Field Trip Friday - The Crock Pot Blog

I've used a few recipes from this blog and I give it out all the time but I had forgotten to use it myself. Until this week. Someone on the EFF Board linked one of the recipes and it sounded so good that I had to try it. Lucky for me I had all the ingredients here in the house so it made it super easy...and easy is a huge bonus for me right now because I'm supposed to be resting and not doing much of anything until my back gets stronger.

So I have a feeling we will be visiting this blog a lot here at the Hippy household. So here it is. The Crock Pot Blog. Enjoy!

Oh...and make sure you try this recipe: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/12/crockpot-chicken-makhani-indian-butter.html

The only thing I'd change the next time around is to add a cup or two of frozen spinach and maybe a bit of salt...but we tend to like things a little on the salty side.

Meatloaf Part Three: My Basic Meatloaf Recipe

I finally did it. I wrote down exactly what I do when I make my Basic Meatloaf. And I say Basic because it really is just a starting point. This is the Plain Jane version but I rarely make it the same way two times in a row. One time I might grate up some zucchini or carrot to add in and another time I might cut up some red and yellow peppers and mix those in. Sometimes I'll top it with ketchup, the next time it will be BBQ Sauce and then whenever I can find it I'll top it with Golden Mushroom Soup from Campbell's. And aghast...there are times I'm just plain lazy and I leave it plain.

One thing I've found myself doing more and more is making a double batch and filling two loaf pans when I make it. This is extra handy if I need to bring a meal to a family that just had a baby or if I need leftovers for some reason. I've included instructions to double as well. I'd like to say that I freeze it to save for another meal but that doesn't happen in this house. My family gobbles it up too fast. I can't really blame them. It is pretty yummy. Enjoy!

Meatloaf Part Two

Betty Crocker makes a kick @$$ meatloaf recipe. For years this was my "go to" recipe. I'd alter it a bit sometimes to change things up. I might add in some red bell peppers or if I was making it for a family that was gluten free I'd use mashed potato flakes instead of the bread crumbs. But it always turned out yummy and my family always gobbled it up. The link even has a video if you need it! Enjoy!

Meatloaf Part One

Yes...there are 3 parts to my Meatloaf entry for the day. Why? Because I take a little from 2 different recipes and make it into my own. I never actually write down what I do...I just do it. So today I am going to write it down. But the recipes I use as my 'inspiration' or as my guideline are both really, really, really good in their own right so I decided to post them too. Here is the first. It's actually my friend Christie's recipe. She made it for me on a day when I was having the hardest time with my back and a pretty serious bout of postpartum depression. Meatloaf has always been a comfort food to me but that day it was so much more then comfort. It was friendship, love and a wonderful break when I needed it most. ENJOY!

Menu Planning

I am out of practice. For so long I was so good at this. I would make a list of what we had on hand and make a list of meals that I would be making for the week. I always gave myself some wiggle room so that if I didn't feel like something on a certain day I could swap it out...but I planned. Lately I've gotten lazy, and I'm sure part of it is because my back has been acting up and it's hard to cook when you can hardly stand. :(

But I am turning over a new leaf! I WILL menu plan. I will batch cook again. And I will do a better job of posting my recipes here. :D And you call can blame my friends on the Ec0-Friendly Family Board (the EFFers as we call ourselves) because they are the people who have motivated me! Thanks ladies.

Now here is this week's line-up (not in any order because like I said before, I make a list and then go by the day to see what we want):

*Grilled NY Strip Steaks (from our Meat CSA), braised fennel, salad & bread
*Grilled Chicken w/ grilled zucchini & watermelon mango salsa, chips and possibly rice
*Sloppy Joes w/ oven baked ranch french fries (also known as Ryan's Potatoes in this house because he makes them) and sauteed spinach
*BBQ Chicken Pizza (a request from the Monkey)
*Thai Peanut Noodles w/ Cucumber Salad
*Beef Pot Pie (using leftover Crock Pot Cross Rib Roast from last week & extra veggies from our CSA that need to be used up)

ETA: I meant Pot Pie...not Pot Roast. Opps.

Thai Peanut Noodles

When it's too hot to cook and I need something quick, this is the go to meal. Good served hot, great at room temp and almost better served cold the next day. This dish also pairs really well with the cucumber salad I posted yesterday. Enjoy!

Cucumber Salad

My little guy loves this recipe. We got a similar side dish at our favorite Thia place (Taste of Thailand here in Saint Paul) and he ate ALL of it before any of us could get any. When we picked up our CSA today and there was a cucumber in it I knew I was coming home to make this recipe for him. This time he's old enough that he actually got to help. Enjoy!

Go Green! Enter to win free cloth napkins!

My friend Jenni is having a give away on her blog. Make sure you enter to win free cloth napkins! And they are beautiful too!

http://thejennigirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-something-to-encourage-you-to-go.html

Super Secret Salad Dressing

This is one of those recipes that was passed to me by a friend and she got it from a friend and the friend got it from a friend...so much so that we don't know for sure where it originated at. But it's one of the most versatile, amazing, easy and tasty salad dressings I have ever made. And I make it often and use it for everything from on top of my favorite salad, to marinate any meat and to use as the vinaigrette on a pasta or rice salad.

Try it. I promise you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

Watermelon-Mango Salsa

This salsa is amazing. Every time I make it I get asked for the recipe. It's one of those things that you won't believe until you try it...but once you do you will never go back. It's simply the best salsa ever. Enjoy!