by Melanie

Stuffed Meatloaf Muffins

March 6, 2014 in Kitchen by Melanie

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If left to fend for himself, Steve claims he would starve to death. According to him, it’s because I set the standard so high, he wouldn’t want to eat anything that’s not as good as what he’s used to finding on our table.

I suppose that’s a good way to butter me up so I will keep feeding him delicious food.

Knowing I would be out of town for a week when I take the kids to grandma’s house for spring break, and not wanting to come home to a husband who had literally starved to death, I whipped up a batch of these babies to load the freezer. I know, I’m pretty much the nicest wife ever. That lucky guy…

My family cheers when I make these fabulous Stuffed Meatloaf Muffins - they freeze well, too!



We absolutely love comfort food around here, and meatloaf is no exception. This Stuffed Meatloaf is one of his all-time favorite meals, and the kids all love it, too. I actually get cheered when I make it for dinner. It’s pretty simple, too.

Stuffed Meatloaf

  • 3 lbs ground beef
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 medium chopped onion
  • 1 long package soda crackers, crushed (I have used Saltines, Ritz, and Club and they have all worked great.)
  • 1 small apple, grated (no need to peel it)
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix, crushed
  • 2 c grated cheese

Sauce:

  • 1/2 c ketchup
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Mix everything except the cheese and sauce. You can dig your hands and just go for it, or my favorite way to mix it up is to use a potato masher.

Spread out the meat mixture on waxed paper to form a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread sauce and sprinkle cheese over the meat and roll it up like a jelly roll. Place on a baking sheet and cover with more sauce. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until done.

My family cheers when I make these fabulous Stuffed Meatloaf Muffins - they freeze well, too!



This recipe makes a ton. It does call for 3 pounds of ground beef, after all…So it’s a great freezer meal because you can divide the meat mixture, make more than one loaf, and freeze some for later. I have also been known to make mini loaves by measuring 1 cup of meat mixture per mini loaf.

I don’t like ketchup. Is that too un-American to admit?

I used to think I just didn’t like meatloaf, but I’m such a carnivore that didn’t make any sense. I finally realized it was just the sauce I had a problem with. So I started putting sauce only on half of the meatloaf. The girls aren’t huge ketchup fans either, and half of them prefer the non-sauce loaves while the rest like to eat it with the sauce. Honestly, it’s easy to make this work for your family however you would like!

My family cheers when I make these fabulous Stuffed Meatloaf Muffins - they freeze well, too!

My absolute favorite way to make it – especially when I’m going to freeze it for later – is to ditch the full-size meatloaf in favor of little meatloaf muffins. They’re so simple to make, a great serving size, and absolutely delicious! And it’s so easy to pull a few out of the freezer for a quick meal or to keep my husband from wasting away while I’m out of town.

Stuffed Meatloaf Muffins

Fill each muffin cup half full with meatloaf mixture. Top with sauce (if you’re a sauce person) and sprinkle with cheese. Then cover with enough meat mixture to fill the cup completely. Top with more sauce and bake 20-25 minutes or until done.

My family cheers when I make these fabulous Stuffed Meatloaf Muffins - they freeze well, too!

Any way you serve this meatloaf will be delicious! And you just might get cheered.

March is National Frozen Food Month, so I have been thinking a lot about my dream of filling my freezer full of delicious meals all ready to heat up and eat. I still haven’t figured out how to make that dream a reality, so I’m working on it this month a little at a time.

Do you have a great meal that freezes well? Pleeeease share. Leave me the recipe or a link!

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by Melanie

Simple Spring Cleaning

March 5, 2014 in Linen Closet by Melanie

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Clutter stresses me out.

I’m actually pretty resistant to stress. I don’t get stressed out about much – heck, I thrive on having tons to do with crazy deadlines – but clutter makes me absolutely nuts!

Here’s the real problem… My house is sooooo full of clutter!

We moved 2 years ago and still have boxes that haven’t been unpacked hanging out in closets and corners. We have that *one room* that is the catch-all where everything gets dumped when we don’t know what to do with it. I have shelves that are empty but surrounded by the junk that should probably be arranged in them. My bedroom is full of random furniture, half-completed projects, and way too much stuff that doesn’t belong.

All the clutter in our house seems to add a lot of clutter in our heads, too. School work suffers. We miss appointments and forget about events. We’re quicker to snap at each other.

