Recipe ~ Meatloaf

Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup quick oats

2 eggs

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp season salt or seasoning to your taste

Mix the above ingredients well and press hard into a bread pan.

Meatloaf Topping

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 tsp. season salt

Mix well and cover the top of your beef mixture in the bread pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Mother's Day Recipes with Jarlsberg Cheese

I've been a mom for about 10 years now and I have yet to be treated to breakfast in bed.  However, I still get spoiled in many other ways and hopefully you moms out there do too.  I've got a couple of recipes using Jarlsberg cheese that would be great for treating mom for breakfast.  I also think these make great brunch recipes so save these if you're entertaining this month or hosting a bridal or baby shower soon.

Corn Muffins with Nut Pesto

CORN MUFFINS

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup plain flour

1 1/3  cups cornmeal

1 tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 pinch white pepper

4 tbsp. softened butter

1/2 cup Jarlsberg® cheese

NUT PESTO

5 tbsp. olive oil

1 pack fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup cashew nuts

salt and pepper

MAKES 4 PORTIONS

To make the corn muffins:

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F. Whisk together the milk and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and butter. Add the liquid and stir. Spoon the mixture into muffin cases. If possible, use stiff paper cups, so the muffins stand up better. Cut the cheese into cubes and press them down into the mixture. Bake in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes. This cornbread can also be baked in a large round baking tin, about 8 inch diameter. Combine the ingredients for the nut pesto in a blender or using a hand blender. Pulse or blend until coarsely chopped. Serve the corn muffins with extra Jarlsberg® Cheese, nut pesto and thin slices of cured ham, if desired.

Jarlsberg® Quiche

CRUST

1 cup butter

1 cup flour

2 tbsp. water

Salt

FILLING

1 cup pork, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 leek

4 eggs

1/2 cup Jarlsberg®

3 tbsp. parsley

4 tbsp. cream

MAKES 4 PORTIONS

TO make the quiche:

Start with the crust. Mix butter, flour, water and salt together in a large bowl. Knead thoroughly until you get a firm dough. Pack the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Press dough into the full surface of the pie plate and cover with aluminum foil. Prebake in oven at 400°F for 10 minutes, before you remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes. While waiting for the crust, sauté bacon in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the leek at the end of cooking time. Whisk the eggs and cream together in a bowl and add grated Jarlsberg® Cheese, parsley and the sautéed bacon and leek. Pour the filling into the crust and top with grated Jarlsberg®. Bake in oven at 400°F for 15 minutes or until edge is golden brown and center is set. Serve with a fresh salad and in the company of others.

About Jarlsberg® cheese:  The nationally recognized premium brand of cheese

was created in 1956 using an original Norwegian recipe. Why does Jarlsberg® cheese taste so mild, nutty and delicious? It's all part of the legend...and Norway's most guarded recipe! Jarlsberg Cheese Minis is the winner of the 2014 Men’s Health Best Foods For Men Award.

FREE Halloween Survival Guide and #Halloween Recipes

Disclosure:  Sponsored post by Lunchbox.

Get ready for fright night with delicious and spooktacular recipes from Kraft!

Visit the special Walmart page to find fun Halloween recipes and be able to download your FREE Halloween Survival Guide from Kraft. Click on the picture above to get started.

Spanish Style Pasta with Chorizo and Goat Cheese with @WildOats #AffordableOrganics

Disclosure:  This post contains sponsored content.

My hubby and I are celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary tomorrow.  Our honeymoon trip was to Chicago and it was there we first discovered tapas style dining.  We first tried queso de cabra, a delicious baked goat cheese there and learned that we loved it.  We now try to incorporate goat cheese into our own recipes.  Now is a great time to try it because you can often find goat cheese at local farmer's markets.  Wild Oats recently challenged me to come up with a delicious summer recipe using a few of their most popular products available at Walmart.  My hubby, the family chef, makes this pasta dish with a Spanish spin on it using chorizo and goat cheese.

Spanish Style Pasta with Chorizo and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

Tablespoon Wild Oats Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
Large Sweet Onion
Chorizo Sausage (3 links or 1 lb.)
Sweet Red Peppers (2 large)
Wild Oats Italian Seasoning (to taste)
Wild Oats Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
Goat Cheese (3 oz.)
Pasta of your choice (12-16 oz.)

