Turkey Meatloaf

This is Teri's recipe for turkey meatloaf. The first time I had it, I was blown away by how it melted in my mouth--also the smell it gave off while it cooked made my stomach growl sumpthin' fierce.

Here's what you'll need to get your mouth watering:

• One and three-quarter pounds of lean ground turkey (with at least 7% fat content)
• A quarter-pound of lean ground beef (or lean ground pork) for just a little bit of fat to prevent the meatloaf from drying out while cooking
• Two eggs
• Two cloves of garlic
• A cup-and-a-half of oatmeal (make sure it's whole oat)
• Two tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
• Half-a-cup of ketchup (keep the worcestershire and ketchup out because you'll need to use it again later)
  
• Optional: half an onion (chopped)
• The final most important ingredient is LOVE. I'm serious. If you can't do this with love in your heart, then your meatloaf has failed before you even crack that first egg. =(

After you've got all the ingredients ready, pre-heat your oven to 325.

Now take all those ingredients and mix 'em all up really well in a big bowl (make sure all the meat gets kneaded and all the egg gets mixed in). What you're after is a really moist consistency. If it feels a little dry, add a little more worcestershire and ketchup.


Next, break out a big casserole dish to form your meatloaf on. I know what you're thinking...why not use a meatloaf pan? Because this is how we do it. NO MEATLOAF PAN.

There was an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay where Bobby had to go against some meatloaf expert brothers--and none of those guys used a meatloaf pan. Forming it yourself kept the loaf from getting too dense. So if those MEATLOAF EXPERTS didn't use a pan, we're not using a pan. Got that?

So take your big casserole dish and either dab the bottom with vegetable oil or spray it with PAM. Next form the loaf in the middle of the dish...


After you form the loaf, splash a little more worcestershire on the meat and then break out the ketchup again and spread a layer of it on the entire loaf (this will help create the crust).


Place the meatloaf in an oven for 45 to 50 minutes. One way to tell if it's done is to poke the loaf with a knife, and if the juices run clear, it's done!


Let the meatloaf rest for about ten minutes and then it'll be all ready for you to cut up and chow down. Honestly, if I didn't have to take a picture of it, I probably would have just taken a fork and eaten it straight out of the casserole dish. Also, I really didn't eat this with bread and carrot sticks -- I had it filipino-style over rice.

Honey Mustard, Panko-Breaded Chicken Strips

I originally saw this recipe on Ham on the Street on Food Network, and instead of honey-mustard, the host used chili paste. I made this dish down in San Diego once while visiting my sis, and she tweaked it a little by bringing in the honey-mustard.

Teri and I tried that variation tonight, and now I'm proud to share it with you.

I was so proud, we even saved three strips for a fancy photo shoot after dinner. Teri was laughing the whole time I was taking pics of the chicken.

Here's what you'll need: panko bread crumbs, honey-mustard sauce, light mayonnaise, chicken breast tenders.

First pre-heat your oven to 375.

Mix the honey-mustard and mayo in a bowl.

Dip the chicken tenders in that honey-mustard/mayo mix.

Roll the chicken in the panko breading.

Place on a baking sheet and stick in the oven for about 35-40 minutes (or until golden-brown).

That's it!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

This is courtisy of Rachael Ray... Thanks for coming up with killer recipes... I love corned beef hash and rubens... What a great combo... Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby white potatoes such as Yukon gold, quartered
• 1 tablespoon butter, plus additional for the toast
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 pound corned beef left over from dinner or thinly sliced from the deli counter, cut or torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pack (about a pound) sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup spicy brown mustard (eyeball it)
• 1 cup Guinness beer (eyeball it)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups (an 8- to 10-ounce block) grated Swiss cheese
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices rye bread, toasted and buttered

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Yields: 4 servings

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Preparation

Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill it with cold water. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a bubble. Turn the heat down to medium to cook the potatoes until tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and place them back into the pot they were cooked in to dry out for a few minutes.

Place a large, cast iron pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook them until they start to get golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

Add the corned beef and chopped onion into the pan along with the chopped onion. Cook until the onions are tender, another 3-4 minutes. Stir in the sauerkraut, mustard and Guinness into the pan and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes. Season everything with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over everything and cover the pan with aluminum foil to melt.

While the cheese is melting, place a medium skillet over medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Cook the eggs however you or your guests like them (I love mine fried!). When the eggs are finished, remove the foil from the pan and dish the eggs over the pan. Cut the buttered toasts in half and line them up around the pan and let everyone have at it!

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Chicken Picatta Pasta Toss

This is one of my favorite "go to" recipes for last minute guests. It is one of Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals, but it is more like 45 min to 1 hour. LIAR! :) LOL

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped '
2 shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente
Chopped or snipped chives, for garnish

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and the chicken to the pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken until lightly golden all over, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and return the skillet to the heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic and shallots to the skillet. Saute garlic and shallots 3 minutes. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in wine and reduce liquid 1 minute. Whisk lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauce to give it a little shine. Add chicken back to the pan and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust salt and pepper, to your taste. Top with fresh snipped chives.

