Meatloaf

Where's the beef? I realize the last 3 posts have been chicken recipes...now I'm sure Sister's husband, The Chicken Farmer, is glad about that, but The Dish Washer is in the cow business. In fact, he is probably steer roping in Texas as we speak (or write)...maybe I should call him The Cow Roper, but I'll stick with The Dish Washer. Anyway, I digress - we're here for food! Most people turn their noses up at meatloaf, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord and eat the meatloaf! Here are three very "beefy" recipes with our family favorite at the top of the list (first two courtesy of my BFF Paula Deen! - click on the link)

BACON Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Cheeseburger Meatloaf and Sauce (pictured above using PepperJack cheese)

Best Ever Meatloaf (this is the title on my recipe card)

1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 c. fine dry breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 c. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. water
1 (8 oz.) package crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375. Mix 1/2 c. soup, beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion and salt. Shape firmly into loaf; place in shallow baking pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Spoon off fat. Separate crescent rolls; place crosswise over top and down sides of meat loaf, overlapping slightly. Take one more slightly beaten egg and brush on top of crescent rolls. Bake 15 minutes.

Chicken Lazone

Today is MOTC's birthday...if she were coming to my house for dinner tonight, this is what I would make her. Instead, I am meeting the fam for lunch so maybe another time!

This was served at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, LA and something I cooked in my college cooking class.

Chicken Lazone

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. chilli powder
1-1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
4 Tbsp. REAL butter (just for you!!)
1/2 c. heavy cream
egg noodles, cooked
fresh parsley

Combine the seasonings in a bowl and coat the chicken breasts with the mixture. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a saute pan, then cook the chicken breasts over medium heat, turning once, until done, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and hold in a warm oven. Pour the cream into the pan and lower the heat. Simmer for several minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Whisk in the remaining butter.

Arrange the chicken breasts over egg noodles. Top with the cream sauce and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Cream Sauce

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

This recipe is from the May/June 2006 Cooking with Paula Deen.

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Cream Sauce

3 c. chopped cooked chicken
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
24 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Tomatillo Cream Sauce (recipe below)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Colby-Jack cheese
Sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 9x13 dish. In a large bowl, combine chicken and next 8 ingredients. Spoon 2 tbsp. chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Fold sides over, enclosing filling. Place filled tortillas in a single layer, seam side down, in baking dish. Spoon tomatillo cream sauce evenly over enchiladas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake 35 - 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Tomatillo Cream Sauce

1 (28 oz.) can tomatillos, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. heavy whipping cream

In a large skillet, combine tomatillos, broth, chilies, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Pour mixture into container of an electric blender or food processor. Pulse mixture several times until smooth. Return mixture to skillet; stir in cream, and cook 2 minutes on low.

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I make this with flour tortillas because I don't care for corn tortillas.  Just add more filling to a package of 8 tortillas and do everything else the same.

If you are looking for an easier version, check this out:  Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Meatballs

Today I am making these for a church baby shower...

Meatballs

2 (32 oz.) pkgs. frozen Italian meatballs
1 (18 oz.) jar grape jelly
2 (12 oz.) jars chili sauce (I'm very partial to the Heinz brand)

Mix all the ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours or until warmed through. Easy and delicious!

Kentucky Derby Day Pie (my version)

If you were coming to my house this afternoon to watch the Derby with us, this is what I would be making. It isn't the traditional "Derby Pie" but certainly just as good.

Kentucky Derby Day Pie (my version - really a chocolate chip pie)

1 frozen 9-inch deep-dish pie shell, thawed completely
2 eggs
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. (1-1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 c. chocolate chips (calls for semi-sweet but I usually use milk chocolate)
1 c. chopped pecans
Whipped cream or ice cream

Preheat oven to 325. Beat eggs in large mixing bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Pour into pie shell.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Hashbrown Quiche

Today is a very rainy day so I thought there was no better day to get in the kitchen and make The Dish Washer a good ole country breakfast...bacon, eggs and biscuits. This isn't a regular Saturday morning occurrence, but he has been gone a long time and I have missed him. As we were sitting at the table to eat, I was thinking it was a shame that we don't have breakfast together every Saturday like this because it is a great time to eat together at the table. Everyone knows how to make bacon, eggs and biscuits so I am not going to share that with you, but it did remind me of a recipe that MOTC made when I was home for a recent visit. This was so good that I think I could have eaten the whole thing by myself.

Hashbrown Quiche

3 cups, shredded frozen hash browns, thawed and drained
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 cup shredded Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450.

Gently press the drained hash browns between paper towels to dry them as best as possible. In a 9-inch pie plate, toss the hash browns with the melted butter into the plate. Press them into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and starting to crisp.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. When the hash brown crust is ready pour the egg mixture over it and return to the oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 and bake for about 30 minutes until the quiche is light golden brown on top and puffed.

Marinades

Since I have been a little M.I.A. lately, I decided to share 3 recipes for the price of 1!!! With all three, I let the meat soak in them over night. Then The Dish Washer, remember he is great on the grill, will use the remaining to baste the meat while it is cooking. Here's hoping for a lovely grilling weekend!!

Terriyaki Marinade -- YUMMY on steak (fam fave) and chicken

1 c. soy sauce
2 c. water
diced onion
garlic powder - according to taste
ground ginger - according to taste



Garlic Dijon Marinade -- YUMMY on pork (our fave), chicken and salmon. **Pictured above - looks burned but really not. My kitchen is so dark at night and doesn't take good pictures.

1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
6 Tbsp. Olive oil


Cha Cha Cha Grilling Marinade -- YUMMY on all chicken, but particularly chicken wings (pictured above)

1/4 c. chili sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. white vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder