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.)

dear jimmy johns...

dear jimmy johns,

I like to start my letter by congratulating you on making a darn fine looking tasty sandwich. Well done. You have done the impossible, you have gotten my husband to eat sub sandwiches again. A feat that I personally thought was impossible. So again, I say, well done.

Now on to what this letter was inevitably about. My complaint. Let me set the stage for you so you can fully appreciate the problem. One day I'm driving through the main street in my average little yuppy suburb of a fairly large mid-western city minding my own business when I see it. A sign of God. A Jimmy Johns sign is up and ON in one of the 1,246 strip malls in the urban spral that is my suburban town. In my slightly delirious and ecstatic state I phone my husband and exclaim "They built a JIMMY JOHN'S here!" "WHAT! You're kidding! We have to eat there for dinner tonight!" replies the man who NEVER wants to eat out.

5:45 pm rolls around and my husband calls asking where the new JJ's is again. I give him directions and tell him to surprise me with my dinner order. 5 minutes later I recieve a heart broken and earth shattering call. Jimmy John's isn't open yet. WHAT! The sign was on. There were people moving around inside. WHAT do you MEAN they aren't OPEN?

It would appear that in your haste to show the people of our fair town that you were building here you did things in a decidedly backward order. You see putting the sign up FIRST and then constructing the interior of the restaurant SECOND is a dasterly and cruel deed to those of us who enjoy instant sandwich gratification.

I wish this was the end of my sad tale but alas it is not. Two full months later I drive past your fair establishment to AGAIN be fooled into thinking you are open for business yet woefully, you are not. Why do you taunt me so, Jimmy John's? Why do you set your enticing JJ's sign out first before the building is ready? And please, I beg you. Open that dang store SOON.

Sincerely,
Jen, a girl who just wants a good sandwich (that someone else made)

a burger that brought a tear to my eye

From yesterday's a week in the life post I'm sure you noticed that we went out to eat for lunch. We left good old suburbia and ventured down to the big scary urban sprawl to have lunch with Chris. It was my turn to pick the destination. I didn't have to think twice, Chef Burger. I'd heard rumor of the legendary burger joint from a few of Chris's work pals. The best burger they'd ever eat. Well we'll have to see about that.

Chef Burger is situated right in the heart of Kansas City's new, chic and trendy Power and Light District. It's a cute little place with funky retro decorating and a line out the door. If you can't find a menu, no worries, all you need to know is painted right on the wall where you wait to order. Even with a line out the door the service was fantastic - we waited less than 5 minutes which is a must since we had both kids in tow.

Chris ordered a basic bacon cheese burger and fries. I ordered the KC BBQ Blue Ring Burger and sweet potato fries. Might as well give the place the full review since who knows when I'll get a chance to go back.

10 minutes later Chris brings back a huge tray of food loaded with the largest burger I've ever seen and a pile of sweet potato fries as large as my head. I dig into the fries and they were amazing. The burger. Oh my. The. Burger. Was. Amazing. Barbecue sauce, blue cheese, bacon, onions, a perfectly cooked burger, and a whole grain bun. Something that tastes that good has to be sinful.

If you ever happen to be passing through Kansas City and have time to detour a bit for a delicious lunch. This is definitely a place worth the stop.

the ravioli lasagna recipe

so you didn't ask but I thought I would post it any way since it's an awesome recipe and super simple. plus all this picture taking is sucking my brain cells out and I'm a little shy on actual content this week (not that there was any to speak of before).

2 bags cheese ravioli (square preferably)
2 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 lb hamburger, cooked and drained (I usually season mine with salt, pepper, oregano, and onion powder - I don't measure, I just add some in - this would be totally optional)
2 bags of grated Italian cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Layer 1: 1 cup sauce, ravioli laid out in flat rows, 1/2 the hamburger, 1 cup of cheese
Layer 2: 1 cup sauce, ravioli, 1 cup cheese
Layer 3: 1 cup sauce, ravioli, rest of the hamburger, 1 cup of cheese
Layer 4: 1 cup sauce, rest of ravioli, rest of the cheese

Spray a sheet of foil with cooking spray and cover lasagna tightly. Back 45 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 more minutes. Eat and enjoy. :)

cupcakes up to my eyeballs

Whew. That was a crazy busy weekend. This was bridal shower weekend extravaganza. My sister-in-law, Jen, and I were threw a bridal shower for our new sister-in-law to be Jenny. Yes, that's right, all of the females of my generation in my husbands immediate family are named Jen. Apparently all the other names were taken from 1974 to 1977. Well to hear our parents tell it, they thought they were picking the most original name in the world and there weren't things like the Social Security website to convince them otherwise. So I digress as I am apt to do...back to the shower.

