50s Prime Time Meatloaf

Photo courtesy of Eat at Home Cooks

Its been a little crazy at my house the last few days...so I haven't cooked anything you've not seen before.  I did a replay of the baked chili dogs and tried to make a crock pot bbq chicken (fail).  So, until something really yummy comes out of my kitchen, enjoy this meatloaf recipe from Eat at Home Cooks that I made a few weeks ago.

If you're going to bother with meatloaf, this is the one to make. 

50's Prime Time Meatloaf

Chicken and Broccoli Penne Alfredo with Biscuit Bites

Isn't that a mouthful?  Why, yes.  Yes, it is.  A yummy one. 

I've made this before, sans broccoli.  Its quite a simple dinner.  Well, hello, I made it.  Of course its simple.  What was I thinking? Silly me.

The man requested this tonight for his birthday dinner.  I don't have to pay a fortune and fight with the littles at a restaurant? Score.  I'll cook.

The biscuit bites are a new thing.  I saw this blog and thought it was a pretty clever idea.  As the author states, its more a method than a recipe.  I chose a different flavor than she had listed.

The pasta is pretty straightforward, so I won't spend a lot of time boring you with details.

Here's what I used

1lb box of penne

1 bag fresh broccoli florets

1 bag grilled chicken strips (I used fajita flavor because its my favorite)

1 jar alfredo sauce, any flavor

1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic

pepper to taste

The pasta takes the longest, so start it first.  Then warm the chicken through in a skillet (the bag has microwave directions, too, so technically it could be a one pot dish if you went that route).  Steam the broccoli in the microwave, or add it to the pasta water the last five minutes of cooking.

Once the pasta has been drained, just add all the ingredients back into the pot and mix them up and warm through.  I added about a 1/2 cup of milk because the alfredo sauce didn't stretch quite enough, so don't worry about this being a soupy pasta.

I could have just added the broccoli on top for presentation purposes, but I had a 6 year old ready to gnaw her hand off if I didn't hurry!  Also, we had plenty left for the man and I both to take for lunch tomorrow..and probably the next day, too.  A pound of pasta serves 8.

 Now for the biscuit bites.  Again..easy.  Just a little bit more prep work involved than popping a can and throwing it in the oven.

Here's what I used.

3 Tbsp melted butter (if its yellow and goes on a biscuit..it's butter in this house)

seasoning to taste - I used a little over a tablespoon (choose your flavor)

1 can refrigerated biscuits

I just found this seasoning in the spice aisle and it looked pretty good.  It is..but if you can't find this particular seasoning or don't care for the flavor, I put back a bottle of garlic and herb Mrs. Dash..so you get the idea..you're just playing with the flavor you want to compliment your meal.  I even considered using those tubs of pre-made garlic butter they sell next to the fresh bread. You could also use dry ranch dressing mix or fresh herbs or even cinnamon sugar for a dessert.  Play with it.

The first step is to cut the biscuits into quarters.

I put my melted butter and seasoning in a big ziplock bag and just threw the biscuits in as I was cutting, then smooshed them all around to make sure everything was coated.

Then place on your pan and bake for 10-15 minutes on 350.  That's it!  Because of all the butter in the preparation, no one asked for butter in their biscuits.  Nice.

Christi

Pineapple Breakfast Cake

Ignore the crock pot in the picture..not that kinda recipe.  Sorry, my photography kinda sucks.  And the crock pot is kinda dirty.  Going to clean it now.  Right now.

I'm calling this breakfast cake, because what kid wouldn't love to have cake for breakfast?  Mine would.  And do.  I found this recipe for an easy dessert, but if you look at the nutriton facts (at 12 slices, 148 cals and .2 [yes, POINT 2] grams of fat per slice) come ON..that's healthier than any of the cereals on top of my fridge right now.  So, my kids got cake for breakfast all week.  I'm their favorite mom ever now.  Go me!

Okay okay..here's what you need.

Nope, I wasn't too lazy to put everything out.  That's it. 

1 box Angel Food cake mix

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple

The stand mixer was still out from the last (failed) cake experiment, so into the bowl go the mix and pineapple with the juice. 

I used a (butter flavor Crisco sprayed) bundt pan, but use whatever pan you want, just follow the cooking times on the cake mix box.  Surprised I own a bundt pan? Me, too!

I guess my oven isn't even or something..but there it is turned out.

Eat cake for breakfast!  With coffee...mmm..

Christi

Fancy Chicken Noodle Soup

Easiest. Soup. Ever.  I don't know why I don't make this more often.  I've made it a few times, each time wondering the same thing.  I saw Giada make it on Everyday Italian years ago. 

Here's what I used..

