Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Meatloaf

Some of you may cringe when you hear the word meatloaf, but it has always been one of my favorite dishes. It's so homey, filling, and a total comfort food. Adding bacon makes it even more appealing to your significant other and kids :] I halved the original recipe and added a little more seasoning. If your not a fan of other meatloaf recipes, give this one a try!

Retrieved from: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Adapted by: Me :]

1/2 cup of milk
3 bread slices (I used Oatnut)
1 pound of ground beef
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of seasoning salt (I used Lawry's)
2 teaspoons of dried parsley
2 eggs beaten
5 strips of thin bacon slices

Spicy Tomato Sauce Topping
1 and 1/4 cups of ketchup
3 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
10-12 dashes of hot sauce (I used Tapatio. If you're not a spicy food fan, just add a couple of dashes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the milk over the bread and let it soak up for about 2 minutes.

Combine the ground beef, milk soaked bread,Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, seasoned salt, parsley, and beaten eggs. Mix the ingredients until well combined.

The original recipes has you form the meat mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan with the bottom pan lined with foil. I used one of my new loaf pans :]

Lay the bacon slices over the top, tucking the sides underneath the meatloaf. Set aside.

Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and hot sauce in a bowl.

Pour 1/3 of the spicy tomato gravy over the top of the meatloaf and bake for 45 minutes. Then pour another 1/3 of the spicy tomato gravy over the top and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve with the remaining spicy tomato gravy as a dipping sauce. ENJOY!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

I found this recipe in The Pioneer Woman's new cookbook and made it as a side dish on Easter. The flavors are reminiscent of sweet potatoes or yams (without the marshmallow topping, of course). Enjoy!

Retrieved from: The Pioneer Woman Cooks
Adapted by: Me!

1 stick of butter
2 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup of whiskey (I used Crown Royal - Shawn's favorite)
3/4 cup of packed brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large skillet over high heat and add half of the carrots. Stir them around to brown them, about 1-2 minutes. Remove them to a plate and repeat with the remaining carrots.

In the empty skillet, add the whiskey (watch out for the flame - to avoid, take off of the heat and pour the whiskey in, then return to the burner). Let the whiskey bubble and cook for 3 minutes until slightly reduced.

Reduce the heat to medium low and add the other half stick of butter. Stir around until it is completely melted. Stir in the brown sugar and then add the carrots.

Reduce the heat to low and place a lid over the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the carrots are soft yet not mushy. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper to offset the sweetness of the brown sugar.

PW served her carrots with thyme sprinkled on top, but I'm not a fan so I left that part out :]