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Friday, February 1, 2013


Encores: If you are going to have your oven on, you may as well use all the energy being expended. Use an extra rack to roast vegetables or bake off potatoes. Making two meatloafs is an efficient way to have a meal and leftovers too.  Leftovers make perfect sandwiches hot or cold. Slices of meatloaf taste great panfried and nestled on a bed of mashed potatoes with gravy, or served alongside fried eggs. It can also be broken up and made into a savory hash with roasted vegetables, chopped, fresh herbs and sauteed onions. Make a full recipe so you can enjoy eat one now and wrap and freeze one for later.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6letUclZQp8


Maple-Glazed Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf        

Makes two loafs  Prep Time: 20 minutes    Cooking TIme: 50 minutes

3/4 lb. Beeler's Uncured Pepper Bacon
    1/4 lb. chopped
    1/2 lb. left in strips (reserved for topping)
1 cup finely chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Nancy's plain yogurt or sour cream
2 large eggs, whisked a bit
1 Tbls. dry yellow mustard
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped or 1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
2 lbs. free range, antibiotic free ground beef, 10% fat
1 lb. free range, antibiotic free ground pork
1/2 cup crushed Saltine crackers, or breadcrumbs, or panko, or gluten free crackers
1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley 

1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbls. dijon mustard (or your favorite mustard) I used Sierra Nevada Stout mustard

Preheat oven to 375'.

In a small saute pan on medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until beginning to crisp, add the onions and saute 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and saute 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Using a medium large bowl, combine milk, yogurt, eggs, salt, thyme, Worcestershire, pepper, hot sauce, crackers crumbs and parsley. Using a whisk or wooden spoon, mix to thoroughly combine. Add the meats and bacon/onion mixture and using a wooden spoon or your just washed hands, mix ingredients until they are thoroughly combined. In order to make sure the seasoning is correct, test the meatloaf mixture by heating a small pan on medium heat and cooking a small patty. Let it cool a minute and then taste for salt and pepper. 

In a small bowl, mix syrup and mustard together. Set aside.

Divide meat mixture in half and place half of it on a rimmed baking sheet. Depending on the size of your oven and baking sheets will determine if you can cook both loaves on one pan or if you'll need to use two. A standard oven baking sheet will hold two loaves. Place mixture on pan and using your clean hands, shape it into a loaf that is approximately 4" wide x1 1/2 " high x 8" long. Pat it down and smooth it out so that it doesn't have any cracks in it. Lay half of the strips of bacon over the top. Repeat with the remaining meat mixture and bacon.

Using a pastry or bbq brush, brush the maple-mustard glaze over the top of the bacon and on the sides of the meatloaf. 

Place in the oven and bake approximately 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 165'. 



Herb Roasted Root Vegetables        

Preheat oven to 450'       Prep time:10 minutes Cooking Time: 25 to 35 minutes

1 yam
1 sweet potato
4 small potatoes          
1 parsnip, peeled
1 carrot, peeled
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Cut all of the vegetables into similarly sized pieces. One inch chunks are great. Drizzle half of the olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet, place cut vegetables and herb sprigs on top, drizzle with the remaining oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place in the preheat oven and roast about 15 minutes. Give them a stir and roast another 10-15 minutes or until they  begin to caramelize and are tender when pierced with a fork.  If you are cooking them with the meatloaf, you can toss them in a bowl and place on the baking sheet around the meatloaf after it has cooked for about 10 minutes. Check on them after 20 minutes and give them a stir. They are done when they begin to caramelize on the edges and are tender when pierced with a fork. 

Encores: Here's an easy way to save both time and energy. Prep and cook off a  bunch of different roasted vegetable at the beginning of the week, cover and store in the refrigerator and use them throughout the week. Perfect additions to soups, salads, omelets, or as a side dish with fresh herbs, parmesan or toasted nuts. Reheated in a saute pan, they make a great bed for fried eggs or a piece of meat or fish. Having prepared vegetables on hand will save you time in the kitchen and help you add more vegetables to your diet. 

Mixed Greens with Pears, Toasted Hazelnuts and Blossom Wildflower Honey-Pear Vinaigrette


Prep Time: 10 minutes       Cooking Time:10 minutes
Salad

5 ounces mixed greens
1 ripe pear, sliced or chopped
1/2 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts

Honey Pear Vinaigrette
1 ounce dried pears, seeds removed and chopped and soaked in 1/3 cup hot water
2 tsp. minced shallots
1/3 cup Blossom Wildflower Honey Vinegar (may sub champagne, apple cider or rice vinegar plus 1 tsp. honey)
1 Tbls. stone ground mustard
1 tsp. Kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pears should soak for about 15 minutes to soften them. Place pears and soaking water in a blender with shallots, vinegar, mustard, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Blend until thoroughly pureed. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil and continue to blend. Stop blender and taste for seasoning. Add more salt or pepper if needed. You may need to add additional oil (or water if you prefer) to thin the vinaigrette. 

Place greens, pears, hazelnuts in a bowl. Drizzle with half of the vinaigrette. Toss and add additional vinagrette if need ed to caot all of the salad. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serv on plates. May serve with crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese. This salad is also delicious with cheese topped crostini. 

Encores: The vinaigrette is also delicious drizzled on roasted vegetables. It makes a nice dressing for coleslaw made with cabbage, carrots and apples too. Experiment and see what you can create! 



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