Italian Meat Loaves

Meatloaf is really a personal preference.  Everyone seems to have their own

version and it usually starts out with a ground meat of some sort … for some

it’s pork, for some, chicken, turkey or beef and  for some it’s a combination of

one or more of these. At our house, well … it’s always been just plain beef,

because that’s what we have an abundance of.  For years now I’ve been

making a standard meatloaf that combines the ground meat with eggs, milk,

salt & pepper, breadcrumbs, sour cream and a shot of worcestershire sauce

and mustard covered with a ketchup and brown sugar topping.  It’s always

been well received by most of my family, except my youngest son, Jordan. 

With my two oldest sons away at school a lot, it’s become rather difficult to

make the usual meatloaf, because there’s often just three of us and if one of us

doesn’t like it … well, it just seems to last forever. 

So, determined to find a meatloaf that even Jordan would like, I decided to try

these individual italian seasoned meat loaves.  The basic recipe is very similar

to what I was already doing, but it seems that the addition of the spices and

the parmesan cheese changes everything.  They were declared a winner and

now I can make meatloaf again.  Thank goodness, because I was wondering

just how I was going to use up all of that hamburger meat that I have in the

freezer.

Here’s the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Italian Meat Loaves

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup (112 g) cracker or bread crumbs

1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

1/2 cup (125 ml) plus 2 tablespoons

(30 ml) grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 teaspoon (5 ml) Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic salt

1 teaspoon (5 ml) Italian seasoning, divided

2  pounds ground beef

1/4 cup (60 ml) ketchup

1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar

Method

In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, crumbs, milk, 1/2 cup cheese, onion,

Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning.  Add the

ground beef and mix well.  Shape into 10 individual loaves; place on a rack in a

greased large shallow baking pan.  Mix ketchup and brown sugar together and

spread on  top of each individual loaf; sprinkle with the remaining parmesan

cheese and Italian seasoning.  Bake at 350 °F ( 180 °C) for 45-55 minutes or

until no longer pink inside.  Makes 10 individual loaves. Recipe can easily be

halved.

lian

Italian seasoning is a staple in most grocery stores.  If, however, you have

trouble finding it, it is possible and actually nice, to make your own.  This

recipe can be made and stored in an airtight container for 3 months.  You can

use this combination of store-bought herbs or fresh herbs that you’ve dried

yourself.  Of course, the ones you grow and dry yourself will no doubt have

the best flavour.

Italian Seasoning

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

• 2 Tablespoons basil
• 2 Tablespoons marjoram
• 2 Tablespoons oregano
• 2 Tablespoons rosemary
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons thyme
• 2 Tablespoons dried savory

Method

In a food processor, combine basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, cilantro,

thyme, savory and red pepper flakes. Blend for 1 minute, or until desired

consistency is achieved. Remember, you can always change it up.  Leave out

what you don’t like and add more of what you do like. 

Adapted from: Taste of Home Magazine

Hope you enjoy these tasty meatloaf bundles!

This Sweet Wife ♥

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Best Ever Popovers

These popovers are surprisingly easy to make.  I bake them in a metal muffin

pan and they come out puffy and golden; crispy outside and tender inside. 

They are superb with steak or a good old fashioned pot roast. Many people are

intimidated by the popover (commonly referred to as a Yorkshire Pudding).  I

myself used to feel the same way.  However, this recipe is foolproof.  

There are many theories about making the perfect popover and I have a few

myself which I’ll share with you here:

1.    Use ingredients that are at room temperature.  If your milk is just out of the refrigerator, measure it out and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir and you’re ready to go.  Same with the eggs, use them at room temperature but if you’ve forgotten to take them out of the fridge, set them in a bath of hot water for 5 minutes and they’ll be just as good.

2.    The trick to gorgeous height and puffiness – don’t overbeat your batter.  This  can be very tempting … but back away. In this case, less is more!

3.    Preheat your oven.

4.    Heat oil in each muffin cup before you pour in your batter and make sure you use the required amount.  It may be tempting to cut back on the oil, but don’t … there is nothing worse than cleaning up a muffin pan full of baked on popovers.

5.    Once baked, remove them immediately from the cups.

6.    Watch your timing!  Since these need to be served immediately you’ll want to bake these when everything else is almost ready.  Like the gravy, these should be one of the last things to hit the table.

