AMISH CHEESY MEAT LOAF

 I am quickly becoming frustrated with technology. I feel bad for people who are technology challenged because our whole world has become technology dependent. I have spent litterally hours the last few days because of difficulties in trying to have access to apps, etc. Tuesday night my laptop would not allow me to sign on - thus no new post yesterday. I may just be putting off the inevitable and break down and buy a new one. But yesterday evening after not being able to log on earlier in the day, I was successful.

I made this meat loaf for us Monday afternoon.I surprised my husband and made two smaller one and added the onion to his. I followed the original recipe except I used mozzeralla cheese instead of Swiss cheese so I changed the name from Amish Swiss Meat Loaf to Amish Cheesy Meat Loaf. The added bacon on top was an excellent addition.

AMISH CHEESY MEAT LOAF

1       egg

1/2    cup evaporated milk

1       teaspoon salt

1/2    teaspoon black pepper

1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1       cup Ritz crackers (24 crackers), crushed

1       cup grated cheese (I used mozzorella cheese)

1/4    cup chopped onion

additional cheese

bacon strip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat egg in a large bowl. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Beat well with whisk.

Add meat, cracker crumbs, cheese, and onion.

(I added the meat, cracker crumbs, and cheese and then split it in half. I added the onion to one half.)  Mix well with hands.

Form into loaf and place in loaf pan. (I used two corning ware loaf pans about 4 x 6.) 

Cut bacon in 1 inch pieces and place in a single layer on top of loaf.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Sprinkle more cheese on top and

bake 10 minutes longer.

Cut in desired serving size.

BLACK FOREST PUDDING CAKE

 Looks like the last week in April is finally going to warm up with 80s the first two days and 70s for the rest of the week. I am definitely ready for some warmer days after the crazy week we had last week. Almost 4 inches of snow fell during the predawn hours and then it was mostly gone by noon. 

They decided to clean and wax the floors at Hillcrest so when I went in yesterday morning, the place was a mess. It takes severall days to do the floors because they can only do a section at a time. They had moved some of the racks of clothing so they could do that portion of the floor. I thought I wouldn't be able to vacuum the carpet area because it was full of the racks of clothing, but before I left, they moved those racks back to their usual places so I was able to vacuum half of the carpeted area. Tonight they will do another section. Guess it is good that the store doesn't open until 11. That will give them time to move the stuff back in their area. I think it will take at least two more nights to get all of the floor space cleaned.

Because of the "mess" a lot of volunteers had stayed at home. That meant I had to leave my cake and go back before closing to pick it up. I ended up bringing back 4 servings, but it was really good and I don't mind getting a couple of more bites of it.

The cake doesn't taste super sweet at all, not like I expected it to taste. The good thing about that is you don't feel quilty eating it because you don't think you are eating too many calories. 

This is one of those cakes that you can let your imagination go wild and come up with a lot of different possibilities. I think a spice cake with butterscotch pudding and apple pie filling would taste great. You could also use a yellow cake mix, lemon pudding, and blueberry pie filling. I could just go on and on.

BLACK FOREST PUDDING CAKE

1        Devil's Food cake mix

1-1/3  cups water

1/4     cup oil

3        eggs

     *     *     *

1        pkg (3.4 ounces) instant chocolate pudding

1-3/4  cups milk

     *     *     *

2         cans cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 - inch pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs.

Stir until smooth and starting to thicken.

Pour cake batter into pan and

bake for 30 to 35 minutes or til done. Cake will pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for about 20 minutes while you prepare the pudding.

Pour the milk in a bowl and slowly add the pudding mix beating with a whisk.

Continue to beat until mixture is smooth  and starting to thicken. Set aside.

Using the end of the handle of a wooden spoon poke holes in the cake.

Slowly pour the pudding over the holes and

press into holes with a spreader.

Pour the rest of the pudding over the cake and continue to press the pudding into the holes.

Smooth out the top of the pudding. Place cake in the refrigerator for an hour or two to let the pudding set up.

Remove cake from refrigerator and

spoon the cherry pie filling over the top of the pudding. I like to have a solid covering of cherries so I always use two cans with a 9 x 13 - inch pan.

