Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

I kept debating whether or not to even post this recipe. It's not that it's not absolutely delicious. It's just that it's so basic. But like I've said before, this blog isn't about elaborate, crazy, how-the-heck-did-she-do-that type food. It's about passing along recipes that I've tested and really liked. Stuff that (for the most part) is super easy to make and is a crowd pleaser.
Meat loaf is kind of one of those ho-hum, Monday night type dishes. But honestly, this was one of the first dinners I made where my husband said, "This is the best meat loaf I've ever tasted". Talk about a confidence booster! It really is so basic and simple to throw together (might I add, cheap?), but is so full of flavor.

Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

Photo source: Food Network

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (for a more healthy dish, use ground turkey instead. For fancier, try adding equal parts veal and pork to the ground beef.)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice (I can't seem to find an 8 oz can, so I just use a measuring cup... just try to keep the tomato/juice proportion about equal... nobody likes a runny loaf. hehe).
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Topping:

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf (or like me, just use a loaf pan... for the life of me, my "loaf" never looked quite right when shaped it myself. The whole point of not using a loaf pan, though, was so that the topping would cover the sides as well. Try it though. Maybe you'll be more successfull at it than me).

Topping:

Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

It says it yields about 4 servings, but if so, those are some pretty hefty servings. I'd say more like 5 or 6, especially if you're having mashed potatoes with it.

Also, try making the leftovers into a sandwich. Yum.

Guacamole

Finally, a recipe I've made on my own.

It was bound to happen eventually, right? I'm a strict recipe follower.

My husband? He's a total recipe maker. He's made so many incredible dishes for me, but he never writes them down. I'm determined to stand next to him one of these days and take notes. That way I can actually share original recipes instead of stuff I like recipes.

I know guacamole isn't all that hard to make.

That's probably why I love it so much. It's full of flavor, but superduper easy.

There are a million different ways to make it too.

This is my version...

Guacamole

True story: Made this dip and meant to take a picture before serving. Got to tasting it, and before I knew it, my hubby and I had eaten most of it before I remembered to snap a picture. Oops!

Ingredients

• 2 large Haas avocados
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 Tbsp finely diced onion (red is best, but others will be fine)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro (said it before, fresh makes a major difference)
• Juice of 1 lime (or lemon)
• 2-3 drops of hot sauce (we use Texas Pete)
• Dash of Kosher salt, to taste
• *Optional* jalapeno, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl, mash avocados with a fork. Add tomato. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and hot sauce. Get out your bag of chips and start testing. Adjust recipe according to what you like in order to get a perfect balance.

If you're really daring and like some extra spice, add some chopped jalapenos.

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Feeds about 2-3 hungry snackers.

Molten Lava Cakes

Ok, so I have a small confession to make about today's recipe... I've never actually made it. BUT. But, I really want to try it for Valentine's Day. I just couldn't wait until then to share it with you, in case you happen to be looking for an easy, romantic dessert. See? I had a good reason.
(And even if you're not so keen on the big ol' VDay, who doesn't love chocolate??? Make it for you and some friends... or just you. Nobody said you had to share.)
I actually saw this recipe about a year ago on TV and immediately saved it in my "to try later" pile. I included the video in case yall needed to see the pro in action. The recipe gets five star reviews, so it's worth a shot, right??
Tips: Try mixing up the chocolate. Use milk instead of semi-sweet. If you're not crazy about orange liqueur, try using a teaspoon of some sort of extract like mint. Also, watch the cakes. Some reviewers said the cooking time was a tad shorter than the recommended 14 minutes. But have fun with it! Don't stress about getting it perfect. The only way you learn (and get better) is through practice.

Molten Lava Cakes

(Original recipe by Paula Deen)

(Photo and video courtesy of Food Network)

Ingredients

• 6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
• 2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.
Yields 6 servings.
(fyi, stick the other 4 in the fridge for later. Apparently, it makes the chocolate get all creamy. If you want it warm again, throw it in the microwave a few seconds.)

Spicy Tortilla Soup

This recipe comes from Southern Living Ultimate Quick & Easy Recipes Cookbook.

I actually kinda stole this book from my mom (shh!!). Seriously, the woman has like 54583045 cookbooks and still makes the same old stuff found in my grandma's recipe box. Trust me, she's not missing this one. I actually told her a few times I had it, and she's yet to ask for it back.

Anyways...

I made this once for my hubby* when we were first married. He'd gotten a cold, and since he loved spicy stuff (and I was trying to show him I could be a good little housewife and make him soup). Unfortunately, I didn't think about the fact that he couldn't really taste anything. So what should've been a big hit? Um... yeah, I felt like a big, fat failure. I was mad at the recipe. It let me down.

Fast forward a couple of years...

I decided to give it another go, while he was perfectly healthy.

This time? He really enjoyed it.

*I know I refer to my husband all the time when I cook, but honestly, he's really my only taste tester most of the time. My biggest critic? The toddler. If he likes it, then you know it's worth trying. hehe.

Fyi, those peanut butter chunk cookies? I've had to make 3 more batches since I posted that recipe a couple weeks ago. If you haven't tried them yet, you should. :)

Spicy Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used EVOO instead)
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (11 ounce) can sweet whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Tortilla chips
• 1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese

Directions
Saute onion and garlic in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until onion is tender. Add zucchini and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
Spoon soup into individual bowls. Top with tortilla chips and shredded cheese (don't let those chips sit too long or they'll get soggy).
Yield: 2 1/4 quarts.

Sloppy Joes

Growing up, we didn't eat Sloppy Joes all that often. I'm not sure why? I guess because it meant more mess for my mom to clean up. :) But my husband loves them. Once I made this dish, he was a total fan.

Sure, it's easy to pick up a canned mix, but I like the idea of using fresh ingredients. It makes it much healthier for you, plus this recipe really isn't all that hard.

Just toss it all together, cook, and serve!

The best part is that it calls for items I typically already have in my pantry/fridge.

It's a great go-to dinner when you're just not in the mood for anything complicated, but you don't want to sacrifice taste and quality.

Sloppy Joes

(Original recipe by the Neelys)

(Photo courtesy of Food Network)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 4 hamburger buns, split
• Barbecue sauce, for topping

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet with straight sides. Add the bell peppers and garlic. Saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the ground beef to the vegetables. Stir and cook about 8 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink and fully cooked.

Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, and hot sauce into the skillet. Stir. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun with extra sauce.
Serves 4.