I hate meatloaf. It’s boring, it’s ugly, it’s not really all that tasty. But THIS meatloaf…

… This meatloaf is exciting! No ketchup topping on this beautiful meatloaf – instead there is a crispy, colorful topping. And what is that gooey white stuff oozing out? Well that’s mozzarella cheese, because this meatloaf is beautiful on the INSIDE too.

I’ve been trying to use up our ground deer meat from last deer season to make room in the freezer for this season’s meat, and there are only so many cheeseburgers a person can eat. We needed something different for the ground meat. There were several suggestions thrown out by my husband and kids (someone even suggested Hamburger Helper, which resulted in them being sent to their room), but none sounded good to me.

After brainstorming for a while, I decided I could combine the idea of meatloaf with meatballs, resulting in this amazing dish.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 2 lbs ground meat (I used deer meat but regular beef is fine – just get the lean beef so your meatloaf doesn’t end up floating in a dish full of grease)
• vegetables of your choice – I used onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper
• 2 eggs
• Italian breadcrumbs
• mozzarella cheese (I used a whole block)
• Parmesan cheese, shredded
• chopped fresh parsley
• a few mushrooms (I used baby portabellas, but any dark mushroom is fine – stay away from the white mushrooms or you won’t get a good color on your topping)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil or butter

First, chop up your vegetables and saute them in butter or olive oil until they are tender. Use any vegetables you’d like. This is a great way to sneak in vegetables your kids wouldn’t usually eat!

While the vegetables are cooking, cut half of the block of mozzarella cheese into small cubes, and shred the other half with a cheese grater.

Now it’s time to get your hands dirty! In a large bowl, combine the raw ground meat, eggs, cooked vegetables, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, cubed cheese, salt and pepper, and a few pinches of the chopped fresh parsley.

Mix it all up with your hands, then form it into a “loaf” in a greased baking dish. (You may have to add more breadcrumbs if your mixture is too wet.)

This looks pretty good on its own, but it’s about to look even better with the topping…

In another bowl, combine the shredded mozzarella cheese, a small handful of the shredded Parmesan cheese, 2 or 3 of the mushrooms chopped very finely, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1 tbs olive oil, and a pinch of the parsley. Using your hands, press the topping all over top and sides of the meatloaf.

There should be very little of the meat showing. I had extra topping – you may not need to use it all, just enough to cover the meat. Also, don’t freak out if you don’t like mushrooms – you can’t taste them – they just enhance the color and texture of the topping.

Now bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, or until meat thermometer reads 165-170 degrees in center of meatloaf. When it’s done baking, the topping will give it a rich color, and some of the cheese cubes will be oozing out of the sides.

And when you slice it, you can see all the cheese inside as well.

So what do you serve with something this extraordinary? Mashed potatoes are what we usually think of going with meatloaf, so you could add garlic and Parmesan cheese to make them more fitting for this Italian version. I ended up doing fettuccine (from a box) and some garlic Parmesan crescent rolls.

I hope this inspires you to think outside the box (of Hamburger Helper) if you are ever needing ways to use up your ground meat.

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki

 

 

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all Your wonderful deeds.”       -Psalm 9:1

The Halloween candy is gone, football season is in full swing, the weather is finally turning cooler, and it’s time to focus on what we’re thankful for.

If you’re like me, it’s getting harder and harder to keep yourself from putting up your Christmas tree! Christmas music is already on the radio and Christmas decorations are already out in the stores, making it difficult to remember that we actually have another holiday to celebrate first – Thanksgiving.

I wanted to share a couple of quick, easy projects you can do in your home for Thanksgiving to take your mind off Santa for a little while. Both of these projects are something the kids can help with as well.

These little votive cups were only $1 at Walmart, and the foam letter stickers came from the scrapbook section of the store. Have your kids go outside and collect fallen acorns to fill them with for a cute display. While they are collecting the acorns, talk about being thankful for everything that is wonderful outdoors, like how amazing it is that a huge oak tree came from just one of these tiny acorns!

Another way to remind your kids to be thankful everyday is with a “thankful tree.” I cut a “tree” out of a paper bag and taped it to our pantry door.

Have your kids cut leaves out of construction paper, and every morning have them write something on a leaf that they are thankful for…

…until the tree is full of “thankful leaves!”

What a great way to start each day this month – by being thankful! (These “leaves” are from a few years ago, when my now teenage daughter still called me Mommy!)

“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”  – 2 Corinthians 4:15

Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

   – Nikki

I spend so much time looking for new chicken recipes, that I sometimes forget about a simple, classic roasted chicken. Roasting a whole chicken is super easy, and you can incorporate any flavors you want. You’ll end up with a beautiful, juicy, delicious main dish.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• one whole chicken (4-5 lbs) with giblets removed
• seasonings of your choice – I used salt, pepper and Tony’s
• 1 head of garlic and 1 lemon (for stuffing inside chicken)
• vegetables of your choice to roast with chicken – I used baby potatoes, onion and bell pepper
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

First, remove giblets from inside cavity of chicken. (Sometimes they are already removed.) Cut the head of garlic in half, and cut the lemon into quarters. Season inside cavity of chicken, then stuff the garlic and lemon pieces inside.

Cut the remaining vegetables into bite-sized pieces. I used potatoes, onion and bell pepper because those are what I had at home already, but you can use any vegetables you’d like, such as carrots, zucchini or squash.

Place vegetables in the bottom of a baking dish, then season them liberally. Place chicken on top of vegetables, then season it as well. Pour melted butter over top of chicken and vegetables. Then roast in a 425 degree oven for about an hour and 30 minutes. Halfway through, brush some of the butter/juices in bottom of dish over top of chicken to keep skin from burning. (Or just use a spoon if you don’t have a brush.)

The finished product will have a deep, beautiful color from the butter and seasonings, and the vegetables will be tender and flavorful from the butter and juices released from the chicken. Serve the vegetables as a side dish.

Thanks y’all!

   – Nikki