What's Cookin' at Our House

I thought it would be fun to do a little blogging about what we are having for dinner these next 2 weeks. I made my menu plan Monday night and we went out and got everything we needed for 13 meals. Some of the recipes are new to us, some are family favorites, and some are just a little bit made up by me.

Hope you enjoy!

Last night's dinner: Pineapple Meatloaf, Creamy Potatoes, and Salad

Let me start by saying.....this meal has no cut and dry recipe. I kinda do a little bit of this and that, but I will share it with you in all its simplicity.

Pineapple Meatloaf
 Things you will need:
Ground beef
Ketchup
Pinapple Chunks and Juice
Bread Crumbs
Parmesan Cheese
Other Spices you prefer

I rarely make meatloaf because I always hated it as a kid, but after playing around with the idea a little bit, I found a way to make it that is super tasty--at least to me.

I used about 3/4-1 pound of 93% lean ground beef from my local Hen House. You can probably use any kind of ground beef for this and change the amount based on your family's needs, but this makes enough for an entire meal's leftovers for Seth and I (Aidan has a love/hate relationship with meat).

Put your meat in a bowl and add:

Several squirts of ketchup-- roughly about 1/4-1/2 cup
Pineapple juice- I usually put in about 1/2- 3/4 of the can of juice (I buy a can of pineapple chunks and preserve the juice)
Pineapple Chunks--I use about 1/2 a can and I cut them to the desired size
Bread Crumbs/Parmesan Cheese--I put in enough of the dry stuff to make the loaf less soggy-You want a good balance between the juiciness of the ketchup and juice, and the dry crumbs and cheese. Adding too much dry ingredient will dry out the meatloaf. If it is too juicy, it will fall apart (not necessarily a bad thing).
Other spices: I know some people cannot imagine a meatloaf without Italian Seasoning, Basil, and the like. I have put in Garlic, Salt, and other things before as well. Just remember that moderation is the key when adding additional spices.

Shape the meat into a loaf and bake in a loaf pan or other glass baking dish at 375 degrees for 45-60 min. I would definitely check it before the 45 min. mark and then again every 10 min. or so until it is cooked all the way through.

Creamy Potatoes
Things you will need:
Red Potatoes (I use about 5 or so)
Butter
Salt
Chives (optional)
Parmesan Cheese

Scrub potatoes and cut out the eyes. Leave skin on. Chop into small-medium size pieces and put in a pan with a small amount of water (this will vary depending on the pan you use--I have waterless cookware, so I barely need any moisture to cook my potatoes). I steam the potatoes until they are very tender.
Then, add about 3 Tbs. butter, some salt, chives, and parmesan cheese, and stir together. Potatoes (if very tender) should mesh together and get very creamy. Yum, yum!

Quick Salad

One way to fix a quick salad:
Wash some lettuce, add some Swiss cheese, cashews, and dried cranberries. Serve with a vinaigrette dressing ( our all-time fave is Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing).

Well, that is all for now. Tonight's dinner is Stuffed Chicken Parmesan. I haven't made this since the summer after Seth and I got married so I am excited!