It’s all gone. Gone from my diet.

No more chicken tikka masala, chicken-fried pork chops, Skyline chili. No more tuna salad sandwiches or beef empanadas or pepperoni. Gone. All gone.

My New Year’s resolution for 2008 – the only resolution I have ever in my life stuck to – was to quit meat. All meat. It’s a done deal.

I must say, I feel pretty darn good for having done so. Part of my ideology was health-related; the larger part, was my compassion for animals and my outrage at the way farmed animals are cruelly treated.

But this isn’t a soapbox. I’m not going to go into the finger-pointing politics of de-beaked chickens, slaughterhouse cruelty, or any of that. You can make up your mind on your own, if you like. No, I just want to talk about the actual living, feeling benefits of being meat-free.

I’ve lost 13 pounds since January. I sleep better, my skin is clearer, and I don’t get nightly stomachaches, headaches, or that nagging, throbbing, worrisome pain in my neck that I used to have.

I have more natural energy just from a plant-based diet – no more reliance on coffee or vitamin supplements or Red Bull (although I still indulge now and then, purely out of habit). Nothing gets you through the long afternoons like a carrot-kale smoothie or the prospect of a freshly made lentil curry waiting at home. No, really.

I have always loved veggies – well, most of them, anyway – so the transition was fairly flawless for me. Some folks look upon ‘going veggie’ as just another diet. It isn’t. Not a fad. If you’re truly committed, it’s a lifestyle change. A big lifestyle change – akin to having your mother in-law move into your apartment, or building a house from the ground up. It can be jarring, weird, and take getting used to. More than willpower. More like selling your meat-eating soul to St Francis of Assisi (patron saint of animals).

But the benefits far outweigh the inconveniences. Head to your local supermarket and you’ll find tons of ready-made items to suit your tastes. The venerable Boca burger – fabulous on the grill, fully dressed – is a freezer staple, as well that brand’s too-good-to-be-true “chicken” nuggets. Amy’s makes a decent vegetarian chili (although I prefer to make mine from scratch), and Tofutti has a passable “ice cream” sandwich for those with a sweet tooth. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, more items suited to get you set on your vegetarian journey.

The joy of rediscovering vegetables is another plus: have you forgotten just how good mashed turnips can be, how delicious grilled fresh asparagus is, and the delight of tucking into a baked acorn squash? These power-packed wonders are waiting for you at a farmers’ market, begging you see them in a new light.

If anything, I’ve become more creative in my cooking, more adventurous, more excited at conjuring new combinations (and substitutions), and finding new favorites. I’d encourage you, too, to give going veggie a try for a week – and see how much better you feel. Animals notwithstanding, you’ll be doing yourself a world of good.

Smoky Refried Bean Soup
(Note: I omitted the kernel corn, and instead added canned black-eyed peas.)

1 large onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
15 ounces fat-free refried beans
15 ounces black beans, cooked
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 - 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (to taste)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

Spray a large, non-stick pot with cooking spray, and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. Add the garlic and bell pepper and cook for one more minute. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook until the flavors blend, 20-30 minutes.

Serving suggestion: Garnish with fresh tomato salsa and serve with baked tortilla chips and a large salad.
From FatFreeVegan Fat Free Vegan(http://www.blog.fatfreevegan.com)

BLOGGER’S NOTE: I’ll still be blogging about famous and fabulous American food and the history behind it – even if I’ve given much of it up!

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Any contemporary food writer worth their seasoned salt knows the trendy thing to do is give shout-outs to the people, places, or things that made the year enjoyable or otherwise. My reminiscences of 2007 involve places privately owned as well as chains, and I hereby bestow the happier memories with Above The Fruited Plain’s stamp of approval called “The Fruities:”

Without further ado, the Fruities of 2007 go to:

Hook’s Sushi, St. Petersburg, where, on my birthday lunch, I had the most amazing laab gai and the freshest, tastiest spicy tuna sushi ever.

Limey’s Pub, St. Petersburg, for dishing out the most authentic fish and chips this side of Shaftesbury Avenue. I’ve been in real UK ‘chippies,’ and Limey’s is closest to the real deal that I have encountered locally. Props too, for having malt vinegar at the ready and Bass ale on tap.

