Mexican Meatloaf And Corn On The Cob With Green Chili Butter

It's coming on sweet corn season in Colorado, and I spied some at the grocery store the other day.  And there's nothing like sweet crisp corn with green chili butter.  So here's the recipe for my Mexican Meatloaf and, of course, the corn/butter.

Meatloaf

1lb ground beef (96% lean)
1 cup panko bread crumbs - or more if mixture feels loose
1 14 oz can tomatoes with zesty green chilis, slightly drained
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red and yellow peppers
1 small can black olives, drained
thinly sliced jalapeno peppers, to taste
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne to taste
1 cup colby/jack cheese

Mix together everything but the cheese and put in greased loaf pan.  Cook one hour at 350 degrees.  Pull meatloaf from oven and cover with cheese, then return to oven for 10 more minutes.

Corn

Roll up clean, husked corn in wax paper and twist ends; set on a microwavable plate and microwave for 3 minutes per number of cobs.  One cob, 3 minutes; 4 cobs, 12 minutes.  Remove from microwave and carefully remove wax paper.

Butter

Add to softened butter (to taste) - green chilies (like jarred 505 Green Chili), salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Mix well and cover, put in the fridge until ready to use.

Once the sliced meatloaf is on the plate, add a bit more cheese and drizzle some jalapeno ranch dressing over the top.  Slice up an avocado (or make some guac) for a garnish.  And don't forget the corn and butter!  Enjoy!

Yummy Potato Corn Chowder

We had a cold snap last week, and I couldn't think of a better reason to have a thick and hearty (not to mention delicious) soup for dinner.

The original recipe for this came from Swanson when they introduced their Cream Soup Starter (which I can no longer find and now have to do a roux from scratch), and of course I jacked it up a bit.

Here's what you'll need:

1 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, chopped (about a cup)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped (about a cup)
8 oz. baby red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1.5 cups)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped green chilies
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces and fried crispy
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese
1.5 sticks butter
1.5 cup flour
2 cans chicken broth

Cook and drain the bacon.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, red pepper, potatoes, paprika, and green chilies.

Season with salt and black pepper.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Make a roux with the butter, flour and chicken broth.

Melt the butter, then add the flour and stir until combined and about the consistency of cream of wheat.  Slowly add one and a half cans of chicken broth and continue stirring.  Stir.  Stir.  Stir.  And pay attention, because suddenly you've got wallpaper paste.  Add more of the broth (or a bit of milk) to help bring the consistency to a rich, thick cream.

When the potatoes are tender, add the roux, the bacon, and the corn and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese.  Let the chowder simmer for a bit, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy!

Easy Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

Simple and delicious - two of my favorite adjectives for a weeknight dinner.  Even better, you can substitute just about anything in the veggie mix, and you can use any kind of sausage!

Get out your biggest sheet pan and line with foil.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Slice open and cut into two-inch pieces any 16oz package of fully cooked sausage (Hillshire, Butterball, whatever).  Last night I used chicken sausage.  Place on the foil.

Chunk up a zucchini or yellow squash, slice up some mushrooms, smash and chop up four cloves of garlic, thinly slice about half of a red onion and cut up a few mini bell peppers.

Dump into a mixing bowl and drizzle about a half cup of good olive oil.  Add some salt and pepper, some red pepper flakes and a tablespoon or so of Italian seasonings.  Mix well and then add to foil lined pan - distribute evenly.

Place in oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring about halfway through.  Grate some fresh parm on top before serving.