BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf Muffins

My kids love BBQ anything. BBQ chips, BBQ chicken, BBQ ribs...I could probably pour BBQ sauce over ice cream and they'd eat it. This is so different from the way I was when I was a kid that it makes me laugh. I was completely indifferent to BBQ sauce until my pregnancy with Will. Now, though, I'm with them: I love BBQ anything.

Another thing we all love is meatloaf (aka sauce cake), so it was only a matter of time before I combined those two loves. And thus, these BBQ cheddar meatloaf muffins were born. Let me tell you, it was love at first bite for all of us.

What makes these extra-delicious are the crushed French-fried onions I stir into the meat mixture. They give the meat such an incredible flavor. With only a handful of ingredients, these couldn't be simpler to prepare -- and they are so incredibly tasty. 

I served the meatloaf muffins with corn and coleslaw. The next day, I put a couple of the leftover muffins and some of the leftover coleslaw on a bun to make the most delicious sandwich in the entire universe. I'm giving myself a fist bump for that.

BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf Muffins

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups freshly-shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 small can French-fried onions
1/2 cup BBQ sauce, divided
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Using a food processor or blender, pulse the French-fried onions until finely crushed.

2. Combine beef, 1 cup cheese, the crushed French-fried onions, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Divide into 12 equal portions and place in the prepared muffin tin. Brush remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce over each portion. 

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over each portion. Cook for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Parmesan Ravioli

It's just a fact that some of the best meals I make are afterthoughts -- things that I throw together only with ingredients I happen to have on hand. Inevitably, those meals are uncomplicated and prepared with straightforward ingredients, and my family always loves them. 

This chicken parmesan ravioli is a perfect example of that type of meal. I had a bunch of random ingredients on hand that I'd purchased for a dish I never got around to making -- so I made this with them instead. Breaded chicken nuggets, cheese ravioli, tomato sauce, and some chunks of fresh mozzarella and chopped basil tossed in at the end...I think I liked this version better than classic chicken parm, and judging by the way my family inhaled it, I don't think they had any complaints either.

Chicken Parmesan Ravioli

1 pound chicken tenders, cut into chunks

1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

Vegetable or canola oil for frying

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

1 package frozen cheese ravioli

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade

Shredded parmesan cheese

1. Place the breadcrumbs, flour, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese in a plastic freezer bag. Dip the chicken chunks in egg, then add to the bag and shake to evenly coat. 

2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Fry the chicken in batches until crisp and cooked through. Remove to a baking sheet and place in a warm oven while you prepare the rest of the meal.

3. Meanwhile, heat the spaghetti sauce over gentle heat in a medium pot. Cook the ravioli according to package directions; drain.

4. Return the ravioli to the hot pot. Add the heated sauce, the reserved chicken pieces, the chopped mozzarella, and most of the basil. Stir gently to combine.

5. Sprinkle each serving with additional basil and parmesan cheese.

Grilled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Brown Sugar Grilled Onions

If there is one thing that our incredibly long winter did to me (aside from making me curse a lot more than usual and start dreaming about moving to a warmer place), it made me pine for grilled foods of all kinds. Pretty much the second that the weather finally turned warm for good, Joe replaced the grill's propane tank, and we started cooking outside more often than not. We have been grilling All The Things, and these sandwiches are one of our recent favorites.

I had a craving for BBQ chicken sandwiches with pickles, and then I thought, why not add some onions to those sandwiches? And why not coat those with brown sugar and grill those, too? And why not add tons of cheese and, also, why not butter the buns and grill those as well? Sometimes I love the way my mind works. 

Grilled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Brown Sugar Grilled Onions

4 chicken breasts
1 cup Italian dressing
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons chili powder
BBQ sauce

1 large sweet Vidalia onion, sliced into thick rings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4 sandwich buns
Butter
Sliced pickles
Mayonnaise

1. In a large food storage bag, combine the dressing, Worcestershire, orange juice, and chili powder. Add the chicken, close the bag, and toss to combine. Marinate for 1 hour, up to overnight.

2. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Toss together the onion rings, olive oil, brown sugar, and salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. Add the chicken and the onions to the grill. Cook until the onions are tender and charred and the chicken is cooked through. Brush both sides of the chicken generously with BBQ sauce.