Ratchada, St. Petersburg, and their ever-consistent and generous $6.95 Thai/Japanese/Chinese lunch special. A smart move on their part to rotate the soup of the day - every day.

Dairy Inn, St Petersburg, who, after all these years, still offers crunchy, hot tater tots, decadent shakes, and cheap hot dogs for those yearning for a nostalgic taste of simpler times.

Panera Bread, for their distinguished chicken Caesar salad, reminiscent of long-ago luncheons in department store tearooms.

Hiro’s Sushi Express Miami Beach, who tout ‘the best sushi in Miami.’ They aren’t far wrong.

Sweetbay Supermarkets, who have introduced Indian naan bread to the masses.

Playa Cafe, on Washington Avenue, South Beach, where $5 gets you a simple Cuban breakfast of cortaditos, empanadas, and guava pastelitos, and, if you desire, authentic, tasty Cuban sandwiches, available 24 hours a day.

Mazzaro’s Market, St. Petersburg. They say you can’t live by bread alone, but lock me in a dark closet with Mazzaro’s freshly-baked breads and rolls, coffee soda, ready-to-roll pizza dough, and awesome Italian rope sausage and I’d get along quite nicely, thank you.

Vitelli Foods, for producing rich, lush tomato products ("from the fields of Italy") unlike anything else found on supermarket shelves.

I’d like to wish readers a happy 2008 - and remember, eating well really is the best revenge!

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In 1948, a group of folks involved in the broiler-fryer poultry industry on the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia peninsula— that’s DelMarVa, to locals—organized the first DelMarVa Chicken Festival. The festival includes a variety of activities such as a parade, craft exhibition, trade show, and carnival.  One highlight is ‘Chicken Capers,’ a fun series of competitive games.

In 1950, Mumford Sheet Metal Works in Selbyville, Del., designed and manufactured what was at that time the world’s largest frying pan. After 38 years of use, cooking well over 100 tons of chicken, the original pan was retired and was replaced with a newer version which made its first appearance at the 40th Chicken Festival. Like the original pan, the new one measures 10 feet in diameter, holds 160 gallons of oil, and can cook 800 chicken quarters at one time.

Now a tradition on the Peninsula, the festival continues to generate widespread publicity on chicken and its homeland, the Eastern Shore.

Though the festival is typically held in June, these two recipes are more suited for our recent Florida “cool wave”: the first is a chowder perfect for nippy fall evenings; the other, a warming entree that embodies the flavors of autumn.

DelMarVa Chicken Corn Chowder

2 cups diced cooked chicken
3 strips bacon, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
3 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken stock, heated
2 cups peeled, diced potatoes
2 cups cream-style corn
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste

Preparation: 

In a large soup pot, place bacon and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Pour off excess fat. Add celery, onion, and carrot and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender. Stir in flour; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add stock, wisking and scraping sides of pan. Add chicken, potatoes, corn and poultry seasoning and cook about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Stir in cream; heat 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.


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Apple Curry Chicken

4 boneless , skinless chicken breast
1 1/2teaspoons curry powder, divided
1/4teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled,
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup mango chutney, chopped
1/3cup water

With meat mallet or similar utensil, pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness; sprinkle chicken with half of curry powder and salt. In nonstick frypan, place 2 teaspoons oil and heat to medium-high temperature. Add chicken and cook, turning, 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is brown and fork tender. Remove chicken to platter; keep warm. To same frypan, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat to medium-high temperature. Add apple and onion and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes or until apple and onion are almost tender. Stir in chutney, water, and remaining curry; heat to boiling and boil 1 minute to thicken slightly. Spoon over chicken. Serve with hot cooked couscous or rice. Serves 4.

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Nothing’s sweeter than not having to retire your $150 Burrell or tattered vintage Schmidt jersey to the closet in October, because that means playoff time, baby! Phils fans have a gastronomical advantage (if nothing else) over other teams battling out over divisional series because of the sheer variety of foodstuffs that seem to just pour out of north and eastern Pennsylvania.

