Ma! the Meatloaf!!!

If there is anything better than cooking a yummy dinner, it is watching a funny movie.  If you don't understand the title of this blog, then you must go watch the movie Wedding Crashers before you can proceed with reading.

Ok, good, now that we're all on the same page, I shall commence with the meatloaf!

I've never been a big fan of meat in loaf form.  Or really anything that isn't bread, in loaf form.  But Blake requested meatloaf, so being the gracious non-breadwinner of the relationship, I will cook just about anything asked of me.

Alongside the meatloaf, I roasted some haricot verts and mushrooms in the oven.  I also reached in the Betty Crocker's bag-o-tricks and made some instant "loaded" mashed potatoes by tossing some crumpled bacon and shredded cheddar on top.

Ma! the Meatloaf!

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

6 slices white bread, cut into cubes

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

3 tablespoons yellow mustard, divided

1/2 cup ketchup, divided

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in bread, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons mustard and 1/4 cup ketchup.

Press the meat mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, stir together remaining mustard, ketchup and brown sugar; pour on top of the meat loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours.

recipe from Allrecipes.com

My psychic but fuzzy visions...and Pulled Pork of course!

I had no idea that when I created this blog earlier in the week and named it Crista's Fresh Start, that it was so prophetic.

On Tuesday, my job of over five years came to an end.  Of course the immediate response was shock and awe.  My company was a wonderful company to work for and it was a crushing experience to be told I no longer had a position. Many of my co-workers and the sales reps I supported and reached out and told me what a great asset I was and that I will be missed, and this makes me feel much better.

Alas, hind sight is 20/20.  While I loved my job, it was very much dead-end. I had often thought about trying something new or even going back to school.  This forces me to step out of my comfort zone and do just that. 

In the mean time, I will take at least a few days to enjoy the "real house-wives of Indianapolis" lifestyle.  Yeah, I know I'm not a wife, or a housewife, but neither was Bethany Frankel and look where she is now! 

So as I enjoyed my first day of as a lady-of-leisure, I whipped out the crock pot and made some delicious dinner.  Without further ado, I give you...

Delicious Pulled Pork

5 lb. Pork Shoulder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of water

Mix spices together and rub over the pork roast.  Place roast in a 5-6 qt. crock pot and add the cup of water.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5.

Blake likes his with slaw and bbq sauce on top!  I like it just as it is.  There is no wrong way to eat this delicious meat!

Sweet Broccoli Slaw

My aunt Verlena makes a very tasty salad involving broccoli and cauliflower.  Her delicious salad is the inspiration for this recipe.

It is perfect for a quick side dish and takes less than 5 minutes to make.  I made it with ingredients I had on hand, but you can certainly change it up based on what you have in the fridge.

1 bag of broccoli slaw mix
1 cup mayo
1 TBS splenda (or sugar)
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 TBS freshly grated parmesean
1/4 cup bacon pieces
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix everything together and voila!

Hi, I'm Crista and I'm a Ranch-a-holic.

I love grilling out in the summer.  However, since Blake and I both arrived home in the midst of a monsoon, the grill was off limits tonight.

Did that stop the awesomeness that are the burgers that Blake makes?  Of course not!  When I walked in to the kitchen he was already pattying the ground beef that had been mixed with the secret ingredient.

Dry Ranch Dressing powder.  It's like a piece of heaven in dehydrated powdered form.

This recipe is quite simple.

2 TBS of dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1 lb of ground beef

Mix.  Grill.  Eat.  Yummmm!

A Fresh Start...

Once upon a time...
I had a food blog.  I updated it frequently and loved to cook.  I cooked at home almost daily and posted anything that turned out semi-decent. 

Then life happened.  There were lots of changes, both positive and negative, and my posts became few and far between.  Well blogging world, I'm back! 

I will be moving stuff from my old blog over occasionally, so if something looks familiar, that is probably why.

Get excited!

Enchiladas...Es bueno!

Sticking to my more veggies theme, tonight I went meatless! But no worries, I got my protein from beans and veggie crumbles! I really liked it - es bueno!

Saucy Enchiladas

3/4 cup fat-free refried black beans

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

4 (8 in.) flour tortillas

1 cup frozen burger style vegetable crumbles (I used Morning Star)

3/4 cup enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese

low-fat sour cream (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the beans with taco seasoning. Spread each tortilla with 3 tablespoons of the bean mixture. Sprinkle veggie crumbles down the center of each tortilla and roll up tortilla. Arrange, seam sides down , in an 8" square backing dish. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 min. or until bubbly.

Source: Cooking Light

On the side I served a salad of baby spinach, orange sections, chopped cashews, and raspberry vinaigrette. Yum!

New Year's Resolution...

This year's New Year's Resolution for me is to eat more fruits and veggies! So I cracked open my trusty Cooking Light Superfast Suppers Cookbook, which has very speedy, easy, and healthy recipes, and picked this one.

You could definitely kick it up by using pesto instead of the chopped basil, or maybe just adding some garlic or hot pepper flakes. I liked it just fine the was it was, and I think it will be great cold tomorrow for lunch!