The Smotherload Recipes

THE MOTHERSHIP TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• This is an incredible tomato salad but there are two things to remember if you want to wow your guests with something so simple. The first is that you should try to get a mixture of different, tasty, local (if possible) tomatoes in all different shapes, sizes and colors. Second, the flavor is brought out by salting the tomatoes, so don't skip this bit. Some people get worried about putting this much salt on their food, but the bulk of it will drip off, leaving you with really beautiful, intensely flavored tomatoes.
• If you can get hold of some dried flowering oregano then do, as it has the most heavenly flavor. Feel free to use the dried stuff that you get in a little container, but it can taste a bit like sawdust when compared to the fruity, fragrant flavor you get from the flowering variety. Oregano is also great to grow in the garden.
• Depending on the size of your tomatoes, slice some in half, some into quarters and others into uneven chunks. Straightaway this will give you the beginnings of a tomato salad that's really brave and exciting to look at and eat. Put the tomatoes into a colander and season with a good pinch of sea salt.
• Give them a toss, season again and give a couple more tosses. The salt won't be drawn into the tomatoes; instead it will draw any excess moisture out, concentrating all the lovely flavors. Leave the tomatoes in the colander on top of a bowl to stand for around 15 minutes, then discard any juice that has come out of them.
• Transfer the tomatoes to a large bowl and sprinkle over the oregano. Make a dressing using 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, the garlic and the chile. Drizzle the tomatoes with enough dressing to coat everything nicely.
• This is a fantastic tomato salad, which is totally delicious to eat on its own. It's also great served with some balls of mozzarella or some nice, grilled ciabatta bread.
• "Our agreement with the producers of "Jamie at Home" only permit us to make 2 recipes per episode available online. Food Network regrets the inconvenience to our viewers and foodnetwork.com users"

THE MOTHERLOAF

Steps:

• For the meatloaf:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the cracker crumbs, oats and milk to soften in a medium bowl. Combine the ground chuck, ground pork, onions, milk, parsley, celery, ketchup, green peppers, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, paprika, mustard, marjoram, thyme, seasoned salt and eggs in a large bowl. Add the oats mixture and mix well, but do not over-mix.
• Portion the meat mixture into eight 8-ounce cupcakes and place into the prepared muffin pan. Smooth the tops of each portion. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Unmold and set on paper towels to absorb any additional liquid. (The meatloaf can also be cooked in a loaf pan.).
• For the mashed potatoes:
• Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a pot covered with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well. Place the potatoes, milk, sour cream and butter in a mixing bowl and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• For immediate enjoyment, using ice cream scoop, scoop the potatoes on top of a meatloaf cupcake. Serve with your favorite gravy.

CHOCOLATE MOTHERLODE FROSTING

Steps:

• Finely chop chocolate.
• In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved.
• Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted.
• Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
• Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).
• Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides.

MOTHER LODE PRETZELS

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, cut pretzel rods in half; set aside. In a large saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with milk. In a large shallow bowl, combine the chips, toffee bits and walnuts. , Pour caramel mixture into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Dip the cut end of each pretzel piece two-thirds of the way into caramel mixture (reheat in microwave if mixture becomes too thick for dipping). Allow excess caramel to drip off, then roll pretzels in the chip mixture. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in an airtight container.