Italian Style Meatloaf

Last night was meatloaf night, but it was time to do something different. I really like the A-1 bleu cheese meatloaf that I've written about before, but I have to keep things new, fresh and interesting. This one was inspired by Matt. He loves Italian sausage, so I thought it would be fun to make a meatloaf that included that in it. Thus, a new meatloaf recipe was born. And as soon as Matt took a bite, he said "You have to put this on your blog." Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures as I was making the meatloaf, so I only have one picture of the finished product. But not to worry, I'm sure I will be making this one again and when I do, I will update this post with more pictures. The flavor of this meatloaf was surprising. I did a combination of meats and I thought both flavors would come through, but actually they meshed well together and created a wonderfully rich sausage-y taste. That, combined with the other ingredients made for a very flavorful, juicy meatloaf. Here's what I did...

-1/2 lb of ground beef (I use 80/20 because it keeps the meatloaf moist.)
-3 Italian sausage links, casings removed (I used sweet, but use whatever flavor you like.)
-4 large crimini mushrooms, chopped (also called baby bellas)
-1/2 of a medium sweet onion, chopped 
-1/2 cup of grated Parmesan (the real stuff!)
-a heavy splash of Worcestershire sauce
-a small handful of parsley, finely chopped
-3/4 cup of plain breadcrumbs (you can start with a little less and add more as needed)
-1 egg, beaten
-1/2 TBS of dried basil (rub the dried herbs in your palm to enhance the flavor)
-1 tsp of dried oregano
-Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste (If you're not into heat, just put a light sprinkle of the red pepper flakes, but definitely add it because it adds such a great depth of the flavor to the meatloaf.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Saute the mushrooms and onions in a small saute pan over medium heat with a 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil until softened. Once the mushrooms and onions are soft, add a splash of Worcestershire to the pan and let it cook out. (Keep your head back from the pan when you add the Worcestershire otherwise you'll end up choking on the fumes!) Remove the pan from the heat and let the veggies cool for a few minutes. In a large mixing bowl, add the meats and spices. (I add the spices directly on top of the meat to ensure the meat is seasoned well.) Add the remaining ingredients including another splash of Worcestershire and the mushrooms and onions. Mix with yours hands until all of the ingredients are just combined. (Try not to overmix because that can make the meatloaf tough.) Form into a loaf and place into a 9x5 inch loaf pan OR something I've been thinking about doing is making individual sized loaves and cooking them on a cookie sheet. There are a couple of great reasons to do it this way instead of the large loaf. 1.) They will cook faster since they are smaller and 2.) For me, the crusty top of the meatloaf is the best part, which is why I always want the end piece. With these individual loaves everyone gets more of that tasty crust. The large loaf will end up cooking for about 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes and the individual loaves about 25-35 minutes (depending on size). Be sure to check the internal temperature, which should read 165 degrees. You MUST cook this meatloaf all the way through since it has pork in it. When the meatloaf reaches 165 degrees, let it stand for about 5 to 10 minutes to let the juices redistribute throughout the meatloaf. Serve with mashed potatoes and a nice salad or roasted asparagus.

This meatloaf was full flavored and delicious. There's nothing I would have changed about the flavors of this meatloaf. It has everything you could ask for...beef, pork, the salty cheese flavor, the earthy mushrooms and herbs and a little heat in the background. This, served with a side of mashed potatoes is a little slice of heaven. Now that I've told you about the meatloaf, the potatoes should definitely be mentioned. So, for Christmas I got a ricer, which is basically a strainer that you push food through to create a super smooth texture. I highly recommend investing in one of these. You will never get smoother potatoes with anything else. They were light and fluffy, the perfect "mashed" potato. I added just a little butter, a splash of chicken stock and some black pepper. I could have eaten the entire bowl myself! 

Click on the link below to see what a ricer looks like!
 
http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Potato-Ricer/dp/B00004OCJQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298481095&sr=8-1



I'm actually starting to really enjoy meatloaf. I don't know why I had such an aversion to it. I like challenging myself to come up with new flavors and different styles. I've already written another one that uses ground turkey for a healthier version. I plan on trying that one next week. I hope you enjoy this new meatloaf recipe and I'd love to hear your favorite meatloaf recipe!

Long time, no blog

I'm very upset with myself that I haven't blogged in MONTHS! What the heck?! I don't even know what happened. I've certainly made some new dishes, so why aren't they on here?! Oh right....the holidays and coming up, Matt's graduation and moving back to Mesa. But I will NOT let those be an excuse any longer! I love cooking and I love blogging about it. That's all there is to it. So, tomorrow...a new dish and a new blog post about it. Now, which new dish to make? Something with chicken for sure since we got it out for dinner tonight, but ended up at a friend's house for dinner. :) Stay tuned!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Ham and Gorgonzola Panini

This was the perfect meal for a cool Fall evening. Nothing warms you heart and soul better than a bowl of homemade soup. Even though there was nothing more in this soup that vegetables it made for a filling meal and very healthy too. Here's what I did...

