I had the good fortune to come across this recipe for Murphy’s meatloaf in the AJC’s “From the Menu Of” feature a few weeks ago. Since I love Murphy’s, I tried it out last night, and it was delicious. As a bonus, I have deemed this recipe “kid friendly” and have hatched an evil plot to serve it to Avery for dinner to get her to eat a vegetable serving! Mwah ha ha ha! (That’s evil laughter in case you need a translation).
Murphy’s Spinach and Sausage Meatloaf
Hands on: 15 minutes, Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, Serves: 12
2 pounds ground chuck
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-squeezed dry
1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage
1/4 pound mild Italian sausage
1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Small pinch of each: dried thyme, dried basil and dried oregano
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a rimmed cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, combine ground chuck, spinach, spicy and mild sausage, onion, egg, Parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, basil and oregano. Mix well but do not overwork.
Form mixture into a loaf and put on cookie sheet. Cover with foil and bake approximately 45 minutes or until loaf is cooked through and has an internal temperature of 155 degrees. Let meatloaf rest 10 minutes, covered, before slicing.
Per serving: 345 calories (percent of calories from fat, 70), 21 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 26 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 99 milligrams cholesterol, 562 milligrams sodium.
Showing posts with label Betty Focker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Betty Focker. Show all posts
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Plate Lickin' Good
Saturday, Greg set out some venison tenderloin to thaw for Sunday dinner while I set to getting inspired about how to cook it. I perused a few cookbooks and decided to go with this Cooking Light recipe for a Bourbon and Brown Sugar marinade and sauce. I skipped the recipe’s potatoes and instead made Gruyere Cheese Grits and added some roasted asparagus.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=349280
Not one to use cheap Bourbon, due to the fact that we didn’t have any in the house, I stayed true to my Kentucky roots and used Woodford Reserve in the sauce. Let’s just say it wasn’t one of the dogs licking our plates when we done.
If your husband isn’t the type to hunt and gather for your food, then I am sure this recipe would taste equally as good with flank steak. Enjoy!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=349280
Not one to use cheap Bourbon, due to the fact that we didn’t have any in the house, I stayed true to my Kentucky roots and used Woodford Reserve in the sauce. Let’s just say it wasn’t one of the dogs licking our plates when we done.
If your husband isn’t the type to hunt and gather for your food, then I am sure this recipe would taste equally as good with flank steak. Enjoy!
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Art of the Reverse Marinade
Atlanta chef Philippa Kingsley's recipe for Thai Beef Salad in the AJC caught my eye last week. I'm always looking for filling and flavorful salad recipes, but this recipe intrigued me mostly because of the marinade. You cook the meat first, marinate second. I just had to try it!
Before you begin, take note of Philippa's keys to success: #1 the long marinade time and #2 the cut of your meat. Philippa suggests 24 hours in the marinade, and since I had the awesome idea to prep this Sunday and eat it Monday, this is what I did, and I'm totally with her. As for the cut, she suggests top-notch beef tenderloin (filet mignon), but that was too rich for my wallet, so I used London Broil. I wish I'd spent a few extra dollars and gotten a bit of a nicer cut, as I think the marinade would've made filet absolutely melt in your mouth. The London Broil was still good - but let's face it. It's just no filet mignon.
Serves: 4
1 pound beef tenderloin
Salt
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (I used bottled, no way was I juicing all those lemons)
1 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (found in the ethnic isle of my Publix)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped or torn by hand
1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped or torn by hand (I omitted b/c Publix was out)
2 small to medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
½ European cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce, washed, separated into individual leaves and dried
Additional mint and cilantro for garnish (optional)
Set broiler on high. Rub beef tenderloin with salt and place in a shallow roasting pan or broiler pan. Cook each side for 10-15 minutes — until medium (just pink at the interior). A meat thermometer inserted at thickest portion of the tenderloin should read 135-140 degrees; the meat will rise another 5-10 degrees when removed from oven. (Chef's Note: you may also grill the meat.) Set aside to rest for 15-20 minutes, and slice. (Betty's Note: using a digital thermometer in the meat while broiling will result in complete and utter destruction of your thermometer probe, just so you know).
In a large mixing bowl, add lemon juice, sweet Thai chili sauce, granulated sugar and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add the sliced beef, red onion, green onion, cilantro and mint. Cover and chill for at least four hours, or overnight. Or, 24 hours if you want to be like me.
One hour before serving, add cucumber and tomato to the beef mixture. Stir, cover and return to refrigerator. (I think skipping this step is no biggie).
In a large bowl or serving dish, make a circle of lettuce leaves. Spoon the beef mixture onto the lettuce and pour in the marinade. If desired, garnish with optional cilantro or mint sprigs.
The result: The flavor is really delicious, and this is healthy, too (nutritional info below). I consider the reverse-marinade a success, and think I might try the leftovers in noodle bowls tomorrow night for dinner. Yum!
Per serving: 310 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 32 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 117 milligrams sodium.
