bahn meatloaf sliders

So remember that post from a few days back where I told you about not being a fan of meatloaf… well, turns out, leftovers of that amazing bahn meatloaf make for REALLY good slider sandwiches. Remember that sauce you saved for later? Yep, slather some of that on a sweet hawaiian roll, a slice or two of your leftover loaf and top with your extra veggies. Hot or cold, these things are killer! 

bahn meatloaf sliders

adapted from bon appetit

ingredients:

leftover bahn meatloaf slices

hawaiian sweet rolls

leftover hoisin glaze

leftover matchstick veggies (carrots, cucumber, radish, cilantro)

you know how to make a slider. assemble and be happy!

improv style:

you can add all sorts of fun things to the sandwiches. how about some onion strings if you ate up all your fresh veggies? your favorite asian sauce would be great if you didn't have leftover glaze (think siracha, hoisin, maybe even a bit of dark soy mixed with ketchup).

no sweet hawaiin rolls? brioche, challah, plain white bread, whole wheat buns, pretty much your favorite chewy bread will do. trying to be healthy? make the meatloaf with ground chicken or turkey breast and do an open face sandwich on whole grain bread. your options are endless!

comfort with a twist

My man likes meatloaf. I hate meatloaf. I don't know why, I'm just not that into it. Even a "good" meatloaf is still just meh to me. I've made it my mission to find a recipe that gives Matt what he loves without making me curl my nose. Selfish, right?! I have to say, this recipe has me reconsidering this whole meatloaf thing!  With a little help from Bon Appetit, I've made a meatloaf we both enjoy!

No, it's not your traditional meatloaf, but it is technically a loaf made of meat so I'm going to call it a win. Matt LOVES bahn mi sandwiches and when I saw the hoisin-glazed mealoaf sandwhiches in their March issue, I knew I had to try it. Just enough Asian infusion to take a regular hunk of meat and make it dreamy. It's bursting with flavor and the fresh, crunchy veggies on top combined with the sweet and tangy glaze make this recipe memorable. While meatloaf (even bahn meatloaf) isn't ever going to be a meal that I could eat every day of the week, I'll consider this dish a win! 

bahn meatloaf

adapted from bon appetit

ingredients:

for the loaf:

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground beef

2 c. bread cubes (I used white bread finely diced)

½ c. milk

1 tsp. ground star anise (was about 3 whole, ground up)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 TBSP olive oil

2 carrots finely shredded

1 celery stalks finely diced

1 bunch of green onions diced, including dark green parts

7 garlic cloves finely chopped

¼" of ginger minced

2 eggs

2 TBSP. hoisin sauce

salt + pepper to taste

for the glaze:

¼ c. hoisin sauce

2 TBSP ketchup

1 TBSP brown sugar

1 TBSP siracha

1 TBSP rice wine vinegar

1 TBSP soy sauce

for the salad:

1 c. matchstick sliced carrots

1 c. matchstick sliced radishes

1 c. matchstick sliced cucumber

½ c. chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 375º F. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil and set aside.

In a skillet, drizzle with olive oil and cook carrots and celery until they start to soften. Add in green onions and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more until softened and fragrant. Let cool in pan. In a small bowl, combine bread cubes and milk and let the bread absorb the liquid. In a large bowl, combine spices and eggs and stir until combined. Add cooled vegetable mixture and bread slices in with the egg mixture and stir. Add in your beef and pork and work together with your hands until well combined. Dump mixture onto baking sheet and form into a loaf shape. In this case, I made 6 mini loaves - do what you prefer.

In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients and top a few spoonfuls over your loaf. Put remaining sauce in the refrigerator (you'll want it for leftovers or if your man insists on over saucing his slices). Bake for 40- 45 minutes if doing mini loaves or 1 hr 20 minutes for 1 loaf. It should read 165º F internally when inserted in the center of the meatloaf. All ovens and loaf sizes will cook slightly differently. Temperature never lies! Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Top with fresh veggie salad. I like to serve it with a side of cilantro rice as well. 

note: this recipe can be made 1 - 2 days in advance and kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator before baking. it also freezes really well. 

improv style:

beef, pork, turkey or chicken. pick your  meat or your combo of meat. just make sure you have 2lbs. 