For the soup:

-3 strips of bacon, diced (optional, it's used as a garnish)
-1/2 large sweet onion, diced
-1 medium to large carrot, peeled and diced
-2 ribs of celery, diced
-1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
-32oz chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you wanted to make this soup vegetarian)
-1/4 cup white wine
-1/4 cup of heavy cream
-some chopped chives (for garnish)
-a small container of greek yogurt (for garnish)
-smoked paprika
-ancho chili powder
-nutmeg
-salt and pepper
-extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the cubed butternut squash on a large cookie sheet and add about 1 tsp each of smoked paprika and ancho chili powder and a lightly dusting of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add about 1 TBS of olive oil and toss to coat. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until squash is soft and golden brown. Meanwhile, preheat a large stock pot over medium heat and add the diced bacon, if using. Cook bacon until desired level of crispness. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside. In the same pot, make sure you have about 2 TBS of oil in the bottom. So, if the bacon didn't render enough fat to equal 2 TBS, go ahead and add some olive oil. (If you aren't using bacon, just add 2 TBS of olive oil and go from here.) Add the diced onions, carrots and celery (this is known as the "holy trinity" or mirepoix), along with 2 tsp of smoked paprika and ancho chili powder, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook the the vegetables until softened about 10 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and let it cook out for 1-2 minutes. When the butternut squash is done roasting, add it to the stock pot, along with a 1/2 cup of the chicken stock and gently mash the squash using a potato masher. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring the soup up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until thickened. At this point, if you are looking for a smooth soup you can put the soup into a blender and puree it. Just be VERY careful while doing this because of course, the soup is hot and may cause the top of the blender to pop off. Or you can use a handheld immersion blender. Or you can just leave it slightly chunky, as I did. To finish the soup, turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream. To serve, divide into bowls and spoon a dollop of greek yogurt in the center, topped with the crispy diced bacon and chopped chives. 

For the sandwiches:

-bread of your choice
-sliced ham
-1/3 cup of softened cream cheese
-2 TBS of crumbled gorgonzola or bleu cheese
-chopped chives
-black pepper
-granny smith apple, thinly sliced

Mix together the softened cream cheese, gorgonzola crumbles, chives and black pepper to taste. Spread a thick layer on one slice of bread. Layer on the apples and ham and top it with the other slice of bread. Butter the outsides of the bread and place in a preheated panini press or cast iron skillet. Cook until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted. To serve, cut on the diagonal.

There is only one way to describe that butternut squash soup: Fall in a bowl. It has a warm, smoky flavor from the bacon and spices, but the vegetables balance it out with their natural sweetness and the greek yogurt adds a nice tang at the end. It has a great balance of flavors. So does the sandwich...the sweet and salty ham with the sour green apple and bleu cheese really melt well together. This soup and sandwich combo goes great together, but feel free to swap either one out with a crisp salad. Hope you enjoy this flavorful meal!

Chicken Pita Pockets with Hummus

This recipe was really simple to make and was a very satisfying meal. It's great for when you don't have a lot of time to make dinner or have a hard day and want something quick and easy. I made homemade hummus, but if you need the meal to come together faster than that, then just use your favorite brand of hummus. If you've never had hummus, it's just a puree of garbanzo (aka chickpea) beans, tahini paste (sesame seed puree), lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. It turns out smooth and creamy and tastes somewhat nutty. Hummus also makes a great dip for veggies or pita chips or can be spread on sandwiches instead of mayo! Here's what I did...


For the hummus:

-1 can of garbanzo beans, drained
-2 to 3 TBS of tahini paste (This will be based on your preference. Start with 2 TBS, taste the hummus and add more tahini as desired. Tahini paste can be found in the Oriental food aisle.)
-the zest and juice from 1 lemon
-1 to 2 cloves of garlic, grated on a hand held grater (This will also be based on your preference. If you like garlic, add more. If you don't like garlic or can't eat it like me, you can use some roasted shallots instead. Peel the shallots, drizzle them salt, pepper and olive oil and roast them at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and softened OR dice and saute them in olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat until softened.)
-about 2/3 cup of olive oil (you want the consistency of the hummus to be smooth so add just enough olive oil to achieve that texture.)
-salt and pepper to taste (normally, there isn't pepper in hummus, but I like pepper. Feel free to leave it out.)