Saturday was full of pre-shower prep activities. We made cupcakes. Loads and loads of cupcakes. We cut fruit, we cut veggies, we prepped the punch. We also managed to check out the most awesome burger place, EVER. Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought it was awesome because it was packed! They have a very small menu, they pretty much serve - you guessed it, burgers and fries but they do those extremely well. If you have one near you and haven't been I highly recommend it.

It turned out to be a lovely shower though there were some definite moments where it felt like there was no way we were going to get things finished up. We made numerous references to the last few harrowing minutes of a Trading Spaces episode where the furniture isn't even in the room yet and they have 2 minutes until the reveal. Thankfully we managed to pull it all together right as the first guests arrived. We served 3 kinds of tea sandwiches, hot crab dip with crackers, a fruit and veggie tray, an awesome punch (non-alcoholic), and super yummy white chocolate raspberry cupcakes. (Recipes to follow soonish in another post). Jen made up wedding Pictionary and a how well do you know the bride game - both were wonderful and non-embarrassing. We all wrote advise for various life subjects for Jon and Jenny on cards that Jenny and Jon opened later that day at home (I think).

It was a great day. And after we cleaned up I went home and passed out on the couch for a few minutes then tackled laundry mountain that some how never seems to go away.

Delicious Baked Potato Soup

So I've been entering the weekly contest on LiveJournal in the HPCreate community - each week they post a writing prompt on Friday and on Monday they pick a winner, they've had some great prizes, this week is a $200 gift certificate to Crate and Barrell - oh how I would love that. This week the assignment was to post a family recipe so I choose my baked potato soup.You can head over to LJ and post your own here - you'll have to make a LJ account though - if you do comment here and I'll add you to my friends list over there.

So if you don't fee like heading over to LJ here's my entry. :D Now don't be surprised if on Monday you see me begging for votes. :D

Christmas Eve night is a huge tradition in my husband's family. Since he was very small his mother's entire family would gather at his grandmother's house for a celebration that rivals most Christmas morning traditions. As the family has grown, Christmas Eve has grown with it. All 35 of us (ranging in age from 83 to 12 months) still gather together at Grandma's house but now instead of Grandma making a big spread of food for us we provide the food for her. About 6 years ago we decided that Christmas Eve would be a good time to have a homemade soup and salad buffet and it's been tradition ever since. Aunt Tricia brings chicken tortilla soup, Great Aunt Donna, who travels all the way down from St. Paul, makes wild rice and mushroom soup, my mother-in-law makes chili and I make baked potato soup. Every year all of the soups are a hit and about 7 p.m. you can hear Uncle Bob, who could easily pass for Santa given the proper costume, holler from the kitchen "Jen, when's your birthday again? I'm going to get you a bigger crock pot. We ran out of potato soup before I could have seconds." It's been 6 years now and I've never seen that bigger crock pot. Maybe this year I'll surprise him and make a double batch.

So here it is Grandma Kari's Baked Potato Soup. (Kari's not really my grandma but she is a dear friend who gave me this recipe that will forever be a part of our Christmas Eve traditions - well at least as long as Uncle Bob is around to set the menu.)

6-8 medium to large russet potatoes, scrubbed, baked and cooled completely (this is a good step to do the night before you make the soup)
1 package of bacon, chopped small, cooked until crisp and drained
1 stick butter (margarine can be substituted but butter really is better)
1/2 cup flour
2 cups whole milk (again you can use low fat milk but whole makes it creamier)
4 cups chicken stock
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
4 green onions, chopped
sour cream for garnish

Melt butter over medium high heat in a large heavy bottomed stock pot. Add flour and cook 2-3 minutes or until flour just starts to lightly brown. Gradually add milk and chicken stock, whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper. Heat to milk mixture until it boils, stirring frequently. While the milk mixture is heating, peel 1/2 the potatoes and cut into 1/2" cubes, leave the other 1/2 of the potatoes unpeeled and cut into 1/2" cubes. Once the milk mixture boils reduce the heat to low and add the potatoes. Gradually stir in 2 cups of cheese and 1/2 the bacon until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately or transfer to crock pot (do not let this boil after the cheese has been added). Serve hot. Garnish with remaining cheese, sour cream, bacon and onions.

The Yummy Cheesecake Recipe

So here is the yummy pumpkin cheesecake recipe from my previous post. I can't take all the credit though, I started with Paula Dean's recipe and made a few tweaks here and there as my first attempt didn't turn out quite the way I wanted. *wink*

Crust:

1 3/4 cups vanilla wafers (ground)
1/4 cup ground pecans (optional)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar, salt and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

To make individual sized cheesecakes in a muffin pan:
Make 1.5 the amount of crust. Line 3 muffin pans with paper or aluminum liners. Put 1 tablespoon unpacked crust mix in each liner. Measure out 1/4 cup of filling for each. Bake for 15 minutes until just set and center doesn't giggle. Cool 15 minutes then remove from pan. Refrigerate 4 hours.