Simple Meat Loaf

I have been struggling for 34 years to make a good meat loaf. I will stuggle NO MORE. Instant stuffing mix Was the trick.

You can do add-in's as you like with this great tasting easy basic recipe. This recipe also makes "THE" best meat balls. 

You can also use 1lb of ground beef and 1lb of Italian Sausage 

OR make it with ground chicken or turkey and use chicken broth instead of beef and I use the Stove Top Stuffing chicken or turkey flavor, it was just as good. 

You can also cook in slow cooker, directions at bottom.

♥

~~ HAPPY COOKING ~~

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS
2 to 3 eggs
1/2 beef broth
1 (6 ounce) package instant stuffing mix (i used Stove Top Herb flavored stuffing mix )
2 pounds ground beef
2 heaping spoons of ketchup
1 to 2 cloves minced garlic ( or garlic powder)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms ( optional)


KETCHUP SAUCE
ketchup
brown sugar
Worcestershire Sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, beat eggs and beef broth . Add stuffing mix and contents of seasoning packet; mix well. Add onion, garlic ,mushrooms, ketchup and beef; mix well.
I place some slices of bread at the bottom of pan to absorb the grease... worked great! Press into an ungreased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. ( I also make it on a cookie sheet, as we like crusty meatloaf and I make 2 smaller ones which cooks in less time, about 45 mins to 1 hour )
Top with ketchup sauce. ( you can use any topping you like, I use BBQ sauce some times)
Bake, uncovered, at 350'f. for 1-1/4 hours or until no pink remains , it cooks a little more after you take it out of oven. Let rest 5 mins.

SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS 
I use Slow Cooker Liners for easy clean up,

 if you don't have them spray bottom of slow cooker with Pam

Crisscross two 15" x 2" strips of foil across the bottom and up the sides, leaving ends out to serve as handles.

Place the meat mixture on the foil strips, pressing lightly to form a round loaf that doesn't touch the sides of the pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 9 hours or 5 to 6 hours on high.

Patio Potato Salad

I am not big on potato salad. I am a macaroni salad type of gal. But hubby loves it and I always was picked to make potato salad for all the family BBQ's. 

I kept it simple potatoes, eggs and mayo. They loved it so much the bowl was always empty, that's why i was always asked to make it lol. 

Well I was surfing the web this morning and looking for something different and here is what i found. I will be making this tomorrow. I am sure it is going to be a big hit. 

♥

~~Happy Cooking~~

from Taste of Home
8-10 Servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vinegar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
7 medium red potatoes, peel if u like, cook and cube them
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Lettuce leaves and paprika, optional

DIRECTIONS

Put potatoes in a pan and cover them with cold water. Cook on medium-high heat  for 20 minutes. Check them for doneness after 15 minutes. Drain them when they're done and let them cool while you're working on the sauce. 

Place eggs  in a pan, cover them with cold water, bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, turn off heat, cover, and set timer for 12 minutes. Transfer to ice water bath until cooled, then peel and chop. 

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, mustard, salt and celery seed.
Stir in the milk, vinegar and egg until smooth. Add butter. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Cool. Stir in onion and mayonnaise.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes and hard-cooked eggs. Add dressing and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

If desired, serve in a lettuce-lined bowl and sprinkle with paprika.

Irish Blueberry Scones

I got this recipe from my mom's recipe collection my dad gave me. I found a lot different ones on pinterest and online, but Mom's is ALWAYS the best. They came out great... my husband loved them and he isn't a big scone eater. I packed some up to bring to my dad's tomorrow and hubby was like your taking the scones lol I assured him I left some for him.

♥~Happy Baking~ ♥

Pre-Heat Oven to 350'


Ingredients

3 Cups Flour
1/2 cup sugar
2  1/2 tsp backing powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1 cup buttermilk ( low fat)
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup raisins, or blueberry's, or cranberries, or what ever you like to add

Directions

Put dry ingredients in bowl. Add buttermilk, melted butter and raisins
( or what ever you decide to add I added blueberries)
Mix the batter, using a wooden spoon, do not over mix. Shape into 12 round scones. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. 
Bake for 10 mins on each side , when bottoms are golden brown. 
( Ovens may vary )

Enjoy!

