Meatballs and Franken-sauce

I've been experimenting again.  Actually, it is one of my favorite things to do in cooking.  Sometimes, I like to actually use a recipe and sometimes I like to use a recipe as inspiration.  Usually what I create ends up edible, occasionally tasty.

I bought some Hot Italian Sausage and my first use was in a pot of chili.  It came out good.  So, I had the second half of the rough ground chili beef and some additional sausages.  I added some spices, an egg and some bread crumbs.  This recipe was my inspiration

Swedish Meatballs

Now, I admit that I did not follow this recipe exactly.  Well, okay if you must know, I did not really follow it at all, but I did use it for inspiration.  I added garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cilantro...yes, I was going for a slightly Mexican flavor... and then I added a bit of paprika and some nutmeg, because that was in Alton's recipe.  I fried them off and then put them in a glass dish in my toaster oven to stay warm and finishing cooking.

So, then I started on my sauce, the Franken-sauce.  I drained off as much of the fat from the pan as I could, after frying the meatballs and deglazed with a cup of water.  I transferred that to a sauce pan and added a beef bouillon cube.  After that started to dissolve I decided I needed a little more water, and I also added a tablespoon of brown gravy mix.  Yes, there are a number of odd things in my pantry, why do you ask?  Then, I added some milk, and then a bit more milk, and then a bit more.  Finally, I simmered that until my rice was done, trying to reduce it and hoping it would thicken a bit.  The sauce never really did thicken very well.  I tasted it and I was not sure if I thought it was a real success, so I added a bit more onion powder to it.

So, finally it was ready to serve, rice, with meatballs and a somewhat thin sauce.  It was in conjunction with the meatballs that the sauce really came to life.  The meatballs were okay by themselves.  The sauce was okay, alone, but together they were great.  I won't say that it was better than the sum of its parts, but at least the two added up to more than either alone.

So, there is the story of a successful dinner experiment.

Deviled Eggs

Okay, I've been gone for a while because I haven't felt like cooking, or writing. ...but, I'm back.

About 15 years ago, I was working for a State Agency where the office had a lot of potluck lunches, and I got tired of bringing store bought cookies, or kicking in on someone getting some fried chicken. I wanted something that I could make with my own hands that others would love...and of course that I would love too.

There are two things that I always wanted to like, but that I rarely like the way other people make it, deviled eggs and potato salad. I have yet to find anyone who makes potato salad without onions, and deviled eggs with pickle relish make me weep from sadness. My wife suggested that I use her recipe for deviled eggs, because it did not include pickle relish (this despite the fact that my wife likes pickle relish). The problem came when I asked for the recipe, because she didn't have one. She liked to wing it. Well, I decided to give it a try and it turns out I am pretty good at it. So, here is the mugshot of my line up of ingredients.

And here is the cast list:

• Mayonnaise
• Mustard - two kinds in tonight's show
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Vinegar - in this case a new player, Rice Vinegar standing in for plain White Vinegar
• Tabasco
• Salt
• Pepper

Each of the players brings something to mix.

• Mayonnaise - Creaminess
• Mustard - Spice
• Worcestershire Sauce - Savory Tang
• Vinegar - Tart bite
• Tabasco - a little heat
• Salt and Pepper - rounding out the ensemble

Obviously, the eggs get cut and the halves get placed into the neat egg trays that my wife found and you will see below.  Each egg tray holds 20, so I have an extra container for the leftovers.  I usually mangle a few eggs while peeling or cutting and I use these for testing, with my wife and son as my taste testers...well, those I don't try myself.

I used about a cup of Mayonnaise because I started off with 28 eggs, meaning 56 finished deviled eggs.  Mustard comes next, then a healthy splash of Worcestershire and a smaller splash of Vinegar.  A few drops of tabasco is all you need, and salt and pepper to taste.  After the first tasting, I added a bit more salt, and a little mustard.  Next I added a bit more Worcestershire Sauce and a little more Vinegar.  That got it about right.

I use a fork, and I don't worry about getting things completely smooth.  I start with the Mayonnaise and Mustard and then start mashing.  Other ingredients hit the pot and the mixing/mashing continues.  By the time I declare it ready, it is usually fairly smooth, but never perfectly smooth.

Now, for the delivery.  Getting that mash of egg yolk and ingredients into the eggs could be a messy job, but once again my wife came to my rescue.

Yes, that's a cookie press.  My wife had one, and it loads up fairly easily and makes a pleasant design on top of each egg.  It usually takes filling it two or three times to finish all the eggs and then they look like this.

A little paprika as a garnish works nicely, and sometimes, I even use a slice of olive, though never for all of them, since I don't like olives.

Well, that's it.  The moral of today's story, is that you can make things that you don't like into things that you do like.  Just be creative, and hold the onions...or the pickle relish in case.  One of these days I have to try making potato salad, and then I really will hold the onions.