Raspberry Chipotle Meatloaf

Last night I dreamt of this meatloaf. I ate it this last summer at the North Creek Grill in Escalante, Utah. The Grill is located directly behind The Slot Canyons Inn. The Blogger (Claire Walter of Culinary Colorado) from whom I have stolen this photo describes said meatloaf as: "...fragrant with rosemary, dill and oregano and baked, then sliced, covered with glazed with a raspberry chipotle sauce and topped with mozzarella and baked." Yeah, she has some grammar issues in her writing, but it is the best description I could find and I am dying to recreate this recipe. Although, I don't remember any dill flavor... 
Maybe I will try to call the restaurant and see if they will give me the recipe. They probably won't, they probably aren't even open this time of year. Most Escalante restaurants are only open in the summer. Frowny face.

Cowan Cowboy Chili (aka: Escalante Beans)

Recipe by: Karen Griffin

I'm hoping not, but I might possibly be murdered for posting this recipe for anyone to see. I wasn't told this was a secret recipe so hopefully I'm not divulging a family secret...
These are sooooooooooo good. I make them for Finn's birthday party every year, and they are, to my knowledge, made every year for the Escalante 24th of July Liston-Pollock-Meisenback-Griffin-etc family party.

You will need:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2, 15 oz cans Pork and Beans
- 2, 15 oz cans Ranch Style Pinto Beans
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 T liquid smoke
- 3 T white vinegar
- 1 small can diced green chilies


Directions:
In a skillet, cook bacon, remove and break into pieces. In same skillet, brown ground beef and onions in bacon juices. Put all in a slow cooker with beans.
In a small bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, vinegar and green chilies. Add mixture to ingredients in slow cooker.
Stir well, cook low to warm up. Remove lid after heated to let thicken up.

EVERYBODY loves them. Seriously.

Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

This is a recipe from Sunny Anderson's new food network show Made in America. When Jacob and I saw the lady make these sandwiches we new we had to try them. Incidentally, these sandwiches won a $25,000 contest and are Paula Deen approved :)

Yields 12 sandwiches
cook time: 40 minutes total, including prep.

You will need:

• 1 container (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated onion
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 package (12 count) Hawaiian rolls
• 8 ounces Black Forest deli ham, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces gruyere, grated

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, chives and thyme. Mix until well combined and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, onions, Parmesan and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside in a warm spot to keep the butter from solidifying.

Cut all 12 rolls in half. Place the roll bottoms in a 9- by 13-inch pan. Place equal amounts of ham (about 3 slices) on each roll. Top with the gruyere. Spread a generous amount of the chive and cream cheese on the roll tops. Place the tops on top of each sandwich bottom.

Pour the butter mixture over the top of the sandwiches. Cover with foil and bake until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes to toast the buns.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

This recipe is from Ree Drummond's new food network show The Pioneer Woman. Jacob was watching it with me and asked me to make it for him. No prob babe! Yum...

One change I made: I used chunky instead of creamy peanut butter. The crunch is mo better.

You will need:

Crust:

(note: I doubled this to make sure I ended up with a thick enough crust)

 

- 25 whole chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

- 1 cup chunky peanut butter
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- One 8-ounce package whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

For the crust: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Crush the cookies until they're fine crumbs. 

Pour the melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into a pie pan and bake until set, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the filling: 

Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth. 
Add in the thawed whipped topping and beat until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Pour the filling into the crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Coleslaw (Paula Deen)

I made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches last night and topped them off with this version of Paula Deen's coleslaw recipe. They were delicious! Find her original recipe HERE. 

You will need:

• 1/2 large carrot, grated
• 1/2 cabbage head
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

 Slice the cabbage thinly. Mix the cabbage together with the carrot. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together and allow to stand for a few minutes. Combine the mayonnaise mixture with the vegetables and toss. Chill for 1 hour. You can jazz up this recipe by adding grated or thinly sliced apple, or craisens. But when using to top BBQ pork sandwiches I like to keep it simple.

Mac and Cheese (Carnation Brand Recipe, Pollock Family Favorite)

This is the mac and cheese Jacob was raised on. Now it's a Finnley, and soon to be a Penny, favorite too.

