Tag: recipe

  • Mama’s “Not so Traditional” Meatloaf

    Mama’s “Not so Traditional” Meatloaf

    I’m just going to go ahead and be REAL honest with ya’ll! My entire first 17 years of life, I thought meatloaf was made with a red gravy and served over rice! It wasn’t until Josh and I started dating, and his mama handed me a plate with a slice of “loaf” and a bottle of ketchup, did I realize that I had been eating this dish in a unique way for years. I don’t know how mama came up with this recipe, and I thought the recipe was lost after she passed; but after my oldest requested it and I broke down crying to my daddy that I didn’t know how to make it, did he tell me that my sister did! Over the last 3 years, my siblings and I have opened up a conversation about how to make mama’s “Mulligan Stew” (that’s a blog post for another day) and her “Meatloaf w/ red rice and gravy”

    Now if you are looking for a healthy dish, this ain’t it. I made it “skinny-ish” by eating over cauli-rice but I did have a little taste of it with regular rice and it brought tears to my eyes because it tasted just as mama made it! Now when I called my sister for the recipe, I thought my mama didn’t use seasoning packets. That was my mistake, she totally did! So without further adieu, here is the recipe!

    Disclaimer: Mama never made a little of anything. She was the typical Cajun woman who made enough to feed an army, and that’s exactly how I made it, too! I plan on freezing leftovers (if we have any, ha!)

    For the meatloaf:

    Preheat oven to 375

    • about 4 lbs. of ground chuck. I had about 3.9 lbs. and it was the perfect amount
    • 2 packets of McCormick Meatloaf seasoning.
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 Tbsp. Salt (to taste)
    • 1 Tbsp. pepper (to taste)
    • 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
    • 1/4 to 1/2 can of Evaporated milk

    I hate to mix raw meat with my fingers, so I added everything to my stand mixer and blended until combined. Just be careful not to over mix. Next, you are going to want to set out some wax paper and lightly flour it. Turn the meat out on the flour and shape, lightly flour the rest of the loaf and then transfer to your pot. I am using my grandmothers large 15″ Magnalite roaster.

    Ok, now this is where I lost my photographer so I don’t have photos of the next steps. I’ll update this post the next time that I make it! Promise! But for now, just trust me!

    • 2 29oz cans of tomato sauce
    • 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
    • 8oz beef broth
    • 2 cups of water

    Add 1 can of tomato sauce to the pot and coat the top of the meatloaf with a little bit of the sauce; then place the pot in the oven for about 30 minutes or until slightly brown. Once slightly brown, remove the meatloaf and add another can of tomato sauce and rinse both cans out with the beef broth and then add to the pot. Cook covered for about 3 hours or until you stick a thermometer in and it reads 170 or “well done.” Over the course of the cooking time, you will want to move the meatloaf around to avoid sticking and add water to the sauce, maintaining a thin gravy-like consistency.

    **cooking tip: If your food is sticking to the bottom of your pot; take off heat and cover tightly with the lid. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes and the stuck food should “release”

    Serve over rice and ENJOY! Let me know if you make this and what you thought about it! This dish is a piece of my childhood, wrapped up in a big red bow!

    -Mitzi

  • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

    I’m sure you are thinking, “really Mitzi, three recipe posts in a row?!” The answer is yes! You see, I thought that this recipe was gone for good and I need it readily available for the fall. Krusteaz has changed their packaging and no longer include this AMAZING recipe on the box. I am not a huge pumpkin spice fan, but my husband and boys crave everything pumpkin this time of year. I just happened to come across this mix several years ago, and well, we don’t make bread with it because these cookies are to die for!

    Now when shopping for the mix, it has to be the Krusteaz Quick Bread Mix, Pumpkin Spice Coffeehouse style. I have found it at Sam’s, Costco, HEB and Target in the past. Do not buy the cookie mix, its not the same. Also, please note that you must use margarine if you want a chewy cookie. If you use butter, the texture will be fluffy and much like a cake cookie (and it isn’t as good). The ingredients are as follows:

    • 1 box of Krusteaz Quick Bread Mix Pumpkin Spice Coffeehouse style
    • 1 stick of room temperature Margarine
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 cup of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

    Preheat oven to 350° and combine your ingredients. I usually combine everything with my stand mixer so that I can whip the margarine up a little before I add the boxed mix and the egg. Mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Use a cookie scoop to portion out the cookies and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Centers may seem to be a little undercooked but that’s ok. As long as 3/4 of the cookie looks cooked and edges are golden. I pull the cookies out of the oven and place the cookie sheet on a trivet to cool. Once they are cooled to room temperature, ENJOY!

