Your New Favourite Meatloaf

Comfort food is one of my favourite things to eat,

and meat loaf is at the top of that list.

Next to homemade mac'n'cheese.

And soup.

Okay, so it's a three way tie.

For some reason meatloaf has a bad reputation,

maybe because of the name.

However, it is a simple and delicious meal.

This past spring

I found a favourite recipe.

This isn't your average meatloaf.

I am even willing to bet that this will 

become your new favourite meatloaf!

I've said here before and I'll say it again -

I don't follow cooking instructions well.

This is one of the main reasons why I prefer cooking to baking.

I can follow my creative instincts and try different things.

The recipe I am using is originally 

derived from the Pioneer Woman's recipe. 

My recipe is inspired by hers, 

and there are many similarities. 

Gather your ingredients:

Meatloaf -

-1 cup of milk (I used 2%)

-6 slices of white bread (I used day old crunchy artisan bread, but Wonder Bread works just fine.)

- Mix about 1.5 pounds of lean ground beef and .5 pound of ground Italian pork.Total 2 pounds. 

- 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese 

- 1/2 cup of minced fresh flat leaf parsley, basil and rosemary.

-4 eggs, beaten

- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt

-salt and pepper to taste

-8 slices of pancetta

Sauce - 

- hot sauce to taste

- 1 1/2 cups ketchup

- 1/4 cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp dry mustard, yellow mustard also works to substitute

Method:

1. Pour milk over bread slices and allow them to soak in the milk. Preheat the oven to 350'F. Mince up your fresh herbs. Always use fresh herbs when available. They are wonderfully aromatic and delicious. 

2. Place your meat, soaked bread, cheese and seasonings into a bowl and mix well. It is a good idea to take off your rings and get right in there with your hands, ensuring the ingredients are mixed in evenly. Then mix in the beaten eggs. When I made this recipe I didn't have fresh Parmesan cheese. Although I am always an advocate for the freshest ingredients, all I had on hand was a Parmesan by Kraft. It was actually delicious. The cheese still melted throughout the loaf and the added flavour was tasty! 

3. Place parchment onto a cookie sheet and shape the meat into a loaf. Place the pancetta on top of the loaf.

4. Mix the sauce ingredients and pour half of the mixture over the meatloaf evenly. 

5. Bake the loaf for 45 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and pour the other half of the sauce over. Continue to bake for another 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160'F. 

If you try this recipe, comment below and let me know what you think!

I think I am going to add to our regular dinner rotation!

Summer Corn Chowder

This past weekend 

the girls in our family had a terrible stomach flu.

It was just awful,

and what made it worse

was that we had to cancel plans 

with our friends who we had been so looking 

forward to having over.

So, come Sunday we had 12 ears of corn

to consume before it went too starchy.

There is nothing worse than starchy corn.

Okay, there are lots of things worse than that.

But wasting 12 beautiful cobs of corn isn't fun.

When the weather became slightly cooler

I jumped at the chance to make a soup.

Especially since we had weak tummies,

I knew a bowl of soup would be the perfect remedy.

And what better soup to make that particular day

than Summer Corn Chowder? 

I grew up in Abbotsford

which prides itself,

almost as much as Chilliwack does,

on how delicious Chilliwack corn is.

However, since moving to Delta

I now know the true goodness of corn,

thanks to Ladner corn! 

Corn from the Guichon farms is simply the best. 

I purchased my corn from the Guichon sisters at 

Backroads Family Farm Market. 

Part of my reason for choosing to purchase 

Ladner corn for our family dinner with friends

is because they are from Chilliwack

and I wanted to show them how delicious our corn is, too!

One of my favourite ways to make 

a chowder is with a smokey flavour. 

This leads me to

two key ingredients in the soup;

corn (obviously) that has been charred on the grill

and a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.

You can find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 

in the Mexican foods aisle at your grocery store.

My kids don't love spicey food 

as much as my husband and I do,

so I add the chipotle pepper just while cooking 

and then take it out with the bay leaf.

If you like the extra kick,

simple chop it up and add it right to the soup.

A little trick my friend taught me

is to freeze the extra chipotle peppers in some of the sauce

in little freezer bags for future use.

This way you aren't purchasing and 

wasting a can each time you need one pepper.

You will need: 

• 6-8 ears of corn, shucked
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups of water
• 1-14oz can of evaporated milk (cream works fine, too)
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 8 slices of bacon, chopped into pieces
• 3 russet potatoes, scrubbed. Chopped into bite size pieces.
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp of white pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

1. Once you have shucked your corn, place it on the heated grill and let it sit a minute or so on each side. Long enough that there are some grill marks and black spots on it, but not burned. Then using a large sharp knife, cut off the kernels of all the corn cobs. 

