Individual Meatloaves

When I told my hubby meatloaf was on the menu for the week, he wouldn’t leave me along until I made it. I’ve made meatloaf for him a couple times now – with my mom’s “recipe” (the list of ingredients with “to taste” after each one – love you Mom!), and most recently, I tried Ellie Kreiger’s turkey meatloaf.

Both my hubby and I agreed that while the meatloaves were great, we wished there had been a little more glaze or sauce on top. In the future, I’ll probably play with the glazed topping – either more ketchup as Ina recommends for a sweeter glaze, a can of tomato sauce like Ellie Kreiger recommends, or I’ll go back to my mom’s style: a can of tomato soup with a bit of water over top and around the meatloaves, for a more savory sauce.

So, without further ado, I give you the Barefoot Contessa’s Individual Meatloaves.

PS. I clearly need to work on my photos here. Any suggestions for photo-taking or styling would be much appreciated!

Barefoot Contessa’s Individual Meatloaves

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

Serves 3 (half the original recipe)

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • 1 tsp.  kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 1/2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/6 c. low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 Tbs. tomato paste
  • 1 1/4 lb. ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1/4 c. plain bread crumbs
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 c. ketchup

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. When hot, add onions, thyme, salt and pepper, cooking until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Cool slightly.

Combine all ingredients, including the onion mixture, in a medium mixing bowl, mixing lightly with a fork. Don’t mash otherwise the meatloaf will be dense.

Divide mixture into 3 portions, shaping each into a small loaf on a baking sheet.

Spread 1 Tbs. ketchup on the top of each meatloaf. Feel free to add a little more if you’d prefer more glaze.

Make 40-45 minutes, until internal temperature is 155-160F.

Serve hot with mashed potatoes or your favorite side.

Compost Cookies

I’ve been in a mood to clean lately – get rid of the junk around the house that we don’t use or want any more, stuff that’s been sitting around for a while. I decided to take that into the kitchen today, cleaning out the fridge and some of the cabinets. While this recipe didn’t make as big a dent in the baking/snack stash as I would have liked, but luckily, the cookies came out tasty – I’ll definitely be using up stuff with this recipe again soon!

Compost Cookies

Recipe adapted from the Amateur Gourmet

Makes about 24 huge, flat cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 c. unsalted butter
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 3/4 c. light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs. light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (I used 1 c. all-purpose flour and 3/4 whole wheat flour)
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 c. sweet baking ingredients such as chocolate chips, buts, Raisenettes, Cocoa Krispies, etc. (I used a mixture of milk chocolate and dark chocolate Hershey kisses and a Bubble chocolate bar, chopped)
  • 1 1/2 c. snack food, such as chips or pretzels (I used pretzels)

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars and corns syrup on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Mixture should be light and fluffy.

Scrape down sides and add eggs and vanilla on low-speed, beating until just combined.

Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 10 minutes. The mixture will become a pale white color and will double in size as the sugar fully dissolves.

After 10 minutes, lower speed and add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until just combined, about a minute.

Scrape down sides of the mixture, and again on low speed, add your baking and snack ingredients, beating until combined. Be sure to scrape sides of the bowl, making sure there is no untouched dough at the bottom.

Using a 1/4 cup scoop, drop cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets – leave lots of room because they spread a LOT (I did 6 on one cookie sheet). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. (This step is necessary – the cookies will end up flattened out if you don’t refrigerate them!)

Preheat oven to 400F. Take plastic wrap off baking sheet and bake, 9-11 minutes until cookies are slightly puffy and tops are cracked.

Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a plate or tupperware.

Book Review: Government Girl

Book Review:

Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House

By Stacy Parker Aab

I can usually easily say whether I loved a book, hated it, or if it was just alright. Not the case with Government Girl. I had conflicting feelings about this book.  Let me explain.

Government Girl is the story of Stacy Parker Aab’s time working for the Clinton White House, from the time she began interning as a student through her brief professional career as an executive assistant. I enjoyed the glimpses into White House life and the major players at the time. The periods covering the Monica Lewinsky scandals and the feelings of White House staffers were particularly interesting to read.

However, this book tends to fall short of expectations. I appreciate seeing the rise of a student throughout the ranks and to a staff level, but too much emphasis was placed on these early years. Throughout these years, too much of the emphasis was on Parker Aab’s personal life (I didn’t expect quite so much talk about her boyfriends, or lack there of) and on her incredible naivete and idealism. For me, the last third of Government Girl was the best portion of the novel, where Parker Aab focuses on her job as a staffer, and not on idealism and her personal life.

Recommendation? I honestly can’t say whether I would recommend this book to others. It was an interesting read, but perhaps would be better suited and more enjoyable for a junior high schooler with less expectations.

Grade: C

Baked Shrimp Scampi

This month’s Barefoot Blogger’s recipe was chosen by Jill of Insanely Good Food.  And what did Jill chose? She chose the Barefoot Contessa’s Baked Shrimp Scampi, a tasty and easy dish that has become a new staple recipe in my house. I had made this recipe a couple months ago (blogged here) but wanted to take a minute to once again, encourage you to try it. I skip the butterflying and arranging to make it even easier – I buy the frozen peeled and deveined shrimp. Simply defrost, remove the tails, marinade and make the crumbly topping, and bake. A super easy and flavorful weeknight meal. Serve over pasta or rice.

Peanut-Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Peanut-Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes (p. 118)

Makes 12-15 cupcakes

Ingredients for the Peanut Butter Filling:

  • 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 3/4 c. creamy peanut butter (i.e. Skippy)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Chocolate Cupcakes:

  • 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2/3 c. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325F and line a muffin tin with liners.

Make the Filling: Combine all ingredients, stirring until smooth.

Make the Cupcakes:

Melt chocolates and butter together over a double broiler (or in the microwave). Stir until smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk sugar into the cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk to combine. Whisk in vanilla.

Sift salt, baking powder, and flour into chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Dough will feel heavy and will be very wet.

Spoon 2 tbs. of chocolate batter into each of the prepared muffin cups. Add 1 tbs. of the peanut butter filling, and top with 1 tbs. of the chocolate batter. For a marbled look (skipped here), take a toothpick and swirl the batter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.