Here is a picture with just one can used.

Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I like to make desserts like this the day before I plan to serve it. When you cut it into serving pieces, you will have trouble seeing your cut marks, but the piece will come out nicely. Well, a few of the cherries on the edge might fall off. You can leave them or put them back on top.

 

APPLE AND OAT BRAN MUFFINS

 I'm just a little bit behind on my Saturday Special Breakfast treat from two Saturdays ago or maybe I should say, "Thank you for waiting for my Saturday Special Breakfast treat from two Saturdays ago." The other day I read a meme that said - Instead of saying,"I'm sorry I am so late" say, "Thank you so must for waiting for me." Change your mindset. So I'm going to try to remember that.

I didn't get it shared sooner because it wasn't good. It was. Wayne especially liked it. It is one of those healthy muffins with whole wheat flour and oat bran. Throw in an apple for a little sweetness to go along with the 1/3 cup brown sugar and you have what we call "healthy". 

Another thing I especially liked if you prefer freshly baked muffins each morning is that the batter will last up to five days in the refrigerator. That way you can bake just the amount you want. They do taste just as good warmed up in the microwave though in case you were wondering. I cut mine in half and smeared with just a little butter and it was really, really good.

For a printable copy of just the recipe, click HERE.

APPLE AND OAT BRAN MUFFINS

1-1/4    cups whole wheat flour

1          cup oat bran

1/3       cup packed brown sugar

2-1/2    teaspoons baking powder

1/4       teaspoon baking soda

1/4       teaspoon salt

1/4       teaspoon ground nutmeg (I would recommend 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4       teaspoon ground cinnamon (I would recommend 1/2 teaspoon)

1          cup buttermilk

2          egg whites

2          tablespoons oil

3/4       cup shredded, peeled apple 

Nonstick spray coating

If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray muffin cups with nonstick spray coating. (I used two mini Bundt pan muffin cups since I was just making two.) Set aside.

In a bowl stir together the flor, oat ban, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a whisk until

thoroughly blended. Set aside. 

In a small bowl combine the buttermilk, egg whites, and oil with the whisk until well blended. 

Add to dry ingredients; 

stir just till moistened. 

Stir in shredded apple.

At this point, you can store the batter in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

To bake fill muffin cup with about 1/4 cup batter.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Remove and serve warm.

PINEAPPLE JUICE CAKE

 When I first saw this recipe on Facebook, I imediately thought of my mother. She loved making her Lemon Jello Cake and everyone else in the family did too. I took the recipe and used different flavors of jello to change the color of the cake for different hoidays.

I didn't have anything sweet in the house and thought I would make it. I used a sugar-free yellow cake mix to reduce the sugar. The cake is so moist and delicious! I think it would also taste good using orange juice. I will have to try that sometimes. Until then we will just enjoy the pineapple taste. 

Click HERE for a printable copy of just the recipe.

PINEAPPLE JUICE CAKE

1     15.25 oxz yellow or butter cake mix (I used a sugar-free yellow cake mix)

3/4   cup oil

3/4   cup pineapple juice

4      large eggs

      *     *     *     *

2      cups powdered sugar

3/4   cups pineapple juice

4      tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Set aside.

Combine the cake mix, oil, 3/4 cup pineapple juice, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.

Stir on low speed til moistened. Scrape sides of the bowl.

Increase speed and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.

Pour batter evenly into pan.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until cake springs back when touched lightly with fingers. 

Remove cake from oven and place on wire rack.

Poke lots of holes with a wooden skewer.

 

Prepare glaze (powdered sugar, juice, and 4 tablespoons) Place ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Stir til butter melts. 

Pour glaze over cake making sure you fill holes.

Do not remove the cake from the pan until most of the juice is absorbed, an hour or two.

Remove cake from pan onto cake platter with lid. (This is what my cake looked like when I was transferring it to my covered cake carrier. It slipped off the base and fortunately I cought it about half on the base and half on the counter. I managed to save it, but it's not the prettiest cake I ever made. It is so soaked with pineapple juice. BUT that just makes it taste even better.)