"Throw the Diet Out the Window" Meatloaf

My mother-in-law made this for us when we went to visit this past weekend.
Even my husband, who is not a big meatloaf fan, loved it!!
Try not to think of all the calories and fat, just pretend they don't even exist!

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf
courtesy of Paula Deen

1 lb ground chuck
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
___________
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
3 oz french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350.
in large bowl, combine meat and next 8 ingredients. mix well.
in small bowl, combine ketchup and mustard. stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into the meat mixture. reserve the rest.
press meat into a 9x5x3 loaf pan. spread remaining ketchup mixture on top of loaf.
bake for 40 minutes. top with french fried onions. bake another 10-15 minutes or until meat is done.

Now, go ahead, take a big bite!
Remember: you are throwing the diet out the window today!! ha ha

" Nevertheless, He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
-- Acts 14: 17

Hamburger Hoagies with Au Jus

I made these for dinner last night and they got a thumbs-up all around the table!


1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
garden vegetable spreadable cream cheese
hoagie rolls, split and toasted
au jus sauce (envelope mix or jar)

Season the beef with whatever seasoning you like to use (I used a salt-free Mrs. Dash seasoning). Shape into oval patties that will fit on your rolls. Brown in skillet or on grill.

Spread the cream cheese on toasted hoagie rolls. Place cooked beef patties on rolls.

Serve will Au Jus for dipping.

This is very quick to prepare on busy nights. And filling enough to feed my boys and still have some left over for lunch the next day!

(I took a picture but it actually didn't look very appetizing, so I decided to leave the picture out)

Easy Cheesy Manicotti

My family loves stuffed manicotti but I don't make it often because it is time consuming and messy.

But.... I saw this recipe that may change all that.

Instead of making the cheese mixture for the filling, just use string cheese!! How easy is that!

It turned out pretty good. Definitely a time saver.

1 package manicotti

1 lb ground beef ( I used ground elk)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 jar spaghetti sauce

14 single serving string cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Cook manicotti according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown the ground meat and onion. Add the spaghetti sauce to meat. Drain Manicotti and place one string cheese in each manicotti shell.

In a greased 9x11 baking dish, spread 1/2 of meat mixture. place stuffed manicotti in pan. Spoon remaining meat mixture over the manicotti.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes; covered.

Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake for another 10 minutes.

There you have it: Manicotti Made Easy!!

Lisa's Famous Bowl : courtesy of KFC

Have you ever had the KFC Famous Bowl? My boys love em! Last night Ryan requested that I make Famous Bowl's for dinner. They are super simple and very hearty/filling. So here ya are, my version:

Ingredients:

-mashed potatoes

-popcorn chicken (I made homemade by cutting up chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and coating them with flour and a little Shake -n- Bake seasoning; then cooking in some oil in a skillet.)

-simple brown gravy (make homemade or use the package mix)

-corn

-shredded cheese for melting on top

Just layer it all up in order of ingredients. It's very good!

Italian-style Shepherd's Pie

We had this tonight for dinner. Another new recipe, my poor family. Most of the time they luck out and get some good stuff ! Tonight was one of those good nights.
Found this in the back of my recipe shelf, shoved behind some other cookbooks. It comes from the Betty Crocker Quick-to-Fix Casserole book. I did take a picture, but for some reason it looked awful. So no pic for this one, sorry!

1 lb boneless sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup sliced onion
3 medium carrots, sliced
salt and pepper
1 cup fresh mushrooms (I didn't have any, so that was left out)
1 1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce (just regular spaghetti sauce)
mashed potatoes
parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef, carrots and onions until beef cubes are browned. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in mushrooms and pasta sauce. heat to boil. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes for sauce to thicken a bit. Spread in a greased 2 or 3 qt. casserole dish. (I used the 11x9x2 size). Spoon the potatoes by the moundful on top of the beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the potatoes begin to brown.



I will leave you with this picture though:

Bear all dressed up and ready to go crow hunting in the field!! What a boy!

Pork Chop Supper/ Apple Brown Betty

Ok, I'm going to share a couple more recipes. This is what we had for dinner tonight and Yummy, it was good!

Pork Chop Supper:
6 pork loin chops (I used bone-in)
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp oil
1-2 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper
5-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I used Yukon Gold potatoes so I didn't peel)
5-6 carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, cut into wedges
3 cups beef broth
Coat chops with flour and brown on both sides in heated oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Add potatoes, carrots, and onion. Pour broth over all: bring to boil. Reduce heat: Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes until veggies are tender.

Apple Brown Betty:
6 slices white bread, toasted
3-4 cups peeled sliced baking apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I used a tad more)
1/4 cup butter, melted
half-and-half cream, optional
Tear toast into bite size pieces; place in a greased 2 qt. casserole. Top with apples. Combine sugars and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Drizzle with butter. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes. Serve warm with cream on top.

The next time I make this Apple Brown Betty, I will double the recipe. It disappeared in no time flat at my house!! So good!

Let me know if you try any of the recipes.