"Loafless" Meat Loaf

I am a huge fan of meat loaf, just not the loaf.  It's just not how I grew up eating it.  When Bryan and I were first married, he was baffled by these weird patties that appeared on his plate calling themselves "meat loaf."  Meat loaf should be, well a loaf!  Right?  Wrong!  After he tasted devoured that first plate, it has been a regularly requested dish at our house!  Now, even my super-mega-ultra picky five-year-old requests the "little hamburgers with the ketchup already cooked on it!"

Would you like in on this loafless meat loaf?  It is so easy! 

Here's what you'll need:
1 package of saltines
two eggs
1 pound of ground beef
half an onion, sliced into rings
1 can of tomato sauce
seasoning of your choice (I usually just use salt, pepper, and garlic)
2 cans of green beans
4 (or so) potatoes, peeled and chopped

I use my electric skillet to cook these, so before I start I preheat it to about 250.

First, mix the eggs, seasonings, and crackers in a bowl.  Then add the meat.

Then make your patties.  Be sure not to make them too thick, or they won't cook evenly.

 Then take your onion rings and lay them over your patties.  This is great for us, because while I love the flavor of onions, eating them is a whole other story!  This way, I can pick mine off and still enjoy the flavor, and Bryan gets his beloved onions (and mine, too!)!

Cover these and let them cook for about 20-30 minutes, making sure they get a good crisp on the bottom.

After they crisp up, it's time to flip them.  At this point, it doesn't matter where the onions go, so don't worry about keeping them on top.  Pour some tomato sauce on top of each patty, as much or as little as you'd like.  Then pour in the green beans (drained first) and the potatoes.  Cover again and let cook for another 20 minutes or so, stirring the beans and potatoes occasionally.

And there you have it!  "Loafless" Meat Loaf!  I forgot to take a picture when it was all done, but you get the idea :)

Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Danish--Crescent Roll Style

We love cooking big breakfasts on the weekends.  I found a recipe on Pinterest that I have been dying to try, and since we had surprise company this weekend, I figured it was the perfect time!

These were so easy, and super delish!  Next time, though, I'll add fresh fruit.

Ingredients:

2 cans of crescent rolls
1 8oz package of cream cheese at room temp.
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sour cream
Optional: pie filling or fruit preserves of your choice (or fresh fruit!)

Icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp softened butter


Preheat the oven to 350.

Open the crescent rolls carefully to avoid unrolling or tearing the dough.  Slice the dough into pieces about 1/4 inch thick (as though you're slicing cookie dough). Place the slices on a cookie sheet and press the center in to make an indentation for the cream cheese filling.


In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, white sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and sour cream. Add a dollop of the mixture to the indentation you made in each circle of dough. I used about 1/2 tbsb, and it worked out great.  If you plan to use pie filling or fruit preserves, you can add it to the rolls before the cream cheese mixture. (I personally like to add fresh strawberries or blueberries at the end.) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

While the danish are baking, make the icing to drizzle over the tops.  Mix together the confectioner's sugar, milk and butter in a small bowl. You can use a spoon to drizzle it over the tops of the danish, or you can put it into a small zip-top bag and snip of the corner for an easy "piping bag." Take the danish out of the oven and allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes before icing.

These were a huge hit and will definitely be repeated.  Although, I think I may add cinnamon next time!

Enjoy :)

Turkey Bow Tie Skillet

Bryan and I have made a resolution to eat healthier.  We want to teach the kids better eating habits that will follow them into adulthood.  In conjunction with this, Bryan has started Weight Watchers!  We have been on the hunt for healthy. but satisfying recipes that will also please our picky little munchkins.  I know...it sounds impossible!  Actually, it hasn't been any harder than trying to get anything else in their little tummies.

I bought some ground turkey, and then went to my trusty pal, Pinterest.  I searched ideas for ground turkey, but was coming up empty-handed.  I finally stumbled upon something I thought we could work with, Turkey Bow Tie Skillet.  It comes from AllRecipes, which I love.  Under the recipe, you can find reader reviews, and some of them even tell you about some great changes that make the recipes even better.

I used the original recipe along with some of the suggestions in the comments and came up with a meal that will definitely be a part of our weekly routine.  It is also super-simple!

You will need:
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
1 1/2tsp seasoned EVOO
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cans of chicken broth
3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
i can Italian diced tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp fresh minced parsley

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook turkey in oil over medium heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the celery, onion, green pepper, chili powder and garlic; cook until vegetables are tender. Remove the turkey and vegetables with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Add chicken broth to the pan; bring to a boil. Add bow tie pasta; cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Reduce heat; stir in the stewed tomatoes, vinegar, Italian seasoning, and turkey mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

This was super easy, and completely delish!  AND! One 1 1/2 C serving (which is actually a lot) is only 5 points!

Homemade Potato Chips

We got a potato peeler for Christmas, and we couldn't wait to put it to work making homemade potato chips!  They are so easy; the kids loved them (making and eating!); and they were delicious!

I don't suppose you need a potato peeler for these, but it sure made it fun for the littles.

First, just peel some potatoes.

Then, throw them in a fryer (at 350 degrees) for just a few minutes--four or five should be plenty.

They should look like this when you are done.  These had the perfect taste and texture!

Season with salt and pepper while they are still hot.

Yum, yum!



Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1/3 cup water

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted

-Place the chicken breast halves in a slow cooker.

-Combine salad dressing mix and water; pour over chicken.

-Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours.

-In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese and soup until blended.

-Pour cream cheese mixture over chicken.

-Cook 1 to 3 hours longer or until chicken juices run clear.

I serve this over penne pasta with crescent rolls.  Yummy!

Blueberry Muffins

Gannon's pre-k class is compiling a class recipe book, so his homework assignment this weekend is to write down his favorite recipe to bring to school.  I thought I would post it here, too.

What is Gannon's favorite recipe?  None other than blueberry muffins!

Here is what you will need:

• a large egg
• 1/4 C oil
• 1/2 C milk (or yogurt)
• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1/2C sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries

Here is what you need to do:

1. Preheat your oven to °400, and grease your muffin pan.
2. Beat egg until foamy in a small mixing bowl. Then, beat in oil and milk.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Stir in blueberries.
4. Make a well in the center and pour in liquid ingredients. Mix together with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened; no more than 25 to 30 strokes. Batter will be lumpy.
5. Using an ice-cream scoop, fill the cups in the muffin pan. This will measure your batter equally for each muffin. Fill each muffin cup slightly more than half full. (Try to scoop only once for each cup; muffins will be lighter.)
6. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and muffins test done with a toothpick.
7. Serves

Hidden Valley Ranch Crispy Chicken

Borrowed from Cooking in Lewis Land

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. corn flake crumbs
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix (powder)
Make sure that you use the powdered mix and not the actual dressing. It's in the same aisle as the regular ranch.

Combine corn flake crumbs, Parmesan cheese and dressing mix in a zip-lock baggie- set aside. Melt butter. Dip chicken in melted butter and then coat chicken with crumb mixture. Put the piece of chicken in the baggie (one at a time), seal it up, and shake it until it's coated. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I like to cut my chicken breasts in half to make them thinner, so if you do that, it doesn't need to cook for 45 minutes. For me, it's 25-30mins, but if you make this way, just see what works for you and your oven.