Poor Man's Beef Wellington

I gave my husband the choice between Meatloaf or Shepherds Pie for dinner...he picked meatloaf. 

I don't have a go-to meatloaf recipe. Its actually not a dish I make often or one that I even had a lot of growing up. Not to mention that I was never a fan of a dried loaf of beef that was based with ketchup. So, I had the urge to make mine different by stuffing the meat mixture with cheese, then wrapping the entire thing in pizza dough. Sort of like, meatloaf pinwheels or as my husband so happily named it, the poor mans beef wellington!

**This recipe did take a good portion of time to prep/cook, about 1 1/2hr from start to finish.**

What You Will Need: 1 lb ground beef, onions, garlic, egg, cheese, pizza dough, green onions, bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, grill seasoning, butter, salt/pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350

I start with slowly sautéing two onions. This process takes some time so get it going and continue with the rest of the instructions.

Melt about 2 T. butter, add in sliced onions, season with salt and pepper and keep on low heat. Stir occasionally. After about 35-45 minutes you will have soft, sweet onions!

In a large bowl mix the beef with 2 cloves of garlic, green onions, worcestershire sauce and the grill seasoning. Combine, then add 1 egg and some of the bread crumbs. Mix and check the texture, if it is still too wet, add some more bread crumbs.

Lay out two pieces of plastic wrap, overlapping on a flat surface.

Pile the meat mixture onto the plastic wrap and press it out as thinly as you can. Lay down your slices or chunks of cheese.

Jude wanted to be in the picture.. my little man is always making sure mommy is doing things right....or maybe he is always waiting for something to drop on the floor. 

Now, picking up the ends of the plastic wrap, rolling it over the cheese.

Keep rolling, pressing and forming the mixture to your desired shape/size. Allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

Unwrap and place the loaf on a baking sheet. Wrap in foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 5. Remove, set aside & allow to cool.

Turn the oven up to 400.

Unroll and form your dough to be able to fit the loaf. Spread out your cooled sautéed onions.

Place your loaf over top of the onions. Fold in the sides.

Start rolling the dough till the loaf is completely covered.

Using a sharp knife, cut some air slits over the top. This can also indicate your serving sizes when plating. Bake in the oven, rotating every 5 minutes till its golden brown...about 15 minutes total. 

Place on a cutting board and allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Ohhhh Yeah......just take a look at all that melty, cheesy goodness!!

I cut and served the meatloaf with peas, corn & a quick beef pan sauce.

Even tho this dish took some extra time it was indeed worth the wait & such a fun, new way to enjoy meatloaf!! 

Get in your kitchen & create your very own twist on an old family dish. You never know when you will create a new favorite meal!!

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Enjoy & Always Cook with Love!

The Transformation of Stale Bread...part 2: Breakfast Casserole

Ahhh....Stale Crusty Bread, We Meet Again!!!!

In my last post, I utilized half of the two day old dinner rolls to make a version of chicken pot pie. Using the other half, lets make a breakfast dish to make your mornings easier & tastier!! 

What You Will Need: Stale bread, eggs, bacon, onion, bell pepper, green onions, butter, shredded cheese, heavy cream & salt.

**In a casserole style dish like this, please use any protein & vegetables that you would like.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Start by cutting up your pieces of bread into chucks. Add in the sliced green onions. Set aside.

Crisp up your bacon, remove onto a piece of paper towel and reserve a small amount of fat. Add in the diced red onions and bell peppers. Cook for only 2-3 minutes, you want them to still have some bite.

Add the chopped, crisp bacon to the pieces of bread, followed by the onion/pepper mixture. Combine and give it a minute or two for the veggies to cool off.

Sprinkle in the shredded cheese.

Crack your eggs into a large bowl and whisk in the heavy cream. Season with salt & pepper. 

I used about 20 eggs and 1 1/2c of cream.

Pour the egg mixture over the torn pieces for bread. Let this set for 10-15 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the egg mixture or overnight if desired. Top with a couple pats of butter.

Tightly wrap and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.

This is a great way to feed a large crowd for breakfast or scoop out individual portions for pre made breakfast for the week!!

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Enjoy & Always Cook with Love!

The Transformation of Stale Bread...part 1: Chicken Pot Pie.

Stale Crusty Dinner Rolls!!

Take a look at my inspiration!! Can you see all the possibilities?!?!?

After our baby shower this past weekend, we were left with 1 package of dinner rolls. Sure we could have had a roll with our evening meal or I could have even used them as buns for some grilled sliders but I came up with a different plan.

I tore the bread in half and let them sit on my counter top for two days to dry out. After the two days I now had the perfect base for not one..but two casserole style dishes for both breakfast and dinner.

Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie!

What You Will Need: Stale bread, chicken (at this point in my pregnancy, I chose convenience and took some help from the store with a rotisserie chicken), carrots, celery, onion, garlic, butter, flour, chicken stock, heavy cream or half/half, frozen peas, frozen corn, salt & pepper. **Shredded cheese is optional and not pictured due to it being a last minute add on.

Preheat the oven to 350

Melt butter in the bottom of a high sided sauté pan and add your carrots, celery & onion. Season with salt and pepper. Allow it to cook for 5 minutes, then add your garlic..grated or chopped, whichever you prefer.

Add in your chopped pieces of chicken. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of flour, stir and allow time for the raw flour to cook.

Add in your cream, just enough to cover the mixture. Bring it back to a simmer and check for thickness.

If it is a little too thick & to save a few calories, thin it out a with some chicken stock. Once you have your desired consistency, add in a good handful of your peas and corn. Mix and remove from the heat.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and press in the stale pieces of bread. I cut these into quarters but you can go bigger or smaller if you would like.

And then it was a last minute decision to get cheesy!! 

Bake in the oven till the cheese melts and the bread pieces get golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.

Hot & Ready straight from the oven!! For the sake of your mouth, I would give it about 10 minutes to cool before service. 

This dish is definitely stick to your ribs good! 

A simple change to a comfort classic!!

I love finding new ways to use leftovers! 

Stay tuned for the breakfast dish that the other half of the stale bread was used for!!

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Enjoy & Always Cook with Love!