

8 ritz crackers, crushed (or 1/4 cup bread crumbs)

1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped

1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped

salt and fresh ground black pepper

combine all ingredients and roll into golfball-sized meatballs.  Brown on all sides and set aside.  

For the pie
Cook spaghetti noodles. Drain. Stir margarine into hot noodles until melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and eggs. Form pasta mixture into a crust shape in a buttered 9-inch pie plate.

In skillet, cook ground beef and onions, bell pepper and mushrooms until meat is browned. Drain. Add to meat mixture, tomatoes, zucchini, tomato paste, oregano and garlic. Heat through. Spread cottage cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust.

Top with tomato/meat mixture.  Cut the meatballs in half and arrange on top.

Sprinkle grated cheese over all.

Lightly cover pan with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes until cheese is lightly browned.  Cut into pie wedges and serve.

Special Note: You can also prepare this dish ahead of time and freeze for later.  If you want to go this route, you will cover your pie pan with foil right after assembly; label and freeze.  When you are ready to serve: Thaw. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes at 350 F. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes more until cheese is lightly browned.

Ground Meat Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I absolutely live for the overabundance of zucchini and yellow squash that come with the summer months. It may seem daunting at first, what to do with so many of these guys, many who are as long as your arm.   But for me, that is part of the fun; discovering new and exciting dishes to use them in.  Playing around in the kitchen tonight I put together this one, and we all loved it!

print this recipe

Ground Meat Stuffed Zucchini Boats
2 zucchini's or yellow squash, about 12 inches long (or 4 6-inch)
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup banana pepper or green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced (I used my mom's wonderful canned tomatoes, but fresh would also be great here)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh Basil
1 tsp minced fresh Thyme
1 tsp minced fresh Sweet Marjoram (you can also use Oregano if you are unable to find Sweet Marjoram)
¾ cup Sun-dried Tomato Feta Cheese, crumbled (you could also use Parmesan or Mozzarella)
½ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
20 wheat crackers, chopped (or a ½ cup bread crumbs)

Directions:
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving a shell about ¼-inch thick. I liked using a mellon baller to do the scooping and then a spoon to scrape it smooth.  Reserve about half of the insides.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the reserved zucchini insides to the skillet and sauté another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground meat and cook until lightly browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Drain of any excess fat.  Stir in the cooked onion and squash mixture. Add the tomatoes, basil thyme and sweet marjoram. Simmer for a few minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in the cracker crumb and set aside to cool a bit.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Once the meat mixture has cooled a bit, mix in the feta, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Fill the zucchini shells with the mixture.  Place the filled zucchini shells in the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove the zucchini from the pan and serve immediately.

Fridays, Feasting With Friends- Featuring Jessica Miller

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

~Laurie Colwin'Home Cooking'

Jessica Miller

Jessica and her husband Joel

This lovely lady is my sweet friend Jessica.  If her smile didn't give it away already, she is a ray of sunshine.  This girl knows the gifts that God has blessed her with and she comes alive with the joy that radiates from that type of knowledge.  She is the mother of two incredibly handsome little boys and married to the love of her life.   I am inspired by the creativity and honesty that she lets flow on her blog, The Miller Family.  This is a little snipit from one of her posts that stuck with me after reading it.  I find it truly demonstrates the beautiful example she is...

I think of the verse that I consider my lifetime motto:  If you refresh others, you yourself will be refreshed.  (prov 11:25) It's a contagious thing to value what we have.  It makes us realize our problems are so much smaller than our eyes can see in the moment.  It brings joy to a heart that is downtrodden...

So, look at your day...how many hours do you have left before your kids go to bed?  What things can you do together to make the 'simple things truly sacred'?

So let it be known Jessica, you are indeed a breath of fresh air.  You refresh me with each post, kind word, and offering of prayers.  Thank you for sharing such a special, private part of your life with the rest of us.   We are the lucky ones.   So for todays Fridays, Feasting with Friends I am blessed to introduce you to Jessica Miller.


What is your favorite thing to cook?I have fun with vegetarian cooking.  I sported the lifestyle for a good bit but it was difficult to maintain with my meat-adoring husband.  I began a love affair with vegetables that has yet to diminish.    


How about your least favorite thing to cook?  I am NOT a bacon fan.  I know I know....I'm probably the only one.  It's just not my thing.