Doesn't get much easier than that, but you need 2 of those cartons of broth. I wasn't thinking when I only pulled one out.

64 oz of chicken broth

Large package of refrigerated tortellini.

pepper and paremsan to taste

Put the broth and pasta in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 5-6 minutes or until pasta is done.

That's it.  Done.

Easy, huh?

Christi

Slow Cooker Carolina Barbecue and Slaw

I am so excited about this dinner.  I was introduced to vinegar bbq sauce when I lived (briefly) in Smithfield, North Carolina, near Raleigh.  At that time, there were three things in Smithfield:  Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ, a brand new Wal Mart, and my apartment.  I ate at Smithfield's often.  Too often.  It is sooo stinking good.  Don't get me wrong...I like the tomato based sauce I grew up on and still eat, but this is a thing of beauty.  I was afraid to even try to replicate it because I did not want to be disappointed.  Sure, I could go online and order me up a gallon of that fabulous sauce and bathe in it...or challenge myself.  And here we are.

I wrote this whole thing, then realized...I could never make this during the week if I wasn't on vacation.  This is a long process and its best started the night before, then tended to throughout the next day.  So, any other time, I'd have started this on a Friday or Saturday night so I could work with it on a weekend day.  But, that's me...I gotsta work to pay for all this good food!

 

Challenge number 1:  I don't own a smoker.  Or a grill, for that matter.  The oven isn't always kind to me, but I do love my crock pot.  I love it so much, I just bought it new underwear. 

Challenge number 2:  The crock pot is good and all, but how do I achieve that great smoky flavor? Liquid Smoke, of course!  Here's a great article on what exactly Liquid Smoke is.  Quite simple, really.

Challenge number 3: So, we've got the pulled pork part figured out...now about that sauce.  I looked at many many recipes for the sauce.  The natives all seem to have that little something they add to make it perfect.  The one that started it all has fish sauce. I don't even know what that is or where to find it, but it is NOT going in my bbq.  End of discussion. In the end, they all had pretty similar ingredients.  I took the ones that tend to repeat themselves throughout every recipe and we're rolling with it.

And here we go..

4-5 lb bone in pork shoulder roast

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs Liquid Smoke (choose your flavor, I got mesquite)

3 Tbs water

3 Tbs meat rub/grill seasoning

Combine the liquids and grill seasoning in a small bowl.

Place the roast in the slow cooker and pierce the roast all over with a knife, then pour the spice/smoke mixture over the roast (or inject the solution if you're gadget savvy like that). 

Cook for 12 hours on low.

When its done, the bone should just pull out with no effort.

Then shred the pork with two forks.  After being in the slow cooker for so long, this takes no effort, really.  It just falls apart.  I was done in about 2 minutes.

Now for the sauce...the most important part of it all!

2 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and warm through until everything is dissolved, then allow to cool and sit for at least 4 hours to let the flavors meld.

I just put it back into the empty vinegar bottle.

I was trying to show the translucence here.  Didn't really work.

After I shredded the pork, I put it back in the slow cooker with its own juices.  Mine has a "hold warm" setting.  I added about 3/4 of the bottle of sauce in to let the flavors soak into the meat.  I tested a small piece with the sauce to make sure it wasn't too spicy for the kiddos.  I hate it when I end up with a masterpiece only to have to serve PBJs to the littles.  Leave that until you're ready to serve.  Mine stayed for about 3 hours.

Now for the slaw.  As far as I'm concerned, you can't have one without the other.  They just taste so good together.  I mostly followed this recipe.

1 bag of cole slaw mix

1 small bell pepper, finely chopped (any color and I only used about a 1/4 of the one pictured)

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped (I used half the one pictured).

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 cup cider vinegar

Place your vegetables in a serving bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining ingredients; bring to a boil, then simmer until everything is dissolved. Pour over vegetables and toss well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

And there you have it. My vinegar sauce craving has been sated and everyone ate it (bonus).  In the end, I scooped all my slaw into the bread on top of the pork and ate it together.  THAT, my friends, was a magnificent sandwich.

Christi

Sweet Iced Tea

If you are from the south, chances are you like sweet tea.  I love sweet tea.  Why, then, do they sell gallon jugs of sweet tea at the grocery store when its sooo easy and cheap to make??  I decided to blog this today because I saw a woman at the store putting 3 jugs of it in her cart.  Three.  She wasn't buying bulk of anything else, so I can only assume it was normal grocery shopping.  That's like $6 worth of tea!  Crazy.  I learned how to make tea before I learned to microwave a can of soup.  Its not difficult.  It doesn't even take much time.  Okay, okay..I'm done.

I'm partial to Lipton, but use what you like.

