So the Super Bowl is this weekend, and we don't really have any big plans this year. I've found that as I get older I like two things less and less- fish and football. Not sure why on the fish. I attribute the football to my lifetime love of the Chicago Bears. Why in the world I have to like teams that constantly lose is beyond me. I think maybe I'm just tired of watching my favorite team lose so I've developed an aversion to the entire sport. Whatever the reason, I'm not really into football this year. I will however, make an effort to watch the Super Bowl. Mostly for the fun appetizers that I get to make and the commercials. This recipe will ABSOLUTELY be on the menu. It can best be described as "cheesy warm deliciousness!!"
You bake this dip inside the loaf of bread. Such a great idea! The first time I tried it, it became one of my favorite all time dip recipes. It really is that good. If you haven't yet finalized your Super Bowl menu, add this one to the list. Its a crowd pleaser.
~Wendy
Cheesy Bread Dip
Recipe Type: Appetizer Dip
Author: Wendy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 15
Ingredients
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
16 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz chopped green chiles
1 c. chopped ham
1/2 lb. chopped bacon
1 round or oblong bread loaf, hollowed out
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix first six ingredients together, put into the hollowed bread loaf.
Comfort food season is in full swing in our house. As I type I'm waiting to hear whether school will be canceled AGAIN tomorrow due to extreme cold. At this rate I'm afraid we will be in school till 4th of July. I'm also afraid this forced "vacation" is going to leave us all a little off our rockers. My 2 year old has not been outside in weeks except for regular treks across the Target parking lot. God bless Target and it's infinite supply of distractions from the polar vortex.
Soooo, it's clearly meatloaf weather. Turkey meatloaf that is. I have a love/hate relationship with ground turkey. I love to use it because it's a little better for you than ground beef or pork. On the other hand, it just doesn't taste as good! I ran across a recipe for a meatloaf of the turkey variety in a healthy cookbook from America's Test Kitchen. If anyone can figure out how to make turkey taste good, it would be these people.
This recipe turned out so good I had to remind my husband to leave me some of the leftovers. And I don't often eat too many leftovers except for pizza.
Though the key to making this a success is NOT baking it in a regular loaf pan. I used my 2 part meatloaf pan (similar to this) that has an insert with holes in the bottom for fat to drain from. The Test Kitchen describes a method of a folded piece of aluminum foil (to about triple thickness and approximately 6"x10") set on a wire cooling rack, poked with lots of holes by a skewer, and the whole thing set on a rimmed baking sheet. Then the meat mixture gets mounded onto the foil and shaped into a loaf about 2" thick. Either way works but the fat needs somewhere to go!
Perhaps my favorite part of this recipe is what ATK refers to as brown sugar-ketchup glaze. I have renamed it "fancy ketchup" and will continue to make it for all kinds of meat related endeavors. The original recipe calls for the glaze to be brushed on the meatloaf top before going into the oven and then again, half-way through baking. I skipped the half-way application and served the remaining ketchup along side the finished meatloaf with mashed potatoes. Heaven!
Stay warm....and sane!
~Erin
Turkey Meatloaf with Fancy Ketchup
Author: Erin (adapted from America's Test Kitchen)
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed and torn into small pieces
1/2 c. whole milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. ground turkey (NOT extra lean or 99% fat free)
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. light brown sugar
4 tsp. cider vinegar
Instructions
If you don't have a meatloaf pan, fold some aluminum foil to triple thickness and about 6"x10" in shape. Place foil on a wire cooling rack and poke lots of holes in the foil every 1" or so. Put rack on a rimmed baking sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. If you do have a meatloaf pan, also spray.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, lightly brown onions. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Transfer to another bowl to cool.
In a large bowl, mash together milk and bread to form a smooth paste. Add onion mixture, eggs, Dijon, Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir just to combine.
Add turkey to bowl and use your hands to mix until incorporated. Try not to over mix.
Either add meat mixture to meatloaf pan or to aluminum foil. If using foil, pat into a loaf shape approximately 2" thick.
Mix together ketchup, brown sugar, and cider vinegar. Divide "fancy" ketchup in half, spreading one part on top of meat and reserving the rest for serving.
Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.
I LOVE THESE!!! Love, love, love them! I found this recipe on Pinterest one day when I was looking for heavy appetizers or "finger foods" for a party I was having. They come from a website called Plain Chicken. I'm not sure why I haven't thought of this before. Put ham and shredded cheese inside biscuit dough- before you bake it!! I'm trying to use as many exclamation points and italics and bold fonts as possible to help convey how excited I am about these little biscuit sandwiches. They would be perfect for a party, a baby shower or even the Superbowl. These reheat very well if you put them back in the oven for 3-5 minutes.
