Soup Topper Meatloaf

Meatloaf on a bed of rice with broccoli

Not being a big fan of meatloaf I'm always trying new ways to prepare it in hopes that I will enjoy it someday. My family on the other hand like any kind of meatloaf as long as it's homemade.








This meatloaf was topped with cream of mushroom soup. Next time I may follow this exact recipe using cream of celery soup and maybe change up the meat and use ground turkey or ground chicken.

Ingredients 

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 cup of chopped onions
• 1/2 cup of Ketchup
• 1/8th tsp. of onion salt (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1 TBS of Worcheshire sauce
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a loaf pan with cooking oil if you're not using a non-stick pan. 
3. In a bowl mix together ground beef, onions, Ketchup, onion salt, garlic powder, Worcheshire sauce, raw egg, and breadcrumbs.
4. Press everything into your loaf pan and place in your oven for 30 minutes. 
5. After 30 minutes, remove the pan from oven and carefully drain. Spoon the soup right from the can on top of the meatloaf and place back in the oven for another 30 minutes. 
6. Remove from oven, serve, and ENJOY!

Did I like the meatloaf? Yes, as I was eating my dinner I was wishing I'd have made two loaves. 

The perfect loaf pan for meatloaf, a black bean casserole, to name a few, or if you bake bread.

Fusilli Pasta Salad

Fusilli Pasta Salad

Trying to think of something to go with my homemade chicken wings I decided to go with a pasta salad. Normally I throw together pasta, tuna, mayo, and some spices but today I wanted something a little different and here's what I came up with.

Ingredients

• 1 box or 375 grams of Catelli Bistro tri-color Fusilli pasta cooked and drained
• 1/2 of a cooking onion chopped                    
  
• 2 ribs of celery chopped
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets 
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
• 1 TBS of sugar 
• 2 TBS of relish
• 1 1/2 TBS of Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook your pasta according to box directions, drain and run under cold water.
2. In a large bowl add cooked pasta, onion, celery, and broccoli. Gently toss.
3. In a 2 cup measuring cup or a bowl mix together the mayonnaise, wine vinegar, sugar, relish, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk until well blended.
4. Pour dressing over pasta and gently mix in.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. ENJOY!

Orange and Ginger Chicken Breasts

This is one of the easiest meals I've prepared lately. The chicken came out moist, tender, and delicious. The best part is that you only need one ingredient for the chicken.

I'm always trying new things when it comes to cooking and happened to have a bottle of VH Chicken and Ginger stir-fry sauce in my refrigerator. I thought to myself that this might be good and went ahead and made it. Was I ever glad that I did. I served the chicken over a bed of rice and made a Greek salad.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/4 - 1/2 a bottle of VH Orange and Ginger Stir-Fry sauce

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray an oven safe dish with cooking spray.
• Place the chicken breasts in the dish and pour the VH sauce over the breasts.
• Cook for 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and serve over a bed of rice. 
• ENJOY!

Mac & Cheese With a Twist

I love homemade macaroni and cheese but hubby doesn't really care for it. Today I decided I'd try something different to tempt him.

What you'll need for this delicious comfort food.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of lean ground beef cooked and drained
• 400 grams of Tortiglioni pasta (uncooked) or pasta of your choice
• 1 can of whole tomatoes
• 3 - 4 cups of shredded old cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice
• garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Start by boiling your pasta.
3. Fry the beef and sprinkle generously with garlic powder. Drain and set aside.
4. Once the pasta is cooked drain and rinse under cold water.
5. In the bottom of a casserole dish add the pasta.
6. Mix in the ground beef.
7. Next cut the tomatoes in half and gently mix into the macaroni mixture. 
8. Pour half of the tomato juice over the top.
9. Gently mix in about half of the cheese.
10. Top with the rest of the cheese. 
11. Cover and set in the oven for about 45 minutes. 
12. Remove covering and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
13. Serve with salt and pepper and ENJOY!

This Pampered Chef casserole dish is one of the best investments I've made. You can cook everything from pasta to chickens and roasts in it and they always come out fantastic. 

Lamb Shoulder Chops With Garlic, Rosemary, and Butter

We love lamb at our house and I'm always coming up with new ways to make these delicious shoulder chops.

Normally I broil the lamb chops but in this recipe I pan fried them. I must say they were excellent.

Ingredients 

• 5 lamb shoulder chops
• canola or vegetable oil
• 2-3 Tbs of unsalted butter
• 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 Tbs of dried rosemary 
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine and mix the butter, garlic, rosemary, and salt
2. Evenly spread the mixture over the lamb chops
3. In a large skillet or electric frying coat the pan with oil (I had my electric frying pan set to 350)
4. Place the chops buttered side up into the pan and cook for ten minutes
5. Flip the chops over and continue to cook until for another ten minutes or until desired doneness
6. Serve and ENJOY!

Oven Ready Noodles Lasagna Recipe

When it comes to lasagna at our house my family always enjoys homemade over store bought or restaurant food. With the following recipe you can opt to change up the meat or make it without meat. Cottage cheese can be used instead of ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of lean ground beef fried and drained
• 1 tbs of canola oil
• 2 medium onions chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves sliced very thin
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbs. of Italian seasoning
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 container of Ricotta cheese
• 3/4 of a cup of Parmesan cheese grated
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound of Mozzarella cheese
• oven ready lasagna noodles
• cooking oil spray

Instructions

1. Early in the day I make my lasagna sauce starting by frying and draining the lean ground beef.
2. Next saute the chopped onions and sliced garlic cloves in a tablespoon of canola oil.
3. In a large saucepan add the ground beef, onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and fresh ground pepper.
4. Bring all of the above to a boil then turn your heat down and simmer for about half an hour. 
5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
6. Grate the Mozzarella cheese and set aside.
7. In a medium size bowl combine the Ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt to taste, and 2 eggs. Mix well.  
8. Spray your lasagna pan with cooking oil.
9. In the bottom of the pan add 1 1/2 cups of sauce spreading it evenly.
10. Lay 3 - 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.
11. Spread 1/3 of the Ricotta cheese  over the noodles.
12. Next add more sauce followed by 1/3rd of the Mozzarella cheese.
13. Continue to layer the noodles, sauce cheese mixture, and Mozzarella cheese 2 more times.
14. Place in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes.
15. Remove from the oven and let your lasagna sit for about 5 minutes.
16. Slice, serve, and ENJOY!

Honey Garlic Noodles With Shrimp

While in the grocery store this past week I found a recipe on the back of a Knorr Sidekicks package that I wanted to share with you. It is not only an easy dish to prepare but also delicious.

Served with vegetable spring rolls

Ingredients

• 2 packages of Knorr Sidekicks Honey Garlic Noodles prepared according to pkg. directions
• 1 - 2 pounds of medium sized raw shrimp peeled \
• 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. of canola or vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs slightly beaten
• 1 - 2 Tbsp. of lime juice

Instructions

1. Once your shrimp is peeled, place in a bowl and toss with soy sauce
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium high heat
3. Add the shrimp to the frying pan and cook approximately 3 minutes or until shrimp is pink
4. Add the honey garlic noodles to the pan and stir
5. Next pour your beaten eggs over the entire mixture
6. Turn your heat down to low
7. Cover the frying pan with a lid until the eggs are firm
8. Add the lime juice and stir
9. Serve and ENJOY!