Friday, December 13, 2013

The Humble Meatloaf

Poor meatloaf gets such a hard time. It seems like everyone knows that song from A Christmas Story: "Meatloaf beatloaf double uble eatloaf, I HATE meatloaf."
I know we used to sing it when my mom would tell us that's what's for dinner.
But a good meatloaf is so wonderful! If it makes you feel better just call it Pâté. Everything is better with its french name. 

All you need is some ground beef. 1lb. Add a chopped onion, a chopped green pepper, 1 cup of breadcrumbs, an egg, salt/pepper, and ketchup. Lots and lots of ketchup. Or you can be fancier and try BBQ or Worcestershire. Or add brown sugar. Your call.


Pop that puppy in the oven at 350 for 40 minutes.


Top with more ketchup. Ya done. You can't get more retro than a lovely meatloaf.

Thanks to Homeacre Hop for the Linkup and The Prairie Homestead for the linkups!

Easy Coffee Creamer Substitute

This may be one of the shortest posts I've ever done because this is so simple. I really enjoy coffee creamers and those fancies coffees from Starbucks and other places but since they are so so full of calories and I HAVE to have coffee, I've gotten creative about how to get more tastiness without more calories. I really enjoy just straight cream because it so...well, creamy...as well as sweet, but cream is cream whether it's flavored or not. So I do this instead

Mix 1 tablespoon sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Pour in Coffee

Optional: Add milk
Enjoy!

Monday, December 9, 2013

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday linkup

You may notice that I only provide lunch menus for two days. This is because there is often so many leftovers from the day before that is what we eat. Same reason that there is only one dessert recipe. Because that is all we can manage to eat within a week lol.


Monday: Lunch: English Sausage Rolls

                      Dinner: Collard Greens, Ricotta, and Walnut Stuffed Chicken Breast
Beet and Carrot Salad


Tuesday: Quinoa Casserole
Quail with Polenta


Wednesday: Cilantro Lentils

Thursday: Cote de Boeuf with Bearnaise and Fries
       Green Beans sauteed with onions and topped with creme fraiche
Roasted Acorn Squash


Friday: Lunch: Chicken Nuggets (I often use ground chicken and mix with a bit of applesauce)
Dinner: Pizza Night



Dessert: Hazelnut Chip Shortbread Cookies

Recipes:
Beet and Carrot Salad
Roast beets and carrot with thyme, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Drizzle parmesean dressing on top with watercress and chopped pistachios or hazelnuts.

Hazelnut Chip Shortbread Cookies
-Pulse 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Add 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 cup soft and diced butter. Pulse until throughly mixed. Stir in 1/2 cup hazelnuts. Bake 325 18-20 minutes.

Quinoa Casserole
Soak 2 cups quinoa in 6 cups of water and 2 tablespoons buttermilk overnight. Drain. Add sauteed annetto seeds, onions, and garlic. Cook in 4 cups warm stock. Stir in 2 sliced potatoes, cilantro, and 1/2 cup creme fraiche.