Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two p. 188

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck	1 Tbsp minced onion or shallot
2/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats	3 Tbsp grated carrot
1 egg, beaten	1 tsp salt
1/3 cup ketchup	ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Place the ground beef, oats, and egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onion, carrot, salt, and pepper. Using your hands or a large fork, mix gently but thoroughly, being careful not to compact the meat. shape the meat mixture into a mounded oval or round loaf, depending on the shape of your cooker.

2. Make a foil 'cradle' that will help you easily remove the meatloaf from the cooker when it is done. Tear a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil that is about 14 inches long. Fold in half lengthwise, then in half again lengthwise to make a strip about 3 inches wide. Place the foil strip into the crock. The edges of the foil will come up the sides of the crock; they don't need to come out the top. Center the meatloaf in the crock, on top of the strip. cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 5 hours, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf reads 160 to 165 degrees.

***Personal note: I thought the meatloaf was not as good as my own recipe, but my daughter loved it. I think 2 eggs were need to hold it together better. Maybe a little mustard would have helped the flavor. I also added some dry oregano and basil.

Chicken Breast with Tomato-Basil Sauce

p 199 The Marshall Field's Cookbook

4 boneless chicken breasts	1 shallot, minced
Salt & freshly ground pepper	2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour	2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil	3/4 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp unsalted butter	16 grape tomatoes, halved
(at room temperature)	1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Season the chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off any excess.

Combine the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan and cook, turning once, for 5 - minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Add the shaallot and garlic to the hot pan. Saute for 1 minute, then add the viegar to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom. add the chicken broth and tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat. Stirring constantly, add the basil, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and salt and pepper to taaste. stir until the butter is incorporated into the sauce.

Place the chicken breast on a serving platter and pour the sauce over. Serve at once.

Caramelized Onion Chicken

from The Best Family Slow Cooker Recipes by Donna-Marie Pye

4-5 chicken breasts, skinless	1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 tsp salt	1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper	1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp butter	2 tsp grated ginger root
1 sweet onion, sliced	1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves

1. Place chicken in slow cooker stoneware and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium skillet, melt butter on med-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes longer, stirring often, until onions are tender and golden brown. Spread over top of chicken.
3. In a bowl, combine jam, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger root and rosemary. Pour over chicken and onions.
4. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 2 1/2 to 4 hours, until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Roasted Beet Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons

I first tasted beet soup (Borscht)in a Russian restaurant in Chicago (2007). It was to die for. This recipe, though quite different and from a Jewish Cookbook*, was every bit as delicious. I highly recommend it and will be making this again.

5-6 lg beets, scrubbed	2 cloves fresh garlic
olive oil	1 cup apple cider
3 slices pumpernickel bread	2 cups chicken stock
18 walnut halves	1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground sage	1/4 tsp sea salt
1 large red onion, thinly sliced	sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub each beet with 1 tsp olive oil, coating all sides. Wrap individually in aluminum foil and place onto a cookie sheet. Place into the oven and roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until tender.

Remove from oven and allow to stand until no longer hot to the touch. Using a paper towel, rub off the skins & discard. Cut the beets into quarters and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the roasted walnuts and croutons: Slice the pumpernickel bread into bite size diamond shapes. Place the bread and the walnuts into a med bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the ground sage. Place in a single layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in the hot oven for 5 min, until slightly toasted and fragrant. Set aside to cool.Toss to coat.

Heat 1 tsp olive oil into a large woup pot over medium-low heat. Add the red onion slices and cook. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 2 more min. Pour in the apple cider, stock, and water. Add the beets. Simmer for 5 min, until heated through.

Using an immersion blender puree the soup. This can also be done in batches in a blender or food processor. Season with salt.

*2-10-09 I misread the recipe and used 2 large red onions and the soup still tasted great. I didn't have sage on hand so I used poultry seasoning, which turned out tasting good. I don't think I would bother with the walnuts next time, but the pumpernickel bread croutons added a wonderful pizazz to the soup, although it would be delicious without them. Myke, Mom and I liked the soup a great deal. One caution: Don't completely puree the soup. The texture is much more pleasant with some chunks.

*Recipe from Kosher by Design Lightens Up by sSusie Fishbein

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Serves: 8

6 larges potatoes, peeled and cut

1/2 cup diced leeks

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

2 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup flour

1 quart half and half

1/3 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pepper

Fried and crisp bacon, diced

In a large pot, combine potatoes, leeks, garlic, salt and water. Bring to a boil; lower to simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender. Do Not drain. In another pan, melt butter; then add flour. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes; slowly add the half & half. Continue cooking and stir constantly until thickened. Add sour cream and pepper. Pour white sauce into the pot with the cooked potatoes and water.

*My two daughter's who gave me the Making Memories-Dairy Keen Cookbook for Christmas bought it for this recipe. So with all my daughter's home this weekend I made this recipe for them. I thought it was delicious. One said it wasn't as good as Chili's and another said it wasn't as good as Bennigan's. So if you want really terrific potato soup, you know where to get it. If you want to make some at home I would highly recommend this recipe. Candleman and I loved it.

Cream Potatoes and Peas

Creamed Potatoes and Peas

Serves: 8

2 pounds small, red potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups half and half

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup frozen peas

Peel and cube the potatoes. Cook potatoes in small amount of water until tender. Drain. In another saucepan, melt butter; add flour. Cook on medium heat for 2 minutes. Stirring constantly, slowly add milk and cream. Cook until thickened. Add seasoning, potatoes and peas.

