A Sweet Treat, Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze

     Lisa's Dinnertime Dish has moved.  Please visit me at my new and improved blog site!  The new address is http://lisasdinnertimedish.com.  I look forward to seeing you at the new site!! 


     It seems like this time of year it is all about the pumpkin...pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cheesecake...and that's just the sweet pumpkin!  But hey, pumpkin is good and it's good for you (ok, maybe not so much after you've added lots of sugar and butter, but whatever).  So in keeping with what seems to be a bit of a theme this time of year, I decided that I needed to make pumpkin bread.  And of course, pumpkin is best when it has some form of cream cheese with it, so it would need to be topped by a cream cheese glaze.

     I came up with this recipe by adapting a basic banana bread recipe.  I substituted pureed pumpkin for the bananas and I changed up the flavorings to make it more of a spice bread.  To make the glaze, I beat together cream cheese and powdered sugar and then added milk, little by little, until it was the right consistancy.

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 2 loaves

      

     

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 4 eggs
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat 2 loaf pans with cooking spray.

Add sugars and butter to a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce mixer speed and add eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined.

Add pumpkin puree, mixing until well combined.

Add vanilla and pumpkin pie spice, mixing until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add to pumpkin mixture, mixing on low until just combined.

Divide batter between the two loaf pans.

Place pans in preheated oven.  Set timer for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes or until the tops no longer look moist and the sides are pulling away from the pan.

Let rest for 10 minutes ontop of a wire rack.  Then run a knife along the edges and invert loaves on to the rack to cool completely.

While bread bakes, prepare the glaze.

• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp milk

In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy.

Add powdered sugar and beat until well combined.

Beat in the milk, one tablespoon at a time until it is a consistancy that you can drizzle over the bread.

Drizzle over bread with a spoon.

ENJOY!


Shared at Everyday Mom's Meals on 11/6/11
Shared at Deelicious Sweets on 11/6/11

Sicilian Meatloaf

       Lisa's Dinnertime Dish has moved.  Please visit me at my new and improved blog site!  The new address is http://lisasdinnertimedish.com.  I look forward to seeing you at the new site!!


      Growing up, I was not a huge fan of meatloaf.  My mom would make it from time to time, but it was not necesarily my favorite meal.  Now, don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with her meatloaf.  She made a very traditional meatloaf with either saltine crackers or oatmeal and then the usual egg, ketchup and onion.  I'm sure if I was at her house for a meatloaf dinner now, I would find it to be very tasty.  (So mom, if you want to have us over for meatloaf, just let me know!)

     When I got to be a little bit older, my Dad would make Sicilian meatloaf occasionally.  This meatloaf was filled with ham and mozzerella cheese and rolled up like a jelly roll.  This one was more to my taste and always felt like a special meal (probably because it looked like it was really hard to make, but read on, it's not).

     A few years ago, I decided that I needed to make my own version of Sicilian meatloaf.  I wanted the meatloaf itself to be moist and have the same flavors as an Italian meatball.  So to my meat mixture I add Italian breadcrumbs, eggs, parmesan cheese and tomato paste.  Then to make it really special, I add onion, garlic and red pepper that's been sauteed in a little olive oil.  This adds great flavor and helps the meatloaf to stay moist.  Then I fill it with deli ham, shredded cheese (either mozzerella or a 4 cheese blend) and basil.
I serve it topped with marinara sauce and it is absolutely delicious!

Sicilian Meatloaf

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs ground beef (I used 93% lean)
• 3/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• about 1/4 lb deli ham
• 12-15 large basil leaves
• 1 1/4 cup either shredded mozzerella or 4 cheese Italian (I used a combo of mozzerella, provolone, asiago and romano)
•  marinara sauce



Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Chop the onion, garlic and red pepper. 

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and red pepper and sauted for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, add ground beef, bread crumbs, parmesan, eggs, tomato paste, salt, pepper, parsley and vegetable mixture.  With your hands, mix until everything is well combined.

,

Take a large sheet of parchment paper and lay it out on the counter.  Place your meat mixture in the center.

Pat mixture out to form a rectangle about 8 x 15.  Then top with a layer of ham, a layer of basil and then a layer of cheese, leaving a 1 inch border all around.



Starting at the 8 inch end, roll the meatloaf up, jelly roll style, using the parchment paper to help guide you.

