Glazed Mini Meatloaves

(adapted from the Best 30-Minute Recipe)
Makes 4-5 mini meatloaves.

Meatloaves:
17-20 saltine crackers, crushed fine (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground meat (I used a combination of lean ground chuck and lean ground pork)
2 teaspoons oil (I used canola oil)

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Add ground meat and combine until uniform. Shape mixture into oval loaves (I doubled the recipe and got 10 mini loaves, so when I make the recipe without doubling it, I plan to shape into at least 5 loaves - they were definitely big enough to be perfectly filling!).

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until the oil is rippling. Add meatloaves (without letting them touch sides) and brown well on one side, 3-5 minutes. Carefully flip loaves over and tidy up edges using a spatula (I didn't need to do this - my meatloaves managed to hold their shape really well). Brown on this side for another 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix glaze ingredients together until smooth. Transfer mini meatloaves to a foil-lined baking pan and spoon the glaze over the top of each meatloaf. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (or do like I do and cut one of the little babies open and if it looks done - pull 'em out of the oven!).

Submitted by Tay Lynn Gudmunson

Chicken with Green Curry Sauce

(adapted slightly from Robin Miller)

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon Garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup couscous, cooked according to package directions
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Season both sides of chicken with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes per side until golden brown.

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, green chilies, curry powder, garam masala, and cumin. Add mixture to chicken and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces slightly. The sauce will be quite runny. To thicken it up a bit, I mixed one teaspoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and added it to the sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Serve chicken and green curry sauce over couscous and garnish with cilantro.

Submitted by Tay Lynn Gudmunson

Menu

I have been so busy and things have been going on every night, so dinner has not been served! Unless you call cold cereal and string cheese dinner. Here's what's for dinner next week! I've got some new recipes to add, so come back!

Monday: Potato Casserole
Tuesday: Scrabbled Omelets
Wednesday: Ranch Parmesan Chicken
Thursday: Loaded burgers
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: out-Dad's home from Scout Camp!
Sunday: Chicken Burros

Dipity Dip

I love chips and dip, but when summertime hits I'm really in the mood! Especially for guacamole and 7 layer bean dip! My friend gave me this super easy fail proof recipe for the green stuff. Sure to be a crowd pleaser for sure!

Guacamole

3 ripe avocados

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 Tbs white onion (optional)

2 Tbs fresh salsa (optional)

I like to add some homemade salsa to half the recipe. It's so good!

7 layer Bean Dip

1 small can refried beans

guacamole (recipe above)

sour cream

shredded cheese

diced tomato

sliced olives

green onion

In a 9x9 dish layer starting with the beans on down. After you add the guacamole, place dish in the fridge for 10 minutes. It will make it more solid to spread the sour cream on top. Serve with chips. yum!