Basically, we’re a mess!

So it’s time to do something about it. Have you heard about 40 Bags in 40 Days? It’s a simple approach to spring cleaning, and I am absolutely in love!

40bags

The idea is simple. For 40 days, you focus on one area to clean out. In that one area, you declutter, simplify, and get rid of things you don’t need. Your goal is to fill a big bag with all the stuff you’re getting rid of – thus the name “40 Bags in 40 Days.”

This is exactly what I need, and I’m starting today. One area a day is definitely my speed. Honestly, some of my areas will take a lot more than a day to declutter and organize, but I should have no problem at all filling a bag {or box} every single day and finally dealing with the clutter.

I love that there is a huge group of people all doing this together and supporting each other – on facebook, instagram, and blogs. It’s a whole community! It’s always easier to do hard things when you have a whole support group behind you.

What about you? Do you need to decrapify your house? Your life? Heck, even your email inbox? Are you ready to get started?

I’m taking control of the clutter – starting today! Who’s with me???

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by Melanie

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes with Caramel Syrup

March 4, 2014 in Kitchen by Melanie

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I am a HUGE fan of breakfast for dinner. Honestly, I prefer dinner leftovers for breakfast and breakfast food for dinner. But if the dinner is breakfast food… then wouldn’t the leftovers be breakfast, too? Hmmm…

We have an old family recipe for the greatest pancakes ever.

Greatest. Ever.

Buttermilk pancakes made with whole wheat flour and topped with warm caramel syrup — that’s just about as good as pancakes get.

These whole wheat butermilk pancakes are to die for, and the caramel syrup makes them even better!


Seriously, these are so good. And they’re pretty healthyish – as far as pancakes are concerned – because they’re full of whole grain flour and no sugar.

We like to mix in fruit and nuts, too. Try mixing in bananas, pecans, and mini chocolate chips. You will think you have died and gone to heaven. Strawberries and peaches are divine, too.

So here’s what you do…

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

  • 2 c whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 c buttermilk (or 1 c milk + 1 c buttermilk)
  • 2 Tb melted butter

Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk – that’s the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Or you could sift the flour, but whisking is so much easier and works just as well.

Then mix in the wet ingredients – eggs, milk, and butter. I generally opt for the half milk – half buttermilk option, but you can do either one. Be sure to mix out all the lumps, and you’re done! Simple!

You can add more milk as needed to make them them as thick or thin as you want. I tend to like mine a little thinner, but lately I’ve been keeping them thick and they’re growing on me.

Now, not to brag or anything, but I have to admit, I am the pancake master. My pancakes are perfect every time. So I’ll let you in on my secrets…

I always use an electric griddle when I’m making pancakes at home. I set it to 350 and wait until it’s hot.

I use a 1/4 c measuring cup to scoop my pancake batter. This makes the pancakes a great size, but more importantly, they’re all the same size. That’s important because when they’re all the same size, they take the same amount of time to cook. I can fit 8 perfect pancakes on my griddle.

Wheat pancakes take a bit longer to cook than what you may be used to, but the principle is the same. Wait until you see the bubbles form on the top and start to pop. Then it’s time to flip them. The second side doesn’t take quite as long as the first. And then you’re done.

wheThese whole wheat butermilk pancakes are to die for, and the caramel syrup makes them even better!

My kids are hugs fans of Mickey pancakes, so we make those all the time. I still use the same 1/4 c measuring cup to scoop the batter, but this time I only pour out about 1/2 to 2/3 of it to make the head. Then the rest becomes the ears. The pancakes in that linked photo aren’t wheat pancakes, but they’re pretty good Mickeys with a pancake mix. (By the way… that links to my Instagram account if you want to follow me.)

Now these are great with regular ol’ maple syrup or blueberry syrup or strawberry syrup…. pretty much if you have a favorite syrup, it will work with these. But my all-time favorite is this amazing caramel syrup.

Caramel Syrup

  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1 c buttermilk
  • 1 c sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 Tb light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla

You need to use a large pot because this foams and gets big as it boils. I tend to make a double batch (and a double batch of pancakes) for my big family, so we definitely use a big pot.

Mix the butter, buttermilk, sugar, soda, and corn syrup in the pot and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 7-10 minutes until it thickens slightly. It will get a little darker, too. The last batch I made looked like this right before I took it off the heat.