Phillies fan food tables should be groaning with good-luck regional fare like cheesesteaks, pierogies, shoo-fly pie, Frank’s and A-Treat sodas, Tastykakes, and the endless conga line of crispy snacks: pretzels, potato chips, cheese curls and caramel corn. Adults are allowed to quaff exorbitant amounts of Yuengling and Straub beers (the former which has a brewery in Tampa; the latter impossible to find outside the PA-NY-NJ area).

Get your baseball party started with this recipe for the classic Philly steak ("wit") kindly shared by Frank Olivieri of Pat’s Steaks, Phila.

24oz thin-sliced rib eye or eye roll steak
6 tablespoons of Soya bean oil
Cheese (Frank recommends Cheez Whiz); American or Provolone works fine
4 crusty Italian Rolls
1 large Spanish onion
Optional: sweet green and red peppers sauted in oil
Mushrooms sauted in oil

Heat an iron skillet or a non-stick pan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan and saute the onions to desired doneness. Remove the onions, add the remaining oil and saut the slices of meat quickly on both sides. Melt the Cheez Whiz in a double boiler or in the microwave. Place 6 oz. of the meat into the rolls; add onions, and pour the Cheez Whiz over top.
Garnish with hot or fried sweet peppers, mushrooms, ketchup. Cue up Elton’s “Philadelphia Freedom,” sit back, and enjoy.

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PA ex-pats having a hard time finding the comfort foods of home? Head over to the Amish Country Store in Largo, where you won’t be disappointed by the selection of chips (Martin’s are my favorite: cooked in lard!), lunchmeats, cheese, condiments, cookies, candy, sauces, and on and on. There’s still time to grab some good-luck food, so hurry over!

Tips for enhancing your game-watching experience at home: Grab red plastic cups and tablecloths from the dollar store. Find an old Phillies helmet, line it with napkins, and dump about 5 boxes of Mike & Ikes into for a table-topping treat. Freeze Kandy-Kakes, but not cupcakes or Koffee Kakes. Keep it simple on yourself, and offer only provolone for your party cheesesteaks. Chat amongst yourselves which Harry Kalas homerun call is the best ever.

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Yep, it’s only September, but now is the time to begin fine-tuning your Thanksgiving feast. And what American turkey-table is often seen without that ever-popular bread-based filler?

In some parts of the USA, folks take their holiday turkey with dressing. That is, of course, if you’re in the South. But if you ask a Pennsylvanian what they want on the side of their bird, they’ll likely tell you “stuffing.” No matter what part of the country you’re in, there are as many ways to make stuffing/dressing as there are turkeys in a pen. Here are three unique and time-tried recipes for this delicious and very American side-dish. (And please, try to avoid preparing that popular, ready-made stuff in a box. It always tastes just like the box!)

Gay Carpenter, of Anderson, South Carolina, says: “Before her death at age 88, my Alabama mother taught me to make the “dressing” recipe passed to her by my grandmother. Now I’ll pass it on to fellow connoisseurs!”

Alabama Dressing
1 8x8 pan of cornbread
1 stack pack of Premium saltines crushed fine
3 stalks of celery/ 1 medium onion both chopped
3 eggs beaten
2 or 3 cans Sweet Sue chicken broth or broth from baked poultry
Salt/Pepper to taste

Cook celery/onion in chicken broth. Crumble cornbread in large container. Add crushed saltines eggs, broth, celery, onions. Mix well. Pour into well-greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Gay says, “As in most Southern recipes the measurements may need a little “tweaking”, but it is wonderful!”

Here is an old, old Texan stuffing recipe from Kelly Ehlinger: “This is stuffing the way my mother, granny, Jewell, and great-granny, and now myself make it....My granny told me that this is how her grandmother and great grandmother made it all the way back to when they were garrisoned at Fort Stockton, Texas after the Texas war for independence. Any additions or variations cause a tremendous outcry from the family. I made oyster-rice dressing once and was in fear for my life!”

Texas Independence Cornbread Stuffing
2 pans cornbread, 1 white, 1 yellow
Pan of day-old biscuits
Celery and onions softened just a little in some broth
Green onions
Salt
Pepper
Sage
Celery salt
Poultry seasoning
Chopped hard-boiled eggs

“Mush/mix it all together using chicken stock/broth until very moistened, and bake. Get busy making the giblet gravy.”

