Yule Log Meatloaf

I saw this on Rachael Ray last week and thought it would be fun for the holidays. The meatloaf and the potatoes were tasty. But mine didn't look nearly as pretty. Good thing the boyfriend doesn't care about presentation. If you're using a baggie (not in the instructions, but she said it on the show) to pipe the potatoes onto the meatloaf, definitely get them cooled a bit before you attempt to squeeze the baggie (although I assume heat would be an issue with a pastry bag too).


Ingredients
4 slices, about an inch thick, good quality white bread, stale and torn
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus some for drizzling
2 small ribs celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
For the mashed potatoes:
3 pounds medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 to 3/4 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
Salt
3 tablespoons butter, sliced
2 egg yolks
Pepper
Paprika

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, soak the bread pieces in the milk.

Heat EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, carrot and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté to soften, 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in sherry and stir. Let reduce by half. Turn off heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, place ground beef in a bowl and add cheese. Wring out the bread and add it to the meat, crumbling it into small crumbs over the bowl. Add cooled veggies and season with salt, pepper, mustard, cayenne and Worcestershire. Add eggs then mix with your hands to combine.

Form meat into a log-shape loaf, about 10 inches long, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Make mashed potatoes while meatloaf cooks.

Place potatoes in a pot, cover with water and bring to boil. Salt water and cook to tender. Drain and mash with half-and-half or cream, salt, butter, egg yolks and season with pepper. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.

Pipe the mashed potatoes in a decorative fashion to cover the loaf completely. Sprinkle the top with a little paprika and transfer back to oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Linguine with Ham and Swiss Cheese

We found this recipe in the Taste of Home Casseroles booklet. We don't make it very often because it's so rich with the sour cream and cheese, but it's soooo tasty! And it looks amazing when you pull it out of the oven, all golden and bubbly.



8 ounces uncooked linguine, broken in half
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded swiss cheese, divided
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Cook linguine according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ham, soup, 2 cups cheese, sour cream, onion, green pepper and butter. Add the pasta, toss to coat.
2. Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 inch baking dish. cover and bake at 350* for 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Best Tuna Melt (New Jersey Diner Style)

The boyfriend made these for dinner last night (found on allrecipes.com), and they were absolutely wonderful! He served them with fries and pickles. Next time we make them, I'll get a picture. Note: tuna cans are mostly only 5 oz now, which seemed to work just fine, and we only needed about 4 slices of tomato. (edit 12/11/11 to add photo)

Ingredients

• 2 (6 ounce) cans solid white tuna in water, drained
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices seedless rye bread
• 8 slices ripe tomato
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• paprika, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven broiler.
2. In a bowl, mix the tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, parsley, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the rye bread slices on a baking sheet, and broil 1 minute in the preheated oven, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and spread with the tuna salad. Place 1 cheese slice over the tuna salad on each piece of bread, layer with a tomato slice, and top with remaining cheese slices.
4. Return layered bread to the preheated oven, and broil 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Leftover Pies

I saw a version of this recipe in a Southern Living cookbook, but it was for small appetizers.  I modified it to make it into dinner.  Baking time is the same no matter what size, so do whatever you want!

The recipe actually called for specific ingredients, but I threw all that out the window and asked Chris and his parents which leftovers they would each like to have in their pie.  I custom made each one.  (I drew a "map" of where each one was on the cookie sheet so I wouldn't mix up who ordered what!)

I put turkey, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, asparagus au gratin, and spirited carrots in mine.  Chris just had turkey, stuffing and gravy.  His mom wanted mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy and carrots, and his dad wanted turkey, stuffing, gravy, carrots and asparagus.

You could make these with just about any kind of leftovers to create a "new" meal the next night.

I bought a refrigerated pie crust and cut each circle in half.  Fill one side, fold it over into a triangle, then press the edges closed with a fork.  Place them on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Brush with one egg, beaten.  Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown.