Adventures in Cooking

So I started out slow in the kitchen with baking. I love baking, exact measurements, exact timing, if you can follow a recipe, you can bake. Cooking, however, was a different story. I think it scared me to try an entree or meal that wasn't chicken and vegetables or anything that required any prep work.

I discovered Sandra Lee and her Semi Homemade cookbooks. Her recipes include 70% pre-made ingredients, 30% fresh. This is right up my alley. So we checked out her Weeknight Wonders cookbook from the library and picked out a couple things to try. It came time to take the book back and we hadn't tried anything yet. I quick scribbled down the recipe for one of the front runners we wanted to try and dashed to return the book.

We decided to try the Ham Meatloaf with a Pineapple glaze. Since ham and pineapple is just about my favorite pizza ever, can't go wrong combining them in another recipe, right? I am happy to report it was super easy to make and turned out amazing. The sweetness from the pineapple threw me off at first, but a couple bites in and it was confirmed to be delicious! Sorry no pictures, we gobbled it down as soon as it came out of the oven!


Ham Meatloaf with Pineapple Glaze, from Sandra Lee Weeknight Wonders
Ingredients:
For the Glaze:
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup brown sugar
2tsp stone ground mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
1/4 cup cider vinegar

For the Ham loaf:
1 lb of smoked ham, chopped
1 lb lean ground pork
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 small yellow onion, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup crushed Ritz
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 325, spray 9x5 loaf pan with non stick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl stir together pineapple, brown sugar, mustard, horseradish, and vinegar. Spread half of the glaze in the bottom of the loaf pan. Set the other half aside.
3. Place ham in food processor. Pulse briefly scraping the bowl, do not over process or it will turn to paste. Transfer ham to mixing bowl, add in ground pork, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, egg, and milk. Stir until combined.
4. Press the ham mixture into the loaf pan. The glaze will rise up the sides. With a sharp knife make slashes on the top in several places. Bake for one hour. Brush on remaining glaze and bake for another 30 minutes.

We served with some mashed potatoes and veggies. The leftovers reheated very well for another delicious meal!!!

Have you tried any new an delish recipes recently?