Before you begin, take note of Philippa's keys to success: #1 the long marinade time and #2 the cut of your meat. Philippa suggests 24 hours in the marinade, and since I had the awesome idea to prep this Sunday and eat it Monday, this is what I did, and I'm totally with her. As for the cut, she suggests top-notch beef tenderloin (filet mignon), but that was too rich for my wallet, so I used London Broil. I wish I'd spent a few extra dollars and gotten a bit of a nicer cut, as I think the marinade would've made filet absolutely melt in your mouth. The London Broil was still good - but let's face it. It's just no filet mignon.
Serves: 4
1 pound beef tenderloin
Salt
1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (I used bottled, no way was I juicing all those lemons)
1 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (found in the ethnic isle of my Publix)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped or torn by hand
1 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped or torn by hand (I omitted b/c Publix was out)
2 small to medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
½ European cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce, washed, separated into individual leaves and dried
Additional mint and cilantro for garnish (optional)
Set broiler on high. Rub beef tenderloin with salt and place in a shallow roasting pan or broiler pan. Cook each side for 10-15 minutes — until medium (just pink at the interior). A meat thermometer inserted at thickest portion of the tenderloin should read 135-140 degrees; the meat will rise another 5-10 degrees when removed from oven. (Chef's Note: you may also grill the meat.) Set aside to rest for 15-20 minutes, and slice. (Betty's Note: using a digital thermometer in the meat while broiling will result in complete and utter destruction of your thermometer probe, just so you know).
In a large mixing bowl, add lemon juice, sweet Thai chili sauce, granulated sugar and fish sauce. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add the sliced beef, red onion, green onion, cilantro and mint. Cover and chill for at least four hours, or overnight. Or, 24 hours if you want to be like me.
One hour before serving, add cucumber and tomato to the beef mixture. Stir, cover and return to refrigerator. (I think skipping this step is no biggie).
In a large bowl or serving dish, make a circle of lettuce leaves. Spoon the beef mixture onto the lettuce and pour in the marinade. If desired, garnish with optional cilantro or mint sprigs.
The result: The flavor is really delicious, and this is healthy, too (nutritional info below). I consider the reverse-marinade a success, and think I might try the leftovers in noodle bowls tomorrow night for dinner. Yum!
Per serving: 310 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 32 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (3 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 117 milligrams sodium.
Monday, May 24, 2010
May Challenge Results: Betty Bakes
Baking intimidates me. Maybe it’s because there are usually so many steps, and taking a short-cut, or getting distracting and missing one has some pretty catastrophic results. My tasty failures include a Nutella pound cake that wouldn’t part from its loaf pan, and a chocolate bundt cake that overflowed from the confines of the pan into the oven. Oops. That recipe was written for a 14-cup bundt pan, and mine was “close enough.”
I’ve learned from these mistakes though, and decided to put my proverbial toes back in the baking waters via the world of “cupcaking.” Since Avery doesn’t eat sweets, there are just two of us to eat my creations. Obviously, cupcakes are the perfect dessert for two. Why? Well, because you can easily unload half a batch to co-workers at the office, and that is somehow way more appealing than a half-eaten cake. They also travel easily and let’s face it, they are cute. So, it’s only logical that for the Ace of Cakes Challenge that I make some cupcakes, right?
Yesterday, I tackled Southern Living’s Key Lime Cupcake Pies. And guess what? I remembered to spray the cupcake liners, just as the recipe directs. The result? A delicious cupcake that pleased both my palette and my eyes. Yeah!
Recipe note: I did use low-fat cream cheese to cut a few calories. I also didn't buy enough limes, which meant I didn't have enough lime juice. Unfortunately, Greg was mowing and Avery was napping, so I had to sub in a little lemon juice. When I mentioned this to Greg later, he said that I should have used margarita mix instead of lemon juice. It was such a brilliant idea I wished I'd thought of it myself, and done it! My substitutions had no ill effect on this recipe, so feel free to make the same ones yourself, but definitely remember that margarita mix tip if you run out of limes, or just want to run out on purpose!
Now I know you are wondering….how do Key Lime Cupcake Pies fit my personality? Well, I think they represent my resilience, my willingness to try new things, and my health consciousness. They are also super witty and very smart, too ;)
I’ve learned from these mistakes though, and decided to put my proverbial toes back in the baking waters via the world of “cupcaking.” Since Avery doesn’t eat sweets, there are just two of us to eat my creations. Obviously, cupcakes are the perfect dessert for two. Why? Well, because you can easily unload half a batch to co-workers at the office, and that is somehow way more appealing than a half-eaten cake. They also travel easily and let’s face it, they are cute. So, it’s only logical that for the Ace of Cakes Challenge that I make some cupcakes, right?
Yesterday, I tackled Southern Living’s Key Lime Cupcake Pies. And guess what? I remembered to spray the cupcake liners, just as the recipe directs. The result? A delicious cupcake that pleased both my palette and my eyes. Yeah!
