Meatloaf with a kick

A few nights ago I was was playing in the kitchen chilling some dough and realized I was starving. I was so hungry and needed to feed myself something that was tasty and rather simple so I could work on one more go-round of my Raspberry Cloud Cakes. I admit, with the WFC approaching faster than ever I have not been eating properly. But I was lucky to have thought ahead and defrosted some chopped sirloin and decided to make my go to dish- MEATLOAF. Sometimes I make a complicated meatloaf but this time it had to be simple. I went through my cupboards and grabbed a packet of Goya Sazon Seasoning (a life saver), remember this little gem? I use it in my shrimp dishes all the time and thought, why not try it with meatloaf. Plus I had some cooked bacon in the fridge. So far, so good. It took me no time to put this little loaf together and a happy gal I was. No chopping involved, but if you have some extra time please add some fresh diced green or red peppers. Here's the recipe:

Sazon Bacon and Sirloin Meatloaf

1 package Sazon seasoning from Goya
1 egg
1 T milk
1 T minced dried onion
1/2 sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 (or more) black pepper
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 lb chopped sirloin
6 slices cooked bacon finely chopped

Here's a picture of the Sazon seasoning, the star of the show:

And here's what I did with this fabulous spice blend:

Mix Sazon, egg, milk, dried onion, salt, pepper, crackers and Worcestershire sauce together with a spoon or fork.

 Now add your chopped bacon.

Mix in the ground sirloin and form into a small loaf and place in greased pan.

Bake 50 minutes and enjoy any way your little heart desires. I made sammies and forgot to take pictures. But you can just imagine how delish they were. My suggestion is to double the recipe. I am now wishing I had done that.

Mexican Chicken Soup

I'm loving my internet cooking friends. Their recipes are tried and true and they are sure helping me out these days. I'm getting ready for the World Food Championships which is less than three weeks away and there is hardly any time to make dinner. But a gal's got to eat something other than desserts, right? So last night I made Laura Lynn Lopez's Mexican Chicken Soup and wowzer! is this a great recipe. She makes hers in a crock pot, but I put this together on my stove top in about 35 minutes. Here's the recipe with a few of my additions (and omissions):

Mexican Chicken Soup
Inspired by Laura Lynn Lopez
Serves about 6

2 Idaho potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie from my market)
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can Campbells cream of potato soup
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 4 oz can diced green chiles undrained
2 T minced fresh cilantro
1 package taco seasoning mix (I used Old El Paso Hot and Spicy)
3 cups chicken broth
8 oz sour cream (I omitted this ingredient but if I had some on hand I would have certainly used it)
4 oz jalapeno pepper Velveeta cheese cubed (I used the 2% plain because that's what was in my fridge)

Directions:
Cook diced potatoes for about 12 minutes on stove, starting potatoes in cold water. Drain and set aside. In large soup pot combine chicken, corn, both canned soups, chicken broth, cilantro, cooked potatoes and taco seasoning. Stir until heated and smooth. Now cook on low for about 10 minutes. Add your cheese and serve. Delish!

I just reheated this tonight and added some chopped bacon and home made corn chips as a garnish.
Thank you Laura, I love your recipes.  

MIA

Yes, that would be me, Missing In Action. I don't think I have skipped an entire month of writing since I started this little journal, how many years ago? But I do have an excuse, hopefully it's a good one and you'll understand. I'm going to the World Food Cooking Championships again this fall in Las Vegas and have been boning up on desserts- the category I qualified in this year. I've been baking and timing recipes almost nonstop and finally caught my breath, came down to earth and decided I'd do a short post on a simple, quick dinner I made tonight. Do you like white pizza? I haven't really made many, but with the help of some Naan Bread, this little darling is just what the doctor ordered for a now busy dessert chef wannabe. The recipe is simple and I'll explain it in pictures. Here's what you'll need for one pizza:

Naan White Pizza
serves 1

1 slice of naan bread
2 T small curd low fat cottage cheese drained of liquid
1 T olive oil
1 large onion thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
2 T grated pamesan cheese

In medium saucepan on medium low temp add your olive oil and heat. Add your onions, a bit of salt and pepper and cook slowly stirring every few minutes until they become caramalized (about 20 minutes). When they're just about done add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Stir and set aside to cool a bit. (sorry, no picture of this, but the onions should be a caramel color and your kitchen should smell delicious).