These whole wheat butermilk pancakes are to die for, and the caramel syrup makes them even better!

Confession: I never actually time it, so I’m not sure if that 7-10 minutes is accurate. I just know that’s what the family recipe says. I just watch for the thickness and color I want.

When it’s the right color/thickness for you, remove from the heat and add 1 tsp vanilla. It will thicken a bit more as it cools.

Pour over pancakes and enjoy. Or scoop it up with your fingers, eat it with a spoon, dip cookies into it… I have used this syrup as a topping on cheesecake and ice cream before, and it’s amazing as a dessert topping, too. However you eat it, it’s so, so good.

These whole wheat butermilk pancakes are to die for, and the caramel syrup makes them even better!

Do you like breakfast for dinner?

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by Melanie

Brown Sugar Carrots

March 3, 2014 in Kitchen by Melanie

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I remember hating cooked carrots as a kid. Of course, I wasn’t a huge fan of raw carrots either, but cooked carrots were a special kind of torture.

Luckily for me, my girls LOVE cooked carrots, so I don’t have to go through the ordeal that my mom did to try to get me to eat them. My girls request cooked carrots all the time and actually cheer when they find out we’re having them.

So I figure that either means they’re starving and just thrilled that I’m actually feeding them. Or they REALLY love these carrots.

I suppose it may have something to do with the brown sugar we add… but hey, they’re still happily eating vegetables!

These carrots that my girls absolutely adore are so simple, it’s a little bit embarrassing. They’re so simple, in fact, that they don’t even require an actual recipe. But they’re just so good, I couldn’t NOT share.

These are the cooked carrots my kids beg for. They're so good and so easy! | fortyeighteen.com


Brown Sugar Carrots

Cook up a mess o’ carrots. You can use whole baby carrots, but I like to go old school with the whole carrots, peeled and sliced at an angle.

Cover them with water – add a bit of salt – and boil them until tender. Then take them off the heat, drain off the water, and return the carrots to the pot.

Now here’s where it gets good. You need a pat of butter, a handful of brown sugar, and a few shakes of dill weed.

Yes, yes, it’s all very technical.

Melt the pat of butter over the carrots and stir to coat each piece of carrot in yummy, melty butter.

Toss in the handful of brown sugar and a few shakes of dill weed.

It should look something like this.

These are the cooked carrots my kids beg for. They're so good and so easy! | fortyeighteen.com


Then just stir it up until the brown sugar has dissolved and voila! Cooked carrots that your kids will beg for.

How do you get your kids to eat their veggies?

 

Linked up at Not Just a Housewife and Home Stories A to Z, as well as several ink parties you can find in the left sidebar.

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by Melanie

Win a Disney Vacation!

February 27, 2014 in Mailbox by Melanie

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I love entering sweeps and contests and winning fun prizes! Today I’m all about the Disney sweeps. My lucky sister-in-law has won two amazing Disney World vacations. Yes, real people really do win those things. One of these days that will be me! 🙂

Want to play along? These are some of the Disney sweeps I’m entering today. Good luck to all of us!!!

Storm Struck: A Tale of Two Homes – Win a 3-night trip for 4 people to Disney World. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation,hotel, 4 tickets, and a $500 Disney gift card. Get an extra entry for each friend you refer who enters. (So I’ll get an extra entry if you click on my link to enter.) Official Rules

VisitOrlando Family Vacation – Win a family vacation for 4 to Orlando, Florida. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation, hotel including 2-bedroom suite and $100 spa certificate, and 2-day tickets to your choice of Disney World, Universal Orlando, or Sea World Orlando. Official Rules

Tiny Travelers Sweepstakes – Win a 5-day/4-night Disney World vacation for 4. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation, hotel, 5-day park hopper tickets, character breakfast, and more. Official Rules

Express your Peepsonality – Create a pinterest board to enter. Win a 4-night trip for 4 to Disney World. Prize includes airfare, ground transportation, hotel, 4-day park hopper tickets, and a $200 Disney gift card. Official Rules

Family Fun Vacation – Win a 5-day/4-night Southern California family vacation. Prize includes airfare, hotel, breakfast each day at the hotel, car rental, 5-day passes to local activities. Official Rules

Enter to win one of *5* Disney vacations today at FortyEighteen #Disney #sweeps

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