BBQ Meatloaf

What's more basic and American than meatloaf? This one has an underlying smoky BBQ flavor and uses oats instead of bread crumbs so it is wheat free, it would be gluten free except that oats are often times processed on the same equipment as wheat so they are rarely gluten free.

I used lean ground beef so it wasn't greasy at all.
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or ground chuck
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons brown mustard (Guldens is the favorite here)
3/4 cup hickory BBQ sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons milk
For topping:
1 tablespoon  brown mustard
3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
Of course you will want some extra BBQ sauce to serve on the side for those who have to dip everything (Dave and Samuel;).
Into a large bowl, put all the ingredients except the topping sauce.

Mix well.

 Turn into a loaf pan.

Pour BBQ sauce and mustard on top.

Swirl around with the back of a spoon.

Cover with foil.

Bake at 425F. for about 45 minutes, uncovering for the last 15 minutes.

Since the oven will be on anyway, you could wash and prick some large potatoes and bake at the same time. Look for the glazed carrots also on this blog or serve with a crisp salad.

I found this on my camera as I was loading these photos, this is the newest addition to our cat collection. Thanks Gail!

White Chocolate, Oatmeal, Macadamia Nut Cookies

We had a beautiful lunch today with great friends, lots of fun. While the kiddos were playing the moms sat at the table catching up, discussing scripture and sharing the hand of Providence in our lives. Tammy, our hostess, served up two meals, one "mom food" and one "kid food". What's the difference? Mom food had lots of green crunchy lettuce topped with tender, seasoned chicken while kid food comes in a bun with chips and cookies. Not to worry, hot dogs are not standard cuisine for any of our families, we are, for the most part, health conscious parents.

So what do you top off a junk food meal with, of course, cookies.

I suppose if I used a cookie scoop they would be more uniform in size and shape but size and shape have no bearing on flavor and these are sweet, buttery and chewy, and oh, so easy.
Preheat oven to 375F., do not grease cookie sheets.

Dry ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups quick oats
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Wet ingredients:
1 1/4 cups butter at room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and light.

Add dry to wet and mix until well incorporated.

Lastly, add one package white chocolate chips with macadamia nuts. I think two would be better but I only had one, if you try two please let me know what you think. If you can't find the mixed chips with nuts just add the white chips and 1/2 cup any nuts.
Drop dough onto cookie sheets by heaping teaspoonful.

Leave ample room for each cookie to spread, I made 3 rows of 4 per pan.
Bake 8-9 minutes, the edges only should begin to brown slightly. If you over bake then they will be crisp, which is fine if you are looking for a crispy cookie, I wasn't paying attention to the first pan and it was a bit crisp--no one thought it a hardship to eat them :)

Cool on racks then seal in a cookie can or in a ziploc. If you want them to stay chewy put a slice of fresh bread in with them.

Don't turn your back on them.

This is my Cookie Monster!

Classic Garlic Bread

For me, the best part of a spaghetti dinner is the garlic bread, warm and buttery, best when dipped in a rich marinara sauce. We are going to do this the easiest, quickest way so you have plenty of time to enjoy it with your family and friends.

 Start with a loaf of French or Italian bread from the bakery.
1 stick butter, only the real thing will do
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
dash salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano/basil blend, or Italian seasoning
Put one stick of butter into a small bowl to soften.

I know this looks like 2 sticks, just ignore the second one, I was making enough for 2 loaves of bread.
Now add the garlic, salt, and seasoning.

Mix this until combined.

Slice the loaf of bread in about 1 inch slices.

Spread garlic butter on each piece and lay butter side up on a sheet pan.
Preheat broiler to high.
Put pan full of buttery bread into oven. Don't leave, this is not the time to answer the phone. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until it just begins to brown on the edges. This is when the garlic becomes so fragrant you wouldn't want to miss it anyway. If you are alone in the kitchen you may enjoy one before calling everyone to dinner. If a small child comes in and catches you simply break a piece in half and hand it to him with a "shh" and a wink and you will have a friend for life.