Weight Watcher Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

This is one of our favorite recipes! We never buy spaghetti sauce. This is the only way we eat spaghetti now. I usually make it in a frying pan I think I have posted that recipe, I will have to check. This way is just as good and great for these hot days we've been having here in NJ. I am making this in fact tonight. I Serve it over thin spaghetti . For a spicier flavor, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes at the start of cooking.

Serves 4

 1 serving; 4 Old Points    5 Points Plus 

~HAPPY COOKING~♥

Ingredients
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (fresh, frozen or canned)
1 strip green pepper, sliced
1 cup onions, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced ( jar minced)
1 Tbsp canned tomato paste
14 1/2 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
3/4 tsp table salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Place chicken in a 3- to 5-quart slow cooker. Add mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes and juice, wine, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.

Cover slow cooker; cook on high heat for 5 to 6 hours or on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Taste just before serving and add remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt if necessary. Yields about 1 cup per serving

Weight Watchers Taco Casserole

This is a great taco casserole recipe the whole family will love.

I haven't made this yet but plan to this coming week. Hubby is one who goes on weight watchers and so good loses weight but starts to eat again. I am guilty of making wonderful dishes full of calories, so NOW I need to start remaking Weight Watcher dishes again, which are very yummy. My problem is I need to gain weight lol and I have to watch out for all this dairy , so I will be adjusting how much I put in which will make this even less points.

~Happy Cooking~ ♥

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken 

1/2 cup onions, chopped

1/2 cup bell peppers, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

8 ozs taco sauce

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1 cup fat-free cottage cheese

1 cup low-fat tortilla chips, whole or broken up

1 cup low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup salsa, for garnish (optional)

Directions


Heat oven to 400. Spray cooking spray on bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish set aside.


In a skillet, cook chicken, onion, peppers, and garlic clove until tender. Add seasoning mix and taco sauce; set aside.


In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese; set aside. Place half the broken chips in the bottom of casserole dish. Add meat mixture to cover the chips, then cover the meat with sour cream mixture.
Sprinkle with cheese and remaining crushed chips.
Bake for 30 mins, uncovered and cheese is all melted.


Top with 3/4 cup salsa if desired.




Makes 8 (1 Cup Servings) Old Points 6 Points Plus+ 7


Nutritional Info Per Serving:
287 Calories;
4g Fat
25g Protein
34g Carbs
43mg Cholesterol
2g Fiber

Cracker Barrel’s Grilled Chicken Tenders

I love Cracker Barrel. There ins't one close to us since

 we moved 5 years ago. So I was delighted when I 

found some recipes online.

~This recipe is so simple, and the results are great~

Happy Cooking

♥

Ingredients:

1 lb. Chicken Breast Tenders

1/2 C Italian Dressing (drain spices and discard spices)

1 tsp Fresh Lime Juice  (  I use lemon juice )

1 1/2 tsp Honey

Directions

>Mix dressing, lime juice and honey together. Pour over chicken tenders, making sure all tenders are covered, marinate for 1 hour.

Grill the chicken tenders to lightly golden in color but not dry.

Mexican Aladonna

I was going to make a Mexican dish I found either on Pinterest or the web, but couldn't find it, so I made up a recipe. It came out pretty good, hubby enjoyed it. SO , I will be making it again.

Ingredients

4 pieces of boneless chicken breast

Olive Oil

1 package of Taco Seasoning

4 Med. flour tortillas

1 Jar Salsa ( mild, med or hot)

Sliced small onion

Shredded Mexican Cheese

1/2 Cup water

1 TBSP of flour

Directions

Pour half the taco seasoning in a baggie and add chicken, shake to coat .

Add olive oil to frying pan and when hot add chicken. Sear chicken 2 to 3 mins on each side. 

Put some salsa in dish then place 2  tortillas in baking dish, over lapping.

Put some salsa on top of tortillas, spread evenly.

Add sliced onion and shredded  Mexican cheese ( as much as you like)

add Chicken and the rest of the salsa

put the other 2 tortillas on top, over lapping 


Mix 1/2 cup of water with the flour and rest of taco mix. Mix well. 
Then pour all over and in the sides.

Bake in 350' over for 35 mins.

Let rest 5 mins before serving.

Cut in pieces and scoop up sauce/with onions and pour on top.

 I served this with white rice.

You can use what ever flavor you choose. It is all I had in the house.