4. Top each of the chicken breasts with a pile of the onions. Add 1/4 cup cheese to each breast. Close the grill and let the cheese melt.

5. Butter the buns and add them to the grill, cooking until crisp and fragrant. Serve each chicken breast on a bun with pickles and mayonnaise.

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sliders

Oh hi. Remember me? It's been a while, huh? Just to catch you up, here's some of what I've been up to in the month-and-a-half since I was last here:

1. Taking Will back and forth to soccer practice and soccer games.
2. Taking care of the secretarial duties that come with being a tee-ball coach (Joe is coaching Andrew's tee-ball team this year).
3. Surviving the end of another tax season at work.
4. Reading A Game of Thrones. (OMG so good!)
5. Watching Game of Thrones.
6. Working on landscaping projects and getting ready to install our pool (!!!) and plant our garden (!!!). 
7. Making delicious food and generally being too busy (and too selfish with the free time I do have) to share it with you. Shame on me!

One of the delicious foods I've been making are these buffalo ranch chicken sliders, which I have made no less than three times in the last month. Joe and I are both kind of obsessed with them, and can you really blame us? 

These were inspired by the parmesan ranch buffalo wings Joe made for pretty much every televised sporting event after my lovely bonus mom got me a deep-fryer for Christmas. I've never been a huge fan of wings; I mean, I'll eat them and enjoy them, but I definitely prefer boneless chicken. Wings seem like a lot of work and a lot of mess for not that much meat. So I took Joe's wing recipe, modified it slightly, and came up with these sliders. They're a winner on all levels, and our whole family loves them (I just leave the buffalo sauce off of Andrew's and Will's sliders to make them kid-friendly). 

We could eat these once a week -- and basically have for the last month. And we probably will have them once a week for all the months to come, forever.

Buffalo Ranch Chicken Sliders

6 chicken tenders, cut in half width-wise
1 cup buttermilk
2 packages ranch dressing mix, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Frank's red hot
2 tablespoons butter

Vegetable oil for frying
3 slices cheddar cheese, cut into 4 squares per slice
12 slider buns
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
Prepared ranch dressing

1. Stir together the buttermilk, 1 packet of ranch dressing mix, and black pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss to combine. Cover and let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. 

2. After the chicken has marinated, scramble the egg in a small dish and add to the buttermilk mixture with the chicken. Toss to combine. 

3. Whisk together the flour, panko and remaining packet of ranch dressing mix. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

4. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in batches and cook until browned and crispy, then remove to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. 

5. Meanwhile, while the chicken is frying, in a small saucepan, heat the hot sauce and butter over low heat.

6. After the chicken is fried, use a brush to spread the hot sauce mixture over each piece. Add a square of cheddar cheese to each piece of chicken. Serve on slider buns with slices of avocado and ranch dressing.

Chicken and Spinach Tacos with Creamy White Bean Mash

Since I'm the one who does the grocery shopping and cooking for my family, I'm the one who plans our meals. As a result, I'm the one who usually chooses what we eat. Every once in a while the guys in my life will make a request (Will's is always spaghetti, Andrew's is always pork and asparagus stir fry, and Joe's is always bacon cheeseburger meatloaf), but for the most part, I make the choices.

My choices aren't always met with complete agreement, either. When I told Joe about this particular meal, he definitely gave me the side-eye. The boys looked at it skeptically when they saw their plates, too. But, happily, all three of them loved these tacos once they took their first bite. That's usually the case. You'd think by now they'd have a little more trust in me!

When it comes to mashing, I see no reason why black beans should have all the fun. White beans, with their naturally creamy texture, are perfect for making a mash that is flavorful, velvety, and delicious. With the protein in the beans, the lean chicken, and vitamin-rich spinach, this meal is healthy as well as delicious. These tacos are a tasty and very quick light meal!

Chicken and Spinach Tacos with Creamy White Bean Mash
inspired by Cooking Light

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sour cream
Juice of 1 lime
 
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces
3 cups baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced into ribbons
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
2/3 cup water

Warmed flour tortillas
Crumbled queso fresco cheese
Salsa 

1. Heat some vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add garlic and salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds. Using a potato masher, mash the beans. Stir in the sour cream and heat through. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.

