When Inspiration Strikes....

...then you simply must answer the call.

I love Saturdays. Why Saturdays? I mean, every day is a weekend around here right? Josh is gone studying everyday of the week, so why that one day? Because that is my day to watch TV. The rest of the week I am subject to Curious George, The Cat in the Hat, Sponge Bob, and some crazy cartoon in Spanish involving a talking fish and a dancing ball (truly I have no idea what is going on since it's in Spanish, but the kids love that show).  Six days a week, I don't mind, really.

But on Saturdays, I hijack the TV and it stays parked on Food Network...all...day...long! I love it! It inspires me to make delicious food and pretend that I too, could be the next Food Network Star. Ok, not really, we all know that won't happen.

Of course my love of cooking may be fairly obvious: my dad was a chef when I was little. So the love of cooking runs in the family. I remember growing up watching PBS on the weekends enjoying such legends as Jacques Pepin. We also watched a lot of golf, but that's another story.

Luckily, I found Josh who also has a love of cooking. In fact, I remember the first meal he made me: Captain Crunch chicken with rice and a lovely sweet orange sauce. I was oh so impressed! And a bit relieved. I know there are men out there who cannot even hard boil an egg, so I got lucky. Josh and I have our favorite cooking shows too. Good Eats with Alton Brown is up there at the top, and I love The Pioneer Woman, Sandwich King, and Trisha Yearwood. I am warming up to Paula Dean, but I just can't add that much butter...no I can't...truly no one should. We both enjoy watching Chopped too. I find it very stressful, but I am impressed that someone could take the most random ingredients and make them taste good. "Here are some fish heads and cookie dough...good luck!" 

Anyway, last Saturday I felt inspired. I had some potatoes and okra so I knew what I wanted to do with sides, but needed a main dish. I had ground turkey, so meatloaf it is! The kids love my meatloaf because it's more like a giant meatball and I don't make it very thick.

I do have some staples of my own and fun things I've found here that I love.

 Any lettuce that travels here has a long journey and typically comes wilted and brown. Plus it's expensive, so I love the local lettuce. It's fluffy and gorgeous so much cheaper.

I hear that people have found frogs inside their lettuce so you have to wash it...ha ha...really? I want to see that sometime. I have not found any amphibians in my salad as of yet, but I'll let you know if I do.

 We have a starfruit tree in our front yard and right now they are plentiful. Analeigh loves them because when you are 3, any fruit shaped like a star is supposed to be eaten. Not sweet enough for you? Sprinkle with sugar or Splenda.

The mango is back in season!! Yum!! Usually I can get a bag of them at the farmer's market for $5 EC = $2 US and their are 5 - 7 in a bag. Great for smoothies.

 Local okra has become a favorite of ours. They need to be washed whole in the morning and let sit out to dry for a few hours. Then around lunchtime, cut them into about 1/2 inch slices and let dry until you are ready to cook. This process gets rid of the slime. Sautee some onions in olive oil and add the okra. Let cook for 20- 25 minutes until golden brown. The kids love them.

Here is my new handy dandy nutmeg grater. It's so cute because you can store the nutmeg inside it. Grenada is the Isle of Spice and nutmeg is grown here. A lot of the trees suffered and were destroyed during hurricane Ivan, but they are starting to come back. It will be another 4 or 5 years before production gets back to normal. However, I got a lifetime supply of nutmeg nuts for $5 EC or $2 US. There is nothing better than fresh nutmeg!

 Had to bring some spices from the US. The cinnamon in that jar is actually fresh ground Grenadian cinnamon. You cannot beat that either!

 Some of Grenada's goodies: ground ginger, cinnamon bark, and bay leaves. You can buy whole fresh ginger on any street corner, literally. I have a bunch that I plan to make candied ginger with. I get a giant bag of bay leaves for $2 EC or less than $1 US. I use them to keep the roaches away..and it works. I sewed small bags, filled them with bay leaves, sewed it closed and smashed the bags to crumble the leaves. Then I placed them around the house. No more cockroaches! It's great because I don't have to worry about Noelle getting a hold of them either (the bags or the roaches). And these suckers are huge and I hear they fly...super fun...

 Another item I was inspired to make: cupcakes. These are angel food cupcakes with a coconut frosting. The frosting is butter (just a little, I didn't say I hate the stuff), brown sugar, coconut, vanilla, and sugar. I will be making them again. You know what would make that combo better? Perhaps some cream cheese....cheese of the Gods....the best food to come in a box....ok, sorry, I'm drooling. I do have a love affair with cream cheese....apparently.

a token from home

Here's dinner. I sliced the potatoes and layered them with cheese and Hawaiian Haystack sauce. You can find the link HERE. I had some left over in the frig and the sauce is amazing! I cooked it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes were soft. You may need more time depending on how thick your slices are.

My Amazing Meatloaf Recipe:
 
1 lb ground beef, chicken, turkey, whatever
1 small onion, chopped
1 small can of tomato sauce

You have to have a good meatloaf pan. This one is my favorite because it makes all of those tasty bits on the sides and I can't get enough of those. That's the best part of the meatloaf. If you use a bread pan, you miss out on tasty bits and your meatloaf just sits in fat....not tasty. 

1 egg
about 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, may need to add more if too soupy
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (or a little oregano, basil, thyme mixed together; whatever you have on hand will work)
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder to taste

Put all ingredients together and combine with fingers. Add more breadcrumbs if it feels too loose and add more seasoning if you feel like it. I honestly made this up from bits and pieces so I just throw stuff together for this and it turns out great every time. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Oh and I have to add a sauce on top. It is not the same without the sauce. For the sauce: 1/2 cup ketchup, a few shakes Worcestershire, a few shakes Soy sauce. I know I'm getting technical, but I seriously just threw this together. Add more or less of what you want until it tastes good to you. Be adventurous! Anyhow, put the sauce on top towards the beginning of the cooking time. If you get distracted and have to change a diaper or start laundry  don't worry. The meatloaf is quite forgiving.

A better look at those potatos. Those are chunks of chicken left over from the Hawaiian Haystack sauce I found in the freezer.

So that is my typical Saturday. I love cooking on the weekends and so does Josh. When he was off for Christmas he cooked almost every day. (I know, I'm lucky. ) Now, don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but I hated cooking on week nights when I was working full time. Who wants come home after a long day and cook? That is hard and I do not enjoy that nearly as much. Yeah, I'm normal after all.

Need some inspiration of your own? Check out Food Network....and get to work!

Bon Appetit!

Tarryn