Tag Archives: homemade

Incredible mixed Meatloaf (over pasta) -Saturday Weekly Recipe post

Posted by corinneisabella in Friends Recipes, Healthy & Nutritionally Correct and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mixed Meatloaf and sauce (over pasta) -Saturday Weekly Recipe post

Serves 4

meatloaf

Jamie’s Money Saving Meals is an AWESOME cooking show here in Oz..

He is really squared away in the kitchen, and I have always admired his approach to the simplicity of the “basics”

I saw a presentation of this dish prepared on the EXACT DAY that I was planning a meatloaf for dinner 😉 I was REALLY psyched to try this, as it seemed like an awesomely HUGE meatball on a plate of spaghetti. It was PERFECT,  because this week, I’m on week 2 of my ketogenic diet, and my hubby, NEEDS pasta..lol.. It worked out so well for us.

The meatloaf goes REALLY well with the pasta. Leftovers..ummm.. (if there are any) are delicious reheated, and I am CERTAIN a meatloaf sandwich would be off the chain..;-)  ENJOYEEE!!

Whenever possible, BUY ORGANIC< and CLEAN FOODS 😉

May be made “Dairy free”  Gluten Free, Grain free.

(OMIT PASTAS AND CHEESES FOR PALEO)

Mixed meat meatloaf with pasta 
(slightly adapted from  “Jamie Oliver’s” recipe)

The Stuff you need:

  • Meatloaf:
  • 3 carrots
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb ground italian pork
  • 1/4 c breadcrumbs (optional)
  • 1 TBS dried oregano -(to taste)
  • 1 TBS chopped basil ( fresh if possible- to taste)
  • 1 TBS chopped parsley ( fresh if possible- to taste)
  • 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • a few drops of Tabasco ( to taste)
  • salt and black pepper (to taste)Sauce and pasta:
  • 3 red chili’s sliced, lengthwise, seeded
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano ( fresh if possible- to taste)
  • 1 tsp basil ( fresh if possible- to taste)
  • 1 tsp parsley( fresh if possible- to taste)
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 jar of any kind of tomato sauce
  • salt and black pepper( to taste)
  • 1/2 c cheddar/parmesan or whatever kind of cheese you have to sprinkle on top
  • 16 oz dried spaghetti

What to do with the Stuff

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F
  • Peel the carrots, quarter lengthways
  • Place in a roasting tray, drizzle with the oil and bake for 10 minutes
  • In a large bowl, add the meats, breadcrumbs,  oregano, basil, parsley, feta, egg, Tabasco, salt and pepper
  • Mix lightly with your hands (don’t overmix or the meatloaf will be tough) mix all, and spice to your taste
  • Shape into a loaf
  • Make a space in the middle of the tray with the carrots- add the meatloaf
  • Bake for a further 30- 35 minutes, or until the meatloaf is cooked through
  • While the meatloaf is in the oven, make the sauce- in a medium saucepan
  • Heat the olive oil, add the onion and the herbs, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
  • Add the jar of sauce, season to taste with additional herbs, salt and pepper- etc. to your taste
  • Simmer for 15-20 minutes while Meatloaf is baking
  • Have a large saucepan of salted boiling water ready (for the spaghetti)
  • Remove the tray from the oven, pour the sauce around the meatloaf
  • Top the meatloaf with a spoonful of tomato sauce, and grated cheese
  • Lower heat to 350F put meatloaf back into the oven for 15 minutes, and the sauce is bubbling
  • Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions, then drain
  • Serve spaghetti topped with slice(s) of meatloaf, topped with sauce, garnish with carrots, and chili’s

“Darren’s Sticky Date Pudding” – Saturday Weekly Recipe post

Posted by corinneisabella in Friends Recipes, Presentation, Stuff and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

~ Darren’s Sticky Date Pudding ~

OMGSH! a for REAL  “OLD SCHOOL Recipe”

ACTUALLY handwritten, ON PAPER, with his Auntie’s handwriting..I

HAD to share it this way..;-)  Enlarge if necessary, or inbox me if you can’t, I will send the written version.

stickydatepuddingimages

Now, for the AMAZING story behind this.. We have a weekly BBQ at our house, and our good friend Darren, ( a world class body builder with 0% bodyfat!! ) turns up to our house last week with THIS.. DIVINE, DECADENT and MOST DELICIOUS dessert treat EVER..!

