Homemade Grilled Meatloaf

I'm at kind of a standstill in the bathroom while I am using up what I have already made and waiting on more ingredients. I have also branched out into the household area but am not thrilled with some of what I have tried, so I have decided on these "off" days I might as well be sharing some of our favorites around here that I am usually making anyway!

How to Grill Your Meatloaf

Another summertime, well actually anytime, favorite as long as we can fire up the grill. This is another one of those restaurant inspired meals that we have recreated at home and it is SO GOOD! Weber Grill is an absolute must if we are near one, there's three in Chicago and it's surrounding areas and one in Indianapolis ... and I am just now seeing one is coming to the St. Louis area. 

The recipe I have tweaked is by Jamie Purviance from Weber's Way to Grill. The primary reason for tweaking is due to the fact ground pork is something we generally don't have on hand, so I just have always double the ground beef it calls for in his recipe. Still great, but I would love to try making it with the pork sometime. 

Grilled Meatloaf

Meatloaf

2 pounds of ground beef (yesterday's ground steak is even better!)

2 cups bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Sauce

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Gently combine all the meatloaf ingredients in a large bowl. (I prefer to use my hands, but have used my kitchen-aid mixer also.) Divide the meat mixture in half and form two loaves. Place on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with edges. Set aside. Whisk sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Use about 1/4 cup or less of sauce to cover each loaf. Reserve the rest to baste while grilling (be careful not to double-dip after touching the raw meat). Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or internal temperature is 160 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (This would be a great stopping point for a make ahead recipe. Freeze or refrigerate until ready.) Preheat grill. Cut meatloaf into 1/2 thick slices. Place meatloaf slices on grill and baste with reserved sauce. Flip and baste. And repeat. And repeat until sauce is gone or you have reached your desired sauciness. 

The grilling process really doesn't take long, about the time you have them all basted it's time to go back to the beginning and start flipping. I have made this the day (or a few days) ahead as well as sliced it and then wrapped it up, zip-locked it, and thrown it in the freeze! If you do freezer meals, this would be a great addition. I have made the sauce ahead and froze it, but it is so simple I would rather make it fresh and then freeze any leftovers if need be. 

A Side of Love

Love and Compassion

You may agree or you may not, but the true point here is we don't have to agree in order to love one another and show compassion. Love is a strong word but it truly is only a word. Like 1 John 3:18 states, "Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions." 

Love is no easy task, if it was we'd all be jumping with joy and there would be no sadness, anger, disgust, or fear. If you've seen the new Disney Pixar film Inside Out, you may notice a connection there, if not I highly recommend it! It's an animated production with a story line based on the inner-workings of our memories and feelings which ultimately create our personalities, I applaud the scriptwriters for their creativity and real-world connections. 

You might be wondering, "Well, how in the world does this relate!" Throughout our day-to-day lives we are controlled by emotions. Joy keeps us positive, sadness brings us down, fear can stop us, disgust causes us to judge, and anger can explode us. While any of these on their own will never be sufficient to create what God intended for our lives, all of them together can create something truly remarkable which is exactly what He wants for us. It's when we work towards balancing all of these the love can finally breakthrough! 

I have in no way perfected this balance and have been guilty of fearing what someone might think if I share my opinion; letting my temper rage when my children are disobeying; allowing sadness to keep me from pushing through; judging other's with disgust; and letting joy take over while pushing all my other emotions to the side. I am sure we all could admit to these emotions at one point or another, but the fact of the matter is what we do when any one of these emotions are given the opportunity to rule our lives. Could you even begin to imagine life feeling only one of these emotions?!?!?

If we truly want to find a balance and show love and compassion to everyone we encounter, we need to be aware of what emotions are playing part in our reactions. Instead of allowing only the emotion that is quickest to the scene to be in charge, we need to allow the emotion that needs to be, take over. Easier said than done, but most definitely a great perspective with a much better outcome! 

Homemade Mac & Cheese

How to Make Your Mac & Cheese from Scratch

I've been tweaking my homemade mac & cheese for a while now and there always seems to be something missing ... until last night that is! I love restaurant mac & cheese so my standard for my homemade version is set pretty high. 

Homemade Mac & Cheese

16 ounces noodles of your choice (elbow, bow-tie,  shells, cartwheels, penne)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
6 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces of cheese cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded cheese (I used cojack last night)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook noodles according to box directions. While noodles are cooking, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk flour into melted butter until smooth and bubbly. Add milk, salt, and pepper. Cook until milk is almost boiling stirring frequently to keep it from burning on the bottom of the pan. At any point after the milk has been added tend to the noodles as needed, strain and rinse with cool water when ready. Reduce heat to medium and add cream cheese. Stir frequently until cream cheese is melted. Once noodles are cooked, strained, and rinsed add the sauce and both shredded cheeses to the noodles. Stir until noodles are well coated. DEVOUR!

I have in the past, tossed this into a cassorole dish and baked it, but last night there really wasn't any need to ... it was delish right off the stove! If you haven't been pleased with the homemade mac & cheese recipes you have tried, take a test run with this one and let me know what you think.

