Meatballs and Marinara

There is just something so comforting about a plate of spaghetti and meatballs isn't there? And man-o-man did I ever need some TLC this week! The flu hit our house pretty hard. My little germ magnet, Emily, brought the flu home with us from our trip to Great Wolf Lodge (a 2 year old getting sick at a water park... why didn't I see THAT coming?) and passed it on to me. I very rarely get sick so it hit me like a ton of bricks. After I had it it went to my 4 year old and then the baby. Needless to say it's been a rough week of laundry, carpet scrubbing and bathroom bleaching.

When I was finally feeling well enough to eat something other than toast I wanted my favourite dinner, spaghetti and meatballs. I know what you're thinking, meatballs are time consuming to make, what with the mixing, kneading, rolling, frying in small batches, etc... Pfft! Who needs all that, I've simplified the whole process to make it fast and less messy and greasy! (And less painful, I never fail to burn myself when splattering grease is involved.) You can make these as spicy or mild as you like and serve them with whatever kind of pasta your family likes.  Buono appetito!

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Meatballs and Marinara

for the meatballs:

1/4 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbsp cream (I use half and half, but heavy or light would work)
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp hot pepper flakes (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 lb lean ground beef

for the marinara:

2 med carrots, diced small
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced small
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c tomato paste
1 16oz can of diced plum tomatoes
2 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl mix the bread crumbs, egg, cream, parmesan, hot pepper flakes, garlic and salt and pepper until combined.
2. Add the ground beef and mix using your hands jut until everything is incorporated. (Over-mixing makes tough, dry meatballs)
3. Roll meatball mixture into 1" balls (or use a 1" scoop) and place balls on a cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 20-30 minutes.
4. In the meantime, sautée the carrots, celery and onions in a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil for 5 minutes.
5. Add the chicken broth and simmer over medium heat for another 5 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
6. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer over low heat.
7. When the meatballs are done. remove from the cookie sheet and add to the tomato sauce.
8. Serve over cooked pasta of your liking and top with parmesan cheese.

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enjoy!

Stacked Meatloaf with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

Say 'meatloaf' out loud. Doooo iiiiiit. What happened? Did your kids run screaming from the room? Did your husband/wife? Did your dogs ears perk up? Meatloaf doesn't exactly have the best reputation. Most kids hate it before they even try it. It's the name. Meat Loaf. Not exactly yummy sounding. Some people can't get past the taste. Crazy!

I grew up LOVING meatloaf. My mom hated it though so I only ever got it at my grandma's house. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts was my favourite dinner at grandma's... yes I was a weird kid, quit making fun of me! My husband however, not a fan. I usually only make meatloaf when he goes away on his semi-annual golf trips, and then I gorge myself on it. (Seriously, gorge.) But I've grown tired of only having it once a year so when I was watching a restaurant review show on TV and they showed a picture of a meatloaf dish from a restaurant that was beyond your standard loaf smothered in ketchup I knew I had just witnessed the answer to my husband's meatloaf snobbery. (Yeah, that's right, I said it. Snobbery. He thinks he's too good for meatloaf.)

A thick slice of garlic bread, topped with a thick slice of juicy meatloaf, a dollop of roasted garlic & cream cheese mashed potatoes, rich gravy and caramelized onions take meatloaf Monday to a whooooole new level. Not only does this dish sound delicious, it IS delicious, and it's so pretty it's fancy enough to serve at a dinner party! I put this bad boy down in front of my husband and he said "THIS is meatloaf?". He gave me his best "okaaaaay, I'll try it for the kids" look and then proceeded to have two plates of it. A forkful of bread, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and onions is just the definition of comfort food in my books.

Even if you've never liked meatloaf in the past, give this a try, it's unlike any other meatloaf you've ever had before! (Just ask my husband.)

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Stacked Meatloaf with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

For the meatloaf:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 egg
1 c bread crumbs (I use seasoned)
1/4 c shredded parmesan
1/4 c ketchup
salt & pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

For the potatoes:
1 bulb of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
5-6 medium sized potatoes
1/2 pkg garlic & onion cream cheese
milk
salt & pepper

For the gravy:
2 c beef stock
1/4 c flour
water
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
(or you can use your favourite canned/powdered gravy mix)

For the onions:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced

For the Base:
Sourdough Bread (or any other dense bread you like)
garlic butter

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350˚F. Cut the top off a bulb of garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap it in tin foil. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cloves are soft.
2. For the meatloaf: In a bowl combine the egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, ketchup, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
3. Add the ground pork and beef and knead with your hands until just combined. Place meat mixture into a loaf pan and shape into a loaf.
4. Bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes, then remove from oven, drain excess fat and return to oven for another 15-20 minutes.
5. While the meatloaf is baking, peel and boil potatoes until fork tender.
6. For the gravy: Heat the beef stock in a small pot over medium-high heat until just boiling. Combine flour with a bit of water to form a runny paste and whisk into the stock stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Reduce to low heat and season with worcestershire and salt and pepper and allow to simmer. (You may wish to add a gravy browner to enhance the colour of the gravy)
7. For the caramelized onions: Slice onions into rings. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the onions. Cook on medium heat stirring often until they reach a rich caramel colour. Remove from the heat before they start to go too dark as they become burnt tasting.
8. When potatoes are done cooking, drain the water and return the potatoes in the pot to the burner for a minute to evaporate the excess water.
9. Remove from the stove. Squeeze the cloves of garlic from the roasted bulb into the pot with the potatoes and add the cream cheese, milk, salt & pepper. Whip until creamy.
10. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and drain any additional excess fat and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
11. Slice the bread and place on a cookie sheet. Place under the broiler until the top side is lightly browned. Flip the bread slices over and butter with garlic butter. Return to the oven garlic butter side up and allow to brown lightly.
12. Assembly (not a necessary step but it sure is purdy!): Place a slice of garlic bread on the plate. Top with a thick slice of meatloaf, then a dollop of mashed potatoes and ladle on some gravy. Top with the caramelized onions and serve.

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enjoy!

Taco Bake

We are koo-koo for Mexican food. Even our (almost) 3 year old loves taco night. It's one of the foods my husband refers to as 'Fun Dinner Night' along with pizza, wings and hamburgers, basically anything you east with your hands.

Although I'm usually a purest when it comes to favourite dishes (whole wheat pasta for spaghetti night? blasphemy!) I decided to try a recipe I stumbled upon on allrecipes.com when I did a search for Mexican. This is what I found, originally called Taco Pie, I changed the name only because I made it in a square dish and it looked nothing like a pie and I added some refried beans cause it ain't mexican without'em!

I really enjoyed it, my husband prefers another dish I make where I layer tortillas with con queso and taco meat. Like most Mexican food is far from low-fat, but definitely worth a try.

Taco Bake adapted from allrecipes.com

1 pkg. Pillsbury Cresent Rolls
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 pkt. Taco Seasoning
1/2 c. Sour Cream (I used Light)
1/2 can of Refried Beans
2 c. Tex Mex Shredded Cheese
10-12 tortilla chips, crushed

Instructions

1. Roll out cresent rolls into a square cake pan pressing together to cover bottom. Bake according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the taco seasoning and stir together well.
3. Mix together the sour cream and beans and set aside.
4. When dough is done, remove from oven and spread out the sour cream& bean mixture over top, then layer with meat, and top with the cheese, and then with the crushed tortilla chips.
5. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and it is heated through.
6. Serve with sliced scallions, salsa and sour cream. Olé!