What is your favorite local restaurant and what is one you are dying to try out?  I think our new fave right now is The Greenhouse Tavern because of its commitment to farm-to-table freshness.  The one I am looking forward to trying out would have to be L'Albatros Brasserie + Bar in Cleveland off Bellflower Road.  I have not begun to know much of Zack Bruell as a chef yet....and I am intrigued. 

Music and food go together so beautifully.  You are hosting a dinner party, what would be on your playlist?  Joel and I tend to go more classic so I guess the list would include: Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and Louie Armstrong

What would you choose to be your last meal on earth?  The lamb dish at Greenhouse Tavern.  ROCKED MY PLANET. Seriously. 

What are you currently reading?  Well, these days I am focusing in on my other artistic interest as a makeup artist.  I am working as an associate makeup artist for Kajal by Kimberly and my days are spent learning how to perfect the art of an Indian Wedding look.  So....lately Asian Vogue.  ;)  Gives me a hankering for Umami Chagrin Falls....

What is your favorite Kitchen Gadget?  I like my food processor/blender.  It just gets the job done.  I have a growing wish list.  Also a little fun fact about me....I have a fetish with specialty coffee makers.  If I could just lease coffeemakers and get a new one every 6 months, I would.   

Do you have a signature go-to dish?  Yes, my husband loves my lemon chicken piccata with capers...it's an easy one i can do in advance and slow cook for the most intense flavor. 

What is your favorite thing about the Cleveland area?  We're an unpretentious town that is used to being made fun of by outsiders...but is full of artists, chefs, athletes, and inventors.  My favorite part of Cleveland would have to be our best kept secret: The beautiful Cleveland Metroparks - aka "The Emerald Necklace" This vast spread of parks, recreational fun and beautiful trails could be continually explored for a lifetime.  While I enjoy a great night out to dinner....I would much prefer bringing my dinner outdoors while listening to the river. 

Do you have a favorite meal from your childhood and do you cook it today?  I grew up eating rich and delicious Puerto Rican food....my favorite dish was their roasted pork.  I have actually never made it myself but need to pay a visit to my Grandma soon so she can teach me!  

Top 3 Movies of all time?  Juno - Inglorious Basterds - Julie & Julia (Of course!) 

What was your happiest moment in life? Marrying my BFF & welcoming our sons into the world.  Jude London born 5.22.05 and Leland Ryan born 11.2.09 Our 7-year anniversary is coming up this Monday, May 24th. 

Where do you do your grocery shopping?  West Side Market for fresh produce and Trader Joes mostly.  It's just the best...and at such decent prices. 

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food?  I heart dessert.  It's intense the love I have for pastries and pies.  Coupled with vanilla bean ice cream, of course!  

Can you tell me about what you are most proud of?  I am proud of a vow I made to truly understand the chemistry of food this year.  I cook homemade much more often.  I am trying things....taking risks.  I am almost always pleased with what comes out.  

Do you have Culinary Resolutions that you would like to accomplish this year?  To continue to buy fresh and organic. 

One word that best describes you is:  

Joyful!

Turkey & Pork Meatballs

The combination of these two meats is such 

a lovely texture and I am ALL about texture. 

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground turkey
1/2 pound ground pork
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tablespoon of:
flour
minced onion
fresh flat-leaf parsley
minced oregano (fresh)
lemon zest
2 tablespoon white wine
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/2 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil...more as needed

1. In a large bowl stir all the above ingredients (minus the oil) form into meatballs about 3/4 inch in diameter.

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat until hot but not smoking and cook the meatballs, in batches, turning them as they cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack to drain.

I then throw these babies over some Orechiette Pasta with sauteed cauliflower and artichokes and pour over homemade pesto sauce!

It's a delicious and comforting meal and you will have TONS leftover...


Jessica, thank you so much for doing this interview for me!  I had a blast reading it and I can't wait to try out your meatball recipe.  These sound fantastic!  Looking forward to a zoo day soon!  

Fridays, Feasting With Friends- Featuring Dawn Minnick

One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

Laurie Colwin'Home Cooking'

Dawn and I at her 30th birthday party

For today's segment of Fridays, Feasting with Friends I am thrilled to introduce you to my sweet friend Dawn Minnick.  She was my very first friend when I transfered high schools way back in my my Sophomore year.  In a school that was relatively close-knit; everyone had pretty much gone to school together their whole lives.  I was very much an outsider for a little while there.  I was so very lucky to have Dawn sit by me in two back to back classes, and guess what- she talked to me!  She never was one to bow to pear pressure, care what others thought, and just did what she felt was right.  Her friendship helped give me a confidence that I so needed in order to be able to strive in school the way I did.  She took me under her wing, introduced me to all of her friends and after no time at all I finally felt at home in a new school.  I will never forget the kindness that she showed to me.

