Today's dinner was very spur of the moment. Meat loaf with russet potatoes that were spritzed with olive oil and salt and baked beside the meat loaf and a salad made with chopped romaine lettuce, green onions, celery and bacon crumbled into the salad.  The bacon crisped on top of the meat loaf while it baked then an avocado topped the salad and it was drizzled with balsamic vinegar as the only ingredient in the dressing.

MEATLOAF

3 slices white bread, crusts removed cut into crumbs plus a half cup of panko bread crumbs

2-3 Tablespoons milk 

1/4 C. ketchup

2 tblsp. olive oil

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled & minced

1 lb. ground hamburger

1 lb. ground ( 4 or 5) bratwurst skinned, mixed in with hamburger

3 large eggs

1/4 c. roughly chopped parsley ( or celery leaves)

2 tblsp. honey dijon mustard

1 tblsp. coarse salt & more to taste

1/2 tblsp. freshly ground pepper & more to taste

4-5 slices smoked bacon

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 tblsp. Coleman's yellow ground mustard

1 tsp. tomato paste 

Heat the oven to 375F. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a small

bowl. Pour milk over it & set aside for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery & garlic; cook until

soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes.

Place carrots in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk-bread mixture, meat, eggs,

parsley, Dijon, salt, & pepper. Add onion mixture. Combine well using your

hands or a rubber scraper.

Place mixture in a large ungreased baking dish or roasting pan. Shape into a 5

X 12 inch loaf. mix brown sugar, mustard and tomato paste then brush on top of meat loaf. Overlap bacon across the top, covering meat. 

Bake until the bacon is crisp,  and juices in meat loaf run clear, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let

cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Optional, place small potatoes or cut potatoes tossed with  oil and salted around the meat loaf and cook together.

Pork chops, roasted new potatoes, decorated mushrooms, deviled eggs and a tossed salad.  I had some green beans that I forgot to serve with a previous meal so I planned a whole new meal around those green beans.  Then I had to wait a few days because the kids schedule at college kept making it difficult for us to all get together at the same time. As it was, we got to eat this dish around 9 pm on that particular night.

capon pot pie

Made with left over capon meat and left over gravy extended with some cream and Wondra flour.  I used Pillsbury pie crust for this two crust pie. I added sauteed onions, peas, and carrots to the gravy, then added the meat, warmed through, baked until the crust was golden. Crush had an egg wash added before baking

 

Ok so I went tot he store and got some more peas and roasted a capon.  It was just me and my son on this occasion so I didn't bother with a salad.



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Chuck Roast that is sooo easy

So easy. This recipe was given me by a friend and I served it with mashed potatoes, made a gravy with the juices from the roast and also did some garlic toast.  Garlic was cooked in butter, then bread was added to the pan to soak up and brown in the garlic butter.  I though I had more peas but that was all there was. I guess you could call it a pea garnish. LOL

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Italian Beef Pot Roast (Crock Pot)

1 - Chuck Roast

1 pkg. Brown Gravy Mix (dry)

1 pkg. Ranch Dressing Mix (dry)

1 pkg. Italian Dressing Mix (dry)

Open and mix all the packages of dry mixes. Put chuck roast into the crock pot (no need to sear or brown), sprinkle all the dry mix on top, pour 1/2 c. water around edges, cover and cook on low for 8 - 12 hours (or high for 4 - 6 hours). 

I asked son and his GF what they'd like for dinner for the next few days.

Son's GF went on line and found some steak recipes for us to look at. This is one we tried and really liked. I didn't take a picture of the steak but did take a picture of the slaw. I also decided to add a salad with tomatillos. Here are the recipes.

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Sweet Slaw

1/4 cup soy sauce

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

5 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 1 1/2-pound flank steak

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 red jalapeños, thinly sliced into rounds

5 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (about 9 ounces)

3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Mix soy sauce, oil, 3 teaspoons ginger, and garlic in resealable plastic bag. Add flank steak and seal bag; turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Stir sugar and vinegar in small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves; remove from heat. Add jalapeños and remaining 2 teaspoons ginger. Place cabbage and 1/2 cup green onions in medium bowl.

Pour vinegar mixture over and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand while grilling steak, tossing occasionally.

Grill steak until cooked to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to work surface. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice steak thinly against grain. Sprinkle 1/4 cup green onions over slaw.

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tomatillo salad:

1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 pound fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed

1 cup cilantro leaves

2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Make salad 

Thinly slice tomatillos and toss with cilantro, shallot, lime juice, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cut steaks into serving pieces and top with salsa and salad.

Cooks’ notes: •Steaks can be cooked in a hot oiled 2-burner grill pan over medium-high heat, 4 to 10 minutes for medium-rare.
•Salsa (not salad) can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Rewarm before serving.

Living around 1500 miles from any ocean, sea or gulf, seafood is not something I deal with very often. If it wasn't for son's GF, I doubt I'd try very much at all.  Anyway the only sea food I see is in the frozen food section.  Speaking of frozen food, they had some dim sum that looked interesting so I got some different kinds of dim sum and some beer battered fish filets and made them according to package directions. I made some egg drop soup with chicken stock, grilled some flat iron steak, made some ginger soy sauce, had some prepared horseradish sauce and made my famous nottatar sauce. It is made with mayo, horseradish, steak sauce and chopped pickles.  Someone at a cooking site asked for people's tartar sauce recipe so I gave this one. A chef who has studied French cooking informed me that what I made was NOT Tartar sauce,  so I renamed mine to nottatar sauce.


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I was craving some French Onion Soup but I knew my son and his SO would want something more so I made a small serving, added Caesar salad with homemade dressing, some breaded pork chops corn bread stuffing and French Cut green beans.


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I made the soup from scratch including the broth made with roasted vegetables and ox tail. I made the salad dressing so I was not in the mood to do much more work for this dinner. The pork loin was cut into chops, breaded with Shake and Bake, the stuffing was "enhanced" Stove Top and the green beans were hand cut, boiled then sauteed with garlic and bacon fat.  Buying a pork loin and cutting your own chops from it is much cheaper than paying the butcher or meat cutter to cut them for you.   You can control the thickness too. Thick pork chops are easier to cook and keep juicy than those thin slivers you see so often.

Cuban style chuck eye steak, salad and soup

Son was tired of same old chuck roast and asked me to try something different. He even looked up a recipe which follows. It turned out really well. One of our keepers. I also made a salad with mixed baby greens, fresh mozzarella and an Asian flavored dressing and a chicken broth soup with green onions and bean sprouts.  We loved the chimichurri sauce too. It is a wonderful alternative to pesto.
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4 lbs chuck eye steak, 1-inch thick, beef 

2 tablespoons garlic-flavored olive oil ( or mix some olive oil with garlic powder or fresh minced garlic) 

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning 

2 tablespoons adobo seasoning ( with or without pepper) 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

Directions

Preheat broiler (or grill). 

Place in oven safe baking dish (I have a special glass one). Pour garlic oil over top of steak, coating the top. Sprinkle on the spices, any order. 

Broil about 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your steak. I start mine at the same time as my Spicy Cuban Yellow rice and when the rice cooker is done, so is the steak, about 25 minutes.

Chimichurri sauce

1. 1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
2. 1/2 cup olive oil
3. 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
4. 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
5. 2 garlic cloves, peeled
6. 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
7. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Puree all ingredients in processor. Transfer to bowl. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Fish Grilled in a cedar wrap.

Onions, tomatoes, lemons, eggplant, fish filets and an Asian Seasoning blend wrapped in soaked cedar sheets and grilled

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