Meatloaf

I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. It made me think of when I was little and my mom would make this for dinner. Meatloaf is a great comfort food.  This recipe is a recipe my mom found a long time ago and kind of made it her own.


INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. ground beef

3 Tblsp ketchup

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup onions chopped

1/4 cup green peppers chopped

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3/4 to 1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp celery seed

3/4 tsp seasoning salt

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix it all together, meat and wet ingredients first, then spices and breadcrumbs last.  

3. Bake at 350 for an hour or until done in middle.  If you have a meat thermometer then measure it to 160 deg in middle.

Slather it up with ketchup and enjoy.

Servings: 4-6

Chocolate Crunch Applesauce Cake

Before you judge the name of this recipe please let me tell you that you can't really taste the applesauce, it just makes the cake super moist. Now that you have gotten past the weirdness of chocolate and applesauce together enjoy the deliciousness.   This cake is so good and sweet it doesn't even need frosting. Its best served warmed.


INGREDIENTS:


1 cp  all purpose flour

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cp butter, softened

3/4c sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

1 cp unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cp dark chocolate chip

1/2 cp walnuts, chopped


PROCEDURE:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour an 8 in. square baking pan.
2. Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl
3. Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl at medium speed until pale and creamy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended after each.
5. At low speed, gradually beat in the dry ingredients, alternating with the applesauce.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack.


Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 35 mins.



This recipe is from The Golden Book of Baking

The secret to the best chocolate chip cookies

My secret to the best, softest, and amazing chocolate chip cookies. Follow the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips EXCEPT instead of using 2 sticks of butter, use 1 stick of butter and 1/2 a stick of crisco. The will make the cookies taste better and be softer. Cook them the least amount of time specified for super soft cookies.

Chicken and Dumplings Soup

I have been inspired by this unusually cold weather (and the fact that my mom came to visit me this weekend and I made this for her) to write about Chicken and Dumpling Soup. Just saying the name makes my mouth water. This is my favorite soup and I make it year round but it is great to warm you up after a long, cold day. Grant can tell you that when I make this I eat so much I feel like I'm going to explode, but it is well worth it. I must warn you that the dumplings I make are not so traditional. If you go to a restaurant and order chicken and dumplings, the dumplings are hard little doughy masses that make me want to puke just by looking at them.  Why most people actually like those kind of dumplings is beyond me. The dumplings in this recipe are light and airy and delicious. This recipe is actually from my mom. She has been making this since before I was born.  I am hoping that with this blog my brother, who's best cooking skills only involve making mac and cheese, can make this recipe because he gets oh so very jealous when I tell him I've made this for dinner.



SOUP INGREDIENTS:

3-4 chicken breasts, depending on much you want in the soup

A small bag of baby carrots, fresh

1 can of green beans

A jar of better that bouillon  (this can be hard to find, not all stores carry it, but if they do it will be with the other broth makers like the cubes and such. If you cannot find it then get what you usually get to add to water to make chicken broth, any of the normal ones will work)

1 Bay Leaf

Rosemary

Basil

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Powder


DUMPLING INGREDIENTS:

2 cps of Pioneer Biscuit Mix (DO NOT GET BISQUICK. EWW!)

2/3 cp of milk

1 tsp of paprika



PROCEDURE:

1. Fill a stock pot a little more than half full with water and bring to boil.  Add chicken (frozen or thawed) to boiling water. Add salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, garlic powder, and the bay leaf.  I usually just add a few shakes of each of those, and a little more salt. Cover and boil for 30 minutes if the chicken is frozen, 20 if thawed.
2. Add cut or whole carrots as many you would like (about 3/4 of a small bag). Recover and boil for 10 minutes
3. Carefully remove chicken from water and cut into small cubes, cutting off any remaining fat, and put back into the water.
4. Drain all liquid from green beans then add to soup.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of better than bouillon and stir well. Recover and boil for 5 more minutes.
5. In a medium bowl mix together dumpling ingredients. They should look like bread dough when done properly, kind of stringy and sticky. Drop by spoonfuls into boiling soup, cover, and boil for 5 minutes.
6. Ladle soup into bowls giving each 1-2 dumplings. Be very careful it will be very hot. Serve.

