Meatloaf- Wisdom Teeth Removal Friendly Meal :)

Last week I had my wisdom teeth removed and after one or two meals I was already ready for something besides mashed potatoes. So I googled "wisdom teeth extraction food." I was pretty disappointed to find very little in the way of yummy soft foods. So I decided to dig through some of our old favorites for some flavor variety. This recipe is based off of my husband's grandmother's and mother's meatloaf. It is moist, delicious and flavorful. I also love that the clean up for the entire meal involves a single bowl and loaf pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup ketchup

1 cup plain bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 onion 

2 tbsp mustard 

3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce 

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper 

Glaze INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 balsamic vinegar 
  

Step1: Rough Chop an onion. The original recipe uses 1/4 a cup, but we love onion so we throw a full medium onion which is about a 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped. 

 Step 2: Add the onion to the ground beef in a large bowl. 

Step 3: Add in the bread crumbs 

Step 4: Add one cup of Ketchup to the mixture.  

Step 5: Add the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix everything up. (Yep that is a hand and that is the proper way to mix this lovely gooey, meaty mess.) Have some fun with it. When mixing I will normally use one hand to mix and keep the other clean.   

Step 6: Beat two eggs in a small bowl. 

 Step 7: Pour the eggs into the meat mixture and mix well. 

 Step 8: Press your meatloaf firmly into an ungreased loaf pan.

Step 9: Mix the remaining ketchup and the balsamic vinegar together and spread over the top of your meatloaf.

Step 10: Bake the meatloaf at 350 degrees or until the internal temperature of 155 degrees. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.  

Garlic Lime Pita Chips- Easy Homemade Snack

Whenever the craving hits for a quick snack these pita chips are one of our favorite choices. Pita bread lasts several weeks if you keep it in the refrigerator and I've used this on more than one occasion for a last minute appetizer. These take less than 15 minutes from start to finish and it is the perfect little bite right before dinner or as an afternoon snack. 

INGREDIENTS:

3 Pita Bread Loaves

Olive Oil Pam 

Kosher Salt

Garlic Powder

True Lime Powder

Step1: Insert a paring knife into the edge of the pita bread and make a shallow cut all the way around. As the pita comes apart you can pull up on the top layer to make the job a bit easier.

Step 2: Pull the pita halves completely apart. Be gentle but if you get small tears don't stress. The less than perfect shaped chips are for the chef ;) 

Step 3: Cut the pita bread halves into 8 triangles each. 

Step 4: Lay the pita chips over a silpat on a cookie sheet. I like to lay mine in opposite directions so I can get as many as possible on the cookie sheet.  

Step 5: Spray the pita chips with the Olive Oil Pam and sprinkle salt, garlic powder, and true lime.

Tip: The first time I made these I carefully brushed each chip with olive oil before seasoning. Over time I've learned a quick spray of Olive Oil Pam actually works better because it evenly and quickly coats every last chip. When I don't have Olive Oil Pam on hand regular Pam will work in a pinch. 
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Step 6:  Bake chips at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Once the chips dry the difference between lightly browned and burned is approximately 30 seconds so I suggest setting your kitchen timer to five minutes then turn your oven light on and watch them for the remaining two minutes to make sure they don't over brown. 

Tip: These will last several days in a zip lock bag with as much air pressed out as possible. We've doubled and tripled the recipe for just the two of us and somehow we never end up bagging these :) We often change up the seasonings. We've used everything from paprika to chili powder to cumin. The garlic/lime mix is our favorite, but feel free to change it up and food adventure yourself ;)

Jalapeno Bites

Inspired by the Perini Steak House jalapenio bites. We make these for company pretty regularly and they are always the first to go. As far as the heat level is concerned, these are the most mild jalapeno bites I've ever had. Removing the ribs and seeds keeps them tame, in addition to the time the peppers spend baking in the oven. At the end of the day can anything wrapped in bacon really be bad? :)

These are very "make ahead" friendly. We will often get them prepped a few hours before we have guests and put them in the oven as people arrive. 

INGREDIENTS:

12 jalapenos

1 pound hickory smoked bacon sliced in half

8 oz cream cheese

Round toothpicks

Step 1: Cut off the stem and tip of the jalapenos then slice them in 1/2 to 3/4 inch rounds. 

Step 2: Cut out the seeds and ribs (the more you leave the spicier it will be)

Step 3: Use a small spoon to fill each jalapeno slice with cream cheese.

Step 4: Slice the bacon in half. Wrap each jalapeno with bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Step 5: Line a cookie sheet with a silpat and place a rack over the silpat. Arrange the jalapeno bites in a single layer so that they aren't touching. 

Step 6: Preheat the oven to 375. Bake the jalapeno bites for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Baking the bites on the rack allows the bacon to crisp up on all sides. The silpat catches all the bacon drippings leaving for much easier clean up. Try these next time you have company coming over, you won't be disappointed.