Lean n’ Mean Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey Meatloaf and Garlicky Green Beans

Lean n’ Mean Turkey Meatloaf
Recipe Type: Fall Dinners
Cuisine: American
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
This recipe is truly not “yo’ mama’s meatloaf”! A bit lighter due to using turkey instead of beef, with a secret ingredient that never fails! Serve with sweet potato fries and green veggies of your choosing!
Ingredients
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sliced black olives
  • 1 packet “Beefy onion soup mix”
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
  2. Add oil to a hot saute pan on medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms and onions until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in packet of onion soup mix, scraping off blackened parts from bottom of pan.
  3. In large bowl, mix together turkey, eggs, bread crumbs, ketchup, black olives, 1 tsp each salt and pepper, and mushrooms/onions. Combine all with spoon (or if you’re feeling really keen on getting down and dirty with your food… your hands!). Pour mixture into a regular size loaf pan. Drizzle additional ketchup or BBQ sauce on top if you so desire!
  4. Bake at 350 deg for 55-60 minutes.
  5. Drain excess drippings from pan and allow meatloaf to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
  6. *You can also freeze this for later! Just wrap tightly in tin foil and seal in a ziplock freezer-safe bag.

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Recipe Type: Salads, Sides
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
An easy take-along dish to your next potluck or picnic!
Ingredients
  • 2 boxes multi-colored rotini pasta
  • 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 small can black olives, sliced and drained
  • 2 cups broccoli or cauliflower florets, chopped
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • For dressing:
  • 3 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp each salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions, boiling for 2 minutes less than directions state.
  2. Meanwhile, chop tomatoes and broccoli.
  3. Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.
  4. Drain pasta and return to warm saucepan. Add tomatoes, broccoli, olives, and peas. Pour dressing over pasta and toss.
  5. Add feta and combine.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

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Lemon Almond Coconut Macaroons

Today was a rainy day here in Durham, and I got home and felt like baking. I decided to bake up a sweet confection to send to CT for my dad’s birthday, which is next week!

What to make? He loves coconut and nuts and lemon, so I decided to whip up some lemon almond macaroons. Macaroons are so simple to make in terms of ingredients and mixing… no dry ingredients (save sugar, of course), so all you do is mix up some egg whites, coconut, sugar, lemon zest or vanilla extract, and nuts of your choice in a large bowl and drop by the moundful on a baking sheet!

The hard part is getting them off of the baking sheet. I’ve tried this recipe twice, and I swore to myself after the first experience that I would never use parchment paper again with these little goobers. So what did I do this time? Used parchment paper again. And sprayed it down realllllllyyyy well. Sigh.

The result? The macaroons STILL stuck to that paper like glue! I don’t know if I’m using the wrong type or not letting the cookies cool long enough on the baking sheet before trying to peel them off, but I’m determined to solve this mystery the next time I make them. This time I was able to salvage most of the macaroons without too much damage… Sorry, Dad, if you get a mouthful of paper with each bite of these babies! (hopefully they will be so delicious he won’t even notice?).

Either way, they sure are pretty! 🙂

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Lemon Almond Macaroons
Recipe Type: Cookies
Cuisine: Dessert
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Perfect for rainy afternoons with a blanket, good book, and a cup of tea!
Ingredients
  • 1 14 oz package sweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 deg.
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. The batter will be very sticky.
  3. Drop by mounds (about 2 tbsp each) on a well-greased cookie sheet lined with wax paper, pinching them together slightly so they hold their shape. Space cookies about one inch apart.
  4. Bake for 18-20 min or until the edges are slightly browned.
  5. Allow to cool slightly before removing them from the paper.

 

 

 

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“Tex-Mex Meets Sweden Part 2:” Kladdkaka (Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake)

During Rebecca’s visit I also wanted to do something more “Swedish” to acknowledge her love for that nation and to send her off on a high note! I googled “Swedish chocolate dessert recipes” (OK, slightly selfish for the “chocolate” part) and basically this is the most popular chocolate recipe in Swede-land. Kladdkaka is a deliciously sticky chocolate cake, sort of a cross between a molten chocolate lava cake and a brownie. The key is that it doesn’t have any leavener in it, which keeps it mostly flat and gooey on the inside. Finish it by sprinkling with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream. And some strawberries on top. That’s essential 🙂

Anyway, here’s my first take at this (surprisingly simple!) Swedish recipe.

Next time I’ll have to figure out a way to add peanut butter to it… “Sweden meets America?”

