Ground Chicken Meatloaf

The idea of this meatloaf was intriguing to me, and it turned out really nicely. It kind of reminded me of chicken parmesan in a slightly different form. This put me in a weird place: spaghetti noodles (chicken parmesan) or mashed potatoes (meatloaf)? I opted for the potatoes, it just seemed more right somehow. The recipe is basically exactly the same as regular meatloaf, except using either ground chicken or turkey (I used turkey). I got the recipe from:

http://joelens.blogspot.com/2011/01/4-meatloaves-to-slice-into.html

and here is the recipe itself:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken (ground turkey can be substituted)
1 egg
1/4 c breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 small onion, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup pasta sauce (homemade or store bought)
1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
minced parsley for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the first set of ingredients. Careful not to over handle the mixture otherwise it will get tough.

Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan and press lightly into pan. Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce.

After 30 minutes, remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Modern Mac & Cheese

Honestly, this is hands down the BEST recipe I have ever created on my own, and I'm quite proud of it : ) It's not that difficult to make, and it's super rich and full of flavor. Kraft mac & cheese has always been an old stand-by for me since childhood, and while I still enjoy Kraft or sometimes Velveeta, this is by far the best version of this classic dish that I could ever dream of.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
Diced Tomatoes
Red Wine Vinegar
Fresh Chopped Basil
Diced Bacon
Salt to Taste

Macaroni Shells (I prefer the small ones)

Cream Cheese
Butter
Milk
Shredded Cheese (I like to mix sharp cheddar and some parmesan)
Salt to Taste
Cornstarch

Directions:

Cook diced tomatoes in olive oil at high heat for 5 min. Add basil and vinegar, cook until the vinegar cooks off a little. Add diced bacon and salt then cook for 10-15 min or until bacon is fully cooked. Be sure to stir occasionally so bacon and tomatoes don't blacken too much.

Boil shells in water until fully cooked, set aside.

Combine cream cheese and butter in a saucepan and cook at low heat until both start to melt and combine. Turn up the heat and pour some milk into the pan, stir until combined. Add shredded cheese and allow it to melt into mixture. Add salt to taste and then slowly add cornstarch until sauce thickens.

Pour bacon/tomato mixture into the sauce and stir. Add the shells and stir until coated with the cheese sauce. Serve immediately!

Post V-Day Celebration

In honor of the day after the most disappointing day of the year (kidding mostly haha), I made a chocolatey dinner of deliciousness. Originally, I used a recipe for the crepes I found online, but the batter just wasn't working for me, so I modified the ingredients and measurements by combining it with another crepe recipe I have. So here it is, enjoy!

Crepe Recipe:
 1 c Flour
2 Eggs
1/2 c Milk
1/2 c Water
2 TB Butter, melted
1/4 c Sugar
1/4 c Cocoa Powder

Whisk all ingredients together. Pour 1/4 c of batter into frying pan at low-medium heat (spray with cooking spray first). When the crepe is solid enough, flip it. Each crepe should take a couple minutes.
Makes 6-8 crepes depending on size and thickness.

Filling Recipe:
Cream Cheese
Jam

Let cream cheese soften, then mix together with jam (I used raspberry).

Chocolate Topping:
Powdered Sugar
Cocoa Powder
Milk
Chocolate
Corn Starch

Combine sugar and cocoa in a double boiler. Whisk in milk. Add a little solid chocolate and stir until melted. Whisk in a little corn starch at a time until the sauce starts to thicken.

Assembly:

Spread a little bit of the jam mixture on a crepe. Add diced strawberries- or any preferred fruit really- and roll the crepe up laying seam side down. Sift powdered sugar on top of crepes, then pour some of the chocolate sauce over them. Add some extra strawberries on top.

Another cool idea for decoration- shaved chocolate : )

Old Fashioned Home Cookin'

Tonight I made Shepherd's Pie for dinner : D It's one of my favorite home-cooked meals, and quite delicious. I've found that everybody's version of this dish is fairly different, but one thing is for sure, good creamy mashed potatoes on top are a must!!! This dish is pretty simple overall, and I prefer to make one per person in these cute little ramekins my Mom gave me.

My recipe:

Medium Sized Onion
Ground Beef
Beef Stock from Bullion
Salt
Parsley
Garlic Salt
Cumin
Sage
Frozen Vegetables
Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Mashed Potatoes

Sorry in advance for the lack of measurements, I stopped measuring ingredients awhile ago and find that I can get a good feel for the "right amount" most of the time without measuring.

-Dice onions and put in a large frying pan. Add ground beef and beef stock, occasionally stirring and breaking meat down. Saute meat until it is cooked through.
-Add seasonings (I recommend only adding a little bit of sage and cumin, too much is overpowering)
-Add frozen veggies (I recommend anything with peas and carrots, and some beans. The bag I bought had a lot of beans, corn, and carrots). Add a little water if necessary and cook until the vegetables are cooked through. Drain any excess liquid.
-Put the meat/veggie mixture in the bottom of the ramekins or the bottom of a glass pan. Sprinkle with a little cheddar cheese.
-Make mashed potatoes as you normally would. I prefer using Idaho brown potatoes. I also like to put both sour cream and cream cheese in the potatoes to make them rich and creamy. Chives are a great addition if you have them on hand.
-Scoop mashed potatoes on top of meat. Spread so that meat is covered.
-Bake at 325 for 30 min. Turn the heat up to 450 and bake another 10 minutes if you want the pretty golden peaks : )

Super Bowl Sunday

I love the Super Bowl for two main reasons: the commercials and the food. Finger foods and dips are the traditional foods of the game, and this year, I made a whole bunch of goodies : ) I made the traditional "pigs in a blanket" as well as pizza bread, bacon cream cheese pinwheels, and some kick ass spinach artichoke dip that my sister gave me the recipe for. I made a 1/2 recipe because there were only 2 of us, but even with leftovers, it definitely got eaten.

2 8oz pkgs Cream Cheese, softened
3 TB Mayo
4 TB Sour Cream
3-4 Cloves of Garlic, minced or pressed
2 Packages Frozen Spinach
2 Full Sized Cans Quartered Artichokes
1 Package Mozzarella Cheese
1 Package Cheddar Cheese

-Preheat oven to 325
-Boil water in a pot and cook the frozen spinach. Drain spinach and set aside.
-Drain the artichokes and spread them and the spinach on the bottom of a 13x9 pan.
-In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and garlic together. Spoon small amounts of cream cheese mixture over artichokes and spinach. Spread the cream cheese carefully, trying not to mix it into the spinach and artichoke mixture too much.
-Add cheese to top, cover with foil, and bake for about 40 minutes checking on the dish occasionally. When it's done cooking, mix it all up so that all the layers become integrated.