Foodie Friday: Meat Loaf

I have been cooking the same things forever.  I make these dishes because I know I love them, and why mess with a good thing?  But, soon, I will not only have myself to cook for... SO I have decided to branch out a little bit.  Starting with this week... I decided I wanted to make the traditional family favorite... meat loaf.

I must admit it didn't turn out as well as I would have liked... but I blame that on the fact that I did not firmly pack the mixture into the baking dish.  I have learned my lesson, and I know it will work out better next time.  The recipe itself is very simple... but you can add all kinds of herbs and veggies to spice it up!

Meat Loaf

-1.5 lbs ground beef
-1 egg
-1 small onion, diced
-1 cup bread crumbs
-1 cup milk
-2 tablespoons brown sugar
-2 tablespoons mustard
-1/3 cup ketchup
-Salt, pepper, and other spices to taste (I used parsley, and garlic)

Mix ground beef, egg, onion, bread crumbs, milk and spices in a large bowl.  Form the mixture into a loaf and place into a loaf pan.  OR Form the mixture into smaller balls and bake in a muffin pan.

*Make sure you pack the mixture together with your hands... this is where I messed up*

Mix brown sugar, mustard, and ketchup making a glaze.  Pour this over the loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

I think next time I am going to make it with ground turkey.  I think that would be a good lower fat option.

If you have any Foodie Friday suggestions... just send me an e-mail or leave a comment.

Foodie Friday: Chicken Salad

This isn't really a recipe... I'm just going to give you some on my favorite tips for making a wonderful chicken salad!  I love chicken salad and I am so excited I finally figured out some tricks.

First...
The food chopper or food processor is key... it quickly chops the chicken into pieces that are small enough for the salad.

Second...
To cut calories... use plain yogurt instead of a ton of mayonnaise.  I still use a little mayo for flavor... but the I mainly use the yogurt to hold the salad together.  Some people say I'm crazy... but I also like to add a little mustard, it gives the salad a great flavor.

Third...
Add some goodies... this particular day I added celery, pecans, and Craisins.  A little crunch... and a little punch of flavor.

I love this recipe... I hope you do too!

On a sidenote... engagement pictures... coming soon!

How do I love thee...

This weekend Patrick came to visit me in Atlanta... as I reflected on our time together I was again reminded of just what a truly lucky girl I am.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life!  I thought I would share 5 of the many many reasons I love him... all of these were lived out this weekend.

1. He teaches me about Jesus.

Sunday morning while I was getting ready for church I had Pandora on the computer... "Come thou Fount" started to play... so it was the perfect time for me to ask the question I have frequently pondered... "What is an "Ebenezer"?"  I asked him... and before I knew it he was reading me the story from 1 Samuel.  He knows so much about the Bible... I feel so blessed to be able to tap into this knowledge.

2. He gives to me sacrificially.

He decided he would fly down this weekend.  When he was looking at tickets, he thought it would be sweet to surprise me and fly down early enough to visit before work.

That's right... he caught a 6:15AM flight... just to see me before work!  Talk about sacrifice... he got up approximately 3:15AM to make sure he got to the airport on time.  A sacrifice of sleep is a precious sacrifice indeed!

3. He is strong where I am weak.

I am blogging from my couch tonight... why is that strange you might ask?  Because I have lived in this apartment for almost 3 years... yet my computer has been locked down in my bedroom... all because I could not get this gadget to work...

That's right... I finally have wireless internet in my apartment.  Saturday while I was at work, Patrick set up my router... I have been attempting to do this on and off the whole time I've lived here.  He did it in a matter of an hour.  What a blessing... I am free!

4. He is thoughtful.

In addition to fixing my router... he got me a bunch of my favorite flowers and had them waiting for me when I got back to my apartment... They are so beautiful and cheery!!  I love having fresh flowers in my home!

