Turkey Meat Loaf

Meatloaf is a classic comfort food. I always make mine with mashed potatoes. My hubby has decided he likes meatloaf for breakfast, too. I heat it up in a nonstick skillet and he likes two fried eggs on top of it. As a special treat I will also make him potato cakes out of the leftover mashed potatoes. I'm telling you there is no stopping the man from the meatloaf. He will not rest until he has made "all gone." My favorite brand ground turkey is Shady Brook Farms.

Turkey Meat Loaf

• 1 ½ lbs. ground turkey (93% lean)
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 small chopped onion, diced fine
• ½ (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 egg or ¼ cup egg beaters
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper

Sauce

• ½ cup water
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. mustard powder
• ½ (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vinegar

Mix turkey, bread crumbs, onion, ½ can sauce, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into a loaf, place mix into a 10 x 13 inch Pyrex dish. In a small sauce pan, mix rest of sauce, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar and water. Heat and stir until mustard and sugar are mixed. Pour over meat and bake at 350° for 1 to 1 ½ hours. I always serve this with mashed potatoes and peas or green beans.

Leftovers make a great sandwich. You may eat it cold or slice and cook in nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking oil. Heat one side then flip over melt a slice of cheese on top. Serve on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Yummy!

Shrimp Creole

Our craving this week: Shrimp. Mmm! My Stud Muffin requested this recipe and I'm so glad he did because I enjoyed this one just as much a he did. He said, "You nailed it!" Shrimpies are one of my all time favorites. This one will warm you up all over. I want to warn you that it is spicy, so if you are cry baby about that then don't try it. No cry babies allowed in Cajun country. So Let the Feasty Begin!

I am proud to say that we will be celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary this coming Sunday. I have attached a pic of Gary, a.k.a. Stud Muffin, and I. Happy Anniversary Stud Muffin!

Shrimp Creole

• 2 lbs. 10/12 count wild caught shrimp
• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup white wine (good enough to drink)
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped finely
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. butter or extra virgin olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ tsp. white pepper
• ¼ tsp. thyme
• ¼ tsp. paprika
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 cups uncooked long grain brown or white rice, cooked according to package directions

The first thing you need to do is peel the shrimp, but do not throw away the shells because you will need them. Once the shrimp are peeled you need to devein them and cut into bite size pieces. Then place them in a covered bowl in refrigerator until ready to add to creole.

In a 2 qt. pot add the tomato sauce, 1 cup of water and the shrimp shells. Yes, the shrimp shells. Simmering this will make a delicious shrimp base. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for one hour stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile in a 4 ½ qt. dutch oven pot add the remaining ingredients except for the corn starch. Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover to cook for one hour as well. This is a perfect time to cook the rice.

Once the creole mixture has simmered you will need to take the tomato sauce, shells and water mixture and pour though a wire mesh strainer carefully pressing down with a large spoon on the shrimp shells to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Be careful not to let any shells fall into the creole sauce. Discard shells.

Cover and bring creole sauce back up to a good simmer again. Meanwhile mix 2 Tbsp. corn starch with 4 Tbsp. cold water making sure it is mixed well and there are no lumps. Add to simmering creole sauce and mix well, simmer for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Once mixture is slightly thickened raise heat to medium and bring to a boil. Add shrimp at this time and cook for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately over cooked rice.

Salted Chocolate Pistachio Bites

It just so happens that one of my favorites nuts are green. When I was a kid I thought that all pistachio nuts were red. Who in the world was the brianiac who thought we should only eat them dyed red? Kids used to love to have red fingertips after eating them. As an adult I think why dye? So now we pretty much see the pistachio all natural. YEAH!!! There is something special about that salty and sweet flavor that brings back my childhood memories for eating chocolate covered pretzels. It was love at first bite. So try my version of chocolate covered pistachios with a sprinkle of salt on top. May it be love at first bite for you.

Do your self a favor and buy the pistachios already peeled. Unless you are into pain, because after a while it feels like your ripping your fingernails off opening them. My pain management tip for the day. :)

Salted Chocolate Pistachio Bites

• 1 cup Ghirardelli bittersweet baking chips, 60% cocoa
• 1 ½ cups shelled Pistachios, roasted and salted
• Fleur de Sel salt or sea salt

Melt chocolate over a double boiler on low until melted, then mix well with a wire whisk to make sure all chips have melted down. Stir in pistachios and mix until nuts are completely coated. Remove from heat and you may drop dollops (about 1 heaping Tbsp.) on to a wax paper topped cookie sheet. Or you may drop into little mini muffin liners. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top of each chocolate drop before it hardens. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until chocolate is completely set. This makes about 20 bites.

Pulled Pork Bar B Q

Super Bowl XLVI will be here this Sunday. This is an All American recipe for one of America's favorite season finales. So watch the game and enjoy eating a sandwich or two whenever you feel like it. These babies stay good for hours.

These are a few quotes from friends about my pulled pork: "I ate 8 sandwiches over the day and could not eat dinner last night." "I'm in love." "Wow, I can't believe I ate 6 of them." "It's so tender." This is a real crowd-pleaser and all of the work is done in advance. I just love that! It's a very requested recipe of mine. I have tried lots of bar b q sauces and hand down Stubb's spicy is the best. Let the game begin!

Pulled Pork Bar B Q

• 1 fresh pork picnic or butt roast
• 1 cup water
• 1 bottle Stubb's spicy Bar B Q Sauce 18 oz.
• Martin's potato rolls.

You will need a large crockpot for this recipe. When buying the pork have the butcher cut the picnic in half (this step is important so it will fit into crockpot) and have them cut the skin off and throw it away, you do not need the butcher to do this step if it's a butt roast.

The night before you serve pork place in a crockpot with 1 cup water (do not use more then one cup or it will overflow) set on low setting and cook all night long for 12 hours.

In the morning remove meat from crockpot and place in a large bowl and set aside. Strain and defat the pork broth and set aside. I pour broth through a wire mesh into a large pot. Then I skim off fat that has floated to the surfaces with a ladle or a large spoon.

Wash and dry crock pot. Then place a few pork pieces at a time on a cutting board. The meat will fall right off of the bones ( no bones if it's a butt roast). Pick through pork throwing away bones and pieces of fat. As you are cleaning pork put meat back into clean crockpot. When all of the pork has been pulled add the strained and defatted pork broth back into crockpot. Cook on low until just before you serve it add a bottle of Bar B Q Sauce and mix well.

On a hot day I cook mine outside overnight or if weather is bad I cook it in my garage because it will be stinky. Everyone loves this recipe.I always serve this with Martin's potato rolls and slaw. Enjoy!