For one gallon of tea:

14 regular tea bags

2 cups sugar

water

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.  Remove from heat and add the tea bags.  Let them brew for about 10-15 minutes.  The longer it goes, the stronger it gets. 

**Do not boil the tea bags.  You'll just end up with a jug of bitter yuck.**

While the tea is brewing, boil then remove from heat 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar in a small sauce pan to make a simple syrup.  This is your sweetener.  If you just use regular sugar, it takes forever to dissolve, if it ever does completely.  Obviously, you can adjust the amount of sugar if this is too much or too little for you.

Once your tea has brewed, remove all the bags and squish all the liquid out by pressing them against the side of the pan with a spoon. 

Pour the concentrated tea into a gallon pitcher, add your simple syrup, then fill the rest of the way with water.  Refrigerate and serve over ice!

Christi

Mustard Maple Chicken and Crunchy Broccoli Salad

Why I only take blurry pictures is beyond me.  The phone was steadied on the counter!

I'm sharing two recipes in one blog today..because I just can't wait!  This week is spring break for the kiddos, so I took the week off as vacation to stay home with them.  The plan was to clean like crazy and cook up a storm.  Its Wednesday, the house is a mess, and this is the first time I've cooked since last Friday.  So much for all those plans! 

One thing I've discovered since I started this little project, is that I have to adjust recipes.  Often.  The chicken recipe was written to feed 3 normal people.  I decided if this is as man-pleasing as it promises to be, I'd better double up.  There are 4 of us to start with...and that man counts as 1 or 2 extra some nights.  The broccoli salad claims to feed 10.  Even on the hungriest of nights, no way would we eat that much, and since its already dressed, it probably wouldn't save very well.  I (at least) halved that recipe.

The main course, Mustard Maple Chicken, is appropriately named "Man-Pleasing Chicken" on the Witty In The City blog.  It's quite tasty.

Here is what I started with:  4 simple ingredients.

12 chicken thighs (I used bone in w/ skin, but removed the skin before I baked it)

1 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

The first step is to mix the mustard, syrup, and vinegar together for your sauce.

Then pour it into the bottom of a roasting pan (Use whatever pan they'll fit in.  My glass dish was busy).  Place your thighs in the pan, then salt and pepper them. 

Turn the chicken in the sauce so they are coated.

Place in 450 degree oven for 40 minutes, stopping halfway through to baste the tops again.

The side dish I served with the chicken is "Crunchy Broccoli Salad" from Taste of Home.  Itty Bitty is a lot like me when it comes to vegetables.  We like our broccoli raw and crunchy best, so this one made me think of her ..and that she might actually eat something I prepared that doesn't involve peanut butter and white bread.

So, here is how it starts

12 oz bag of broccoli florets, made into bite size pieces

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sunflower kernals

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

bacon pieces (2 or 3 slices crumbled, if you're making it)

Combine broccoli, onions, and cranberries in a bowl. At this point, I pulled some out for Itty Bitty who is a purist and refuses to eat dressing on anything.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and sugar to make the dressing.

Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.  Add sunflower kernals and bacon on top. 

Chill until ready to serve.

Itty Bitty and Big Boy tested and APPROVED!!  YAY!!!!

Christi

Baked Penne

Yeah, yeah.  It was supposed to be Baked Ziti.  Apparently, the Sorta Super Target by my office ran out of room before they got to "Z" on the pasta aisle.  Not my fault.  So, this has become one of those throw together what you have meals.  I'm okay with that.  Some of the pictures of baked ziti remind me of artery cross section pictures, anyways.  Mmm..appetizing. 

My inspiration this week is from Erin's 5 Dollar Dinners.  This was supposed to be Sharon's Baked Ziti.  We already covered that.

So here's what I actually used:

 2 1lb boxes of penne pasta

1lb ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1/2 an onion, chopped

minced garlic (I used what was left in the jar..about 2 tsp.)

1 tsp oregeno

1 cup shredded cheese (I had several partially used bags, I used the rest of 3 of them)

Cook your noodles as usual and drain.

Brown the ground meat and onion together while the noodles are going, then drain.

In the pasta pan, combine the spaghetti sauce, garlic and oregeno.  I think red pepper flakes would be really good in this too, if you can handle the spice.  My kids would disown me if I ruined their "spaghetti", though.

Add the ground beef and onion back, then the noodles.  My pan wouldn't hold it all and give me room to stir comfortably, so I ended up doing the stiring in my big orange bowl.  I also added the leftover mozzarella to the bowl at this point.

Carefully pour the entire thing into a baking dish, cover with the rest of your cheese and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts.

2lbs of pasta makes A LOT of dinner.  You can freeze half of this if you don't want to make it all at once.

Enjoy!

Christi