Not-Your-Mama's-Meatloaf

I know meatloaf is nothing fancy and by no means gourmet, but there are times when it just hits the spot...like comfort food. While the term "comfort food" is typically applied to something warm, rich and filling, I often think of this meatloaf as my ultimate comfort food. Considering the lean meat content and mixture of finely chopped veggies that comprise this dish, it really isn’t unhealthy - making it a low-guilt comfort food. This recipe is exceptionally versatile as it can be made with virtually any ground meat: beef, turkey, pork, etc. I used beef this time and must admit - the leftovers make delicious meatloaf sandwiches!

Once you combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands (I admit, I glove up my hands with disposable rubber gloves, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with clean, bare hands getting involved), then shape your mixture into a loaf. No need to use a loaf pan, the egg and bread crumbs will hold this meatloaf together quite adequately.



Not-Your-Mama's-Meatloaf

4 slices white or wheat bread, torn into pieces
2 1/2 pound ground meat
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and loosely chopped into large chunks
2 cloves garlic
2 ribs celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup fresh, flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 large eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tsp. mustard
1 tbs. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper*

For Topping(to be added during last 20 minutes of baking):
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp. mustard
2 Tbs. brown sugar
Mix the above three ingredients until smooth.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl; add ground meat. Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots and parsley in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add to meat mixture; combine using your hands. Note: the texture and shape of your meatloaf will not be the same if you attempt to mix with a spoon or in a large mixture-must be mixed with your hands! Add eggs, ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper; combine thoroughly, again using your hands. Shape into a loaf and place in a large casserole dish. Cover very loosely with a foil tent and bake in 400 degree oven, about 90 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees, remembering uncover and spread topping on the loaf during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Enjoy!

*Live-It-Up-Variation: add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes to give an extra kick!

Simple Roasted Potatoes

I must be Irish at heart as I love potatoes - mashed, french fried, roasted, sauteed, gnocchi, fried into patties, you name it. I once even attempted (albeit halfheartedly) to convince my husband that we should purchase a potato farm. Yes, I love potatoes. I started oven roasting potatoes a few years ago and have experimented with a variety of seasonings. This recipe has made it's way to the top (currently, anyway) as my family's favorite concoction for roasted potatoes.

You begin with 6 potatoes, and chopped into rough 1-inch cubes. To this you add 1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped fine.




Combine olive oil and seasonings (complete recipe below) in a large bowl, whisking well. Pour the oil mixture over the potatoes and onions, stirring well to combine and give a good coat to each of the potato cubes.




Pour potatoes onto a sheet pan and spread evenly so that each potato is on the sheet pan. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes.



Simple Roasted Potatoes

6 medium potatoes, well-washed with skins left on
½ yellow or purple onion chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. basil
½ tsp oregano
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. pepper

Chop potatoes into ½-inch cubes and place in the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Add chopped onion. In a small bowl, combine olive oil and all remaining seasonings. Whisk to well combine. Pour oil mixture over potatoes and onions and toss till potatoes are well coated. Pour potatoes onto a sheet pan, spreading evenly and making sure each potato is touching the pan, so they are not stacked on top of each other. Roast in a 400 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Got Chocolate?

Cookies and chocolate are two of my favorite things...put the two together and sweet bliss has been found. This super rich cookie will leave you craving a large, ice cold glass of milk...my critics agree that the cookies (and the milk) won't last long...






Double Chocolate Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips*
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips*

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combing granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter, mixing until well combined. Add the eggs and beat at medium speed until batter is light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips to the the batter and stir until just combined - do not over mix. Drop with medium size cookie scoop onto silpat or parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 15-18 minutes, depending on your oven...in mine, 16 minutes is perfect, but just watch them. They will seem a little moist when you first pull them out, this is good. They will set up quickly. After removing them from the oven, immediately pull the parchment and/or silpat from the cookie sheet right on to the counter. The cookies will easily come off the parchment when they are cooled, so you if you're not using a silpat, the parchment can be used over and over again for the entire batch. This yields roughly 4 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

*Live-It-Up Variation: Substitute 2 cups peanut butter chips in place of white and semi-sweet chips.

Baked Potato Goodness

The warm goodness of soup hits the spot on a chilly day. Chilly weather is rare here in Texas, so when I find myself in the midst of a nippy day, I quickly reach for my favorite soup recipes. I've been making this potato soup for over 10 years and it remains a hit every time. Yummy enough to be devoured by kiddo's and hearty enough to leave adults content (i.e. the husband!) we find it to be truly scrumptious!

Baked Potato Soup

6 average size potatoes baked, cooled, peeled and cubed

8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2/3 cup flour

8 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pepper*

In the bottom of a stock pot, cook bacon until crisp, remove and drain on paper towels. Leave the bacon drippings in the bottom of the pot and, over medium-high heat, add the chopped onion and saute until tender. Add flour, cooking and stirring until well combined and beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, whisking well to prevent lumps. Allow to thicken, cooking about 5 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients: chopped potatoes, milk, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon. Once milk has been added, do not allow soup to boil as this will break down the milk proteins and produce a watery soup. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until cheese had melted. Dish some up and top with additional shredded cheese and parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

*Live-It-Up Variation: For more kick in your soup, add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce.