Take out your naan and place on a foil lined baking sheet that has been lightly spritzed with cooking spray. I'm not sure this is necessary, but I wasn't taking any chances. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread a thin layer of low fat cottage cheese on the bread. I added a bit of black pepper on top.

Top with the caramalized onions. Don't pile them on, spread them gingerly and if you have any left over, either pop them in your mouth or save them for tomorrow's sandwich. They will keep in the fridge for a few days.

Now it's time for some more cheese. Add your mozzarella and parm, again not loading up the pie. This is not supposed to be a "loaded" pizza.

Doesn't that look good already? Bake in pre heated oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbly. Serve hot or at room temp. A green salad would have been heavenly with this, but I just didn't take the time. Next time I will for sure.

I hope you try this! And the re-mixes can be anything your little heart desires. My next naan pizza will have some sriracha bacon on it. This meal is so quick and simple, the sriracha bacon update could be very soon!

Sweet and Sour Kraut and Weiner Soup

I've been watching my wallet lately and trying to use EVERYTHING in my fridge before it spoils. It seems that so many of the recipes I'm posting lately are created with frugality in mind. Sometimes they're exciting, and sometimes, well not so much. But this little dish which I adapted from a facebook recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen is just too good to not share. Kalyn made a Leftover Corned Beef and Sauerkraut Soup and it seemed like it was something I could sub with my leftover low sodium frankfurters and half a jar of sauerkraut. Some people are not fans of sauerkraut, but I certainly am. Being a New Yorker I wouldn't think of having a hot dog without it. So with that said, let's get to the recipe.

Sweet and Sour Kraut and Weiner Soup
Inspired by Kayln's Kitchen

1 large onion chopped
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
1/4 tsp celery salt
1 can low sodium, low fat chicken broth (14.5 oz)
1 can low sodium, low fat beef broth (14.5 oz)
1 can petit diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 large dried bay leaves
2 cups sauerkraut, drained but not rinsed (I used bottled, not canned)
4 or 5 frankfurters sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
2 tsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend or 4 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
fresh ground pepper to taste
Grated swiss cheese for serving (I like the lower sodium Alpine Lace)
Extra balsamic vinegar for drizzling
Homemade croutons for garnish (see link below)

Heat olive oil in soup pan and add the onions. Cook on medium low for about 5 minutes. You're looking to soften them and not really brown them. Add your garlic and celery salt  and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Add your chicken stock, beef stock, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves and simmer on low for 30 minutes. I covered my pot. While soup simmers, drain the sauerkraut in a colander. Do not rinse it.

Get out your prepped frankfurters. When sauerkraut is mostly drained, squeeze out any remaining moisture with your clean hands. Lots of moisture comes out but the briny flavor remains. Chop the kraut into smaller pieces and add it, along with the franks, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to the soup pot. Stir to combine and add a bit of water to soup if it seems thick to you. Simmer 15 minutes more.

While the soup is creating delicious aromas in your kitchen, why don't you make some homemade croutons for a garnish? They're quick and add so much flavor and texture to the final meal. Here is Ann Burrell's version of garlic croutons that I make all the time. Only now I add a T of unsalted butter to the olive oil mix, and are they ever so good! And when you're being frugal, a little bit of butter goes a long way when it comes to taste.

Top your soup with the shredded Swiss cheese and a bit more balsamic vinegar. Stir until the cheese melts and now add the yummy croutons. You should get about 4-5 servings. Hope you enjoy, I certainly did!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

There was a recipe being shared on facebook last week that caught my eye. It was Amish Cinnamon Bread posted by Torri Camp Gayle. I really couldn't tell what her finished bread looked like because the slice was slathered with cream cheese, but I loved the ingredients and had some buttermilk in my fridge (my new favorite ingredient for everything) and decided to make a loaf. I used a medium size loaf pan and am rather happy with the results, although I'd love to get some more swirl action happening within the bread. Here's the recipe:

Amish Cinnamon Bread
credit to Torri Camp Gayle

1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 cup sugar (I used Splenda no calorie)
1 large egg
1 cup low fat buttermilk
2 cups flour (I was at the end of my AP flour so added 1/2 cup whole wheat flour to make the 2 cups)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (my addition)

Cinnamon Swirl and Topping
1/3 cup sugar (I used Splenda no cal)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Prepare loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. Mix together the Cinnamon Swirl and Topping mixture and set aside.  Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Now we're ready to rock and roll. Cream butter, Splenda and egg until combined. I mixed this for about 2-3 minutes with my trusty hand mixer.