2. Heat some vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until browned and cooked through. Add the spinach, taco seasoning, and water and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer while the spinach wilts. 

3. To serve, spread some of the white bean mash on the bottom of a flour tortilla. Top with the chicken mixture, queso fresco, and salsa, if desired.

Burger and Fries Friday: Bacon, Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Cheeseburger Sliders

We don't eat hamburgers in our house anymore. I don't know if I told you that. Nope, no hamburgers around here. Instead of hamburgers, we eat crabby patties.

That's right. In the tradition of sauce cake and tweetos, my sons have given hamburgers a new name. This one comes directly from SpongeBob SquarePants, which is not exactly my favorite show for them to watch, but I will admit it has gotten me through a stressful afternoon here and there.

Up until recently, the boys actually weren't big fans of burgers. They loved the idea of them and the novelty of calling them "crabby patties," but when it came to eating them? Not so much. That is, until it occurred to me to make boy-sized burgers (a.k.a. sliders) and let them choose their own toppings. And thus, Build Your Own Slider night was born. 

BYOS night has since become a favorite in our house. The boys love having things deconstructed for them so they can build them back up, and these sliders are a perfect example of this (I also do this with them for salads and any type of Mexican meal involving a tortilla). 

I've made a few different types of sliders for BYOS night, but this is definitely our favorite. The sliders themselves are loaded with caramelized onions, bacon, and cheddar cheese. I offer all the fixings on a big tray, and we each add whatever toppings we like. The possibilities are endless with these!

These sliders cook up in no time, and they're such a fun dinner idea -- especially during the middle of the week, when we're feeling burnt out and just really need a crabby patty in our lives.

Bacon, Caramelized Onion, and Cheddar Cheeseburger Sliders

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hamburger seasoning (or a combination of salt, pepper, and granulated garlic)
1 1/2 cups extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Slider buns
Lettuce, tomato, pickles, and condiments for topping

1. Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.

2. Add the butter to the reserved drippings in the skillet, then add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low to medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown and caramelized. Set half of the onions aside for topping the burgers later. Cool the other half of the onions, then chop finely.

3. Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Add the chopped caramelized onions, the reserved bacon, the Worcestershire sauce, the hamburger seasoning, and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Mix well. Divide the meat mixture in half, then divide each half in half, and then each resulting half into thirds, for a total of 12 sliders. Cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat to desired doneness. Divide the remaining 1 cup of cheese among the sliders and cover the skillet to melt.

4. Serve the sliders on slider buns with the reserved caramelized onions and any additional toppings you like.

Pulled Pork Pita Pizzas

Have you ever eaten a meal at a restaurant and just kept obsessing over it until either a.) you went to the restaurant again specifically to have that dish one more time, or b.) you finally broke down and tried to duplicate it in your own kitchen? That exact thing happened to me after I tried the pulled pork pizza at Rivage Atlantique during a lunch with my family a couple of months ago. It was so delicious that I thought about it for weeks until I finally decided to make my own version at home.

This may sound simple, and it is; it's just pulled pork, coleslaw, cheese, and pickles on a pizza. But the end result is insanely delicious. It's such a wonderful combination of flavors, and one that most people enjoy on a sandwich -- so why not on a pizza?

Instead of using pizza crust, I pulled a package of pitas out of the freezer and used those -- they're the perfect size for personal pizzas. The hands-on cooking time is very minimal, making these pizzas perfect for a weeknight. And I can guarantee that they'll make your family very happy! You'll definitely have pork left over, but that's okay; you'll probably want to make these again the next night...and the next.

Pulled Pork Pita Pizzas
inspired by a meal at Rivage Atlantique

For the pork:

1 2-pound pork shoulder or butt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

For the pizzas:

4 pita breads
2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese
Prepared coleslaw
Refrigerated pickles, sliced

1. Combine garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, and vinegar. Rub pork with garlic mixture and refrigerate overnight. Cook in a Crock pot on low for 8 hours. Turn off the heat and stir in the BBQ sauce; replace the lid and let sit until warmed through.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pita breads on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top each pita with 1/2 cup of the pork, 1/2 cup of cheese, and sliced pickles to taste. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until pita is crisp and cheese is melted. 