Gooey, Delicious Delight

Cheese, glorious cheese! Oh how I love cheese...and ice cream and beef tenderloin...but we can talk about those another day. "Everything in moderation" is my motto - a motto I almost lost sight of after whipping up this baked brie. I wanted to dive in with my bare fingers and devour the entire thing. Oh the delectable goodness of brie!

I started with a 16 oz. brie...yes, that's a large brie and an 8 oz. would most certainly work just as well, but as we frequently feed "extras" our house - in the form of students or friends dropping in - I knew a 16 oz. brie would be readily consumed.


After slicing off the rind on one side of the brie, I placed it on a sheet of puff pastry (the side with the remaining rind facing down) and topped with raspberry preserves and coarsely chopped, toasted almonds.


Simply wrap the puff pastry around the brie, bunching it up on top...


Brush with egg yolk and bake at 400 degrees about 25 minutes.


Let stand five minutes or so and then serve up the oozy, gooey, deliciousness with crackers and apple slices...or take a scoop with your bare finger when no one is looking...not that I would ever do that...




Baked Brie

1 16 oz. wheel of brie
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed according to package directions
1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/2 cup toasted, coarsely chopped almonds
1 tsp. sugar
1 large egg yolk, beaten

Lightly roll out puff pastry on a floured surface. Slice off the rind from one side of the brie and place with remaining rind down on puff pastry. Top the brie with raspberry preserves, toasted almonds and sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar. Wrap the puff pastry around the brie, twisting ends together and bunching up on top of the brie. Brush puff pastry with beaten egg yolk. Place on a lightly oiled sheet pan and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let stand five minutes and enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

Who doesn't love heart-shaped nonsense on Valentine's Day? Is there a mother alive with children still residing at home who doesn't make heart shaped pancakes, buy huge chocolate kisses or little stuffed animals that say "be mine" for their little ones? I love to pamper my family on Valentine's Day with goodies and kisses and especially heart shaped pancakes. Sandwiched between Christmas and Easter, they always seem to forget they will be indulging in syrup soaked delight on Valentine's Day...a surprise which only makes the day that much more fun! This year I not only made our traditional buttermilk pancakes, but I also whipped out a new recipe for chocolate pancakes - I'll post both recipes here. Since I was unsure how my chocolate pancake concoction would turn out, I kept my ingredients to small quantities...you may want to double the recipe if your feeding several people. However, my traditional buttermilk pancake recipe is designed to feed the masses (we like pancakes, what can I say? the leftovers can be frozen and easily heated in the toaster on a hurried weekday morning) so you may want to half the recipe if you're feeding just a few...Enjoy!

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 stick melted butter
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs, butter and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk to combine. Cook on a 400 degree griddle and enjoy!

Chocolate Pancakes

3/4 cup flour
2 Tbs. cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 Tbs. melted butter
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
Mini chocolate chips (optional)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl - stir to combine well. In another bowl combine wet ingredients and pour into dry ingredients. Whisk to combine and cook up on a 400 degree griddle. Enjoy!

The Sweetest Thing I've Baked...

I've taken a break lately from my foodie antics and my catering business to finish baking up something extra sweet and special...and oh boy did he turn out perfect! We welcomed the newest member of our household four weeks ago and each of us fell immediately in love. Though he was nearly a week overdue, we think he was "baked" to perfection. Take a peek at the sweetest thing I've baked...

Salads - Just in Time for the New Year!

If you're like me, you enjoyed every aspect of the Holiday Season including mashed potatoes and gravy, with lots of pie and cookies. Now that it's time to start another New Year, I'm reminded that summer will be here again before we know it and so will those sleeveless shirts, sundresses, and shorts. New Year's resolutions aside, it's never too early to start thinking about healthy side dishes that help to fill us up without breaking our caloric bank. Here are two such dishes that pack in the vitamins and fiber while leaving you feeling full and not deprived. These make great dinner sides or can fly solo for a light lunch.

We'll start with the bean salad. This is very simple, easy to assemble - anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can make this. The recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled. Plus, it is super healthy, low in fat, and high in fiber - great way to start your new year!


Bean Salad

1 can kidney beans, well-drained
1 can mexicorn, well-drained
1 can black beans, well-drained
1/4 cup chopped scallions (green onion)
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin. Stir in black beans, kidney beans, corn and onions. Combine well and refrigerate at least one hour. Serve chilled.

*Live-It-Up Variation: Turn this simple side into a main dish by grilling 1-2 chicken breasts, shredding with a fork and tossing into salad.
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And then there's broccoli salad. Sweet and tangy with the crunchiness of bacon, helps to ensure that even the children in your home will eat their veggies...


Broccoli Salad

1 large head broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
6-12 slices crisp bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup Miracle Whip (can use fat-free)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Combine chopped broccoli, chopped onion, carrot, cranberries and bacon in a large bowl, toss well. In a small bowl, mix together Miracle Whip, sugar and vinegar. Pour over broccoli mixture and stir to combine well. Chill for at least an hour. Serve chilled.