Welcome back!  Today, we have a dish that actually has a very long history. People have been eating minced meat in a loaf form since as early as the 5th century! Areas all around the world have different variations of this food, but the "classic meatloaf" that we see nowadays is American with German roots, as meatloaf was a traditional German/Scandinavian dish. It can also be eaten hot or not, though we always eat it hot since it tends to fit better with the rest of the meal. Meatloaf Makes 4 servings Ingredients: Meatloaf 1 pound ground beef 1 egg 1/2 medium onion, chopped 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/3 cup milk 2 tablespoon chopped parsley 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper to taste Sauce: 1/4 cup ketchup 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Directions: Saute the onions a little. This is optional but it'll taste better! Put all the meatloaf ingredients in a bowl. Mix i...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a delicious, sweet cherry jam that's great for bread, yogurt, or whatever you want! This is basically a recipe to make any sort of jam, just that the proportions change depending on what you're making. There's actually an interesting distinction between jelly, jam, and preserves. Jelly is when the mixture uses fruit juice rather than fruit. Jam consists of fruit pulp or crushed fruit. Preserves are chunks of fruit in a syrup, like marmalade. As a result, this "jam" is more like preserves since we're using chunks of fruit, but that's all just technical stuff. I say it's jam though! Cherry Jam Makes 3 10-ounces jars Ingredients: 1200 grams cherries, pitted and halved/quartered (depending on how chunky you like it) 300 grams sugar Lemon juice from 1 lemon Directions: In a Dutch oven, put all the cherries and sugar in and cook on medium-high heat until boiling. Once boiling, turn it on low heat. Simmer for at least 30 minutes ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have kind of a follow up on the Chicken Piccata . This is a side dish consisting pretty much of just vegetables that we served alongside the chicken, and I'm sure it would go well with other things, including meats or bases like rice. Although it's called a stew, it's more like ratatouille (which comes in more than just the circular variety ) in that the ingredients are softened. With the help of the potato and the whipping cream, it's creamy and smooth too. Creamy Veggie Stew Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 1/4 onion 1 small zucchini 1/4 each of red and yellow sweet bell pepper 1 carrot 1 medium potato 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup whipping cream Salt and pepper to taste Directions: Chop everything up! Everything should be diced into relatively equal size. After chopping them up, steam the carrot and potato a little bit and put it aside. This makes later steps a little easier. Put a little bit of olive oil in a pan. Saute the onion in the pan for...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for a classic Italian dish: Chicken Piccata. This dish is actually traditionally prepared with veal in Italy, but it's more commonly seen as chicken in the US. It really is the sauce that makes this dish unique, with an interesting combination of lemon and capers, though it should not be confused with pollo al limone , which is when you take a whole chicken and roast it with lemon juice among various other ingredients. It's also just the Italian term for a lemon-y variation of orange chicken, which is very not Italian. Chicken Piccata Makes 4 servings Ingredients: Chicken: 2 chicken breasts 1/4 cup flour Salt and pepper to taste Paprika Sauce: 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup white wine 1/2 cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon capers Juice from 1/2 lemon Fresh parsley, chopped / 1 teaspoon dry parsley Directions: Prepare the chicken: Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally so that there are two thin pieces. Pound the chicken with the flat side ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a Louisianian classic: gumbo! Gumbo is an interesting amalgamation of cultures: European, African, and Native American. A key feature of this dish is the okra, which comes Africa, as well as the roux, which is French. It also has a "Holy Trinity" of vegetables, which is commonly used in Cajun recipes, and consists of celery, onion, and bell pepper. Gumbo is often served with rice, and honestly, I have never seen it eaten with anything else. Gumbo Makes about 6 servings Ingredients: Roux: 1/3 cup oil or butter 1/2 cup flour Vegetables: 1/2 onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 cup tomatoes, chopped 1 pound okra, cut Soup and spices: 2 tablespoons tomato paste 3 to 4 cups broth 2 bay leaves 2 teaspoon cajun creole seasoning 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon gumbo file powder 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon worcestshire sauce 1 teaspoon chili pepper Meat: 1 link (about 12 ounces) andouille sausage, cut 1/2 po...

Welcome back to Chez Chefpo!  Today, we have a delicious treat that combines two wonderful desserts into one! If you like brownies and cheesecake, you're going to like this too, as the two flavors really balance and complement each other. It also goes well with some fresh fruit and is a good final course of a meal. (In fact, you got a sneak peek at it in our Pasta Salad recipe!) Brownie Cheesecake Makes a 9" round pan Ingredients: Brownie: 6 ounces dark chocolate 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar 6 tablespoons sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 75 grams cake flour 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 1 teaspoon espresso powder 1/2 teaspoon salt Chocolate chips (optional) Cheesecake: 8 ounces ricotta cheese 8 ounces cream cheese 4 ounces plain greek yogurt 2 eggs 50 grams sugar 1/4 cups dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, blueberries) soaked in rum/brandy/Grand Marnier Lemon zest (optional) In place of the ricotta cheese, you could use another 8 ounces of c...

