I took out 2 pounds of ground beef out of the freezer and was trying to figure out what to do with it. I wasn't in the mood for hamburgers and I was at a loss at what to do with it. Meatloaf always goes over well here with the kids, but I didn't want to heat up the kitchen. I remembered a recipe I saw someplace for meatloaf burgers but then wondered if I couldn't just make a regular one and cook it on the grill.
Good ole Google had a gazillion hits for 'grilled meatloaf'. I wasn't looking for a recipe as much as a method. Found one that simply called for cooking it on top of a piece of aluminum foil. Seemed easy enough to try.
With the 2 pounds of ground beef I ended up making 2 meatloaves. I sprayed the foil (one for each loaf) placed them on cookie sheets before putting the meatloaf on, hoping for an easy transfer to the grill. The grill heated up to 600 degrees (guess I didn't need to have all 4 burners in high). I transferred the meatloaf on the foil to the grill, cooked them for 10 minutes then reduced the burners down to low under the meatloaf but left the other one on high. About 35 minutes later (while the kids splashed in their pool) supper was done.
I thought it was a success. There was a nice crust on the bottom and the meatloaf was nice and moist. The little guy scarfed it down, then again he has been caught eating both dirt and dog food so I am not sure how much one should trust his taste buds!
Mini Meat Loaves
Cooking Light Magazine, 2003
Yield: 4 servings
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 pound ground sirloin
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400°. Combine ketchup and mustard, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup mixture. Combine remaining ketchup mixture, beef, and next 6 ingredients (beef through egg) in a large bowl, stirring to combine.
Divide beef mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 x 2 1/2-inch loaf; place loaves on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.
Spread about 2 teaspoons reserved ketchup mixture evenly over each loaf. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until done.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
What a week ...
I started to get suspicious last weekend when my normally cheerful two and a half foot tornado turned into a clinging fusspot. Yep, another fever. My hopes that it was maybe the next tooth coming in were dashed when he woke up Monday morning sounding like a barking dog.
So off to the walk-in clinic we went since his doctor didn't have an available appointment until late afternoon. One hour later we walked out of there with the familiar diagnosis of a respiratory infection and headed over to Target to get his prescription filled. Seventy-two dollars and a full cart later ...
Got a call from daycare that afternoon that Madeleine was running a low fever. It was her turn to go to the doctor yesterday and she has strep throat. Doctor also said (again) her tonsils are pretty big. I am guessing they'll be coming out in the near future.
David and I have been switching off going to work - one does the early morning and the other does afternoon into evening. Thankfully both are back to normal (whatever that may be) and are going back to daycare tomorrow. Just in time for the weekend!
So off to the walk-in clinic we went since his doctor didn't have an available appointment until late afternoon. One hour later we walked out of there with the familiar diagnosis of a respiratory infection and headed over to Target to get his prescription filled. Seventy-two dollars and a full cart later ...
Got a call from daycare that afternoon that Madeleine was running a low fever. It was her turn to go to the doctor yesterday and she has strep throat. Doctor also said (again) her tonsils are pretty big. I am guessing they'll be coming out in the near future.
David and I have been switching off going to work - one does the early morning and the other does afternoon into evening. Thankfully both are back to normal (whatever that may be) and are going back to daycare tomorrow. Just in time for the weekend!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Jerk Shrimp with Grilled Onion, Avocado, and Mango Salsa
Summer is here! I love the warm weather but I hate heating up the kitchen to cook. Back in the day, when I was a carefree single person, I lived on salads in the summer. A lot of that had to do with living in Phoenix though. By the time July rolled around and we were in the 110 range you weren't going to catch me turning on an oven OR standing in front of an open flame. I think if I tried to serve them salads for supper every night they'd start rebelling by the end of the week.
This one was fairly easy to put together but the next time I will be more than happy to fork the extra $2 a pound for the already peeled and deveined shrimp. I'm not even sure what I was thinking when I bought them with the shells on. I would also peel them entirely instead of leaving the tails on. I am not a fan of having to pick them up one by one to eat, especially when you have the salsa to eat them with. Plus they turn your fingers an orangey red color - not all that attractive!
