BBQ Cheddar & Crispy Onion Meatloaf

"Meatloaf, smeatloaf, double beetloaf. I hate meatloaf."

This is the line that comes to mind whenever I think of meatloaf.  It is from one of my favorite movies, A Christmas Story.  Randy, Ralphie's younger brother, says this while sitting at the kitchen table poking at his dinner with a fork.  I think this is the sentiment a lot of children people have towards meatloaf. I myself was not a fan of the the log shaped meal as a child but have grown to accept it as an adult.  Especially when it is loaded with cheese and covered in a deliciously tangy sauce like this BBQ, Cheddar, & Crispy Onion Meatloaf.

Here are the Fresh & Easy players:

So these are wonderful little cheese snacks that I typically pack in my lunch but I decided to cut of 3 of them and use them in this meatloaf.

Mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, cubed cheese, egg, sauteed onions, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire  sauce, garlic powder and crispy onions in a large bowl until well combined.

Form the mixture into 4 loaves and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Coat with 1 tbsp of BBQ sauce. Bake in a 425 oven for 15 minutes.

Take the loaves out of the oven and coat with shredded cheese and crushed crispy onion. bake for an additional 5 minutes. 

To make your A Christmas Story complete serve these meatloaves with this mashed potato substitute made with cauliflower. 

BBQ Cheddar and Crispy Onion Meatloaf
adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

• ½ sweet onion, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg
•  1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce, divided
• ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1oz low-fat cheddar cheese, cubed
• Salt and Pepper
• ¼ cup shredded cheddar, for topping
• ¼ cup crispy onions, for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden. Cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl combine ground beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, cubed cheese, pinch of salt and pepper, and sautéed onions. Mix until combined. Form the mixture into 4 loaves and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Coat each loaf with 1 tbsp of BBQ sauce. Bake in a 425 oven for 15 minutes.
4. Take the loaves out of the oven and coat with shredded cheese and crushed crispy onion. bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Click here for a printable recipe

Asparagus, Lemon & Goat Cheese Pasta

My husband and I got rid of cable about a year and a half ago.  For the most part, we survive without all the cable channels but the one I miss most is Food Network.  Luckily, PBS has the Create channel that has some decent cooking shows that satisfy my chef watching needs.  On Sunday night, we were watching Joanne Wier's Cooking Class and she was making something with asparagus and it looked amazing.   I was craving it all day Monday and knew I had to incorporate the green veggie into dinner. So, after searching the internet for asparagus pasta dishes I settled on this Bon Appetit Recipe with goat cheese and lemon. 

Here's the Fresh & Easy line-up:
Rotelli (you can use any spiral pasta), tarragon (I used dried), log of fresh goat cheese (MUST BUY LOG - the precrumbled stuff just will not melt as well), olive oil (not pictured), lemon, and asparagus.

First, get a pot of salted water boiling and add pasta. Cook 7 minutes. While waiting for pasta to cook, rinse and cut the asparagus into 1-1 1/2" pieces.  Add to pasta and cook an additional 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix 1/4 cup olive oil, tarragon, zest of one lemon. 

Add goat cheese by crumbling it into pieces.

When pasta & asparagus are finished, reserve one cup of liquid and drain the rest.  Add back to pot and stir in the goat cheese mixture with 1/2 of the reserved liquid.  If it is dry, add more liquid until desired consistency is reached.  Mix until pasta is evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper and serve with a side salad. 

If you like goat cheese, you will LOVE this dish.  

Ingredients

• 1 pound rotelli (spiral-shaped pasta)
• 1 12oz. bag asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Zest of one lemon, juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 2 tsp fresh tarragon
• 1 4-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese

Directions

• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender about 7 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes longer.
• In a medium bowl, mix 1/4 cup olive oil, tarragon, lemon zest & juice. Crumble in goat cheese.
• When pasta & asparagus are finished, reserve one cup of liquid and drain the rest.  Add back to pot and stir in the goat cheese mixture with 1/2 of the reserved liquid.  If it is dry, add more liquid until desired consistency is reached.  Mix until pasta is evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper. 
  
  
  Click here for printable recipe.

Bacon & Jalapeño PB&J

This is going to be one of those posts where you are just going to have to trust me. 

My husband and I visited Portland  in February and I was determined to visit to PBJs which is a little food truck tucked in between the shops on 23rd that specializes in gourmet peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  They add ingredients to PB & Js that I would never have imagined in a million years.  I had done my Yelp research on PBJs before our visit and had already decided the two sandwiches I was going to order: The Hot Hood and The Oregonian.  Unfortunately, they were out of the ingredients (Challah bread, Marion berry jam, Rogue Creamery blue cheese, Oregon hazelnut butter) for the Oregonian so we ordered the Hot Hood and the Spencer.  We both became immediately obsessed with the Hot Hood.  They take challah bread, black cherry jam, jalapeno, apple wood  smoked bacon, PBJ’s peanut butter and put it all together for grilled yummy perfection.  I've been craving one ever since we left and while I'll be making a return trip in June for the real thing, I needed something to hold me over until then. So here we are - my copy cat PBJs Hot Hood aka the Bacon & Jalapeno PB&J.

(sidebar: this is in no way a replacement for the original - you must must must go to PBJs when visiting the Portland area - I insist!)

Here's our lineup:

Today I went to Glaziers, another local small market in my neighborhood. It is another great market and I feel so fortunate to have that and my beloved F&E so close. So, we start with our staples - NATURAL peanut butter, black cherry preserves, and challah bread. But wait, there's more - applewood smoked bacon and jalapeños!

