Fall is finally here – the time of year when sweaters and jeans come out of the closet. Cooler mornings and evenings are a nice break from the Summer heat. And most of all, my craving for some homey comfort food is on the rise! When I think of classic comfort foods, Meatloaf is one of those meals that comes to mind. It reminds me of when I was a kid, when my Mom used to make it for dinner on a chilly night.
To spice things up a little bit, this recipe has a delicious smoky Chipotle glaze, with shallots and garlic, giving it a nice kick and a unique flavor. It goes great with a side of mashed potatoes and buttery corn or some roasted baby potatoes and root vegetables. You can make the glaze ahead of time, and even make a little extra to use as a barbeque glaze on chicken, beef or pork dishes. You might even want to experiment with a mixture of ground veal, pork and beef to give it more flavor – but this recipe works with ground beef because the Chipotle sauce gives it such a great flavor. Great with a dash of hot sauce too if you like it spicier!
Ingredients
Glaze:
¼ c Chipotle Sauce (Tavern on the Green)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp ketchup
2 tbsp light brown sugar
Meatloaf:
2 lbs ground beef
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 large eggs, whisked
1 tsp ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 c breadcrumbs or ground whole wheat cereal (Chex or Fiber One)
1 1/2 tsp Paula Deen House seasoning (salt, pepper, onion, garlic powder)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Preheat a small sauté pan over medium heat.
In a small bowl, mix together glaze ingredients and set aside.
Chop shallots and garlic. Melt 2 tbsp butter in sauté pan. Cook shallots for about 5 minutes until lightly golden brown and soft. Lower sauté pan heat to low, add chopped garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs (or cereal), Paula Deen House seasoning; add onions and garlic. Mix well and place mixture in a baking pan coated with cooking spray, forming a loaf. (You can also place the mixture in a loaf pan if you want a perfect rectangular shaped meatloaf).
Brush glaze over meatloaf and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush additional glaze over meatloaf; cook another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let meatloaf rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve. Add additional glaze on top before serving if desired.
Summer is finally on it’s way and along with the warm weather and sunshine comes grilling season! For Memorial Day, me and my guy went to Brighton Beach and soaked up the sun, sand and waves on a gorgeous, relaxing day. We hit the fresh fish, fruit and vegetable markets to pick up some gorgeous iced shrimp and some fresh ground chicken, pineapples, onion, cilantro and broccoli slaw and headed home to Manhattan to stoke up the fires and make some awesome BBQ rooftop-style.
Rooftop BBQ
Aiming to keep it light, we decided to whip up my infamous Chicken Burgers with my secret recipe made with Dale’s Steak Seasoning (a delicious find I discovered when living in Atlanta and great on anything grilled!) made with soy sauce, garlic, paprika and ginger mixed with some other spices mixed into the ground chicken (garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper and smoked paprika). We also made our signature Teriyaki Shrimp and Pineapple Kabobs marinated in Tavern on the Green‘s tasty Golden Ginger Teriyaki Sauce with ingredients of soy sauce, lemon, red wine vinegar, ginger, honey, and spices with pineapple juice and let them marinade for up to an hour. For grilling, we smoked them up over some Mesquite flavored coals to give the Chicken and Shrimp a delicious charred, smoky flavor. To top it off, we enjoyed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and some Broccoli Slaw and enjoyed our rooftop dinner watching the stars on a lovely, breezy summer night overlooking the East side of Manhattan. Happy Summer on it’s way!
Chicken Burgers
Tasty Chicken Burgers
1 lb ground chicken (breast meat)
1 lb ground chicken (thigh meat)
1/2 tbsp garlic powder or 1 tbsp fresh chopped garlic
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp Dale’s Seasoning (can substitute soy sauce)
1 tbsp Paula Deen House Seasoning (can substitute garlic salt and pepper mix) 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup Japanese Panko bread crumbs
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
2-3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
fresh ground and pepper to taste
4 cheese slices, Muenster or Monterey Jack
Mix all ingredients except the cheese together with the ground chicken and mix thoroughly with your fingers in a claw motion until mixed well. Place burgers in a baking dish and cover, let marinade in refrigerator for up to 1 hour. Preheat grill with Mesquite Charcoal. Form meat mixture into 10-12 patties and grill over med-high heat for 5-6 mins each side until no longer pink. Melt cheese slices over burgers last 5 mins of grilling, covering grill to melt cheese. Serve with broccoli slaw and garlic dill pickles.
Serves 4.
Fresh Shrimp from the Market
Teriyaki Shrimp Kabobs
1.5 lb fresh Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can pineapple chunks, or 1.5 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 large red onion, cut into large chunks
Tavern on the Green Golden Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 cup Pineapple juice
In a large resealable plastic bag or plastic bowl, combine shrimp with Teriyaki Sesame Marinade and Pineapple juice; cover or seal and let marinate in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.
Drain and discard marinade. On 8 metal or soaked bamboo skewers, alternately thread shrimp, pineapple and onion. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Grill kabobs, covered, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until shrimp turn pink.
2 bags (3-ounce) Ramen Noodle Soup in Oriental
3/4 stick butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 bags (12-ounce) bags broccoli cole slaw (in the bagged salad section of the grocery store)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds Chopped green onions, for garnish
3/4 cup canola oil 1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 ramen noodle seasoning packet
Directions
Put the ramen noodles in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin while melting butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat. Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally (keep temperature at low/medium heat). Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped green onions.
