Meat Loaf with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Meat loaf is often a forgotten and ignored main dish because far too often there is so much filler added to the meat that it loses it's meaty texture. Not so with this favorite recipe from Marcia Adams' book, New Recipes from Quilt Country. The meat is firm textured and topped with a wonderful, mild, sweet and sour sauce. This recipe uses two pounds of meat for six people, which is a lot of meat, so I cut the recipe in half and we still have three meals from the loaf. Blessings...

Recipe:

Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. prepared mustard
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. grated or ground nutmeg

Meat Loaf:
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup cracker crumbs (I use dry bread crumbs)
2 pounds lean ground beef

1. In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients and mix thoroughly; set aside. There will be 3/4 cup sauce.
2. Beat the eggs slightly in a large bowl. Add half the sauce, the onion, parsley, salt, pepper and crumbs. Crumble in the meat and mix lightly with your hands.
3. Pat the mixture into a loaf shape in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, then pour the remaining sauce over the top of the loaf and bake the loaf 10 minutes longer.
4. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Yield: 6 servings or more

Wheat Germ Muffins

This muffin recipe is a favorite to serve with soup or a main dish salad. Here the muffins are pictured with the Cashew Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing that was posted on 3/27/2014. The molasses imparts a deep, rich flavor in the muffins and they are wholesome and nutritious with the addition of wheat germ. Years ago wheat germ was all the rage, but not much is mentioned about it anymore. This is a shame as it is an easy addition to most bread products and is loaded with vitamin E and folic acid. Muffins are generally thought of as a breakfast staple but they are a great addition to the evening meal. Blessings...

Recipe:

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tbsps. sugar

2 tsps. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup wheat germ

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup molasses

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium-size bowl.

2. In a small bowl, combine next 4 ingredients and stir with a fork making sure egg is thoroughly incorporated.

3. Stir the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture just until the liquid is absorbed. The batter will be lumpy.

4. Spoon into 12 medium-size, greased, muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.

5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Don't over bake or they will be dry and crumbly. Remove from pan immediately and serve warm, or cool on a wire rack for later use.

Yield: 12
This wonderful recipe is adapted from The Family Circle Cookbook.

Cashew Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

I love main dish salads, especially those that have an Asian flair. One day, about a month ago, when I wanted to prepare a salad of this type for dinner but didn't have my favorite bottled dressing on hand, this low calorie dressing was created to meet the need. It has a very subtle sesame flavor that comes from a bit of sesame oil and the wonderful flavor of Chinese Five Spice Powder. Blessings...

Recipe:

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

2 tbsps. rice vinegar

2 tbsps. soy sauce

2 tbsps. honey

1/4 tsp. Chinese Five Spice Powder

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.

Serve dressing over a salad of:

Mixed greens or cabbage

Mandarin orange slices

Sliced green onion

Sliced celery

Dried sweetened cranberries

Cashew halves and pieces

Chopped cooked chicken

And of course, anything else that you and your family love in an Asian salad.

Dreamy Chicken Salad

This wonderful chicken salad recipe has only a few ingredients and doesn't take much time to put together. It isn't a traditional chicken salad at all in that it has minced crystallized ginger added. I had never tried crystallized ginger in a chicken salad until I came across this recipe in a catalog. I did adapt the recipe a bit for our taste. Do look for an Italian-Style seasoning blend in the market as opposed to Italian seasoning, which is stronger in flavor. The recipe would be very easy to double for a larger family or lunch with friends. Serve it with other cold salads for a lovely meal. Blessings...