Tick Repellent

I hate ticks! They really gross me out!! A few years back was my first encounter with a tick, I saw something on our dog and when I went to go investigate I realized what it was. The Mr. wasn't home and was going to be gone over night so I had to be the one to tackle removing it. I quickly started searching the internet for solutions. It wasn't big and blood-filled so I knew it had to be rather fresh which helped. I then went to work using a tweezers to remove the tick by it's head and then placed it in a jar with some rubbing alcohol to kill it.

We live in an area where ticks are very likely but definitely not in an overabundance. However, last night I found a tick on me ... EEEEKKKKK!!! I had been out mowing yesterday evening and when I was getting ready to shower I noticed something small and dark on my arm, and SURE ENOUGH it was a tick. A first for me and I had the heebie-jeebies the rest of the night! 

So, the first thing on my mind this morning was there's something I could make as a tick repellent which is when I came across Primally Inspired. She has been using rose geranium essential oil on both her dog and herself and hasn't found a tick since using it. 

I absolutely LOVE essential oils and have been using them since our #1 was little, so just over ten years. This led to making bath salts, sharing them as gifts, and then eventually tried my hand at selling them on Esty when #3 was little. I would have loved pursuing the Etsy thing more but it was easier to just gift and sell my bath salts locally. Through all of this I have discovered I am an essential oils hoarder and am very stingy with even our own personal uses because they can get costly. I am a firm believer in the benefits and natural uses of essential oils but it truly is an investment, a very good investment though!

I was very blessed to meet up with my cousin and her essential oil mentor yesterday for a essential oils chat. I am always excited to hear about others' ideas and uses when it comes to their own day to day lives. 

Rose Geranium is just a blend of rose oil and geranium oil so if you would have both of those you could great your own blend. 

Today's Question: What is your favorite use for rose or geranium essential oils?

Homemade Refried Beans

How to Make Your Own Refried Beans

I was so graciously given this recipe from a friend when I shared about using dry beans and I have to say, SO easy AND very impressed!

Refried beans are one of those items that never look appetizing, but are OH SO GOOD!

Refried Beans - Original Recipe

1 onion, peeled & cut to your liking (diced, halved, whatever)

3 cups dried pinto beans

2 tablespoons minced garlic

5 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

2-3 jalapenos, diced

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8-9 cups water (could substitute vegetable or chicken stock)

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on high for 8 hours, stir occasionally. Strain, reserve liquid. Mash beans with potato masher, add reserved water as need for desired consistency.

This next recipe is what I did based on what I had as well as my crocks are 2.5 quarts which are slightly smaller than your standard crock-pot. I split my recipe into two - 2.5 quart crocks. I'm adding my tweaks so I can remember what I did for next time. :)

Refried Beans - My Tweak

1 onion, chopped finely

4 cups dried pinto beans

1 teaspoon garlic powder

6 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1/8 teaspoon cumin

3 jalapenos, chopped finely (will add fewer next time)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

11 cups of water

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on high for 8 hours, stir occasionally. Strain, reserve liquid. Mash beans with pastry cutter (I don't have a potato masher), add reserved water as need for desired consistency. Made about 4 cans worth. 

This ended up being a little spicier than I typically make things only for the kids sake. With that being said, they all gobbled up the tostadas I made using these without much complaint; and the Mr. gave a good review as well!

Homemade Flour Tortilla Shells

How to Make Your Own Flour Tortilla Shells

From start to finish, my time invested in these 16 flour tortilla shells was approximately an hour and a half. In the sense of time, was this worth the maybe $2 I saved on not purchasing them at the store ... ah, no! Will I make them again ... ah, yes! Definitely not an every time thing, but I can see myself tweaking these to make some great burritos like Pancheros. I get my inspiration from restaurants and then come home and keep working on recreating them, this is a big way we save money around here! There really is no reason you can't eat great food on a budget.

As for ingredients, these are way better for you! I used the recipe from The Cafe Sucre Farine. 

Homemade Flour Tortilla Shells

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup warm water

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Using dough hook mix well. Add the oil and water. Mix at medium speed for 1 minute, scraping sides throughout. Mix for another minute or until dough forms a ball. Reduce speed to low and mix for one more minute. The dough will be smooth but fairly wet still. Turn the dough out onto a well floured work surface. Coat with flour. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Use the palm of your hands to form into balls and flatten slightly. Cover dough balls with towel and let them rest for 15 minutes. After rest time (this is for everybody, heehee), use a well floured rolling pin a roll dough into 6-7 inch tortilla shells. About half way through start preheating your dry, ungreased skillet to medium heat. Once all the shells are formed and your skillet is hot, cook one shell at a time. Cook for about 1 minute or until the shell begins to bubble. Flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds. You will end of with a soft shell with golden brown spots. WARNING: please do not let yourself be distracted while a shell in on the stove! ;-p Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate or freeze. Makes 16. 

Notice the bubbles ... it's time to flip

perfectly browned!

And no, they weren't all pretty! ;-p

This is an example of what happens when you get distracted! 