A few tips. Definitely take the time to shred the swiss cheese, it just tastes better. I made my own honey mustard but you can use store bought of course. You absolutely HAVE TO drizzle the honey on top at the end. It may sound weird but it was so good! Print this recipe out and put it aside for Superbowl Sunday. Everyone will love it!
~Wendy
Ham and Cheese Biscuits
Author: Plain Chicken
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 10
Ingredients
1 can Grands Jr Butter Tasting Biscuits (10 count)
1/2 lb deli ham, shaved
1 c. shredded swiss cheese
1/4 c. honey mustard dressing
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp honey
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.
Lightly spray a 9-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Separate each biscuits into two layers. Spread each layer with honey mustard and top with swiss cheese.
Place half of the biscuits, cheese side up, in the bottom of prepared pan. Top with ham. Top ham with remaining biscuits, cheese side down.
Brush biscuit tops with melted butter.
Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Heat honey in microwave for 20 seconds. Brush biscuit tops with warm honey. Serve immediately.
I recently discovered a recipe that checks quite a few boxes on my list.
1. Easy....we are talking one pot here. And the real "wonder" is the dumping of ALL ingredients into said pot at one time.
2. Quick....on the table in about 20 minutes. It's magic I tell you.
3. Healthy....it's meatless, and who can argue the benefits of spinach and tomatoes?
4. A relative crowd pleaser....this equates to ZERO tears shed and minimal moaning/groaning while dining with the 7 and under crowd.
5. And very possibly my most favorite....I can have all the ingredients on hand for when I need a meal that....well....checks all the above boxes.
This means that the "wonderpot" will be making regular (if not frequent) appearances in our meal rotation. This one is a life saver as it's a reasonably shelf stable dinner option. So when I just can't get to the store, I can reach into the freezer and pantry for a solution to that little problem called "feeding my family." Plus, it's not packed with preservatives and the other junk that so often accompanies a meal without any fresh ingredients. I was inspired by this recipe here, but made a couple of modifications. Like adding some different spices and my beloved kalamata olives. If you don't like them, just leave them out. I hope you'll like this as much as I do!
~Erin
Greek Wonderpot
Author: Erin (adapted from Budget Bytes)
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
4 c. vegetable broth
2 T. olive oil
12 oz. fettuccine
10 oz. pkg of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 oz. kalamata olives, roughly chopped
medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 ½ t. dried Greek seasoning
¼ t. red pepper flakes
pepper, to taste
feta cheese for sprinkling
Instructions
Combine all ingredients (except feta cheese) in a pot. Break fettuccini noodles in half so everything fits under the liquid.
Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When contents are at a full boil, remove lid, reduce heat to medium, and stir briefly.
Continue boiling gently for 10-15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Give it an occasional stir just to keep the noodles from sticking...not too much or it will get mushy.
Serve, with feta cheese on top.
Notes
This recipe leaves a lot of room for creativity in terms of ingredients. I look forward to trying it with some additional veggies or different spices. If you can't find Greek seasoning, just substitute 3/4 t. each of oregano and basil.
I'm definitely the baker in my family. I love to bake pies, cookies, coffee cakes, whatever... and I love to experiment with different recipes. This year when I was trying to come up with a pie to make for Thanksgiving my pregnant little sister pulled out a few pie recipes that had caught her eye. When she gave me this one, I'll admit I thought she was crazy. Maple Peanut Butter pie? For Thanksgiving? It didn't sound good to me...at all. But she is my little sister, and she is pregnant (with some crazy taste buds right now). So of course I made it. It made me feel better that the recipe had won 2nd place in a Taste of Home pie contest. How bad could it be?
When I started assembling the ingredients I started to change my mind. Peanut butter, cream cheese, whipped cream, maple flavoring, hot fudge....yum!! The pie is served cold and can be made in advance. I made mine the day before and froze it until the hour before it was served. It came out perfectly. Warning though- its very very rich!! So delicious! I meant to post this one before Christmas, as it would be a great dessert for any holiday party. I just ran out of time. It really doesn't matter though- if you love peanut butter, this is the pie for you, no matter the time of year. My little sister was very happy and my 5 year old declared this pie to be his favorite ever. :)
~Wendy
Maple Peanut Butter Pie
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Taste of Home
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
1-1/2 c. crushed cream-filled maple sandwich cookies (about 12 cookies)
1/4 c. chocolate-covered peanuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix crushed cookies and butter. Press onto bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Freeze 5 minutes.
In a microwave, warm fudge topping 5-10 seconds or until spreadable; spread over bottom and up sides of crust.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and flavoring until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar; fold in whipped topping.
Spoon into crust, spreading evenly. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.
In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add syrup; beat until stiff peaks form.
Serve with pie; top with peanuts.
Notes
I found the maple flavored cookies at Aldi. I used maple extract for the maple flavoring which is easy to find in any backing section with a decent selection of extracts. I chose not to add syrup to the whipped cream. I felt like that would be a little too much maple for me- however I leave that up to you!
