Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Italian Meatball Meatloaf

2013_01_30I saw a bunch of Italian meatloaf recipes, but none of them were quite what I had in mind. So I took my meatball recipe and added bread crumbs and eggs to it. Topped it with sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. This tasted just like Italian meatballs but in meatloaf form. We all loved it!

RECIPES:

Italian Meatball Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
1 onion finely chopped
3 carrots finely chopped
2 eggs beaten
1/2 Cup Japanese panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp Italian seasons
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix ground beef, egg, onions, carrots and garlic together. In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to meat mixture and mix thoroughly.

Put meat in loaf pan and cover with spaghetti sauce. I used tomato basil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake an additional minute of two for cheese to melt. (Mine took about an hour and a half, but I think it depends on your loaf pan)

Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Meatloaf Cupcakes

2013_01_16My sister-in-law has an aversion to meatloaf. Mainly because of the name. “Meat” and “loaf” are two words that shouldn’t go together in her opinion. It’s a valid argument. But I was convinced she had to like meatloaf. It was just a matter of coming up with a better name. Something that sounded more friendly, more appetizing.

I wondered about meatloaf cupcakes. That sounds better, right? Did something like that already exist? Yes, it does! I was surprised that my Google search produced many results for meatloaf cupcakes, and meatloaf muffins. Some with sweet potato frosting, some with regular mashed potato frosting. Mini muffins, to big muffins. The options were endless!

I decided to use a 6-cupcake pan and did a variation of Alton Brown’s meatloaf recipe. To get my mashed potato swirl, I stuffed the mashed potatoes in a Zip-loc bag, and cut off a of a corner. Then I just swirled it up like it was frosting.

Ellie was so excited for her meatloaf cupcakes. But when she realized they weren’t real cupcakes, she was not so thrilled. And a meat muffin didn’t sound anymore appetizing to my sister-in-law either.

RECIPES:

Good Eats Meatloaf

Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Beef Stroganoff

This is always the “homecoming meal” when we are in Japan. But even if Aya’s mom is here visiting, Aya always requests it. It wouldn’t be a complete visit if we didn’t have this meal. I’ve made it once myself, but Aya’s mom always has the special touch.

RECIPES:

Beef Stroganoff

400-600g (1 to 1.5lbs) thinly sliced beef (Aya’s mom bought top round and sliced it thin)
1 onion minced
1 6oz can of sliced mushrooms
1/2cup frozen green peas, or more to taste
1 clove garlic minced
1 bay leaf
3tb flour
2tb butter
1tb vegetable oil
3cups chicken or beef broth
3/4cup evaporated milk
1tb red wine
Salt and pepper to taste

  1. Season the sliced beef with salt and pepper and coat it in flour, careful not to layer them.
  2. In a large pot, heat 1tb butter and 1tb vegetable oil and brown the beef.
  3. Add the broth and cook on low or medium heat for 30-40 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile in a pan, heat 1tb butter and saute the garlic and onions and add mushrooms(drain and save the liquid in the can). Season with 1/2ts salt, pepper, and 1tb red wine.
  5. Add the garlic, onions, and mushrooms to the beef and add a bay leaf and the liquid from the can of mushrooms.
  6. Once the liquid thickens, take out the bay leaf.
  7. Continue to cook on low or medium heat for 1-1.5 hrs, add evaporated milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Add green peas and stir.
  9. Pour over rice.

 

Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Eggplant Chili

This isn’t a vegetarian chili, it’s just a chili with eggplant in it. It’s called for ground beef, but I used ground turkey instead. I have to say, this was really good! And not good for a chili with eggplant in it, but just a really good chili recipe. The eggplant adds a good subtle flavor and a nice texture. And definitely a different way to use up some of our garden eggplants.

RECIPES:

Eggplant Chili

Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Fried Green Tomato Burgers w/ Avocado Fries

So, I’ve been wanting to make this super fantastic dessert forever. But it looked too awesome and spectacular to make just for fun. It was a mixture of cookie batter, Oreos, and brownie batter all topped with ice cream and hot fudge. It looked so rich and intense we wanted to thoroughly enjoy it. So we invited our friends over for what we called a food-porn dinner. The main event would be the dessert, but we needed a meal to go with it, but not outshine it.

Aya came across this burger recipe and insisted we try it. The bottom layer was thousand island dressing, then the burger pattie, then pepper jack cheese, fried green tomato, then topped with bacon (we used turkey bacon to lighten it up to save more room for dessert). Wow, what a blend of flavors and textures. And then the baked avocado fries as a side were a nice change from fries or sweet potato wedges. Light and crispy. Light enough to leave room for the main event! Ultimate Chocolate Chip n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bars!

RECIPES:

Fried Green Tomato Burgers

Baked Avocado Fries