Cost Comparison - approximately $0.40 for 16 homemade shells VS. approximately $1 for 10 store bought shells

Homemade Eye Make-Up Remover

Happy Father's Day

First off, I need to give thanks and wish a Happy Father's Day to the Mr. We are so blessed and couldn't ask for more! We spent Father's Day at his second home ... the baseball field! He started his morning well before mine working on getting the field ready for a double header today and then the kids and I took breakfast to the ball diamond and helped where we could. I always have to chuckle when things end up this way, it won't have been planned like this, but all the same we were able to be together in a memorable way! Thanks hon for all that you do, we love you the most-est!!!

Homemade Eye Make-up Remover

2 tablespoons witch hazel

2 tablespoons almond oil (or your favorite oil)

8 cotton balls

 

Pour witch hazel and oil into a small bottle. Shake. Place cotton balls in small container. Pour eye make-up remover over cotton balls. Close tightly. Shake until cotton balls have absorbed all the liquid. (You could keep this in a bottle and pour directly onto a cotton ball for each application.) To use: squeeze excess liquid out of cotton ball and use to remove make-up around your eyes. 

I can't say I am sold on this recipe, but it was worth the try and I will use it until it is gone. There are two reasons I'm not sure about: 1) I would prefer a non-oily base and 2) my Norwex body cloth I use for my face wash does just as good of job. 

Homemade Pectin-Free Strawberry Jam

How to Make Your Own Jam without Pectin

It's taking all of my commitment to sit down and make today's post. It's been a full day of a baseball game and a Father's Day get together and I am beat after an exhausting emergency room visit with #4 last night.  Big brother was being a sweetheart and was taking his little brother outside to play just because that's all #4 wanted to do. Doors and fingers just don't mix and we ended our night with an almost 7 hour emergency room visit that consisted with my baby being hooked up to an IV and all those monitors and sedated while an orthopedic surgeon repaired his pinky finger! He was a trooper and thanks goes out to all the prayers and help last night.

Commitment is when you push through when you least feel like it. It's about making time for something that's important to you. I worked today on coming up with a recipe for this SO I am making myself get a post in! :) 

Homemade Pectin-Free Strawberry Jam

16 oz. fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and mashed

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Put all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until the consistency coats the back of the spoon and begins to run of in longer doublets. Put in airtight container and refrigerate.  

Face Wash

Not a homemade item but definitely a harsh ingredient eliminator! I have been using the Norwex Body Cloth to wash my face for the past two and a half years and love it! No longer buying outrageously priced face wash and it's healthier for my skin. Also, with the widespreading trend of essential oils (which their are so many health benefits) you are bound to find an oil combination for your skin type or need. Aging, toning, bags, oily, dry, breakouts ... you name it and there's an oil worth trying!

I'll also add, this does an amazing job at removing eye make-up as well. I don't wear a lot, so this does the trick even when it's dry! If you have never heard of or been exposed to Norwex, I HIGHLY recommend you look into their products or find a consultant near you to host a party. It's life changing to say the least and best of all Norwex will save you money in the long. 

As a side note, I am currently looking for a great non-oily eye makeup remover recipe, not because I don't like my Norwex body cloth for removing my makeup but as an alternative just to try. :)

Homemade Moisturizer

How to Make Your Own Moisturizer

This one is going to be a work in progress, but I needed to start somewhere and document what I have tried. I'm a Bath and Body Works user and lover, so this one is going to be a hard one to transition. 

Naturally and Health Living was my inspiration only because it used the ingredients I already have. I have become very fond of aloe vera gel and it's benefits through the reading I have done, so it seemed to be worth a try.

Again, just to add I am no professional throughout all of this, just some one stepping out into the unknown and learning for myself. If you have suggestions, please do not hesitate to inform me! :)

Homemade Moisturizer Try #1

4 tablespoons aloe vera gel

2 tablespoons almond oil

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons shea butter, melted

20 drops of cypress essential oil

20 drops of grapefruit essential oil

20 drops of palmarosa essential oil

20 drops of chamomile essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Allow to set for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the melted coconut oil and shea butter to return to room temperature after being heating just enough for them to melt. Beat until thick and creamy. 

My essential oil choices were to help with varicose and spider veins. I was "blessed" genetically with these ;-p and the four pregnancies really didn't help either. My life and what I do isn't stopped by these veins, but I do feel more comfortable wearing jeans, capris, and longer skirts to hide these oh-so-lovely additions to my legs. I have always wanted to and have never taken the time (because it will be slow going to show results) to use oils to minimize or eliminate the appearance of my varicose and spider veins. 

You really wouldn't have to use any oils or you could use a combination of your liking. I found this chart to be very helpful if you wanted your oils to double duty for you for smell and health benefits.

Updated 6/16/2015 - I have noticed a little irritation after shaving and then using my moisturizer #1 so next I will need to try something like this from Little House Living.

Homemade Moisturizer Try #2

3 parts coconut oil 

1 part witch hazel 

Melt and mix. Use as aftershave lotion.