Meatloaf Minis

Meatloaf night!! I always remember having meatloaf like, once a week or something when I was a kid. And I totally loved it. So, I asked my mom for the recipe. As always, she said "I don't have a recipe." So I went out in search of the most basic meatloaf recipe I could find. I don't like people to jack with my meatloaf - I'm a purist. No southwestern, mexican, italian, whatever meatloaf. I want PLAIN. The boy was very excited when I said I was having meatloaf for dinner.

He thought it needed more salt. I thought it was plenty salty and a little too onion-y flavored. I don't like onions though, so that may be why I felt that way. These were totally easy to make. Even though it was way gross touching raw meat. I also only did 2/3 of the recipe, because I don't know what I would've done with 18 of these things! I am totally excited about having the leftovers on a sammich!! Get cookin'!

Ingredients:
1 c. ketchup
3-4 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ground mustard
2 eggs, beaten
4 tsp. Worcestershire
3 c. Crispix, crushed (3 cups BEFORE you crush them. I had to ask my parents.)
3 tsp. onion powder
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 lb. lean ground beef

Directions:
Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard; reserve 1/2 c.

Add all but the beef and mix well. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.

Press about 1/3 c. each into 18 muffin cups.

Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes.

Drizzle with reserved ketchup mixture and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen

Source: Taste of Home's "Quick Cooking Annual Recipes" 2002 edition

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Woohoo! I can download pictures again! I had to buy an adapter thingamajigger to make it work. Best $15 I ever spent! So, I actually made these on Thursday night, so I could take them to work on Friday. No actual recipe. I was just proud of myself because not only were they very yummy, they actually turned out pretty!

So, basically, just go to the store. Buy a box of devils food cake mix, cream cheese frosting and a jar of maraschino cherries. Make cupcakes according to box. FYI, I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out, BUT, whenever I make cupcakes, they are always tiny. The tops don't even reach the top of the little cupcake cakes. Well, in case you didn't know - you don't have to make 24 cupcakes like the box says. You can just make 18, or however many. Yes, it took me 26 years to figure this out. Don't laugh.

Okay, so back to the recipe. After cupcakes have cooled, mix some cherry juice into the cream cheese frosting. I really just wanted pink frosting, but I didn't have any food coloring. So I used cherry juice. The subtle cherry flavor turned out pretty good though. Frost cupcakes. Done. :)

You should all know - I am very excited. I ordered a really cute apron on Amazon and I am so psyched to start wearing it! I was afraid that it would look stupid on me or be too big, since I am practically a midget. But it is perfect! I know. I'm a complete dork.

Valentine's Day Brown Sugar Blondies

Okay - still having camera issues. I switched memory cards and now I can't upload to my computer. So frustrating. Okay, these turned out ugly anyway. I don't know what I did wrong. So, you should definitely go look at the original picture HERE.

I saw this recipe and just couldn't help myself. I knew that I had to make it for Valentine's Day. It is just too cute! Unfortunately, I apparently am just the worst planner ever. Okay, not really. I actually love to plan and organize. I just happened to be incredibly unprepared to make these tonight. First, I ran out of vanilla. I didn't even know that could happen. I think I've only bought vanilla once in my entire life. So, I used 1/2 tbsp vanilla and then 1/2 tbsp maple syrup. Then, when I was ready to pour everything into the pan, when I realized that the pan I was planning on using was sitting in the fridge, with leftovers in it. I used an 8x8 pan instead. I don't think it made that big of a difference.

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 c. M&Ms

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Melt butter and add brown sugar. Mix well.

Cool slightly, then add egg and vanilla.

Add flour mixture, and then 2/3 c. M&Ms.

Spread in a 9x9 pan. Sprinkle 1/3 c. M&Ms on top.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Source: http://www.bakedperfection.com

Oven Roasted Balsamic Chicken

Argh! I had a beautiful picture of this last night, and I turned on my camera to upload to my computer and it kept saying "Format memory card - this will delete EVERYTHING on memory card." Wonderful, right? I got a new camera for Christmas, and I apparently just can't figure the thing out. I just keep having problems with it.