3. Top with coleslaw and cut each pizza into slices. Serve immediately.

Leftover Pot Roast Patty Melts

Inevitably, one of the first things people say to me when they discover that I have two sons is, "Just wait until the teenage years! Your grocery bill is going to skyrocket!" What I want to tell people when they say this is, Going to skyrocket? What is this going to you speak of? Since my older son turned five, my grocery bill has already skyrocketed. 

I don't know what is with Andrew lately, but it's like he has a hollow leg. It's the growth spurt that seems unending. He can eat and eat and eat and then ten minutes later, he's ready to eat again. It's like I already live with a teenager. You wouldn't believe the amount of food we go through in a week.

Since we're on a budget, it's been important for me to continue with my "make it once, use it a bunch of times" food philosophy so there is more room in the grocery column for Andrew's voracious appetite. 'Tis the season for pot roast, so when I made one in the Crock pot recently, I decided to use the leftovers in a couple of different ways. These patty melts were the first use, and in my mind, they may just be the best use of leftovers ever. I mean, come on. Look at all that gooey cheese.

You can use your favorite pot roast recipe for these sandwiches; this is ours. You can also use whatever type of cheese you like. The one thing I wouldn't skip is the special sauce (a combination of mayonnaise, steak sauce, and Worcestershire); it totally makes these sandwiches.

Give these a try, and I guarantee you that before you know it, you'll be making pot roast just so you can use the leftovers for patty melts.

Leftover Pot Roast Patty Melts

For the sandwiches:

2 cups leftover pot roast
8 slices sturdy bread
3 tablespoons butter, plus more for the bread
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices Colby cheese (or Swiss, or provolone, etc.)

For the sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons steak sauce (like A1)
Dash Worcestershire sauce

1. Re-heat the pot roast in the microwave. Butter one side of all 8 slices of bread.

2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Add onions and mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened and mushrooms are browned. Add garlic; season with salt and pepper and cook and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

3. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Place a slice of cheese on the unbuttered side of 4 slices of bread. Top each slice with 1/2 cup of the pot roast, a generous portion of the onion and mushroom mixture, and the other slice of cheese. Repeat with all four sandwiches and top with the other slice of bread, buttered side out. Grill, flipping once, until both sides are browned and crispy.

4. Combine all sauce ingredients. Serve the sauce with the patty melts.

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

Fact: I can turn any leftover shredded meat into a taquito. It's a life skill, really. I need to update my resume to include this little factoid; I bet it would make me very hire-able.

But seriously, though. I do enjoy using leftover shredded meat for taquitos for a couple of reasons: 1. Taquitos are delicious, duh! And 2. I love, love, love listening to my boys trying to say "taquito." 

"What are we having for dinner, boys?"

"Charitos!"

"Raditos!"

"Tweetos!" 

Tweetos, you guys. That's almost as good as sauce cake, am I right?

Anyway, I made this particular version of "tweetos" with the chicken I had left over from Monday's sandwiches. They were so delicious -- creamy from the cream cheese, with a spicy kick from the Mexican spices and green chilies, and a burst of sweetness and texture from the corn. And since this recipe still made a ton, I actually got three uses out of the chicken: I froze half of the taquitos for a later meal. 

(By the way, I know that these are technically flautas since I use flour tortillas -- I prefer them because they're easier to work with. But "flauta" isn't nearly as fun for my boys to say...so taquitos it is.)

Baked Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

2 cups shredded baon ranch chicken meat
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
3 tablespoons ranch dressing
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 4-ounce can green chilies
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
15-20 6-inch flour tortillas
Ranch dressing for dipping

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine all ingredients through garlic powder and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Working in batches, heat the flour tortillas in the microwave for 10-20 seconds per batch until pliable. Add about 3 tablespoons of filling to each tortilla and roll tightly. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with all tortillas and filling.

4. Spray the taquitos with cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned and crisp. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping.

Big Batch Bolognese Sauce

It snowed last week here. Snow! In October! I'm never really ready for winter, but I'm especially not ready for it when it starts this soon. Give me my autumn, Universe!

