Comfort Food for my Hubby!

There aren't too many foods that put a smile on my husbands face. But, one dish that I know he'll always love is my meatloaf. So when he walked in the house today after work and asked what we were having for dinner I said, "Meatloaf." An immediate smile came over his face. I love when that happens.

I've never really been a fan of meatloaf but I've acquired a taste for it since he loves it so much. In fact, it's really a great dish to prepare when the weather is getting cooler or for a casual dinner or quite frankly I think it would be a great dish to serve on Halloween night.

We've always either made chili for a crowd or ordered out pizza. Why not do meatloaf? It's a burger with lots of flavor but cooks all at once. It's simple to prepare and tasty. Of course, we won't be having it this Sunday for Halloween since we're having it today. However, you can, and to go with it make some sweet potato fries, my favorite, and a side salad. What could be easier than that?

Here's my recipe for meatloaf. As always, my photo isn't that great but the dish is quite tasty.

Meatloaf with Sweet Sauce
serves 4-6

2 1/2 pounds ground beef, (I use ground sirloin)
1 cup milk, (skim)
1/4 cup dried minced onion
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Sauce:

1/2 cup chili sauce (Heinz)
1/2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except sauce in a bowl. Put into a loaf pan that's been sprayed with a non-stick spray. This may be done the day before or early in the day.

Bake at 350F degree oven for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile mix together sauce ingredients. After 45 minutes, remove from the oven, drain grease and add the sauce on the top of the meatloaf. Cook 45 minutes longer, drain grease and serve.

Note: I always place heavy duty foil on the sheet pan that I'm cooking the meatloaf on to catch any spills that may occur during cooking.

Then after removing the meatloaf to drain for the first time I wrap more foil around the pan letting it extend over the sides of the meatloaf pan. This eleviates any splattering from the sauce.

I like to make some additional sauce in a pan while the meatloaf is cooking. Then if desired drizzle over the sides of each individual slice when served.

Enjoy!

Comfort Food At It's Best!

It's that time of the year when the weather starts changing. Here in Missouri the mold count is sky high and my allergies have definitely been getting the best of me.

When I was a little girl and not feeling well my mom always made me a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Perfect comfort food in my mind. However not just any grilled cheese. It was a round grilled cheese made with an iron apparatus called a "Toastite" (as shown above).

So when my allergies were getting me down the other day somehow comfort food sounded really good to me. So I went and got a loaf of soft fresh bread, and came home and placed two slices of bread on my Toastite, with a couple squares of American Cheese and closed the apparatus. Then with pieces of bread hanging out the sides I pulled those off neatly so nothing was left to hang in the burner.

I'm sure for those of you that have never experienced a round grilled cheese like this may wonder what's so great about it. Well, I'll tell you!



When the Toastite gets put on the burner the sides of the bread get nice and brown after each flip, and the inside swells up, leaving a large fluffy pocket of hot melted cheese inside. Oh and for those who love crust! Well, don't worry because when you seal the end of the Toastite, and cook the grilled cheese over the stove, the edges get this wonderful crust on them. Far superior to the crust that had to be removed to fit the Toastite.

Even though my allergies were still bothering me after eating my round grilled cheese sandwich, I felt better. I then took a nap and woke up refreshed and satisfied.

If you'd like to get your hands on one of these great contraptions I know they have them on Ebay.

In fact, I took this one from my parents home and then found 4 on Ebay. Two to give to my sisters who weren't exactly happy that I confiscated the one from our family home and two for my kids who have also grown up on round grilled cheese sandwiches.

Believe me! I know it sounds strange, but once you've had a round grilled cheese sandwich made on a Toastite, nothing else compares.

Comfort Food

I don't know about the rest of you out there, but this freezing cold weather we've had in the midwest makes me want to put on my sweats when I get home and have some comfort food.

For someone who loves to cook gourmet meals and teach culinary classes, this past month seems to have me posting lots of casual comfort type dishes.

As I sit here sipping on a cup of hot green tea trying to warm my inners, I find myself posting another one of my favorite comfort meals.

The kids are gone now so it's just my husband and I with our 2 dogs. So I decided to fix one of our favorites from the past - Tuna Noodle Casserole. Yes, you read that right. I love this dish and so does my husband. I debated whether or not to post it, thinking you'd all be wondering what kind of dishes do I teach in my classes. I have a wonderful list of menus from simple to complex, if you're interested in seeing them, but who doesn't like comfort food - especially this time of year?

So tonight I decided, why not share this dish? I've been making it since my husband and I got married over 25 years ago and now for my kids as well. It's warm, soothing and really delicious!



Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients:

12 oz can White Albacore Tuna packed in water, rinsed and drained
6 oz. whole wheat penne pasta, cooked
1 can Cream of Celery Soup ( I use Healthy Choice)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (I use Healthy Choice)
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 (7 oz) jar pimentos, drained
1 tablespoon dried minced onions
fresh ground pepper, approximately 1 teaspoon
2 (10 oz.) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 small container French's Fried Onion Rings

Take all ingredients except the onion rings, mix together and place in a casserole dish that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Then pour the onion rings over the top. Cover with foil and Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or until the edges start to bubble.

I know this isn't a fancy meal but believe me it's REALLY good. When my kids were younger they hated fish. I never told them what was in it, but they always seemed to go back for seconds.

If you make it for your family I hope they enjoy it as much as mine do.

Bon Appetit!