BACON WRAPPED MEAT LOAF

The ultimate comfort food!!! Almost everyone likes a good meatloaf, even if they are reluctant to admit it. I run to "comfort food" when the weather is cold and uninviting. I think about meatloaf when I know it's going to be a hectic night, so meatloaf is a staple in my home during the winter months. The beauty of meatloaf is, that no two recipes are ever alike. I have become a "meatloaf aficionado", ordering it over the years, in every diner I frequented. Some are smothered in gravy, some have ketchup on top, some are savory, some are full of vegetables. Either way, they are all, different. And... delicious. This is my version of the "American Dish", and does have a hint of our ethnic taste.

 

  

Prep: 10 min. Bake: about 45-50 min. + standing MAKES: 4 servings

 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 egg beaten
1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1  small onion, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
3/4 cups Italian croutons, smashed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 lb. ground beef
3 bacon strips, halved

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except beef and bacon.

Crumble beef over mixture and mix well, with your hands.
Shape into a loaf in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

Top with bacon.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for about 50 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°.
Drain bacon drippings; let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Now Enjoy!

© 2013 Jayne's Crazy Kitchen

JAYNE'S BREAKFAST BUBBLE BAKE

This is such a great hit on busy mornings, especially after 8 teenage girls sleepover the night before!!!It is easy AND fun, to make. Pull and Run are the words of the morning, and you will soon see why.
Breakfast is... the most important meal of the day. It's what gets the creative ideas and thoughts flowing, with enough energy to maintain a grueling morning of swim practice, soccer practice, crew practice, horse camp and all the other destinations the kids were off to.



Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 5 min.

Bake time: according to biscuit package + 2 min. Yield: 8 servings.

 

 

Ingredients:

2 - 8" baking/casserole pans
2 - packages grand buttermilk biscuits (or any variety of roll or biscuit you like. For this, I used flaky crescent roll tubes, because it was all I had in the fridge at the time. It's a difficult dough to work with because it gets very sticky, very fast, and you don't want to over handle it. So you have to keep it in the fridge as you cook. I prefer the nice big grand buttermilk biscuits for this recipe, they are round, an easier dough to work with, separate, and are simple to "stuff". But... point is; use what you have.)
8 oz. Cheddar Cheese ~  Cut up into small cubes. (I used mild cheddar, but any cheese that you like and melts well, will work)
5 full slices of bacon (cooked crisp, cooled and crumbled) *I cut the slices in half, put it on a paper toweled, paper plate, and microwave for about 2min. 40sec.
3 eggs scrambled (do not use butter or oil in the pan, I do use pam spray if needed for this recipe to scramble the eggs. Butter will make the mixture too difficult to work with, AND your biscuits will be greasy, and we certainly don't want that.  Just whisk eggs together, salt and pepper to taste and scramble then set aside)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Kitchen Scissors

Directions:

• Cook the bacon. Drain, cool, then crumble. Set aside
• Pre heat oven to 350 degrees, (or whatever temp. biscuit package recommends)
• Scramble the eggs, and again, set aside
• Slice the cheese, and cut into small cubes. Yep... set aside.
• Open the first roll of biscuits
• Separate the individual rounds
• With a kitchen scissor, cut each round into various sized pieces. (i.e. One round biscuit, cut in half, One round biscuit, One round biscuit, 3 pieces... you get the idea, you want different sized balls of dough.)
• gently (handle the dough, as little as possible) roll your pieces now into balls, and with a sharp knife, slice the middle of each, almost to the end of the ball, but not separating it.
• Open the now sliced biscuit piece
• Place a "small" cube of cheese (appropriate sized of course. Smaller cubes for smaller pieces.) If you happen to be using crescent roll dough, unroll, and then gently mold into a ball. Using it, you will just pull apart the dough from the main ball, in different sizes. Then proceed with next step as usual.

 

These pictures were taken using crescent roll dough that I gently molded into a big

dough ball, then I pulled off a piece of dough. I pressed the ingredients down, and just balled it up, covering as much of the filling as I could.

• Now place a few crumbles of bacon
• Now add a little bit of scrabbled egg
• Lastly, top with a few more crumbles of bacon.
• Press stuffing in dough, down softly and seal the seams of the now flattened balls. and shape. (Use a touch of warm water if needed, usually though, the dough is sticky enough to stay sealed. No biggie, if there are a few open spots. This is fun!!! Perfection is not required!!!)
• Now place your stuffed biscuits, of different sizes, tight together in your baking pan.
• (I line the pan with aluminum foil for an easier clean up, but is not necessary)

• Bake in oven according to biscuit package + 2 minutes until golden brown, turning pan, once half way.

This is a picture of the second baking pan. I didn't get enough time to take a picture of the first. *LOL* Don't worry if it doesn't fill the pan completely. If they are placed in the pan tightly and touching, it won't make any difference at all!!!

• Remove from oven, slide, using a spatula, onto a platter... and Serve!!!

Get them while you can, because there is sure to be none left, when you go back for seconds.

 

NOW ENJOY!!!

BREAKFAST QUICHE

This is a family favorite in my house. I've tried tons of different variations for this recipe, but, I know what my family likes too. The great thing about this recipe, is that it is very versatile. You can add, or delete, anything you want... and it's always awesome. This is a great dish for a Sunday brunch or, even a potluck dinner. The possibilities are endless.

 Prep Time: 30 minutes,  Cook Time: 48 - 50 minutes, Yield: 1 9-inch quiche

 Ingredients:

Crust: (A pretty standard crust for a quiche, and so simple to make, that you truly won't believe it)

 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
 1/3 cup olive oil
 4 tablespoons milk

Filling for the Quiche:

 2 - 3 small/medium cooked, cooled potatoes (I microwave them) Once cooled, then peel.
 11/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
 1 Large Onion, diced and sautéed
 6 very large mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
 2 cloves garlic, minced and sautéed
 (I sauté all at the same time. First adding the mushrooms, then onion, and finally the garlic. They are ready when the onions are translucent, but you don't want to brown or burn anything, so for this part, stir often).
 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
 5 large eggs
 1 cup milk
 1 tablespoon thyme
 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (regular salt is fine too)
 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Make your crust first, this step takes all of 3 minutes, Honestly! I got so excited making this, that sadly I did not take step by step photos. But... this recipe is so easy, I think you will all have no problem. Next time I make this, I will add a few, I promise ;)

•Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl mix the flour, salt, and baking powder with a fork. In a separate bowl mix together the oil and water, then pour over this over the flour ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough is moistened and crumbly.
•With clean hands of course, pat down the dough across the bottom of a deep dish 9" pie pan and work it up the sides of the pie pan. Try to keep the thickness even as you move the crust around and up the sides of your pan. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork liberally, and bake for 9 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside and allow to cool.
•At this time, lower your oven temperature to 350 degrees while you begin to prepare the delicious filling.
•Cube the potatoes and evenly spread across bottom of the crust, (I smash a few as I go),cover the layer of potatoes with the sautéed onions, the mozzarella cheese, then the Parmesan cheese on top of that. Then your sautéed mushrooms and crumbled bacon on top of  that.
•In a large bowl mix well, the eggs milk, thyme, salt and pepper with a fork. Slowly pour over the filling you just layered into your crust. Be careful here, do it slowly so nothing runs over the pie pan rim. You want all that mixture to seep down into the other ingredients.
•Place your pie pan into the oven, and bake for about 45 - 50 minutes until center is firm. Test with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it's done. Remove from oven and allow to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

NOW ENJOY!

© 2013 Jayne's Crazy Kitchen