M..M..M..Meatloaf

I know. I know.

I know exactly how you feel. I have been there.
You hear that very word and your jaws start salivating as your stomach turns over. All those childhood memories start to resurface. There you are, sitting at the dinner table with this brick of meat staring back at you. All the while your father is glaring at you, just daring you to try to toss it to the dog. GULP!

No fear. This meatloaf is so not like that. It's moist and flavorful, smothered in tangy tomato sauce.
So take a deep breath, close your eyes and enjoy. It's time to face your fears.


M..M..M..Meatloaf
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
1/2 lb Ground Turkey
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 Med Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic
1/3-1/2 c Breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
 Ketchup
 Heniz 57 Sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a meatloaf pan or bread loaf pan.
In a large bowl add the ground beef and turkey. Add the bell pepper,onion and garlic. DON"T MIX YET!
Add the egg and 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs, some ketchup and Heinz 57. Start to mix with hands. You do not want to over mix. If the meat is too soggy, add more breadcrumbs. You want it to come together, but still quite moist.
Add the meat to the loaf pan, shape into loaf. You will need to do some smoothing, leveling and packing here. Top with some more ketchup and Heinz 57, spreading sauce with back of spoon. Bake for 45 min to 1 hour.


TAKE THAT DAD!

Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

I often wonder why I bother spend hour after hour, day after day cooking and preparing meals for my family.

First, there is the mental preparation, ie brainstorming. Then, there is the shopping. Picking up a little of this, a pound of that.Obviously the cooking is next; the chopping, the dicing, melting and sautee..ing? And of course, the last and most important step. The step that only those if us in "food blog-land" could understand. The presentation. The 45 shots of a plate of food. Now I know what you're saying. " You don't have to take pictures!"( Mr S. has said this on more than one occasion.) "You don't actually have to cook!" But truthfully, Mr. S could survive on raw meat and fruit snacks, while Swayze, well she apparently survives on yogurt and dry cereal.(Despite my best efforts.)

But...

What I have realized is that I do it for you. Ok, I do it for me, too. Because it makes me feel good to see a project all the way through, beginning to end. And lets face it, you have to see cooking till the end. The end result is the best part. Eating. Eating all that scrumdildly-umptious-ness!  So please, enjoy!

And someone please come to my house and give me a real reason to cook!

Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Serves:4

Ingredients:

1 boneless Beef Strip Steak (1 lb) well trimmed

2 tsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Cornstarch

1/2 tsp Brown Sugar

1/2 c Beef Broth

1/2 c Cream Cheese, softened

2 tbsp Peppercorns

Directions:

Heat a large skillet or grill to med-high heat.

Brush both sides of steak with olive oil. Grill or cook on each side 4-6 min or until desired doneness. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, mix cornstarch and sugar with whisk in medium saucepan. Gradually stir in broth, cook on medium heat 2 min or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add the cream cheese and peppercorns. Cook and stir 2-3min. 

Slice steak and serve topped with sauce.

Beef with Snow Peas

I have been craving some take-out. Like whoa!
I don't think I need to mention The Man of the House's dislike for food of "Asian descent" again.
But for those of you who have missed it, someone thinks that any amount, 1/16 of a teaspoon even, makes food "Chinese." Uhhh.... NO!
See what I have to live with?
Well let me put your minds to ease, this can be adjusted to suit your tastes. Add more soy sauce if you like that flavor. Yes, do it! It will make him red with anger, white with horror and green with nausea!
(But if you are more like "you know who" just sub out the soy sauce with a sauce of your choice.)

Beef with Snow Peas
adapted from PW
Serves: 4

1 lb Flank Steak,  sliced thin against grain
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 c Worschtesire Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Cooking Wine
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tbsp Fresh Minced Ginger
8 oz Snow Peas, edges trimmed
1/4 c Green Onions, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Jasmine Rice or Noodles, for serving

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, worschtesire sauce, wine, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.
Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half thegreen onion. Spread out meat, but do not stir for a good minute.We are are charring here, baby! Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.
Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings. Mixture will thicken as it sits.
Serve immediately over rice or noodles. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some heat.
If you really want to be cool, serve this in those hip take-out style boxes!  