Time: About 1 hour.

Servings: 4 + leftover soup (if any dumplings are left in the soup scoop them out and throw them out. Always make new dumplings when reheating the soup or you can add noodles or rice.)

Death by Chocolate

Death by Chocolate is very yummy and successfully satisfies any chocolate cravings you may be having. It is a trifle (layered dessert) so if you have a pretty glass bowl to put it in it will look as great as it tastes. It is also a great dessert for kids to help make because it is so simple, they'll love how it tastes too. You can also add fruit like cherries or strawberries if you would like but I usually just stick to the original.


INGREDIENTS:

1 box brownie mix (whichever one you like best, I like the Duncan Hines fudge brownie)

1 large box of instant chocolate pudding (none of that sugar free stuff, at least not for me)

1 large tub of cool whip

1 large Hershey's Symphony candy bar with toffee

The ingredients the brownie mix and the pudding mix requires


PROCEDURE:
1.  Make the brownies as the box instructs, cooking for 5-10 minutes less than it says. Let cool completely. (I put the pan in the freezer to help this along faster)
2. Make the pudding as it instructs. Allow to set for 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Break the candy bar in small pieces by placing in large zip lock bag and crushing or putting in food processor.
4. In one large bowl, preferably glass, make a layer of half of the cooked brownies, smush them down to cover the entire bottom of the bowl. Then make another layer with half of the pudding, then a layer with half the cool whip, and sprinkle half the candy bar on top. Repeat all of step 4 with the remaining ingredients. (If you are adding fruit, do this when you add/or in place of the candy bar)
5. This can be served immediately but it tastes better if it sits for a few hours.

Time: About an 1 hour

Servings: 6-8

Chicken Nuggets

Homemade chicken nuggets are super easy to make but a bit time consuming depending on how much you're making. These have been gobbled up faster than I can cook them at a couple of parties I have made them for and they are a huge hit with Grant. They reheat excellent so leftovers are always a plus. So for those chick-fil-a lovers on a budget, enjoy.




INGREDIENTS:

1 lb of boneless chicken breast (I usually buy the bag of frozen chicken breast because you get way more for almost the same price)

1 1/2-2 cps of plain breadcrumbs

1-2 large eggs

Salt and Pepper to taste

A few pinches of rosemary, basil, garlic powder, and tony chachere's seasoning.

Canola/Vegetable Oil to fill 1" of bottom of large skillet


PROCEDURE:

1. Pour oil into skillet (1" thick). Heat to 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit. (If you do not have a frying thermometer put on low medium. Around a 4 out of 10.)
2. Add eggs and 1-2 Tbsp of cool water to medium bowl and whisk together.
3. Combine breadcrumbs and all spices in medium bowl.
4. Make sure chicken is completely thawed. Cut chicken into 1" cubes, removing most of the fat. Dip cubes into egg then immediately into breadcrumbs making sure to completely cover.
5. Add chicken to oil (tongs help here to decrease the chance of burns) Cook until all sides are medium to dark brown and they are done all the way through. If the outside is done way before the middle is then turn down the heat and visa versa.
Note: Oil takes a while to change temperatures so be patient after you have tweaked it.
6. Remove nuggets and place on paper towel lined plate or platter to help remove excess oil.


Prep Time: 20-30 Minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 Minutes

Servings: 2

Suggested Side Dishes: French Fries. For easy fries get the frozen bags of them from the grocery store, they heat up in about 15 minutes and taste pretty good.


And of course don't forget the Barbecue Sauce!

From My Heart

Since I got married 7 months ago I have discovered that I love cooking and baking. I really love cooking for others, especially my husband. I use a lot of different resources for finding things to cook. Some recipes I find on the internet or in cook books and tweak a bit, some from family and friends, and some I make up as a I go along. I aspire to, with this blog, to share my experiences cooking, my favorite recipes, and tricks I have come across. I am in no way a professional cook. I love good home cooking that makes you think of some random memory from your childhood. So here is a little bit of food love from my heart to your taste buds.