Since the weather has cooled down, I've been craving slow-cooked comfort food in a major way. In that vein, a few weekends ago I made a delicious bolognese sauce that I'm so excited to share with you. Coming up on Friday, I'll share a fabulous recipe I made using this sauce. It's going to be a delicious week here on the blog!

As I do with so many things I make these days, I just kind of winged it with this recipe. I don't know if this would be considered "traditional" bolognese sauce, because I never really looked up any recipes. I just did my own thing, and I was so pleased with the results. The sauce has a nice bit of heat, a little bit of sweet, and a deep, rich flavor overall. It's thick and meaty and so comforting -- and it makes the house smell amazing while it's simmering on the stove. And plus, there's something so satisfying (at least for me) about preparing something and letting it cook all day long, and then getting to enjoy the results multiple times.

As the recipe title indicates, this is truly a "big batch" sauce. It uses three pounds (plus four ounces) of meat! You'll get at least two uses out of it, and it freezes really well. It fits perfectly into the "make it once, use it a few times" cooking philosophy that I've adopted lately.

One more thing: The sauce calls for the rind from a wedge of fresh parmesan cheese. I love the salty-cheesy flavor it adds to the background of the sauce. If you don't have a rind, you could stir in some grated parmesan at the end and the results would be just as delicious.

Big Batch Bolognese Sauce

Olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, diced
2 pounds ground sirloin
1 pound  ground Italian sausage
2 large onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 green bell pepper, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
Rind from a wedge of fresh parmesan cheese
Granulated sugar, if needed

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat a layer of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until slightly crisp, then add the sirloin and sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the onions, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Stir in the tomato paste until thoroughly coated and fragrant, then add the red wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until wine is reduced. Stir in the beef stock, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and parmesan rind. Heat to bubbling, then reduce heat to medium low.

3. Cover and let simmer for 3 to 5 hours. The longer the sauce simmers, the thicker and richer it'll be. Discard the bay leaves and cheese rind before serving. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes, if needed. If the sauce is too acidic, add sugar to taste. Serve with spaghetti or anything you want.

4. To freeze, place portions of the sauce in gallon-size plastic freezer bags. Remove all the air from the bags and store flatly in freezer until ready to use.

The Creamiest, Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever

I feel a little bit silly sharing this recipe with you. It's not even a recipe, really; it's more of a method. It's my go-to method, as a matter of fact, whenever I make scrambled eggs. And since I started making them this way, my family is asking for scrambled eggs a lot more often. 

The secret to these scrambled eggs is one simple ingredient: cream cheese. It's stirred directly into the eggs while you're whisking them, before they're cooked. The cream cheese gives them a fluffy, creamy texture that's just phenomenal. If you want to elevate your scrambled eggs, this is the way to do it. 

The great thing about this method is that you can change the flavor of your eggs by swapping out the flavor of cream cheese you use -- the savory flavors, of course. I can't condone adding blueberry cream cheese to your scrambled eggs, but hey, to each his own, right? I've used garden vegetable-flavored, chipotle-flavored, chive and onion-flavored, and (our favorite version, pictured above), jalapeno-flavored cream cheese. I've even used the Italian herb cooking creme with delicious results. And when you add the eggs to a breakfast sandwich with a sausage patty? SO GOOD. 

I can't recommend this method enough. Give it a try, I'm dying to hear what you think! 

The Creamiest, Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever 

8 whole eggs 
3 tablespoons cream cheese (regular or any savory flavor) 
Splash of milk 
Salt and pepper to taste 
3 tablespoons butter 

1. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, milk, and salt and pepper, and whisk well. The cream cheese will still be in small clumps, but that's fine. Those clumps will turn into pillowy pockets of creaminess in your eggs. 

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook, scrambling gently, to desired doneness.

Meatball Sliders

The idea for these meatball sliders isn't all that original; I've seen versions of them all over the place. This version, though, is pretty darn delicious, if I do say so myself. After a sear in the skillet, homemade meatballs finish cooking in marinara sauce before being placed on garlic bread-style slider buns and topped with gooey mozzarella cheese. They're simple and delicious and, judging by my family's reaction to them, will be a go-to meal for us going forward. 

I mentioned earlier this week that I've been doing more batch cooking lately, and these meatball sliders are another great example of that. I used two pounds of meat to make the meatballs (a pound of ground beef and a pound of Italian sausage), and I simmered them in two jars of marinara sauce. Since I only needed 12 meatballs for the sliders, I reserved the remaining meatballs and sauce for another perennial family favorite: spaghetti and meatballs. But, going forward, I may freeze the rest in batches of 12 so I can use them for these sliders over and over again. You'll understand why when you try them.

The recipe below calls for freshly-ground Italian-style breadcrumbs. I make these by toasting 2 slices of wheat bread and pulsing them in the food processor with Italian seasoning and garlic powder to taste (I never measure this stuff). I like using freshly-ground breadcrumbs because they're fluffier than store-bought and give the meatballs a better texture, but of course store-bought breadcrumbs are fine.

Meatball Sliders

For the meatballs:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup freshly-ground Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Olive oil
2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce
6 slices sliced mozzarella cheese, quartered

For the garlic bread-style slider buns:

4 tablespoons softened butter
Italian seasoning to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
12 slider buns

1. To make the meatballs, add the ground beef and Italian sausage to a large bowl. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Let the onion and garlic mixture cool slightly off the heat, then add it to the bowl with the meat. Season the meat with additional salt and pepper and add the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, eggs, milk, and parmesan cheese. Use your hands to gently combine the ingredients, but don't overmix them.

2. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Roll the meat mixture into balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball. Cook in batches until browned on all sides.

3. Meanwhile, in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the marinara sauce over medium heat. As the meatballs finish searing on all sides, transfer them to the marinara, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover the pot to allow the meatballs to gently finish cooking through. Reserve all but 12 of the meatballs with their sauce for later use.

4. To make the slider buns, stir together the butter, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cheese. Place the slider buns cut-side-up on a baking sheet. Spread some of the butter mixture onto the top and bottom of each bun. Broil until browned and crispy.

5. Place one meatball on the bottom of each slider bun. Top each with half a slice of mozzarella cheese (2 quarters). Return the bottom buns only to the oven and broil on low until cheese is melted. Top each with one of the reserved bun tops. If you have some fresh basil, throw it on there, because that would be delicious.

Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan and Oregano

I always used to think side dishes were so hard. That is, until roasted potatoes came into my life. Season them with salt and pepper, bathe them in olive oil, stick them in the oven, and you're only 30 minutes to what is, in my mind, the best side dish on the planet. Oh roasted potatoes, how I love thee. The ways are too numerous to count.

When I was looking for a side for meatball sliders recently (you'll get that crave-worthy recipe on Friday), roasted potatoes were the first thing I thought of. But I wanted to do something a little different than just make my basic roasted potato recipe, which is where this parmesan-oregano version came in. And whoa. Just whoa. These potatoes were incredible. You know how if you arrange shredded parmesan cheese in a circle on a baking sheet and bake it, it gets all golden and crispy and nutty? Well, imagine that golden-crispy-nutty flavor running all through crisp-on-the-outside, pillowy-soft-on-the-inside roasted potatoes. (Sorry for all the hyphens; apparently I over-hyphenate when I'm really excited about food.) Add in a little bit of oregano for an herby flavor, and of course a little bit of garlic, and they're absolutely perfect. I could have (and really, really wanted to) eat that entire bowl. My family's lucky I love them enough to share.

Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan and Oregano

3 pounds baby red potatoes, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese 
1/4 cup olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

2. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to spread the seasonings and oil evenly over the potatoes.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping occasionally, until browned and crispy.

Completely Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Recently I've been doing more batch cooking to make dinners easier for myself during the week. I prepare a big batch of meat all at once, then use it in multiple meals. Not only is it cost-effective, it really does make pulling dinner together much quicker. Last weekend I wanted to make a few pounds of chicken to shred, and I decided to poach the chicken so I could make my own stock. Of course, chicken noodle soup was one of the first meals I thought of, to use both the stock and the shredded chicken.

I've been making chicken noodle soup for a long time -- first with boxed stock and store-bought noodles, and later, with boxed stock and homemade noodles. This was the first time I'd ever made it completely from scratch, and it was a huge success. I can say with certainty that any semi-homemade version I make going forward is just not going to measure up.