Add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to your large skillet.  Add chopped onion and chorizo over medium heat.  Cook until onions are translucent and sausage is done.  Boil water for your pasta in separate pot.

Slice red peppers and add to your sausage and onions.  Cook until peppers are tender.  Remove sausage and slice into bite size pieces.  Add pasta to boiling water and cook until desired tenderness.

Add pasta sauce to skillet and return sausage to skillet.  Then add Italian seasoning to taste.

Add dollops of goat cheese to the skillet.  Let it stand for a minute before serving.  Serve with pasta of your choosing.  We like to use rigatoni.

Want to learn more about adding affordable organic products into your diet and family recipes?  Be sure to join in the #AffordableOrganics twitter party hosted by @WildOats. The party will take place this upcoming Wednesday night, June 10th from 6-7pm CST.  There will be a $50 gift card awarded to someone who joins in the conversation.

Sign Up to Get Free Recipes, Coupons & More from General Mills

Right now when you sign up for the free Tablespoon eNewsletter from General Mills you can get their Rainbow Recipes eCookbook.  Subscribe and you will also get access to additional recipes, coupons and more.  

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Ice Chest Challenge ~ Smoked Chicken Salad Recipe #BahnCooler @usfg

Disclosure:  This post contains sponsored content.

A road trip essential for our family is a stocked cooler. One is always loaded in our car whether we're out for a day trip or gone for the weekend. We like to be prepared for whatever the day might bring plus we try to save money whenever we can.  We have a picky eater son as well so packing our own food ensures that he will have something he'll actually eat.  It's rare when we can actually take our on food into the attractions we visit, but Schlitterbahn Waterpark is one where families are welcome to bring in their own ice chest of food and drink as long as there's no glass or alcohol.

Schlitterbahn also offers free parking so if you pack your own lunch and snacks you'll only pay for your admission tickets.  There's a huge variety of rides there for all ages and plenty of room for you to set up your own picnic.  

Sandwiches are great for on the go, but we tire of the classic PB & J's.  We like to make chicken salad for our sandwiches and this smoked chicken salad recipe has a lot of flavor.  Toast up some bread ahead of time so it's not soggy, pack the salad in a plastic container then bring along some grapes and chips and you've got the perfect picnic.

Smoked Chicken Salad

1 lb. smoked pulled chicken (we use leftover grilled chicken)
1/4 c. caramelized onions chopped
1/4 c. celery diced
2 T. fresh basil (dried works as well)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Serve on toasted bread or just enjoy with a fork.


There are many other amazing ice chest worthy recipes and Schlitterbahn encourage's you to visit the park with your favorite packed ice chest!  

What would you pack in your cooler?

Taco Casserole with Wild Oats Organic Products ~ Now at Walmart

Disclosure:  Product was received for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Wild Oats is a company that is dedicated to making real food that tastes great.  The company was recently introduced to me because you can now find their organic line of products at Walmart.  That means it's now easier than ever to choose organic and create healthy affordable meals.  You can even do it without making trips to multiple specialty stores.

A pantry staple in our household is Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  We love to coat our favorite veggies in olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and then bake them in the oven for a delicious, simple and healthy side.  We also love to slice a loaf of foccacia bread and serve with olive oil, grated Parmesan and cracked pepper.

We have several casserole recipes that are in regular dinner-time rotation at our house.  They are great because they're quick to prep and throw in the oven with products we have in our pantry.  Here's our family's favorite taco casserole recipe using Wild Oats Organic products.  You can pick up everything you need at Walmart's low prices.

Taco Casserole

1 lb. Ground Beef

3/4 c. Chopped Onions
8 oz. Salsa
3/4 c. water

1/2 tsp. Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Cumin

1/2 tsp. Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Chili Powder

1 can Wild Oats Marketplace Black Beans

2 1/2 c. crushed Wild Oats Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
2 c. shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
optional - lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream

Heat over to 350 degrees.  Cook ground beef and onions in medium skillet over medium-high heat until meat is thoroughly cooked.  Drain.  Stir in cumin, chili powder and water.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Combine black beans and salsa in medium bowl.  In an ungreased baking dish , layer 1/2 of the bean mixture, 1/2 the beef mixture, 2 c. tortilla chips and 1 c. cheese.  Top with remaining bean & beef mixture.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Top with remaining tortilla chips and cheese.  Return to oven and back an additional 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.