I only use 1/2 of the cayenne pepper so there wouldn't be too much heat for Madeleine. I'd also double the salsa next time. The sweetness was great with the spicy shrimp.
Jerk Shrimp with Grilled Onion, Avocado, and Mango Salsa
Coastal Living
Yield: 4 servings
1 mango, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 avocado, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pounds unpeeled large raw shrimp
1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons Jamaican Jerk Rub
Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, and set salsa aside.
Peel shrimp, leaving tails on; devein. Toss shrimp and onion with oil in a large bowl, sprinkle with Jamaican Jerk Rub, and toss to coat. Grill shrimp and onion over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 6 minutes, or just until shrimp turn pink, turning once. Chop onion and add to salsa mixture, stirring gently. Serve shrimp with salsa.
Jamaican Jerk Rub
1/3 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground allspice
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Store in an airtight container.
This one was fairly easy to put together but the next time I will be more than happy to fork the extra $2 a pound for the already peeled and deveined shrimp. I'm not even sure what I was thinking when I bought them with the shells on. I would also peel them entirely instead of leaving the tails on. I am not a fan of having to pick them up one by one to eat, especially when you have the salsa to eat them with. Plus they turn your fingers an orangey red color - not all that attractive!
I only use 1/2 of the cayenne pepper so there wouldn't be too much heat for Madeleine. I'd also double the salsa next time. The sweetness was great with the spicy shrimp.
Jerk Shrimp with Grilled Onion, Avocado, and Mango Salsa
Coastal Living
Yield: 4 servings
1 mango, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 avocado, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pounds unpeeled large raw shrimp
1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons Jamaican Jerk Rub
Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, and set salsa aside.
Peel shrimp, leaving tails on; devein. Toss shrimp and onion with oil in a large bowl, sprinkle with Jamaican Jerk Rub, and toss to coat. Grill shrimp and onion over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 6 minutes, or just until shrimp turn pink, turning once. Chop onion and add to salsa mixture, stirring gently. Serve shrimp with salsa.
Jamaican Jerk Rub
1/3 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground allspice
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Store in an airtight container.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Sizzling Beef and Scallions
Who doesn't want to get something relatively healthy AND tasty on the table in 30 minutes or less? While I like to cook and actually enjoy spending time in the kitchen there are days that I just want to get something on the table fast without having to go through a drive-thru.
So I turned to the stack of Rachael Ray magazines I have next to the bed (OK, there are a lot more than just Rachael Ray but she IS the queen of 30 minute meals) and picked out a stir fry recipe I had all the ingredients for. It took me an hour and 15 minutes. Rachael Ray must not have a 4 year old holper and a 1 year old trying to climb her leg while she cooks.
I couldn't bring myself to use 6 tablespoons of oil so I sprayed my pan with PAM and only used a little bit of oil when adding the eggs. My holper decided we needed to use the peas and carrot frozen mix and I added 8 oz of sliced mushrooms. My rice was cooked at the same time so I skipped the last step altogether.
Once I got everyone either coloring with or eating crayons (kidding - I caught him before he swallowed any) it did come together rather quickly. It is best to have everything all cut up and ready to go as a stir-fry goes pretty quickly.
Sizzling Beef and Scallions
Everyday with Rachael Ray
8 ounces London broil, sliced into short, thin strips (I used sirloin)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (used less than 1 T total)
10 scallions, green parts thinly sliced, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups cooked white rice, chilled
1. In a medium bowl, toss the beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
2. In the skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites, bell pepper and ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; stir in the peas. Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil and pour in the eggs. Stir the eggs until they begin to set, then stir in the vegetables. Add the egg-vegetable mixture to the beef; stir in the sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rice, breaking up any clumps, then cook, without stirring, until heated through, 2 minutes. Stir in the beef mixture and scallion greens.
So I turned to the stack of Rachael Ray magazines I have next to the bed (OK, there are a lot more than just Rachael Ray but she IS the queen of 30 minute meals) and picked out a stir fry recipe I had all the ingredients for. It took me an hour and 15 minutes. Rachael Ray must not have a 4 year old holper and a 1 year old trying to climb her leg while she cooks.
