Meatloaf

I always loved when my mother made meatloaf when I was growing up, mostly likely because she covered the top in cheese. And I have always loved baked cheese. I think my mother wasn't a fan of traditional meatloaf, so she added several things to lighten it up. She would also sometimes hard boil eggs and place them in the middle of it. I, of course, am never this on top of things and always forget to boil the eggs. However, this week I had some extra turkey lying around (or taking up space in my freezer) and I thought it would be an easy meal to make. I haven't been cooking much lately. The baby penguin doesn't nap much during the day and by the end of a day of refereeing the two older ones and walking while patting the baby, I just don't have much energy or enough hands to cook. So meatloaf it was.



1 1/2 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 egg
1 scant cup oatmeal
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c grated cheese

Beat egg in medium bowl. Add ground meat, oatmeal, Worcestershire sauce, spices, 1/2 c grated cheese and tomato sauce minus 2 tbl and combine. Place in loaf pan and top with reserved tomato sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.


I loved it. My husband loved it. The older penguin took one look at it and said, "Nasty!" But don't take that opinion for too much; every thing I've made in the last three weeks has elicited that comment or "gross-y." It's amazing he's still alive with how little he eats at dinner.

Quinoa with Vegetables

In a quest to eat healthier (at least on occasion), I attended a class on nutrition about a year ago. One of the food items meantioned was quinoa. It's a grain from South America that contains all the amino acids that our bodies need (or a complete protien, if you'd like to think of it like that). I bought some after the class and started feeding it to my family. We all liked it and have continued to eat it. In fact, when a friend brought us dinner a couple of weeks ago that had couscous as one of the items and my son insisted that it was quinoa.



1-2 cloves garlic
2 green onions
1 zucchini
1 large carrot
6 oz mushrooms
1 bell pepper
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 c chicken broth
2 c quinoa


Chop all vegetables into bite sized pieces. Saute in 1 tbl oil for about five minutes. Then add garlic and saute for another two minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and broth. Bring to a boil then add quinoa, stir and cover. Cooked covered for 15 minutes or until quinoa is done.


We eat this as a main dish as you don't need any other protein to supplement it and the dish is full of vegetables. You could also serve it as a side dish.

Crescent Rolls

I love bread. Really, really love bread. I wish I could make bread, but I've never managed to make it turn out in an edible fashion. I can make rolls though. I got this recipe from a college roommate, Christina. It's the best roll recipe I've ever had. I've even managed to convert some of my husband's family who grew up on different rolls.



3 c warm water
3 tbl yeast
1 c sugar
2/3 c powdered sugar
1 c softened butter
1 tl salt
6 eggs
10-11 c flour

Mix one cup water with yeast and set aside. Mix sugars, butter and 2 cups hot water. Add to this salt, eggs and yeast water. Mix in flour to make a soft, not sticky dough. Cover and let rise 40 minutes. Pull off pieces about the size of two fists and roll out into circles and cut into wedges. Roll large end of wedge towards point. Place on baking sheet and let rise, covered, for additional 45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Makes around eight dozen rolls.


This recipe makes about a million rolls. I actually can't even fit the whole thing in my mixer, so I usually half the recipe. Here's the half for easier baking:

1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 c softened butter
1 1/2 tbl salt
3 eggs
5-5 1/2 c flour



This dough can be very sticky, so it does sometimes need a little extra flour.

Pumpkin Muffins

As the baby is actually sleeping and the other two penguins are outside not killing each other, I can actually do something I want to do. I think time for that may be in very, very short supply for the next year or so, until the newest little penguin starts to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time.

But anyway, while I was in labor with penguin number three, the other little ones and I made these muffins. And then they ate them all in the next three days and we've had to make them again. And those are almost gone now. And so I think we will be making them again soon. They are very fond of muffins, I've learned. Too bad they wouldn't eat the egg muffins I tried a few months ago. Oh well. I got this recipe, or at least the original incarnation of it, not long after I got married from my friend Vickie. The recipe was supposed to be for bread, but I like muffins better. And so do my children. Somehow they feel like they are getting more or a bigger treat when it comes in it's own wrapper!



3 1/3 c flour (I used half white half wheat)
3 c white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbl cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 c oil
4 eggs
2/3 c water
2 c canned pumpkin (or a 15 oz can)
1 - 1 1/2 c chocolate chips


In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs then add water, pumpkin and oil. Mix in dry ingredients. Place about 1/4 c batter into lined or greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 f0r 18 minutes. Makes about three dozen muffins.


If do want to make bread out of it (I did while in labor because we had to leave before the muffins would have been done), the recipe makes three loaves. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Cool for ten minutes before removing from loaf pans.

Caramel Popcorn Balls

I have been making these for years. My mother used to make them occasionally. Then my brother and I learned to make them and we had them more frequently. I absolutely love them. So my my children. I made last night and they would probably eat them all at once, if I let them. Although, if it came down to it, I might do the same!


1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c light corn syrup
1/4 c dark corn syrup
1/4 c butter
1/2 tsp salt
8 c popped popcorn


Heat brown sugar, corn syrups, butter and salt to simmering over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add popcorn and cook, stirring until popcorn is coated. Cool slightly. Form into balls and place on waxed paper.



You can also use light brown sugar or all dark corn syrup depending on the molassas flavor you like in your caramel. I like this way best, although I do add a little more dark corn syrup and less light corn syrup on occasion.

Porcupine Meatballs

A million years ago my dad found out he had high colesteral and my mother started feeding us all a bunch of weird foods. The diet didn't last too long (I guess it wasn't working), but this recipe was one she found somewhere that we all actually liked and asked for again.


Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 - 1 package Italian Good Seasons salad dressing mix
1 c cooked rice

Sauce
V8 juice
1/4 - 1/2 c chopped bell pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
pepper


Mix turkey, dressing mix and rice together and form into balls. Place on broiling pan and broil each side of meatballs for five minutes. Place balls into large frying pan. Mix enough sauce to half cover meatballs and simmer until warm. Spoon sauce over meatballs when serving.


You can also freeze these quite nicely after the meatballs have been broiled but not added to the sauce. Then you just need to thaw and make the sauce!

Chicken Stroganoff

There are times I know I am setting myself up for failure when it comes to feeding the little animals that live at my house. This is one of the recipes that I know my son won't eat. So I served him plain noodles and separate chicken thinking he might actually eat some of it. Nope. He had green beans for dinner. And that's it. I was sure he'd at least eat the noodles, but no. And then at his refusal, my daughter decided that it must not be anything worth eating, so she would only eat the corn I served with it. We had two very hungry penguins on our hands the next morning. I wonder why...



1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1-2 c all purpose flour (for coating)
salt
pepper
1 tbl butter
1 can cream of chicken soup*
1 1/4 c half&half
1 (1oz) package onion soup mix
2 tbl chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 c sour cream
egg noodles


Season chicken with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. In a large skillet brown chicken in butter until golden. Combine soup, half&half, onion soup mix, parsley, garlic, mushrooms and nutmeg in medium bowl. Pour mixture over chicken. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for one hour. Stir in sour cream and heat through but do not boil. Serve over prepared egg noodles.

*If I have time, I substitute the canned soup with:
4 tbl butter
8 oz mushrooms
1 small onion minced
1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c beef broth

In medium sauce pan melt butter and cook mushrooms and onions for three minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper stirring until well mixed. Add beef broth slowly and cook until thickened.

It tastes way better than canned soup and it adds more mushrooms to the sauce, which I love!