You can check out the prices the ingredients in this meal and the rest of the Wild Oats Organic line at Walmart.com.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  There are a wide variety of products so it's simple to start choosing organic.

To learn more about Wild Oats visit their website and connect with the brand on Facebook.

Recipe ~ Creamy Potato Soup

This recipe was shared with us in early December at one of our favorite holiday events in Adel, IA.  At their Annual Holiday Open House we visit local businesses, sample recipes and collect the recipe cards.  This was our favorite of the evening and it came from Adel TV and Appliance.  We've tweaked it just a tad, but the flavor is spot on in my opinion.  We're making it again tomorrow since the high for the day is in the negative numbers.  It's a perfect day for warm bowl of comfort food.

Creamy Potato Soup

3 Tablespoons butter
1 cup onion
4 stalks celery
1 cup carrots
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 cans chicken broth
1 can water
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese (softened)
2 cups nondairy powdered creamer
3 cups diced ham
1 bag frozen shredded hash browns


Dice veggies to desired size.  Saute in butter until almost done.  Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil.  Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth.  Add powdered creamer and whisk again.  Add diced ham and hash browns.  Cook on medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes.  

Holiday Ideas and Recipes from ABC Family and Pillsbury

We still have our holiday baking to do and I'm hoping it gets done this weekend.  In the meantime I'm still collecting ideas and figuring out what treats we'd like to make.  Right now you can celebrate Christmas with ABC Family and Pillsbury to find recipes and fun Holiday ideas for the whole family. 

Holiday Baking with McCormick ~ Gingerbread Men Recipe #McCormickBaking #Spon

This is a sponsored post on behalf of McCormick. 

It has been years since we've made gingerbread cookies at home which is crazy because we do quite a bit of baking around the holidays and gingerbread is one of our kids' favorites.  This year we decided to go for it and restocked our pantry with the gingerbread ingredient essentials of ginger, molasses, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Using McCormick's recipe for Gingerbread Men we prepared our dough last night.  Here's the ingredients you'll need to make these yourself:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons McCormick® Ground Ginger

1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract

First mix your flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Set aside. Next beat the butter and brown sugar in large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the molasses, egg and vanilla. Mix well. 

Gradually add your flour mixture and beat on low speed until well mixed. 

Press your dough into a thick flat disk then wrap in plastic wrap.  We had only a scrap of plastic wrap left so we placed our dough on the plastic then sealed it in a plastic bag.  Refrigerate it for 4 hours or overnight.  We kept our dough refrigerated overnight.

When ready to bake preheat your oven to 350°F. Roll out your dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake your cookies 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown.  Your kitchen will then begin to smell heavenly of baked gingerbread. 

Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes then remove them to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.

I know our gingerbread men aren't the most perfectly shaped cookies, but when you have this guy as one of your bakers you take what you can get.  And the audience for these cookies really doesn't care what they look like as long as they taste good and they do!

Disclosure:  McCormick provided compensation in exchange for this post.  All opinions and taste-testing are 100% mine.

Halloween Popcorn Balls with JOLLY TIME

Product was received to facilitate this review.

October is National Popcorn Month and although the month is almost over we're not done celebrating just yet because Halloween is the perfect holiday to enjoy with tasty Jolly Time popcorn.  If you haven't yet decided what you're handing out to trick-or-treaters pick up some mini bags of Jolly Time popcorn to pass out.  The mini bags are really cute and I know many parents appreciate their kids being given a snack option instead of just candy.

At our house we celebrated National Popcorn Month by making popcorn balls for the first time ever.  I'm not sure I have ever made them before even when growing up, so I was almost as excited as the kids about it.  We started with Jolly Time's recipe for Ghoulishly Fun Popcorn Balls and made some adjustments.  Since we had a poly bag of Jolly Time kernels we decided to break out my daughter's Hello Kitty air popper to get our 3 quarts of popcorn popped.

While our popcorn was popping we also worked on melting our half-stick of butter and bag of mini-marshmallows on the stove.  Once the marshmallow mixture was ready we covered our popcorn and mixed it all together.  I had some fall sprinkles in the cupboard, so we decided to add a mix of those to make our balls more festive.  (I was also trying to keep things pretty simple at our first go of it!)

