Meatloaf for a crowd

I absolutely love meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a side of green beans, it's the ultimate comfort food in my book and growing up my step-mom made the absolute best hands down. She is your typical home cook...someone who puts a little bit of this and a little bit of that into something therefore I was never given an actual recipe. I did watch her make it enough growing up that I had an idea of the ingredients. I think she only made it when I was around because after her pregnancy with my sister Nikki she had a thing about raw meat leaving her unable to touch the stuff. She would throw everything in the bowl and in I would go. Today though I despise that task mainly because the ingredients are so cold my hands about freeze off so tonight I used a potato masher and I must say, it worked pretty well.

Now I pretty much doubled my normal recipe because money is tight for us right now and I plan on having this as leftovers for awhile but you are more than welcome to split everything in half. Anyone else love meatloaf sandwiches for lunch??? I DO, I DO!!!


Katie's Yummy Meatloaf

Ingredients:

4lbs. lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups ketchup, Heinz please
2 C. italian bread crumbs
1 tbsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 eggs
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 md. onion, finely diced
ketchup for topping

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In a large mixing bowl add ground beef, ketchup, bread crumbs, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, garlic powder, and onion. Mix thoroughly. You can either use your god given utensils or use a potato masher.

3.) Divide evenly and place into a loaf pan. Smash down to get rid of any empty spaces. Top each loaf with extra ketchup and with a back of a spoon spread evenly.

4.) Bake for 1.5 hours or until cooked through.

The very first time I made this for my brothers and step-dad they were in heaven. My Mom's meatloaf didn't include any ketchup and as you can see mine has lots. Ketchup was a staple in our house. My brothers put ketchup on just about everything, turkey at Thanksgiving, and what is probably the worst...bologna sandwiches...gag me please!! So as you can imagine a meatloaf with ketchup in it was a winner in their book!

I really hope your family enjoys this, I can't even begin to tell you how yummy this is with mashed potatoes. Excuse me a second, I have to wipe up the drool!! And yes, that's more ketchup on top you see, as if there wasn't enough in the recipe I have to go and add more.

Chocolate Butter Pecan Bars

We had our annual family Halloween gathering last weekend and I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, of course I didn't save the recipe in my recipe box and for the life of me I can't find it on the site again but luckily I made Daniel write it down for me. The family loved them and I can't wait to make them again. I just happened to be making my chicken alfredo casserole for my sister while creating these and Daniel commented that the house smelled like Thanksgiving.



Chocolate Butter Pecan Bars~

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 C. Flour
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. cold butter

Filling:
3 eggs
3/4 C. sugar
3/4 C. dark corn syrup ( I used light corn syrup)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 C. semisweet chocolate chunks (I used chips)
1 1/2 C. coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
1.) In a small bowl combine flour and brown sugar. Cut butter in until crumbly. Press into a 9x13 in. pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

2.) In a large bowl whisk eggs, sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chunks and pecans. Pour over crust and bake for another 20-25 minutes until set. Cool on a wire rack.

3.) Cut into bars and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Hope you give these a try, ENJOY!!!

Exciting things are starting to happen

I have had a rough couple of days thanks to my gall bladder problems coming back in full force, sadly I don't think we are going to get through this pregnancy without a surgery but honestly everyone, I am so desperate for relief I almost welcome a surgery.

Anyway, after drugging myself every three to four hours Wednesday night just to get some sort of mild relief, Addison came out of her Tylenol induced coma and has been beating the crap out of me since. Daniel swears this little girl is going to be the first baby ever to be born with an addiction to Tylenol, what can I say...I am in serious pain here people. So yesterday after being stuck at home trying to recover from the past few days I gently laid my hands on my tummy for some Mommy and Addison bonding time and what do you know, she kicked the crap out of my hand...TWICE!! It was the very first time I had actually felt her movement from the outside, I have been feeling it on the inside for several weeks now and it was the greatest thing ever, I think it was even better than when we found out it was a little girl in there. Right now she is only kicking for her Mommy, when Daddy tried getting a good swift kick last night she decided that she didn't want to play along...HAHA!! Poor Daddy!!

Speaking of Daddy, he is leaving this weekend for his job interview in West Virginia, he has decided that his love of white water rafting is something that he wants to do on the weekends, I have remained quiet on the matter as I am sure we all know what my feelings are on my husband leaving me every weekend starting next March and ending next October with a newborn and four dogs, that's another post though and why I have elected to stay mum on the matter. Since I think he feels somewhat guilty of the amount of time he is going to be spending away from home and plus since he had to stop by Wal-Mart to grab some snacks for while he is down there, I am sure he was inundated with "Did you remember Sweetest Day posters", he bought me three red roses and brought them to me at work. The roses worked for now!! :) Now if only I can get him to rinse out his nightly ice cream bowls...LOL.