5. He willingly participates with me... even when it is WAY out of his comfort zone!

The main reason for his visit this week was our engagement pictures.  We had such a fun time getting to know Lindsay and James of A.D. Photography.  While the fellowship was wonderful... I know that taking pictures is not his favorite thing... yet he did it with a smile (literally) because he knew how much it meant to me.  Hopefully our pictures will turn out well... I will post some here as soon as we get them!

I love him so much!  I am indeed one very blessed girl... he is more than I could have ever asked for!  I can't believe I get to marry him in 124 days!!!

Foodie Friday.. and a Shower...

This week we had a surprise baby shower for one of my coworkers Meg.  The surprise went off with out a hitch... and baby Will got some really neat stuff...

We had a great spread at the shower!  It was a good thing I decided not to eat lunch before work that day!

I made one of my easiest but also one of my most delicious dips for the shower... I also made my homemade salsa (recipe here).  This only has 3 ingredients... yes only 3!  I promise it will be a hit with whoever you serve it to.

Pizza Dip
-1 package cream cheese, softened
-1 jar pizza sauce
-1 bag (2 cups) shredded mozzarella

Spread the cream cheese into an 8x8 square pan.  It should cover the whole area with a fairly thin layer.
Pour the pizza sauce over the cream cheese.
Sprinkle the mozzarella over the sauce.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes... until the cheese and sauce are bubbly...
Serve with tortilla chips.

(I have also made a double batch of this in a 9x13 pan... and it works just fine)

Congrats Meg... and Cheryl... and Lacey... babies babies everywhere!

Foodie Friday: Weight Watchers Pizza

I am so sorry I did not post something this morning.. No nothing is wrong... I just had to work a day shift  today... so I didn't have time to post this morning.  I meant to post something earlier to keep all my readers updated (mostly my mom... who thought something was wrong) but I forgot.

I have been trying to eat healthier so I can shed a few pounds before the wedding.  I am loosely following the Weight Watchers model.  This is one of my favorite recipes... they say it is only 6 points... but I think it may be a few more... but still an all around good dinner.

Weight Watchers Pizza

-1 refrigerated pizza crust
-1lb lean ground meat (beef or turkey)
-1 can Italian Style diced tomatoes
-6oz shredded mozarella
-Any other veggies you want... I usually add mushrooms

Brown the meat and drain... return to the pan.
Add the tomatoes (and any other veggies) to the pan- I usually try to saute the veggies a little first.
Heat the meat and tomatoes until they are warmed through.
While the mixture is warming... spray a 13x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray... then roll out the pizza dough in the dish... push it into the bottom and about halfway up the sides
Dump the meat tomato mixture into the prepared 13x9 dish
Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes... sprinkle the cheese on top and bake another 5 minutes.

This makes 6 servings... it is so yummy!!!

Dusting...

It's snowing... wait... or is it?  Driving home last night I noticed a dusting of something on the roadway... it looked like snow... only with a little more color...

We were covered in POLLEN!!  It is out of control!!  Below is the chart the meteorologists use to determine the general level of pollen and the severity...

POLLEN COUNT

0-30 Low
31-60 Moderate
61-120 High

Over 120 Extremely High

Our pollen count today is 5495... that's right 5495... I mean seriously?!?!?!  120 is considered high and we are at 5495... this is crazy!

Thank goodness rain is in the forecast... so this mystery yellow dusting will go away...

I am off to make my Foodie Friday dish for tomorrow... it is a good one!

We interrupt this blog...

I interrupt your normal Friday reading to bring you these updates...

-I have been a very bad blog updater the last few weeks...
-I have not really cooked much at all for about a month...
-I am trying to get a bunch of wedding stuff done... and despite my best intentions I have not posted much about it...
-I will be an Aunt by Monday (ok, I won't officially be an aunt until we get married in August... but I'm counting it now)
-Today is Good Friday... take some time to reflect on what it truly means... and how GOOD our God is!

If you are looking for a new recipe try Tasty Kitchen... they are wonderful!
Hopefully your normally scheduled program will return next week.