Now add the buttermilk, flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined, but don't overmix. You don't want a tough bread. Pour half the batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle 3/4 of your sugar mixture on top.

Top with the remaining batter, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture. Take a knife (or maybe a wooden skewer would do the trick) and make swirls back and forth in the batter. Mine ended up looking lumpy.

So I patted it down with my clean hands.

I wasn't thrilled (it was still lumpy), but in the oven it went for 45-50 minutes. And I must say it's a super tasty bread that needs a bit of a face lift.

My friend Aurora had a good idea to solve the lumpiness. Do the swirling before you add the second layer of the batter. I'm even taking her idea a step farther and suggesting you make three thin layers of batter topped with the 1/3 each of the cinnamon mixture and only swirl the bottom two. That's what I'm going to try next! Any other suggestions are more than welcome. I know I have some seasoned bakers reading every so often, so if you're out there- share any secrets you may have, before I make this again. All in all, this was a simple, tasty recipe that just needs a little tweaking. And once it was cut- you'd never know it needed plastic surgery. A very good recipe that I think would also make an awesome bread pudding!

Zucchini and Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

It's that time of year again, and I love it! Zucchini is in abundance and it's cheap, cheap, cheap. So last night I made a super duper meatloaf with lean ground sirloin, some fatty sweet Italian sausage, zucchini, cheese and of course spices and seasonings. So delish, I must share. And it's so simple it's almost embarassing.

Zucchini Meatloaf
Inspired by summer produce and a fridge clean out

1 medium size zucchini
1 lb ground sirloin
2 links sweet Italian sausage uncased
1 egg
2 T milk
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 T dried minced onion
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used store bought seasoned Italian)
2 slices mozzarella string cheese
2 slices Velveeta cheese
Marinara sauce

Grate your zucchini and place in a large bowl. I squeezed out some of the liquid but wasn't really that concerned because I like my meatloaf to be juicy and moist. To the zucchini add the egg, milk, oregano, minced onion, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce and bread crumbs. Mix and add the sirloin and sausage.

Remove from the bowl and pat down your mixture on a flat surface. Grab some cheese out of your fridge and place in the center of your soon to be loaf. I would have gone with all mozzarella, but came up short so added some Velveeta cheese which actually delighted me because it really is a fabulous melting cheese and made the final dish so tasty.

Roll the loaf up and place in a cooking sprayed baking dish. Top with your favorite marinara sauce and bake for 1 hour.

Let sit for about 15 minutes and slice. Doesn't that look good?

And if you like to bring your lunch to work with you, a slice of this cheesy little zucchini filled meatloaf makes a super sandwich. One minute in the microwave, a little extra sauce and you're all set.

Focaccia Bread with a Three Cheese Filling

My local market has the most delicious artisan breads and I rarely buy them because I'm either dieting or watching my wallet. But today I just flipped when I saw this work of art- a tomato rosemary focaccia bread that jumped into my cart before I knew what happened. Focaccia bread is great with any meal, but I decided to make it my entire meal. Those lazy, hazy days of summer are here, and I do admit I get lazy. So I cut this little lovely in half and slathered it with 1/3 cup ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan and a handful of shredded mozzarella.

Put the top back on...

Wrapped it in aluminum foil and baked it for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Here's the result, minus two pieces.

Ooey, gooey, cheesey and just what this lazy, hazy gal wanted for dinner.

 

That was the first slice. The second one just disappeared. This was simply delicious and there's enough left over for breakfast and/or lunch. If I weren't being such a slug, I would have sauteed some sausage and added that to the cheese mixture. And that could still happen because I have some sweet Italian sausages defrosting in my fridge. Thanks to all the artisan bakers out there, you are much appreciated!