Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Cottage Cheese Loaf

One of my favorite meals is Cottage Cheese Loaf!

I know, I know, you can hardly stop salivating. But trust me, you'll love this and it's a fantastic Meatless Monday option for all you carnivores who decide to take one day off each week.

Before I dish out the recipe let's start with a bit of history. Food and history - I'm rockin' your world today!

Cottage Cheese Loaf came to the Vegetarians of this family the way most great recipes do - through family. My Aunt Lonnie used to make our tummies purr with this dish. A few points of clarification before I continue:
1. Aunt Lonnie wasn't really my aunt but a dear friend of my mom's...I will stop with that because tears and Steamdot Bee-ena's don't mix. What is a Bee-ena you ask? Stop distracting me!
2. Eventually I discovered Aunt Lonnie used Cottage Cheese Loaf to clean out the fridge. All leftovers were game. Who knew? Who cares? Still love it!
3. My brother is not a fan of the nuts in this recipe. His distaste for nut-inclusive casseroles began at a young age and continues to this day. Sad, I know. Do not be dissuaded, Cottage Cheese Loaf is delicious with or without the nut component.

Recipe time!

Cottage Cheese Loaf

Ingredients

  • 1 box of corn flakes
  • 1 to 1and 1/2 cups walnuts/almonds/pecans
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 envelope dried onion soup mix
  • 1/4 cup milk ( if needed for correct consistency)
  • 1 large carton of cottage cheese

How to make it

  • Into BLENDER put the 4 eggs. nuts, and dry onion soup mix
  • Process until completely combined and smooth.
  • In large mixing bowl put complete contents of carton of cottage cheese
  • Then use the cottage cheese carton as measure for the cereal
  • Fill carton TWICE...pour both into mixing bowl
  • Now pour in the contents from the blender, and the oil.
  • Mix well.
  • Add enough milk to make the mixture pliable - not soupy
  • Grease a 13x9 pan
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean
  • I don't worry about over baking - the crispy edges are the best part
  • Let rest for 10 minutes before eating
  • Enjoy!
Note: You can add anything you want to this casserole, as per Aunt Lonnie. Just ensure you adjust your corn flakes or milk to get the texture to pliable - not soupy.

I'm guessing I'm not the only one who grew up eating Cottage Cheese Loaf. So let me hear it! Love it? Hate it? I look forward to your Cottage Cheese Loaf stories!

Friday, August 22, 2014

Hello world! And GUNS!

Hello world!

Wow! it’s been awhile since I’ve been here and how I’ve missed it. There’s nothing quite like putting your thoughts down on a page. Ah the gift of writing. Releasing thoughts into the universe to land where they may...

Enough philosophy.

News flash! This Canadian woman is not fond of guns. I know, I know, all you Alaskans are shocked and horrified. I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not. So I won’t.

I understand guns serve their purpose - lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! I’ll even be the first to admit there are probably situations I could find myself in that I’d like to have a gun and know how to use it safely. So far, I’ve succeeded at avoiding those situations.

Those of you who have read my blog in the past may recall the post titled “Eskimo-Spoused Vegetarian Moms of Canadian Origin” in which I bemoaned my stress about the No. 1 son visiting the gun range. It was then I discovered the discussion of my children firing weapons gives me an irregular heart rate and causes me to sweat profusely. Now that I think about it, perhaps it induces a stroke!

Needless to say, I was relieved when the hunter’s education test was finished and gladly returned to my blind hope that the topic would never re-emerge. Ah, the bliss of naivety!

My bliss came to an end during an unsuspecting drive to the orthodontist last week.

“Hey Mom,” says the No. 1 son, “do you think we could find a way to get me an inside tour of the crime lab armory so I can see all the cool guns they have?”

Now I’m a cool mom, so naturally my response involved the onset of hyperventilation accented by the stuttering of half words.

“Wh...wh...ho...wh...wh!” I sputtered.

This, I believe, was an intelligent response. Not only did I include the five W’s of journalism, but I stayed conscious and didn’t cause an accident! 

The No. 1 son knew exactly the effect his question would have and quickly followed it up with, “Actually, I’m just wondering if I can go to the gun range to shoot hand guns with my uncle.”

I might have had a stroke at that moment but cool mom kept it together.

“Uhhhhhh... we’re at the orthodontist,” I intelligently responded.

This is a good time to mention that my husband is a genius.

Naturally I told him about the conversation with the No. 1 son and about my cool mom response. He didn’t once sigh, shake his head in dismay, or interrupt me. (See, genius.) He simply allowed me to finish my story and embark on a rant about gun control. He listened attentively the entire time and when I was finished he assured me it would all be ok and we didn’t need to think about all of this right now.

Hello again blissful naivety! How I’ve missed you!

I assure you I’m marginally embarrassed to admit my inclination towards avoidance on this topic, but there it is.

How do I balance my desire for them to actively participate in cultural activities like fall moose hunting with my sheer terror of them touching a firearm?

When I figure it out, I’ll let you know!