Meatloaf

I never had meatloaf as a child since my mom really doesn't like ground beef at all. So one day I decided to experiment and make it myself. So I have no idea if this is traditional, but my husband and I like it, so, good enough. I made this awhile ago, but hadn't written it up yet. Since I've been insanely busy at work (My last day off was February 13th) I haven't really had much of a chance to do any cooking. My lovely husband is so kind and has been picking up a lot of my slack. Eventually things will calm down though. It has to! Right?
Anyway, here goes!

You will need:
Ground Beef (Lean is better if you're using a loaf pan, if you're using a roasting rack the fat drippings will collect in the bottom and you can use a higher fat content since it will drip off.)
Bread Crumbs
Milk
1-2 Eggs
Ketchup
Mustard
Italian Seasoning
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper
(Not pictured today, but often I will cut up chunks of pepper jack cheese and mix them in)

And here are your wet ingredients:

Soy Sauce
Maggi if you can get it
Tabasco Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce


Here's my pro tip. You could totally mix all the ingredients together in a bowl like a peasant. ;) I however put all the ingredients in a big gallon sized bag, seal it, and then mix it by squeezing the outside around.

There, you've added the ground beef.

Next add the additional ingredients: about a cup of bread crumbs, two eggs, a couple of squirts of mustard, Italian seasoning, Cayenne, Paprika, Salt and Pepper.

Add a couple squirts of Worcestershire Sauce, Tabasco Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Maggi if you have it.

Now that you've squeezed out the air and sealed the bag, start squishing. Get it all really mixed up. (If you're adding cheese do it now.)

Now when it's all mixed up you can start getting it ready for the oven. You can see I will be putting it into loaf pans. However if you are adding cheese, I recommend shaping it into two little loaves and using roasting pans. The cheese will add a lot of extra fat/grease, so it'll drip down and away from the loaves.

If you're using loaf pans squish your meat mixture into them and smooth the top over.

Squeeze ketchup over the top, it'll become almost like a glaze. On the back one I also sprinkled some brown sugar. Obviously you can also experiment with whatever flavors you like.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour. You can use a meat thermometer to check and see if they are ready.

Here you can see I served it with roasted potatoes and cucumber salad.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe and make yourself a delicious meal.


Hopefully when things settle down I will get to cook a lot more for fun and make funnier posts.

Shepherd's Pie

The first time I ever had Shepherd's Pie was when Brandy (My husband's brother's girlfriend and the mother of his child) made it. Apparently Brandy's sister Brittany taught her how to make it. I don't know if I make it the same way they do, but it reminds me of her. Sadly Brandy recently passed away in a horrific car accident, leaving her 3 children (Nita, Emma, and Carl) as well as my brother-in-law Joey behind. For me This dish is a good memory of Brandy to have and a way to honor her as a caring mother that she was. So here is my tribute to Brandy.
So, now that we're done with all the heavy stuff, lets get cracking!

Ingredients:
Cream (heavy whipping)
Butter
Potatoes
Shredded Cheese
Ground Beef
Green Beans
Soy Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup 
(Maggi if you can get it)
Paprika
Cayenne
Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper

First you need to make your mashed potatoes.

You'll need: cream, butter, and potatoes.

I peel my potatoes and boil them whole. If you're in a hurry and want them to be done faster you can cut your potatoes into smaller pieces.

Make sure you add salt to your potatoes while they are cooking, as potatoes will absorb a lot of salt. That is why you can add a potato to soups or sauces that you've accidentally oversalted in order to absorb exes salt.

While my potatoes are on the stove I begin cooking my meat. As you may know by now I'm a big fan of seasoning, so I get this whole load ready:

Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, Maggi, Paprika, Cayenne, Italian Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper.

I like to preseason my meat on one side with the dry seasonings before I throw it into my preheated pot/pan,

The black stuff on here is actually salt.

Charlie's oldest brother Clint and his family gave us this Hawaiian black salt for Christmas amongst other things. It tastes mostly the same as regular salt, but it looks way cooler! Shout out to Clint, Brenda, their daughter Gaby, and especially to their son Justin who picked it out!

OK, back to cooking. I'll stop bragging about my cool family! So you threw your meat into your pot seasoning side down.

Add your second layer of seasoning.

Start breaking up your meat into smaller pieces as you brown it.

Once you've gotten it mostly browned...

...add your liquid seasonings

Ketchup, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Maggi if you have it.

I just throw in a bunch of squirts of all of them.

You could also add some mustard if you feel like it. I like to cook it down some, so it isn't too liquidy, but I do want there to me some, so it stays nice and juicy. As you will be baking this for half an hour, and you don't want it to dry out.

Once you cooked the meat all the way through, put it in your casserole dish. Your first layer is complete.

Nomms.

Next we are adding the green beans.

So, I used fresh beans. They didn't cook all the way through in the oven, but I like the crunchiness. If you however don't want that texture, you can parboil your beans or use canned ones.

Layer them on top of your ground beef.

You could also use different veggies if you choose. Carrots are really good too, or peas, or anything else you can think of.

Now your potatoes should be cooked. Time to mash those suckers! I'm a big cheater because I have lovely kitchen appliances. I stick it into my kitchenaid and whip it. That makes the potatoes super light and fluffy. However you can totally use a potato masher and do it by hand.

I add a bunch of butter, cream and a bit of salt. I just keep adding butter and cream until it reaches the desired consistency.

See how fluffy it is?

Now layer your mashed potatoes on top of your green beans.

I add globs of potatoes all over the top, and then smooth it out. If you try and spread it, the beans will stick to the potatoes and get dislocated.

Last layer: Add copious amounts of cheese, 'cause cheese!

Stick it in the oven at 350 for half an hour. (Please don't judge my oven, it has spots that can't be cleaned off, believe me, I tried!.)

Now look at your ooey gooey goodness!

My husband holding his first bowl full of Shepherd's Pie.

It's easily reheatable in the microwave and makes for great leftovers! You could also make this whole dish in advance and refrigerate it till you're ready to make it. Just up the cooking time in the oven a bit to make sure it gets heated all the way through.


Quickie Summary:
Ingredients:
Cream (heavy whipping)
Butter
Potatoes
Shredded Cheese
Ground Beef
Green Beans
Soy Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup 
(Maggi if you can get it)
Paprika
Cayenne
Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper

Make your mashed potatoes.
Boil your potatoes.
Whip with butter and cream.

Cook your ground beef.
Season it with your dry spices. (Cayenne, Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning)
Brown the meat.
Add your liquid seasonings. (Ketchup, Soy Sauce, Worcestershire, Maggi if you have it)
Cook it down a bit.
Layer the meat into the bottom of your casserole dish.

Layer your beans on top of the meat.

Layer your mashed potatoes on top.

Sprinkle cheese liberally on top.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for half an hour.