Pizza Meatloaf...a throwback to my childhood

I have been in a bit of a cooking rut lately. It didn't help that I thought I was on death's door for two weeks. But, I have made a few "new" recipes in the kitchen in the past few weeks....new as in...I found some recipes  my mom used to make and I thought I would put my own "spin" on things...

The first one was one I used to LOVE back in the day, but she didn't make it very often. Most times it was just meatloaf. I guess whenever cheese is involved, that is a dish I will remember forever.

As for the ground beef, I used the 90/10 package. I thought about using the 93/3, but I figured I needed a little bit of fat. And, I'm sure you could use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Also, for future reference I may play with different types of toppings...but for this one, I stuck with cheese (and red pepper flakes, of course!)

Total time to make this is around an hour, but most of that is the baking portion.

Pizza Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef (90/10)
1 cup tomato paste (6oz.)
1 cup water
1/2 t. oregano
2 garlic, minced
1/2 c. Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 c. diced onion
1 T. fresh parsley, diced
1 beaten egg
1/4 t. fennel seeds
1/2 t. onion salt
1/2 t. - 1T. red pepper flakes
1 c. mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper

Step by Step
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine tomato paste, water, oregano, fennel seeds, onion salt, parsley, half of the red pepper flakes and minced garlic in a bowl.

3. Combine 1/2 of the above mixture with the bread crumbs, diced onion, egg, and salt/pepper.
4. Mix together (I used my hands) with the beef. Shape into a loaf and place into a shallow baking dish.

5. Bake 45 minutes without sauce.
6. Remove from oven. Top with rest of the sauce mixture. Then, top with cheese and remaining red pepper flakes. Bake until cheese has melted (about 5 minutes)

Serve with a green veggie and mashed potatoes.

A San Francisco Treat ~ Joe's Special

Since this week has a "Super Bowl" theme, I did a little bit of research to find a simple dish from San Francisco. The story behind this dish can be found here. But, in case you are pressed for time, here is a tidbit:

Original Joe's
“The name “Joe’s” was a generic name that dates back to the Barbary Coast in San Francisco. During the 1920’s, a group of entrepreneurs decided to open a new restaurant on Broadway Street in San Francisco….it was also a restaurant where the “Joe’s Special” was created. Folklore has it that a customer ordered a spinach omelet very late at night. The customer asked the chef if he had anything else available to cook. The chef replied he had some hamburger left. The customer asked him to throw some of the hamburger into his omelet. The dish became so popular that they eventually put it on the menu.”

Thus, this is a very easy recipe to make and you probably have the ingredients already in your kitchen!

This recipe was adapted from: Good Food

Joe's Special

Ingredients

-eggs (1 egg for each person eating the dish)

-splash or two of Tabasco

-approx. 1 t. oregano

-salt and pepper

-extra virgin olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)

-1 T. unsalted butter

-1 medium onion, diced

-1 clove garlic, minced

-92% lean ground beef (use enough for the group you are serving)

-1 lb. fresh spinach

Step by Step

1. Whisk eggs, Tabasco, oregano, salt, and pepper together. 

2. Over medium heat, heat EVOO and butter until the butter melts. Add onion and garlic. Watch that the garlic doesn't burn.

3. Add in ground beef. (I added more Tabasco over the meat). Stir until brown. 

4. Cover with spinach. 

When the spinach begins to soften, make a "nest" and pour egg mixture in. Continue to stir together until the egg scrambles. It doesn't hurt to add in a bit more salt/pepper and/or Tabasco. 

I served with a piece of garlic bread. I would also recommend serving with salsa. Ours turned out to be a bit dry (and we love salsa). 

And....

For dessert we had strawberries!!! From PLANT CITY, FLORIDA!!! They are the BEST!!!

Beef Quesadillas

 

Now, I LOVE quesadillas! I LOVE ordering them from restuarants, I love making them...I just LOVE them!

So, I thought I had to write a quick post about how I make them. That being said, remember there are many different things you can put into the quesadilla and mine are never the same.

The key to a quesadilla success, to me, is to make sure you heat up the tortilla in a pan (sprayed with PAM, of course) on both sides and when you fold the quesadilla and want to melt the cheese inside...pour a bit of water into the pan and cover it. (that is the trick!)

Beef Quesadillas

Ingredients

*1/2 lb. ground beef
*1/4 diced red pepper
*1/4 diced onion
*1 scallion, diced
*1/4 c. fresh cilantro
*1/2 c. salsa
*lime juice
*salt and pepper
*taco seasoning
*tortillas
*mexican cheese
*sour cream, Tabasco, additional salsa...for topping

Step By Step

1. Combine all of the veggies. Season with salt and pepper and lime juice. (and a dash or two of Tabasco, if desired)
2. Cook the ground beef with the taco seasonings. Add in a bit of water during this process.
3. Once the meat is ALMOST browned, add in the veggies and the salsa. Cook for a few additional minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat an additional pan over High heat. Turn the heat down after a minute to medium-high heat and place a tortilla on the pan and cover. After a minute, flip the tortilla over. Add cheese to half of the tortilla.
5. Top the cheese with the meat mixture. Top with more cheese and fold the tortilla in half.

6. Add in a bit of water and cover to melt the cheese. Once the cheese is melted, it is done. Make sure you use a strong utensil to get the quesadilla out of the pan and onto the plate. (sorry I forgot to take a picture of this, but hopefully you get the idea!)

Serve with a side of rice and/or beans. YUM!

Faux Lasagna Recipe

This is a recipe I came up with on my own because (honestly) I really don't like lasagna...I am not a fan of the different cheeses used in typical lasagna...my mom's recipe was pretty good...but I just didn't like the taste of it...but lasagna is always the "go to" recipe to impress houseguests you might have over for dinner...or at least that is what it seems...it's too much work for a nightly meal, but showy enough for company...

Well, that being said, I wanted to figure out something I could make like lasagna that also tastes delicious to me, but is "showy" enough for company...

Get ready for ALOT of multi-tasking in this recipe...getting the timing down takes practice...but with practice it is worth it...and yes, there is quite a mess after the making of this recipe...at least there is qutie a mess when I'm done...

Faux Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients

*1 lb ground beef (thawed)
*1 small yellow onion, diced
*1/2 c. fresh basil
*2-3 cloves minced garlic
*3 packages frozen cheese ravioli (you will have some leftover)
*1 jar spaghetti sauce
*2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
*2 c. fresh spinach
*Italian seasonings...parsley, oregano, onion salt, garlic
*salt and pepper
*PAM spray
*EVOO (for drizzling)
*9x13 pan

Step by Step

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, and basil over medium heat. (I also sprinkle some seasonings over the meat)

3. Bring pot to a boil and cook ravioli according to package directions.
4. Drain ravioli. Drizzle EVOO over the noodles to prevent sticking...
5. PAM the pan and then arrange the first layer of ravioli (as seen in the picture)

6. Cover the layer with spaghetti sauce and then cover the sauce with the ground beef.

Cover with cheese.

7. Cook the spinach (in the same pan as the beef was in)
8. Cover the beef with another layer of ravioli. Then, top with the spinach.

Over the spinach, add a layer of sauce and cheese.

9. Top with final layer of ravioli.

Top with remaining cheese and Italian seasonings.

10. Bake for 20-25 minutes.