I couldn't bring myself to use 6 tablespoons of oil so I sprayed my pan with PAM and only used a little bit of oil when adding the eggs. My holper decided we needed to use the peas and carrot frozen mix and I added 8 oz of sliced mushrooms. My rice was cooked at the same time so I skipped the last step altogether.
Once I got everyone either coloring with or eating crayons (kidding - I caught him before he swallowed any) it did come together rather quickly. It is best to have everything all cut up and ready to go as a stir-fry goes pretty quickly.
Sizzling Beef and Scallions
Everyday with Rachael Ray
8 ounces London broil, sliced into short, thin strips (I used sirloin)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (used less than 1 T total)
10 scallions, green parts thinly sliced, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 cups cooked white rice, chilled
1. In a medium bowl, toss the beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
2. In the skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites, bell pepper and ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes; stir in the peas. Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil and pour in the eggs. Stir the eggs until they begin to set, then stir in the vegetables. Add the egg-vegetable mixture to the beef; stir in the sugar and the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rice, breaking up any clumps, then cook, without stirring, until heated through, 2 minutes. Stir in the beef mixture and scallion greens.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Birthday Fun
This weekend we had 2 birthdays to celebrate. Madeleine turned 4 on June 4th and Christopher turned 1 on the 6th. I thought it would be great to be able to celebrate both at the same time (since our families are spread out all over the US) but I didn't take into account the fact that I would need 2 cakes.
Growing up my mom always made our birthday cakes. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, the infamous Panda disaster of 1979, etc. I wanted to do the same for the kids. Worked out well the last couple of years with one child. This year, not so much. Trying to decorate 2 cakes with the humidity was daunting.
Madeleine picked out this castle cake:
Growing up my mom always made our birthday cakes. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, the infamous Panda disaster of 1979, etc. I wanted to do the same for the kids. Worked out well the last couple of years with one child. This year, not so much. Trying to decorate 2 cakes with the humidity was daunting.
Madeleine picked out this castle cake:
I decided to make a circus big top for Christopher. Not one of my better choices, especially with the humidity (frosting was melting pretty fast, even with the air conditioner on). I also learned that I can't really decorate cakes free form; I do much better using the character pans where all I have to do is fill in the spaces.
I don't think Christopher minded much. He really got into his own little cake and even wanted to share it with me:
All in all, I think we had a pretty successful party. David smoked some ribs (which went fast) and he also grilled up some burgers, hot dogs and chicken legs. We had enough left over that I didn't have to cook on Sunday and I am estimating I can get us through Wednesday without me having to cook.
While Madeleine is all about princesses and castles, she got a new dress-up outfit in honor of Toy Story 3 coming out. I think she makes a pretty cute cowgirl.
Happy Birthday Madeleine!! Happy Birthday Christopher!!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Kansas City Rub
As I sit here with my laptop and a notebook try to come up with a menu (and shopping list) for the kids birthday party (all while fending off a rambunctious 11 month old who wants to pound on the keyboard) I realize I neglected to post the rub recipe that goes with the barbecue sauce. They really do go together.
Use less cayenne (or leave it out) if you aren't a fan of spicy. We've used this on ribs, pork and even a whole chicken I attempted to rotisserie (which was an experience in itself).
Kansas City Rub
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup mild New Mexico red chile powder
1/4 cup mild paprika
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine sugar, Chile powder, paprika, salt, pepper, onion, garlic and cayenne together and rub about 2/3 of the mixture well into the ribs (or chicken or pork for pulled pork). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
This covers about 4 racks of ribs.
Use less cayenne (or leave it out) if you aren't a fan of spicy. We've used this on ribs, pork and even a whole chicken I attempted to rotisserie (which was an experience in itself).
Kansas City Rub
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup mild New Mexico red chile powder
1/4 cup mild paprika
2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine sugar, Chile powder, paprika, salt, pepper, onion, garlic and cayenne together and rub about 2/3 of the mixture well into the ribs (or chicken or pork for pulled pork). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
This covers about 4 racks of ribs.
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