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This Amish recipe calls for an interesting ingredient: chopped, cooked chicken. You could probably use chopped turkey as well; but if you’re using this to stuff your bird, it might result in ‘turkey overload.’

Amish Stuffing
1 loaf bread, diced and toasted
4 eggs
1 med. onion, chopped
3 1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. thyme
3/4 c. diced cooked potatoes
2 c. cooked chicken
1/2 c. shredded cooked carrots
3 stems celery

Put eggs in bowl and beat. Add salt, pepper, sage and thyme. Mix. Add 2 cups milk, onion, celery, potatoes, diced chicken and carrots. Add bread crumbs and enough milk to moisten well. Substitute 1 cup chicken broth instead of milk for added flavor. Bake in well greased casserole at 350 degrees. Variation: add 2 cups cooked ham in place of chicken. Also add 1 large pepper, cut in narrow strips.

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New York has its Reuben, and Louisville has its Hot Brown. Unless you hail from Kentucky, you may not be familliar with this supremely delicious sandwich that combines sliced turkey, cheese, bacon, and a variety of other ingredients. It originated in the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Ky.

Below is the original Brown Hotel recipe, kindly supplied by the Louisville Courier-Journal’s recipe files; former Governor and First Lady Paul and Judi Patton’s version, which includes ham and hot sauce; and a version I devised using not turkey, but leftover meatloaf.

Louisville Hot Brown from the Brown Hotel

4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
8 slices toast, with the crusts cut off
Sliced cooked chicken or turkey breast
Crisp-fried bacon, crumbled
Mushroom slices, sauteed

Saute onion in butter until transparent; add flour and combine. Add milk, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Cook on medium heat until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add cheese and continue heating until they blend. Remove from heat.

Put one slice of toast in each of four oven-proof individual serving dishes. Top each piece of toast with slices of chicken or turkey. Cut remaining toast slices diagonally and place on sides of sandwiches. Ladle cheese sauce over sandwiches. Place sandwiches under broiler until sauce begins to bubble. Garnish with crumbled bacon and sauteed mushroom slices and serve immediately. Serves 4.

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Kentucky Governor’s Hot Brown
(Actually, from the former First Lady of Kentucky, Mrs. Judi Patton.)

1 stick butter
3 Tablespoons flour (regular)
2 cups milk
1 cup Colby cheese (grated)
1/2 box Parmesan cheese (grated)
Chicken or turkey
Country ham or baked ham
Bacon, fried to a crisp
Tomato slices
Paprika
Tabasco hot pepper sauce (5 dashes or more to taste)
2 egg yolks

In a 4-quart, heavy sauce pan, melt butter. Mix in flour until mixture is smooth. Add milk in small amounts at a time; cook until sauce is thick. Add Tabasco sauce and Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat.  Take out 1/2 cup sauce and add the two beaten egg yolks. Mix well and return to the remainder, stirring constantly. Add Colby and American cheeses. Remove from heat. Toast six slices of bread on both sides. Slice each piece in half and place on a heat-resistant plate. Layer with chicken or turkey, ham of your choice, sauce, tomato, and 2 slices of bacon. Top with paprika. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

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This is my quick and easy version that once upon a time, I thought was a Hot Brown until myr culinary records were set straight. Still, it makes a satisfying sandwich for a cold winter night and uses up leftover items nicely.

Above the Fruited Plain’s “Pseudo” Hot Brown With Meatloaf

Leftover meatloaf, thickly sliced
4 slices of thick, hearty bread
2 slices individual Velveeta cheese slices (not Velveeta in the brick)
1/2 cup good brown gravy

Heat the meatloaf slices either in the oven or microwave until hot. Place meatloaf slices between bread slices, top with Velveeta cheese and broil in oven until bread is slightly toasted and cheese is melted.  Serve the brown gravy as a side dip, or pour over sandwiches immediately before serving. Serves 2.