Add all of the above ingredients (except for the olive oil) into the food processor or blender. While the processor is running, stream in the olive oil and continue processing until the mixture is smooth and creamy, adding more oil as necessary. Remove the hummus from the processor into a bowl and set aside.


Now, you can use any veggies that you like for the pita pockets. Here's what I used:

-chopped romaine lettuce
-chopped tomatoes
-sliced English cucumber (it's the one that comes in a plastic wrapper)
-kalamata olives, halved

Other ingredients you will need are:

-crumbled feta cheese
-pitas (they have plain, whole wheat and multi-grain. Use whatever you like. Most of them are perforated already, but if they aren't just cut them in half to create the pockets.)
-thin chicken breasts (allow 1 per person)
-tzatziki sauce (it's a cucumber and dill sauce made with greek yogurt. It's easy enough to make, by combining a small container of plain greek yogurt, some finely chopped cucumber, fresh dill, lemon juice and salt and pepper...or you can just buy it.)


For the chicken, use whatever spices you like. You can use a hot paprika or a curry powder or smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Grill the chicken 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Allow the chicken to rest 5-10 minutes, then thinly slice it.

To assemble the pita pockets, simply layer in the ingredients that you want. The hummus can be put inside the pita or served on the side with cucumber slices for dipping. 


This is a very healthy meal, but it was also filling without being heavy. Lots of veggies and protein, but with very little fat. I know I've been posting a lot of higher calorie meals and pasta dishes lately and I'm planning on putting more recipes like this one on my blog in the near future. I hope you give this a try and I'd love any feedback about this and any other recipes I've posted! :)

Roasted Tomatillo and Green Chili Mac N' Cheese

I know I haven't blogged in awhile, but I'm back and I've got a great recipe for you! You know how much I love Mac N' Cheese, not only to eat, but to make. There are so many flavor combinations you can do with it and this version may very well be my favorite Mac N' Cheese I've ever made. The flavors of this recipe are so complex and delicious and yet, it's so simple to make! It's loosely based on one of my dad's chili recipes. Here's what I did...

-rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken, shredded (about 3 cups) 
-5 medium to large tomatillos
-1 small can of diced green chilies
-about 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded 
-about 1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
-3 to 4 scallions, finely diced
-a handful of cilantro, chopped
-1/2 lb of short cut pasta (penne or rigatoni)
-2 TBS butter
-2 TBS flour
-1 1/2 cups of warmed milk
-2 tsp ground coriander
-about 1/2 cup of crushed tortilla chips
-salt and pepper

 This is what a tomatillo looks like before peeling off the husk. They have a pretty tart flavor so roasting them helps to balance out the tartness. 
 

This is a standard bechamel sauce. The typical flavors of a regular bechamel sauce is salt, pepper and nutmeg, but I used coriander here to compliment the other Mexican flavors.

This is the cheese sauce with the roasted tomatillos and green chilies. 

Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a casserole dish with Pam and set aside. Peel the husks off of the tomatillos and rinse them with water. (Even after rinsing they will feel slightly sticky and have a funny smell, but as long as they are a bright green color they are good.) Place them on a cookie sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them until golden brown about 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then chop finely. Meanwhile, place a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Cook pasta for about 7-8 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven). Drain and put the pasta back into the pot, off of the heat. While the pasta is cooking, preheat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour, whisking to combine. Let the mixture cook about 1 minute and then slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Allow the milk to thicken about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. (The consistency should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.) Season with coriander, salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low and with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in a small handful of cheese at a time. Once all of the cheese is melted into the white sauce, stir in the chopped tomatillos and diced green chilies. Add the chopped scallions, cilantro and shredded chicken to the pot of pasta and pour the cheese sauce over it. Stir to combine the ingredients evenly. Pour the mac n' cheese into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the crushed chips. Place into the oven and cook until the chips are golden brown about 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately. 


This Mac N' Cheese is so flavorful and has a little heat to it, but if you want to kick it up a notch, you can add some diced pickled jalapenos to the mix. I really hope you try this out because I think you will love it!

  

Stuffed Shells

When I was younger, I always wanted my mom to make Manicotti for my birthday. Now that I'm older, I realize what a pain in the butt it must have been! That's why moms are the best, right? :) She made it for me because she knew I loved it and never let on how much work it was to make. I will have to return the favor and make this recipe for her one day! :) This one is a lot easier to make because I used large shells instead of the Manicotti tubes. Here's what I did...


