Simple Meatloaf

Growing up I hated meatloaf. And, for years I avoided testing meatloaf recipes of any kind. But, when I finally decided to give it a try, I was pleasantly surprised. And, my family fell in love with this version. Since then, I have figured out why I never cared for the meatloaf of my childhood. Onions. Yes, that's right. It was the large chunks of onions that turned me off. So, this recipe omits onions, but if you love them, by all means add them!

Meatloaf is incredibly versatile. If you don't care for pork, substitute ground beef. If BBQ sauce is not your favorite, substitute ketchup. Not a fan of Italian seasoning, use an envelope of dry onion soup mix. Out of bread crumbs, no problem, finely dice a slice of bread and use that instead. Two pounds of meat too much for your family, divide the mixture into two loaves and freeze one to bake later. Over the years, I have served this meatloaf with many variations, but the combination below is the one that my family likes best, made with my homemade Italian Seasoning Mix. 

Simple Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
(Or 2 lbs. meatloaf mix)
½ cup BBQ sauce
¼ cup Italian Seasoning
½ cup bread crumbs
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until combined. (You may need to use your hands.) Form into a loaf. Place loaf in a large casserole dish. Top with additional BBQ sauce, if desired. Bake, covered at 350º for 1 hour. 

Recipe Note: This meatloaf can also be cooked in a slow cooker on low 6-8 hours.

Microwave Popcorn

We tried something new over the weekend, homemade microwave popcorn. Typically I make popcorn on top of the stove. And, as I have said before, I like sweet popcorn the best. But, my oldest prefers the regular popcorn with butter and salt. So, I tried this specifically for her.

I can't believe how simple this is. So, simple in fact that my kids can make it on their own. And, of course, I love that! Just throw some popcorn into a paper bag and microwave. We made two batches to feed the four of us and we added melted butter and salt. My oldest was in heaven. I have a feeling she is going to be making this for herself all of the time. And, best of all, it is a super cheap snack.

Microwave Popcorn

¼ cup bulk popcorn
1 paper lunch bag

Pour pop corn into lunch bag. Fold over top of bag three times, tightly creasing it each time. Stand bag upright in microwave. Cook on high until all the kernels have popped. (My microwave pops all of the kernels in about 3 minutes and 15 seconds.) Enjoy immediately with melted butter and salt. Serves 2.

This post has been linked to Frugal Tuesday Tip.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Photo Credit: Family Education

 

Last weekend I made a spinach salad to share with friends. I topped the spinach with chopped apples, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries. For the dressing, I made a Red Wine Vinaigrette. I measured the ingredients into a mason jar and covered it to take with me to my friends house. On our way out the door, I enlisted my children to help me carry all of the food that we were taking with us. However, before I had even locked the front door, my precious six year old dropped the dressing on the front walkway!

I headed back into the house and quickly mixed up a new batch of salad dressing while my twelve year old picked up the glass. When I got to my friends house and served the salad, everyone raved about the salad and sweet dressing. I'm so glad something so simple was so pleasing to my friends, especially after our minor disaster.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. Red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. Sugar (white or raw)
A pinch of salt

Measure all ingredients into a mason jar, cover, and shake to combine. Serve over salad. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Homemade Cranberry Almond Delight

Photo Credit: Kar's Nuts

My girls absolutely love having this trail mix in their lunch boxes. I discovered Cranberry Almond Delight last fall while searching for some healthy lunch box options. However, since my New Year's Frugal Kitchen Goal, I have been working toward lowering my weekly grocery bill. And these individual packets are a bit pricey. But with only three ingredients, I knew I could duplicate this mix easily.

And, along with my effort to prepare more homemade convenience foods, I made a trip to my local dollar store to pick up some small reusable containers. These containers are perfect for my kids lunch bags and at two for a dollar, I won't be heartbroken if one accidentally gets lost or thrown away.

Cranberry Almond Delight

1 cup party peanuts
½ cup raw, whole almonds
½ cup dried cranberries.

Measure all three ingredients into a quart sized mason jar and shake to combine. Cover and store at room temperature.


