Glazed Buttermilk Meatloaf

This past summer I was engrossed in a reality cooking competition on the Food Network called The Next Food Network Star.  I haven't seen every season of the show, but typically once I begin watching I get sucked in up until a winner is declared.  For those not familiar with the show, it's a cooking/talent competition where the winner gets their own show on the Food Network.  Some of the past winners have went on to become big stars - such as Guy Fieri.
Anyway - a few weeks before this past season began, a friend of mine from high school - who knows I have a food blog and that I would most likely be interested in this sort of thing - contacted me to let me know a fellow graduate from our school would be competing in the upcoming season.  Her name is Mary Beth Albright, and while I do not know her personally, I did remember who she was.  After hearing the news I was very excited to watch the show and see how things turned out for her!
Of course I wanted her to win - not just because we share the same hometown, but because after watching the season I was easily convinced she would indeed make a great food television show host.  Unfortunately, she did not win.  But from what I've learned of her I have no doubt she'll go on to do exciting things.

While the show was airing, Mary Beth would simultaneously post her personal take on the developments of each week's episode on her blog - occasionally also posting one of her recipes from the competition.  The recipe of Mary Beth's that sparked my interest most was for this meatloaf. She made the meatloaf for a panel of the usual judges, along with a guest judge.  That particular week's guest was Paula Deen, who tasted her meatloaf and said it was so good it would replace her own recipe!  I figured if Paula Deen - the queen of comfort food cooking - said it was good then it had to be pretty darn good. 

The recipe also has quite a few comments - all of which give the recipe rave reviews.  I think what sets this recipe apart from the rest is the use of panko breadcrumbs and buttermilk {full fat, if you can find it!}.  The panko gives the meatloaf a lighter texture...it's not as dense as when using regular breadcrumbs and the buttermilk gives it a slight tang.  Mary Beth recommends, as I always do, that you use the best ingredients possible.  Buy your favorite bottle of BBQ sauce, or make you own.  Use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, if available.  As you know, I love using fresh herbs and in instances such as this it really makes a difference in the final product.
This recipe has been sitting on the back burner of my "to make soon" list because does one really want to make meatloaf in August?  No, not me.  This is winter food - and even better it's the kind of meal that's perfect for December when everyone is pressed for time because it can be made ahead.

In my version here, I used all ground beef versus a combination of beef and pork - mainly because that's what I had on hand, but also because I like using all beef when making meatloaf...use whichever you prefer.  The recipe also didn't specify what kind of brown sugar to use, so I used 1/2 light and 1/2 dark.  I later read in the comment section that she recommends dark brown sugar, but really either works here. 

So, tell me - did you happen to watch this past season of The Next Food Network Star?  Were you routing for Mary Beth too?  
If you like this recipe you might also like: Sloppy Joe's | Meatloaf with Chili Sauce | Italian Style Mini Meatloaves | Turkey Meatloaf | Turkey Meatballs

Caprese Burger

Some of you might remember the Cheddar & Guinness Dip recipe I wrote for the folks from the Wisconsin Cheese Board back in March. They were nice enough to ask me to submit another guest post for their blog, Wisconsin Cheese Talk. This time, the subject matter was...Cheeseburgers! Of course, I did not hesitate to say yes. I love a good cheeseburger.
It also happened to be good timing...as, I've been meaning to get a recipe for a burger up here for some time. I actually had a reader write me, saying they loved the recipes I featured, but that they were perplexed as to how an American home-cook didn't have a single burger recipe in the archives! I promised to get on that...
So, now I have...and this happens to be a darn good one, if I do say so myself.
I tend to get settled in my ways with food...ordering the same take-out items for dinner, or the same sandwich from my favorite deli, the same entree from one of the restaurants in our regular rotation. I'm nervous to branch out, because what if it's not as good as my old standby? I'm not a "specials" person, and hardly bother to look at them, unless it's a new place.
The case is also true when it comes to how I like a cheeseburger. When I make burgers at home, my toppings are fresh mozzarella, pesto, and tomato. But, for this post, I wanted something more creative than just that. Something worthy of being called a "recipe"...otherwise, I'm basically just telling you how to build a sandwich.
For a twist on the traditional Caprese ingredients, this burger is made with pickled tomatoes. Something that seems to be catching on these days...at least according to all my Food Network TV viewing. The basil and balsamic vinegar elements come in the form of a basil mayo...which works out well for me, as I'm also known to enjoy mayonnaise on a burger. The rest is the usual...forming the patty by hand, between two pieces of wax paper {makes a perfect patty every time, in my book} and searing it in a hot, "salted" cast iron skillet {a method I learned from my MIL}. Lastly, my favorite parts...creamy, salty fresh mozzarella cheese, and a crusty, airy bread, like ciabatta. You can see my guest post by clicking here.
Hope you enjoy this burger as much as I did...

