Italian Meatloaf

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Cooks Note: I have made the same meatloaf my mom makes for years. I love it, my family loves it and it rocks. But, since I am Italian, this Italian Meatloaf intrigued me. I figured it would taste like a giant delicious meatball smothered in sauce and cheese and I was pretty much right. This was a huge hit with my family (kids included) and will become part of our "Do again" list, one that has formed since I have started cooking my way through Pinterest. Make this one, it will not disappoint! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion diced
1 fire roasted red pepper, diced (I used a couple roasted red peppers from a jar)
Olive Oil for sauteing
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 vine ripened tomato, diced
1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 egg
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tablespoons Parmesan, grated
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, grated (I used 2 cups)

Directions:

1. Cut up all of your veggies
2. Heat your skillet with enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan, over medium heat
3. Add the onion and the peppers, saute till tender.Add garlic, saute till fragrant and and Italian seasoning and tomato, saute 3-4 minutes then set aside to cool. 
4. Preheat oven to 400 F. In a bowl whisk together egg, 1/3 cup tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add ground meat, bread crumbs and black pepper, Parmesan and vegetables. Combine with a fork and mix in 1 cup of mozzarella. 
5. In a large roasting pan, form the meat into a loaf. Spread the remaining sauce and mozzarella over the top of the meatloaf. Bake 45 min or till no longer pink in the middle. Let sit 5 min before serving. 


This recipe comes from Cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

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Cook's Note: I went to my favorite local farm stand and bought some Zucchini (thanks Moonfire Orchard!) with the intent of making chocolate zucchini bread. I ran upon this recipe on Pinterest (where else?) and thought I'd make a cake instead and boy am I glad I did! I changed the ingredients only slightly by adding additional chocolate! 

This cake is made with yogurt instead of oil, which makes it light and moist. This is a MUST TRY while zucchinis are in season!

What You Will Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (like Hershey’s)

2 Squares of Baker’s Chocolate (semi-sweet chocolate), melted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup gently packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup Greek-style plain low-fat yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup gently packed, peeled and grated zucchini

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Confectioners’ Sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray like Coconut Oil Non-Stick Cooking Spray.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl. Set aside.

In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and creamy. Add the melted chocolate squares. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Mix in the greek yogurt and vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until nearly combined. Use a spatula to stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Transfer the batter to the Bundt pan and spread evenly. Bake about 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before releasing the cake from the Bundt pan.

Dust with confectioners’ sugar. 

Thanks to Moonfire Orchard for the yummy Zucchini 

This "Pinspiration" comes from Serious Eats

ENJOY!

Bacon and Chard Frittata

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Cook's Note: I went to a local farm stand where I found Swiss Chard. I have never had Swiss Chard, but I have been on a kick this year - challenging myself to try new foods. So, I bought the chard and brought it home and went to my trusty Pinterest to find a yummy recipe. I stumbled upon this one and of course tweaked it to make it my own. 

This was delicious, easy to make and super healthy and I HIGHLY recommend this to you for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

What You Will Need:

 4 large eggs

4 large egg whites

¼  cup grated Parmesan Cheese plus another ¼ cup set aside

½  bunch Swish Chard, washed well  and chopped

6 slices of Turkey Bacon (cooked & crumbled)

½ large white onion, chopped

2 tsp light butter

Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 400°.

In a medium bowl stir together the eggs & egg whites. Add the parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Set this aside.

Separate the chard stems from the chard leaves. Roll the leaves up and chop.

Heat a 10-inch skillet on low heat; melt half of the butter and add the onions with a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly cook the onions, stirring occasionally until the onions become translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Bring the heat up to medium and cook until the onions caramelize.

Add the remaining butter and add the chard leaves to the pan. Cook until wilted and bright green (about 3 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to low; pour egg mixture into the skillet and mix well to blend. Reduce heat to low and cook until the edges set, about 6 minutes. Then immediately pour this mixture into a pie plate (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray) and sprinkle bacon crumbles on top and also sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of  parmesan cheese on top.

Place in the oven and bake until completely set through, about 8-10 minutes.

Cut into pie shaped wedges and serve!

This "Pinspiration" comes from SkinnyTaste and the yummy swiss chard from Potomac Vegetable Farms

ENJOY! 

The Pioneer Woman-Bowtie Lasagna

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Cooks Note: I always know that a recipe from The Pioneer Woman will be a great one. And I always know that a pasta dish is a pretty safe bet with my kiddos. I was wondering though, without ricotta cheese if it would really taste like lasagna, but it does! Although this is The Pioneer Woman's recipe, I used the adapted version by Katie Cooks Dinner. I promise this recipe will not disappoint, it is creamy, flavorful and very family friendly. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

1 lb Bowtie Pasta

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 lb ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce (your fave) or 3 Cups of your own

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 heaping teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 Cup sour cream

Parmesan for topping

Directions:

1. Cook pasta to al dente', strain and pour over top of cooked and drained ground beef.

2. Add olive oil and stir well

3. Add sauce and spices and stir well

4. Add cheese and stir well

5. Add sour cream and stir well. Reheat slightly if needed. 

Top with Parmesan to taste and serve

This Pinspiration comes from Katie Cooks Dinner and The Pioneer Woman

Delicata Squash and parmesan Chicken Bake

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Cook's Note: I frequent a local farm stand in our area during the summer time and I ran upon this DELICATA squash that I was not familiar with at all. 

The person there told me it was a fall squash and delicious and tasted like a butternut squash or acorn squash, so I thought I'd give it a try. GOODNESS ME! It is even better than butternut squash - it will knock your socks off! This recipe is devine and you just HAVE to give it a try! 

What You Will Need: 

2 Delicata Squash (washed, seeded and chopped)

3-4 Chicken Breasts, chopped

Package of Cherry Tomatoes - chopped

2 cloves of garlic - chopped

3 Tbps of Olive Oil

1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

Directions: 

Once you've chopped your delicata squash, tomatoes and chicken, place in a large freezer bag and add olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and cheese. Shake the bag well to coat and mix. Pour contents of bag into an oven safe dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with a little more of the Parmesan cheese, just to give it a coating and bake at 400 degrees for 60 minutes. 

Here is the Delicata Squah, chopped - doesn't it look amazing!?

ENJOY!

A special thank you to Moonfire Orchard for the delicious squash and tomatoes!