So, I apologize for lack of picture. Especially because this was a GREAT recipe. At least that means I will most likely be making it again and will get a picture. I guess I can take a picture when I heat up the leftovers, too. I am always looking for super quick "go to" recipes. And this is so it. Prep time was no more than like, 7 minutes. Yeah, that's right. I said 7 minutes. This also turned out pretty enough that I think I could pop this in the oven for surprise guests and stuff like that! I think I was much more impressed than the boy, but I so rarely think that what I made was just SO good, that it doesn't matter! :)

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
EVOO
Salt and Pepper
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. sesame seeds (I didn't have any, so I skipped this one)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Drizzle chicken with EVOO and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, mustard and rosemary. Brush on chicken.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Source: Robin Miller, http://www.foodnetwork.com

Cocoa Says What?

Cocoa is already in bed. It is only 5:10. When I noticed the lump, I peaked under the covers and she gave me "The Look" - she doesn't like to be disturbed when she's sleeping. Spoiled much!

How To Host a Superbowl Party On 24 Hours Notice

So, if you read my last post, you know that I had to host a Superbowl party on 24 hours notice. Now, let me preface this by saying - I am NOT spontaneous. I am a planner. I love to plan and organize actually. Spontaneity doesn't do anything for me. So, I was a little panicky. After we had a plan, I calmed down, but it was still kinda stressful. BUT, all in all, everything turned out great. The food was good and the boys were happy. So, here's the menu:

- Party Meatballs
- Ranch Bread Bowl with Veggies
- Pizza Squares
- Buffalo Chicken Dip in a Bread Bowl
- Veggie Tray (No picture)
- Chips and Salsa (No picture)
- Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Oreo Pie (courtesy of some unknown friend of my sisters! No picture - sorry!)
- Gooey Butter Bars

And, here are the recipes:

First, we have party meatballs. My mom actually made these for a Christmas Eve party and had frozen the leftovers. Being the mooch that I am, I just took them out of her freezer and reheated them in the crockpot. So, no recipe. But basically you put meatballs, spaghetti sauce and grape jelly in a crockpot and just go!
Next, we have a bread bowl with ranch dressing and vegetables. This is one of the easiest party dishes you can ever make. It looks like it took more time than it did, and the serving bowl is edible. I used a sourdough bread bowl, filled it with ranch, and put it on a plate with veggies and the bread from the bowl!

I also made pizza squares. You can find the recipe here. This picture is SO much better!

I also made buffalo chicken dip and put that in a bread bowl too. This is one of my most favorite recipes and it is so easy. I could seriously just munch on it ALL day. Sorry the picture is blurry. I don't know what happened.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. cooked chicken

2 c. blue cheese dressing (I don't measure, I just used a whole bottle)

1/2 c. Tabasco sauce (I used hot wing sauce)

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Dump everything in the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Cook on high 1-2 hours, until cheese is melted.

Source: www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

I also made buffalo chicken wings. I used the same method as my Asian Chicken Wings from last week, but these turned out so much better! All the guys loved them!

Ingredients:

4 lbs. chicken wings

2 bottles buffalo wing sauce

Directions:

Marinate wings in 1 1/2 bottles of sauce, preferably overnight.

Dump on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour-ish at 350, basting with remaining sauce.

When the outsides are crispy, put the hot wings in a bowl or on a serving plate and drizzle with the rest of the sauce.

And now for the icing on the cake - Gooey Butter Bars! These are super rich, but they are so good! I was eating the dough and the mix before I even got them into the oven! Seriously, go make these.

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix

3 eggs

2 sticks butter

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 box powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine cake mix, one egg and melted butter. Pat into a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Spread over cake batter.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Do NOT overbake - it is supposed to be gooey inside!!

Source: Paula Deen

So, that's that. We actually ended up with very few leftovers, which is good. So, after all that, I won't be cooking tonight. Maybe just soup and grilled cheese or a chicken salad sandwich. Something easy!!

Shrimp With Sugar Snap Peas

This is actually from Saturday night, but I have been a tad busy. The boy decided at 5 pm on Saturday that he wanted to have a superbowl party. Yeah, seriously. So, follow up post on that next.

Amidst all the panic, I still made dinner. I have had my eye on this recipe for awhile. First of all, it looked really simple. Second, my boyfriend loves sugar snap peas. I served this with teriyaki rice. It was easy to make. However, it wasn't super flavorful. If I make it again, I will add some more spice - maybe some cajun seasoning, or some teriyaki sauce or something. It just needed a little more oomph.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tbsp. butter
8 oz. fresh sugar snap peas, trimmed and strings removed
1 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 lb. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
2 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add peas and garlic. Cover and cook, shaking pan occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Add shrimp, lemon peel and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until shrimp are opaque throughout (about 4 minutes).

Season with pepper and serve immediately.

Source: Woman's Day Magazine