Hawaiian Chicken

This dish is labor-intensive, but the final result is like Fergie says - D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups canola oil for deep frying
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed and wings cut in half at joint
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 green onions, thinly sliced

1. DIRECTIONS
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Toss chicken wings with garlic salt, and set aside for 10 minutes. Place cornstarch in a large plastic bag; toss the wings, a few at a time until coated. Shake off excess cornstarch, then dip into beaten egg. Shake wings in cornstarch again, then fry until golden brown in deep fryer. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Stir together vinegar, pineapple juice, ketchup, honey, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, place the chicken wings in a bowl, pour all but 1/2 cup of the sauce overtop, and toss to coat. Reserve remaining sauce to for basting.
4. Place chicken wings on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then baste with remaining sauce, turn, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
5. To serve, place wings on serving platter, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

A simple bruschetta

final may result may not look like the shot above

For a quick and easy brushcetta, you'll need: a couple of medium-sized tomatoes (like those ones at the supermarket that come on the vine), three or four cloves of garlic, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, fresh mozarrella cheese, and some italian bread.

First, slice the bread into discs or rounds, or whatever -- just slice 'em. Place the discs of bread on a baking sheet and place in an oven (pre-heated to I dunno, 275?) to slowly toast.

While the bread is in the oven, seed and cut-up the tomatoes into small, chunky pieces. Put those into a bowl.

Next, saving at least one clove of garlic for later, dice the remaining cloves and toss in with the tomatoes.

Chop up the fresh basil and toss that into the bowl, too. If you bought a bundle of basil at the store, you don't need to use all of it -- eight or nine leaves should be fine.

Check the bread in the oven, and when it's slightly toasted pull out of the oven.

Being careful not to burn yourself--rub the top of each slice of bread with the clove of garlic you saved from earlier. Put the bread back into the oven.

Cut up (or break into small pieces) the mozarella cheese and toss into bowl with other ingredients. Toss all the ingredients together.

Take the bread out of the oven and drizzle the slices with the extra virgin olive oil.

Finally, spoon the ingredients from the bowl onto the bread and you're all set to get yer grub on.

TACO SOUP!

I especially love this meal because there isn't much prep work and it's on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Here's the scoop on our taco soup:
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (in juice)
2 80z cans of tomato sauce
1 14.5oz can of corn (use juice)
1 14.5oz can of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 lb. of browned hamburger (add diced onion if desired)
1 pkg. taco seasoning
-simmer on medium 10 min.
-serve over tortilla chips with cheese and sour cream.
That's the recipe I was given, we also add olives (w/o the juice) guacamole and sometimes green chilies. I also get a big can of kidney beans in stead of the smaller size.
Enjoy!

Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Rolls

My awesome baker of a husband came across this recipe for a local restaurant's award winning cinnamon rolls. He made them and I now know WHY they won an award. These things ROCK!

Sonja's Famous Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Roll Recipe

First Place winner at the 2002 Del Mar Fair!

Dough:
4oz. butter
2c. milk
4 eggs
1tsp. salt
6oz. sugar
8c. flour
2T yeast

Filling:
8oz. soft butter
2c. Brown sugar
2T. cinnamon

Icing:
2c. confectioners sugar
1/4 c. soft butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. vanilla
3-4 T. milk

Melt 4 oz. butter with 2 c. milk until lukewarm. In mixer beat 4 eggs, 1 tsp. salt and 6 oz. sugar together. Combine milk mixture with eggs and place 4 c. flour in bowl. Mix until smooth. Add 2T. yeast, attach dough hook and add 4 c. flour. Mix for 7 min.

Place dough in a well oiled bowl and let rise until double in size.Roll dough out into a 16" x 12" rectangle. Mix ingredients for the filling and spread on the dough. With the long side facing you, roll up the dough in a jelly roll fashion. Cut dough into 12 pieces and place in a 13" x 9" pan.
Let rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 30-35 min and cool.

Icing:
Cream together 2 c. sifted confectioners sugar and 1/4 c. soft butter. Add and beat until smooth 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 3-4 T. milk. If too thin, add a little confectioners sugar, if too
thick, add a little milk.

Spread on fully cooled cinnamon rolls.

Bon Appetite!

Hummus Dip with Pita Chips

I wanted to share the Hummus dip and Pita chips recipe that I made for my wife on Valentines Day as an appetizer and then made another for Eccles get together, its very good and easy to make.

Hummus Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed


• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed, plus more for garnish


• 1/2 lemon, juiced 2


• tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish


• 2 cloves garlic, peeled


• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil (this goes a long way, be careful)


• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin


• 12 to 15 grinds black pepper


• 1/4 cup water Paprika, for garnish
  

Steps:
In a blender combine all the ingredients except the parsley and paprika to be used for garnish. Blend on low speed until smooth. You'll have to stop the blender often to push down the ingredients. If the mixture is too dry and you're having trouble blending it, add a few more tablespoons of olive oil to help things along.

