Food Minia

I must admit that I do love meatloaf. There's almost nothing as homey as the smell of meatloaf in the oven. I have several recipes that I like to rotate that use different fillers like: breadcrumbs,  bread, saltine crackers, oatmeal, and they  are all good. This one uses Ritz crackers. Using the Ritz in place of the usual  is what makes this meatloaf just a bit  different and very tasty. This is another  good one to add to your recipe collection. Crush a sleeve of crackers to make about 1 cup. I did this in a bowl using the bottom of a glass to crush.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Put into a 5x9 loaf pan or just shape into a loaf and place in a shallow casserole,  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes first before spreading on the topping. This prevents  the topping from burning due to  the brown sugar content.  Combine the brown sugar, ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Spread it over the top and return to the  oven for another 15 minutes.  I'm usin

I'm ashamed to admit that one of my all-time guilty pleasures is Totino's Party Pizza.  There's just something I love about the extra crispy crust, the barely there tomato sauce, and even the painfully artificial cheese.  It's probably a good thing that it's not sold anywhere near where I live, otherwise I'd probably be eating it way too much. That hasn't stopped me from trying to figure out how to replicate it at home, though, and this recipe from Serious Eats is the closest I've gotten.  While I still prefer Ken Forkish's Same Day Straight Pizza Dough for its chewiness and flavor, I like the use of flour tortillas in this recipe for a quick and easy alternative. In order to get the tortilla extra crispy, it's cooked first on the stove top in a skillet that has a diameter the same size as the tortilla.  You'll want to use one that can be transferred to the oven, like a cast iron skillet, because it's going under the broiler next to get

Garden Eggs (a family of aubergines) are readily available in Nigeria, sold on every street corner, and eaten largely for snack. There is nothing wrong with eating them for snacks, actually, as they add to your five a day fruit and veg requirement. ( Read more about Garden Eggs here) But because I aim to eat for health, I am always finding new ways to eat more vegetables, ways to actually make them the core of my meals. So after having Grilled them, Spiralized them, Stewed them, I have now also decided to bake them....! I have discovered that baking garden eggs actually gives them a better texture than boiling them. With baking, you do not have to remove the skin and this stills helps to keep the rigidity as compared to boiling where the skin is often removed and the flesh becomes mushy. I love the fact that I can keep the skin on, because it is so important to the overall fibre content of the veg. The skin also helps to keep the garden eggs in shapes and make them ideal for this p

This  simple marinade and a few grilling tips are all you need for a perfectly grilled moist  and tender pork tenderloin everytime.   Tenderloins come 2 in a package. One will serve about 3 people.  This is the simplest marinade. I mix it all in a Ziplock bag and add the tenderloins.  When the grill is preheated it will only take 15-18 minutes to cook. You want a nice brown seared crust on the outside and just a touch of pink on the inside. It will continue to cook while it rests off the grill. Slice and serve with any juices that are on  the platter. Leftover pork tenderloin make  great sandwiches the next day. I like it simply  on buttered French bread with a little  Dijon mustard or my cranberry chutney.  Even pork tacos with the usual fixings are good. It's another reason I usually make two.  Grilled Pork Tenderloin 2 pork tenderloins  (2 per package) 2 T brown sugar 2 T balsamic vinegar 4 T (¼)  C soy sauce 2-4 cloves garlic, minced 1.) Mix all ingredients in a Ziplock bag an

August 22 is designated as the World Jollof Rice Day...! Not so sure how we arrived at this date, but it is truly well deserving. This I believe is a step in the right direction for Nigerian (and in deed West African) cuisine taking more prominence on the World Food Scene... Enjoy jollof rice in all its varieties... Happy #WorldJollofRiceDay. Find all of my Jollof Rice recipes here. ....

This is a wonderful Sunday family dinner that transitions your summer meals into fall. It's incredibly flavorful and will make your  entire house smell like a big ' welcome home '. It's nice to make on the weekend when you can  take your time and enjoy the process.  I'll make this  meal over and over again, especially in the fall and winter.  Fry the bacon, then brown the chicken . Remove the golden chicken to a baking dish (note I used just 6 thighs this time) Saute the onions, mushrooms, and garlic.  Add a sprig of fresh thyme or tarragon. Season again with salt and pepper Add the wine and reduce for about 2 minutes. Pour over the chicken and crumbled bacon. Bake for 45  minutes. This gives you time  for clean up, table setting, and vegetable prep.  Remove from the oven and add the cream and  cornstarch mixture. I added the cornstarch  right to the cream container and shook to blend. Stir it around a bit and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Stir the sauc

Banana and chocolate are flavors  that are just meant for each other. When bananas get over ripe they are perfect  for my favorite Banana Bread  or  these  moist  and delicious banana chocolate chip  muffins.   If I'm not going to use them right away  I throw  overripe bananas in the freezer.   (no bag, un-peeled) to use anytime.    These yummy muffins mix-up in minutes  and  take  just 20 minutes to bake.  If you  like  a really sweet muffin you can increase the amount of  sugar to 1 C. Use two bowls; One bowl for  the dry ingredients,  and one bowl for the wet. Then mix them together.   Stir in the chocolate chips.   Divide the batter into paper lined 12 C muffin pan.  Bake @350º until the tops spring back when  lightly touched, about 20  minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes then  remove to    a wire rack to cool.  These muffins freeze well too.   Perfect golden muffin tops!   Now it's time to enjoy one with a  frothy cup of coffee.   These muffins have great crumb tex