Saturday, October 19, 2013

Meatloaf with a kick


A few nights ago I was was playing in the kitchen chilling some dough and realized I was starving. I was so hungry and needed to feed myself something that was tasty and rather simple so I could work on one more go-round of my Raspberry Cloud Cakes. I admit, with the WFC approaching faster than ever I have not been eating properly. But I was lucky to have thought ahead and defrosted some chopped sirloin and decided to make my go to dish- MEATLOAF. Sometimes I make a complicated meatloaf but this time it had to be simple. I went through my cupboards and grabbed a packet of Goya Sazon Seasoning (a life saver), remember this little gem? I use it in my shrimp dishes all the time and thought, why not try it with meatloaf. Plus I had some cooked bacon in the fridge. So far, so good. It took me no time to put this little loaf together and a happy gal I was. No chopping involved, but if you have some extra time please add some fresh diced green or red peppers. Here's the recipe:

Sazon Bacon and Sirloin Meatloaf

1 package Sazon seasoning from Goya
1 egg
1 T milk
1 T minced dried onion
1/2 sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 (or more) black pepper
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 lb chopped sirloin
6 slices cooked bacon finely chopped

Here's a picture of the Sazon seasoning, the star of the show:


And here's what I did with this fabulous spice blend:

Mix Sazon, egg, milk, dried onion, salt, pepper, crackers and Worcestershire sauce together with a spoon or fork.


 Now add your chopped bacon.


Mix in the ground sirloin and form into a small loaf and place in greased pan.


Bake 50 minutes and enjoy any way your little heart desires. I made sammies and forgot to take pictures. But you can just imagine how delish they were. My suggestion is to double the recipe. I am now wishing I had done that.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Mexican Chicken Soup


I'm loving my internet cooking friends. Their recipes are tried and true and they are sure helping me out these days. I'm getting ready for the World Food Championships which is less than three weeks away and there is hardly any time to make dinner. But a gal's got to eat something other than desserts, right? So last night I made Laura Lynn Lopez's Mexican Chicken Soup and wowzer! is this a great recipe. She makes hers in a crock pot, but I put this together on my stove top in about 35 minutes. Here's the recipe with a few of my additions (and omissions):

Mexican Chicken Soup
Inspired by Laura Lynn Lopez
Serves about 6

2 Idaho potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie from my market)
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can Campbells cream of potato soup
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 4 oz can diced green chiles undrained
2 T minced fresh cilantro
1 package taco seasoning mix (I used Old El Paso Hot and Spicy)
3 cups chicken broth
8 oz sour cream (I omitted this ingredient but if I had some on hand I would have certainly used it)
4 oz jalapeno pepper Velveeta cheese cubed (I used the 2% plain because that's what was in my fridge)

Directions:
Cook diced potatoes for about 12 minutes on stove, starting potatoes in cold water. Drain and set aside. In large soup pot combine chicken, corn, both canned soups, chicken broth, cilantro, cooked potatoes and taco seasoning. Stir until heated and smooth. Now cook on low for about 10 minutes. Add your cheese and serve. Delish!


I just reheated this tonight and added some chopped bacon and home made corn chips as a garnish.
Thank you Laura, I love your recipes.  

Thursday, October 3, 2013

MIA

Yes, that would be me, Missing In Action. I don't think I have skipped an entire month of writing since I started this little journal, how many years ago? But I do have an excuse, hopefully it's a good one and you'll understand. I'm going to the World Food Cooking Championships again this fall in Las Vegas and have been boning up on desserts- the category I qualified in this year. I've been baking and timing recipes almost nonstop and finally caught my breath, came down to earth and decided I'd do a short post on a simple, quick dinner I made tonight. Do you like white pizza? I haven't really made many, but with the help of some Naan Bread, this little darling is just what the doctor ordered for a now busy dessert chef wannabe. The recipe is simple and I'll explain it in pictures. Here's what you'll need for one pizza:

Naan White Pizza
serves 1

1 slice of naan bread
2 T small curd low fat cottage cheese drained of liquid
1 T olive oil
1 large onion thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
2 T grated pamesan cheese

In medium saucepan on medium low temp add your olive oil and heat. Add your onions, a bit of salt and pepper and cook slowly stirring every few minutes until they become caramalized (about 20 minutes). When they're just about done add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Stir and set aside to cool a bit. (sorry, no picture of this, but the onions should be a caramel color and your kitchen should smell delicious).

Take out your naan and place on a foil lined baking sheet that has been lightly spritzed with cooking spray. I'm not sure this is necessary, but I wasn't taking any chances. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.


Spread a thin layer of low fat cottage cheese on the bread. I added a bit of black pepper on top.


Top with the caramalized onions. Don't pile them on, spread them gingerly and if you have any left over, either pop them in your mouth or save them for tomorrow's sandwich. They will keep in the fridge for a few days.


Now it's time for some more cheese. Add your mozzarella and parm, again not loading up the pie. This is not supposed to be a "loaded" pizza.


Doesn't that look good already? Bake in pre heated oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbly. Serve hot or at room temp. A green salad would have been heavenly with this, but I just didn't take the time. Next time I will for sure.


I hope you try this! And the re-mixes can be anything your little heart desires. My next naan pizza will have some sriracha bacon on it. This meal is so quick and simple, the sriracha bacon update could be very soon!