Meatloaf and Corn Chowder

Meatloaf is one of those things people look down on. I don't know why -- I love meatloaf! Elvo loves my meatloaf too, because it's pretty tasty if I do say so myself.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb ground beef
1 egg
Brown sugar
BBQ sauce
3/4 cup breadcrumbs or crushed crackers
3/4 cup milk

Get a loaf pan and put some brown sugar in the bottom, crush it down so it makes a crust. Put a liberal amount of BBQ sauce on top of the brown sugar.

In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs, milk, and egg. Put in the beef and mix with your hands. (You could mix it with something else, I guess, but I use my hands.) Shape into a loaf and place in the loaf pan.

Put BBQ sauce on top of the meat loaf, and place in preheated oven at 350 Fahrenheit for one hour, or until cooked through.

Delicious!

I made this along with corn chowder and they went well together.

Corn chowder:
Ingredients:
Can of sweet corn
Can of white corn
1 cup chicken broth
Can of creamed corn, if you want
Bacon, ham, chicken, whatever

Throw it all in the crock pot and cook on low for the day.

Mmmm, a hearty meal.

A Terrible Trifecta

If bad things come in threes, then that last one was a doozy.

Tonight is beef stew over noodles -- pure comfort food, which is good because I had a bad day.

But we will begin with the beginning:
Bad Thing One: Elvo loses his job. I
I don't have to tell you why this is a bad thing, it's pretty obvious.
Bad Thing Two: The oven breaks.
I was removing our bacon wrapped chicken from the over on Monday when suddenly the whole front door fell off! Once I got over my shock I regrouped my nerves and called my landlord. Since we rent, we don't technically own the oven or have to pay for the repairs, which is a good thing. But it's also a bad thing, since other than our whining there's no motivation for our landlord to repair the oven. So I can't bake anything and that's driving me crazy!
Bad Thing Three: I had a car accident this morning.
It was a normal morning, I had my breakfast, drove to the fuel station, filled my fuel tank with gasoline, and was headed to work. I was driving into the sun, which is always bothersome. To combat the pain of the bright light, I was focused on following the car in front of me when BOOM. Another car hit my passenger side, and then again, BOOM. A second car! So the three of us got out and waited for tow trucks and cops. As near as I can tell the fellow I was following ran the light/sqeaked through on yellow and I followed him into the intersection when the other side got a green light. So. My car isn't driveable. :( I am very sad, as I rather liked my little VW.

That last step is a long drop!

Tonight is sweet potato soup and glazed salmon. I've covered the soup before in this post. Today ended up being a great day for soup and indoor grilling because it's raining insane amounts of water.

As to the salmon... well, that didn't quite turn out to be salmon. Elvo got tuna instead, because he couldn't find fresh wild-caught salmon. (He found frozen, but he made a judgement call and got the fresh wild-caught tuna instead.) I think it'll be delicious anyway. I had made up this marinade beforehand so he could slip the salmon tuna in once he purchased it from the grocery store and throw it into the fridge to take on the flavor.

To make the marinade:
In a one cup measure, combine:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup oil (any kind will do)
1/3 cup brown sugar
spices to taste (I used pepper, cinnamon, and just a touch of garlic.)

On second thought some lemon thyme might have been a good choice to throw in as well, but ah well.
Mix it all up, put it in a plastic bag, and put your salmon tuna inside. Make sure the marinade is allllll over the fish, and leave in the fridge for at least two hours.

Once you've let the salmon tuna marinate for a sufficient time (over night is best -- the longer the better) break out the grill. We have a tiny electric grill we can use in doors, thankfully, so the rain isn't going to ruin our dinner!

Mm, delicious. I was worried at first about the marinade since, you know, soy sauce is salty and brown sugar is sweet, but the complex flavor really brings out the flavor in the fish. I should mention that Elvo bought some really nice (sushi grade) cuts of fish, but this marinade would be good on just about anything. Mixed with the delicate sweetness of the soup it really made for a nice, cozy meal on a rainy day.

A quick review of the bacon-wrapped chicken and lemon orzo soup: the chicken did not disappoint. Elvo ate two pieces (isn't that like eating a whole chicken?) and I finished off my own piece. As for the orzo soup: it was exactly what I had been craving, though Elvo claimed it was too lemon-y. It's still going in the book though, because I absolutely loved it!

Now for tonight:
Apricot chicken served with rice

This is a simple dish I've made several times. In fact, it's so simple I made it a few too many times last year and Elvo complained. But never fear, memory does not always serve, and he was happy to eat this tonight over some rice.

Ingredients:
Chicken, small pieces (I use sliced up chicken breast, this might also work with beef or turkey)
1 cup apricots (or more!)
1 cup chicken broth
Onion, 1 chopped (I buy mine pre-cut because me and knives don't mix)
Cinnamon
Allspice

Basically throw it all in the crock on low for 6 to 7 hours, or high for 3 to 3-1/2 hours. It makes a delicious, easy, ready-to-eat meal. I make mine up in the morning, but if you're lucky enough to mix it all up around lunch it's easily ready in time for dinner. Throw some rice, especially if you have wild rice, in the rice cooker and enjoy!

Despite his previous complaints, Elvo was really thrilled with this dish and threatened to steal my portion!

Wow it's been a long time.

I stopped cooking for a while due to a thing called "Depression". I've had no energy, no creativity, just a hallow void of despair. However I'm feeling a little better now so back to meal planning!

Here's this week:
Monday: Bacon wrapped chicken with lemon orzo soup
Tuesday: Apricot chicken with rice
Wednesday: Salmon with sweet potato soup
Thursday: Beef onion stew over noodles
Friday: "Hardee's" brown sugar chicken with rice and beans
Saturday: Meatloaf with corn chowder
Sunday: Left overs!

I've made bacon wrapped chicken before, and frequently use it when having guests because it's easy yet impressive. I've never made the lemon orzo soup before, but I had it at a friend's and LOVED it.

Bacon wrapped chicken:
Ingredients:
Chicken
Bacon
Chopped chives or other fun filling
Cream cheese
Condensed soup: cream of chicken
Milk, 1/2 cup
Lemon juice, 1 tsp
Pepper, salt, etc

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Cut chicken breasts like you would open a book. Put a slice of cream cheese and 1 teaspoon chopped chives in the middle of each breast and roll up, loosely. Wrap each rolled breast with 1 slice (or more, if you like bacon!) of bacon and secure with toothpicks (or pray it stays rolled, whatever). Place in a baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, combine condensed soup, milk, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Mix until smooth, then pour over chicken. (You can add mayo to this, like 1/4 cup, but I do not.)
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Lemon Orzo Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cups lemon juice
Spinach, rosemary,  thyme, other fun things
Orzo pasta (my recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but you can use more)

1. Cook orzo according to directions
2. Combine all ingredients over low heat, stir until warmed through and thoroughly combined