Dawn still has that wonderful easiness about her that makes everyone feel comfortable and like home.  She is nonjudgemental and ever so kind.  Even all grown up, she is still that same girl who cares about others feelings, but doesn't change how she feels because of them.  She stands by her convictions and deserves all that life can give her.  She has definitely works hard enough- that's for sure!  I am so proud of her accomplishments and I look forward to witnessing the new and exciting changes this future will hold for her.

So for today's segment of Fridays, Feasting with Friends I bring you Dawn Minnick.

Me, Bonnie and Dawn.  We have been a trio since, well, forever.

What is your favorite thing to cook?
Mexican. Its really the only thing I cook well.

How about your least favorite thing to cook?
I honestly don’t know, I'm really just starting to learn how to cook. Im sort of clueless in the kitchen. I guess I would have to say meat, other than ground beef. I always over cook it because Im scared I'll under cook it.

What is your favorite local restaurant and what is one you are dying to try out?
My favorite local restaurant is Mi Pueblo. An authentic Mexican place on the West side. Im dying to try Melt but everytime I go there is a three hour wait.

Music and food go together so beautifully. You are hosting a dinner party, what would be on your playlist?
I think that would depend on my mood, who is attending the party and what kind of food I'm making. I like a little bit of almost all music so its hard to tell what I'll be in the mood for at any given time.

What would you choose to be your last meal on earth?
Ooh, tough one. I think I would have to say either El Vaquero (Mexican restaurant in Columbus) or crab cakes

What are you currently reading?
Bruni’s Choice by Irwin Gelding

What is your favorite Kitchen Gadget?
My coffee grinder. I have a serious coffee addiction.

Do you have a signature go-to dish?
"7 Layer Goodness". Its always been a crowd pleaser. (see below for the recipe!)

What is your favorite thing about the Cleveland area?
Besides my friends and family? The Metropark system-hands down!

Do you have a favorite meal from your childhood and do you cook it today?
Its called SOS. (S*** on a shingle) It brings back great memories of my childhood particularly my Dad since he is the one that always made it for us. It’s a white sauce with chipped beef, served on toast. Yes, we are all aware it a little hillbilly.

Top 3 Movies of all time?
Little Women, Half Baked, and 101 Dalmatians

What was your happiest moment in life?
Pulling my grade up in Environmental Physics to a B, to be able to graduate with honors. I worked really hard all semester and had an D in the class before the final. Not getting that "B" would have meant losing my honors status for graduation.

Where do you do your grocery shopping?
Typically I do it at Walmart because it so inexpensive. I will get a lot of my groceries from local farmers markets during the summer/fall seasons.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
Chocolate. In all forms. Im a believer that there is no such thing as bad chocolate just varying degrees of good.

Can you tell me about what you are most proud of?
Putting myself through college and graduating Cum Laude.

Do you have Culinary Resolutions that you would like to accomplish this year?
To not be so afraid of the kitchen, learn how to cook and stop eating like a single lady. Even when Im not.

One word that best describes you is:

hopeful

“7 Layer Goodness”
1 can re-fried beans
1 package large tortillas
shredded cheese
salsa
1 pound of cooked “taco” seasoned meat of your choice

Spread refried bean on a tortilla.  Then apply a layer of your meat. Then sprinkle with a layer of cheese.  Place in your spring pan topping side up.  Repeat until you run out of an ingredient.   Place a clean tortilla on top so there are no toppings exposed.

Cook at 450 for 30 minutes.  Then spread salsa on top and cook for antoher 10-15 minutes or until salsa is no longer runny.

I usually serve tortilla chips and the leftover salsa as a side dish.


Dawn, thank you so much for doing this interview for me!  It was such fun to read!  Your recipe has my name written allllll over it. I am so making it this weekend.  It is like the perfect comfort food.  Yum!  I had SOS for the very first time just about a month ago or so and oh man, it is DELICIOUS!  I couldn't believe I had never had it before.  It is one of those foods that is definitely "retro" but has such a comforting flavor to it.  I love it!  

I am so thrilled that we do our monthly cooking night because that is a wonderful way to gain confidence in the kitchen.  No judgement amongst friends :)  Keep playing around with recipes and soon enough it will all become second nature.