sweet challah, brioche or hawaiian bread would be a great substitution for white bread cubes. you can also use whole wheat if you like but i find it's a bit drier. use whatever kind of milk or cream you have on hand. i used non-fat. 

star anise?! it's a common asian spice that has anise like qualities. i hate licorice but this spice adds something special to the mix. if you don't have it and don't want to buy it you can substitute for chinese five spice. a hint of cinnamon might be nice here if you're into that sort of thing. lots and lots of fresh garlic makes this delish. i recommend you stick to it. if you don't have fresh ginger, you can substitue for 2 tsp. of ground ginger. i like to think fresh makes a difference though. 

i use carrots and celery because i like the added veggies. if you don't have one or the other on hand, leave it out. you can also add in your favorite veggies like bell peppers and maybe even broccoli chunks. 

for the glaze you can choose your own adventure. keep it sweet or make it spicy. this recipe is right in the middle. matt's not a big fan of spicy so i keep it on the milder side for him. you can adjust the measurements here very easily. this one isn't science, just yummy sauciness. 

apple cake

My favorite time of year is upon us! Fall arrived in Chicago over night last week. It's been amazing. Crisp, cool air with a kiss of sunshine. I love breaking out my sweaters, boots + scarves! I can't believe how fast the Summer flew by. 

September came and went too. Seriously, where did the month go?! I've been crazy busy at work and haven't had a chance to post, sorry!  I feel like I've been saying that to you a lot lately and I'm sorry for that, too!

Will you forgive me if I share a super simple, awesome apple cake? Imagine sticky toffee pudding but with apples and pecans. Top that with a butter sauce (yes, only my mother would come up with something as awesome as a butter sauce) and you've got yourself an amazing fall dessert. And it has apples in it. Fruit makes it a health food, right?! I kid, I kid. 

This cake comes together really quickly once you've peeled and cut your apples. It's a super funky batter in the sense that it's mostly apples with very little cake. Don't panic, it will all be fine! It turns a deep molasses color when it bakes and it smells like fall. It doesn't get better than this for a crisp night. Well, unless it's pumpkin something. Seriously pumpkin may be the best part of fall. Not to worry, there will be lots of pumpkin posts soon. But this apple cake is pretty fantastic. Have I made that clear? 

mamma's apple cake + butter sauce

ingredients:

for the cake:

2 C. flour

2 C. sugar (more or less depending on taste and your apples)

2 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

½ t. nutmeg

½ t. cinnamon

4 C. cubed granny smith apples (5 medium sized apples for me)

½ c. melted butter

2 eggs, beaten

½ C chopped pecans (optional)

for the butter sauce:

¼ C. butter

½ T flour

2/3 C. sugar

½ C. cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

to make the cake:

Preheat oven to 375º.  Peel and chop your apples into bite sized chunks. Really this just depends on your preference but I like between a ¼ inch and ½ inch cube. In a medium sized bowl, combine apple cubes, melted butter, eggs, & pecans. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg + cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until combined. Add in your wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into an un-greased 9x12 baking dish and spread evenly (I used parchment paper so I could pull the cake out and make perfect squares - it's really not necessary unless perfect presentation is important to you). Bake at 375º for about 45 minutes until a deep molasses color. 

this is what the batter will look like:

and this is what it will look like when it's done:

to make the butter sauce:

Melt butter, add flour then other ingredients and heat until thick. Add in 1 tsp vanilla and pour over the top of each piece just before serving. This sauce re-heats well. 

improv style:

you can use your favorite baking apple in this recipe - honeycrisp would be fantastic! just avoid the super mealy apples like red & golden delicious.

add in some chopped dates in addition to the nuts. don't like nuts? leave them out! not a fan of pecans? use your favorite! walnuts or almond slivers would be delicious here. 

butter sauce make you cringe? weird. but that's cool. a bourbon caramel sauce would be fantastical! or a brown sugar glaze would work too. really the butter sauce is like a caramel that hasn't been caramelized fully yet. it's pretty amazing. 

last bits of summer

I strive to live a balanced life. I'm the first to admit that food is my biggest weakness and there are times in life where I get a bit too carried away with the not-so-healthy-eating *cough - this weekend - cough*. But I'm going to be honest with you, most of the time health food just isn't that filling or satisfying! I'm constantly on the lookout for new and healthy recipes that leave me satiated AND satisfied! 

