Meatloaf, Meatloaf, Yucky Yucky Meatloaf

My hubby doesn't like meatloaf. He used to sing those words growing up when his mom would make it. Now, in my house, meatloaf was AWESOME! We loved it! This first recipe is the one my mom passed down to us. The one we grew up on. I altered it to accomodate hubby's tastes and so you can read on it at the bottom. This is a "by request" from Sister Honey Bunch.

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef (I think we just used a package of it, which is usually just a pound)
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 egg
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Mix bround beef with oats and chopped onion. Work in salt, pepper, egg, Worchestershire sauce and tomato sauce until texture is consistent throughout. Pat into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Topping:
1/3 cup catsup
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
Stir together until smooth. Spread over raw meatloaf before baking.

Ashlee side note: Because hubby said he didn't like meatloaf, I changed the recipe up a little bit to accomodate him. {the things we do out of love}

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg
1 package onion soup mix
salt
pepper
Worcestershire sauce

I know, I know...there are no measurements there for the flavoring. And you can't do a taste test with raw meat. But as long as you don't WAY overdo it, you can't really screw this up. It's meatloaf for heaven's sake!
So, put beef, egg, onion soup mix, some salt, some pepper, and a few good shakes of Worchestershire sauce in a bowl {get at least 1/2 tsp in there but no more than 1 1/2 tsp} and get your hands in there and squish it all up together until you get a smooth texture. I'm sorry if that grosses you out, but honestly, it's the best way to get it all mixed properly. Use gloves if you need to, and I would STRONGLY suggest the removal of rings before squishing. :0)
Anyway, here's my other BIG difference. I bake my meatloaf in muffin tins. So, you get little mini meatloaves instead of one big log of beef. I don't know if it just tricks the hubby into thinking it's something different and fancy, but he eats them. And so do the kiddos. Just fill up each tin and bake up at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or so. You'll probably want to check one to make sure they are cooked through.
I don't schmear the top of mine either. But you can if you prefer. We do the smearing of catsup when it's on our plates. Cold catsup, warm meatloaf. MMMMmmmmmmm!

I hope this is what you were looking for Honey Bunch!

Pappy's Fajitas Seasonings

I don't know if this is really a "recipe" but I'm posting it anyway. Because of Jaysen's LOVE for all foods Mexican I try to find new recipes to try out that will perk up his tastebuds. After eating over at a friends' house in December where they served a nacho/taco bar using shredded beef instead of ground beef, he wanted me to do the same. Except I was put to the test to find a different seasoning for the meat. The seasoning they used wasn't bad, it just didn't have the "kick" he was looking for apparently. :0)

This is what I found.

I found it on the spice aisle at WinCo. Nowhere fancy. What I really liked about it was this....No MSG, No Preservatives. Just spices. Good stuff.

Anyway...to make our "fancy" shredded beef tacos you'll need the following:

1. Pappy's Fajitas Seasoning
2. A beef roast...small enough to fit inside whatever size of crock pot you've got.
3. If you don't have a crock pot, you'll need one of those too.

Here's how to do it:

Plug in the crock pot. :0) Put a small amount of water in the bottom of crock pot. {Just to make sure nothing burns. The roast will create liquid of it's own while cooking, so it doesn't need to be tons.} Place roast in crock pot. Sprinkle generously with Pappy's Fajitas Seasoning making sure to cover both sides. Turn crock pot to low and cook for about 8 hours or so. {If you don't have that much time, turn it to high and cook till done} About 4 hours into it, I flip over the roast. That way one side doesn't get more moist than the other sitting in all the now juicy water. Then, about 6 hours into it, I put more seasoning on the meat...both sides. Mmmmmm....your house should smell really good at this point.

Once the meat is done, remove from crock pot and let cool for about 5 minutes to let the juices settle. Then, using two forks, shred meat into VERY small chunks.

You now have yummy Shredded Taco Meat. Jaysen enjoys this so much I now have to cook it monthly. I'm not kidding either. I don't mind. It's yummy.

I used this seasoning for my regular ground turkey tacos last night and it was really good too. Just add 1/3 cup of water to the meat before adding the seasoning. It's my new favorite.

Ooey Gooey Turtle Bars

I made these for Girls Night last night and they were soooo yummy. Plan ahead for these though as you want them to have plenty of time to cool and set up.

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® Create 'n Bake® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
3 cups Fisher® Chef's Naturals® Chopped Pecans
1/2 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter
1/2 cup packed Domino® or C&H® Light Brown Sugar
1 jar (12.25 oz) SMUCKER'S® Caramel Ice Cream Topping
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (16 squares)

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Press cookie dough evenly in bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch pan.
2. Sprinkle 1 cup of the chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups of the pecans over dough; lightly press into dough. Set aside.
3. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar, caramel topping and graham cracker crumbs. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Pour over crust in pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups pecans.
4. Bake 25 to 32 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown and pecans are lightly toasted. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes; loosen sides from pan, but do not cut. Cool completely, about 3 hours longer. (For firmer bars, let stand an additional 2 hours.) For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Ashlee side note: As I have said before...I hate nuts. So, I omitted the layer of pecans in the middle and just used a whole bag of chocolate chips instead of just one cup. Then poured the caramel mixture on top of those and then sprinkled roasted peanuts on top {just a couple of handfuls} and mini chocolate chips on top of those {just a couple of handfuls}. They turned out super gooey and super yummy!