Scrape the hummus onto a plate. Sprinkle the paprika over the top, drizzle lightly with olive oil, scatter some parsley on top, and serve. You can make the hummus up to a couple of hours before you serve it. Cover the top with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature.

You may refrigerate, I did and to tell you the truth it tasted better because as my wife says the flavors "marry" =). If you refrigerate please let it sit to warm to room temperature (easier for dipping, won't break a pita chip)

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 10 minutes

Pita Chips:

Ingredients:

• 2 whole pitas


• Olive oil (for brushing) (Optional)


• Dash cayenne (go light, unless you like really spicy foods)
  

Steps:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Brush 2 whole pitas with olive oil (for a lower-fat chip, do not brush with oil),stack pitas and cut into wedges. Arrange wedges on baking sheet and sprinkle with cayenne.

Top with second baking sheet to keep chips flat.
Place stacked baking sheets in oven and bake chips in 375 degrees oven for 12-15 minutes or until crisp.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 12-15 minutes

That's all folks...until next time. Can't you tell I'm busy at work!

Feelin' Mexican?

Hey, Everyone! So, I thought that I'd add my 2 Dollas and Fitty Cents to this cool new blog thing and share this awesome new recipe that I found for Mexican Rice. As simple as its sounds, can I remind you that my BF is Mexican (among other things) and 99% of his family functions they serve homemade Mexican food. So, I feel like there's more pressure for me to make Mexican food as 'muy bueno' as I can. Ha. So, I've had a recipe from a Hispanic friend in the past that didn't seem to work out well because there were just too many steps and it took too dang long. I recently found this one online and it received hundreds of reviews with 5 stars with not much work or ingredients. I gave it a try and it was friggen delicious! I've even tried different ones from the Food Network in the past and this one really tastes the most authentic with the most flavor, too. How exciting, I know!! So, here it is and I hope you guys try it soon. Don't be fooled by the bajillion steps in the instructions, it was really easy! Let me know how it goes, believe me if I can get it in one try then you definitely can, its Fool-Proof! Serve it along side enchiladas like I did or your classic taco/burrito night...it'll add that extra oomph to your meal and make your taste buds dance 'La Cocoracha'! Enjoy!
-Kristine =)

P.S. That is not an actual picture. Your Mexican Rice will look BETTER!... and more recent =) Hey, it was the only thing I could find on Google that looked like the real thing!

Ingredients

2 ounces tomatoes, very ripe and cored (You can also use one regular size can of whole tomatoes, like I did)
1 medium white onion
3 medium jalapenos (adjust to your taste)
2 cups long grain white rice
1/3 cup canola oil/vegetable oil
4 minced garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 lime

Instructions

1. Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350.
2. Process tomato and onion in processor or blender ( I used my Magic Bullet) until pureed and thoroughly smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve exactly 2 cups. Discard excess.
3. Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapenos and discard. Mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeno. Set aside.
4. Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 1/2 minutes.Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water.This step removes the starch from the rice so it will not stick. IF YOU OMIT THIS STEP YOUR RICE WILL NOT BE DRY AND FLUFFY.
5. Heat oil in heavy bottomed ovensafe 12 inch straight sided sautee pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over medium high heat about 2 minutes. (The recipe is very specific about this but I used a 10 inch dutch oven and it worked out fine.) Drop a few rice grains in and if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and 2 minced jalapenos and cook , stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
7. Stir in broth, pureed mixture,tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.
8. Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes.Stir well after 15 minutes. (I do not own a dutch oven, so I kept it on low on the stove for the duration and rice turned out great.)
9. Stir in cilantro, minced jalapeno to taste, and pass lime wedges separately.

*Edited 6-15-05: If you can't get good fresh tomatoes you are better off using canned tomatoes. Don't use those awful hard and underipe tomatoes that are at most supermarket chains. Just be sure that the processed tomatoes and the one onion equals 2 cups. One the other hand- if you find that after processing your tomatoes and onions that you have less than 2 cups- simply add enough bottled salsa to make up the difference.
*Edited 8-21-06: Do not skip any of the steps. It may seem stupid- but rinsing the rice to remove the starch is very important if you want fluffy rice. It will only take two minutes of your time but it makes the difference.

Now You Can "BLOG" Your Restaurant Recommendations

This is not a recipe! Although I wish I had the recipe to this delicious sandwich.



This is a restaurant recommendation. Since some of you (actually most of you) are being shy. I'd like to add the option of making restaurant recommendations. Swanky, local, hole-in-the-wall, seafood, fusion, "slap yo' momma good" restaurants! *Amanda, what was that restaurant we went to in Oakland? That's a good one to blog.

This sandwich is from Joe's Buffet. It's their roast beef sandwich dipped in au jois with lettuce, pickles, and swiss cheese. The cheese is optional and cost extra. You dip it in au jois just like a french dip sandwich.

Here is a picture of Leah eating this "slap yo' momma" good sandwich!!

*Edit-March 17 , 2008 - Ryan found this clip today of Baby Leah eating a Joe's sandwich.