You Cannot Lose With This Fantastic Recipe

I am looking forward to getting back to the usual, everyday dinner rotation after all these festive holiday meals! Don’t get me wrong; we all love a delicious, special dinner for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but after eating ham, smoked salmon, roast, red wine gravy and a gazillion different kinds of creamy salads for a few days in a row, you start missing the regular weeknight meals. Or at least that’s what’s happening to me.

I still have the New Year’s feast to deal with but I’m already planning for my first full week of soups, salads and casseroles. “Nothing special” sounds really special to me, at this point!

I asked my family what they would like for their first non-holiday meal and two out of three said meatloaf, so that’s what it’s going to be then! I have a really good recipe I’ve trusted for years – it’s from canarybird01 over at GardenWeb. My family is crazy about this recipe and I’ve shared it with so many people – now I wanted to share it with you, too!

Visit GardenWeb for canarybird01’s delicious recipes!

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Quick Tip: Use condensed tomato soup or tomato puré – never ketchup!

Could I Please Have This For Every Meal, For The Rest Of The Year?

Before we get started, I have to say that I’ve never been to Louisiana. It’s one of those places I’ve always dreamed of going, but for one reason or another it hasn’t happened yet. I have plenty of friends, though, who’ve been there more than once – and they all tell me the food is amazing. I bet it really is! And I always try to find recipes that would take me there (without even leaving my kitchen).

Hopefully some day soon I’ll be able to visit Louisiana and enjoy those wonderful meals! Until then, this is one of my favorite recipes that I believe has a very authentic flavor. The key thing is to use good quality seafood!

Some people tell me a good gumbo should be so spicy that your lips are on fire – others say that you’re not supposed to make gumbo too hot and spicy. I’m not sure if there’s a right or wrong but I prefer mine with a little bit of kick! With this recipe, that’s totally up to you.

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Quick Tip: You can find file powder in the seasoning section of most well-stocked grocery stores.

Every Home Cook Needs A Tasty Pasta Salad Recipe

You know what I can’t live without? A good salad that goes with any and all BBQ entree! It doesn’t really matter what kind of a salad it is, as long as it’s the tastiest one of its kind.

For a long time my favorite used to be a mayonnaise-based macaroni salad that was always served at our family reunions. It was my cousin’s recipe and she must have copied it dozens of times, to give to everyone in the family. I still do love that salad, but now that I’m getting a little older it seems that all those mayo-calories are going straight to my thighs…

So I decided it was time to  find a new favorite that would be a little leaner. I had my doubts about the flavor, though. You know how it is; sometimes the light, lean and low-calorie options aren’t exactly very tasty.

But this salad is totally scrumptious! No mayonnaise or other fatty ingredients – and you could make this even healthier by using whole-grain pasta. If you choose gluten-free pasta, you can serve this to friends and family with gluten intolerance.

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Quick Tip: Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.

My cousin Jane had always wanted to be an exchange student. She always wanted to visit other countries and experience the life there. We’re quite similar. We both wanted to experience new culture, learn new language, and feel the freedom of being able to journey to the other side of the world. Jane actually had that opportunity while we were still in high school. We were both members of the school paper, but while I was the editor, she was one of our field journalists. It’s the exact same reason why she was able to be considered for such an opportunity.

One of the things that would decide her grant was a live demo interview with her family. The committee had said that when it came to news, it shouldn’t matter whether you’re interviewing a family member or not. You always have to be professional. During one of our gatherings, two members of the committee were invited. They gave Jane a scenario and Jane had to interview any of us based on the scenario. I thought she did quite well, but she was still nervous. After the demo, the committee didn’t say anything. Jane’s Mom graciously offered them chili pie while they were evaluating Jane at one of the corner tables. They left the gathering with nothing but a thank you for the pie. A couple of weeks later, Jane was granted the chance to fly to Europe for the program. She was happy. She didn’t care whether it was because of her talent or the chili pie. I voted for her talent. But the chili pie must have had a part in it.

Photo and recipe courtesy of The Southern Lady Cooks.

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Quick Tip: Serve with a crusty bread or a side of salad.

Our family had an outing once to this town where they have the the best and freshest seafood. They had this restaurant in the middle of the village where there were aquariums everywhere, full of all types of fish and other creatures of the sea. We got to choose the seafood and the type of recipe and the local chefs would cook them in front of us. Guaranteed fresh and real! We enjoyed it because we got to watch how the locals took pride in cooking their products. Also, my Mom and her sisters got a lot of recipe ideas from the exhibition. We could see the enthusiasm in their faces. When we got back from the trip, we all gathered in my aunt’s house and they made us dinner full of seafood goodness.

As much as I love eating seafood, I don’t cook it much. They need to be prepared in a very particular way or else they will not taste as good. And time combined with thoroughness are not something that I could always afford. Except maybe if it’s casserole because we all know how convenient casseroles are—they make our busy lives so much easier. Just like this casserole recipe that I found which introduces a dish that screams of seafood yet is very convenient to make.

Photo courtesy of Food.com. Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.

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Quick Tip: Serve with garden salad on the side.

There is always that one day when you’re craving for anything cheesy. During these days, I long for anything Tex-Mex. All that cheese and beef together in one recipe is something that I can’t take away from my system. And I crave badly. Whenever I want to eat something so bad, even if I’m already in my pajamas, I will just put on a thick sweater, get my car keys, and then drive to the nearest Taco Bell or wherever there’s something that can satisfy my little craving. It happens to me almost every week. My friends say it’s because of stress. I deprive myself of good food whenever I’m busy; so when I have the time to think, my brain reminds me of those things that I have deprived myself of in the past few days and then they will catch up on me, hence the intense craving.

The temporary solution that I’ve found is to look for recipes that will allow me to eat the food that I love without me stressing over the preparations. It only means one thing—I need to find recipes that would allow me to keep them in the fridge for a few days so that I could just reheat a piece every time I have that short burst of craving. This one that I found at Taste of Home combines the flavor of two of my favorite food—tacos and lasagna.

Photo courtesy of Food Beast. Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.

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Quick Tip: Serve with a side of salad greens.

I like cheese. I like hot dogs. I like chili. Put all three of those delicious ingredients together and you wind up with a tummy-pleasing casserole! Chili cheese dog casserole is a wonderful one-pan meal that my family simply adores. It’s cheesy; it has hot dogs, and it’s smothered in a zesty chili sauce.

The one thing that I love the most about this dreamy casserole is that it is 100% kid-approved. Whether you’re making this for your own offspring or your grandkids, they will be sure to love it! I never hear any complaints at my dinner table when serving this amazing meal. I hope you’ll give it a try tonight!

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR A LIST OF INGREDIENTS.

Quick Tip: This recipe is super easy to double when you’re cooking for a crowd.