Dearest Child...

Can you please take mercy on your poor mother and allow her to get some much needed sleep? You don't allow me to sleep on my back, you get mad when I attempt to sleep on my sides, and obviously sleeping on my tummy is out of the question. I refuse to sleep in the recliner out in the living room, have you ever heard three Great Danes snoring all at the same time? Last night I felt like I was on a ship due to the tossing and turning that I was constantly doing to find some sort of comfortable position, when your father who used to be in the Navy by the way, wakes up sea sick one morning, I am blaming you little one!!

Now we have four more months of this to go and I realize you are only going to get bigger and that your sleeping quarters are getting smaller but PLEASE give me at least one side, preferably my left. If not I will be withholding the tangerines that you seem to thoroughly love for the remainder of this pregnancy and until you get teeth!!

Chili Dog Casserole

I know what you're thinking...what is she doing eating something like this when she should be filling up on fruits and veggies. Well let me tell you, even at 5 months pregnant I still do not have much of an appetite. I eat enough to keep going and that's about it and even that is sometimes a chore. The other day when Daniel and I were in the kitchen doing something a show came on TV with a big ol' chili dog, I believe it was Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I look at the TV, then looked at Daniel and said "you know what I could eat right now?" and do you know what he said..."a chili dog?" We both saw the show and immediately wanted a chili dog so guess what I made last night...chili dogs but with a slight variation to the normal chili dog. Of course in the process of eating a scoop of these I clogged an artery but every once and again you just need to be bad and let me tell you...it's good to be bad!!!

Chili Dog Casserole~

Ingredients:

8 hot dog buns

8 hot dogs
1 (15 ounce) can chili (I used 2)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon prepared mustard ( I just squirted mine on top, not sure how much it took)
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.) Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Tear up the hot dog buns and arrange the pieces in the bottom of the dish evenly. Slice the hot dogs into bite size pieces and layer the pieces over the buns.
3.) Pour the chili over the hot dogs, sprinkle with the chopped onion, then spread some mustard over the chili and the onion. Top off with the cheese.
4.) Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

This was really good and really quick to throw together. It was so good that my husband pretty much ate the entire dish, no joke. He isn't hard to please when it comes to dinner, in fact the more simple it is the more he enjoys it. I did take a picture and I literally just downloaded it but I can't find it on my computer, oh well.

To my little peanut...

Peanut,
I know that we have about four months to go before you make your grand appearance and believe me, I want you in there for as long as you need to take, but after getting to hold your cousin Dylan and hearing him coo softly in the telephone to his Auntie Katie I must admit...I am ready for you to get here now.

I can't wait to hear your first cry, hold you in my arms, and then see the look on your Daddy's face when he sees yours for the first time. I can't wait to bring you home and rock you softly watching your gaze drift from place to place. I can't wait to be awaken early in the morning to your cries and to be satisfied that the minute I pick you up from your crib your tears will stop. I can't wait to bathe you and then take in the scent of your wonderful baby smell and I can't wait to dress you in all of your cute outfits. I also can't wait for the moment when your Daddy has to change your first dirty diaper, lord knows I will have difficulties, but we will see just how well he does.

I dread the day I must drop you off with Aunt Nikki and cousin Dylan so that I can go back to work, but I look forward to the moment when I can pick you up and will take great pleasure in watching you grin the moment you realize Mommy is there to take you home.

Please also know you have a brother at home who can't wait to play dress up and do sweeper patrol after your first high chair feeding. Bandit was quite excited, or as excited as a dog who doesn't understand can be, when Daddy told him he had a sister on the way. He is fed up with being the little brother surrounded by all of your big brothers. He is thrilled to finally have someone at his level.

You have lots of Aunt and Uncles, and Grandparents who can't wait to meet you. So please don't mess around when its time to arrive, Dylan thought he would be cute by taking way longer than he should have. I don't think the family will cooperate the second time around my little love bug!! Also, the quicker you get here the quicker Uncle Matt and Uncle Steve can quit worrying about whether the big dogs will mistake you for a chew toy. They seem to forget that they had a great dane at that age as well who allowed them both to crawl all over him.

Love Always,
Mommy

Dylan Raymond Landis

Dylan has finally made his arrival. He showed up at 1:41 p.m. without having to do a c-section. He was 7lbs 7oz, 21in long. Mother and son are doing wonderful!! We were beginning to think that kid was never going to get here.