Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Divine Meatloaf...two words I never thought I would combine...



I got this recipe from the delicious Pioneer Woman's Blog...if you want to see way nicer and more detailed pictures of the process then go to her blog and check it out!

But if you are here and interested in how someone who is NOT a professional cook made this dish and how it turned out...then you are in the right spot!

This dish definitely took some time to prepare and cook. But it was SO worth it. The best meatloaf I have ever had. It was heavenly. I served it to my own little family and some dinner guests and it was a hit. We decided that calling it meatloaf was inaccurate and a misrepresentation of it's divine deliciousness...we decided "beef cake" might be a better term. which made us giggle. which made the food taste even better :) eating food with fun friends and laughing makes any meal a hit.

Here's how I did it!

Ingredients

Meatloaf:
1 cup Whole Milk (I used skim...)
6 slices White Bread
2 pounds Ground Beef (I used 2 1/2 lbs)
1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (I used 1 1/2 cups heaping)
¼ teaspoons Seasoned Salt
¾ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
⅓ cups Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
4 whole Eggs Beaten
10 slices Thin/regular Bacon

Sauce:
1-½ cup Ketchup
⅓ cups Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
Tabasco To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.



With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)
*I didn't have a broiler pan...so after it was done cooking, I set it on a cookie rack to drain some of the fat off, before placing it on the serving dish...

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.



Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Breakfast Casserole

This recipe is a family recipe. We make breakfast casserole every Christmas & Easter. I most recently made it for my friend's baby shower. It's great because it feeds a lot of people.

Breakfast Casserole
Serves 12 – 15

Frozen hash brown potatoes (30 oz. bag of shredded potatoes)
3 cups milk
8 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
1 roll of cooked bulk breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean’s hot is good)
*Green chiles, sliced mushrooms, chopped peppers (green, red, or orange),
sliced green onions or other onions (optional – use any or all as you prefer)
2 cups of shredded cheese (use more if desired)

Spray a 9 X 13 pan and spread frozen shredded potatoes to cover the bottom
of the pan. Sprinkle cooked sausage (or chopped ham) evenly over potatoes.
Spread optional veggies over top. Top with shredded cheese.

In a separate bowl use a whisk to beat the following ingredients together:
8 eggs
3 cups milk
½ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

Pour egg mixture over the layers in the 9 X 13 pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until the egg mixture is well set. (It
often takes up to 60 minutes) (Insert a knife in the middle to check doneness)

Enjoy!

~Amy

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Egg Salad Sandwiches

I have never been a fan of egg salad. So I was shocked to find that I loved this recipe. I tried it out of desperation cause I haven't gone grocery shopping in ages and because of some drama, I couldn't get into my pantry. And now I think I will make this part of the regular rotation in my meal planning.

Here goes!

7 eggs (that is all I had)
1 1/2 TBS Miracle Whip (you can use mayo but I prefer the sweetness of MW)
2 TBS Hot Mustard (dijon)
1 Tsp Dried Dill Weed
1 Tsp Paprika
salt and pepper to taste
(you could add some chopped red onion or celery or both if you like a little crunch)

Makes enough for 4 sandwiches.

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop. (I used my pampered chef chopper...super easy and fast)
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, paprika and salt and pepper.
3. I served it on toast (I hate soggy stuff so toast is my solution with most sandwiches to avoid it) with a little more mayo on the bread and some crispy lettuce. It was out of this world delicious!


The ingredients!


My handy dandy chopper!


Vwala! dinner is served!


Sunday, September 5, 2010

Fettuccine Alfredo

This is a truly delicious and incredibly easy recipe that I got out of the William's Sonoma Pasta cookbook.  I love fettuccine alfredo, but I'm super picky about my alfredo sauce.  I'd say 95% of the alfredo sauces I've had in restaurants, have been too bland or just not good.  This one, however, is divine.  I make it for my family probably once a month.  It's a household favorite!


The key to this recipe, is the level of freshness of the ingredients you use.  The fresher, the better.  At the bottom, you will see a picture of a box from the cookbook.  Take it seriously.  I do, and I am convinced it's the key to alfredo greatness. 


1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 lb fresh fettuccine

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over high heat, bring the cream and butter to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 minute.  Add 6 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan and whisk over low heat until smooth, about 1 minute longer.  Remove from the heat and season with salt.  (Be judicious with the salt.  The Parmesan is itself salty, and too much added salt will throw this creamy, sweet sauce out of balance.)

Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook until al dente, 1-3 minutes, depending on the freshness of the pasta.  Drain pasta well.

Put pasta in a warmed, large, shallow bowl.  Pour on the sauce and sprinkle with 6 more tablespoons of the cheese.  Toss well.  Serve immediately.  Pass the remaining cheese at the table.

Makes 4 main course or 6 first course servings.

Study this picture (you can on the photo click for full size):


-Bon Appétit