Comfort Food

Sometimes a little cozy comfort food really hits the spot. Having recently discovered "Two Fat Ladies" - have you ever watched them? British hilarity at its finest - I was inspired to make my own version of one of their dishes...meatloaf. I have a meatloaf recipe that I have used for years, 12 to be exact, so when I watched the "Two Fat Ladies" make their meatloaf, I had to give it a try...omitting things like chicken liver, 'cause I'm just not in to that...actually, I changed so many of the ingredients that it really is no where near their meatloaf anymore, but it was totally inspired by watching them, so I must give them kudo's for that. This maddening meatloaf is comprised primarily of four different kinds of meat: ground beef, ground pork, pork sausage, and ground veal. Place all of the meat in a large bowl and set aside. Saute one large onion and 6-8 large mushroom caps (with stems removed) in about 3 Tbs. of butter. When the onions are nearly translucent, add 4 cloves of minced garlic to the mix and saute a few minutes more. Pour onto the meat  mixture and top with two eggs, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 Tbs. Kosher salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 2 tsp. basil, 1 tsp. thyme, and 1/4 tsp allspice. Mix together with your hands until well combined.

In a large roasting pan, shape into a loaf and criss-cross with bacon, tucking several bay leaves in and around the bacon and topping with sprigs of rosemary. Bake at 375 degrees until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees and meat is no longer pink, about 45 - 60 minutes.

Maddening Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground veal

1 lb. ground pork

1 lb. pork sausage

3 Tbs. butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

6-8 large mushroom caps, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic

1 Tbs. Kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. basil (dried)

1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. thyme

2 eggs

1/4 cup bread crumbs
3-4 sprigs rosemary
3-4 bay leaves
5-6 slices bacon

Combine meat in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium saute pan, heat 3 Tbs. of butter, add onions and mushrooms, sauteing 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes more or until onions are tender. Pour onion mixture into meat mixture and add eggs, seasonings, and bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Criss cross bacon across the top of loaf and tuck rosemary and bay leaves in and around bacon. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Discard rosemary and bay leaves before slicing. Enjoy!

xox,

A

Protein Packed

Oi. Vey. It is spring and we are in full swing. The Music Man's schedule is always crazy during this time of year and April-May have consistently proven to be two of my busiest months of the year. So, I've kind of lost track of things a little, not the least of which has been this blog. As I mentioned before, when wedding season hits, I get lost in constant activity and don't come up for air very often. Such is life. I wouldn't have it any other way. During the bustle, I sort of left the straight and narrow path of health and dieting and hit a few speed bumps containing chocolate, salty foods and high calorie beverages...like frappucino's...loaded with a whopping 400+ calories per grande portion and sending my daily caloric intake goal sky-rocketing back to chubby-ville. But just like the prodigal son, I returned to the fold of nutritional living and kicked off a new start with this flavor-packed turkey meatloaf. I don't think the family even noticed that it was turkey instead of beef. Or maybe they were just too afraid to say anything given how loaded my schedule has been and the underlying (yet unspoken) fear that I might "lose it". Either way, there were no complaints.

Turkey Meatloaf

2 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey
3-4 cups fresh bread crumbs (about 6-7 slices of bread pureed in food processor)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a medium size skillet - add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir onions and all other ingredients in a large bowl until well blended but not overmixed. This works best with bare hands (or gloved hands, but hands are the point - turkey meat is tender and will seize up or toughen if mixed in a blender). Press turkey mixture into loaf pan and bake until browned and cooked through - about 1 hour. Instant read thremometer should register 160 degrees when inserted near the middle. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

xox,
A