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As early as 1794, Congress provided for the daily subsistence of Navymen. Called the Navy Ration Law, this was the bill of fare, as prescribed by the government at the time:

Sunday—1 lb bread, 1-1/2 lb beef, 1/2 pt rice
Monday—1 lb bread, 1 lb pork, 1/2 pt peas, 4 oz cheese
Tuesday—1 lb bread, 1-1/2 lb beef, 1 lb potatoes or turnips and pudding
Wednesday—1 lb bread, 2 oz butter or, in lieu thereof, 6 oz molasses, 4 oz cheese and 1/2 pt rice
Thursday—1 lb bread, 1 lb pork, 1/2 pint peas, 1/2 pt peas or beans
Friday—1 lb bread, 1 lb salt fish, 2 oz butter or 1 gill oil and 1 lb potatoes
Saturday—1 lb bread, 1 lb pork, 1/2 pint peas or beans, 4 oz cheese

Here are two recipes we devised—and modernized—using some of the basic ingredients in the rations, which should have you eating much better than those brave seamen of yore. Thanks to the U.S. Navy Seabees for their inspiration for these recipes! We’ll focus more on military-inspired cooking in coming months.

Beef & Rice Casserole uses Sunday’s basic ingredients and adds a little duo of soups to round out the flavor. Serve the casserole with a hot crusty loaf of bread or some croissants.

Beef and Rice Casserole

3 oz ground beef;
1/4 c water
1 tb onion; chopped
1/2 c uncooked rice
1 tb celery; chopped
1/4 c condensed cream of mushroom soup
3/4 c condensed chicken gumbo soup

Combine ground beef, onion, and celery with a small amount of water in a saucepan. Boil until all moisture is absorbed. Mix beef mixture, rice, and mushroom soup; pour into a small greased casserole dish. Add salt and pepper. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.  Serves one.

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This recipe for Pork Cutlet Sandwich with a side of Pinto Beans & Cheese uses most of the rationed ingredients from the sailors’ Saturday menu. You will agree that it smacks more of filling diner-like fare than colonial high-seas food.

4 slices pork sirloin - 1/2 - 3/4 lb. each (about 1 inch thick)
1 egg - beaten 
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup flour
Peanut or canola oil for deep frying
Spicy mustard
Rolls
4 tomato slices

Tenderize the meat and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Coat the meat with flour and shake off the excess. Dip the meat into the egg, then the bread crumbs on a platter. Chill the meat in the freezer for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Deep-fry (350F) until each side is light to medium golden brown. Serve on toasted Kaiser rolls with spicy mustard a tomato slice.

For the beans: Combine pinto beans with white American cheese slices. Microwave just until beans heat up and cheese melts, about 1-2 minutes, Serve hot as a side with the sandwich.

Footnote: In 1794, Congress as well provided that “there shall also be allowed one-half pint of distilled spirits per day or, in lieu thereof, one quart of beer per day, to each ration.” You are welcome to omit the booze and serve iced tea with this sandwich, instead.

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Jane Linton is a multi-faceted Atlantan who loves the football Falcons and cooking, but not quite in that order, and she’s proud of her roots in the Peach State. Jane runs a Web Site called Southern Delights, and wrote to me recently, admitting that “you got me to thinking about my typical American meal choice, and that is a tough question! I guess that question can involve many things, like, regional, ethnic background, even religion,” Jane says. “Take for instance, here in the South, we would have to include cornbread, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, iced sweet tea with our favorite meals. There comes a time when you just crave fried chicken and gravy. All of us, I’m sure, try to watch our fat grams but just occasionally we fall from grace to indulge in something as good as fried chicken. “

Jane was kind enough to share her own Georgia-fied recipes.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (2 1/2 -to- 3-pound) broiler-fryer, cut up
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

Combine buttermilk, salt, and pepper; stir well. Skin chicken if desired. Place chicken a shallow container, and pour mixture over top. Cover and let stand 20 minutes, turning once. Remove chicken.
Dredge chicken in flour, coating well. Cook in hot oil (350 degrees) until browned, turning to brown both sides. Reduce heat to 275 degrees; cover and cook 25 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Jane says Vidalia onions—native only to Vidalia, Ga., are the best in the country. She’s right. These unique onions impart a sweetness that adds an impeccably delicious flavor to any dish calling for onions. As a substitute to the usual mashed potatoes, we’ve included Jane’s Vidalia Onion Souffle as a side to the buttermilk fried chicken. Can you hear Ray Charles singing yet?

