Friday, November 4, 2011

While waiting...

While we are waiting in limbo land, I thought I would post a couple of recipes that I made recently that were pretty good - the kids really liked them also.



 Big Beef 'n Bacon Meatloaf
Ingredients:
6 slices center-cut bacon or turkey bacon
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/4 lbs. raw extra-lean ground beef
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp. hickory-flavored BBQ sauce, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. ketchup

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Bring a large skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. Add bacon and cook until crispy, about 4 minutes per side. Remove bacon and, once cool enough to handle, chop or crumble. Set aside.
3. If needed, clean and dry skillet. Re-spray skillet and return to medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion. Stirring occasionally, cook until completely softened, 5 - 7 minutes. Remove from heat and, once cool enough to handle, blot away any excess moisture with paper towels. Transfer veggies to a large bowl. Add about three-fourths of the bacon, and set the rest aside for topping. To the bowl, add beef, tomatoes, 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix thoroughly.
4. Transfer mixture to the loaf pan; if needed, smooth out the surface with the back of a spatula or spoon. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine ketchup with remaining tablespoon of BBQ sauce and mix well. Evenly top meatloaf with the BBQ-ketchup mixture and sprinkle with remaining bacon.
6. Bake in the oven until meatloaf is fully cooked, about 50 minutes.
7. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Serves 5
Source: hungrygirl.com
Notes: Serving Size: 1 slice (1/5th of recipe), Calories: 224, Fat: 8g, Sodium: 707mg, Carbs: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 7g, Protein: 26, PointsPlus® value 5*
We made this as muffins instead of a loaf. The kids like them in this form, the muffins cook in half the time and are easy to freeze/reheat as individual portions.






Mongolian Beef
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (such as sambal
     oelek)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
16 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Directions:
1. Combine first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.
2. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, minced garlic, and beef; sauté for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Add green onion pieces; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture; cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.
Serves 4
Source: Cooking Light magazine
Notes: per 1 cup: WW pts+=6, Calories: 237, Fat: 10.5g, Saturated fat: 3.5g, Monounsaturated fat: 4.3g, Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g, Protein: 26g, Carbohydrate: 9.1g, Fiber: 1.7g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Iron: 2.7mg, Sodium: 517mg, Calcium: 67mg. Kids really liked this! They wanted more sauce - so maybe double the sauce.

Back to the move - this is where we stand:

  • Waiting to hear back from the French Consulate
  • S is going to Paris on Monday for a meeting & will look at houses & neighborhoods on Tuesday and Wednesday. There are very few houses available where we want to live & they go fast, so keep your fingers crossed for us. We really only have a couple of possibilities...
  • S needs to meet with his boss and HR guy to go over the bid from the moving company. I want them to approve this ASAP so we can get scheduled - it's a 3-week window to get scheduled. Since I want to move around the holidays, it could be a very busy time.
In the meantime just living life here. It was nice having S home for a week - he leaves on Saturday. We have our last sports event on Saturday, then will have more free time. Trying to see friends as much as possible while I'm still here, and looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my parents and my sister & her family down at the beach.

Happy Friday all!

D

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