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.

CUBE STEAK PARMIGIANA

 As much as I love chicken fried steak when we go out to eat, you would think I would make it at home or at least something with cube steak. I can't remember the last time I bought cube steak and cooked it until now.

I saw a recipe for Cube Steak Parmigiana and since I also love chicken Parmigiana so much, I figured how could I go wrong. So I set off to the store to buy some cube steaks. The recipe used 4 cube steaks so I generally halved the recipe. I say generally because I knew I wouldn't have enough for the breading and coating if I didn't double the ingredients. So if you make 4 steaks, you might have to increase my amounts.

Except for probably cooking them about 5 minutes too long, they had a good taste. I changed the cooking time for the recipe to reflect that 5 minutes too long.

CUBE STEAK PARMIGIANA

3       tablespoons flour

1/4    teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

1       egg

1-1/2 tablespoons water

10     saltine crackers, crushed

2-1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2    teaspoon dried basil

2       beef cube steaks

3       tablespoons oil

2/3    cup tomato sauce

1       teaspoon sugar

1/2    teaspoon dried oregano

1/4    teaspoon garlic powder

shredded mozzarella cheese or 2 slices

2-1/2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese (I used more of the grated.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray a baking dish that will hold the 2 steaks. Set aside.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.

In another bowl, beat egg and water. Place cracker crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and basil in a third bowl. (Pie plates work great for this.)

Coat steaks with flour mixture,

then dip in egg mixture,

and finally coat with crumb mixture. 

In a large skillet, brown steaks in oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 

Arrange steaks in baking dish and

bake uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes. While they are baking, combine the tomato sauce, sugar, oregano, and garlic powder in a bowl.

Spoon over steaks after they have baked the 20 - 25 minutes.

Bake for 10 more minutes.

Top each steak with mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and more dried oregano.

Return to oven and bake 2 to 3 more minutes or until cheese is melted.  

HEARTY BEEF STEW

 Full of veggies and stew meat to make a very satisfying meal. Wayne couldn't quit raving about how good it tasted. He did tell me it was only missing one thing..."onions"... we both said at the same time. I told him he could add some minced onions. He said he would the next time we ate it. (Onions and I do not get along at all so I almost always omit them in recipes. He's used to it.)

It did make a really big pot so that we have generous servings for two more meals. If you have a big family, it would be a good meal to make. Wayne suggested next time that I could I made it, I could use more carrots which I agreed with him. The recipe just said 3 carrots and my carrots weren't super big so I definitely could have used 4 carrots. So remember that when you make it. My potatoes were fairly large so we had plenty of them. I had cut my stew meat into smaller pieces when I prepared it to freeze to use when I was ready. I also browned it on the stove in a skillet a bit before adding it to the slow cooker. The recipe said to cook it 6 hours on LOW and it was ready after 5 hours. I preheated the slow cooker on HIGH while I was preparing the veggies.

HEARTY BEEF STEW

3       carrots, peeled and sliced

3       potatoes, peeled and diced

1       onion, chopped

2       stalks celery, sliced

2       lbs. stew beef, cubed

1/4    cup flour

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2    teaspoon pepper

1       clove garlic, minced (I substituted 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder.)

1       bay leaf

1       cup beef broth (I made my own using 1 cup hot water and 1 beef bouillon cube.)

1       teaspoon paprika

1       teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Spray a 5 - 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (for easy cleanup). Preheat cooker on HIGH while you

prepare the veggies.

Arrange veggies in cooker and

top with beef that

you were also browning in a skillet while preparing the veggies.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl;

sprinkle over meat.

Add garlic and remaining ingredients.

I made the cup of beef broth using a beef bouillon and added the spices to it and

poured it evenly over ingredients in the cooker.

Cover and cook on HIGH for one hour.

Then reduce temperature to LOW and cook 5 - 6 hours more.

Remove bay leaf and gently stir the stew to distribute the ingredients.

Spoon into bowls to enjoy!

UPSIDE-DOWN CHEESY MEAT LOAF

 It's terrible when you want to do something, but it's more comfortable sitting in a chair wrapped in a blanket. It was supposed to get up to 15 yesterday. The only time I looked at our thermometer it was 11.8 degrees F outside. I did try to work on a Blanket of Hope but didn't start sewing on it. Later today, maybe. It's only supposed to be 12 though so will see. 

January is usually the coldest month in Kansas City, but not this year. It was really unbelievable for January. The average high temperature in Kansas City for January is 39.5 degrees F. I couldn't find what our average temperature was this past month but I'm sure it was higher than 40 degrees. We seemed to be in a weather pattern of 2 cool days and then 3 days in the 50s and 60+. Looks like February is going to be the coldest month this year. This weekend the low is supposed to be -10 degrees F.

I'm glad of my menu planning though because it makes me get up and at least cook one meal. Yesterday I made this Upside-Down Cheesy Meat Loaf. I originally had planned to make it in several mini loaves and freeze all but one, but after I mixed the ingredients, I decided to just go on and make one large loaf and then cut it into sections and freeze them for later. 

The meat loaf tasted so good but I will warn you to be prepared after you cook it and let it stand 10 to 15 minutes before you turn it upside down, do it over the sink. It was messy with the meat juices when I flipped it onto a platter. But don't let that bit of knowledge keep you from making it because it is quite tasty. I also used sharp cheddar that I grated but you could use any flavor. I have a recipe for Swiss Loaf which is a meatloaf that uses Swiss cheese cut in chunks. It is really, really good.

 

UPSIDE-DOWN CHEESY MEAT LOAF

1/2       cup brown sugar

1/2       cup catsup

     *     *     *

1-1/2    pounds ground beef

3/4       cup milk

2          eggs, beaten

1-1/2    teaspoon salt

1/4       teaspoon pepper

1/4       teaspoon ginger

1          small onion (optional)

1          cup grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

3/4       cup crushed cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or butter a 9 x 5 - inch loaf pan. Set aside.

Combine the brown sugar and catsup in a bowl.

Pour into the bottom of the loaf pan. Set aside.

Mix together the remaining ingredients

and

spread into loaf pan over brown sugar mixture.

Bake for 1 hour. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before

turning upside down onto a platter with a lip to serve.