Bloody Rats on Cheesy Rice (Mini Meat Loaves)

Rats love cheese! And so will your little monsters! They'll be goblin' these bloody rats right up!

Rat Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2 tbsps finely chopped onion

1 egg

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp sage

4 - 1" X 1/2" cheese cubes (I used mozzarella)

dry spaghetti broken in fourths for whiskers

frozen peas for eyes

thin sliced carrots for ears

Bloody Sauce Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Cheesy Rice:

2 tbsp butter

2 tsps minced garlic

2 tbsps finely chopped onion

2 tbsps flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

2 cups shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack and Habanero Cheddar)

2 cups cooked brown rice

Combine the ground beef, chopped onion, egg, bread crumbs, and seasonings for the rats. Take a piece of cheese and encase it in the meat mixture.

Form the meat roughly in the shape of a rat, kind of teardrop shape with a point on one end. Place in a greased baking dish.

Mix the bloody sauce ingredients together and pour over the rats. Bake in a 350°F oven covered for 45 minutes. Then remove the lid and bake an extra 20 minutes basting a couple of times with the sauce.

While the rats bake make the cheesy rice that they will love to sit on! Cook the rice and set aside. Next heat the butter and add the onion and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper and cook 1 minute before whisking in the chicken broth. Cook a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese and rice.

Pour the rice mixture into an oiled baking dish. Now to create the rats! Lift them from their baking dish along with their oozing guts (melted cheese). Carefully stick raw spaghetti pieces in near the pointy end of the meat for whiskers. Press the frozen peas in for eyes and the carrot slices in for the ears.  Place them on their bed of rice.

Cover and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 4 goblins!

Happy Halloween 🎃

Orange and Lemon Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

This super simple citrus-infused salmon is so tasty you'll want it on heavy rotation in your meal planning schedule! And bonus, with one parchment lined pan for the whole meal it's an easy clean-up!

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

3 tbsps olive oil

salt and pepper

2 large russet potatoes, cubed

2 sweet potatoes, cubed

3 carrots, thick sliced

1 small onion, sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

zest and 1 tbsp juice of 1/2 an orange

zest and 1 tbsp juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 tbsps maple syrup

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

pinch pepper

fresh chopped parsley

Separately toss the potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots with 1 tbsp olive oil each, then place on a parchment lined baking sheet. You want the potatoes cut a little smaller than the sweet potatoes so they will be cooked at the same time. But you can always remove the sweet potatoes if they are cooked ahead of time. That's the advantage of keeping each veg separate. Salt and pepper all then into a 450°F for 30-35 minutes. (Those few dark pieces you see with the carrots are slices of a purple carrot I found in my garden!)

While the vegetables cook combine the orange and lemon juice and zest and add dijon, maple syrup, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Spoon a teaspoon or two on each salmon fillet. When the potatoes are tender push them to each side of the pan to make room for the salmon. Sit the fillets on the pan, spoon the rest of the marinade on and add the onion, celery, and a few slices of orange and lemon.

Return the pan to the 450°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily. Top with fresh parsley.

The first time I made this I had to increase the cooking time because the potatoes were not quite done. That caused the salmon to overcook. That is why you must be sure the potatoes are cooked before adding the salmon to the tray.

Makes 4 servings

Upcycled Jeans Clothespin Bag

There's nothing like the smell of fresh towels and sheets dried on a clothesline! And here's a cute place to store your clothespins. This little craft will literally take you only 10 minutes to make...I swear!!

What you'll need:

an old pair of jeans

a plastic hanger

Mark where you want to cut the legs off with pins. Leave enough room to hold all your clothespins, then cut both legs off. Turn the jeans inside out, then cut out the crotch seam and sew the sides together on both the front and the back where the crotch had been. Sew a hem along the bottom to close off the bottom of the bag. Turn it right side out.

Now place the hanger in the waist and sew along the top at each side 2 or 3 inches to hold the hanger in place. If you are using larger jeans/larger hanger you may need to sew a bit more to hold it in place. (These were my daughter's "teenie" jeans 😒)

Open the zipper and fill the bag with clothespins. You can even tuck more in the pockets!

Savory Acorn Squash

 Ok, this one's pretty simple.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

salt and pepper

4 tbsps olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dry oregano

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Lay it cut side down and make 1/4" slices.

Put the slices in a bag and add the rest of the ingredients. Toss together to coat.

Then arrange the slices on a greased baking sheet. 

Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes or until tender.

And you've got an easy autumn side dish!

Warm Potato Salad with Kale

Here's a different way to serve potatoes and get your greens on at the same time! You could even use leftover roasted potatoes from a previous meal.

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, cut in 1 1/2" pieces

2 tbsps light olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup massaged, chopped and packed kale

1 green onion, sliced, separate white and green

1 tbsp light olive oil 

2 tbsps bacon bits

1/2 - 3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp light olive oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper 

First the potatoes need to be roasted, so toss them with 2 tbsps oil, salt and pepper to taste. Spread them out on a baking sheet.

Roast in a 425°F oven for 40-45 minutes.

Lightly sauté the kale and white part of the green onion in 1 tbsp oil about 2 minutes. It should reduce in size by about half.

Toss in with the potatoes. 

Combine 1 tbsp olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper and stir into the bowl. Add the bacon bits and green onion slices.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Citrus Cranberry Corn Muffins

These Citrus Cranberry Corn Muffins are topped with sugared lemon and orange zest and filled with a mix of both fresh and dried cranberries for a sweet and tangy taste explosion!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup lemon flavoured yogurt (you could use vanilla)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

zest of 1/2 lemon

zest of 1 orange

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup fresh or frozen chopped cranberries

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 tbsps sugar

Begin by zesting both the orange and half a lemon. Mix the zests together then divide in half. Juice both the fruits too. I used frozen cranberries and quartered them while still somewhat frozen. 

Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, yogurt, vegetable oil and egg together. Add 1/2 of the zest, lemon and orange juice and the vanilla.

Now mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt together and add to the wet ingredients. Mix just until combined. 

Fold in all the cranberries.

In a small bowl combine the remaining half of the zests with 2 tbsps sugar. 

Fill a lined muffin tin with batter and top with the sugared zest.

Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

You may want to double the recipe!

Sweet Kale and Broccoli Salad

Crunchy and sweet and a great way to use a lot of the kale still coming out of the garden!

Sooooo muuuucch kaaaaale!!!!!

4 cups chopped, packed kale

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped walnuts

Dressing:

1 green onion, chopped

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

I put a pile of chopped kale in my large 8 cup measuring bowl and there really looked like a lot of it!

But pressed down it measured 4 cups. If the leaves are young they'll be tender and sweet, but if they're bigger just give them a little massage before de-stemming and chopping them.

I don't like my broccoli completely raw so I poured 1 cup of boiling water on them and drained it off pretty much right away. They stay crunchy but that "grassy" taste is gone.

Toss the kale, broccoli, cranberries and walnuts together in a large bowl.

Combine the green onion, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, dry mustard and celery seed, then whisk in the oil.

Pour all the dressing in the bowl and toss it all together.

This salad should be refrigerated at least 2 hours and can be made up to a week ahead of time!

Adapted from: myforkinglife.com

Pork Osso Buco

This pork osso buco is equally flavourful and additionally less expensive than it's traditional veal counterpart. These pork shanks (which I just learned are actually sliced pork hocks!) cook low and slow for 2 1/2 hours to fall-off-the-bone perfection!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs pork shank slices (8)

2 tbsps butter

salt and pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tsps minced garlic

2 medium carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 cup white wine

1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsps tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

fresh Italian parsley

In a large skillet melt the butter, then salt and pepper the shanks and brown on both sides. Remove to a plate. Add chopped onions to the pan and cook 3 minutes adding the garlic in the last minute. Then add the carrots and celery. 

De-glaze the skillet with white wine, then add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pot and reduce the heat to simmer. Nestle the pork into the sauce and cover the pot. Low simmer for 2 1/2 hours. 

Just before serving stir in the lemon juice and zest, plate and top with fresh chopped italian parsley.

Serves 4 - 8 

These shanks have a large bone in the middle which gives lots of flavour to the meat but if you like more meat plan on serving 2 shanks per person.