Turkey Meatloaf

A couple of months ago, one of my coworkers asked if I had a classic meatloaf recipe.

I immediately went to V&B, thinking I could just forward her the link ... when I realized I do not have a "traditional" meatloaf on my blog!  I couldn't believe it.  I make this recipe often, in a rotation with buffalo chicken meatloaf (which is now also a staple in our household.)

So I wanted to remedy this oversight immediately, but it's usually tough to snap a decent picture during the madness of weekday mealtimes.  Which meant I had to wait until I made it on a weekend... and the pictures are still pretty rugged, haha!

Look, as I've lamented before, it's tough to make a mound of barf-colored meat look 'sexy.'  I think I've gotten a little better, but this time I also had a hungry Mini Smalls circling like a shark.

Don't mess with the Mini when she's ready to eat - trust me, the girl is serious about her chow.  Does this look like the face of an amateur to you?

Don't be fooled by the kitty in the bottom of her bowl.  She's hardcore, I tell you.  Ruthless.

(I think she gets it from her momma - I get "hangry" too.)

In any event, I promise the taste makes up for my poor food styling & photography skills!

Turkey Meatloaf

• 16 oz. ground turkey (I use 94% lean)
• 1 egg
• 2 T. milk
• 1/2 C. plain breadcrumbs
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 3/4 t. onion powder
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. dijon mustard
• 2 T. fresh parsley, minced
• 1 t. salt
• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Glaze:

• 1/3 C. ketchup
• 1 T. barbecue sauce
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a glass pie pan or 8" square baking dish, and set
aside.  (If you like to make it in a loaf pan that's fine too, but I prefer to a larger dish so the end result is less greasy.)

Whisk eggs & milk in large bowl.  Add breadcrumbs, garlic & onion powders, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.  Add ground turkey and mix well with hands until
thoroughly combined.

Form into a mound in prepared pan/dish and bake 50 minutes.  In bowl, prepare glaze by combining ketchup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar.  Spread over meat, and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 2-4 people.

Original Recipe

Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken

So... originally this post was supposed to be Homemade Ginger Ale.

And then when that tasted like crap, it was supposed to be something else (which I won't tell you, because there's hope for that yet).

However, I will tell you it involved an ice cream maker - which originally I couldn't use because I forgot to put the canister in the freezer.  So I put it in overnight... and then our power went out early this morning.

But then it came back on, and I (mistakenly) thought the canister was ready so I got the ice cream maker going - and it ended up just doing a really thorough job of mixing everything, because the canister wasn't actually frozen.

ARGH.

So... Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken it is!

This is a great recipe for when it's really hot out and you don't want to turn on your oven.  (Like yesterday here in NJ... it's never good when you look at the weather forecast and see "High 103").

I believe you could also set it on low in the morning and it will be ready for dinner when you get home from work.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken 

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 1/4 C. ketchup
• 1/4 C. brown sugar 
• 1 T. + 1 t. Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 T. + 1 t. soy sauce
• 2 T. cider vinegar 
• 2 T. chipotle sauce* (see notes below) 
• 1 t. molasses 
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 3/4 t. garlic powder

Place all sauce ingredients in slow cooker - stir to combine.  Add chicken breasts, nestling into sauce to coat.  Cook on high about 3 hours, or until chicken is cooked all the way through and beginning to fall apart.  Remove from chicken pieces from crockpot and shred with forks.  Replace in sauce, stir to coat, and cook an additional ten minutes.  Serve on potato hamburger buns, or other roll of your choosing.  Makes 6-8 sandwiches.

*Note: "Chipotle Crushed Sauce" is available in the Spanish foods section of many grocery stores, in a small squeezable bottle - the brand I have is Goya.  You also can substitute pureed canned chipotles in adobo sauce instead.  You may also adjust the amount of any of the above to your taste for spiciness; 2 T. of chipotle sauce gives this a little kick and adds smokiness. (If you can't find chipotle at all, you can also use red pepper flakes to taste).

Recipe Adapted from About.com