Chili Con Carne

I was given my first French oven {a.k.a. a Dutch oven, or an enameled cast iron pot} about 10 years ago, by my mother-in-law. Since then, it has been used more times than I can count. I love it & consider it to be one of my most essential kitchen tools.
However, I do have one complaint with it...it's heavy! Lugging it out & washing it are tasks I do not look forward to.
For years now, a smaller version has been on my wish list...something more practically suited for a family of four & everyday cooking. In particular, I've had my eye on a 5 1/2 quart white Le Creuset. Unfortunately, they are super expensive. So, when I recently won a gift certificate to a cooking store, I finally took the plunge & bought myself one!
It's been sitting on my stove for a week now...bringing a smile to my face every time I look at it. It's ridiculous that a piece of cooking equipment could bring me so much joy...but, it does! I christened the pot with a lovely, Sunday roast chicken. Next up, I wanted to make some kind of stew, pot roast, or chili suitable for the cold, winter days we've been having. This chili is what I decided on.
Personally, I am more of a ground beef & bean chili kind of girl. My kids, however, won't touch anything containing beans with a ten foot pole. My DH likes any kind of chili...but, every time I've made it with beef chuck, versus ground beef, he's seemed particularly happy. So, here it is...a spicy {but, not too spicy}, beef chuck chili...with no beans {a.k.a. a Texas style chili}.

Short Rib Ragù

Ever since I first saw this recipe over @ Food52 I've been obsessed with the idea of making it. The photos are unbelievable {which they always are over there} & it looked so delicious & real, that it almost felt as though I could reach through the computer screen & steal a bite.
It's been a long time since I've made a winter stew type of meal...the sort of thing that takes all day to cook & permeates your house with the smell of something good cooking. We've been getting dumped on pretty much weekly, here in the Northeast, with loads of snow. This past Sunday seemed like the perfect day to make this dish & I'm so glad I did...it's delicious.
For those of you unfamiliar with the website, Food52, you must go check it out. It's a recipe community website, where the 2 founders run weekly contests {52 weeks of the year} for the "Best of"...whatever that weeks subject happens to be. The winners get published in a cookbook, which is the year end result of all the contests.
Not only is the site beautiful to look at, it's a great place to find tested, tried & true recipes. About a month ago, I was lucky enough to win one of the contests for my "Warm Orzo Salad with Beets & Greens" recipe. So, look for it in their next cookbook!

Baked Pasta & Mini Meatballs

This is the perfect cold weather, family meal. It's easy to make it ahead, store it & heat it up when you're in a pinch...trying to come up with something quick to make for dinner. Something that the whole family will eat. This recipe is my spin on the classic Baked Ziti. I added some mini meatballs, because I knew my kids would go nuts for them.
It deviates from my traditional meatball recipe, because I have added some ground pork to these. I thought it would keep the meatballs moist, since they are getting fried, simmered & then baked. It worked.
The sauce is a version of the Tomato Sauce with Onions & Butter I made recently, from Marcella Hazan. So good! I'm a seriously hooked on that stuff. I added a bit of garlic & pureed the sauce through a food mill...the smoother texture goes over better with my kids. But, you can easily leave it chunky...or, even use a good quality jarred sauce to save time.

