A Meatloaf Recipe That Made Me Love Meatloaf...

Just the sound of "meatloaf" sounds unappetizing to me. The actual dish has always been unappetizing as well. Every time I've ever had meatloaf it's either been sloppy and greasy, or super dry. My husband however, loves meatloaf. I set out years ago to try to find the perfect "loaf" recipe and while I never came to find just one that I liked, I adapted the parts I liked to make our own. And now guess what... I LOVE, yes you saw that right, LOVE meatloaf! So here is the recipe in case you are looking for one to try. 😉

Easy Meatloaf 

(Preheat Oven to 350)
1 lb 90% lean ground beef
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup of milk
1 large egg
2 T Ketchup
1 T Worcestershire sauce
a pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Glaze: 
1/4 C ketchup 
2 T brown sugar (I used coconut sugar)
1 T red wine vinegar

- combine all ingredients except the glaze ingredients to create a well mixed meat mixture. 
- Add the meat to a loaf pan or to a muffin pan (we do this a lot so everyone gets their own mini meatloaf, it cooks faster as well). Pat to create an even layer. 
- In a small bowl combine glaze ingredients. Once combined, spoon the glaze ingredients over the meatloaf. 
- bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 50-55 minutes, or in a muffin pan for 30-35 minutes. 
- Let cool for 5mins then serve. 

Another Family Favorite

There are certain meals that become family favorites and this happens to be one of them, BBQ Cheddar Bacon Chicken. I got the idea and inspiration for this meal when I was eating at one of the local restaurants here. It also includes a recipe for a simple and flavorful BBQ sauce. So here goes, let me know if you try it and if you enjoyed it!

BBQ Cheddar Bacon Chicken

Ingredients:

Homemade BBQ Sauce (recipe at the bottom)
1 lb of Chicken Breast or 2 large chicken breasts
4 slices of bacon
salt
pepper
4 slices of cheddar or shredded cheddar cheese

***Begin by cooking 4 slices or so of bacon (we love Simple Truth Uncured Bacon) in an iron skillet

Preheat oven to 375. When the bacon is done leave just enough grease in the pan to keep your chicken from sticking and add a little extra flavor to your chicken. Butterfly or cut each chicken breast in half and lightly salt and pepper each side. Next, put them in the pan to begin cooking. Let it cook for 4 mins without disturbing it, then flip and cook for 4 more minutes. Next, put the whole pan in oven and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. While it's cooking prepare your BBQ sauce (recipe at the bottom). Pull chicken out and top by layering with BBQ sauce, bacon, then cheddar cheese. Turn the oven on broil and pop the skillet back in the oven for until the cheese begins to bubble. Remove and enjoy!

Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup of ketchup (our favorite is Simple Truth Organic)
1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/8 cup of brown sugar or coconut sugar
2 splashes of Worcestershire sauce
A couple of light squeezes of lemon
cracked pepper to taste
pinch of kosher salt
pinch garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer, stirring often for 10-15 mins or until all ingredients are combined. Enjoy!

Delicious Simple Hamburger Buns

I love to cook and I find it comes in super handy when you have a family of our size. Being a family of 7, and a range of ages from 34 down to 9 months old, I have found that cooking from scratch makes it the easiest way to cater to everyone. Our family loves a good grilled burger but when we were buying buns I often found wasted food, and didn't care for the fact that the buns were often bland unless I paid quite a bit for them. A few years ago I began my search for a bun recipe and found one that's super simple, however, I have tweaked it to be just how we like it. The best part is I can make them exactly the size our family needs them (which is usually several different sizes depending on the kid). These buns are delicious, easy, and have a super moist and soft texture. Here's the recipe, let me know what you think!

Simple Hamburger Buns

1 C plus 2 TBS of very warm water (make sure it's not hot, but very warm)
2 T Dry Active Yeast
1/3 C Coconut oil (make sure it's in a liquid state)
1/4 C Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 C All Purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in the warm water then lightly stir the oil and sugar (make sure not to over stir and kill your yeast). Let the mixture stand 3-5 minutes so yeast is well activated. You may notice some neat little chemical reactions with the activated yeast.
Next, stir in the egg, salt, and 2 cups of flour until everything is well combined. Add a little more flour until it forms a sticky ball of dough. Next turn out the dough onto a floured surface (I knead on parchment paper for easy cleanup). Knead the dough incorporating more flour as need to make a nice elastic dough.
Now divide the dough into 8-12 balls and place them on a baking sheet a few inches apart. I usually form my dough into thick circles rather than balls, making sure they are smooth. Cover and let them rise for 10-15 minutes. While they are rising set the oven to 425 F.
Bake for 8 minutes then place a small amount of butter on each roll/bun and place back in the oven for an additional 2-4 minutes, or until a golden brown.
Once finished let them cool on the counter, cut, and enjoy.

Let me know if you try them!

Tuscan Potato Soup- A Large Family Favorite

On a cold night, what could be more comforting than a big hearty bowl of delicious soup!?
This soup has become a family favorite around here and is sure to please your crowd. I did a vlog on YouTube showing just how easy it is and I doubled the recipe. The doubled recipe made a ton and we had some great leftovers for lunches the next two days!

Tuscan Potato Soup

1 lb of breakfast sausage (spicy would be great in this but not with young children)
1/2 of a red onion, diced
2 pieces of bacon, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 quart of chicken broth or 1 quart of water and 3 cubes of bouillon
1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (red or russet style work best) cut into large chunks
1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

On medium high heat brown sausage. Once browned, drain and put aside in a separate bowl. Next, add onion and bacon, cooking for about 2 minutes before adding the garlic cooking for another 2 minutes or so. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are able to be pierced with a fork. Next, stir in heavy cream, kale, salt, and pepper. Let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as our family does!