However, I do like it now, and even more so with a little gravy on top!  This makes a flavorful meatloaf that is (for lack of a better word) moist!  :)

My meatloaf:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbsp ketchup (couple squirts)
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp worsheshire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup onion, diced small
1/3 cup ground or shredded parmesean cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh parsley (1/2 tsp dried or a Tbsp chopped fresh)

Pre-heat your oven to 450F.

Mix all the ingredients together and form into a loaf.  Place the loaf in a roasting or baking pan and bake at 450F for 15 minutes, then 350F for about 35 minutes.  

If you have enough juices in your pan after baking, you can make a gravy.   In order to do this, remove the meatloaf from the pan.  Sprinkle a Tbsp of flour over the pan juices along with a splash of milk or water.  Whisk over medium-low heat until thickened and then season with s+p and parsley.


*This meatloaf was served with Caramelized Onion Mashies and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I don't think these cupcakes even warrant a description - look at them, they look fabulous!  And very professional too, I must say - way to go Em!  This recipe is from Mandy, modified by Em and then every cupcake was licked by 2 year old Van :)

You can make these cupcakes plan vanilla (as shown in the pictures with the little blonde cutie pie) or you can drop a dollop of strawberry or raspberry jam in the batter to give them a berry filled surprise!  

For the cupcakes:
1 stick butter, soft
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup yogurt or buttermilk
Optional: Straw/raspberry jam, about 12 Tbs

Makes 24 mini or 12 standard size cupcakes.  

Preheat to 325.  Prepare pans (either grease or line with paper cups).  Beat butter and sugar
until pale and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Toss together the dry ingredients then add to butter mixture, alternating with buttermilk until everything is incorporated.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 way full and put a dollop of jam in the middle (if using) and then bake 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (keep in mind the toothpick isn't gonna be "clean" if you insert it into the berry center!).  Cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Frosting:
2-2.5 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2-1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 Tbs milk

Beat the ingredients until light and fluffy (about 5 min).  If your frosting is too thick/pasty add milk, if it's not fluffy enough/light enough add more butter, if it's too soupy/thin add more sugar.  The frosting should be light and fluffy when it's made right :)

Enjoy as much as this little guy did!

This soup is AWESOME!!  Seriously.  It's so full of flavor and it's pretty simple and quick to make - making it a for sure soon to be household staple!  I would highly recommend using a rotisserie chicken because the chicken in this soup was SO tender and tasty.  It's 10am as I write this post and I am honestly counting down the hours until I can have it again for lunch!

You will need:
3 Tbs olive oil
3/4 cup onion, diced small
1 jalapeño, diced and seeded
3 garlic cloves, diced small or put through a garlic press
2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes with chilies
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (start with a pinch then add more to your preference of spiciness)
1/2 tsp paprika
1-2 cups cooked rice (depending how thick or thin you like your soup - I used 2 cups)
2 -4 cups cooked chicken (I used one of those store bought rotisserie chickens because they are EASY, have so much flavor and you can make a big ol' pot of stock from the leftovers.  But if you don't want a whole chicken you can boil 2-3 chicken breasts and then shred with a fork - but seriously, a rotisserie chicken is the same price if not cheaper and sooooo much tastier! OR if you are handy and talented like Miranda, you can make your own whole chicken!)
S&P
Optional but HIGHLY Tasty Toppings: 
Cilantro
Avocado
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Lime wedges

To make:
Chop up your onion and add to a pot with 3 Tbs olive oil and cook about 3-5 minutes until tender.  While that's cooking, cut up your jalapeno and put your garlic through your press and add both to the onions.  

Then add your cans of tomatoes to the pot along with 6 cups of chicken broth.  Next add the cumin, chili powder, cayenne, paprika and season to taste with S&P.  Bring this to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Finally, add your chicken and rice and cook another 5 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of shredded cheddar and a spritz of lime juice.  Don't skimp on the topping, they all add a little something something to bring out all that tastiness!

YUM!!  

Happy Valentine's Day!!  If you want to make a delicious sweet for your sweet, this is the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever made!  They are way better, in my opinion, then the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag.  I owe this fabulous recipe to Martha...she has like a million recipes for chocolate chip cookies on her website but I think this kills them all!  They are super thin and crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside - absolutely perfect!

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg plus 1 egg white
12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

To Make:
Mix the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. 

Add vanilla and eggs to the butter/sugar mixture and beat on low for 1 minute.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until combined.  And finally add your chips.

And yes, it looks just like any other chocolate cookie dough...but just you wait!

Place your dough balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet (preferably on top of parchment paper) because they spread a lot and get pretty large and thin.

Bake at 375F for about 10 minutes (this totally depends on your oven and how thin your batter turns out - so keep an eye on them so they don't burn!)

Take cookies out when they are golden brown, let them sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two then cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!!

A friend of mine gave me a can of Odense Almond Paste and I was so intrigued by it (I had never heard of almond paste before) and was so excited to use it because I love ANYTHING almond flavored (remember Good Humor almond ice cream bars?  Oh my gosh...).  I found this recipe on the Odense website.  These muffins are incredibly almondy and sweet - and they have the dense consistency of a good wedding cake.  Enjoy! 