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Kladdkaka (Swedish Chocolate Sticky Cake)
Recipe Type: Dessert, Chocolate, Cake
Cuisine: Swedish
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
A decadent sticky chocolate cake sure to satisfy even the biggest chocolate lover’s craving!
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving
  • Strawberry slices, for serving
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
  3. Whisk eggs and sugar.
  4. Add flour mixture to eggs and butter. Stir until just combined.
  5. Add vanilla and melted butter. Stir thoroughly.
  6. Pour into well-greased or sprayed 9″ cake pan.
  7. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, or until center of cake is just set.
  8. Allow to cool in pan for 1 hour before serving.
  9. To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar and ice cream and strawberries on the side.

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“Tex Mex Meets Sweden”: Chicken Tamale Cornbread Casserole w/ Roasted Corn on the Cob

Ben and I had the pleasure of welcoming our dear friend Rebecca to Durham for a night before she heads back to Sweden! Rebecca has been serving in full-time ministry in Uppsala, Sweden for the past year, and was able to come back to the States for a few months this summer to raise support for the next year. It’s amazing to hear what God has been doing overseas through her and her teammate, Rachel (who is another good friend from college that we unfortunately didn’t get to see this summer). God has smiled on both of these amazing women and we are so blessed to have them both in our lives!

To celebrate Rebecca’s stay with us, I decided to cook up one “last” Tex-Mex meal for her. Rebecca is from Texas. If that needs any more clarification, she loves anything and everything with beans, meat, and cheese. Tortillas are the icing on the cake. When I asked her what she wanted for dinner tonight, she said “Tex Mex! Or anything from your blog!” Apparently she hasn’t had enough Tex-Mex for being back in TX for the past month… I suppose some things never get old. Well, now she can make some good ol’ fashioned Texas home cooking from her apartment in Sweden- AND it’s something from my blog! Win.

(This is a slightly adapted recipe from Cooking Light’s Chicken Tamale Casserole recipe. You can find it here. I added pinto beans and the peppers and onions in with the chicken when I cooked it, as well as the taco seasoning for some extra flavor!)

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Spray bottom of crock pot with cooking spray. Layer onions, peppers, and chicken breasts. Dissolve half a taco seasoning packet in 1 cup water and pour over chicken. Sprinkle remaining seasoning over top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until chicken is tender.

Chicken Tamale Casserole 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together creamed corn, milk, egg, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, pinto beans, cumin, red pepper, green chiles, and corn muffin mix until just blended. Batter will be lumpy. Spread evenly into the bottom of a greased 9×12 casserole dish. Bake at 400 deg for 15 minutes until just set. Remove from oven and pierce liberally with a fork.

Pour enchilada sauce over top. When chicken is done, shred and mix into peppers and onions. Pour over top of casserole and sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheese over top. Bake 15 additional minutes at 400 degrees.

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Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and roasted corn (recipe below) or a green salad on the side (or both)!

Roasted Corn:

To make some succulent roasted corn in the oven, simply preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place corn, in husks and all, on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. To tell if corn is done, lightly squeeze sides of husks. Corn should be slightly tender.

Husk the corn (the husks and silk comes off easier when the corn is cooked!) and smear on some salt and butter (even though it doesn’t really need either one!) or chipotle seasoning. The best part of this recipe is that once you pull down the husks, they double as a handle to hold on to as you sink your teeth in! 🙂

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Chicken Tamale Cornbread Casserole
Recipe Type: Casseroles
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Author: Claire McCormick
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10
A great go-to comfort food casserole for those summer nights when you’re not sure what else to make! I love the cornbread on the bottom mixed with the creamed corn- it adds a little bit of sweetness underneath the heat of the enchilada sauce!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese, divided
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 14 oz can cream-style corn
  • 1 8.5 oz box corn muffin mix (I used good ol’ fashioned Jiffy!)
  • 1 14 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 4 oz can green chiles, drained
  • cooking spray
  • 1 14 oz can red enchilada sauce
  • 1-2 lbs chicken breasts
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1 green pepper, minced
  • sour cream, to taste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Place onions and peppers in bottom of a well sprayed crock pot. Layer chicken on top.
  2. Mix 1/2 packet taco seasoning with 1 cup water. Stir until dissolved. Pour over chicken and vegetables.
  3. Sprinkle remaining taco seasoning on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, until chicken and vegetables are tender.
  4. Shred chicken and mix into veggies. Turn crock pot to “warm” setting.
  5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  6. Mix 1/4 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper flakes, cream corn, corn muffin mix, and pinto beans until just blended. Batter will be lumpy.
  7. Spread in a well-sprayed 9×12 casserole dish. Bake at 400 deg for 15 minutes, or until center of cornbread is set.
  8. Remove from oven and pierce liberally all over with a fork.
  9. Pour enchilada sauce over casserole. Layer chicken, pepper, and onion mixture over top.
  10. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
  11. Bake 15 additional minutes (or until cheese is melted) at 400 degrees.
  12. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve with a dollop of sour cream!

 

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