lots of comfort & the winner is . . .

Hello everyone!  How is your week going so far?  I was so impressed by how many of you are on top of all your gifts this year!  I am still way behind, ugh!  But I’m not going to freak out about it.  I am also feeling much much better, still kind of coughy in the mornings, but much better thank goodness.  Humidifiers help me tremendously and I usually sleep with a sheet over my nose so I have moist air to breathe.  Is that weird?  . . . 

I really enjoy the foods of winter because they are warm, comforting and mighty tasty!  It seems like I’ve been on a roll lately with the down home country cookin’.  These kinds of foods are also the best for leftovers and can be transformed to other dishes.

I just wanted to share a couple nice recipes that I enjoy during the winter and also announce the coconut water giveaway winner!!

The first one is cornbread-topped chicken pot pie  mmmm!  Chris and I really enjoy this one and the addition of the leeks gives it such a wonderful flavor.  Give it a try it’s really yummy.

The next one is my version of Italian-style meatloaf.  Gotta love all that gooey cheese in the middle!  This time I paired it with sautéed haricot verts with caramelized shallot and pecans, along with some roasted fingerling potatoes.  You know I never really eat ketchup unless I’m at a restaurant or if I make meatloaf!  For me I have to have ketchup with meatloaf :)

Mix this all in a big bowl:

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 jar TJ’s bruschetta mix
• 1/3-1/2 cup quick oats
• 1 egg
• 1/2 onion, diced & sautéed in a pan (I threw in some mushrooms too)
• seasonings:  Herbs de Provence (or Italian Seasoning), garlic powder, salt, pepper
• topped with a bit of ketchup
• Mozzarella cheese for stuffing

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.  Take about a handful of the meat mixture at a time to form about four, 1/2 mini meat loaves on a foil lined broiler pan.  Place some mozzarella cheese down in the center and then top with the rest of the meat mixture.  Make sure there aren’t any seams open, or the cheese will ooze out when baked.

Bake until a thermometer registers 155 F, take them out of the oven and let rest until the temperature raises to 160 F.  Enjoy!!           

It looks like it has a giant tongue!

    

You can also make stuffed meatloaf burgers! 

With the leftover meatloaf this time I chopped it up and threw it in some tomato and roasted red pepper soup from TJ’s, along with some veggies and pasta.  It was great & easy!

Ok, now on to the fun stuff . . .

 

-----> COCONUT WATER GIVEAWAY! <------

Thank you for your interest in my post about coconut water.  I find it fascinating!  I also agree with many of you on the downside of its expense.  It is pretty darn pricey at $1.99/per 8oz carton and a bit less if you buy the larger bulk carton.  It’s also not as accessible as regular sports drinks and can be very hard to find at grocery stores here in the US.  It sure is a refreshing treat though. 

The two winners of 5 individual coconut waters are . . . (generated by RANDOM.org)

*Naomi* & Lori

Congrats guys!  E-mail me kristen@eatingrd.com with your address and I’ll try to get that out before the holidays.  Let me know if you like it or even hate it :)

On Friday we are having some friends over for a pizza-making party!  I’m excited because I love these kinds of parties.  Everyone gets to make their own pizza and chose from different toppings.  It’s not really holiday themed, but it’s fun & will involve some vino!  Saturday I’m going to be baking like a mad person for the cookie exchange I’m going hosted by Kristen, the swanky dietitian.  I’m looking forward to it!  It’s going to be tough with all those cookies around calling my name, but we’ll see how I do.  I’m thinking about making a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie from Tam, but I can’t decide on the other?  I was thinking either chocolate baklava or mint chocolate cookies.  What do you think I should make??  There are too many good recipes out there, help me decide!

Hope you all have a great weekend!  I can’t believe Christmas is just about here, but I’m just excited about going to visit my mom :)