You will need:

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-7 oz can of almond paste, grated (which is weird because it's kind of mushy)
1 Tbs lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1 egg
Course sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Grease or line your muffin tin.  Grate your almond paste and set aside.  Then sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.   

Add the almond paste and lemon zest to the flour mixture.  Mix by hand until all pieces of almond paste and rind are coated with flour and don't clump together.  

In another bowl beat the butter, yogurt and egg.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the liquid ingredients. Beat until ingredients are just combined.  Use an ice cream scooper to fill your muffin tin and sprinkle tops with sugar, if using.  

Bake muffins for 18 - 20 minutes, or until golden on top and a cake tester comes out clean.  


Enjoy!

Do you ever get tired of plain old mashed potatoes?  Don't ask Miranda that, she loves mashies, LOVES them. But me, sometimes I need a little somethin' somethin' to spice them up and this recipe totally does that.  The flavor is so wonderful, they have a bit of a kick and a little sweetness - and they are just awesome!

You will need:
2.5 pounds red skin potatoes, skinned
1/2 large onion (preferably yellow)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs dijon mustard
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs mayo
Pepper
2 Tbs heavy cream
2 Tbs cooking water (saved from the potatoes)
4 Tbs butter, divided

Here's how you do it:

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sugar and sauté for 10 minutes or until the onions are caramelized. Remove them from the heat and stir in vinegar, which will help release all the brown deliciousness from the pan. 

Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender (a fork should easily stab a cooked potato).  Drain the potatoes, reserving some of the water for later, and return potatoes to the pan. Add 3 tablespoons butter and the heavy cream then mash til creamy (or chunky if you like it that way).

In a separate bowl, mix together the mustard,  lemon juice, mayo, and 2 tablespoons of cooking water.  Add this mixture and caramelized onions to your mashies and stir well.

You are going to want to eat the whole pot of potatoes, but I suggest balancing it out with some veggies ;)

Enjoy!

We make a lot of bread at my house so its good to have a few options for what to do with day old bread besides croutons.  Here is a sweet solution for that crusty loaf thats too tough to eat plain. 

Baguettes or French or  Italian breads work well for this recipe - just cut it into 1/2- 1 inch cubes.  Bread should be stale - if its still soft, spread out on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 250 degrees F for about an hour.  If your bread is too soft it will just turn to mush when the liquid is added.  Bread pudding is best the day it is made.  

Makes about 8 servings.  Serve with whipped cream.

For the bread pudding:
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter
3 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
6-7 cups bread cubes (see above note)
scant tsp cinnamon

For the sauce:
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
Splash of bourbon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 8x8 or 9x9 baking pan.  Place bread cubes in a large bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients for the bread pudding then pour over the bread cubes.  Gently toss together until the bread cubes are pretty evenly coated.
Spread in the baking pan and bake for 35 minutes about or until the top is nicely browned.  

Meanwhile, make your sauce.  Melt butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat.  Then add the brown sugar and continue to cook over medium heat until dissolved.  Add cream and bring it to a slow simmer- cook like this for 5 minutes or so until thickened.  Remove from heat and add your vanilla and bourbon if using.  Drizzle hot sauce over individual servings of bread pudding and top with whipped cream.  Yum!! 

When I was in college, my Aunt Deecy introduced me to this wonderful little Thai restaurant with the absolute BEST fried tofu.  Even for those who are tofu-phobic, keep reading because you can't deny that no matter what the food is, if it's fried, it's probably worth trying.  Every once in a while I crave this but can't find anything close to it in Ann Arbor...so I decided to make my own and surprisingly it came out really good!  The peanut sauce is so tasty - and the tofu crunch is really complimented by the sweet and spicy flavor of the dip.   

For the fried tofu:
1 block/package extra firm tofu
4 Tbs flour (more as needed for coating tofu pieces
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch of cayenne - optional
Cilantro - for garnish, optional
For the peanut sauce: (make this first)1/2 cup peanuts1/4 cup water1 clove garlic, minced/pressed1/4 tsp soy sauce1 tsp sesame oil1 Tbs brown sugar1 Tbs fish sauce1 Tbs lemon or lime juice1 tsp chili sauce1/3 cup shredded coconut To make the sauce:Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until relatively smooth.   


To make the fried tofu:
Drain the tofu and place between several layers of paper towel or real towel and press to soak up as much liquid as you can (the less wet the tofu the better it will fry).  Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch slices then slice those in half again.  In a flat bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne and salt.  

Fill a sauce pan with enough canola oil to cover a slice of tofu (if you are unsure you can always add more canola oil if your first piece isn't totally covered).  Heat the oil to medium and cover (hot oil is HOT watch out!).

Working with about four slices of tofu at a time, roll a piece in the flour mixture and place it in the hot oil for about 4 minutes or until golden brown.  I say to work with four at a time because you don't want the pieces to stick together while frying.  Remove fried pieces with a slotted spoon and set on paper towel until all the pieces are done.  Serve with the sauce you made and a garnish of cilantro, which adds great flavor!