This does require quite a bit of time to prepare -- making the noodles and drying them, simmering the stock for a couple of hours -- but it was a great weekend activity for us. The boys loved helping me make the noodles, and I was able to get other things done while the stock was simmering. And the time spent was beyond worth it. The flavor of the stock was so deep and rich, and the noodles were so chewy and flavorful, rich with the flavor of cooking in the stock. Chicken noodle soup is one of the humblest yet most delicious dishes in the world, in my opinion, and this version is just perfect.

I'm giving you the full recipe for the noodles below (you'll only need about 3/4 of the noodles it yields, depending on how noodle-y you like your soup) and the full recipe to make a gallon of stock (you'll only need about half of the stock and a quarter of the chicken for the soup). But having egg noodles, stock, and chicken on hand is never a bad thing, right?

Completely Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

For the noodles:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 egg yolks
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Make a well in the center of the flour. Add egg yolks, egg and salt; mix thoroughly. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is stiff, but easy to roll. Knead for about 5 minutes adding additional flour if necessary to make a dough that is not sticky. Divide dough in 3 or 4 equal parts. Roll dough, one part at a time, into thin rectangle on well floured board, to less than 1/8 inch thick. Make sure that your dough is well floured. Roll up each piece of dough into a log, then cut across the log in 1/4-inch strips. Cut the long strips into shorter strips, to the length you desire your noodles. Place cut noodles onto a baking rack to dry, for at least 2 hours.

For the stock:

3 pounds bone-in chicken, light and dark meat (I used chicken legs and breasts)
Salt and pepper
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled, quartered, root attached
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
16 cups water

Rub chicken generously with salt and pepper and place in the bottom of a stock pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay, and thyme. Pour in the water and cover. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred; reserve. Return the chicken bones to the pot and increase heat to high. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking, uncovered, until stock is rich in color and reduced slightly, at least 1 hour. Strain into a plastic container.

For the soup:

4 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery from the heart, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded chicken
1/2 cup white wine
8 cups chicken stock
1/2 to 3/4 pound egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are tender. Stir in the shredded chicken. Add the wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until reduced. Add the chicken stock and heat to boiling. Stir in as many noodles as you want; cook until noodles are chewy, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Reduce heat and stir in the peas. Serve.

Smoky Meatloaf

I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but around here, it seemed to go from SUMMER! to FALL! within the span of 24 hours. Last week it was in the '80s, and this week it's in the '60s. It's got me craving comfort food in a major way -- and does it get any more comforting than meatloaf? Not in my book!

I love making meatloaf for lots of reasons, not the least of which is because of the name my boys have for it. They call meatloaf "sauce cake". I think it's pretty much the most fantastic thing in the world; who doesn't want to have sauce cake for dinner? Sauce cake (as it will ever be known in our house) happens to be one of their favorite meals, too.

As much as we love traditional meatloaf, sometimes I get the hankering to make a different version. This one, inspired by a Paleo meatloaf recipe I found, has all of my favorite smoky/roasted ingredients in it: roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked cheddar cheese, and bacon. It's topped with a smoky chipotle ketchup. Honestly, it couldn't have been any more delicious -- and the leftovers made for the most delicious meatloaf sandwiches ever. I highly, highly encourage you to give this sauce cake a try.

Smoky Meatloaf
inspired by Civilized Caveman Cooking

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1 small onion
1 14-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 roasted red pepper*, peeled and chopped
1 head roasted garlic**, pasted
1/2 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo puree***
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. 

2. Add the ground beef and the bacon to a large bowl. Using a small grater, grate the onion into the meat mixture. Add the tomatoes, roasted red pepper, roasted garlic, cheese, eggs, oats, paprika, salt and pepper and gently mix just until combined. Shape into a loaf and place on a cookie sheet or in a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

3. Stir together the ketchup, chipotle in adobo puree, and Worcestershire sauce. Brush onto meatloaf and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

*I don't have a gas stove, so I roast my peppers under the broiler. To roast your own red bell pepper, turn the broiler to high and place the pepper on a cookie sheet. Leave the oven door ajar so you can keep an eye on the pepper, turning it after each side is blackened. Place it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam the skin loose, then peel it and remove the seeds. I like to leave a little bit of the char on it for flavor. The peppers will keep in an airtight container for a week in the fridge, topped with a little bit of olive oil.

**To roast garlic, cut the top off of a head, leaving the bulb intact. Place on a sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roll up the foil. Cook in a 350 degree oven until your house smells amazing (about 1 hour). Squeeze the bulb to release the cloves and mash the garlic.

***When I buy a can of chipotles in adobo, I puree the entire can when I open it. Then I place the puree in a plastic baggie, roll it into a log shape, and freeze it. Then I use a grater to grate the frozen mixture when I need it for a recipe. You can also freeze the puree in ice cube trays, but the plastic baggie works just fine for me.
  

Pumpkin Pancakes with Whipped Maple Topping

Full disclosure: This is an Instagram photo. See, every once in a while, I get so excited to eat a meal that I get all verklempt when I'm taking photos. In this case, I was so excited to devour these pancakes that I took the pictures really quickly and all of the photos turned out blurry. Of course, I didn't realize this until I was editing them. I can only assume the blurriness was because my hands were shaking with anticipation of eating this meal. So this photo will have to suffice until I make these pancakes again (which will be soon, but I still couldn't wait to share these with you).

Breakfast for dinner is a huge treat in our house, especially when it's really dessert masquerading as breakfast -- which, let's be honest, is exactly what these pancakes are. They're loaded with pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and dolloped with a topping made of cream cheese, maple syrup, and whipped topping. They are so good. 

This recipe makes a ton of pancakes and a ton of topping, which worked out great for us because we ate them for breakfast throughout the week. You can reduce the amounts below if you want to, but really, I don't know why you would want to.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Whipped Maple Topping

For the pancakes:

3 cups pancake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups whipped topping
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat a greased griddle over medium high heat. In a large bowl, combine all of the pancake ingredients until thoroughly combined. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, pour the pancake mix in batches onto the griddle. Cook until the edges bubble, then flip and continue cooking until the opposite side is golden brown. Keep the pancakes warm in the oven.

2. Meanwhile, whisk all of the topping ingredients together in a large bowl.

3. Serve the pancakes with the topping. Serve with additional maple syrup. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Apple BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Apple Topping

I know that's the longest recipe title ever. But I just couldn't leave anything out. All of those ingredients listed up there are such important components to this delicious sandwich that they all deserve to be mentioned. 

Since the title is so long, I'll try to keep this post short and just tell you to MAKE THESE SANDWICHES. If you're anything like me this (and every) fall, you probably have more apples than you know what to do with right now. Use a couple of them in this savory application and I promise, your entire family will love them. The flavor combination is just fantastic, with the salty, sweet, and smoky elements working together so perfectly.

Also, make double the chicken and use the leftovers in these BBQ chicken taquitos, and your family will practically fall at your feet. I know this from experience.

By the way, if you're a fan of The Bachelor, you should know that I found the inspiration for this recipe from the blog Mix and Match Mama, which is written by Bachelor Sean's sister Shay. She is adorable, and she posts some really amazing recipes. Go check her out!

Apple BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Apple Topping
inspired by Mix and Match Mama 

For the chicken:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups apple juice
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

For the onion-bacon-apple topping:

6 strips bacon, diced
4 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced
1 large apple, sliced (I used a Honeycrisp, my fave)
1 thyme sprig
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon maple syrup 

For the sandwiches: 

Sandwich buns, toasted if desired
Mayonnaise

1. Place the chicken in a Crock pot and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic, thyme sprigs, and apple juice. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. Before serving, remove the thyme sprigs and shred the chicken with two forks. Add the BBQ sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Turn off the slow cooker and cover while preparing the topping.

2. To make the topping, cook the bacon in a large, high-sided skillet until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Drain all but one tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the skillet. Reduce heat to low and add the butter to melt. Add the onions, apples, and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and caramelized. Remove the thyme sprig, return the bacon to the skillet, and add the maple syrup. Heat through, then remove from heat.

3. To make the sandwiches, add a pile of chicken to the bottom half of the buns. Top with the onion-bacon-apple topping. Smear some mayonnaise on the bun tops and serve.