 ENJOY
 ü 

  ds

Bacon Meatloaf

I use ground chicken and turkey bacon. It is what we are use to . We are not fan's of red meat. Since hubby started weight watchers years ago, we started eatting turkey bacon. I forget what real bacon taste like lol. You can use what ever you like, thats what;s great about meatloaf. Also, grating the onion adds moisture to the meatloaf.

♥

Ingredients

1 LB lean ground chicken ( beef or beef & pork or turkey)

1 medium onion, finely grated 

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
 1/2 teaspoon season salt

1 egg lightly beaten

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

6 bacon strips ( I use turkey bacon)

Directions

Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.

In a large bowl, Combine the meat, onion, seasonings, egg, and worcestershire sauce.  Using your hands, combine the mixture well using a kneading-like motion (but try not to overwork it).

 Form into a loaf shape and place in roasting pan.

lay bacon lengthwise to cover top and lap over the sides.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Do not over cook, or meatloaf will be dry.

Remove from oven and remove bacon to a plate and turn on broiler and broil till top is brown about 3 to 5 mins.

Remove and place on plate let rest 5 mins then slice and serve with the bacon.

Blueberry Cream Dessert

 This is a great dessert on a hot day

I  add some fresh blueberry's

on top when serving it.

This is a favorite of mine

From Quick Cooking Magazine 

{ it is now Simple and Delicious Magazine }

16 servings  3.9 WW Points

Crust:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 3/4 cups low-fat graham cracker crumbs

2 whole eggs

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup margarine, melted

21 ozs blueberry pie filling

Filling:

8 ozs Cool Whip Free, thawed

8 ozs fat-free cream cheese, softened

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare crust, combine cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and margarine in a mixing bowl. Mix until crumbly. Press into a prepared 13"x9" pan; set aside.

 In another mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Pour over crust.

 Bake for 15 minutes, or until set.

Spread pie filling evenly over top. Then, spoon whipped topping over top.

Chill several hours before serving.

Nutritional Analysis per serving (16 servings total)

Calories 191

%CFF 16 %

Total Fat 3 g

Saturated Fat 0.7 mg

Protein 3 g

Cholesterol 23 g

Carbohydrates 26 g

Sodium 234 mg

Sugars 22 g

Fiber 1 g

3.9 WW Points

Rich and Moist Banana Bread

This is the moistest banana bread that I have ever tasted.

 It's also very easy to make! 

Yield 1 - 9x5 inch loaf

 Ingredients

 1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

 1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup chopped walnuts( Optional )

 3 to 4 medium bananas, sliced or mashed

 Directions

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

 Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

 In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

 Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

 Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Walk A Mile In My Shoes

To the next doctor that questions my pain, I will simply ask him to "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"


To the next friend or family member who questions my pain, my condition or my sanity, I will say: "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"


For all the people who make stupid and insensitive remarks like "It can't hurt that bad", I say to them, "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"


To the pharmacy where I have to go every 28 days to keep my pain from pushing me over the top, I say to you, "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"


  Once you have walked in my shoes, felt my pain, lost everything, then come back to me; we'll talk.

From today forward, I refuse to have my honesty, integrity or character demeaned by people who have not walked in my shoes; who have never experienced such excruciating pain that you would cut off the offending limb if you had a sharp enough knife. I will no longer allow myself to be treated like a drug addict, pathological liar or an emotionally disturbed person seeking attention.

 I do not ask to live in pain. I never asked to be struck down with an incurable condition. Nor, do I believe it is somehow my fault because the doctors can't cure me. That does not give them the right to treat me like a failure; or insult my intelligence with fancy words thrown around to make themselves feel better or try to make me feel like an addict looking for my next fix.


You cannot measure a person's pain. It is many times invisible. Does that make it any less real? What is pain suposed to look like?


Education is the key. It is time to take a stand against the ignorance, misinformation and misguided intentions of a society that started a "War Against Drugs" that morphed into a "War Against People Living With Chronic Pain".


We need to change the mindset of the population that does not understand and never will without our help. I am going to start the dialogue; over the coming months I will be putting together a coalition of professionals and patients, patient advocates, family members and anyone who wants to take a stand.


A stand for reasonable treatment; to be treated as individuals, to have our medical needs met with both standard or non-traditional therapy's. To not be dismissed, denied or discouraged.