For the filling:


-15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
-10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
-3 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
-1/3 cup of grated parmesan
-4 to 5 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
-a small handful of parsley, chopped
-1/4 tsp of grated or ground nutmeg
-the zest and juice of 1 lemon
-salt and pepper to taste


Other ingredients:

-large shells (allow 4 per person)
-red sauce of your choice
-a ball of mozzarella, thinly sliced (use a serrated knife, it works better)
-grated parmesan
-2 TBS butter
-2 TBS flour
-1 1/2 cups of warmed milk
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-salt and pepper to taste


*This recipe has 2 sauces: a white sauce (AKA bechamel) and a red sauce. If you don't have time to make the white sauce, go ahead and leave it out. But I do recommend trying this with the white sauce because it does add a richness to the dish.

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease a large casserole dish with Pam and set aside. In a large stock pot, bring the water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta 5-6 minutes, drain and let cool. (You only want to cook the pasta halfway because it will continue cooking in the oven. Also, when you drain the pasta and let it cool, do NOT rinse the pasta off with cold water. This will wash away the starch and your sauce will have nothing to stick to.) Meanwhile, add all of the filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. In medium non-stick saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Let the flour and butter cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously. Allow the sauce to come up to a bubble over medium heat, whisking often. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a little more milk. Turn off the heat and stir in a generous handful of parmesan cheese. Pour the sauce into the prepared casserole dish. When the shells have cooled, begin stuffing them with about a tablespoon of mixture or until the shell is filled. As you fill them, place them into the casserole dish on top of the bechamel sauce. Once you fill the casserole dish, pour the red sauce evenly over the stuffed shells. Top with the sliced mozzarella and some parmesan. Place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. After that, turn on the broiler and brown the cheese for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

I can see this recipe turning into one of our favorites. It's simple to put together, but looks like it took all day to make. It's rich and full of flavor and best of all, full of cheese! :) You can definitely play around with the flavors, though. Try sausage, arugula (a leafy green with a pepper-y taste), and sauteed onions or spinach and artichoke with the ricotta cheese. I would love to hear any flavor combination that you try! Enjoy!

Crispy Fish Sandwiches with homemade Tartar sauce

I don't know about all of you, but whenever I plan to make fish, I never think about making a fish sandwich. I'm not really sure why that is, but we had some leftover buns that I wanted to use up and everything just feel into place after that. This fish sandwich is a little on the lighter side because it doesn't have a beer batter coating and it's not fried. So, you still get that crunchy coating, but since it's baked, you don't have to worry about all the oil. Here's what I did...

-tilapia fillets (or any other flaky, white fish. Allow 1 per sandwich. Try to make sure they are all the same size so that they will cook evenly.)
-about 1 cup of panko bread crumbs (It's a Japanese style bread crumb and can be found in the asian aisle at the grocery store. This amount covered 2 fillets, so add more as needed, along with the spices, zest and butter.)
-1/2 cup of flour
-2 eggs
-a rounded TBS of Old Bay Seasoning
-the zest of 1 large lemon (after zesting, cut the lemon into wedges and reserve)
-a small handful of parsley, finely chopped
-1 TBS of butter, melted (it helps to brown the panko bread crumbs in the oven)
-rolls/buns of your choice
-lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set up your breading station. In the first bowl, add the flour. In the second bowl, beat the eggs. In the third bowl, combine the panko bread crumbs, Old Bay seasoning, lemon zest, parsley and melted butter. Toss with your hands to distribute everything evenly. Dab the fish dry with a paper towel, then dredge in the flour and shake off the excess. Dip the fish into the egg, then into the panko mixture. Press the fish firmly in to the panko to ensure that it sticks to the fish. Place the fish on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet. Repeat until all the fish is breaded. Allow the fish to sit for 5-10 minutes to give the breading time to dry out a little, so that it sticks to the fish better. Place the fish in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. (If the the fish is thicker than 1/2 inch thick then add a few more minutes to the cooking time.) When the fish comes out of the oven, squeeze the reserved lemon over the top of each fish.


Tartar Sauce:


-1 small container of plain greek yogurt 
-1 TBS mayo or Miracle Whip
-5 to 6 large pickle slices, finely diced (you can use pickle relish, but I find it a little too wet.)
-the juice of half a lemon
-1 tsp dry ground mustard
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp celery seed
-salt and pepper to taste


Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. 

I make the Tartar Sauce before breading the fish so that the flavors of the sauce can sit and marinate together. This tartar sauce is an alternative to the sour cream and mayo based tartar sauces that are more traditional. I hope you will give this one a try because it is quite flavorful and you can't tell that you're eating yogurt instead of sour cream.


To serve the fish sandwiches, toast the rolls if desired. Place the fish on the bottom bun and top it with the tomato and lettuce. Smear a generous amount of tartar sauce on the top bun to finish the sandwich. 

Even through the bun, you can feel the crunch of the coating on the fish and the spices and lemon zest add a spicy and tangy kick. This crispy fish would be just as good to eat by itself instead of a sandwich. Enjoy!