THE Famous Family Meatloaf

For just about forever (or for as long as I can remember) we have used the same meatloaf recipe. It came from my sister's childhood cookbook (and yes, I am the mean little sister who swiped it and kept if for herself ;0) ). It is fantastic and super easy. It even transitioned with us when I started using ground turkey instead of ground beef.

 It is a staple recipe in this house and I just realized after all this time that it was never posted here. If I should ever lose this book, I'd be devastated since it's out of print and my favorite meatloaf recipe would be gone with it. So, without further ado, here it is!

Ingredients

1 egg

1/2 cup tomato sauce (I use ketchup most of the time)

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs or cracker crumbs (I've used both of those, broken up herbed stuffing or even oatmeal in a pinch)

1/4 cup chopped onion (I just chop up half an onion and throw it in there...maybe the whole one if it's small)

2 pounds ground beef (as stated before, I use ground turkey)

2 teaspoons salt (sometimes I use garlic salt)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Break egg into a bowl, add tomato sauce and beat until fluffy.

3. Add bread crumbs, onion, meat, salt and pepper. Mix well with hands.

4. Place mixture in a lightly greased loaf pan and pat into shape.

5. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done (sometimes mine doesn't take that long).

Ratatouille Bake

So, I got an eggplant in my Italian themed Veggie Lover Pack with my last Bountiful Basket and have not yet figured out what to do with it...well, until now! Found this great recipe on Allrecipes.com and I'm gonna go for it! I'll take my own picture and update the post once I've made it and of course gobbled it all up! It's what's for dinner tonight!!



Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 cups peeled and diced eggplant
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C); spray a 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir the garlic, onion, and eggplant with the garlic until the vegetables have begun to soften, about 8 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt, and black pepper; bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Cook the frozen ravioli as directed on the package; drain. Spread the cooked ravioli in a layer into the bottom of the prepared baking dish; spoon the hot vegetables over the ravioli. Sprinkle with the cheese.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Crock-pot Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used frozen)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 stick of butter
2 15 oz cans chicken broth
24 oz. frozen egg noodles

Directions

Cook chicken, soup, butter, and broth in crock-pot on low for 6-7 hours.

Take chicken out and shred.

Put chicken back in; add noodles and cook on low for 2 hours. Stir a few times while cooking.

I served this over mashed potatoes, with a side of green beans.

Blow your MIND Tomato Basil Pasta!

Found this on Facebook. It is AMAZING!!! I added some grilled chicken on top for a little extra protein and wow! This will now be a regular dish around here!!

Blow your MIND Tomato Basil Pasta! - No Straining, just Stirring

Pasta, Tomatoes, Veggie Broth, Olive Oil, and Seasonings (details below)

Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! - Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta.

Ingredients

12 ounces pasta (I used spaghetti but will use Linguine or fettuccine next time)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used the one with mild green chile)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I over did this a bit so it had a big kick but still yummy!)
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Alfredo Sauce

I made the most AWESOME alfredo sauce last week! I will never buy it in a jar EVER again! So, I found it off of Allrecipes. I wish I had printed it out so that I could give the person who posted it credit but I didn't and I am honestly too lazy to go back and look it up. So here it is! We ate it with chicken, broccoli and egg noodles. It was great and EVERYONE wanted more and I honestly horded the rest and didn't give anyone left overs. It honestly put the Olive Garden to shame and I really love their alfredo.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 pkg. cream cheese (1 brick)
2 tsp garlic powder (I used garlic salt since I didn't have any powder)
2 cups milk
6oz grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter and cream cheese in sauce pan. Add garlic salt.
2. Slowly add milk.
3. Add Parmesan cheese and pepper.
4. Heat to a boil and let simmer, making sure it does not scortch. A whisk works great to keep it moving so that the cheese will melt.
5. Remove from heat, let sit for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add to your favorite noodles!

Meatballs

I've always wanted to try and make some meatballs and even more since Abbie is always asking for spaghetti and meatballs. So, we'll soon give this recipe a whirl!

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (I use turkey)
1 small onion diced
1/4 dry breadcrumbs or as needed
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs slightly beaten
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix together the ground beef, onion, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in a large bowl until just combined.
3. Divide the mixture into equal portions and then roll each of the portions into meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center about 8-10 minutes.

Cheesy Ham & Noodle Bake

I got this recipe from a new friend that just moved to the area and I have to say we absolutely LOVE it! We've made it a couple of times and I just need to post it here so I don't have to keep trying to dig it up each week!

1 package egg noddles - cooked
1T butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup sour cream
1/3c milk
8oz Velveeta - cubed
2 1/2c diced ham
1c broccoli

Preheat the oven to 350*. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion & cook until tender. Add the soup, sour cream, milk & cheese. Heat & stir occasionally until the cheese is melted. Gently stir in the ham, broccoli & noodles. Pour into the baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes or until hot & bubbly.

Pizza Crust

Found this super easy recipe for pizza crust that we really love.

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

TaterTot Hotdish

This is my version of this North Dakota delicacy. Nice for a super quick put-together meal.

Ingredients:

1 small bag of frozen mixed vegetables or 1 can of mixed vegetables
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2lbs ground beef or turkey
1 cup French's fried onions
1 can milk (use the soup can to measure)
1 small bag tater tots

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown and season meat. Once cooked transfer to 9x13 baking pan. Add vegetables and fried onions to meat and mix. In a small bowl mix cream of mushroom soup and milk to thin out the soup just enough to make it pourable. Pour 1/2 of the soup mixture over the meat/veggies/onions. (You may pour all of it over the meat/veggie mix if you choose.) Pour tater tots over meat/veggies/onions. Sometimes it is easier to organize them on top. Then pour the remainder of soup mixture over tater tots if you chose to do half on the meat and half on top.

Bake for 45min-1hr. Tater tots should be nice golden brown.

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

Found this recipe online. Haven't tried it yet but hope to really soon.

Makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients:

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12oz) bottle of BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the bbq sauce, italian salad dressing,  brown sugar and worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
2. Cover, and cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Got this recipe online somewhere and gave it a try. Totally loved it. This will certainly be a new staple to my menus.

Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:

2lbs cubed beef stew meat
2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup
1 onion chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese

Directions:

1. In slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce and water.
2. Cook on low setting for 8 hours or on high setter for about 5 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving.
3. Serve on top of your favorite egg noodles.

Taco Ring

We made this at a friends Pampered Chef party and it was awesome. I've tweaked it a little to be easier for me but it still turns out  super yummy!

Ingredients

2lbs groud beef or turkey
2 pkgs of taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup water
2 cans of crescent rolls
shredded cheese

Garnish if desired

shredded lettuce
chopped tomatos
onions
chopped olives
sour cream
salsa
guacamole
shredded cheese

In skillet, brown meat. Add taco seasoning and water according to package directions. Simmer for 5 minutes to make sure it's not runny. Add some cheese and mix well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On large pizza pan or pizza stone (I would recommend the stone), place crescent roll triangles in a circle around the middle of the pan, large side to the middle, point towards the edge of the pan (sunburst pattern). Use a small roller to flatten out the middle of the ring. Add meat in the middle of the ring in a ring inside the crescent rolls. Fold crescent points into the middle of the ring. Top with cheese if desired. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until nice and golden. Once ring is done baking, garnish with your favorite toppings, serve and enjoy!