You will need:
- 1 and 2/3 to 2 cups dried macaroni noodles, cooked and drained
- 2 T butter
- 2 T corn starch
- 1t salt
- 1/2 t dried mustard
-  1/4 t pepper
- 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or cheese combo of your choice, pepper jack is awesome)

Directions:
 Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in sauce pan over med-high heat. Whisk in corn starch and spices until thickened (only takes a few seconds to thicken up). Add evap milk and water and allow to thicken, still over med-high heat (will take 7 to 10 minutes) stirring often. Turn off heat and add cheese.

Pour cheese sauce over macaroni noodles in a 9x13. At this point I like to mix in sauteed kielbasa sausage, and/or add thin slices of salted and garlic-ed tomatoes over top. This is of course optional, but Jacob and I love it.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until tomatoes look roasted and yummy). Then eat and enjoy!

Marinara, Mo Better

Now, I know I have another marinara recipe on here, and that one was good, until I tasted this one. I still like the other recipe just fine, especially for kids you have a hard time getting veggie's into, because it is vegetable packed. But this one is simpler, with fewer ingredients, and tastes mo better.

This is my go-to spaghetti etc sauce. It is yummy as a basic tomato sauce on pasta, and a great base sauce to jazz up (with Italian sausage, heavy cream or fresh mozzarella). I also use it as my pizza sauce.

It can require roasting your own tomatoes, but only if you want. I combine both roasted and canned tomatoes in order to yield enough sauce to freeze some for later use. I roast about 15 medium tomatoes and combine with enough canned diced tomatoes to yield 10 cups of puree.

Here's what you will need:
- 15 medium tomatoes of your choice
- olive oil, about 1/4 cup
- 6 to 8 cloves garlic, I use about a half clove per tomato. You will be pureeing the garlic into the sauce, so keep that in mind.
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the stems from the tomatoes and place on a cookie sheet (I line mine with tin foil for easy clean up). break up garlic cloves and push pieces down into the tomato, if any of the garlic is exposed during roasting it will burn. Drizzle oil over tomatoes to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tomato skins brown and burst (see photo below), about 45 minutes.

After roasting, allow the tomatoes to sit until they are cool enough to handle. You will need to remove the skins before you puree the tomatoes for the sauce.

Starting the Sauce:
You will need:

- olive oil
- 5 oz pancetta (optional)
- 10 cups tomato puree (canned and/or home roasted)
- 2 large onions, small diced
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth, or white wine and water to equal same amount
- salt and pepper to taste
- crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:
Add oil to a sauce pot over medium high heat.
Add pancetta, and cook until browned (4-5 min).

Add onions and season with salt. Cook onions until soft (about 7 min). 

Add tomato puree along with your 2 to 3 cups of liquid (either broth or wine) and allow to cook 2 to 3 hours.

Basil Whipped Cream

A cool idea I read about in the June 2012 Better Homes and Gardens Mag.

Directions:

Beat a cup of cold whipping cream and sugar to taste (about 1 Tablespoon) in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Mix in a handful of finely diced basil.

Eat with fresh fruit, muffins, or berry pies and tarts.

Blueberries! Muffins and more.

I got some awesome blueberries at my grocery store this last week, and after a particularly grueling... no, I should say spirit crushing... day of house hunting I came home and made these:

Blueberry muffins, from my Williams-Sonoma Breakfast Comforts cookbook, and THIS:

Blueberry and Almond Tart (with Basil Whipped Cream, yumm!) which I have made before. They were delicious, and re-inflated my spirit like only fresh home-baked goods can. To find the recipe for the tart click on the link above. Here is the recipe for the muffins:

You will need:


- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with a splash of plain white vinegar)
- 2 large eggs
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but what makes these so special)
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

for streusel (optional, my Jacob prefers them without):

- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds or pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter and flour 12 standard muffin cups or line them with paper liners. Butter the top of the muffin pan.
In a bowl, sift together all DRY ingredients. In another bowl whisk together the WET ingredients. Pour WET ingredients into dry and stir unit just combined. Fold in the blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
 - To make the streusel, in a small bowl combine the flour, sugar, and butter. Using your fingers or a fork, work the ingredients together until just combined. Work in the almonds/pecans. Press into a ball, and then separate with your fingers into coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the tops of the muffins.

Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. I love mine warm, with lemon curd or basil whipped cream, or plain!

