Halloween Meatloaf Master Chef Casting Call Busy Busy!

Hello to all my foodie friends out there in Web Land and Happy Halloween to you all.  I've had a very busy month hope you have as well.  First of all I want to say my prayers are with all the people who were in the path of Sandy my heart and prayers are with each and everyone of you.  I hope your clean up is very fast and your get the heat on there in W.V. and I saw the pictures and it was so pretty but very cold and I hope you have plenty of wood to keep you warm.  This month has been very busy with travel to the Nashville area and all.  I went to two casting calls and one I can talk about because its a up and running show.  The other casting call the show has not aired as yet.  Any who I went to Nashville with a friend and we went to the casting call for the Master Chef Show and it was very interesting, however am considered a chef not a ordinary cook right from the kitchen.  I made up a recipe for what I called a Key Lime Cake Torte and served it with fresh Mango and Key Lime Pudding and the taster ate my dish three times.  He said that I really had two dishes there instead of one.  He told me that I could serve the pudding with Vodka on the side or mixed in as a new dessert.   Any who they line you up in a tasting room and first the taster goes though and talks about your dish and then the interviewer comes by and ask you questions about what you do etc.  Well she asked me three times about owning a cafe and that I got paid to do the cooking and I had to say yes not to mention that I also had a TV cooking show so any who I wasn't picked, however it was fun and interesting to see how that part works.  If you have a dish or would like to learn about becoming a chef you should go try out for the show.  I went so that I could get my disc from the show in their hands and try to get my name out there, sort of speck. I got to go to eat at the Big River and the food was GREAT!  I got to hear some of the up and coming country music artist not the mention the view of countryside.  I was so excited about all of it.  I was like a kid in a candy jar.  It bought me back to my roots.  I loved every second of it.  At the second casting I met and made some new friends in the Atlanta area and got my products into their hands.  I also sent out my products into some blogger hands which I will let you know about later.  I thank them very much for testing out MadJon's Salsa, Me Me's Pasta Gravy, and Me Me's Cake Syrups.  As far as Halloween goes I wrote an article on it for the newspaper called ,"Ghoulish Delights For A Frightful Night".  Living On The Go on October 24th www.aikenstandard.com.  Witch Finger Cookies and a Hand Meat Loaf.  Yum Yum to all you eat this frightful Night. Am going to add the meat Loaf recipe here for you and its very easy to make and taste good too!  Also have a safe and Happy Halloween.

Hand Meat Loaf

1 pound ground Beef
1 Egg
1 cup Crackers, crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tsp. Mrs's Dash
1 tsp. Onion and Garlic Powder
1/2 diced Onion
1/4 cup Heinz 57 Sauce
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 tsp. yellow Mustard
1/2 Onion for palm of hand
1 Red Bell Pepper for fingernails
Extra ketchup for blood

Mix all ingredients and place on flat sheet.  Place the onion on the end for the hand bone and shape the meat into a hand and add your fingernails and ketchup for the decorating.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to one hour.  Cook uncovered.

Hope you have a wonderful end of October and also hope you try the recipe.  Please come lie my fan Page on face book called Cooking With MadJon and Friends.  Watch my TV show on the web.  Email me with recipes and if you own a ipad please go buy my new e-cookbook called MadJon Holiday on itunes though Apple, download it.  My email address is madjon51@aol.com come and talk recipes with me.  Happy Trail to you and your until we meet again.  Eileen F. Hutson, MadJon.

Gettin Cold Need Comfort Foods Vegetable Soup & Newby Family

Well hello again to all my foodie friends out there in web land, I hope everything is well.  I've been really busy with being the TV host of the ASTV 95 '"Cooking With MadJon and Friends".  I have a ball cooking and making up recipes.  The last john I did was with my friend John Vaughn who is very talented in the music industry.  He composes his won music and its wonderful.  His working on a healing recording now.  I believe his just about finished with it.  Can't wait to hear it and buy it.  Any who I have also been out of town this month to the great state of Tennessee, that is where my father's family is from.  My dad was born in Spring City right a the month of the mountain called Newby Branch which is now a park named after my family.  It rest on top of the mountain.  They owned that from back in the early 20's or 30's I think.  Not sure of the times.  This winter my sister's and cousin Perry are going to take a trip up their and nose around.  Can't wait for that trip.  While we were in Spring City we visited my grandpa Newby's farm that they used to own and it is still owned by the same family that bought it years ago from my grandmother after my grandpa died.  She sold it for like 1600.00, I hate that she did that because it sits right at the feet of a mountain and its so pretty and peaceful.  They let us go up to the cemetery that sits on a hill and it has graves from the revolutionary and Civil wars in it.  It was so interesting to see the grave stones standing.  We also saw a pot and a copper coil for making White Lightening, I did take a picture of it before they came out to meet us.  Yes that is still made in them there hills.  While we were there the man said that he remembers the name Flora Mae on the deed so they are the family that bought the land from my grandma.  While we were there I learned about Hattie's store across from the railroad tracks and I saw the one room school house they the kids all went to bare feet and all.  I learned about a uncle called one-legged George who my dad was named after.  He road a horse and he and his brother lived on the land on the hill as well.  They said that he worked for the railroad and shot somebody and buried him on the land.  Not sure how true that is but from what I've heard he was a real mean man and always had a gun.  While we were at the family cemetery we ran into a lost cuzz of ours from the Thurman side of the family,.  Perry is named after his great grandfather.  It is one of the most beautiful places I've seen and we ate lunch at the cemetery.  Peaceful lunch anyway.  Its fun to go back and see how your parents and grandparents lived.  My sisters and I did walk away with some antique barbed wire from the fench with their permission of coarse.  Any who the reason we all went back home was to say good-bye to our cousin who died last week. Andra Newby,  RIP.   He was a nice man and left four kids.  So sad!  While we were home we stayed at Perry and Patsy Newby's house and shes a wonderful comfort food cook.  She made us Buttermilk Corn Bread, Pinto Beans, and greens from the garden.  Loved it all and ate it all.  Had to go get weighed at the Doctor on Monday when I got back and gained 2 1/2 pounds on just the few days we were there, I enjoyed it.  Any who let's give you my recipe for some homemade Vegetable Soup.

Vegetable Soup

1/2 Stick Butter
1 Onion, diced
4 gloves Garlic, diced
2 cartons Chicken Broth
2 tsp. Onion and Garlic powder
2 Bay Leafs
2 Chicken Bouillion Cubes
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 Pototoes, peeled and diced
1 Large Bage of Mixed frozenVegetables
1/2 Head Shredded Cabbage
Dried Parsley
1 TBSP dried Basil
1 Large can Diced Tomatoes, 28 ozs.

Melt the butter in a pan for the soup.  Next add the onions and garlic.  Cook till the onions are clear in color.  Then add the broth, bouillions, spices and bring to a simmer.  Then add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, cabbage, and anything else that is listed, hehe like the tomatoes.  Simmer for about 45 minutes and serve with some of your own Buttermilk Corn Bread.

Hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as my family does.  Wish me luck I have two cast calls this weekend for Masterchef and Supermartet Show.  Please come and like my fan page on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CookingwithMadjon and go view my e-cookbook on itunes called MadJon Holiday and buy it to make some memories of your own.  Happy Trails to you and yours until we meet again, Eileen F. Hutson, MadJon.