Question for Mom

Why does ground beef sometimes shrink more than ground turkey when you cook it?  ---Hannah B.

Ground beef often has more fat.  In fact, some ground beef can contain as much as 30% fat.  Fat melts during the cooking process, so not surprisingly your burgers become smaller.  Ground turkey does have some fat, and if it’s made from dark meat the fat content can approach that of ground beef.  Be sure to read the label.  I prefer the 7% fat ground turkey.

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Meatloaf with a Twist

 

I grew up hating meatloaf. Whenever my mother would proudly announce she had made a meatloaf, I cringed. What she really meant was she put some ground beef and seasoning in a casserole and baked it. When it was done, she set it on the table, and my brother and I got to watch all the fat from the beef floating in the casserole. Had I known more about cooking then, I would have recommended that she transfer the cooked meatloaf to a clean serving plate, leaving the fat behind.

Calling All Cherry Tomato Fans!

 

Cherry tomatoes are a perfect antidote to cold weather.  They make you think of summer—a memory I can use right now since we just had a hail storm in normally sunny California.

If you are lucky enough to find a box of cherry tomatoes in the produce department, here are 5 things you can do with them today:

Having a Bad Day? Try This Chocolate Brownie Recipe!

 

Chocolate has always been my comfort food, so I guess it’s not surprising that when things aren’t going well I head for the chocolate chips.  Long ago I learned to stock up on the two-pound bags, not the dinky 12-ounce bags most stores sell.

Revisiting an Unliked Vegetable

I like bargains, so when I saw a 1-pound package of fresh okra on sale for 99 cents, I immediately bought it.  I didn’t begin salivating because a few minutes later I remembered that I wasn’t very fond of okra.

Mom Cooking Tip 179

 

Can you help?  I made a stand-alone stuffing in a casserole dish instead of inside the turkey at Thanksgiving, and the stuffing turned out mushy.  I want to try again during the Christmas holidays, but this time I'd like the stuffing to be crisp.  What do you suggest? --Ellen S.

I can offer two thoughts.  

1) When you are baking the stuffing in the casserole dish, remove the lid or aluminum foil covering the stuffing about 20 minutes before it's fully cooked.  This will allow the steam to escape and the stuffing to crisp up.

2) If you are cooking onions and celery to combine with the stuffing before baking, add the dry stuffing to the vegetable mixture before adding any broth or water.  Gently stir.  This way only a small amount of stuffing will be inundated with liquid, and the rest will have a chance to crisp up.  For extra flavor, dot the top layer of stuffing with a few spoonfuls of butter before baking.

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Potatoes Are Not All the Same

I grew up eating Idaho potatoes (aka russet potatoes) and loving them, whether they be mashed, baked or fried.  Only later when I began to do my own shopping did I notice other potatoes on sale that were red, white and yellow.  I especially liked the yellow potatoes, known as Yukon Gold.  They make excellent baked potatoes as well as French fries and mashed.