Beef, Mushroom & Snap Pea Stir-Fry

I love stir-fries. They are generally easy to make, quick-cooking & healthy. In the past, I've made chicken stir-fries, this delicious spicy tofu one, veggies only varieties...but, steak? Never made one.
Maybe because I think of them as being healthy...a lot of the time, diet worthy. Somehow adding red meat to the mix seems counter productive. But, I live in a home with three boys...and, my boys love steak.
So, when I saw this recipe in the October issue of Bon Appétit, I thought I'd give it a try. It looked so good & I knew my family would love it.
The original recipe didn't really need any tweaking, but I did change a few things to suit my taste. It called for using shiitake mushrooms, which I love. But, I decided to add in some portabellas too, because I love the combination of steak & portabella mushrooms. I also substituted sugar snap peas for snow peas...I'm not the biggest snow pea fan.
While making a stir-fry is quick in the pan, it usually requires a bit of effort in the prep department. This one is no different. But, once you get everything washed, peeled & chopped, the actually cooking part is super quick.

Tamale Pie

Since introducing my kids to Trader Joe's tamales a few months ago, they have become all the rage in our house. I happen to love tamales too & thought it would be fun to try making some.
But, upon further investigation, I decided that they were a bit too complicated to deal with...being that my life, at the moment, will only allow for quick & easy meals.
So, I decided to try & find a tamale pie recipe. I figured they would like that just as much & it turns out they like it even more!
The recipe that looked the most fantastic to me, was one I found over on the food blog, Simply Recipes. I made quite a few changes to it, but the basis of the filling is pretty much the same.
I highly recommend trying this out, as it received more praise than anything I've made in a very long time. Don't be deterred by the long ingredient list. It really couldn't be easier! If you can make tacos, you can make this!

Italian Style Mini Meatloaves

I recently picked up the summer edition of Cooks Illustrated "30 Minute Suppers". I love all of the cooking magazines in the America's Test Kitchen family. But, they are pricey & I'll only buy one if there are several recipes in there that I think I might enjoy. This issue in particular is jam packed with great summer dinner ideas...so, you'll probably see quite a few of them coming your way in the upcoming weeks.
This recipe, for Italian style mini meatloaves, was my first endeavour. It really couldn't be any easier & is a great alternative to our usual spaghetti & meatball dinner...something I have no desire to make in this recent heat!
It uses Italian sausage with the ground beef, as a spin on the classic meatloaf mix, of ground beef, pork & veal. My guys are not the biggest fans of Italian sausage...they'll eat it, but it's not their fave. So, next time I make these...and, there will be a next time!...I might omit the sausage altogether & just use ground beef. So, any of you out there who either don't eat pork, or don't care for sausage, can easily do the same.

Steak Tacos

There's this very authentic Mexican restaurant nearby our house, called Los Molcajetes. My Dh & I have been eyeballing it for months. But, I was hesitant to go, because it was so authentic & I thought the Bozos wouldn't eat a thing there.
Well, we finally decided to go a few weeks ago & it was so good. The kids got steak tacos. They both love tacos, but are used to the typical American ground beef Ortega taco. So, I was surprised that they liked steak tacos so much.
Ever since then, we have had steak tacos on the brain. So, I decided to make some at home. I have added some pickled red onions to this recipe, as they are fantastic with steak. I recommend taking the extra effort & making the onions...and, to serve the tacos simply, with some homemade, or store bought salsa fresca & a drizzle of sour cream.

Grilled Flank Steak

I have to say, that typically no amount of teriyaki, garlic, ginger, soy, lime, or fresh herbs, can change the fact that I am not a big fan of flank steak.
This marinade, however, has changed all that.
It is fantastic! I mean, really fantastic. It's a quick, easy, cheap meal, that is certain to be a real crowd pleaser. It will absolutely stay in our backyard dinner rotation this summer.

Reubens

I really wanted to make a Reuben sandwich this year with our leftover corned beef from St. Patrick's Day. It's not that I am a super huge fan of them, because I'm not. Usually, the closest I'll get to ordering a Reuben, is ordering a turkey version. But, since we had the goods, I thought it would be fun to try making one. My DH was happy I did.
There seems to be many variations on a Reuben sandwich. It can be made with corned beef, or pastrami. Smeared with Russian, or 1000 island dressing. Topped with coleslaw, or sauerkraut. Served on rye, or pumpernickel.
If I am going to eat one, I prefer corned beef, Russian dressing & coleslaw, on rye.
So, I had the Russian dressing, and the corned beef. I just needed the coleslaw. You can use some store bought coleslaw...or, do what I did below.

