Welcome Back Meatloaf

 A few years back I used to make meatloaf but in between being pregnancies it was one of those foods I couldn't stand so I gave it up but now I'm ready for to come back into my kitchen for dinners with a side of tasty vegetables. 

 Italian Style Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef (93%/7 lean)

1 1/4 cup bread crumbs (seasoned if you like)

1 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup soy milk

1 cup of tomato sauce (reserve some for topping)

If there is no seasoning in the bread crumbs add the following to taste:

salt

pepper

garlic powder

fresh parsley

1.  Preaheat oven to 400 degrees and grease 2 loaf pans.

2.  In a bowl mix bread crumbs and seasoning and chopped onion.

3.  Add in meat, soy milk and tomato sauce.  Mix well then divide and press into 2 loaf pans.

4. Drizzle remaining tomato sauce and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour till top is a bit brown and internal temperature reads 165 degrees.

Enjoy for dinner or freeze for later.

Notes:

1.  The soymilk is to replace 1 egg.  In the orginal recipe it calls for 1-2 eggs.

2.  This meatloaf is moist but because it does not contain eggs it will crumble but worth the flavor.

3.  Another time I might  add in maybe another vegetable like carrots or spinach.

4.  Does this freeze well yes.  Once the meatloaf is competely cooled down line a cooke sheet with wax paper slice meat loaf into slices and lay on the cook sheet and freeze.  Once they are frozen  they can go into a bag.  I did this so I would have a fast food for a quick meal in a pinch.

Join me in the kitchen

Welcome to today's crazy kitchen cooking.  Thought you might like a peak of what went from morning till bedtime.

:: Loads of dirty dishes
:: A clean sink and counter *sigh* even if only for a short time.
:  Let the cooking begin!  Roasting vegetables, boiling sweet potatoes for soup, made fish cakes and sauteed a little spinach.
:: Then went on to try a new recipe Italian Style Meatloaf .  Definitely a hit a recipe keeper I'll share soon as soon as I rewrite it.
:: Lastly feeling like I should make cookies to feeze for before Christmas.
Phew!
Most days are not like this at all.  Why all the cooking?  I have been trying to be better about having some frozen foods to reheat (like bread, soups, fish cakes, meatloaf) so I'm trying to incorporate a new rhythm the day or two after grocery shopping try to double up on a meal and cook some things to freeze so they are easy to grab to make a quick meal.  This helps me avoid buying premade foods and they only take a couple of minutes to reheat.  One of my short cuts I wanted to sharre. 

An Apple of a Weekend

We've been enjoying the last hot days of October.  That is really wierd for me to write because it's October in New England and in the 80's.  Let's just say it's making my system a little crazy.  I have been craving apple, granola, soups, chili's and even a pot pie but it's 80 degrees! But that could change soon around here. 
With the weather confusion I spent the weekend moving around in the kitchen  with some help freezing apple pie fillings, making granola and apple sauce from the apple cores. 

Appe Core Sauce

 I have heard the cores can be cooked and made into applesauce so this weekend I decided  to give this a try. I have been saving all the cores in the freezer.  Once I had a bit batch of cores I put them in a pot with about a cup of water and let it simmer till they were all soft mushy.  Then I set up the food mill and turned it till I had a nice bowl of apple sauce.  Scooped them into jars after they were completely cooled into the freezer they went.   A big pot of cores made about 6 small jars with extra leftover. Yummy for later.

Freezing Food: Cauliflower & Carrots

Well this is the last of the Freezing Food Series.  With summer coming to an end the freezing of vegetables is also coming to an end.  The freezer is pretty full of vegetables with a little room for apple sauce and apple filling and I think that will hopefully keep us stocked for the rest of fall and most of winter.

For this post I combined both cauliflower and carrots.  I figured it was easier to blanch these two vegetables using the same pot of water. 

The cauliflower: 

1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  While you wait for the water wash and dice the cauliflower.

2.  Prepare a cold water bath (bowl of water and ice cubes), a cookie sheet and something to scoop the cauliflower.

3.  When the water comes to a boil drop the cauliflower in the hot water for 2 minutes.  Then scoop out and put in cold water bath.

3.  After a few minutes scoop out cooled cauliflower,  lay on a cookie sheet and freeze. 
Once they frozen put cauliflower pieces in bag.

The carrots:
1.  Peel and chop  carrots ahead of time.
2.  Then drop carrots in a pot of boiling hot water for 1 minute.

3.  Scoop carrots out and drop in cold water bath. 

4.  After carrots are cooled down lay on a cookie sheet and freeze.  After all the vegetables are frozen bag them and freeze till ready to use.

Shredded Carrots:  One thing I found handy in the freezer are bags of premeasured shredded carrots for carrot cake. 

1.  Wash, peel and chop carrots.

2. Measure 1 cup of carrots and put into the food processor.  Pulse till carrots are shredded.

3.  Scoop 1 cups of shredded carrots and drop in a labelled sandwich bag.  Later on this winter use for your baked goods. 

Freezing Food Series: Swiss Chard

There is something about the swisschard at the Farmer's Market lately that has been tempting.  For the past 2 weeks I have picked up a couple of bunches at a time brought it home and got it ready for freezing.  I'm already thinking how nice it will be later on in the fall/winter to grab a handful for sauteeing with a little garlic and oil,  minestrone or soup. 
 I came up with this method and chose to not fully cook the swiss chard because I'm not quite sure what I'll use it for later and I like having a bag of leafy greens handy.  (I apologize I lost the rest of the pictures for the step by step method.)