Something for Nothing

We have two guinea pigs, Hercules and Thunder. We rescued them as soon as we moved to North Carolina last summer. They were skinny, unhappy, and very sick. However, we spent three months feeding them, loving them, and nursing them back to health. Since then Hercules and Thunder have provided us with endless entertainment and joy.

And those pigs can eat! Along with hay and commercial pet food they need fresh fruits and vegetables every day. When I plan my grocery shopping each week, I have to remember to get what Hercules and Thunder need too. Recently, we gave them some fresh spinach for the first time. They had a hard time figuring out how to eat it, which the kids giggled endlessly over. But, yesterday, while making a spinach salad for our dinner, I had a brainstorm. Instead of feeding them the leaves of the spinach, why not give them just the stems. They gobbled those stems up in no time and I was so pleased to find another way to make use of something that might otherwise have gone to waste.

Do you feed your pets food scraps?

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

 

It seems like it has been a while since I have shared an Artisan Bread Dough recipe. I use my dough primarily for pizza; but, lately we have been enjoying Cinnamon Swirl Bread on Saturday mornings. Last weekend, when the last slice was devoured, my kids asked that I make two loaves instead of just one next time. My kids rarely fall in love with food, and although they have their favorites, specific food requests are almost non-existent. So, I am especially pleased that they like this bread so much.

 

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

1 lb. artisan bread dough
¼ cup white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. melted butter, divided

On a floured surface, roll out bread dough into a rectangle (approx. 9X18). Brush with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Roll up the dough, starting with the short end. Pinch the seams to seal. Place in a greased loaf pan, cover with a towel, and let rise for 30-60 minutes. Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Brush with remaining melted butter. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan. Serve warm.

 

Note: I use the method outlined in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day written by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. You can find the Master Recipe for this Artisan Bread Dough along with an instructional video here .

Simply Homemade

Last week I started a new cooking class series called Simply Homemade. The focus of the series is to create quick and easy recipes from scratch. Four ladies attended the class and we had so much fun laughing and talking and cooking together!

We started with basic bread baking information and jumped right in and prepared Quick Yeast Rolls. Three of the ladies had never worked with yeast or made bread of any kind, so it was a true learning experience.

Quick Yeast Rolls

The second recipe that we prepared was Chicken Caesar Salad. This is a fast weeknight meal to use up leftover chicken. One of the ladies has already reported back to me that she has made this for her family and 5 out of 6 of them loved it!

  Chicken Caesar Salad

Cooking classes are a great way to spend time with friends and to learn something new. Have you ever taught a cooking class?

Hot Corn Dip

Photo Credit: All Recipes

This is one of my favorite party food recipes. And, lately I have been asked for the recipe several times, so I thought that it was time to share it here on You Can Make That. Normally, I warm this in the slow cooker, but I have also heated it on top of the stove, in the microwave, and even in the oven. No matter which method you choose, I am certain that it will be gone by the end of your next party!

Hot Corn Dip

2 – 15oz. cans corn, drained

1 – 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

1 – 8oz. block cream cheese

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. chili powder

Add all ingredients to a small slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 5 hours. Serve with tortilla chips or corn chips.

This recipe was adapted from the one found here on All Recipes.

Homemade Amaretto Creamer

Photo Credit: Coffee-Mate

Over the last month I have worked diligently to stick to my New Year’s Frugal Kitchen Goal. I have done a good job of creating a weekly meal plan which has helped me to reduce unscheduled trips to the grocery store and has kept food waste to a minimum. And, as a side benefit, my refrigerator has never looked so clean. I have also made progress on getting my grocery budget back on track and stocking up my pantry, but I still have a ways to go.

A couple of weeks ago, when I was out of Half N Half for my coffee, I decided not to make an unplanned trip to the grocery store and make some flavored creamer at home. At Christmas time I had told you about the Homemade Peppermint Mocha Creamer that I made and I liked it so much that I tried a new version, Amaretto. This was even simpler to make and I have been so pleased with it that I have made up a second batch. I love how being frugal gets my creative juices flowing!

Amaretto Creamer

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 ¾ cup milk

2 tsp. almond extract

Pour sweetened condensed milk into a quart sized mason jar. Add milk and almond extract. Cover jar, and shake to combine. Store in the refrigerator and shake before serving with coffee.