Deconstructing Jen

meatloaf

I remember every little thing
As if it happened only yesterday
Parking by the lake
And there was not another car in sight
And I never had a girl
Looking any better than you did
And all the kids at school
They were wishing they were me that night

And now our bodies are oh so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C'mon! Hold on tight!
C'mon! Hold on tight!

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light

Oh wait. Not that Meat Loaf. This meatloaf.

I'm not generally a meatloaf fan. There's something about ground beef pressed into a bread shape that doesn't sit well with me. But Chris likes it so what's a girl to do besides find a recipe that we both will eat. So I searched and searched and tried recipes over and over and eventually I found one that is okay and I messed with until I like it. So here it is. If I do say so myself, it's fabulous.

This makes enough food for a small herd of people so you'll have tons of leftovers.

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3 medium carrots, grated
1 medium to large zucchini, grated
1 medium to large onion, chopped small
5 cloves garlic chopped small (optional)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
hot sauce (Tabasco)
soy sauce
3 slices of bread
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
ketchup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large edged cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.

In a saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, zucchini and garlic. Cook 5 to 10 minutes until softened. Cool.

In a large bowl (huge really) add beef, pork, eggs, cooked and cooled vegetables, salt, pepper, a dash of hot sauce to taste, and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Mix gently using hands.

Soak slices of bread in cold water, wring out carefully. As you add the bread to the meat mixture tear it up into small pieces. Add bread crumbs. Mix with hands gently.

Form mixture into a loaf shape on cookie sheet. Spread with ketchup.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Serve hot.

Delicious Chicken Stew

Since we have the sickies around here this week I thought I would post tonight's dinner as it's the only thing that sounds good to my currently dilapidated taste-buds.

I sorta threw this together one night after seeing someone at work with something similar. I checked out a few chicken soup recipes, took out the stuff I hate, added some things I like and voila.

Chicken Stew

4 frozen chicken breast (smallish to medium - use less if they are huge)

3 carrots

1 small onion

(if you felt you had to you could add celery but I hate it so I don't add it)

4 cans chicken stock

1 12 oz package frozen Rheams noodles

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas

1 tbsp veggie oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dry thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 and bake the chicken on a foil lined cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 15 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking heat the oil in a large heavy bottom dutch oven over medium heat. Chop the onions and carrots to what ever size you like - I chop ours relatively small so they cook faster. Add to the oil and saute until soft. Add salt and pepper. Add 3 of the cans of chicken stock and thyme. Raise heat to medium high and bring to a boil. 

When the chicken finishes cooking dice into bite sizes an add to soup. Add noodles, return to boil and cook 20 minutes. During the last 5 minutes add the corn and peas. (At this point if it seems like it needs more liquid add the other can of stock and heat through - this is a personal preference thing I think.) Serve with corn bread or other crusty bread.

Yummy. :D (I'll add pictures later once I get it made.)