My Favorite Meatloaf

This meatloaf is so good.  Serve with mac & cheese and a salad.  Ummm . . .

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Crowd Pleaser – Especially for Meat Lovers!

½ cup packed brown sugar                             1 ½ tsp. salt

½ cup ketchup                                             ¼ tsp. pepper

1 ½ lbs. Lean ground beef                              1 small onion, chopped

¾ cup milk                                                   ¼ tsp. ground ginger

2 eggs                                                         ¾ cup finely crushed saltine cracker

   Crumbs or bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350°.  Lightly grease a 5 X 9” loaf pan (or equivalent).  Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar.  In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.  Place on top of the ketchup.  Bake in oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.  Note:  If you fail to read instructions first and just mix all the ingredients – that is good too!

It's Raining & I want a Great Soup & Sandwich

It's going to be cool and rainy.  Sounds like the perfect time for a turkey, bacon, lettuce & tomato sandwich with a side of this cheese soup.  Full of veggies and cheesy goodness.  This soup is also good with just a salad and garlic bread.  Enjoy!  This is one of my family's favorites!!!

Cheese Soup

Winter Soup –Nice with Garlic Bread

½ stick butter                                           8 oz. Velveeta

3 chopped green onions                               parsley flakes

2 stalks celery chopped                               salt

2 grated carrots                                         coarsely ground pepper

2 cans chicken broth                                   dash of Tabasco

3 cans potato soup                                     8 oz. sour cream

1 pkg. frozen broccoli chopped                    

Sauté onions, celery and carrots in butter.  Add chicken broth & simmer 30 minutes.  Add potato soup, broccoli, cheese, parsley, Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in sour cream and simmer 15 minutes.  Makes 10 cups.

Cooking Up Memories: These little snacks are great for parties!

Cooking Up Memories: These little snacks are great for parties!: Jalapeno Pinwheels 8 oz. cream cheese, softened OR 4 oz. Candied Jalapenos (from grocery store) 4 oz. diced jal...

These little snacks are great for parties!

Jalapeno Pinwheels

8 oz. cream cheese, softened                         OR 4 oz. Candied Jalapenos (from grocery store)

4 oz. diced jalapenos                                    1 8oz. pkg. Crescent Rolls

1 Tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix softened cream cheese with diced jalapenos and sugar.  Separate crescent rolls into two rectangles.  Pinch the perforations to make smooth.  Roll with rolling pin to smooth and make slightly larger.  Spread half of the cream cheese mixture onto one of the rectangles.  Roll up starting on the long side.  Repeat procedure with remaining crescents and cream cheese mixture (you will have two rectangles per tube).  Each rolled rectangle should yield 16 pinwheels.  Cut in half, half again, etc., until you have 16.  You should get 32 after using the entire tube of crescents.  Bake on parchment paper 13 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve immediately before you eat them all!!!

 

Time for Pumpkin!

I love Fall.  Especially this year ~ as the summer was so long.  We have had a bit of rain, cooler weather and all this makes me crave the flavors of fall.  Let's start with cookies!

Pumpkin Cookies

½ cup shortening                                         1 tsp. baking soda

1 ½ cup sugar                                              ½ tsp. salt

1 egg                                                           1 tsp. vanilla                            

1 cup pumpkin (Libby’s)                                1 tsp. nutmeg

½ cup nuts                                                   1 tsp. cinnamon

2 ½ cups flour                                              Optional:  1 cup raisins or dried

1 tsp. baking powder                                       cranberries or chocolate chips

Mix and bake at 375° for 10 minutes.  It makes about 25-30 cookies.