Welcome back!  Today, I (Li'l Chefpo) got a message from Chefpo Jr. reminding me about the great spicy, crunchy burrito that we had a while back. As I recall, it was devised from a recipe from Tasty , but from that, we made a few adjustments. But don't let me tell you, here's the message: "Hey Li'l Chefpo! Do you remember that spicy (in all ways) burrito that I made? Pretty good, right? Well, I heard you were making this blog so I tried my hand at a recipe! It's like that Tasty one, but they used steak instead of the ground meat that I had, they used Cheetos instead of these rolled tortilla chips, which are pretty much Takis, and I made my own queso that maybe wasn't the best, but it was still good!  Spicy Crunch Burrito Makes 4 servings Ingredients: Burrito Meat: 1/2 pound ground beef 3/4 tablespoon chili powder/cayenne 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 2 tablespoons tomato paste Salt to tast...

Welcome back!  Following up on the couscous , we have catfish, since every time we made couscous, we also made catfish! It's a good pairing because they're both light and the flavors are nice and subtle. If you look back at the couscous recipe, the last catfish is the type that's we're making today. All you need is some catfish and some spices and herbs! Oven Baked Herb Catfish Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 4 pieces of catfish Garlic powder Paprika Salt and pepper Fresh parsley, finely chopped Thyme Oregano Juice from half a lemon Directions: Spray oil on a pan. Put the catfish on the pan and sprinkle the herbs, spices, and lemon juice on top. Spray some more oil on top of the catfish. Bake in the oven at 375° for 15 minutes. The ingredients didn't have measurements today because it's really all to taste. You could add a little or a lot depending on what you like. Just be reasonable and the result will taste great! In this one, we added some basil to give it som...

Welcome back to Chez Chefpo!  Today we have a recipe that hails from a different part of the world: couscous! Couscous itself originated from North Africa, specifically the Maghreb region, and spread to Europe through immigrants to France. It is traditionally served with vegetables and/or beans, so it makes for a good vegetarian dish or as a base for some meat like chicken or fish. Couscous Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 1 cup pearl couscous 1 tablespoon oil 1 1/2 cup water or broth Various vegetables: onion, zucchini, squash, spinach, etc. Directions: In a pan, saute the couscous along with the oil on medium heat until light brown, or about 5 minutes. Add the water/broth, put it on low heat, and cover (for about 12 minutes), stirring occasionally until the liquid is absorbed by the couscous. Saute some vegetables to go along with the couscous, and mix it together. We served this dish with some Seasoned Catfish , and altogether, it makes for a nice, light meal. With some herb coated...

Welcome back!  Today we got a fun little recipe that's pretty easy to make: Swedish Meatballs! This recipe was actually published by IKEA, who is famous for their assembly instructions and Swedish culture. However, this is pretty much how you make any type of meatball; the special part is in the sauce. They go great with some potatoes and fresh vegetables, or you can mix it in with some pasta! Swedish Meatballs Makes 20-30 meatballs depending on size Ingredients: Meatballs: 500 grams minced beef 250 grams minced pork 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 100 grams breadcrumbs 1 egg 5 tablespoons milk Salt and pepper to taste Sauce: 40 grams butter 40 grams all purpose flour 150 mL vegetable stock 150 mL beef stock 150 mL thick double cream 2 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Directions: Saute the onion and garlic in a pan. This is optional but gives it a better smell. In another bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the meatballs. Make sure it is incorporated eve...

Welcome back to Chez Chefpo!  Today, we have a wonderful pasta salad. This works great chilled or not, and accompanies nicely with stronger flavors. This recipe was actually supposed to be a replication of La Madeleine's Pasta Salad, but after making it several times, we felt that it has deviated enough from it since it really doesn't taste quite the same. However, it's still got the same idea: a simple, light dish that can stand on its own or be with a friend. Pasta Salad Makes 4 servings Ingredients: 8 ounces pasta (preferably bowties) 4 tablespoons pesto 2 tablespoons Caesar dressing 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1/4 to 1/2 cup green onion, parsley, or spinach, chopped 1/4 cup (or about 1 ounce) olives, chopped Directions: Cook the pasta. Mix all the ingredients and combine with the pasta. Chill and serve. It's pretty easy, and you can make a lot of it at once. It also works with anything...

Welcome back to Chez Chefpo!  Today, we have a recipe for Italian Stuffed Shells! Fun fact, the Italian name for this is conchiglie (The Italian word for shell is conchiglia , so that's just the plural form of shell). However, I feel like I've never seen it written like that.  This recipe is a little bit different from a normal stuffed shells recipe because the traditional dish uses just the cheese mixture in the middle while ours uses half of that type of mixture and the other half is a bolognese sauce. But don't worry, there's still plenty of cheese for this is topped with cheese and then some! Stuffed Shells Makes about 4 servings Ingredients: Ricotta Sauce: 16 ounces ricotta cheese 1 egg 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese (optional) Salt to taste Bolognese Sauce: 1 pound ground beef 1/2 medium onion 2 cloves garlic 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste 1 can tomato sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon herbs (itali...