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Meatloaf Miracle

Posted on 10-02-2020 | By: The Cook

Category : Main Dishes

Finished Meatloaf
Delicious, herbed and tangy meatloaf

It was one of those days where I -thought- I had everything I needed to make meatloaf. I was wrong. Somehow, I was out of milk (but I had cream), out of onions (but I had leeks) and out of breadcrumbs (but I had a stove top stuffing mix). Who runs out of those staples and doesn’t notice? But…the show must go on. What resulted was the most amazing meatloaf my kitchen has ever produced. These are now our required ingredients! It was a Meatloaf Miracle.

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup cream (or half & half)
  • 3/4 cup stove top stuffing mix
  • 1 medium leek, washed, white portion chopped small
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork

Sauce:

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon dry mustard (wet doesn’t have the right flavor)
  • 1 teaspoon Worchestershire
  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds (not salt)

Preheat oven to 350º

Combine the eggs and cream and mix well. Pour over stuffing mix. Mix in salt, pepper, sage, Worcestershire sauce. Add beef and pork and mix well. Pat into a 13 x 9 x 2 pan. Give yourself a good 1/2″ of space all around the loaf for any grease to escape.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until the inside reaches 160º.

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the sauce and bring to a low simmer until all ingredients are well combined and the brown sugar has melted. Remove from heat.

Remove the meatloaf from the over and spoon off any grease.

Baste the meatloaf with a thin layer the sauce and return to the oven for 10 minutes. There will be sauce left over for serving.

Let the meatloaf rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

My family loves meatloaf sandwiches with a bit of the sauce for leftovers the next day.

Oven Popover (Dutch Baby)

Posted on 08-01-2012 | By: The Cook

Category : Main Dishes, Sweet Treats

This is my family’s favorite breakfast dish. I love it because it’s quick to prepare, isn’t very messy, I usually have all the ingredients on hand, and it tastes outrageously delicious.
Oven Popover (Dutch Baby) with nutmeg
Ingredients:

Pan Size Butter Eggs Milk & Flour
2 to 3 qt ¼ cup 3 ¾ cup each
3 to 4 qt ⅓ cup 4 1 cup each
4 to 4½ qt ½ cup 5 1¼ cup each
4½ to 5 qt ½ cup 6 1½ cup each

Directions:

Choose your pan carefully. It has to be oven proof and shape will affect the texture. I have a 4 qt pyrex round souffle dish that I always use for this recipe. A paella pan, big frying pan, or large baking dish are best.

Place the butter in the pan and place into oven and preheat to 425ºF.

The butter will melt as the oven preheats, which is crucial. You need to prepare the rest of the recipe in the time it takes to preheat the oven.

Put eggs in a large bowl or mixing cup and blend on high for 1 minute.

Use a bowl from which you can easily pour the finished batter.

I get the best, fluffiest results when I use a stick blender. A food processor or blender are acceptable. Hand mixers just don’t work as well and your finished dish will not be fluffy.

Gradually add your milk, then slowly add the flour until incorporated. Blend for an additional 30 seconds.

When the oven is preheated, pour the batter into the center of the hot pan, scraping the side of the bowl to get all the batter into the pan.

Do this as quickly as you can so that the pan retains the heat. I do this by sliding the rack out of the oven and pouring while the pan is on the rack. If you take the pan out of the oven, do it carefully and keep the oven door closed to keep the heat in.

Let cook for 20 to 25 minutes. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean and the edges should be a toasty brown.

Cut immediately and serve. This dish will settle some as it cools.

Our favorite way to serve this dish is to grate some fresh nutmeg over the pancake, then dust with powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon.

Fresh from the oven!

Wild Rice Stew

Posted on 16-09-2011 | By: The Cook

Category : Featured, Main Dishes, Pork, Stew/Soup

When the days get cold, and the vegetables are delicious, it’s time to make a stew!

Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (used water and 2 tsp chicken stock and 2 tsp mushroom stock)

5 strips of thick bacon cut into 1/2″ chunks

1 butterflied boneless pork loin chop cut into 1″ chunks
2 medium leeks, cleaned and chopped coarse
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, chunked
1 Tbls finely chopped garlic
1 Tbls dried tarragon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne

4 tbsp flour
1 cup chardonnay
1 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 1″ segments

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Combine wild rice and broth in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cook rice until tender. This will take approximately 45 minutes.

