Top Chef Action

So, as most people know, I'm a huge reality tv fan. One of my very favorite shows (to Donnie's dismay) is Top Chef. Don't get me wrong, I love Hell's Kitchen; Gordon Ramsey is amazing! Still, I like the Top Chef approach so much, I can't get past it. To my misfortune, the cable at our house doesn't allow me to watch when the episode actually airs so I have to watch online or wait for it to rerun through the following week.

This week's episode was one they do every season. The Cheftestants as they are called are each given a classic dish to recreate. I love these episodes because I always get some really awesome ideas. You see, I can't exactly relate to an issue where they are cooking with squid or eel, we don't eat that in our house. Shoot, I'm not a seafood person at all so that's not something I'd be particularly good with. However, I've made my fair share of meatloaf so coming up with a new approach to it seems like a great idea.

Each week when I watch the episodes, I love to think about the things I'd make if it were me in that Top Chef kitchen. Some times, my poor family gets to sample my inventions. Other times, the kids at the daycare become my test subjects. Sadly, neither are really a group I could measure public opinion by. Donnie and the boys are picky but the daycare kids are pickier.

Be that as it may, I'm starting an experiment of types. Each week, atleast once during the week, I'm going to take an old meal and make it new. There are many things to help push me on my way through this. Our oven is broken, which means regular meatloaf is out of the question. We run til late every evening with football, which means meals that can be made in a crockpot or in 30 minutes on the stove are what we serve through the week.

Each time I try something new, I'll let everyone know how it goes. I'll try to include a recipe for anyone who might want to try my "do over" as I'm calling it. I'll also welcome suggestions for meals that might need a new look. If you try a recipe, please let me know how it turns out!