Coco's Ooohy Goohy Cake

So I was pretty excited because this last weekend I had reason to make our cousin Coco's FAMOUS Ooohy Goohy Cake. It goes without saying that you never need a reason for cake, but I do feel a little, teeny tiny bit of shame baking up a full 9x13 for just the three of us. I need to get over it. Anyway, my excuse came in the form of a Forest Service Archaeologist Work BBQ! Doesn't that sound fun!? Well, it was even cooler, and weirder than it sounds. I wish I had been brave enough to snap photos of the goings on. Jacob may have the coolest boss on planet Earth. The BBQ was at said bosses house. A collector of bizarre hats, one each was handed out to the party goers and we continued to trade off throughout the day. Finn played with his daughter, who, as the daughter of a single male archaeologist had a room that made Finn's blush with shame. She had boxes of dinosaurs, Indiana Jones figurines, a knee high Godzilla and a knee high King Kong, a terrarium with TWO real live lizards...on and on. Finn cried for an hour after we left. Aside from the cool stuff in her room they also played: dinosaur hunters (in the back yard with squirt guns), attack of the mummy, and (with the aid of a super creepy ware-wolf mask) attack of the ware-wolf. They got everyone in on the action, and one poor girl almost got pantsed and had her shirt ripped off at the same time in the kid's excitement.

Anyway, in case you have forgotten about the simple easy glory that is the Ooohy Goohy Cake, you can find it HERE.

Hash-brown Casserole

After our first trip to New Mexico, Finn and I became pretty huge fans of the Cracker Barrel breakfast.  Our hotel of choice when we visit NM is right next door to a Cracker Barrel, and we met my dad there for breakfast every morning of that trip before we headed over to Grandma's house. My favorite things there are the cinnamon apples, and of course the hash brown casserole. Here is my make at home version. Stand by with defibrillator. (I feel like I say that a lot...)

Ingredients:

- 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
- 1/4 Kielbasa Sausage (optional), cubed
- 1/4 onion diced

for the cheese sauce:
- 2 tablespoons (unsalted) butter
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk (2% or whole)
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
I have an 8x6 in casserole that my sister in law gave to me. It came in a set of three from Crate and Barrel. If you have something that size get it out and have it ready for assembly.
Begin by boiling the potatoes until just tender, as they will continue to cook in the oven. While your potatoes are cooking you can prep your cheeses and start your kielbasa (optional) and onion on a skillet over medium high heat. Cook until the kielbasa is caramelized and your onion is as tender as you like it. Set aside until cheese sauce is done and you are ready to assemble.

For the cheese sauce: melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add in the corn starch and salt and pepper to taste (remember: your cheese will be very salty). Stir together, a paste should form quickly. Add in the cream and milk and stir regularly until mixture comes to a boil. Allow to boil for about a minute, then add in your cheese, reserving some to top casserole once assembled. Stir cheese until just melted and remove from heat.
Once your potatoes, kielbasa, onion, and cheese sauce are done you are ready to assemble.

Add potatoes and kielbasa/onions to dish first and gently mix. Then add cheese sauce and gently mix once again.
(If you are making this the night before this is the point where you would cover with plastic wrap or tin foil and keep in fridge until next morning.)

Pop dish in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, then top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly. Eat.

Chili, Garlic and Lemon Hasselback Potatoes

A really easy and fun way to eat everyones favorite vegetable. You can peel your potatoes or leave the skin on.

Ingredients:

- Yukon Gold Potatoes (enough for 1 or 2 per person, depending on size)
- olive oil
- Salt and fresh ground Pepper
- Red Chili Flakes
- fresh Lemon for juice
- Garlic Powder
- butter
- Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425˚

Cut your potatoes. One option recommended by my favorite food blogger at Sea Salt with Food is to: "place the potato on a wooden spoon, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato and cut all the way until the knife touches the spoon, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals." Or you can do like me and just free hand it. When my knife skills let me down and I cut all the way through, I found that a tooth pick worked perfectly to reattach the potato and held up through the roasting process. See photo below.

Arrange the potatoes on a baking tray. Brush the top of each potato with olive oil and/ or butter, and sprinkle desired seasonings over top.

Bake the potatoes for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft. Top with more butter and fresh parsley if desired.

Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie

Cook time: eh, maybe like 3 hours including prep.
Serves: At least one

Ingredients:

- Pie crust for double crust pie (find recipe HERE)
- 8 to 10 apples pealed, cored, and thinly sliced

• - 1 cup sugar
• - 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
• - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• - 1/2 teaspoon salt
• - Juice of 1/2 lemon
• - 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• - 1 large egg
• - Caramel sauce, recipe follows:
• • - 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • - 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • - 4 tablespoons heavy cream (or 2 tablespoons whole / 2% milk, and 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk)
  • 
    
  Caramel Sauce directions: In a small saucepan combine brown sugar, butter and cream. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve to layer with apples.

  
  

  Directions:

  Roll out one pie crust and place in a 9 inch deep dish pie tin. Refrigerate crust until ready to fill. Combine sliced apples with the sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice in a large bowl. Beat together the cream and egg to make a glaze to brush over the edges and top of the crust. Mound the apple filling in the pie shell, layering with the caramel sauce. It will be quite full. 

  

  
  

  

  Roll out the remaining dough to a large round about 1/8'' thick. Place over the filling a seal the edges together by gently pressing together. Trim any excess dough and flute the edges. Brush the top with the egg glaze. Using a  knife, cut 5 or 6 slits in a spoke pattern beginning 1/2-inch from the center  and ending 1/2-inch from the outside edge. You can bake off right away, or chill for up to 30 minutes before baking to re-chill the pie crust.

  
  

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake 10 - 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until the juice visible becomes thick and bubbly, about 1 hour (if the edges are browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil). Cool on a rack at room temp for at least one hour before serving 
  

  to allow the fruit pectin to gel and set; otherwise the pie will fall apart when you cut into it.

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

Peach Cobbler (Easy and Yummy)

Prep + Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

- 4 ripe peaches, sliced
- 1 loose packed cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ginger
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes

for the topping:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk (2% or whole)
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/4 cup oats

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a small oven safe dish or casserole (I used a 4x7 casserole). Scatter the 2 tablespoons cold butter over top. Bake for 20 minutes, until peaches are tender and caramelized.

While peaches are cooking assemble topping. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix together milk and egg, and add to flour mixture. Add in oats and cubed butter. Mix until JUST combined, being careful not to warm or break down the cubes of butter.

When peaches are ready add large dollops to the top, and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes, until topping is golden and cooked through.

Eat for breakfast with Hash-brown Casserole, or eat for dessert with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.

Sautéed Baby Beans with Artichokes and Green Olives

Serves 4

You will need:

- 2 cups baby beans (or fresh green beans)

- 8 scallions, trimmed to roughly same length as the beans

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 6 sprigs rosemary

- 1/2 cup green olives

- 2 quartered artichoke hearts in brine (aka: canned, quartered artichoke hearts in water)

- 1 tablespoon baby capers, drained

- 2 teaspoons tarragon vinegar (or good balsamic)

Directions:

Blanch 2 cups baby beans in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain. Trim 8 scallions to roughly the same length as the beans. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute the beans, scallions, and 6 rosemary sprigs for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Add 1/2 cup green olives, artichoke hearts, capers, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 teaspoons vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat the vegetables with the oil and vinegar. Pile in a dish and serve warm or at room temperature. A perfect side for a spring lunch or dinner

Bruce's Dip

The name of the dip says nothing about it. This recipe is my favorite so far from Gwyneth's cookbook "My Father's Daughter."

Named after her father (apparently his favorite summertime snack), this is a mayo/sour cream based dip flavored with capers (yum!), and fresh herbs. I have eaten said dip in an avocado half, and died and went to heaven. But when you eat through all your avocados you can use your leftovers on a roasted chicken sandwich!

I ate my sammy with a side of Sauteed Baby Beans with Artichokes and Green Olives (find that recipe HERE).

Eating Gwyneth food makes me feel sexy. And that is priceless.

You will need:

- 1 cup Vegenaise (because it's healthier, but feel free to use regular good quality Mayo)

- 1/2 cup Sour Cream

- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

- 2 scallions, finely sliced

- 1 clove garlic, pealed and minced or pushed through a press

- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

A few fresh grinds black pepper

Pinch coarse salt

- 1 1/2 tablespoons capers, finely chopped

- 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

Directions:

Mix it all up.

Flemish Stew: available at Bruges, downtown SLC