Corned Beef & Cabbage

I thought another year would pass without a St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef & Cabbage post. But, this year, I made it twice!
We had some friends & family over for the holiday this year. It was such a success, that all 6 pounds of corned beef were devoured. Not a scrap of anything leftover. I had made some homemade Russian salad dressing in hopes of making some Reuben sandwiches with the leftovers {those posts are coming!}. So, I decided, why not make it again? This time I halved the recipe & we had a few leftovers...not much though!
The first time I attempted this meal was two years ago. I shopped the day before St. Patrick's Day & all that was left at the market was low sodium corned beef. Obviously, not as popular as the regular variety. I loved it! Corned Beef can be way too salty & the low sodium variety is still salty, but just not so overwhelming. I highly recommend it.
I love this recipe. It does take half the day...but, it couldn't be simpler.

Simple Beef & Kidney Bean Chili

I have been searching for a really simple & delicious crockpot chili recipe for a long time now. Not something exotic, or gourmet. Just super basic.
This is the recipe I was looking for. And, with Super Bowl Sunday around the corner, I figured now would be a good time to post it. You can play with the spices as much as you'd like. I kept them pretty low key, as I was serving this to the whole family & I wanted everyone to enjoy it.
If you don't have a slow-cooker, you can cook the chili in a stockpot over low heat for 2 hours. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days {it tastes even better after sitting a day, or more}. It can also be frozen for up to a month.

Guinness Beef Stew

It's the time of the year when I dust off the old crockpot {nowadays, called a slow cooker} & get to cooking up some stews, chili, or pot roasts. On Saturday, it just felt like a good beef stew day. No plans. Just a family day, with a few hours of hockey thrown in there. I dug around in my bulging recipe file {a manila folder stuffed with torn out magazine pages} & came up with this recipe from Cooks Country magazine.
This recipe makes for a great weeknight meal, even if you're gone all day at work, because the prep can be done the night before & it takes all day to cook {on it's own}. I love the addition of Guinness & bittersweet chocolate. It makes an amazingly rich, dark sauce. I know it will be a hit with whoever you make it for.

Beef Bourguignon

This is autumn food. It's the kind of stuff you get cooking in the morning on a Sunday, while the house fills with delicious smells and the sounds of football. Love it.
I've made Martha Stewart's version, along with Julia Child's. Both delicious and very laborious. I thought I'd give Ina Garten's version a try, as it looked a bit less involved than the others. Well, it was wonderful, but frankly just as time consuming. There really is no getting around the fact that this is an all day affair...a labor of love. The plus side, is it's fantastic the next day. So, it's a great meal to make for entertaining, as it can be made a day ahead.

Grilled Tri-Tip with Tequila Marinade

My BIL is really into Tri-Tip steak. We've had it several times at their place & it's always delicious.
I don't see it around in the markets much. But, I did recently, then purchased it & had no idea what to do with it. I found this great marinade on Epicurious & gave it a try. It was really good & I would recommend trying it for anything from flank steak, to chicken breasts, or even fajitas.

Start with one whole Tri-Tip roast. It's usually about 2-2.5 pounds. Place it in a resealable plastic bag.

Next, begin the marinade.
Juice several limes, until you have about a 1/2 cup lime juice.

To that, add a 1/2 cup olive oil,

and pour it into a mixing bowl.

Add a 1/3 cup soy sauce,

a 1/4 cup tequila,

& 7 cloves of garlic {minced}.

Next, mince a 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro,

and add that to the marinade.

Whisk it all up,

and pour it into the bag with the steak.
Seal the bag & marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. The longer the better!

When you are ready to cook, heat the grill to medium high & cook the steak for about 10-15 minutes {for medium-rare}.
Depending on the thickness of your steak, it may need longer.

Flip & grill the other side the same amount of time.
Remove from the grill, cover with foil & let the steak rest for at least 10 minutes.
Slice the steak very thinly across the grain & serve.