Best served with the sauce warmed, and a side scoop of plain vanilla ice cream ( he brought fat free..lol)

I’m not even a huge dessert fan.. but THIS WAS SOOO AWESOME 😉  I HAD SECONDS !

AND…I had some for breakfast the next day.. OMGSH …simply THE BEST.. I had to share 😉

 

Ravioli with Fresh Grape Tomatoes and herbs, in White Wine Sauce -Wednesday Weekly Recipe post

Posted by corinneisabella in Healthy & Nutritionally Correct, My Recipes, Nana's Recipes, Presentation, Stuff and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ravioli with fresh grape (or cherry) tomatoes, and herbs, in a white wine sauce

rav

The Stuff you need:

  • 18 ounces fresh or frozen cheese ravioli
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 1 pint grape (or cherry) tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • Salt and black pepper (to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley (to taste)
  • Fresh chopped thyme (to taste)
  • Fresh chopped basil ( to taste)
  • Fresh shredded Parmesan cheese (to taste)

What to do with the Stuff:

  • Cook the ravioli according to the package directions, drain, and return them to pot
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
  • Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes
  • Add the tomatoes, parsley, thyme, and basil, cook until softened
  • Add wine, salt, pepper
  • Simmer about 6-8 minutes
  • Add butter, stir until it is melted into the sauce
  • Gently toss the ravioli with the tomato mixture
  • Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Homemade Split Pea Soup – thick, SIMPLE, EASY delicious! (Saturday weekly recipe post)

Posted by corinneisabella in Healthy & Nutritionally Correct, My Recipes, Nana's Recipes and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Homemade Split Pea Soup SIMPLE, EASY delicious

splitpea

The stuff you need:

1 Ham Bone with meat
3 large carrots chopped
5 celery stalks chopped
2 medium onions diced
8 garlic cloves diced
1 large potato peeled & cut into cubes
2 – 14 oz bags Split Peas
1 TBS Black Pepper
1 TBS Thyme
1 TBS Sage
½TBS Ground Cloves
Salt to Taste
What to do with the stuff:

Put the bone into a large, heavy bottomed soup pot and cover with veggie or chicken stock ( or water)
Bring to a boil,
Saute’ all diced veggies, in olive oil
Add veggies to large pot, reduce to a hard simmer
Pour the dry peas into a container and pick them over looking for bad peas and stones
*****On the package of peas – there will be directions to soak/soften the peas, don’t do it******
The starch in the peas will be lost, and your soup will never thicken !! ANCIENT SECRET HERE !!!
Pour the dry peas into the pot, reduce to slow/soft boil
Add all the spices, (except salt)
Stir for a while to make sure peas aren’t stuck to the bottom and start to burn
Don’t cover the pot right away, the steam needs to evaporate so your soup will thicken
A gas stove set on low flame keeping at the slow soft boil-simmer
On an electric stove, the best setting is about halfway between simmer and low
Slowly continue to boil, stirring every 25-30 minutes, allowing the boiling water to remove all the meat and marrow from the ham bone
After 2- 3 hrs remove bone, peel off the loosened meat before returning all the meat AND bone back to the pot
Allow soup to continue to simmer, stirring about every 30 minutes, (this is to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pot)
Simmer roughly 5-6 hours, as it takes about this long to thicken
The longer it cooks the thicker it gets
The peas and veggies will dissolve, the bone will be cleaned of remaining meat and marrow
Remove the large bones and any fat/gristle you see
Taste the soup to adjust the seasonings
The hambone may have had a lot of salt, you may not need to add any, or you may need to add to taste
Trust your palate, increase the other spices accordingly

Notes:
If your soup happened to stick to the bottom and is burned lightly-don’t loosen anymore of the burned soup from the bottom
Simply transfer the soup into another pot, (don’t scrape the burned part on the bottom until after the good soup is transferred)
Put new pot on the stove, finish cooking
This is AWESOME for leftovers! and freezes really well too, so- you can cut the recipe in half, OR make the large quantity, and freeze the rest for another great meal
For vegetarians, omit the hambone-may cut the simmer time down a bit, add Tamari for a deep flavour