Recipe:

3 cups cooked chicken breast chunks (about 1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast, cooked)

1/2 cup broken pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted

2 tbsps. crystallized ginger, finely minced

Dressing:

1/3 cup mayonnaise, regular or light

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 tsp. Italian-Style seasoning blend

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste

1. Combine first three ingredients in a salad bowl.

2. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly blended and smooth. Pour over salad and stir well to combine thoroughly. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3-4 servings

430 calories per cup

Cornmeal Waffles

These waffles have a wonderful crunchy texture from the addition of wheat germ and cornmeal that is not usual with waffles. Since most of us eat breakfast on-the-run on weekdays, it's so nice to slow down with a breakfast a bit more special on the weekend when time might allow. This favorite recipe is kid-friendly and comes from Sunset's Ideas and Recipes for Breakfast and Brunch. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat or unbleached white flour (I use whole wheat)
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup wheat germ
6 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

1. In a medium-size bowl, beat egg yolks and buttermilk until blended.
2. In another medium-size bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar, and wheat germ. Gradually add flour mixture to yolk mixture; blending until smooth with a spoon. Stir in butter.
3. In a small bowl, beat egg whites just until stiff, moist peaks form; fold into cornmeal batter just until blended.
4. Bake waffles in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Serve hot with butter and syrup.

Yield: Makes about 1 dozen 4-inch-square waffles.
Tip: If you are making waffles for a crowd, an easy way to keep the baked waffles warm while you continue cooking is to lay them on wire cooling racks on rimmed baking pans in a 300 degree oven. They will stay nice and warm until everyone is able to sit down together.

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

When we go home to visit, my husband and I will often stay with our very dear friend, Kathie. One year when we went for Christmas she made these delicious peanut clusters for our holiday celebration. The three of us gobbled them up! This recipe is easy, with only three ingredients, and perfect for a snack or dessert, and it's kid-friendly. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 can (16 oz.) cocktail peanuts
1 pkg. (10 oz.) Reese's Peanut Butter baking chips
1 pkg. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Melt Reese's chips and chocolate chips together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth.
2. Stir in peanuts.
3. Using a soup spoon, drop mixture onto wax paper lined cookie sheets. Let set until firm. Store in a tightly covered container.

Yield: 35 pieces
185 calories each
1 gm. fiber

Note: We also enjoy the clusters made with 1 cup of dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa) and 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips. The candy is not quite as sweet and the chocolate flavor is stronger. Using the dark chocolate increases the fiber to 2 gms. each.

Glazed Corned Beef

I know I'm a few days late posting a recipe for this St. Patrick's Day favorite but we didn't have our corned beef until the day after the holiday this year.

This wonderful new recipe is so worthy of preparing anytime of the year that I couldn't wait for another year before sharing it with you. So, if you love corned beef, I would encourage you to try this offering from San Francisco A La Carte, one of my favorite old cookbooks.

I would encourage using a low-salt corned beef round, not the less expensive point cut. The round is very lean, with very little waste, and can be basted with the sauce on all sides but the bottom. The sauce becomes a beautiful glaze with excellent flavor. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 6- to 10-pound corned beef brisket (see note)
12 peppercorns, lightly crushed (use a meat mallet)
2 bay leaves
1 large onion, studded with 8 whole cloves
2 cloves garlic, bruised (crush slightly with a meat mallet or large knife)

Glaze:
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. cider vinegar

1. Place corned beef in a large pot with peppercorns, bay leaves, onion, garlic, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim off any scum that rises to the top, lower heat, and simmer, covered, for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until tender.
2. Cool meat in the cooking water. This will take 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Combine all the glaze ingredients.
4. Transfer the corned beef to a roasting pan and coat the top with the glaze.
5. Bake uncovered, basting every 15 minutes, in a preheated 300 degree oven for 1 hour.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings
Note: For two of us, I purchased a 3-1/4 pound corned beef and used the same amount of seasoning in the cooking broth for the best flavor. I cut the glaze ingredients in half. This worked beautifully. The sauce will drip down into the pan as it melts and can then be brushed on the sides of the beef with a pastry brush.

Pizza Fondue

Fondue is usually geared to adult tastes with strong flavors, but this easy and fun recipe is very kid-friendly.
There is lots of cheese with the only seasoning coming from the stewed tomatoes and salsa, so get the salsa your family enjoys and create a fun family meal. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato salsa
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I use medium)
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
ground black pepper to taste
1 large loaf crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
assorted vegetable dippers

1. Chop tomatoes into bite-sized or smaller pieces. Add salsa and bring to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
2. Slowly add the cheese, while stirring, to help it melt evenly. Grind pepper over the top.
3. Transfer to a fondue pot, crockpot or keep warm on the stove over very low heat.