The kids always love sprinkles and I liked the added colors.  Then the real work began.  Thankfully we were provided with a popcorn ball maker that made this job pretty simple.  As you can see in the picture below it was still a little sticky and messy, but a ball maker is a great tool to have on hand.  We sprayed our with a non-stick cooking spray before using which helped the mixture not stick inside.

We ended up with about 8 large popcorn balls and the kids were so excited they would hardly let them sit and set.  They wanted to share right away with their neighbor friends.

To find more recipes for fun seasonal treats you can make with popcorn be sure to check out all the Jolly Time recipes.  You can also connect with JOLLY TIME on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about all of their products.

Disclosure:  We received free product from JOLLY TIME to facilitate this post.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Gorton's Halloween Witch Fingers Recipe & Giveaway #WickedGoodSeafood

Product was received in exchange for this post.

I've been fortunate to work with Gorton's several times over the past couple of years.  I have discovered many new dinner time favorites because of this opportunity and this is coming from a girl who had always said I didn't care for seafood.  I now love Gorton's Skillet Crisp Tilapia and Potato Crunch Fillets and I'm looking forward to trying more products including their Crispy Battered Fish Fillets and their Beer Battered Tenders.

My kids love Gorton's Fish Sticks and these have become a staple in our freezer.  We always keep them on hand so we can offer them for lunches or a dinner substitute for my picky eater son.  I love that we can heat the fish sticks in our toaster oven quickly and they stay crunchy and tasty.

If you're looking for some inspiration for how to prepare your Gorton's seafood you can visit Gorton's Recipe section and you'll find a number of easy meals and snacks that will become family favorites.  I spotted these Halloween Witch Finger Fish Sticks that I thought would be a lot of fun these season.  My daughter loves all three of the ingredients so this is sure to be a hit!

Witch Finger Fish Sticks:

INGREDIENTS:

18 Gorton's Crunchy Golden Fish Sticks

9 black olives, halved lengthwise

3 oz cream cheese, softened

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare Gorton's Crunchy Golden Fish Sticks according to package instructions.
2. Spread 1 tsp cream cheese along tops of cooked stick, place olive on top to resemble 'finger' and serve immediately.

The Sweepstakes:  Remember that you can enter the Gorton's "Wicked Good Seafood" Sweepstakes thru October 18th for your chance to win a family trip to Boston!

The Giveaway:  Thanks to Gorton's one lucky winner will receive three $2 off coupons, 1 Gorton's branded ship wheel keychain and an assortment of Gorton's recipe cards and postcards.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  I received free Gorton's products in exchange for this post.  Gorton's is responsible for prize shipment.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Celebrate National Mustard Day Tomorrow & Juicy Chicken Recipe

Did you know that tomorrow, August 3rd is National Mustard Day?  In honor of the day there will be a big celebration at the new National Mustard Museum near Madison, WI. Some of the activities include: 

• Onsite appearances by the French's Mustard Man
• Live Music by the Red Hot Horn Dawgs
• Free Hot Dogs (*mustard required)
• Mustard Games to raise money for Restoring Hope Transplant House
• Magic by Wayne the Wizard
• Klements onsite grilling brats
• Oscar Mayer Weinermobile
• Free Mustard Sampling

If you live too far away to join the festivities you can always celebrate National Mustard Day at home with French's Mustard by using mustard in one of your everyday recipes.  With varieties from Classic Yellow, Spicy Brown, Dijon, Horseradish, Honey to Honey Dijon, French’s has a flavor that will take your family favorite recipe from ordinary to extraordinary.  

Tomorrow should be a great day for grilling.  Here is a recipe for Super Juicy Chicken using French's Classic Yellow Mustard:

3lbs        fryer chicken, cut into 8 pcs

½  cup    FRENCH’S® Classic Yellow® Mustard

3 Tsp      McCormick® Grill Mates® Montreal Spice

                                         

1. PREHEAT grill to medium heat

2. PLACE chicken pieces on large plate and coat both sides with FRENCH’S® Classic Yellow® Mustard. Sprinkle Montreal Spice on.

3. GRILL over medium heat for 20 minutes till juices run clear or 160F internal.

Makes      4-6 servings

TIP- works great on ribs, brisket and pork shoulder to protect and tenderize over low and slow barbecuing