Cooking Weblog

Here is a great meatloaf recipe for you! Juicy and moist with lots of tasty flavors. You’ll want to try this!

Ingredients:

2 1/2lbs. hamburger 22%

1 stalk celery (fine dice)

1/2 onion (fine dice)

1/4 green pepper (fine dice)

1/4 red pepper (fine dice)

15oz. can stewed tomatoes

1 teas. salt

2/3 teas. pepper

1 1/2 teas. crushed garlic

1 tbls. dry parsley

1 teas. dry oregano (crushed)

4 teas. worstechier sauce

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

Method: (meatloaf)

In a large bowl add all ingredients except stewed tomatoes. Take 1/3 of the stewed tomatoes (the biggest chunks) and fine dice. Then add those to your mix. Using your hands, mix thoroughly. Reserve remaining tomatoes.

Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and fill with the meat mixture, packing it down to get the air out. You want it to be nice and evenly packed. Turn it out onto a cookie sheet, the packed meatloaf should hold its shape, remove plastic wrap. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place meatloaf on middle rack turning it around halfway through cooking for even baking. Cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Method (sauce)

In a 1 qt. sauce pan simmer the remaining stewed tomatoes for approximately 45 minutes breaking tomato chunks down to a thick slightly chunky sauce. You want the sauce to reduce by half. Add a pinch of sugar if your sauce is too acidic.

Add sauce to the top of your meatloaf when there is about 15 minutes left on the cook time of your meatloaf. When the time is up remove your meatloaf and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. You want to have an internal temperature of at least 150-155 degrees.

Slice into about 3/4 inch pieces. Makes about 10 to 12 pieces.

Serve immediately and refrigerate any leftover pieces. Makes a great meatloaf sandwich!

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 to 3 lbs. red potatoes 1in. dice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cube butter or margarine

3/4 cup milk

Water

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Add potatoes, chicken broth, salt and pepper to a 5qt. stock pot and add water to cover potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Drain excess liquid and add butter and milk. Mash with a potato masher. For whipped potatoes use a whisk.

Add your favorite home made gravy.

Makes about 8 portions.

I hope you will try it, it’s moist and full of flavor.

For those of you who are reading this and would like me to create a recipe for one of your favorite foods feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll see what I can do for you.

I also have a website with great deals on cookware. You can find it at www.onestopcook.com

Take care and Happy Cooking!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. hamburger ( 15% )

2 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. pepper

3 tbsp. sugar

2 1/2 tbsp. garlic (granulated)

3 tbsp. dry oregano

1 1/2 tbsp. marjoram

3-4 bay leaves (dried)

1 onion (small dice)

1/4 green pepper (small dice)

1/4 red pepper (small dice)

28oz. can crushed tomato

28oz. can whole tomato

6oz. can tomato paste

3 large eggs

16oz. ball mozzarella cheese

15oz. ricotta cheese

5oz. Parmesan cheese

8oz. cooked spinach (chopped fine)

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/4lbs. dry lasagna noodles

Method: ( meat/sauce )

In a 5 qt. pot add hamburger, 2 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. pepper, 1 tbsp. oregano, 1 tbsp. marjoram, 1 tbsp. garlic and cook until hamburger is browned, breaking up hamburger into very small pieces. Add 1/4 chopped green pepper, 1/4 chopped red pepper and chopped onion. Cook just long enough to sweat vegetables. Remove most of the mixture (about 2/3’s) and reserve for later. Add to remaining meat the crushed tomatoes and whole tomatoes (squeeze whole tomatoes in your hands to break them down into smaller pieces). Add tomato paste, water, 1 tbsp. oregano, 1 teas. marjoram, 1 tbsp. garlic, 1 teas. pepper, sugar and 3 to 4 dry bay leaves. Simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.

Method cheese )

Mix well in a large bowl, 8oz. mozzarella cheese, 15oz. ricotta cheese, 2 oz shredded Parmesan cheese, 8 oz. spinach ( small chopped ), 3 eggs, 1 tbsp. oregano, 1 teas. garlic and 1/2 teas. pepper.

Assembly:

In a medium size baking dish (9×11) add about a 1/8in. layer of the sauce (about a cup) to cover the bottom. Add one layer of dry lasagna noodles. Add 1/4 of the cheese mix spreading to cover. Add 1/4 of the reserved meat mix spreading to cover. Repeat process starting with the sauce, then noodles, then cheese then meat. You should get 3 layers ending with the noodles on top. Add just enough sauce on top of the last layer of noodles to cover. Sprinkle 4oz. shredded mozzarella and 1/2oz. shredded Parmesan cheese. Makes two lasagnas.

Bake for one hour at 350 degrees of until cheese starts to brown.

Here’s a tip, about half way through baking, turn lasagnas around to ensure even cooking. I hope you like this as much as I do. For great deals on cookware please visit http://www.onestopcook.com

The history of bakeware dates back to ancient civilizations as we all know. It was better known as pottery which has been found at archaeological digs and has been dated as far back as can be remembered. It started out as simple clay pots that were fired and used for cooking, baking and storing food as well as other things.

Todays world uses a lot of the same materials and has added to them with the ever expanding advancements of technology. You can still find clay bakeware which is similar to earthenware and is still very popular. Then you have your ceramics, stoneware, stainless steel, porcelain, glass, cast iron and non stick, to name a few more.

All of them are good for baking and here are a few characteristics to keep in mind when choosing what to use.

Clay and earthenware are are kiln fired. They are great for baking fish, meats, stews, casseroles and breads. It is relatively inexpensive to produce and can be transferred directly to the table. It provides an attractive look to your table and many pieces have beautiful designs which bring a personal touch to your dishes and most types can be used on on the cook top. It does however chip and break easily and is not the best choice for baking pies and cakes.

Glass, ceramic and stoneware ( which is a blend of glass and ceramic ) are more modern than the earthenware and clay bakeware and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. These are used more for casseroles and cakes and can also be transferred to the table, since most of them are glazed and have elegant designs. They too have a tendency to chip and break. Because of the processes involved this kind of bakeware is a little more expensive than the clay or earthenware varieties but are worth the money.

Porcelain bakeware is probably the most expensive and is very elegant. The rich glaze and attractive designs make it stand out and make a real statement at your dinner table. It does chip and break so it is recommended for special occasions because of its high price and value. I would classify it as high maintenance because of how fragile it can be.

Stainless steel bakeware is very durable as it does not chip or break and can be used for every kind of baking. It is easier to clean and is dishwasher safe. It does not react with food and is my favorite for roasting meat. It is great for making all of those wonderful sauces after the meat is done because it can go to the cook top and and can be utilized to render sauce or gravy using the pan drippings.

Cast iron bakeware is the best conductor of heat and has the most even heat distribution. It is almost indestructible and lasts forever with proper maintenance. It is heavy and needs to be seasoned before use. It will rust if not properly maintained and and does react with certain foods. It is relatively inexpensive and is worth having around because of its baking versatility. It too can be used in the oven or on the cook top.

Non stick is probably the most popular type of bakeware and is probably the best for baking pies and cakes. The non stick surface that is the most widely known is teflon and if you want easy clean up this is for you. The non stick surface is most often applied to either an aluminum or stainless steel piece of bakeware and is dishwasher safe. Non stick coatings will chip over time which can result in little flakes of the coating in your food.

There are a lot of different kinds of bakeware out there and they all have their best uses and I would recommend trying them all to see what you like best. It would be a good idea to have at least one piece of each to experiment with. You will then find out what type best suits your individual needs.

If you would be interested in looking at some quality bakeware go to my website at www.onestopcook.com