I recently was fortunate enough to meet Lou Bivona, Managing Partner of Tavern Direct and Founding Member of National Center for Missing & Exploited Children/NY and sample some of his gourmet products to cook with. Tavern Direct has a fantastic line of flavorful, gourmet marinades, dipping and finishing sauces, 14-16 year barrel-aged balsamic vinegars infused with real fruit and herb oils all made with premium, all-natural ingredients bottled under the Tavern on the Green name. The best of all about this wonderful cooking line is that a portion of all their proceeds goes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a charity committed to help millions of children through the sales of their products.
Their product lineup includes Oils, Herbs ‘n More featuring Garlic with Rosemary Oil, Chili Pepper with Garlic Oil and Pepper with Lemon Oil. Their Marinade, Dipping and Finishing Sauce line includes Central Park Signature, Wasabi Wonder, Smokin’ Chipolte and Asian Lemon. The Marinade trio features Chandelier Chardonnay and Fire Grilled Garlic, Old Vine Cabernet and Fire Grilled Garlic and Toscana Garlic Parmesan. The Balsamic Vinegar line is premium and gorgeously flavored with options such as Citrus on the Green (infused with Orange, tangerine and lime), Blackberry and Ginger, Autumn Fig with Vanilla, and Summer Strawberry. Last but not least, they have a robust 1870 Steak Sauce as well as a sesame Golden Ginger Teriyaki Sauce, perfect for marinating steak, chicken and fish for stir-fries and grilling.
With so many gorgeous sauces and marinades to choose from, I had a hard time choosing which one to cook with first. I chose the Garlic with Rosemary Oil in their Oil, Herbs n’ More collection to make a fantastic, delicious meal of Pan Seared Pork Chops, Roasted Zucchini with Garlic and Parmesan and Pecan Brown Basmati Rice with Garlic. With all the wonderful oils and vinegars and marinades in this line, I’ll be cooking up a storm and planning food and wine pairings and special recipes, and aim to share all my creations and cooking experiences with you throughout the year. Stay tuned for more!
For more great recipes and info about Tavern Direct, visit www.taverndirect.com.
To make a donation to NCMEC , visit their secure website.
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Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Garlic and Rosemary
Serves 4
Total Prep time: 30 mins
Total Cook time: 1 hr
Cooking skill: Intermediate
Ingredients
4 large boneless pork chops (about 1 ½ inches thick)
Tavern Direct Garlic with Rosemary Oil
4 Garlic cloves, sliced
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh or dried rosemary leaves
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees and adjust the oven rack to middle position.
Marinade pork chops in the Garlic with Rosemary Oil in a plastic freezer bag or baking dish and place in the refrigerator for up 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Once chops are done marinating, cut 2 slits about 2 inches apart into each chop, using a sharp knife. Insert sliced garlic cloves into slits and sprinkle entire surface of each chop with 1 tsp of salt. Place them in a roasting pan or baking sheet and let stand room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle chops with freshly ground pepper and rosemary and transfer baking sheet or roasting pan to oven. Cook until meat thermometer inserted into the center of the chops registers 120-125 degrees (approximately 30-45 mins).
Heat 1 tablespoon of the Garlic with Rosemary oil in a 12 inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat until smoking. Place 2 chops in skillet and sear until well browned and crusty, 1 ½-3 minutes, lifting once halfway to redistribute the fat underneath each chop. (reduce heat if browned bits in pan bottom start to burn). Using tongs, turn chops and cook until well browned on second side, another 2-3 minutes. Transfer chops to a plate and repeat with remaining 2 chops, adding extra tablespoon oil if pan is dry.
Reduce heat to medium. Use tongs to stand 2 pork chops on their sides. Holding chops together with tongs, return to skillet and sear sides of chops until browned and meat thermometer in center of chops registers 140-145 degrees, about 1 ½ minutes. Repeat with remaining 2 chops. Let chops rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes until ready to serve. Sprinkle with some extra Rosemary if desired to garnish.
Pair the Pan-seared chops with Roasted Zucchini with Garlic & Parmesan and Pecan Brown Basmati Rice (recipes follow) and a light, crisp Chardonnay to top off the meal. Delicious!
Roasted Zucchini with Garlic and Parmesan
Serves 4
Total Prep time: 15 mins
Total Cook time: 30-45 mins
Cooking skill: Easy
Ingredients
4 medium zucchini
Tavern Direct Garlic with Rosemary Oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh or dried rosemary leaves
Preparation
Wash zucchini and cut in half length wise, chopping off ends, and cut in half again. Arrange zucchini in a glass baking pan and drizzle the Garlic with Rosemary oil over the zucchini. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and top the zucchini with the shredded Parmesan cheese and fresh or dried rosemary. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 mins until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.
Pecan Brown Basmati Rice with Garlic
Serves 4
Total Prep time: 15 mins
Total Cook time: 1 hour
Cooking skill: Easy
Ingredients
1 cup long-grain brown rice
1-2 tablespoons Tavern Direct Garlic with Rosemary Oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
¼ cup green onion, sliced thin (for garnish, optional)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Preparation
Prepare brown rice in medium saucepan, following package instructions.
About 15 minutes before the rice is done, heat 1-2 tbsp of Garlic with Rosemary oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and begins to yellow, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and pecans; sauté over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the garlic is tender and pecans are browned slightly, about 5 minutes.
Remove rice from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Spoon brown rice into a bowl; spoon the onions, garlic and pecans on top and toss lightly to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with some chopped green onion if desired.
**This was not a paid endorsement for Tavern Direct, NCMEC or Tavern on the Green. All recipes and opinions expressed are my own.