2. Heat your dutch oven on medium heat and add the butter. Once it has melted add your onion, once it has softened add your garlic, don't let it burn. Once fragrant, add your bacon pieces. Adjust cooking temperature as needed. Once your bacon has cooked, drain the fat. 

3. Turn the heat to medium-high and add your broth. Using your wooden spoon, work quickly to scrape the bottom of the dutch oven. This gives your soup some depth of flavour and adds a beautiful colour. Remove all the bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Then add your water. Add the corn, potatoes, bay leaf, the chipotle pepper (either whole to remove later, or chopped if you are leaving it in) and other spices. Bring to a low boil. Put the lid on and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. 

4. Remove the bay leaf and the chipotle pepper. Taste your soup and adjust your seasonings as you desire. Bring the temperature to low. Once the soup has cooled slightly, very slowly add your evaporated milk. Serve and enjoy. 

Cinnamon Sticky Buns

Candle by Two Tall Trees

These cinnamon buns are a hit at our house.

They are so good, in fact, that I can't have them around

unless it is a special occasion.

These are perfect if you love a sticky, gooey type of bun.

They can be made on the same day,

but I recommend making them the night before and

letting them rise in the pan throughout the night, resulting

 in perfectly fluffy dough

ready to put in the oven for breakfast.

You will need:

• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1/2 warm water 
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped nuts or seeds of your choice 
• 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice (you can also mix 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg)

To prepare:

1 Fill a measuring cup with warm water and dissolve the yeast and sugar in it. Leave for 10 minutes until creamy and frothy. Warm the milk in a saucepan until it begins to bubble, remove from heat. Mix in 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup of butter and the salt. Stir together until the butter has melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

2. In a large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, the beaten eggs and 1 1/2 cups of flour. Using your dough attachment, combine altogether on low speed. Or, using your brute strength, use a wooden spoon to mix! Slowly sift in the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough has formed a ball, place on a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and has elasticity.

3.Lightly oil your large bowl and place the dough back inside, turning the dough to distribute the oil throughout. Cover it with a damp tea towel and place in a warm area to let it rise until it has doubled in size; about one hour. 

4.While the dough is rising, melt your butter and brown sugar in a saucepan. Stirring until it is a deep amber brown. Remove from heat and add in your spices. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the toffee mixture into the bottom of the pan, making sure to reserve about half for the inside of the rolls. Sprinkle the nuts or seeds evenly on top.

5.Once the dough has doubled, place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle until it is about 1/4 inch thickness. The size doesn't really matter, you will just have more or fewer layers to your roll. Take the remaining brown sugar mixture and brush it over the dough using a silicone pastry brush (the back of a spoon works just fine as well).

6.Beginning at one end, gently roll the dough away from you and move along slowly to the other end. Then work your way back the other way. Pinch the dough together to seal at the end. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 15 sections. Place them into the 9x13 pan. Now you can choose to leave them overnight, or let them rise again. Place a damp tea towel over top and let them rise until doubled, about an hour, or overnight.

7.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then invert onto a large plate. Scrape the remaining mixture and seeds/nuts onto the cinnamon rolls.

Enjoy!

Photos are property of Just An Ordinary Family. Do not use without permission.

(recipe adapted from allrecipes.ca)

Taco Bites

These are easy to make,

a little tedious to fill

and a huge hit at a party.

Everyone loves tacos, right? 

These are the perfect snack to bring to a girls night,

a Super Bowl party or any other gathering.

What you'll need:

- a bag of Tostitos dippers (the chips that are like little bowls)

- your favourite taco meat (or omit to make it vegetarian)

-grape tomatoes (about 15)

-cilantro

- 3 green onions

-shredded cheese

-sour cream

-taco seasoning

Directions:

1. Cook your meat according to the taco seasoning packet directions.

(Typically, you brown your meat, add some water, add the seasoning.)

2. Take a serving platter and place unbroken chip bowls on it.

3. Let the meat cool slightly and then place just a little bit into each bowl. 

You do not want to overfill them because other toppings will be going on top.

4. Chop the grape tomatoes in half. Slice the green onions thinly, but on a sharp angle to create long pieces. 

6. Add a small dollop of sour cream, a few pieces of shredded cheese. Place a grape tomato half, a leaf of cilantro and a few pieces of the green onion on top. 

6. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can prepare it all ahead of time, however don't put it all together until you are about to serve it as the chips lose their crunch.

Bon Apetit!