Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf

I love meat-loaf!!!  No shame in admitting it.  None.  Meatloaf sandwiches, probably in my top 10.  I have to share tho... I remember when I was a kid and my mom would make meatloaf sandwiches for my dad, I thought that was the NASTIEST!!! thing you could ever ever... ever make for someone.  Well, I was MISS'N OUT!  Now I make meatloaf just for the sandwich.  I went out on a limb and tried something new with this one, no regrets, it was perfect!

Balsamic Glazed Meatloaf
1 pound ground pork
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large carrot grated
2 stocks celery chopped
1/2 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 turnip chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons balsalmic vinegar
1 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sweet hot mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon worcestershire
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Add olive oil to a pan and heat over medium heat.  Add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and saute until veggies are tender.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Preheat oven to 350.  Add remaining ingredients into a large bowl.  Once veggies are cool enough to touch, add to bowl and mix with hands until well combined.  Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.  Place meat into pan and form into a large mound being sure to leave at least 1/2 inch  on the sides from the top of the pan.

Place all glaze ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined.  Pour half over top of meatloaf being sure to cover the top evenly, most of it will run down into your moat.  Bake for 60 minutes.  Place remaining glaze into a small sauce pan.  Just before timer goes off, reduce glaze by half over medium high heat, stirring fairly frequently.  Once timer goes off, add a little of the thickened glaze to top of meat loaf and bake for another 15 minutes.  You can use a meat thermometer of you'd like to check doneness, ours was perfect.  Use remaining glaze as a dipping sauce.

This baby was AWESOME!  There was enough left over for sandwhiches the next day (my fav) and for some random meatloaf soup I whipped out.  The glaze is soooooo packed full of tangy sweet flavor, it was heaven.  So make it now! Enjoy!

ps. sorry for the weird photos, lovely winter light!

Carnitas

Happy Saturday everyone!  Not too much to report today, just being lazy.  We woke up to a light dusting of snow this morning.  It may still be fall, but winter is in the air.  I'm kind of hoping for a white Thanksgiving.  Hope everyone is doing something fun today, whatever your kind of Saturday fun might be!

Carnitas
What you'll need:
2-3 pounds pork loin, butt or shoulder (I had loins, you would usually use something more fatty)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 divided teaspoon salt
2 divided teaspoon cumin
2 divided teaspoon chili powder
shredded lettuce
corn tortillas
cilantro
lime wedges


Place everything into slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Remove from cooker and let rest for about 30-60 minutes to cool enough to handle.  Shred and break up into large chunks.  Place shredded meat on to a foil lined cookie sheet. Preheat broiler.  Place meat under broiler and broil until tops begin to get crispy and slightly dried.  Around 10-15 minutes.  Be sure to watch it!


Avocado sauce (if desired)
1 avocado
juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
few dashed green hot sauce


Place in food processor and blend until smooth.


Now make yourself some mexican rice to go with the awesome tacos you are about to love.  Pile some meat and lettuce, some cilantro and a squeeze of lime, top it all over with a little avocado sauce and eat eat eat!

 

 

This is one way that you can make carnitas.  Kind of the quick and easy way, set it and forget it method.  I plan on trying this recipe again, handing the initial cooking of the pork differently.  Plus, the loin just didn't have quite enough fat in it.  This will be a to be continued...Enjoy!

Fried Rice Heaven

One of my favorite things my mom would make when I was a kid was fried rice.  I remember the electric fry pan she would bust out, and the big pan of white rice she would make ahead of time.  And it was always my favorite when she would you the Chinese BBQ Pork with the sweet red goodness on the outside.  So, with my own twist, I made some fried rice.  It was childhood heaven all over again!

What you'll need:
2 cups Pearl rice uncooked  (then cook it according to instructions,  I just throw it in my rice cooker with 3 cups water, but you cook it however you like)
1 good size chunk chinese bbq pork, sliced into thick strips
6 eggs
2 large carrots diced
1 cup peas
1/4 medium onion diced
1 bunch green onion, diced
1/2 can chunked pineapple

1/2 cup Soy Sauce divided
1 teaspoon Yellow curry (or whatever color you've got)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like spice)
2  tablespoons sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons oil for frying rice (I used olive oil, because thats what I use for everything)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (maybe a little more)

Scramble eggs, set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil and half the soy sauce in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and diced carrot and saute until carrots are tender and onions are just about caramelized.  Next add peas, green onions, meat, pineapple, curry, giner, cayenne and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add remaining sesame/olive oil and soy sauce to skillet and heat.  Add all your pre-cooked rice and mix until well combined and rice is a brown color from the soy.  Now stirring frequently, fry your rice.  You may want to turn up the heat just a bit.  Allow the rice to sit for about 30 seconds, then fold over.  It will have a little bit of a crispy look to it.  Keep doing this for about 10 minutes.  Mix in meat/veggies and eggs until well combined with the rice.

I guess I added a little Sriracha to the rice too!

Dish up!  Add some Sriracha Sauce if thats your thing, or whatever you like, or nothing.  The mild ginger and curry flavor makes this one dish meal so so yummy.  I have a bowl of leftover waiting for me in the fridge right now.  Enjoy!