What's needed for this method

Boiling pot of hot water
cold water bath (bowl of cold water and ice cubes)
small stainer
colander in a bowl
cookie sheet
freezer bags

 1.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  While wating for the water boil wash the swiss chard and cut with scissors into small leaves then set aside in a bowl.  Then prepare the cold water bath.

2.  When the pot is hot and boiling drop in the swiss chard for 2 minutes.  Then scoop out with a small strainer and immediately drop into the cold water bath for a few minutes to stop the cooking process.

3.  Next have a colander inside a bowl ready for this step.  Scoop the swiss chard out of the cold water bath and drop into the colander.  Let it sit in the colander for a little while till the water is drained.

4.  After the water is mostly drained spread out the swiss chard on a cookie sheet and freeze.

5.  When the swiss chard is frozen remove from cookie sheet and put into freezer bags.

You now have bag of leafy greens to enjoy later on. 

Freezing Food Series: Green Beans

Keeping up with the Freezering Food Series next are green beans following this method. 

What's need for this method
Boiling pot of hot water

Cold water and ice cubes for the cold water bath
1 bowl for the cold water bath
knife and cutting board
small stainer or tongs depending on the size of your beans
clean dish towel
cookie sheet
freezer bags

 1.  Wash beans then cut off stems.  Next you can either leave them as they are or chop them into smaller pieces.  I chose to chop because they will be used this winter for pot pies and minestrone.

 2.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  In the meantime prepare your station a strainer or tongs, the cold water bath (bowl with cold water and ice cubes),  lay out a clean dish cloth to dry the beans.

 3.  When the water reaches a boil drop beans into hot water for 1 minute and 30 seconds no longer.  Scoop beans out of pot and drop into cold water bath.  Do not let the beans stay in the hot water too long because I  learned from past mistakes that when they freeze, then when ready to use they will be dark and mushy.

 4.  Cool for a few minutes in the coldwater bath.

 5.  Take out of bath and lay on a clean dish cloth.  Gently pat dry to remove excess water.

 6. Transfer to a cookie sheet and freeze.

7.  After they are frozen transfer to a freezer bag and then put back in the freezer till ready to use.  I think I approximately had 1 pound of beans which filled a quart size freezer bag.

Hoping this method works well this winter and I learned from past mistakes because I'm really looking foraward to grabbing a handful of beans when needed. 

Freezing Food Series: Leeks and Scallions

I think the leeks and scallions were my favorite vegetable to freeze.  Can you blame me they were the easiest of all no boiling needed.  I never considered freezing scallions till recently after a conversation with a friend about freezing scallions and onions.  I thought great idea so last Saturday I bought 4 big bunches of scallions from the Farmer's Market.

 Then recruited choppers.

 Spread all the chopped scallions on a cookie sheet and freeze,

 Pull out of the freezer and bag.  I'm excited about this whenever we buy scallions and there are too many some go to waste.  I think I can prevent future waste by freezing and always having scallions on hand.

This got me thinking about freezing leeks.  I usually crave potatoe and leek soup in the winter but not everyone is a fan around here.  Solution buy 3 big leeks cut off the white part and slice lay on a cookie sheet and freeze.  Take out of  freezer and bag and enjoy for soups later.

Freezing Food: Tomatoes & Tomato Juice

The first in the Freezing Food Series are tomatoes.  Lately there has been an abundance of tomatoes from the csa and I was a little daring by buying a 20 pound box.  With all these tomatoes Friday night & Saturday I took the plunge using this method to freeze them.  My main motivition to get going was when I saw my 3 year old throwing a tomato like ball.  Luckily no tomato csaualities.

What's needed for this method:

Boiling pot of hot water

Cold water and ice cubes for the cold water bath

1-2 bowls for the cold water bath

sharp knife and cutting board

food mill

small stainer or tongs (whichever you prefer to transfer tomatoes to and from the hot water)

measuring cup or bowl with pouring lip to pour juice into ice cube trays

ice cube trays

freezer bags

1.  Wash tomatoes and lay stem side down.  With a sharp knife slice an "X" on the bottom of the tomato just enough to break the skin.  Also cut out any marks or undesirable parts of the tomato.  Bring a pot of  water to a boil then lower heat medium to low to keep the water hot during the whole process.

2.  With tongs or a small strainer drop tomato in hot water for 15 seconds no longer.  Remove from hot water and put in cold water bath (bowl of cold water and ice).  I usually keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator and extra ice on hand.

3.  After a few minutes scoop out the cold tomatoes put them on a cutting board stem side down and peel.  Yes it comes off that easily!
4.  I apologize for the next step there no pictures.  Keep the the tomato stem side down and cut the tomato with knife "parallel to the stem".  Now you have two halves gently squeeze the tomatoes so the juice and seeds run into the food mill.

If you don't have one of these you can put a strainer over a bowl and with a utensil squeeze the tomato seeds so the juice goes through the strainer into the bowl. 

5. Lay all the tomatoes on a cookie sheet and freeze till solid.  

6.  After they are frozen remove from cookie sheet and put in freeze bags.  Then back into the freezer they go until ready to cook for chunky tomato sauce, pizza, chili, soup etc.

 7.  The strained tomato juice gets poured into ice cube trays and frozen.

8.  After they are frozen put in freezer bags. 

With all these tomatoes and juice in the freezer can't wait for those soups and chili's.