Press down on top seam to seal and press the ends together to seal as well.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 1 hour in preheated oven.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve topped with marinara sauce.

ENJOY!


Shared at Everyday Mom's Meals on 11/6/11

Shared at This Chick Cooks on 11//9/11

Truffled Oven Fries

        Lisa's Dinnertime Dish has moved.  Please visit me at my new and improved blog site!  The new address is http://lisasdinnertimedish.com.  I look forward to seeing you at the new site!!


     I love French fries!  I really love French fries that have been drizzled with truffle oil. On Sunday, Steve and I happened to go to an oil and vinegar store in Stillwater, which is a town not too far from us.  One of the oils we bought was white truffle oil.  I also happened to have potatoes at home.  Coincidence...I think not.

    So tonight I didn't feel like working too hard on dinner, but I still wanted something good.  So my first thought was, why not take some of those potatoes that I have, cut them up into fries, toss them with olive oil and bake them in a very hot oven.  Then, when they come out of the oven, drizzle them with some of that fabulous truffle oil!  How good does that sound?  To round out the menu, I made Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and steamed green bean that I tossed with some green onions and bacon bits.

     Well....the fries turned out FANTASTIC.  Baking them at a high temperature made them turn out very crispy and good.  Drizzling them with truffle oil put them totally over the top!  It's hard to even explain why that makes them so good, you just have to try it for yourself.

Truffled Oven Fries



• 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• white truffle oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Start out by slicing the potatoes vertically into planks, about 1/4 inch thick.

Then, cut the planks into stick about 1/4 to 1/2 in wide.

Once all of the potatoes are cut, place them in a large bowl and toss with the 3 tbsp of olive oil.

Place potatoes on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray spreading them out into a single layer.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.  At 15 minutes, turn the potatoes with tongs or a spatula and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, place in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and drizzle on some of the truffle oil. A little will go a long way, you shouldn't need more than about 1 tbsp.  Toss well.

Serve immediately.

ENJOY!


Shared at Lady Behind the Curtain on 11/2/11
Shared at This Chick Cooks on 11/2/11
Shared at Miz Helen's Country Cottage on 11/3/11
Shared at Everyday Mom's Meals on 11/6/11
Shared at Food Corner on 11/29/11

Crispy Kale, a Great Way to Enjoy a "Superfood"

        Lisa's Dinnertime Dish has moved.  Please visit me at my new and improved blog site!  The new address is http://lisasdinnertimedish.com.  I look forward to seeing you at the new site!!


      I had a skirt steak in the refrigerator that I really wanted to have for dinner on Sunday.  I figured I'd just have Steve grill it up and it would be delicious.  But we needed something to go with it....hmmm.  So while Steve and I were out and about on Sunday afternoon, we stopped at this small market that has a great produce department, with lots of organic fruits and vegetables you can't always find elsewhere.  We started browsing around, trying to get some inspiration.  That's when I saw the organic kale.  I remembered having it at a restaurant a while back.  It had been sauteed until it was crispy and then it was topped with slices of steak and it was absolutely fantastic!

     The decision was made.  This would go perfectly with the skirt steak.  I'd saute it in some olive oil, until it was crisp, add a little salt and pepper and it would make a perfect bed for slices of our skirt steak to top.

     Well, it was fantastic, just like I remembered from the restaurant!  I was a little concerned that Alex wouldn't go for it, but he had seconds and told me that it was definitely  a "keeper".  When it's cooked until it's crispy, it tastes a little bit like roasted broccoli and a little bit like popcorn and it was a perfect accompaniment with the steak.  I think it could be good just to snack on, too.

     If you think you don't like kale or that your children wouldn't like it, you really should try it this way.  It really is a "superfood" and it's loaded with antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium.

Crispy Kale

• 1 bunch kale, rinsed and dried
• olive oil
• salt and pepper



Chop the kale into bite size pieces.  Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil (about 2 to 3 tbsp) and heat over medium heat.  Once pan is hot, add kale, stirring to coat with the oil.

Cook for about 10-15 minutes until kale is crispy, stirring frequently.

Spoon some of the kale onto a dinner plate and top with slices of grilled steak (I also made some garlic herb butter to top the steak with).

It couldn't be easier OR tastier!

ENJOY!