Thursday, January 20, 2011

Easy and Yummy Meatloaf

2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
3 slices bread, torn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar or part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil, thyme or sage, optional
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef

TOPPING:
1/2 cup Hunt’s® Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and bread; let stand until liquid is absorbed. Stir in the onion, carrot, cheese and seasonings. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.

Shape into a 7-1/2-in. x 3-1/2-in. x 2-1/2-in. loaf in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes.

Combine the topping ingredients; spoon half of the mixture over meat loaf. Bake 30 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°, occasionally spooning remaining topping over loaf. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

¼ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ t. baking soda
1/8 t. salt
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup rolled oats
¼ cup flax seed meal
¼ cup wheat germ
2 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with mixer on medium for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in vanilla and egg till combined.
Beat in flour. Stir in rolled oats, flax seed meal, wheat germ, chocolate, cranberries and walnuts (dough will be crumbly)

Drop dough by rounded teaspoon two inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or till tops are lightly brown. Let cookies cool on cookie sheet for one minute. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

A Little Wine Tasting.....

Recently we ventured over to our local Longhorn’s Steakhouse for a little family dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to find they had added a wine flight to their menu.

What is a wine flight? Wise Geek advises:

Wine flights, also sometimes referred to as tasting flights, are tastings of multiple wines, in order to get a feel for breadth or depth. Wine flights are usually intended for those new to the experience of tasting wine, or those who want to increase their understanding of a specific region, vintage, or varietal.

A wine flight can include anywhere from three or four wines to upwards of 50. The number of wines, the way they are presented, and the quality of the wines, usually depends on the context in which they are served. Wine flights may be offered in tasting bars, in restaurants, or at wineries or special events. They will often be based around a central theme, but may also just be a chance to try a number of different types of wine.

Longhorn’s flight had three wines along with a small place mat that described each wine. The flight included:

Red Rock Malbec…..”Malbec pairs great with grilled steaks. You will smell ripe cherries and boysenberries when you swirl the glass. The taste is a silky feeling with a smooth and fruit-flavored finish.” This particular wine is from California.
Red Diamond Merlot…..This wine was my personal favorite. I’m anxious to purchase my own bottle. The description read, “This wine is from Washington, a state becoming known for excellent merlot. It smells like sweet cherries and vanilla with flavors of black cherry, berry and plums when you sip. The finish is smooth with a medium body.”

The third choice was a Cabernet Sauvignon from the wineries of Chateau St. Jean out of California. “This is the boldest of the trio. Swirl and smell the aromas of dark fruits like blackberry and plums, then taste the rich fruit flavors and just a hint of the oak barrel where it was aged.”

I hope Longhorn’s continues to do this. It’s a great way to discover new wines to enjoy!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Hot Water Cornbread

This cornbread needs to be prepared at the last minute so you can serve it hot!

2 cups white cornmeal
¼ t. baking powder
1 ¼ t. salt
1 t. sugar
¼ cup half-and-half
1 T. vegetable oil
¾ cup to 1 ¼ cups boiling water
Vegetable oil
Softened butter

Combine cornmeal and next three ingredients in a bowl; stir in half-and-half and 1 T. oil. Gradually add boiling water, stirring until batter is the consistency of grits.

Pour oil to a depth of ½ inch into a large heavy skillet; place over medium high heat. Scoop batter into a ¼-cup measure; drop into hot oil, and fry, in batches, 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain well on paper towels. Serve immediately with softened butter.

Makes 8 patties
Prep: 5 minutes, Cook 18 minutes

Pork Roast with Hoppin' John Stuffing

1 small onion, chopped
½ medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
2 T. vegetable oil
1 ½ cups cooked long-grain rice
1 ½ cups frozen chopped collard greens, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (I like the Glory brand)
½ cup diced cooked country ham
½ t. sugar
½ t. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 (2 ½-pound) boneless pork loin roast

Saute onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Add rice and next five ingredients; stir in egg. Set stuffing aside.

Butterfly pork loin roast by making a lengthwise cut down center of 1 flat side, cutting to within ½ inch of bottom. From bottom of cut, slice horizontally to ½ inch from left side; repeat procedure to right side. Open roast, and place between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Spoon 1 ½ cups stuffing evenly over roast, leaving a ½-inch border. Roll up; tie with string at 1-inch intervals. Place, seam side down in a lightly greased 11 x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registeres 160 degrees. Reheat remaining Hopping John and serve with roast.

6-8 servings
Prep: 30 minutes, Bake: 1 hour
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...