In a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat until well done. Removed bacon and set aside. Add the pork to the bacon grease and cook for a few minutes until opaque.

Add button mushrooms and leek.  Stir occasionally until the mushrooms soften and create a liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and other spices and cook a few more minutes. This allows the garlic to cook, but not brown and become bitter.

Sprinkle vegetables and pork with flour and cook, stirring constantly, until flour starts thicken. Make sure that you are scraping the bottom of the pan.  Add wine along with the cooked rice and broth.

Bring to a boil,  add the asparagus, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in cream and cook until thoroughly heated, about 1 minute.

Serve with a garlic bread and enjoy!

Chicken-roni with Avocado

Posted on 05-04-2011 | By: The Cook

Category : Chicken, Featured, Main Dishes

Tags: , ,

This was based on a dish my mother used to make*. It’s become a comfort meal for us and a favorite of my husband. It’s a fusion of flavors from savory chicken with rice & pasta, to the creamy coolness of diced avocado and the spicy zest of the salsa. This is a hearty dish that satisfies!

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup uncooked whole wheat vermicelli broken into 3/4″ pieces
1 cup uncooked rice
3 cloves garlic chopped fine
4 green onions chopped coarse
20 oz chicken stock
13 oz canned white chicken breast
9 oz chopped green chilis
1 cup shredded cheese, Mexican blend
4 avocados
Salsa

Ingredients

Melt the butter over low heat in a large lidded pan and add the vermicelli.  Cook until the vermicelli starts to brown, stirring frequently. It’s very easy for it to burn if left unattended.

Browning the vermicelli

Add the rice, garlic and green onions and stir until well mixed and the garlic starts to be fragrant.

rice-roni mixture with onions & garlic

Carefully add the broth to the mixture and bring quickly to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Start checking the pan as you get to the 2o minute mark to make sure that the mixture hasn’t cooked dry. Add the chicken and chilis and cook until everything is warmed.

Chicken & Chilis

Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Stir thoroughly.

Finished chicken rice & roni mix

In bowls, cut and chop the avocado into bite-size pieces. Place a generous helping of the rice, chicken and cheese mixture on top. Spoon a little of the salsa on top and enjoy!

Yummy Finished Chicken-roni & Avocado Meal

*When my mom used to make this, we just used rice-a-roni.

Lamb in Acorn Squash

Posted on 25-09-2009 | By: The Cook

Category : Featured, Lamb, Main Dishes

Tags: , ,

This popped into my head as I meandered through the farmer’s market the other week. The flavors kept crossing my mind until I finally had to give it a try. It really turned out to be very flavorful, the spices, lamb and squash are naturals together!

Ingredients
2 large Acorn Squash
1 lb ground lamb
1 leek, sliced into 1/4″ to 1/2″ slices
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 oz tomato paste
1 cup of cooked rice
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup red beer (like Killian’s)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (or maple sugar) – divided
2 Tablespoons Garam Masala – divided
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF

Put ground lamb in a frying pan and break it up so that it cooks like ground hamburger. Season with 1 Tablespoon Garam Marsala, both peppers and salt. Add the leeks and garlic as it starts to cook.

When the lamb is cooked through and crumbly, and the leek is soft, drain off any fat. In the pan add the tomato paste, wine, the other Tablespoon of Garam Marsala and 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar. Stir well and add the lamb back in. Add the beer and mix well.

Once it’s all mixed, add the rice and turn off the heat while you prepare the acorn squash.

Slice the squash lengthwise and remove all the pulp and seeds. Rub the insides with the rest of the sugar.

Fill the squash with the lamb and rice mixture until heaping, but packed tight. Put a small square of tin foil over just the filling to protect it from drying out.

Place the squash on a baking pan and place in the middle of the oven. Baking times will really depend on the size and thickness of the squash. Expect a minimum of 45 minutes, up to 75 minutes. Test squash by poking the flesh with a fork. It should be soft and tender.

I like to finish this dish with a sprinkling of fresh ground Parmesan cheese.