Just Good Food!

I love food; I love to eat; I love to cook--and I love the smells of food cooking, the smells that remind me of times past, or the new smells that cause me to want to try a new recipe. Most of my time in the kitchen is spent creating dishes that are familiar, down-home, maybe simple but warm and pleasing to the tummy (I hope, and my family testifies). I do like to try new recipes, though, and tweak them just enough to make them my own. Sometimes it works and sometimes not, but I'm always open to learning! One dish I cook that never seems to change, though, is my meatloaf and potato salad. My family likes it this way and so do I, so this is the way I make it. Just simple, good food!

I use ground chuck, that's all, for the meatloaf, and add chopped onion and celery. I also mix in an egg, white bread soaked in a little milk, black cracked pepper, salt, thyme, a little ketchup, and sometimes parsley. I brush on a topping made from tomato sauce, brown sugar and Dijon mustard and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for sometime, depending on your oven and size of the loaf.
Mmmmmm... smell it cooking?

My potato salad is just as easy. I boil russet potatoes, preferably in their skins, then peel and dice. I add chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced onion, and diced Claussen dill pickles--it has to be Claussen! Then I toss the salad with a little apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper. After the salad has been in the fridge for awhile, I take it out and add mayonnaise (I use Best Foods), a little yellow mustard and more fresh cracked black pepper. That's all! And it's really good! Oh, and I sprinkle a little paprika on top.