7.    Have fun!   It’s great fun to watch these puff up while they’re in the oven. And just to be on the safe side, try not to get so excited that you’re jumping up and down … it might not be so good for the pop effect we’re going for!

Best Ever Popovers

1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour

1/3 teaspoon (3 ml) salt

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter, melted

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk

12 teaspoons (60 ml) oil

Method

1. Position rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 425 ° F (220 °C).

For this recipe, you can use a popover pan, a muffin pan or custard cups

placed on a baking sheet. 

2. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, eggs, butter, and milk.  Process

for a few seconds, just barely enough to combine.  Scrape down the sides of

the bowl and process again briefly to break up any lumps of flour.

3. Place 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of oil in each cup of whatever type pan you are

using so that the popovers won’t stick.  Pop the pan filled with oil in the

preheated oven for about 2 minutes.  An  easy way to tell if your oil is hot or

not is to tilt your pan ever so slightly.  Hot oil will spread really fast across the

bottom of your muffin cup. If it doddles, heat it a little longer but not too long

or they will take up smoking.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared  cups, filling them half full.  Bake for 30

minutes.  Reduce the heat to 375 °F (190 °C) and continue baking until they

are a golden brown. 

5. Remove from the oven and immediately unmold them before they shrink

and stick.  If you come across one that sticks, pry it out with a spoon or the

edge of a sharp knife.  Serve immediately. Makes 12 beautiful popovers.

Adapted from: Williams- Sonoma Essentials of Baking

I just know you’re going to love these dramatic, little show-offs! Slathered with

butter, or crowned with gravey, they’ll bring you flurries of praise and

adoration. The two things I love most!

Love, TSW ♥

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Hungry Farmboy Hamburger Pitas

You might not be’ef this, but when we buy beef … we buy it in bulk;  a full cow … or a half a cow … depending on how much room is in the freezer. Scout’s honour. So this situation makes for a lot of ground beef, and as a result I have spent a large portion of my life coming up with meals made from it, because let’s face it, a person can only eat so much spaghetti. This is a recipe I created, based on ground beef and easy, nutritious foods that are usually in my pantry.  It’s a real crowd-pleaser, full of flavour, and hits the spot with famished, hard-working, farmboys!  There isn’t a farmboy for miles who won’t thank you for making this dish.

   

Farmboy #1

Hungry Farmboy Hamburger Pitas

6 X-large pitas, white or whole wheat

BBQ sauce (we like Dianna’s)

2 lbs. lean hamburger meat, cooked

2 large onions, diced

1 cup corn, blanched, and drained

1 ripe tomato, diced

1 really large or three regular sized mushrooms, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 cup flour

1/8 cup + 3 tablespoons water

1 cup beef bouillon

1 teaspoon gravy browning

3 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Farmboy #2

Method

1. Chop two onions into chunks & cook in olive oil until transparent.

2. Add chopped mushroom to onions and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, then set aside.

3. Cook hamburger meat in skillet until no longer pink, drain off the fat and finish by patting with paper towel to remove the last of the grease.

4. Return cooked beef to the pan and add the cooked onions, mushrooms, corn, and bouillon (if you have any beef bouillon left over from cooking a pot roast,  use it here, the results are to die for). Stir over medium heat, for 3 minutes.

5. Thicken the bouillon. Mix water and flour together and whisk until there are no lumps. Add gravy browning, mix and pour into the hamburger mixture.  Stir hamburger until most of the liquid has been thickened. Remove from heat.

6. Spread each pita with BBQ sauce, coating evenly.  Then place a generous helping of the hamburger mixture onto each pita and spread it evenly. Divide the cheese evenly between the pitas. Add tomatoes if using.

7. Bake in a 425 °F oven on the centre rack for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn slightly brown.  Cool for 10 minutes and cut into wedges.

 Farmboy #3

Ryan’s calf’s around somewhere …

lying on a fresh bed of straw, all pretty and pampered.

Hamburger pita’s without tomatoes are delicious!

Hamburger pita’s WITH tomatoes are super delicious!

And this is what you’ll be left with when you make these for the people you

love.  They will swoon and rave and thank you endlessly.

Can you feel the love yet? I know I can. Now go find your farmboys, or

somebody’s else’s farmboy, and show ’em some love!

Love, TSW ♥

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