Not Mom's Meatloaf...

This is a 3 meat meatloaf, with a tangy tomato gravy of sorts.

Alot of meatloaf mix is beef, pork and veal... i mixed it up some and used ground round, ground pork, and ground bison.

Meatloaf ingredients:

* 1/2 cup dry panko bread crumbs
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 medium onion, diced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons dried mexican oregano
* 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (beef, pork, veal/bison)
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
* 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
* 2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast the bread crumbs in a dry skillet over medium heat until browned and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Add the olive oil, onions, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper to the skillet and cook until onions are tender, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Add the onions to the bread crumbs along with the meat, cheese, and Worcestershire sauce. Toss and mix gently. Add the eggs and stir to coat the meat completely.

Transfer to a loaf pan or to a foil covered pan and shape as required. Bake until an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the center of the loaf, about 75 minutes for the loaf pan.

Tent the meatloaf with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

Tangy tomato gravy...

* 1/2 medium onion, fine diced
* 3 cloves garlic, smashed
* 1 teaspoon dried mexican oregano
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 3 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 cup good chicken stock
* 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
* 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Cook the onions, garlic, and oregano in the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned.
Add the tomato paste and bay leaf. Stir until paste turns brick red and garlic is fragrant.
Add the chicken broth and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook sauce until it thickens...

Whisk in Parmesan cheese, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cut meatloaf, ladle gravy over and serve with your favorite sides.

Guinness Brownies

First off, this is not my recipe. I got it from a friend, Joann, who may have gotten it elsewhere. Apologies to those who may have actually developed it.

These brownies are damn tasty, and fudgelike. You can swap on the Guinness for any stout.. like a chocolate stout perhaps :D

No pictures of this yet...

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter, cut into cubes
8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup superfine or granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups (10 ounces) Guinness Extra Stout beer (see Note below)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/8 cup (about) confectioners' sugar for dusting
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined. Melt butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips in a double-boiler over very low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined.

Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in Guinness stout beer. The batter will seem a bit thin. Drop semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter (some will sink in).

Pour into prepared baking pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes on center rack in the oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.

Let brownies cool, uncovered, to room temperature. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Note: The Guinness should be at room temperature. This recipe uses a little less than a standard 12-ounce bottle of Guinness stout beer. Do not include foam in the measurement. Either spoon off the foam or let it rest until the foam subsides.

Darren's texas chili (ie NO BEANS people!!!)

Pardon the crap-tacular blackberry cell photo :D

Its been good chili weather, and some buddies have managed to shoot some deer and make venison sausage which makes great chili.

You northerners dont start telling me it needs beans. you need to learn how to eat. :)


2 medium to large yellow onion coarse chop
3-4 big cloves garlic (crushed/mashed)
2Tbsp oil

Oil in dutch oven, heat. Sauté garlic and onion till nice and see thru color

1 link sausage
2 lb stew meat ½ cubed


If using sausage that’s precooked add it last don’t cook. Add raw meat till grayish brown… try not to brown too much.

Once meat is “ready”…

Add 28-30oz diced tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 10oz can rotel tomato/green chili
1 small can 8oz tomato sauce

3Tbsp Chili Powder
2Tbsp Ground cumin
2.5 tsp salt (I just threw in a palm full)
2.5 tsp cayenne pepper.

Lower heat simmer 2 hours.

I added 6-8 squares of milk chocolate about 5 minutes before the end and let it melt in and stirred well. Let sit over night.


If you dont have venison sausage, put another pound of stew meat in. If you like it with a bit more fire, add another .5 tsp or so of cayenne, of chop some fresh chili's of your liking and drop em in.