Glazed Mini Meatloaves

I am not a meatloaf fan. And my hubby is not one even more so than me. So he was definitely hesitant when he came home to find me making Meatloaf for dinner. But Mel over at My Kitchen Cafe hasn't disappointed me yet, so I knew I had to try it. And besides, she has 4 boys that all seemed to love it, so I was sure my own 3 boys (well 4 if you count the Hubs!) would at least try it.  And they did. And they LOVED IT. The whole fam agreed it was most definitely a keeper. Well, Savannah didn't understand, but I guessed from her empty dinner plate that she loved it, too. :)


Glazed Mini Meatloaves
submitted by Michelle
(from My Kitchen Cafe)

Makes 4-5 mini meatloaves.

Meatloaves:
17-20 saltine crackers, crushed fine (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground meat
2 teaspoons oil

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add ground meat and combine until uniform. Shape mixture into oval loaves
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is rippling. Add meatloaves (without letting them touch sides) and brown well on one side, 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip loaves over and tidy up edges using a spatula . Brown on this side for another 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. Transfer mini meatloaves to a foil-lined baking pan and spoon the glaze over the top of each meatloaf. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (or do like Mel does and cut one of the little babies open and if it looks done – pull ‘em out of the oven!).
Enjoy!

Layered Pumpkin Loaf

Like I said before, I 'heart' pumpkin!!!! This was so good, more of like a dessert!! Yummy, yummy!!!



Layered Pumpkin Loaf
submitted by Camille
(adapted from Kraft Foods)

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 egg whites, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix pumpkin, 1 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3 egg whites, milk and oil in large bowl. Add flour, baking powder, spice and salt; stir just until moistened. Beat cream cheese, remaining granulated sugar and remaining egg white with whisk until well blended.

Spoon half of pumpkin batter into greased 9x5-inch nonstick loaf pan; cover with layers of cream cheese mixture` and remaining pumpkin batter.

BAKE 1 hour to 1 hour 5 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Loosen bread from sides of pan; cool in pan 10 min. Remove bread from pan to wire rack; cool completely.

Taco Soup

Don't you love this time of year when you can make soups and comfort foods! The weather has been very cool this time of year for our area, but I am LOVING it!!! This recipe was seriously so easy!! And perfect for a cool Fall day!!! Enjoy!



Taco Soup
submitted by Camille
(from The Sisters Cafe)

2 cans diced tomatoes (seasoned or regular)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can green beans (we don't like green beans in this family, so I used peas instead!)
2 cans kidney beans (I used 1 can black beans and 1 can kidney)
1-2lbs ground beef or turkey
1 packet taco seasoning (I like it better with 1.5packets)

Brown the meat, adding half of the seasoning packet. Bring all other ingredients to a slow simmer in separate pot. Add the other half of the seasoning packet while simmering. Add meat. Garnish with cheese, chips, green onions, and avocado.

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake

Seriously?! When I saw this recipe over on Our Best Bites food blog, I wanted it RIGHT then soooo bad!!!! Sadly, I had to wait a few days. It was worth it. It reminded me of the DQ pumpkin pie milkshake, but I liked this one even better!!! So did my kids!!!!! I 'heart' pumpkin!!!



Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
submitted by Camille
(from Our Best Bites)

1/3 cup pumpkin, canned or homemade
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp cloves (just use a 1/8 t measure and fill it half way, or do a pinch)
1/16 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1-2 graham crackers

Pop everything but graham crackers in a blender. Start with 1/4 cup milk and then slowly add more if needed to make the blender process it all. I used somewhere between 1/4-1/2 cups.

Here is a tip from Our Best Bites: A note about blenders: Here's the problem with making thick, diner style milkshakes at home: A lot of times you have to add so much milk to the thing to get the blender to process that it turns into a milk-slushie instead. Or you have to blend and plunge, blend and plunge, etc. You know the drill, right? So if you have any trouble with your blender, I would recommend blending everything but the ice cream first and then mashing it into the ice cream by hand (well, with a hand. Holding a fork or spoon :) If your scooped ice cream sits out at room temp while you measure the other things and get them all ready, then by the time you mash it all together it should be a good consistency.

Seven-Point Spread

Seven-Point Spread
submitted by Camille
(adapted from Kraft foods)

1 pkg. (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup sliced jalapeno peppers for nachos, drained and chopped
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup Mexican Style Shredded Cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chunky salsa
2 green onions, sliced
crackers, chips or sliced veggies for dipping

Spread cream cheese onto bottom of 9 inch pie plate; top with layers of peppers, chicken and shredded cheese. Microwave on High 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top with layers of sour cream, salsa and onions. Serve with chips, crackers and veggies.

The Ultimate Cowboy Burgers

Ohmygoodness....my Hubby and I fell in LOVE with these burgers!!!! I think we made like 4 times in the month of July!!!! Seriously mouth-watering!!! They make really big burgers...and also I would almost always double the recipe so everyone in my family could have one, plus there would be a few for leftovers the next day : )



The Ultimate Cowboy Burgers
submitted by Camille
(adapted from Picky Palate)


1 1lb ground beef

2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese plus 1/2 Cup for topping burgers

4 Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns, toasted

4 Tablespoons mayonnaise

1 Cup shredded iceburg lettuce

8 slices tomato, 1/2 inch thick

8 baked onion rings

4 Tablespoons BBQ sauce

1. Preheat grill to medium high. In a large bowl combine the beef, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Form into 4 large patties and grill for 4-5 minutes each side. During the last few minutes, add additional cheddar cheese to melt. Place mayonnaise onto both sides of buns and layer lettuce, tomato, burger, onion rings then BBQ sauce on bottom rolls. Place roll on top and serve!