Velvety Vegetable Cheese Soup

This was so simple to make and so yummy! Even Landon raved! It's a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies.

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrot blend
2 cans (14 oz. each) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up
Salt and pepper to taste

PLACE vegetables and broth in large saucepan; cover. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 min. or until vegetables are tender.
MASH vegetables with potato masher to desired consistency.
STIR in VELVEETA; cook 5 min. or until VELVEETA is melted and soup is heated through, stirring frequently.

Ashlee side note: You could just use broccoli or just cauliflower for the soup if you prefer, but it was really good with all three veggies smushed up in there. I did leave a few small chunks because that's the way I like it, but you can make it as smooth as you like.

Beef Noodle Bowl

This was such a quick and easy dinner. You do have to plan for it as it required specific ingredients not usually kept on hand...but it was yummy. A nice change from the normal dinner.

1/2 lb. linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 carrots, peeled, sliced
2 tsp. oil
1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce


COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 min.
MEANWHILE, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce; cook 2 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large serving bowl. Add meat mixture; toss to coat.

Ashlee side note: If you aren't a big fan of steak, or don't have it on hand..you can definitely use strips of chicken or pork tenderloin instead. I also just used frozen veggies instead of the fresh. It was easier. I just dumped however much I thought looked good in with the meat after the meat was cooked through instead of cooking with the noodles. And..I like lots of sauce, so I doubled the sauce mix of dressing and teriyaki sauce.
Hope you enjoy it!

Chocolate Caramel Bars

I made these last night and thought I had died and gone to heaven. We ate them still warm last night because we couldn't wait till they had cooled and even though they wouldn't hold up as a cookie bar and oozed all over the plate :0) they were still soooo good. Even better today. :0)

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 bag (14 oz) vanilla caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Generously grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat cake mix, butter and egg with electric mixer on low speed until well mixed.
2. Stir in oats until crumbly (use fingers if necessary). Reserve 1 1/2 cups cake mixture. Press remaining mixture in pan (use plastic wrap or waxed paper to press mixture if it is sticky).
3. In heavy 2-quart saucepan, heat caramels and milk over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Pour over chocolate layer in pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and pecans. Sprinkle reserved cake mixture over top.
4. Bake 22 to 28 minutes or until caramel bubbles along edges and cake mixture on top appears crisp and dry. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen bars. Cool completely, about 1 hour 30 minutes. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store tightly covered.

Ashlee side note: I obviously would not ruin such a tasty dessert by adding nuts to it. I only baked it for the 22 minutes. You don't want to get the top too crusty. At 22 minutes it was still a little moist and cookie-like. Not crunchy. If you want crunchy...go for the full 28 minutes.

I was also thinking about what other cake mixes I could use for this recipe. A blonde caramel bar would be good using a yellow cake mix....Get a little crazy. It could be yummy!

Chicken Manicotti

Another new recipe I tried tonight. I'm trying to find things that Landon will actually LIKE, but that will be fun and yummy for Jaysen and I as well. This one was pretty good! I got it off of kraftfoods.com where they've got a lot of yummy time saving recipes.

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup
1-1/2 cups water
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut up
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
12 manicotti pasta, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Mix soup, water and VELVEETA in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 3 min. or until VELVEETA is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 2 min. Pour one-third of the soup mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; set aside. Add broccoli to remaining soup mixture.
STUFF pasta with chicken strips; place in baking dish. Cover completely with remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.
BAKE 45 to 50 min. or until pasta is tender and chicken is cooked through.

Ashlee side note: So, I changed up this recipe a little bit, though I'm sure it would be good as is. I cooked the manicotti noodles per package directions. And pre-cooked the chicken as well giving them a little garlic/onion flavor. By precooking the noodles I didn't really need the water to be added to my soup...so I used 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup to mix with the Velveeta. I also added some garlic and onion powder to the soup for flavor. I have to use the powder so sonny boy doesn't know I did it. Sneaky huh?

So, put 1/3 of the soup mixture onto bottom of 13x9 baking dish and then add the broccoli to the rest of the soup. Stuff the shells with the chicken strips and put in baking dish. Cover completely with remaining broccoli soup mixture. Sprinkle with FRESHLY grated parmesan cheese. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until broccoli is cooked through and cheese is bubbly.

Such a nice yummy dinner. Seriously...one of the best new recipes I've tried in a while. I really liked the broccoli with it too. Landon said, "This is really good mom!" There you have it. This one is a keeper!