First, I turned on my broiler, covered a pan with some tin foil and placed halved, seeded jalapeños on it.

I placed them under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until they charred on top.  This softens the jalapenos and takes away their crunch.  They looked like this when done:

Next, I cooked up the bacon... mmmmmm.... bacon!

Then I sliced my Challah bread into thick slices and spread butter on one side of each slice.

Then I placed the each slice on my griddle, butter side down. (you can do this in a regular pan over the stove if you do not have a griddle)  I removed the slices once they were golden brown.

I added peanut butter to one slice and black cherry preserves to the other.

Next, I added the jalapeno (sliced) and bacon

Then sandwiched, cut in half, served with milk and DEVOURED. Even went back for seconds. These little PBJs are so yummy! I cannot wait to return to Portland for the real thing, but for now, this copy cat recipe will more than do the trick when faced with this crazy craving. 

That's all for now.

Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion, & Pancetta Pizza

My husband's favorite food is pizza (well, according to him anyways - I just so happen to believe that his favorite food is hot dogs). Since this is his 'favorite' food, I'm constantly trying to come up with new pizza ideas so we can have pizza often and not get sick of it.  Also, it  just so happens that one of my favorite things to buy from Fresh & Easy is their ready-to-use pizza dough.  They have regular, whole wheat, and garlic & herb all packed and ready to go in the refrigerator section (next to the cheeses in my store).  In my opinion, this is one of THE BEST products they sell. Last night we took F&E whole wheat dough and concocted a delicious goat cheese, caramelized onion, and pancetta pizza.

Here's the ingredient line up: whole wheat pizza dough, mozzarella cheese, diced pancetta, goat cheese, yellow onion, thyme (fresh from my 'garden' - woot woot!).
Also used minced garlic, olive oil, cayenne pepper but they didn't make it in to the picture.  

The first and most important step is to let your dough sit out for 20 minutes until it is at room temperature.  It is almost impossible to work otherwise. So, while that is happening, prepare your other ingredients.

Fry up that pancetta! It's basically like diced up bacon - if you have bacon, you could easily use that as a substitute.  

You want to cook that until it is nice and golden.  Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain.

DON'T TOUCH THAT PAN WITH ALL THAT PANCETTA GREASE! WE'RE GONNA USE IT.... to caramelize the onion that you have sliced into thin rings, of course!

These bad boys might take a bit (20 mins or so...) to get nice and golden. You will want to stir them occasionally but in the in between time - go work your dough.  

You can use a pizza stone or a pizza pan - I chose a pan because I forgot to preheat my stone with the oven -  oops! Anyway, work your dough. Remember to stir those onions every once in a while...

I drizzled olive oil on my crust and then sprinkled with minced garlic and cayenne pepper to give it a little heat.

Once your onions are done and cooled (I'm so sorry I didn't get a picture of mine), arrange them on your dough. Cover with mozzarella cheese. 

Add pancetta and top with goat cheese.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped thyme leaves before serving. 

Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion, & Pancetta Pizza
Ingredients

• 1 pkg. pre-made pizza dough or make your own from scratch
• 1 5 oz. package pancetta
• 1 yellow onion, sliced into thin rings
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
• couple sprigs fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Let dough sit at room temperature about 20 minutes
3. Cook pancetta in a pan over medium heat.  Cook until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. 
4. Place onions in pan with pancetta drippings to caramelize onions over medium heat.  Stir onions occasionally until a golden color is achieved. Remove and cool.
5. Work dough into pizza pan and sprinkle with cayenne pepper
6. Drizzle olive oil and garlic evenly onto dough.
7. Top with caramelized onions, pancetta, mozzarella cheese, and goat cheese.
8. Cook for 12-15 minutes until edges of crust are golden brown.
9. Remove from oven and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Serve & enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Sweet & Sour Kabobs

Happy Tuesday everyone! We've been enjoying some beautiful weather here in Las Vegas and it has made me want to dust off the BBQ and put it good use.  Enter, Sweet & Sour Kabobs.  (recipe courtesy of Once a Month Mom)

These little babies are so simple to make and are pretty tasty too.  A great thing about kabobs is you can use your imagination for the ingredients. I chose to stick to the recipe for my skewers but encourage you to add any of your favorite veggies to this dish as you really can't go wrong.  Here are my ingredients:
 Fresh & Easy beef & pork meatballs (found in the refrigerator section), pineapple chunks (found in the refrigerator section - though canned would work just as well), red & green bell pepper, & onion.

Chop up the onion, red & green bell pepper in to large chunks:

Then start to skewering all your ingredients on to large skewer sticks alternating between each ingredient. I used about 3 meatballs per skewer. Once you have made all your skewers, place them in a baking dish and drizzle with the sweet and sour sauce.  You want to make sure they get evenly coated so shake 'em and turn 'em around in the dish. You could also place them in a freezer bag with the sauce and shake - just be careful to not puncture the bag with the skewer.

Now, its time to grill! I placed them on our grill for about 10 minutes and flipped them around half way through. 

After I flipped them, I went back inside to throw my rice in the microwave.  I LOVE these F&E rice packs found in the freezer section. I use them all the time.  They are just so easy - pop in the microwave for 3 minutes and you have perfect rice. One bag is perfect for me and my husband to split.

When the skewers came off the BBQ they were charred in some places and the sweet and sour sauce was lightly caramelized.  They were perfection.  The hubby and I split one right off the grill, just to test them out. 

These skewers are yummy! Especially, when you get the bites that have a little bit of everything.  Hubby says we could have added some mushrooms so I'll keep that in mind for next time. 

Give 'em a try, let me know what you think...