Baked Vidalia Onion Souffle

1 pound Vidalia sweet onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet, saute onions in butter until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine cooked onions, soup, flour, eggs, and cheese. Mix well. Pour into an 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes, until brown and bubbly. Serve with French bread rounds or crackers.

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Dad and an old college friend meet for breakfast or brunch about once monthly. Dad’s pal Wes chooses the eatery, and Dad drives. Last week, Wes decided upon a very popular dining establishment in St. Pete Beach where they could chat about the present and past over a late breakfast-brunch. 

Breakfast, which is purportedly the most important meal of the day, almost killed my dad. Well, not literally. But he said that hands down, this was the Worst Breakfast Ever in his 73 years. 

According to Dad, this much-lauded restaurant, famous for its breakfast menu, makes the Fawlty Towers chef look like Gordon Ramsay. My poor dad suffered through a basic meal that even a six year-old could prepare correctly.

In Dad’s words:

“The bacon was so overdone and crispy, I took one bite and the other half went flying across the table.

My English muffin was so hard it literally crumbled in my hand. They didn’t even have orange marmalade available to glue it together.

The eggs over-easy were not easy at all. They were rubbery, and the yolks were cooked through with a tinge of green.

There was some kind of vegetation on my plate.  It wasn’t lettuce, or parsley; just some kind of...green decorative plant. The orange slice looked harmless enough, so I’ll give it credit.

The hash browns were simply sliced red potatoes left in the pan too long to blacken and turn crunchy.

I asked for orange juice. They had none. (Here we are the middle of Florida!)

When my coffee was refilled, I thought I would wait a few minutes for it to cool off. Guess what? Three minutes later, I took one sip and it was ice cold! She served me pre-cooled coffee!”

During this gastronomic train-wreck, Wes, while pontificating on the breakdown of the electoral college system, gobbles the exact same breakfast platter, murmuring between bites how yummy it is. Either Wes’s taste buds were held hostage, or my dad’s comical repast was carefully plotted beforehand by a band of sadistic chefs.

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Rumor has it that pedestrian ‘egg-on-toast’ breakfasts are passe. The hearty ‘full English breakfast’s demise has been widely reported throughout Europe, yet the filling fry-up seems to be gaining ground here in the States (especially for ex-pat Brits and anyone who likes three or more kinds of meat in the morning). 

Now this place serves a mean, yet classy ‘fast (below). Big, warm plates, abundant and exotic fruit juices, and omelets to die for. 

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Tasty meatloaf enhances the quality of life! Pat Feibicke of East Quogue, New York, is considered an expert, of sorts, on the ‘fine art’ of meatloaf. Currently a schoolteacher on Long Island, she has also worked as a line cook and food prep specialist. Her real love is meatloaf, as indicated by her Web site, The Meatloaf Pages. I’m going to sit back and let Pat explain what makes meatloaf so special, so American:

“Meatloaf has traditionally been looked at as ‘poor man’s food.’ There have been attempts to elevate this meal to a more elegant form.  It can take on a new shape and become more modern. Meatloaf has also traditionally been ‘comfort’ food. Meatloaf sits warm and full after a hard day’s work,” Pat says. “Some consider it to be hubby’s dinnertime favorite, as well as other popular American analogies. I would choose my Little Neck Parkway Meatloaf. It quintessentially asks the average local citizen to save up their meat scraps, grind them up (deli-style) and make a tasty meatloaf meal out of it, as cheaply as possible. We find this conglomerate meatloaf at delicatessens all over, from state to state, served up at lunchtime as a rectangular portion smothered in beef gravy. Mashed potatoes on the side is always a plus.”

Little Neck is located in the borough of Queens, ten minutes from Manhattan.

Little Neck Parkway Deli-Style Meatloaf with Gravy

1 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground turkey roll or breast (easy to grind cold cuts in a small processor)
1/4 lb ground chicken roll or breast
1/4 lb ground bologna
1/2 lb ground roast beef
4 Steak-umms thin sheets - optional ingredient
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
5 tb milk
2 eggs
3/4 tb Maggi or Bovril beef flavoring
3/4 cup minced onion (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Put the mixture into a meatloaf pan and cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove foil. Let the meatloaf sit for 10 minutes before slicing and slathering over with lots of your favorite beef gravy. Serves 6-8.

