Frosted Meatloaf Cake

This is so pretty. It looks just like a decorated cake.

FROSTED MEATLOAF CAKE
adapted-Source: CookingVillage

For the Meat Loaf
2 pounds lean ground beef
3 large eggs
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Decoration
1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry
3 1/2 cups hot mashed potatoes
8 cherry tomatoes, stems removed

Preparing the Meat Loaf
Preheat oven to 375F. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, green onions, milk, parsley, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper just until blended.

Divide mixture between two 8-inch round cake pans, patting to cover pans evenly and make level.

Bake meat loaves until juices run clear when meat is pierced with a fork, or meat loaves register 170F on a meat thermometer, 20–25 minutes. Remove pans from the oven; cover loosely with foil and let stand for 10 minutes.

Decorating the Meat Loaf
Pour off juices from pans. Invert 1 meat loaf onto a flat serving plate. Using a small sharp knife, trim red peppers so that they lie flat. Cover top of meat loaf with a single layer of roasted red peppers.

Invert second meat loaf onto red pepper layer. Using a spatula, spread 2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes over top and sides of meat loaf. Spoon remaining potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe swirls around top edges of cake. Pipe stars around bottom of cake.

Place cherry tomatoes, stem-ends down, in a ring around top of meat loaf "cake" to resemble cherries. Cut meat loaf into wedges; serve immediately.

Chimichangas

Healthy Exchanges Food Newsletter, October 1997, pg. 7. These were excellent. However, I put a half cup of meat mixture per one tortilla and only used 4 tortillas instead of 8. This brought down the starch exchanges. And they were awesome. I made them with Whole Wheat La Tortillas, that were only 50 calories per a tortilla.

Recipe Introduction

These are as authentic as any chimichangas found in any Mexican restaurant in any town in America! I often wonder if other cultures shake their heads in disbelief on how we American can totally change their traditional foods or if they ask, "Why didn't we think of that?"

List of Ingredients

• 8 ounces ground 90% lean turkey or beef
  
• 1/2 chopped onion
  
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  
• 1 cup chunky salsa (mild, medium or hot)
  
• 1 teaspoon JO's Chili Seasoning
  
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
  
• 1/4 cup Land O Lakes no-fat sour cream
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil-flavored cooking spray. In a large skillet sprayed with olive oil-flavored cooking spray, brown meat and onion. Stir in garlic, 1/2 cup salsa, and JO's Chili Seasoning. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Spoon 1/4 cup meat mixture into center of each tortilla. Fold 2 sides over filling, then fold ends into center. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Lightly spray tops with butter-flavored cooking spray. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. For each serving, place a chimichanga on a serving plate, spoon 2 tablespoons salsa and 1 tablespoon sour cream over top.
   

Final Comments

Each serving equals:
HE: 2 Bread, 1 1/2 Protein, 3/4 Vegetable, 15 Optional Calories
**********************************************************
276 Calories, 8gm Fat, 15gm Protein, 36gm Carbohydrate,
547mg Sodium, 167mg Calcium, 2gm Fiber
**********************************************************
DIABETIC: 2 Starch, 1 1/2 Protein, 1 Vegetable

"Healthy Exchanges Food Newsletter, October 1997, pg. 7"

How to Use Up That Ground Beef or Turkey

Whacky Doodle Ground Beef


Years ago I made a terrible mistake. I froze 10 of pounds ground
beef. That big block of frozen burger languished in my freezer
for years. What was I thinking? I should have browned it first
then froze it in usable portions. But browning beef can be so messy!

A few weeks ago I came upon another cheap ground beef opportunity.
The expiration date was nearing and my supermarket needed to get
rid of--you guessed it—ground beef. Ten pounds. I almost walked by.
Then I decided to try something different, albeit a little weird.

I put the entire 10 pounds of raw ground beef into my big stock pot.
I added enough water to cover and set it over high heat to come to
a boil, no cover, no salt. After about 5 minutes I gave it a stir
to break up the big clumps, which were few. The hot water was
doing all of my work for me--no splatters, no mess. When all of
the pink color disappeared I knew it was done, even though it
had not started to boil.

I placed my large colander into a big bowl in the sink and
poured the now cooked beef into the colander. I did this in
batches because my colander would not hold all of it at once.
This drained off all the liquid into the bowl including the
fat, leaving uniformly fine-textured ground beef in the
colander. No clumps! I could have done the same thing scooping
the meat from the stock pot with a large sieve, transferring
the drained beef into a large bowl. (When done draining I put
the beef broth in the refrigerator. Later I skimmed off the fat
and will use the broth for soup.)

I measured 2 cups of cooked beef (the equivalent of about 1 pound
of raw ground beef) into each gallon-size zip-type freezer bags,
pressed out the air and zipped. Then I laid each one on the
counter to flatten it thin; stacked them like sheets of paper
and popped the stack into the freezer.

Because my bags of beef are so flat I can use them frozen—no
microwave required. I take one of these flat frozen package
of ground beef, whack it on the side of the sink to break
it into pieces, unzip and pour the contents into a non-stick
skillet. It’s ready for all uses. Here’s the best part:
This method removes the fat leaving the ground meat
virtually fat free.

Quick as a Flash Burrito Filling: Two bags of boiled beef
whacked and dumped into skillet (equivalent of 2 pounds raw
ground beef), two packets of Lawry’s Burrito Seasoning mix
(any brand will do), 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil,
reduce heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Done! Wrap in warm flour tortillas with grated cheese. Serves 8.

Sloppy Joes: Two bags boiled beef (equivalent of 2 pounds
raw ground beef) whacked and dumped, 1/2 cup chopped onion,
1 cup chopped celery, 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato
soup, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1/4 cup
packed brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce,
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 8
hamburger buns.

Place ground beef in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and celery, cover the pan and cook over medium heat
until beef is thawed and onions and celery are tender, about
5 minutes. Stir the tomato soup (undiluted), ketchup, vinegar,
brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture.
Season with salt and garlic powder. Simmer over low heat
until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Spoon the hot beef
mixture onto buns, which may be toasted first. Serves 8.

Meat Loaf Stroganoff

Meat Loaf Stroganoff 
Recipe Lady 

1 cup finely chopped onion 
1 cup mushrooms, stems closely trimmed, thinly sliced 
1/4 cup ff margarine 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
2 large eggs 
1 pound lean ground beef 
1 can kidney beans, drained, rinsed, and mashed
2 cups oatmeal 
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley 
1 cup ff sour cream 
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

Sauté the onion and mushrooms briefly in margarine until the
 mushrooms release their liquid. Add vinegar and continue
 cooking a few minutes more, until the mushrooms reabsorb
 the liquid. Cool. 

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add the beef, oats, parsley,
 sour cream and nutmeg; mix well. Add the onion-mushroom mixture
 and blend. Place the mixture in an oiled or buttered 9 x 5 x 3-inch
 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until firm and browned. 

Serves 6 to 8.