PW's Meatloaf

This is a real man-pleaser. I mean, just look at it...and anything wrapped in bacon makes my guys look forward to dinner! My dad, who is 70, says it's the best meatloaf he has ever eaten. And he isn't biased one bit by his only daughter's cooking. :)
It's another Pioneer Woman recipe. Yes, I check out her site almost daily, and if I didn't have to worry about gaining weight, I would cook even more of her recipe. And please, go look at her photos...so much more appetizing than mine.

Here's what you need to make this delish dish:

1 cup milk
6 slices white bread
2 lbs ground chuck
1 heaping cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, minced
4 eggs, beaten
10 slices bacon, thin or regular sliced
Sauce:
1 1/2  cups ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Heat oven to 350*

Pour milk over bread in large bowl and allow to soak for several minutes.

To the bread mixture, add ground chuck, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, parsley and  beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix all ingredients together.

Shape mixture into a large loaf and place on a large broiler pan, this will allow the fat to drain while cooking. I like to line the pan with foil to avoid a big clean up.

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking ends under the bottom of the meatloaf.

Make the sauce by combining all ingredients and mixing well. Using 1/3 of the sauce cover the top of the meatloaf with  your spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven, add another 1/3 of the sauce and return to oven for 15 minutes.

Slice meatloaf and serve with remaining sauce.

This recipe makes a ton of meatloaf, so I usually cut it in half and have plenty for 4-5 people. 

I made a couple small changes from PW's original recipe, be sure to check her's out to see the differences.


Source: Pioneer Woman

Chili Stuffed Baked Potato

We wanted to enjoy chili one more time before the weather got warm...yeah looks like we have a while before that happens! Here is one way to serve it just to change it up a little. We liked it a lot...hope you do, too.

One recipe of Christie's Sweet Chili *
Baked potatoes, how ever many you need for your crew (I just nuked them in the microwave)
Butter, shredded cheese and sour cream. Green onions would be a nice addition, too.
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Split open potato.

Add butter, a tablespoon or so. Work it into the potato.

Top with a heaping scoop of hot chili.

Then, sprinkle on the cheese and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Salt and pepper to taste.

ENJOY!

*Feel free to use your own chili recipe, it will be delish with whatever you choose!

Open Face Italian Sloppy Joes

 

Remember the spaghetti sauce from Pioneer Woman I posted a few weeks ago? We love it! So when I saw her do a follow up recipe using the sauce, I knew I had to try it, too. So easy to make if you already have some sauce stored away in your freezer, which I did. If not, this is a good reason to make the sauce just so you can have this dish! Very satisfying for lunch on a VERY cool fall day.

Spaghetti sauce
Frozen garlic bread
Sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese
Parmesan for sprinkling on top, if desired

Heat garlic bread in oven as directed on box.

Meanwhile, heat up meat sauce in saucepan or nuke it in the microwave.

When everything is hot, top garlic bread with desired amount of sauce and one slice of cheese.

Return pan to oven until cheese is melted.

Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving if desired.

Enjoy this guys...soooo good and soooo easy!

Source: Pioneer Woman 

BBQ Brisket Loaded Baked Potatoes

A friend recently told me about a local bbq place where you can order a baked potato stuffed with bbq brisket. I have been thinking  about it ever since! Yesterday I picked up a small brisket and cooked it using my mother-in-law's recipe...you must try this...it NEVER fails!

Next I baked "the perfect baked potatoes" in the oven.

Perfect Baked Potatoes:
Large baking potatoes, as many as you need
Canola oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350*.

Scrub potatoes well.

Peirce each potato several times with a fork.

Place potatoes is bowl and drizzle with canola oil, a little goes a long way!

Using your hands, rub the oil all over the potatoes.

Sprinkle kosher salt over potatoes.

Place on a rack in the middle of oven.

Place a pan or piece of foil under the potatoes on a lower rack to catch any drippings.

Bake anywhere from an hour, to and hour and a half, depending on the size of your potatoes and how many you are cooking.

Potatoes are done when they feel crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Stick a fork in them if you aren't sure.

Split potato lengthwise along the top and using both thumbs and forefingers, squeeze to open it up.

Place a dollop of butter in potato and fluff it together with the potato flesh, salt and pepper to taste.

Now you're ready to top your potato with the brisket.

I sliced several slices across the grain, then took those slices and chopped them into small bits. Honestly this brisket is so tender, it practically falls apart on it's own.

Add as much or as little bbq sauce as you would like.  I added enough to make it moist, then added some of the juice drippings from cooking the brisket to make it really moist. (hint: I did place the drippings in the freezer for a few minutes to separate the fat and skim it off...every little bit helps, right?)

Place a big heaping mound of meat on top of your hot and ready baked potato. Load it up good so you'll have a bite of meat with each bite of potato.

Sprinkle a little cheddar on top if that floats your boat...it floats mine!

Doug added extra sauce....he can drink that stuff!!

Dig in!

We all enjoyed this dinner. Jonah was home right after school to eat since he had a game later, so I just baked his potato in the microwave and topped it like ours.  He loved it! So if you are short on time, or don't want to go to extra effort to make "perfect baked potatoes" you can still enjoy this meal. And there is enough brisket left for another meal, can't beat that! Hope you try it and like it!

Steak Fajitas

1-2 pounds of round steak, tenderized by the butcher, sliced thin
1 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 medium-large onion, sliced thin
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
cumin, to taste

To top your fajitas:
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes or pico de gallo
shredded cheddar or montery cheddar blend
sour cream
taco sauce or salsa
sliced jalapenos if ya like it hot

In a large skillet, I use my large electric skillet, get oil screaming hot.

Add sliced steak and let brown on one side before flipping over.

After flipping steak, add onion and green pepper.

Let cook stirring occasionally 4-5 minutes or till vegetables are done to your liking. Sometimes, I pop the lid on for a minute or two to speed up the veggies and to keep the meat moist.

Sprinkle liberally with cumin, to your taste.

Remove from pan and assemble fajitas. Enjoy!

These are not your typical, fajitas. I don't marinate the meat, have any lime included and add anything else too exciting. But they are quick to put together, look like fajitas and we love the flavor. Don't get me wrong, we love fajitas made the "right" way too, I'm just not always organized enough to get them started.  I usually use chicken, but hey, it was Fat Tuesday AND my birthday, so we splurged!

Steak Bites

1 pound sirloin steak, cut into bite size pieces
lemon pepper seasoning or salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter


Sprinkle generously with lemon pepper or simply salt and pepper, tossing the meat around a bit to thoroughly coat with the seasonings.

Heat the skillet over medium high to high heat. As the pan heats, add about 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet. Allow the butter to melt, then brown, before you add the meat.

Place some of the meat in the pan in a single layer. It should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan – if it doesn’t, the pan isn’t hot enough.

Don’t stir or disrupt the meat for a minute or so. You want it to sizzle and brown on one side. Scoop as many steak bites as you can with your spatula and flip them over.

Repeat until all the meat is turned. Cook for an additional minute or so—just long enough to sear the outside of the meat, and the inside will be medium.

Remove the meat to a clean plate.

Add a little more butter to the pan and repeat the cooking process with the next batch just as before.

Lastly, when all the meat is nicely browned and removed to the plate, pour all that browned/blackened butter all over the meat. And enjoy!

These are tasty and quick. A real man pleaser!

Source:
This comes from the Pioneer Woman. She likes her's a little more rare on the inside and therefore cooks them only 30-45 seconds on each side. We need ours a little more medium. You may have to experiment to see what works for you.