Nana's Italian Meatballs in Pasta Sauce

This weekend were the kart races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course so we get the pleasure of providing dinner for my parent's race team a couple nights. The second evening they were here we had a spaghetti dinner which everyone enjoyed, Patti's (aka. Nana) specialty.  After a long practice day they went back to the motel tired but full.

Patti, Samuel and I had some errands to run during the day so she made the sauce in my crock pot in the morning and left it to simmer all day.
Serves 10
2  26oz cans of tomato sauce
2 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons salt
dash pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 bay leaf, remove before serving
Put all this in the crock pot and simmer on high at least 4 hours.

When we were home again she mixed up the meatballs.
2 # ground sirloin
1 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon salt
dash pepper
1 egg
Put all this in a large bowl and mix.

Preheat the oven to 350F before you stick your hands in the meat (I am a sissy so I use a spoon).
Roll into 2 inch balls.

Place on an ungreased sheet pan in neat rows, very nice.

Bake for 30 minutes or until they are just starting to brown.

Then put them into the sauce.

Cover again and cook until the rest of the meal is finished.
My son and I can't/ shouldn't have wheat so we use spelt pasta which is very close to wheat, you use your favorite spaghetti. For this amount of sauce we used 1 1/2# of pasta. Cook according to package directions and drain. Ladle sauce and meatballs over hot pasta.
Serve with salad and garlic bread (see this blog for garlic bread and salad dressing).

This year they had a whole new group with them, I always enjoy meeting the people Dad and Patti work and play with all year. This year was no exception, a really great group of people and congratulations to Todd who took home two very large eagles along with a few lumps!

Tex Mex Deviled Eggs THM and So Tasty

I have friends who take issue with the name of this side dish, classic picnic fare, Deviled Eggs. I looked it up and the full meaning of the word deviled in this context is "spicy, hot", and this recipe can be as spicy, hot as you want them.
There is also an update at the bottom of this page with a variation which I like even better. Try them both and let me know which you prefer.

These measurements will vary because the size of the eggs will vary.

8 eggs

1/4 cup mayo, more or less

2 tablespoons salsa, mild, medium, hot, burn your tonsils-you choose

1/3 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

dash cumin

dash salt

dash chipotle pepper powder or cayenne

dash hot sauce

Boil eggs for 20 minutes. When almost cool, peel and rinse the eggs. Cut in half lengthwise, empty the yolks into a small bowl and place the empty white halves onto a serving plate.

Mash the yolks with a pastry cutter or fork and add the rest of the ingredients. 

Mix this and if it seems dry add enough mayo or salsa to moisten. 

 

Spoon or pipe into the empty halves.

 This took those old deviled eggs out of the "ho-hum"!

Update:  

I made these again but had no salsa in the fridge; these are the substitutions and I think they are even better!

1/2 the mayo above for ranch dressing

instead of salsa I used 1/2 a tomato diced very finely

instead of chipotle powder I used both smoked paprika and ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons finely minced sweet onion

1 small clove of garlic, finely minced

This is THM- S.

Also, if you want egg salad just chop it all with the whites and maybe increase the seasoning. For THM, serve with Joseph's Pitas or next to a salad. Enjoy!

Easy,Garlic Breadsticks

Is there some unwritten rule that says you must have bread sticks with tomato soup? But then these are good with any soup...salad...beside a steak...or alone as my son just demonstrated on his way out the door. 

All you need are 8 ingredients.

2/3 cup warm water

2 teaspoons yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 cups flour ( I used spelt but all purpose is great )

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

2-4 cloves garlic

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Add the salt and flour,

beat well for 2-3 minutes to get the gluten going.

 On a large sheet pan, pour olive oil into the center then put dough on top of it. Spread with fingertips until about 1/2 inch thick.

Let rest while you melt the butter, press or mince the garlic and add to the melted butter.

Brush the butter and garlic mixture over the top of the bread, then, using a pizza cutter or sharp knife cut into strips. 

Let rise for 20 minutes. 

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until golden.

There were four of us for dinner, only one bread stick left, hmm....

You can find a pretty picture of these with the tomato soup recipe on this blog just type it in the search box at the top.