lunaticsinge.com - Southern Cuisine Company's Calling

Cheesy Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce - (Serves 8 to 12 - 5 cups sauce)

Meatloaf Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef (20% fat)

2 cups thickly shredded cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated garlic, or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more to taste

1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 large eggs

Mushroom Sauce Ingredients:

1 (14.5 oz.) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

2 cups thinly shredded cheddar cheese

1. To Make the Meatloaf: Set the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray a baking sheet with oil or baking spray.

2. Put the beef and cheese in a very large bowl and add the Lawry's seasoning, salt, granulated garlic, and black pepper. Add the green pepper and onion. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream with the Worcestershire sauce. Crack the eggs, cutting into the yolks with a wooden spoon to mix them in more easily. Whisk the mixture together well and add it to the meat mixture. Using your hands, mix everything together thoroughly.

4. To be sure the seasoning is right, make a small patty of the meatloaf mixture and cook it in a skillet. Taste it; you may need to add more salt or garlic or something else. Once the seasoning is right, put the meat mixture on a baking sheet and pat it gently into a long oblong loaf about a foot long, 5 inches wide, and 2 1/4 inches tall. The easiest way to do this is to slap it gently into place.

5. Bake the meatloaf for 1 hour. When it's doe, the top will be browned and meatloaf will feel firm when you pat the top of it. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let stand, still on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes.

6. Meantime, Make the Mushroom Sauce: Heat up the mushroom soup in a large saucepan, over medium-low heat. Don't let it heat to the point that it makes a popping sound; turn the heat down if it does. Add the salt, garlic, and pepper then mix well with a wooden spoon. Slowly add the cream, whisking as you go, and cook briefly over low heat; you just want to get it hot. Test the seasoning and adjust , if needed. Slowly add the cheese, whisking until smooth. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

7. Slice the meatloaf and serve with the sauce

spooned over each slice.

Sunday Roast Chicken with Herb Butter - (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 (5 lb.) roasting chicken

2 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/3 teaspoon dried sage

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon Dora's Savannah Seasoning (recipe on Basics page)

1 medium onion, cut in half & then into half moons.

2 celery ribs, cut on an angle into 1-inch thick chunks

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 teaspoon paprika

5 medium russet potatoes, peeled & cut into quarters

1 lb. baby carrots

1/2 cup water

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry.

3. In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, thyme, sage, and nutmeg together with a fork. Work the tips of your fingers under the skin of the chicken over the breast, being careful not to puncture the skin. Smear the seasoned butter under the skin over the chicken breast, working your way down to the thighs. Sprinkle the chicken inside and outside with 2 tablespoons of the Savannah seasoning, rubbing it in well.

4. Line the bottom of a large deep casserole dish or a roasting pan with half the onion, celery, and peppers, setting the other half of the vegetables aside. Arrange the chicken, breast side up, on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the paprika over the chicken and rub it in lightly.

5. Scatter the remaining half of the vegetables around the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon Savannah seasoning evenly over the vegetables and drizzle the water evenly around the chicken.

6. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Give the vegetables a stir, rearranging them so they cook evenly. Roast until a drumstick wiggles in its knee joint and the juices from the thickest part of the thigh runs clear, about another 45 minutes.

7. When the chicken is done, let it rest on a carving board for 20 minutes while you keep the vegetables warm in the pan, stirring them so they pick up the juices left in the pan.

8. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables and any pan juices.

Rosemary Cornish Hens - (Serves 2)

Rice Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice or converted white rice

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (2 cups if using white rice)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 small onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Hens Ingredients:

2 Cornish hens (thawed)

Olive oil in a spray bottle

1 tablespoon Dora's Savannah Seasoning (recipe on Basics page)

3 teaspoons dried rosemary, finely crumbled

1/2 teaspoon sweet Spanish smoked paprika, or more to taste

1/3 cup chicken stock

1. To Make the Rice: Rinse the rice well in a strainer under hot tap water to get rid of extra starch, then put it in a 2-quart saucepan. Add the chicken stock and salt and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Stir the onion, celery, and parsley into the rice and set aside, uncovered, to cool completely.

2. To Cook the Hens: Set the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-x-13-inch casserole dish with olive oil.

3. Spray the Cornish hens both inside and out with the Savannah seasoning and arrange them in the casserole dish. Stuff the hens with some of the rice and spoon1 teaspoon of the rosemary over each hen, patting it onto the tops and sides. Spoon the remaining rice around the hens. Evenly sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the paprika onto each hen. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon rosemary over the rice.

4. Drizzle the chicken stock evenly over the rice in the dish and cover the dish with a lid or foil.

5. Bake the Cornish hens for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices in the thickest part of the thigh runs clear. Serve hot, with the rice on the side.

Turkey Dressing - (Serves 10 to 12)

Stock Ingredients:

3 1/4 quarts (14 cups) water

1 pound gizzards

4 large fresh turkey necks

3 tablespoons Dora's Savannah Seasoning (recipe on Basics page), or more to taste

1 1/2 cups green bell peppers, chopped

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped

1 1/2 cups onions, chopped

Dressing Ingredients:

4 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, or more to taste

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

4, large hard-boiled eggs, chopped

5 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted, or more as needed

Buttermilk cornbread, crumbled

3 large eggs, beaten

1. To Make the Stock: Pour the water into a large pot and add the gizzards and turkey necks. Stir in the Savannah seasoning and bring the pot to boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer, covered, until the meat is tender, 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, stirring from time to time. To check, stick a fork into the gizzards; it should go right through if they're tender. Slit the turkey necks to see if the meat tears when you pull it.

2. Add the vegetables to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes more. Remove the turkey necks and let them cool a bit. Strain the stock and let the vegetables and gizzards cool down too.

3. Pull the meat off the necks in strips, then chop and set aside. Separate out the gizzards and chop them. You should have about 12 cups stock. If you don't, add water and a little more seasoning until you have 12 cups.

4. To Make the Dressing: Set the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish.

5. In a very large bowl mix together the stuffing, seasoning, hard-boiled eggs, butter, and about 6 cups of the stock. Stir in the vegetables, neck meat and gizzards. Add about half the cornbread crumbs and more stock as needed; the dressing should be a bit moister than freshly baked cornbread. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Mix in the beaten eggs.

6. Pile the dressing into the baking dish. Bake until golden brown on top, 30 to 45 minutes. Serve right away, or let it cool and then freeze.