    These cookies don’t last long in our home, nor when I bring them to a party. I often find myself baking double and triple batches from September to November, They are THAT GOOD!!!

    Happy Fall Y’all!

  • Red Beans and Rice

    Red Beans and Rice

    Believe it or not, there are two southern staples that I have been trying to love for as long as I can remember. The first thing is sweet tea (or any tea for that matter). I have seriously been sipping on tea for years and while I have come to like some teas, I just can’t get my taste buds on board on liking sweet tea. The second thing is beans! Any sort of beans! My mom always had a rule and that was to taste a spoonful of everything on my plate before I could move on to something else. It is still a rule in my home, and I have to say that after almost 34 years, I finally eat beans! The recipe below is not your typical made from scratch recipe, and I typically wont eat any Cajun food that is made from a mix or a can, but this recipe works. We all love it and is the perfect fast and easy comfort food for cold and rainy nights. Now I’m handing my keyboard over to my husband so he can tell y’all exactly how to make it, because the Texan perfected it before the Cajun! Ha!

    The recipe is pretty simple and doesn’t take long to make (30 min or so). You will need the following ingredients:

    • 1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
    • 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • tsp cooking oil
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 lb smoked sausage (your preference) sliced and halved
    • 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
    • 1 1/2 cups chopped creole seasoning (aka holy trinity). We buy the precut seasoning from HEB
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 3- 16 oz cans Trappey’s red kidney beans with chili gravy
    • 1- 27 oz can Blue Runner creole cream style red beans
    • Cooked rice (amount depends on how many people, but at least 3 cups)

    Heat the oil in medium size pot (preferably cast iron or Magnalite) and cook the chopped creole seasoning (vegetables) until soft and translucent. Once the vegetables are soft, add in the cut up sausage, bacon, Cajun seasoning, basil and black pepper, and cook until lightly browned and bacon is soft. This is the key to the flavor, you will want to make sure the sausage is cooked enough to release the juices and bacon is soft and not cooked too long. You don’t want crispy bacon for this recipe.

    You then add the cans of beans and how ever much stock you prefer to get the consistency you want. I prefer mine thicker and not too runny. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. You will want to taste at this point as I usually add more Cajun seasoning or salt to preference. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with fresh cut green onions if you like.

    *** please note that if you like creamier beans, use 2 cans of Blue Runner beans and 1 can of the Trappeys. We have made this recipe both ways but prefer a creamier style. It still yields the same amount. It is quick, easy and Ca c’est bon!!

  • Pink Cake Mix Cookies

    Pink Cake Mix Cookies

    I know that I have taken a huge break when it comes to keeping my blog current. Life just handed our family a curve ball and I had to step away and focus on our family for a little while. Towards the end of our summer, I became so tired of our grocery bill, that I decided to pull out some old recipes and bake in order to make snacks stretch in our home and trying to get our grocery bill down in anticipation for the upcoming back to school stock up!

    These little pink cookies have been a favorite in our home for years. I’m not sure where the recipe originated from, I just remember that my mom made a bunch of them for her sister’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration and we have been baking them since! Please note that you can use this recipe with any flavored cake mix, my people refuse to deviate from their strawberry/pink cookies!

    • 1 box of cake mix
    • 1 8oz container of whipped topping
    • 1 egg
    • Powdered Confectioners Sugar
    • Parchment lined baking sheet

    Preheat your oven to 350° and line your baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl, combine the cake mix and cool whip. I like to blend these two ingredients first before I add the egg. After these three ingredients are combined, spoon out 1 tbsp. of dough and drop into a bowl of powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup). Thoroughly coat each ball in the sugar and place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

    Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until the edges are a slight golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes and then I usually slide the parchment off of the pan and onto my granite counter top and allow them to completely cool. Honestly, I am lazy and don’t want to clean up a powdered sugar mess by transferring to a cooling rack and it doesn’t make that much of a difference in how these cookies cool. Enjoy!!