This dish was made for me by my amazing Aunt Aynne. She's had a lot of awesome produce come out of her garden this year. I went by for lunch a few weeks back and I definitely benefitted from it. While this by itself was more of a hearty snack for me, add a grilled chicken breast and a small slice of whole wheat bread and you've got a healthy and satisfying dinner that's quick and easy! Plus the leftovers are great for lunch.

The photos don't really do this dish justice. Sweet summer corn mixed with warm, earthy and tough leaves of swiss chard accented by crisp salty pancetta topped with fresh bursts of tomato and creamy feta cheese make this a huge win in my book! It's great as a side dish or if you have a normal to small appetite as your main entrée. Take advantage of the last few weeks of summer produce and make this, now! 

Warm Summer Corn + Chard Salad

adapted from Penzyes spices

yields 4 servings

ingredients:

1 large bunch of swiss chard (about 6 leaves)

4 oz diced pancetta

4 garlic cloves. diced

2 shallots, thinly sliced 

4 ears of corn (about 2 cups kernels)

1 t. dried oregano

3 T. red wine vinegar

2 medium sized tomatoes (about 1 heaping cup diced)

feta cheese crumbles, to taste

salt + pepper

Remove the chard leaves from stems. Cut the ends off the stems and then dice stems and set aside. Cut leaves into large chunks and also set aside. 

In a large pan over medium heat cook and brown pancetta. Once golden brown, remove and drain on a paper towel. Add thinly sliced shallots and chopped swiss chard stems and cook until shallots are slightly transparent. Add garlic. corn kernels and oregano and cook for about 2 minutes. Add Chard leaves and vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes until wilted. Add in pancetta bits and salt + pepper to taste.

Place warm mixture into bowls and top with fresh diced tomatoes and feta cheese. Enjoy!

improv style:

there's lots of ways to switch this dish up. you can make it vegetarian by leaving out the pancetta or substitute it for bacon (turkey bacon is another option), prosciutto or even canadian bacon. no shallots? use onions instead. corn out of season? you can do this in the winter or fall with frozen corn - note that fresh is always better and more flavorful!

red wine vinegar can be substituted for white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or even a little splash of dry white wine. feta cheese can be subbed for your favorite cheese crumbles. just make sure it's a dryer crumbly cheese, not something like melty brie.

you can also make this more hearty by adding cooked quinoa, wheat berries, bulgar, brown rice... you get the idea.  

bacon, books + bite sized treats

Don't you just love how a book can take your imagination to a different place?! Am I the only one who watches a movie or reads a book and gets lost in thought? It's like I lose touch with reality and get transported to a fantasy world of limitless possibility.  How can I hold on to that thought/feeling?! It's a new goal - live in this place of euphoria!

I'm in a cooking book club with this great organization called the Cooking Chicks in Chicago. Every month they pick a food memoir of sorts and then each person brings a dish from the book or a dish inspired by the book. This month's book was Apron Anxiety. I'm telling you, Alyssa Shelasky has an amazing way with words. It seemed fitting to me to create a dish inspired by a simple sandwich her chef used to make that became a bit of a ritual for them. Since tomatoes are in season right now, this is a great appetizer to serve at your next BBQ, party, or to just make for eating. They're awesome and bite sized and before you know it you've scarfed 12 of these bad boys. Because lets be real, what's better than bacon? Bacon with fresh tomatoes and cheese is a good start, mmmmm…

BLT bites

yields about 60 bites

ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes (20 oz - about 60)

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

12 strips of bacon cooked extra crispy and broken into bits

¼ c. mayonnaise 

1 green onion, finely chopped

garnish plate with spinach or basil leaves (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, bacon bits, mayo, and green onion and mix until well combined. Place in ziplock bag or piping bag. Set aside until ready to fill.

Cut the tops off the cherry tomatoes and gently squeeze the seeds out with your finger. To make them sit flat on the plate you can very thinly slice a layer off the bottom of the tomatoes too. No worries if you cut through and make an O shape… the filling will still stay put and no one will notice. Place sliced tomatoes on a paper towel and let sit for a few minutes to absorb the extra moisture. This can be done the day before to make assembly quicker. If doing that, be sure to pull the cream cheese mixture out of the refrigerator a few hours before serving so it softens up. Cut the tip off the bag and fill the tomatoes. 

