McMeatloaf

Ever gone to your workplace smelling like restaurant because you cooked steaks or stir-fries? Well, I have. I know its just stupidity the spontaneity and lack of planning, cooking supper in a spur-of-the-moment decision. You see, I work night shifts, and I leave home around 6pm. I take my showers around 3 pm to give enough time for my hair to dry (then straighten with an iron) before I leave. I start cooking supper around 4 or 4:30 for the quick-to-prep suppers. (I do sometimes plan ahead and have something in the slow cooker or oven, but that is not always the case.) Well, one time I was working and could smell my restaurant scent, I thought, "hmmm...I have two more consecutive nights to work. Better think of menus that will allow me to go to work smelling clean and fresh." This meatloaf is one of those.

I really have no recipe to share here. I named this McMeatloaf because I used McCormick meatloaf mix to quick-fix this classic dish.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. McCormick® Meat Loaf Seasoning Mix
2 lbs. lean ground beef or turkey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs OR 1 cup soft bread crumbs (2 slices bread)
1/2 cup ketchup, chili sauce or tomato sauce (optional)


MIX all ingredients except ketchup, in large bowl until well blended.


SHAPE meat mixture into a loaf. Place in foil-lined baking pan or 9x5-inch loaf pan. Top with ketchup, if desired.


BAKE in 375° F oven 1 hour or until cooked through.

We ate this with potatoes cooked in microwave using another McCormick product, Italian Herb Potato Steamer, and pre-cut salad greens.

I should get paid by McCormick for promoting their products...

Black & White Brownie Cupcakes

I had a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix in the pantry for quite sometime now.

From Black & White Brownie Cupcakes

I bought it because it was on sale. I was thinking last night of what to have for dessert to accompany a New England Boiled Dinner in which I used a pork shoulder for meat. So I was looking at the instructions for this mix and the photo of a variation caught my attention. I thought I'd follow that instead, and I added red wine just 'cause I had two opened red wine bottles that I must consume as fast as I can. My husband got excited and had to lick the dough even as I was placing it in muffin cups. As supper was served, I had a plate of this ready on the table and everyone was looking longingly for them. Nobody was disappointed. It was soooo good!

From Black & White Brownie Cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 box Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
(optional) 1 tbsp cabernet sauvignon (red wine)
2 eggs
1 cup (8-oz) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 deg F. In a medium bowl, stir together brownie mix, water, oil and 1 egg until moistened (about 40 strokes). Line muffin tin with paper cups and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Using electric mixer, mix cream cheese, sugar, 1 egg and vanilla on medium speed for 1 minutes or until smooth. For each cupcake, place rounded tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top of batter. Bake 28-32 minutes. Makes 16 cupcakes.

Savory Pot Roast

Here's another dish that makes use of spices (I love spices!)

From savory pot roast

And to save time, I get a packet of McCormick Savory Pot Roast Seasoning. Since this is slowcooked, prep time is short, then I just forget about it while it cooks, then as the aroma fills the house, I get reminded of what we are going to have for supper. One thing I like about McCormick is that, since it mainly uses natural spices, I can't really go wrong with it. Plus, I get a glimpse of how dishes are supposed to taste like per American standards instead of Pinoy standards. While this dish did not taste at all like the typical mechado or caldereta (more tamato-based) beef stews of the Filipinos, we all like the taste of it. We enjoy this usually with slices of freshly baked bread.

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds boneless beef chuck or rump bottom round roast, well trimmed
5 cups cut-up fresh vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions and potatoes
1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers Savory Pot Roast Seasoning
1 cup red wine or water

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place roast and vegetables in slow cooker.
2. Mix Seasoning and red wine until blended. Pour over roast and vegetables. Cover.
3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove roast and vegetables to serving platter. Stir sauce before serving.
IMPORTANT: For best results, do not remove cover during cooking.

Beef Stew

How many times have I said that

From beef stew

I have been using more and more ready mixes since I started working? Well, this beef stew is a recent addition to those dishes. I particularly like McCormick mixes.

Although my Filipino tongue prefers the tomato-based kaldereta style of beef stew, I figure, if I use these ready mixes, I cannot go wrong in that my husband's palate will probably be familiar with that taste. After all, they are just a mix of spices. As long as I use our home-grown beef, and fresh ingredients from the grocery store, then I am all set.

The ingredients and directions are in the back of the package itself, so I will not post it here anymore.