Recipe note: I did use low-fat cream cheese to cut a few calories. I also didn't buy enough limes, which meant I didn't have enough lime juice. Unfortunately, Greg was mowing and Avery was napping, so I had to sub in a little lemon juice. When I mentioned this to Greg later, he said that I should have used margarita mix instead of lemon juice. It was such a brilliant idea I wished I'd thought of it myself, and done it! My substitutions had no ill effect on this recipe, so feel free to make the same ones yourself, but definitely remember that margarita mix tip if you run out of limes, or just want to run out on purpose!
Now I know you are wondering….how do Key Lime Cupcake Pies fit my personality? Well, I think they represent my resilience, my willingness to try new things, and my health consciousness. They are also super witty and very smart, too ;)
Monday, March 29, 2010
Betty Focker Speaks Up
Well, ladies, since there was a lot of “two birds with one stone” action going on in March, I am going to add some “taking a few liberties” to the mix.Betty Focker’s take on Sue Cheff’s March Challenge:
Even though Sue said the SoBe Fest recipes were online, I couldn’t find them. After I used 15 minutes of Avery’s precious nap time searching for them I got frustrated, and logically went to a plan B. Since a complimentary subscription to Food and Wine magazine was given to us all with purchase of our festival tickets, I decided trying a few recipes out of the April issue was as close as I was going to get, in the interest of nap time and all.
First up, I selected this Sweet & Sour Green Bean recipe. Truthfully, I have gotten a little bored with my variations on the 3 green vegetables that Mr. Focker will agree to eat (canned green beans, roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus), and this recipe was just the perfect deviation from the norm to please my palate. I give this recipe two thumbs up. It was easy, delicious, and it has shallots in it, which are quite possibly my new favorite ingredient. YUM. I will make this again.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sweet-and-sour-green-beans
Second up, I made these Jalapeño Roasted Potatoes. The potatoes were really tasty and crisp, but the jalapeños burned. I would probably make these potatoes again, but would keep the jalapeños separate and add them to the potatoes 15-20 minutes into cooking time. One thumb up as the recipe is written, 2 thumbs up if my proposed modification works.http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/jalapeno-roasted-potatoes
To accompany these yummy sides takes me to: Betty Focker’s take on Giada’s March Challenge. I had big plans for my crock-pot adaptation: meatloaf in the crock-pot. What can I say? I constantly live on the edge.I mixed up my normal meatloaf recipe as follows, sans the traditional ketchup-y topping: 1.5 lbs ground beef, 1 cup crushed saltine crackers, 1 diced onion, 1 egg and 1 cup of milk. I used whole milk, because that's what baby Focker drinks.
Then, I made a “sling” out of a couple sheets of aluminum foil, and sculpted my meatloaf. Because my crock pot is round, my loaf came out kind of egg shaped. That's cool, we'll say it's a theme for Easter. Should you have an oval crock pot, then you are one lucky girl. If you have a very large oval crock pot, I bet you could fit an aluminum loaf pan down that in that naughty beast and skip the foil entirely. Lucky!Once my loaf was all snug in my crock, I planned to cook it 4-5 hours on low, or to 165 degrees. But when I checked it after only 4 hours, it was at 190 degrees, so I turned off the heat then.
I used my handy sling to remove the loaf from the confines of the crock-pot, and then slathered the top with some sun-dried tomato spread. This makes your meatloaf all gourmet and stuff.
The verdict:
While the meatloaf was really moist, I missed the crust that “ovening” the loaf yields. But Mr. Focker really liked it, and baby Focker ate some on two different nights for dinner, so I do have to give this method 1.5 thumbs up. There’s also the consideration that this recipe makes week-night meatloaf a possibility, it you are so inclined.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Welcome to March Challenges!
Welcome to the Cook Club Blog. Inspired by the fabulous events of the 2010 South Beach Wine and Food Festival, our group of foodies decided to take our own culinary skills to the next level with a friendly challenge amongst ourselves. So, each month, we plan to challenge each other to a culinary feat that must be completed in one month's time.
To spice things up a bit, we've all conjured up some fun culinary personas. That leads me to Betty Focker's March Challenge!
The Challenge:
You know you have them: gadgets all smart and shiny from your favorite culinary proprietor, the item that you had to have but only seemed like a good idea. Or specialty pans or serve ware collecting dust in your cabinets. In the month of March, break out that gadget and find a recipe to create a culinary masterpiece using it! Don't forget to include a photo and a recipe in your post, ladies!
To spice things up a bit, we've all conjured up some fun culinary personas. That leads me to Betty Focker's March Challenge!
The Challenge:
You know you have them: gadgets all smart and shiny from your favorite culinary proprietor, the item that you had to have but only seemed like a good idea. Or specialty pans or serve ware collecting dust in your cabinets. In the month of March, break out that gadget and find a recipe to create a culinary masterpiece using it! Don't forget to include a photo and a recipe in your post, ladies!
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