Mom's Meatloaf

Mom's Meatloaf

 Ingredients:

1 package lean ground beef

2-3 packages Lipton Onion Soup Mix

2 eggs

1- 1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs

1/4 cup katchup

1 8oz tin tomato paste

Grated cheese of your choice (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Mix all ingredients, except cheese together (by hand is easiest). If mixture is too dry, add more katchup, too moist add more bread crumbs. You want the mixture to stick together without falling apart.

3. Pack into ungreased loaf pan, cover with tin foil. Cook for one hour, then for 15-20 minutes uncovered.

4. Sprinkle cheese on top of meatloaf, return to oven until melted. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

This is a denser, moister banana bread than most. The kids love it, as do my neighbors!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup light buttermilk

3 ripe bananas (perfect if they are starting to turn black)

1 cup chocolate ships (optional)

*Preheat oven to 350F

* Mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into greased loaf pan.

*Bake 45-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken

Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, defrosted
1/3 cup grainy mustard
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions:

Put whole chicken in slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, olive oil, and butter, and pour over chicken. Set slow cooker on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Remove from slow cooker and pour some of the leftover juices over the chicken to serve.

Turkey Stew and Dumplings (My favorite!)

I looooove Turkey Stew! This can also be done with leftovers from a whole chicken! As always, add more spices if you like!
Turkey Stew from Scratch (and Dumplings!)

Broth:

Turkey carcass, stripped of all the meat (keep the meat!)
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Sage
2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tbsp Seasoning Salt
1 small bunch fresh Thyme
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, cut in half
3-4 tbsp Cornstarch*
1 cup water*
*only if not making dumplings

Additions after broth is made: (some or all, whatever you'd like)

Chopped Carrots
Corn
Green Beans
Peas
Diced Red Pepper
No-Yolk noodles

Dumplings: (I have never successfully made these from scratch!)

2 cups Original Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup water

*******

Place Turkey carcass in a large stock pot, fill with enough water to sufficiently cover. Add all ingredients, bring to a boil then simmer covered for at least 4 hours. ( I start mine in the morning and simmer it all day.)

After broth is done, pour through strainer into bowl. Discard everything in strainer, return broth to stock pot.

Add meat, any additions you want, and simmer for an additional hour. If you are not making dumplings, once the stew has simmered for an hour, mix the cornstarch and water together in a glass or bowl. Turn heat to high and bring stew to a boil, add cornstarch/water, stirring constantly, turn heat to just under Med heat and simmer until it thickens, continuing to stir.

If adding dumplings: (I LOVE dumplings! A great way to thicken any stew!)

Mix Bisquick and milk until soft dough forms. Spoon by tablespoon onto stew (do NOT drop them into it!). Simmer for 10 minutes uncovered, and then 10 more minutes covered.

 

 

Roasted Garlic, Chicken & Herb Pizza

Ingredients
1 pound pizza dough (*see note below)
1 Tbsp butter
8 cloves roasted garlic, minced (*see note below)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp black pepper
½ cup skim milk
¼ cup half and half
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1½ cup boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded
¼ cup red onion, diced
¾ cup Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
½ tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with a siplat liner, or grease and sprinkle with cornmeal. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Saute roasted garlic for 1 minute. Add flour, and mix until well blended. Cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and half and half. Mix in the pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat, and stir in Parmesan cheese. Spread dough into roughly a 12 inch circle on prepared baking sheet. Spread white sause over the dough. Top with chicken, red onions and cheese. Bake for 17 minutes, or until the crust is golden, and the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with herbs. Cut and serve immediately. 

* If using the Pizza dough recipe I have posted on this blog, it makes enough dough to cover a large cookie sheet, so you can make a rectangular pizza rather than a circular one. Also, make sure you change the cooking temperature to 350F if using dough recipe from here!!!!*

 

How to Roast Garlic

This is a super easy, quick way to roast garlic!

1 bulb garlic
Olive Oil
Tin Foil

Preheat oven to 400F.
Cut top of garlic bulb off, so tops of cloves are exposed. Fold a piece of tin foil in half, and form into a bowl shape. Place garlic in tin foil bowl, drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven on middle rack for 20-25 minutes, or until garlic feels soft when squeezed.
Once done, let cool, squeeze cloves at bottom of bulb and they will just pop right out!

Home made Pizza Dough (/ Rosemary Garlic Foccacia)

This was originally a recipe for Rosemary Garlic Foccacia Bread, but works fantastic as a light, fluffy pizza dough!

1 3/4 Cups warm water
1 tbsp traditional baking yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups unbleached flour (you can substitute one cup of unbleached flour for whole wheat flour if you wish)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit until mixture foams. Stir in salt and olive oil, then start adding flour one cup at a time, until you can no longer mix. Turn dough onto a lightly floured counter, add remaining flour and knead until soft and elastic.

2. Form dough into a ball, place in a large, slightly oiled bowl. Cover with a warm, damp cloth, and set bowl in a warm, draft free spot. Let rise until doubled in bulk (1 - 1 1/2 hours). Punch dough down, let rise again until doubled.

3. Pre heat oven to 350F. Place dough on a well oiled 12x16 baking sheet (or round pizza pan). Gently stretch dough to fit the dimensions of the pan, folding up and over at the edges for thicker crust. Let rise for about 15 minutes, or just until it puffs up slightly.

4. Add sauce, pizza toppings and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan half way through. Crust should be starting to turn golden brown around edges when done.

If you are wanting to make Foccacia Bread: After stretching dough to fit pan in step 3, drizzle surface with olive oil, minced garlic and chopped rosemary, followed by some coarse salt. Gently poke indentations all over the surface with your finger tips. Let rise 15 minutes or until puffy looking, bake as directed.

Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter, Banana & Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup All-Natural Peanut Butter
1 ripe banana
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/2c chocolate chips

Pre-heat oven to 325F.
Combine all ingredients until well blended. Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheet lined with lightly greased parchment paper.
Bake for 20 mins.