*Note - I didn't peel the potatoes because I like the flavor of the peels. My mother used to make these every summer with new potatoes freshly dug out of the ground and fresh peas, so this recipe is not new to me. I saw it in my Making Memories Dairy Keen cookbook and decided to fix them for dinner. They were delicious but not quite as good as Mom's. This recipe was from a friend of the Dairy Keen owner's.

Dairy Keen's Fried Chicken

Dairy Keen's* Fried Chicken

Serves: 6

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 pint buttermilk

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and trim chicken. In a large zip-lock bag, add buttermilk, salt and tabasco sauce. Add Chicken. "Mush" bag so that all the chicken has some buttermilk on it. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 6 hours. In a bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper paprika, seasoning salt, garlic powder and baking powder. Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, one piece at a time; place in flour mixture. Coat both sides of chicken. In a large, very heavy pan, bring oil to 350 degrees. Drop chicken gently into oil. Do not crowd chicken in pan. Fry until browned; then bake 15 minutes longer in oven.

*Dairy Keen is a local "burger joint" that has a model train that travels overhead through hand painted murals of the beautiful Heber Valley. Kids love it! A few years ago they rebuilt the whole structure to look like a train depot. It's very charming, plus the food is good. I especially love their fresh raspberry shakes - they are to die for.

*My personal note about the chicken. This is the recipe served at Dairy Keen. I didn't get a picture because the original recipe said to put the chicken in a bag with the flour. I did that and it mushed together and didn't stick very well to the chicken. The chicken was so delicious that I am going try again, but this time I'm going to put the flour in a pan and dip each piece individually. The chicken was very moist and had a nice flavor.

Gingered Squash Saute

Gingered Squash Saute
from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty Annual Recipes 2003

Serves: 9

1 pound yellow summer squash, sliced

1/2 pound small zucchini, sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 medium green pepper, julienned

4 teaspoons butter

3 mediums tomatoes, quartered

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

In a skillet saute squash, zucchini, onion and green pepper in butter for 1 min. Cover and cook over medium heat for until tender. Add tomatoes, salt and ginger. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes.

*Note - My family loves squash. This was a particularly delicious way to satisfy our squash craving. I was hesitant about the onion and the tomatoes, but shouldn't have been. The onion added wonderful flavor and the store-bought tomatoes tasted fresh. Did that few minutes of cooking make them zing like a home-grown wonder? I did leave out the green pepper, only because the part of one I had in the fridge was no longer useable.

Apple-Onion Pot Roast and Garlic Potato Wedges

Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 2003 Cookbook
This cookbook has several pages featuring 27 different meal plans. I used one of those for the dinner pictured below. I thought these potatoes were the perfect coupling for the roast. Another thing I like about this cookbook is that most of the recipes have pictures to go with.
Apple and Onion Beef Pot Roast

Serves: 8

1 boneless beef sirloin tip steak (2 - 3 pounds)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 large, tart apple

1 large onion

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1/8 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown roast on all sides. Transfer to a 5-qt slow cooker. Add water to the skillet, stirring to loosen any browned bits; pour over roast. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Top with apple and onion. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until meat is tender.

Remove roast and onion; let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Transfer liquid from slow cooker into a saucepan, discarding apple. Bring liquid to a boil; cook until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir in browning sauce. Stir into cooking liquid. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over beef and onion.

*Note - Candleman said this was the best pot roast he has ever tasted. Served it to my mother and brother and sister-in-law and they all raved about it, too. Since this recipe doesn't make enough gravy for potatoes, the Garlic Potato Wedges were a perfect side dish.

Garlic Potato Wedges

Serves: 8

4 pounds small red potatoes, cut into wedges

1/3 cup olive oil

16 peeled garlic clove

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

or 2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cider vinegar

4 teaspoons dijon style mustard

3 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup chopped green onions

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 tablespoon of the oil, garlic, rosemary and salt. Pour into 15-in x 10-in x1-in baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 450 degrees for 25-30* min or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, sugar, pepper and remaining oil until smooth. Pour over the potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with onions.

*Note - I cooked the potatoes for 35 - 40 min. These potatoes are a nice change from boiled, baked or mashed. I will be making these again; along with the roast.

Double-Chocolate Cream Roll

from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 2003 Cookbook.
Serves: 12

1 1/2 teaspoons shortening

5 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons powdered sugar, divided

3 tablespoons baking cocoa

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups cold, milk

2 3-ounce packages instant white chocolate pudding mix

4 ounces cream cheese, softened*

3 tablespoons carmel ice cream topping, divided

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided

1 tablespoon hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

Coat 15-in x 10-in x 1-in baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; line with parchment paper. Grease the paper with shortening; set aside.

CAKE - In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Add vanilla. In another bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg yolks. In another mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Spread into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until cake springs back when light touched. Immediately invert the cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with remaining powdered sugar. Gently but quickly peel off parchment paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on wire rack.

FILLING - In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Set aside 1 cuup. Unroll cake; spread remaining filling evenly over cake. Drizzle with caramel topping; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons walnuts. Roll up starting with long side. Spread reserved filling over cake roll. Drizzle with hot fudge sauce and caramel topping. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

* Notes: The original recipe didn't call for cream cheese, but I 'knew' it would only improve the final product.
I made this dessert for my mother's birthday cake. It received untold compliments both on looks and taste. I am making it again this weekend for my daughter's visit.

*I made this recipe again a week later. It was quicker and easier on the 2nd trial. Everyone loved it so it will definitely go in my family favorite recipes. This is a great when you want something light, yet chocolatey.