Tomatoes can be filled a few hours before serving, just place in the refrigerator before serving to keep cold. 

improv style:

seem like too much work to cut and de-seed 60 cherry tomatoes? you can just place this filling on top of tomato slices and serve as an appetizer course at a sit down dinner. similarly, you could serve the cherry tomatoes whole with the cream cheese mixture as a dip for veggies, crackers and bread slices. 

you can add in your favorite mixins. a goat cheese or blue cheese would be delish. you can add pepper, red pepper flakes, or a little hot sauce to liven it up. i like the balance the green onion gives the mixture but if you're not a fan, leave it out. you could add in some basil or rosemary to freshen it up. it's a very simple and easy dish to change up! 

looking to lighten it up? use lowfat or fat free cream cheese and mayo with turkey bacon instead or maybe even some greek yogurt?! 

tip: how to cook bacon, the easy way

This is life changing people. About a year and a half ago Matt took me to the Guy Fieri road show and I learned a little trick from him that blew my mind! 

Cooking bacon in the oven. Take cold bacon and a cold oven and avoid the pops, splatters, and skin burning effects of stovetop bacon cooking? Yes please! Biggest bonus?! All of your bacon cooks at the same time! No more multiple pans or batch cooking here! Plus, much easier clean up by using tin foil!

It's so easy to do! 

oven bacon

1. line baking sheet(s) with aluminum foil

2. place cold bacon onto sheet* with a little breathing room between each strip. *make sure the sheet has a lip so that the grease doesn't drip on the bottom of the oven. grease fires are never a good thing :)

3. place sheets into cold oven and turn on to 400º F

4. bake for about 20 minutes flipping halfway through

5. it will look like the above picture when ready. pull out and place on paper towel lined plates to drain excess grease

6. crunch, eat, enjoy!

Every oven runs a little different so cooking time may vary. It also depends on the thickness of your bacon. The thicker the bacon, the longer it takes. Listen to your nose, it will smell when the bacon is ready… Also, don't do this in a preheated oven. Don't ask me why, but it doesn't work the same. Made that mistake once and I will never do it again! If you want, you can place the bacon back in the oven on warm or about 200º F for a few minutes to keep it warm while the rest of breakfast gets finished. 

This tip will be your new best friend for tomorrow's post!

millions of peaches

Being a Seattle girl, I couldn't resist! 

Peaches are all the rage right now. My favorite part about the end of Summer is peaches. I am willing to accept that the days of warm sunshine are coming to an end just because of these sweet and juicy little gems! Every year growing up, my mom would make us something called peach surprise. It was something I always looked forward to. A mark that back to school would be happening soon. I enjoyed my last few days of Summer break with frosty, deliciously sweet and tangy peach surprises. 

My mom makes them with frozen lemonade concentrate but I had a bunch of peaches and lemons so I made it from scratch. Whatever method you prefer works. Just make sure you make these while peaches are still around. If you, like me have a tendency to buy lots of fruit and then have it go bad on you, this is a great way to use up some peaches a little past their prime. No one can see the bruises when you blend them up anyway! 

peach surprise

yields 2 servings

ingredients:

1 peach

¼ c. sugar

juice of 2 lemons

zest of 1 lemon

2 c. ice cubes

¼ c. water (if needed to get it blending well)

In a blender combine first 5 ingredients. Turn that sucker on and blend away! If your blender needs a little help to get things going, add in a little bit of water. Just be sure to gradually add it so it doesn't get too runny! I needed a ¼ c. but you might need more or less depending on the power of your blender!

improv it:

mom's recipe:

fill the blender  ⅔ the way with ice

1 peach

½ can frozen lemonade concentrate 

blend + serve

think of this as a peach and lemonade smoothie. you can make it with fresh lemons, lemonade, or frozen concentrate. like things a bit sweeter? add more sugar. not a huge lemon fan? leave out the zest or substitute with your favorite citrus fruit. a banana would add some fun tropical notes to the drink.

make this an adult cocktail by adding in vodka or rum  OR, make it extra special/fun and pour some prosecco over it for a fun twist on a belini! i bet it would make a fantastic frozen wine cooler type drink too by adding in some pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. reisling or moscato would work nicely too if you're into sweeter wines. i've never done this boozy but I'm totally making this for the holiday weekend now that I'm talking about it!