Yield: serves 6 to 8
230 calories per serving

Honey Lemon Dressing

This salad dressing is light in flavor and perfect over a combination of greens, dried sweetened cranberries, avocado, tomato, sliced almonds, celery and green onion. For a sweeter dressing, increase the honey a teaspoon at a time until it meets your satisfaction. Blessings...

Recipe:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tbsp. honey
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. tarragon leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp. marjoram

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except the olive oil.
2. Slowly pour a slow steady stream of oil into the lemon mixture while continously whisking until a nice thick emulsion forms.
3. Use as needed. Store dressing covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Yield: approximately 3/4 cup
Note: As the olive oil chills it will solidify, so the dressing needs to be brought to room temperature before use.

Chicken Artichoke Casserole

This flavorful casserole is a combination of chicken and artichokes in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce which is then topped with herb-crumbs. Serve this saucy chicken mixture over noodles or rice, add a vegetable, and the meal is complete. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tbsp. butter, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. (9 ounces) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed or 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and halved
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. minced fresh savory or 1 tsp. dried - see note
1 tbsp. minced fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried - see note
hot cooked noodles or rice

1. In a skillet, saute chicken in 1 tbsp. butter until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken and artichokes in a 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. In a saucepan, melt remaining butter; stir in the flour and nutmeg until smooth. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in cheese until melted. Spoon over the chicken.
3. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and herbs; sprinkle over the chicken.
4. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 25 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Serve over noodles or rice.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings
Note: I use 1-1/2 tsps. dried savory and omit the thyme.

Caramel Brownies

Sometime last year I clipped this recipe out of our local newspaper and my goodness, we are sure glad that I did. These brownies are rich and gooey with a layer of caramel and milk chocolate chips between two layers of cookie base made from a German chocolate cake mix. They were delicious with a glass of milk last evening for dessert. This is a kid-friendly recipe, whether the kid is young or old. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 German chocolate cake mix
1 pkg. (11 ounces) caramels
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided
3/4 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. Melt butter and mix with cake mix and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Spread half of this mixture in pan and bake for 7 to 9 minutes. (Remaining batter will thicken up as it sits). Remove baked layer to rack while preparing caramel mixture.
3. In a saucepan, combine unwrapped caramels and remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Pour over baked layer and smooth out evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the caramel.
4. Pinch off pieces of the remaining cake batter and make a layer over the top of the caramel layer. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes.

Yield: 36 bars
102 calories each

Savory Crock Pot Stew

Stew is a favorite meal in our home. Over the years I have tried many recipes, one of which was posted on 1/7/2009, but getting a flavorful crock pot version has been a bit of a challenge. In this recipe, I combined the best of a few different crock pot and oven versions that we liked and made something a bit more to our liking. One of the most important steps to making a flavorful beef recipe in the crock pot is to brown the meat first. This step really enhances the final flavor of the dish and is worth the extra bit of time invested into the evening meal. Blessings...

Recipe:

3/4 pound cubed tri-tip steak, dried on paper towels to remove excess moisture
olive oil for browning
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1-1/2 cups peeled and sliced carrots
1 celery rib, sliced
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth
3 tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1-1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 cup frozen peas

1. In a skillet brown the steak in oil. Remove the steak to the crock pot and fry the onion in the oil for a few minutes until softened. Scrape the onion and any brown bits into the crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients except the frozen peas. Stir well; cover and cook on low setting for 8-10 hours or on high setting for 5-6 hours.
2. Add peas during last hour of cooking.
3. Stir and check potatoes and carrots for tenderness before serving.

Yield: 4-5 servings
Note: Tri-tip steak is a wonderfully marbled and tender cut of beef for making stew and other casserole-type dishes. Stew meat tends to be very tough even after the slow cooking of the crock pot.

