Comfort Food

Today while walking my dog Shadow I passed a lilac bush in the yard of a neighbor. It's in full bloom and as I stopped to smell the lovely fragrance I was reminded of my grandmother. She had lilacs in her yard as I was growing up and that scent always reminds me of her. Her memory put me in the mood for some good all fashioned grandma-style comfort food. And nobody did grandma comfort food like Agnes & Muriel's Cafe. I'm so sad that they are no longer around but one good thing remains - I have the offical cookbook. These recipes have been made a little healthier than our grandma's versions were and some are a little trendier too. But they are all still really good ... and comforting.

So pick a night to reminisce - cook this meal and think of your grandma.

Turkey Meatloaf
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and very finely chopped
2 eggs
1/3 cup catsup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup quick oats
1 cup hot milk (skim or whole)
2 pounds ground turkey meat
parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray

Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper or spray liberally with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine onion, eggs, catsup, soy sauce, mustard, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Stir well and set aside. In a large mixing bowl mix breadcrumbs, oats and hot milk. Stir well. Add turkey to breadcrumb mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Add onion mixture to turkey and stir well. Make sure to incorporate all of the onion mixture into turkey mixture. Pat turkey mixture into loaf pan. Bake 1 1/2 hours or until center of meatloaf reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Remove from oven and allow meatloaf to rest 10 minutes before serving.


Fried Green Tomatoes
4 medium-sized green tomatoes
2/3 cup egg wash
1 1/2 cups Green tomato breading (see recipe below)
vegetable or canola oil for frying

Slice green tomoatoes 1/4-inch thick and set aside. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil over medium heat. While the oil is heating, dip each slice of tomato into agg wash and then coat each tomato well with breading. Fry each tomato until golden, about 4 minutes per side.

Egg Wash
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
In a small mixing bowl, whisk ingredients together until light golden and fluffy. Dip food thoroughly in egg wash before dredging in dry ingerdients and frying in oil or butter.

Green Tomato Breading
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup prepared cornbread mix
2 teaspoons celery salt
2 teapoons black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated garlic

In a medium mixing bowl, stir all ingredients together. Dredge tomatoes first in egg wash and then in breading to coat well before frying.


Real Mashed Potatoes
2 pounds red potatoes
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup half-and-half
salt and black pepper to taste

Wash the potato skins well. Do not peel. Cube the potatoes into 2-inch chunks. If the potatoes are too small, they will taste waterlogged after cooking. Do not wash the potatoes after cubing.

Bring a 4-quart or larger pot of water to boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the potatoes and boil until just tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well. Return potatoes to the warm pot and mash using a potato masher (or a mixer at low speed). If using a mixer, do not overbeat or the potatoes will be gluey. Add the butter and half-and-half, blend well. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.