Italian Stuffed Steak Rolls

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my Crock Pot?
Well, I do. It saves me so much time and energy. Between the Facebooking and the Tweeting and the Blogging, and the 30 handfuls of this, let's face it I need more time on my hands.
Anywhoo...
Slow cookers are a fickle kitchen appliance. I feel like many meals get dried out and tire rubber like. Bleck!
So, I just always add more sauce. I keep a little on the side, too, just in case.
These rolls are really yummy. I really like them because it has all the flavors of an Italian pasta dish, while not compromising the big, juicy masculine meaty steak. Without such, someone in this house would bulk and kick and scream. (Excuse me, Mr. Marine.)  I also love the recipe because if you don't have quite all the ingredients, you can surely improvise.  And in case you needed a third reason, it's made in the Crock Pot, saving me time and energy.

Italian Stuffed Steak Rolls
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1/2 c Shredded Carrot
1/3 c Chopped Zucchini
1/3 c Chopped Red or Green Sweet Pepper
1/4 c Sliced Green Onion
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
6 Beef Round Steaks, tenderized
2 c Spaghetti Sauce or Marinara

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine carrots, zucchini, sweet pepper, green onion, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic and black pepper. Spoon 1/4 c of the veggie filling onto each piece of steak. Roll up steak around the filling and secure with toothpicks.
Place steak rolls in a slow cooker. Pour spaghetti sauce over the steak rolls.
Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or in high heat for 4-5 hours.
Discard toothpicks and serve sauce with steak rolls.

Baked Meatballs

Meatballs. Meat. Balls. Balls of Meat.
Meatballs are definitely man food.
You know, food that men eat.
Food that is not all dressed up.
Food that does not include the words, low-carb or fat-free.
Food with one syllable.

I have never been much on meatballs, especially spaghetti with meatballs...
I think it stems from watching one of those Kidsongs ( remember those movies?) movies, and the song "On Top of Spaghetti" comes on and this GIGANTIC meatball is rolling all around the set, from the campground table all through the dirt. I think it even rolls up on the dock where a man happens to be fishing, and somehow lands back on the kid's plate by the end of the song. Umm.. ew?

I will say, that I have actually come around, must be from being forced to make them, ya know, the man food. I will occasionally be spotted topping my spaghetti with a ball or 2.  But... these meatballs are not for spaghetti. I mean, they could be. But we ate them a la carte, along side some Rosemary Mashed Potatoes. Feel free to sub the tomato sauce for a gravy. That was my intention, but I figured jarred tomato sauce was so much easier at that point in the day.


Baked Meatballs
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 Egg
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Parsley
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce OR gravy

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the sauce. Mix until combined, careful not to over mix. This will result in tough meatballs!
Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Pour in the 2 cups of sauce.
Form the meatballs to desired size; mini for sandwiches or just to be cute or large if you want to eat them a la carte.
Place meatballs in sauce, top with additional cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25min or until cooked through. Yum!

Greek Pasta Salad

  

I have had my "vacation." I'll let you guess to where...

Need a hint?

It was not tropical.

It was not filled with white sand and swarthy Hispanic servers.

I did not get to relax.

In fact, I hardly slept. I  was even more tired than before I "vacationed."

Answer: I went to St. George. Ask, me why. I have no clue. Traveling anywhere with an 11 month old is a joke. She didn't sleep. I didn't sleep. She was full of energy. I had no energy. I even got a taste of what those parents feel that have to drive around in the car to get the baby to sleep. And, I am here to say, I'm sorry. I'm glad Swayze is usually a very good sleeper when she is in the comfort of her own crib.

So, next time I decide to "go away for the weekend"... please tell me NO!

Time to get back to business. Well, actually this dish is not really a back to business dish. This one was born in an "I really don't feel like cooking anything... today, tomorrow, or for a week type of attitude." This is so simple, and definitely perfect for a hot summer day, or to bring to your next BBQ.

Greek Pasta Salad

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 lb Bow Tie Pasta, cooked and drained 

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Cardini's Greek Dressing ( or Greek dressing of choice)

Salt, to taste

Coarse Ground Pepper, to taste

1 large Cucumber, diced

10 oz Grape Tomatoes, halved lengthwise

Chopped Parsley, to taste

4-6 oz Crumbled Feta

Directions:

Cook and drain pasta as directed on packaging.

Meanwhile, chop up all veggies.

Pour cooked pasta into a serving dish, or mixing bowl and transfer to a serving dish later. Squeeze the lemon half over the pasta. Add in the Greek dressing, start with about 1/2 cup. Throw in the cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and feta. Combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add more dressing as needed. Allow to chill, if time permits. ( I hope that it does.) 

Grill up some chicken or steak and serve over cold pasta for a main dish serving. Have a great Monday!