Pumpkin Toffee Cake

Oh, my goodness, the kitchen smelled so wonderful as this cake was baking and cooling down. I couldn't wait to ice it with rich buttercream frosting and dig in later for dessert.

This recipe is kept simple and fast with a boxed spice cake mix in which canned pumpkin, chopped pecans and English toffee bits are added to make a  special family dessert. The cake is then topped with a buttercream that is so light and fluffy it melts in your mouth. This is a delicious way to end a meal, if you can wait that long! Blessings...

Recipe:

1 box spice cake mix with pudding in the mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Heath English Toffee Bits, divided
3/4 cup chopped pecans

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and water beating on low speed; scrape down sides of bowl. Beat on medium speed for two minutes. Mix in pumpkin until blended.
2. Stir in pecans and toffee bits.
3. Pour into a greased tube pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Remove to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
5. Run a table knife around the outside edge of the pan and remove the cake from the pan keeping the cake on the base. Cool completely.
6. Run a table knife under the cake to separate the cake from the pan. Place the cake on a serving plate. Frost the cake and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon toffee bits on top.

Rich Buttercream Frosting

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk or more, as needed  (I use 1%)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, butter, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the milk. If the mixture is real stiff add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until spreading consistency. Beat the frosting on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until very light and fluffy.

Yield: 12 servings
517 calories per serving
1.4 gms. fiber

Corn Muffins

I've never made corn muffins, only cornbread, which has been a family favorite forever. When I came across this recipe in Cook's Illustrated Magazine I decided to give it a try so that we could compare corn muffins to cornbread. We love both! The difference with the muffins is the larger amount of sugar in them compared to the cornbread that I've been making for years. These muffins are light, sweet, and so tender they could be served for breakfast, as well as alongside a bowl of chili, soup, or as we did, alongside the Potato Kielbasa Skillet recipe that was posted yesterday. This recipe comes very highly recommended from my hubby! Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup fine-ground, whole-grain yellow cornmeal (I use Alber's)
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a standard muffin tin.
2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine; set aside.
3. Whisk eggs in second medium bowl until well combined and light-colored, about 20 seconds.
4. Add sugar to eggs; whisk vigorously until thick and homogeneous, about 30 seconds; add melted butter in 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add half the sour cream and half the milk and whisk to combine; whisk in remaining sour cream and milk until combined.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; mix gently with rubber spatula until batter is just combined and evenly moistened. Do not over-mix. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, dropping it to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surface of mounds.
6. Bake until muffins are light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean, about 18 minutes, rotating muffin tin from front to back halfway through baking time. Cool muffins in tin 5 minutes, then remove muffins to wire rack to cool, or serve warm.

Yield: 1 dozen

Potato Kielbasa Skillet

The recipe for this tasty potato and sausage skillet is one that my niece posted in our recipe group awhile back and I've just gotten around to trying this week. The original recipe calls for baby spinach, which I didn't have, but I did have some cabbage and I knew from other recipes that cabbage works great with sausage and potatoes; it did with this recipe, as well. The spicy-sweet flavors of brown sugar, vinegar and Dijon mustard combined with the sausage, potatoes, bacon and cabbage is very good. I served the dish with cornmeal muffins; a new recipe that I will post tomorrow. This is simple comfort food for a chilly winter day. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. potatoes (any kind will do), peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp. water
3/4 lb. smoked Kielbasa cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups fresh baby spinach or 3 cups thinly sliced cabbage
5 slices bacon crisply fried and crumbled

1. Place potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and micro-cook on high for 4 minutes or until tender; drain and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute Kielbasa and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add potatoes; saute 3-5 minutes longer until lightly browned.
3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme and pepper; stir into skillet. Simmer uncovered 3-5 minutes.
4. Add spinach and bacon; cook and stir until spinach is wilted. (See note if using cabbage).

Yield: 4 servings
Note: If using cabbage, add to skillet; cover and cook for about 3 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted.