Bacon & Cheddar Meatloaf with Drunken Asparagus Couscous

Yes I said "Drunken Asparagus"...

Moving along... :)

Wednesday night I decided to play around with my old staple meatloaf recipe - eggs, panko, seasonings, meat, ketchup on top. Sometimes that just gets plain old boring for my tastes so I decided to toss in what I had in my fridge - bacon and cheddar. I had saved some of the cooked bacon from the last time I had cooked breakfast in hopes of producing something delicious with it. Same goes for the couscous from the steak tip meal on Monday.

Let's start with the meatloaf... I added in all my usual suspects but instead of just using ground chuck, I used a mix that my local grocery store sells that is ground pork, veal, and beef. The result is the tastiest meatloaf I've ever eaten. I don't think I'll go back to straight "meat" meatloaf ever again. I also changed up the typical ketchup topping and added some brown sugar, A1 and worsterchire sauce to the glaze. It gave the meatloaf this sweet finish in your mouth and reminded us of a barbecue bacon cheese burger - delicious!

As for the Drunken Asparagus Couscous... this just sort of popped into my head when I realized that I had leftover couscous and a beautiful bunch of organic asparagus in my fridge. It was a match made in heaven.

Enjoy :)

Bacon & Cheddar Meatloaf with Drunken Asparagus Couscous


For the loaf...
1.5 pounds of ground meat (I used a mix of 1/2 lb beef, 1/2 lb veal, 1/2 lb pork)
2 eggs
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 pieces of deli cheddar cheese, chopped
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
s&p to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl.
Transfer meat to a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam.
Form meat into a log, add glaze, and do a little dance that it's almost time to eat.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.


For the glaze...
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp A1
2 tsp Worcestershire

Combine glaze ingredients in a bowl.
Use a basting brush to slater glaze onto the meatloaf before cooking.
Halfway through the cooking process, slather more glaze on and try not to drool onto the meatloaf.


For the asparagus and couscous...
1 pound of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces and blanched
1 tbsp + 1 tsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp white wine (I used chardonnay... a splash for dinner, a sip for me)
2 cups cooked couscous
s&p to taste

Heat the butter and oil together until combined. Add garlic and cook until translucent.
Sautee the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through.
Add the couscous and combine.
Add the white wine, allow to reduce, and toss in a teaspoon of butter for good measure. Season with salt & pepper as needed.

Let's pop some bubbley!

Risotto is a labor of love... lots of stirring, and adding liquid, and more stirring. But once the creamy texture forms, and the smell of parmesean cheese is oozing from the pan, it makes it all worth while!

After our wedding in May, I found myself starring at 5 bottles of champagne... 4 were gifts, 1 was leftover from my bridal shower. I quickly went on a hunt to find recipes in which I could put some of the champagne to good use (I didn't use all of it, of course... I had to save some to sip out of the beautiful Tiffany flutes we were given :)). I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com and it was a huge hit with our dinner guests! I added the asparagus for a bit of bite and color & some mushrooms too (to be able to tell myself it had veggies in it!!).

Enjoy :)

Champagne and Asparagus Risotto

Ingredients

8 thin slices prosciutto

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

24 asparagus spears, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

portobello mushrooms

4 tablespoons butter, divided

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 ½ cup Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice

1 ½ cup Champagne

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the slices of prosciutto on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until the prosciutto slices are almost completely crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. The slices will crisp up even more as they cool. Reserve for garnish.

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Blanch the asparagus in the chicken stock for 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon. Set the asparagus aside and keep the chicken stock at a low simmer.

In another medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat in the butter. Continue toasting the rice, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes more. Add the Champagne and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the asparagus, remaining butter, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Spoon the risotto into serving dishes and garnish by breaking the crisp prosciutto into smaller pieces over the top of the risotto. Serve immediately.

Comfort Food!

My favorite meal as a child (and even sometimes now!) was fish sticks, Kraft mac & cheese, beets, and stewed tomatoes. Weird combo? Slightly! So when I decided I wanted fish & mac & cheese, I decided to class it up slightly and put a modern twist on it all!

I pulled up a recipe called Busy Day Baked Fish on this fabulous recipe site run by one of the ladies on the RI Nest board. And, I had a mac & cheese recipe sitting here that I was dying to try! Put it together with some steamed asparagus and what do you get? A modern day version of my favorite comfort food (and I'm pretty sure it's a bit healthier too!

Quick Fish, Mac & Cheese, & Steamed Asparagus



Quick Fish
8 Ounce(s) sour cream
2 Tablespoon(s) onion soup mix
1 1/2 Cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs
2 1/2 Pound(s) fresh or frozen, thawed fish fillets
1/4 Cup(s) melted butter
1/3 Cup(s) Parmesan cheese

In a shallow bowl, combine sour cream and soup mix. Place bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Cut fish into serving size pieces; coat with the sour cream mixture then roll in the crumbs. Place in greased 13x9 baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 425 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan; bake 2-6 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Mac & Cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni
1/8 teaspoon of onion powder
1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/8 t pepper
2.5 cups milk
1.5 cups (6 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
1.5 cups (6 oz) shredded American cheese

Cook macaroni; set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter and stir in flour, pepper.=, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add cheeses, stirring until melted. Stir in cooked macaroni. Transfer mixture to 2-quart casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.