Quick beef gravy: 2 TB Maggi and 2 TB Wondra to 1 cup of water. Heat and stir until thickened. Add black pepper to taste.

Says Pat: “My meatloaf ingredients might be expensive for some culinarians. I bought these 4 deli meats on sale:”

1/4 lb of each:

German Bologna
Sliced Turkey Breast cold cuts (should be turkey roll)
Sliced Chicken Breast cold cuts (my deli didn’t have chicken roll)
Sliced roast beef
Optional: 4 Steak-Umms

“One pound of hamburger meat is about $2.69.  You’re up to about $13.00 (worth of meat) right there,” Pat says. “This is why it is important to seek out cold cut “ends” if your deli guy will oblige you; or save up your own scraps as you go along.”

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What could be more comforting—and more American—than the good-old grilled cheese sandwich? For nearly a century, grilled cheese has been a mainstay of schoolchildren and those in need of an ooey, gooey haven in which to disappear. Often teamed up with a bowl of tomato soup, the grilled cheese has been elevated to a spot near the top of the comfort food chart.

Yet grilled cheese has also suffered disrespect from those in the gourmet community. Too mushy. Greasy. Too fattening. Flaccid bread, and flavorless cheese. And oh, if you cook it wrong, if you don’t have the timing involved, it becomes a charred, ruined mess at the bottom of your skillet.

True, a perfectly turned-out grilled cheese sandwich requires a quick wrist and savvy timing in order to coincide perfectly melted-all-the-way-through cheese, and golden, not black, toast. But recently, grilled cheese has grown up. It’s shunned the need for its tomato soup sidekick and emboldened itself.

The Woodstock Farmers’ Market in Vermont offers a version of grilled cheese that has been hailed by some as the as the best grilled cheese sandwich in New England.

Called the “Quechee Gorge,” it is comprised of fresh ingredients found at the market, which combines a store and restaurant. Here are the ingredients for assembling this amazing three-cheese sandwich, named for the river gorge located 10 miles east of Woodstock.

Quechee Gorge Grilled Cheese

2 slices parrano cheese
2 slices Italian provolone
2 slices Vermont cheddar, or any sharp cheddar
1 Tb. coarse grain mustard (preferably with honey)
2 slices hothouse tomatoes (room temperature)
2 slices focaccia
3 Tb. butter (not margarine)

Preparation: 
Assemble sandwich first by spreading both slices of focaccia with the mustard. Place one slice of tomato on the inside of the bread slice. Place cheese slices on bread, alternating between kinds of cheese, finishing up with last slice of tomato. Top with remaining focaccia slice.

Heat a skillet, preferably cast iron, and add butter. Do not let butter burn. Maintain steady heat and make sure skillet is properly coated with melted butter.  Place sandwich in pan, and press down with spatula to fry bread. Keep the skillet hot but not at burning point. Continue to apply pressure with spatula until bottom layers of cheese begin to melt. Flip sandwich over and repeat until all cheese has melted. Be sure to not let focaccia burn, but make sure it has a nice, golden toastiness. Serve immediately.

“Our kitchen staff takes loving care of that sandwich, “ Woodstock Market proprietor Patrick Crowl says. “The secret is enough time on the grill—and plenty of butter.”

For those in search of a more traditional version of the good-old American grilled cheese, Pickle Packers International in Washington, D.C. shared a recipe that doesn’t stray far from the familiar—yet it includes their condiment of choice: pickles. They recommend cutting the sandwiches into triangles to up the “fun” factor.

Dilled Grilled Cheese Sandwich

8 slices whole wheat bread
8 slices low-fat American cheese product
12 sliced-lengthwise sandwich pickles

Preparation:
Using four slices of bread, layer each with a slice of cheese, three long pickle slices, and another slice of cheese. Top each with remaining bread slices. Cook over medium heat in non-stick skillet or griddle 1 to 2 minutes until bread is toasted on both sides and cheese is melted. Serves 4.

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