Dutch Oven Meatball Supper

Oh how I love meals that are ready to eat in 30 minutes!  I love them even more when they are full of veggies and relatively healthy.  When you combine the two together, I'm in heaven!  This meal was surprisingly good and simple to make.  The family loved it, and my 3 year old ate her weight in meatballs! 

As I was cooking, I was thinking what a great camping meal this would make.  Use frozen meatballs, either homemade or (even easier) from the grocery store.  Its hearty, simple and best of all, it only uses one pot!

Dutch Oven Meatball Supper
12" dutch oven

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
30 precooked meatballs, freshly made or frozen
1-1 lb. bag carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2" slices
1 large onion, diced
2 cups zucchini, sliced into 1/2" slices then halved or quartered
3 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 tsp. dried basil
3 1/3 cups water, divided
2 Tbs. flour
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 12" dutch oven, heat the oil over a full spread of coals.  Add the onion and carrots and cook until crisp tender (about 5-10 minutes).

Add the meatballs to the frying pan.  Add 3 cups water, bouillon, basil and pepper.  Stir well, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  you may need to remove a few coals to keep it from boiling.

Add the zucchini, cover and simmer until zucchini is crisp tender (about another 5 minutes).  Taste and salt, if needed.

Mix the flour with 1/3 cup cold water and add to the simmering sauce.  Stir until the mixture thickens and comes to a simmer.  Serve over rice. 

Source:  Adapted from Mennonite Girls Can Cook 

Taco Meatball Ring

With every day that passes without an oven I become more and more grateful that I can dutch oven cook.  Its not just for camping or emergencies!  Although I think that not having an oven could qualify as an emergency sometimes.  But not for me because I spent last year preparing for just such an occasion!  I'm actually quite pleased that we aren't eating out every night. (Not that we would, I'm way to cheap for that.)  Nor are we relegated only to what I can make in a skillet or slow cooker.  (Although there's been some of that.)  Nope!  Nothing has changed, oven or not!

This recipe is a fun twist on tacos.  It is also really easy.  This will go into the camping category for sure!  I used 1 dutch oven for the whole meal, but it would be faster if you used one oven to cook the meatballs and one to cook the actual dish.  But its up to you.

Taco Meatball Ring
12" dutch oven

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

3 Tbs. water
4 Tbs. taco seasoning
1 lb. ground beef
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomato
Sliced green onions
Sliced black olives
Sliced jalapeno peppers
Sour cream and salsa

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of cheese, water and taco seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 16 balls.

Place the meatballs in a dutch oven and bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Use 2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Drain the meatballs on paper towels. Pour the grease out and wipe the oven clean.  (I let it cool for a few minutes so I could handle the oven.)

Arrange the crescent rolls in your dutch oven,  forming a ring with the pointed ends facing the outer edge of the pan and the wide ends overlapping.

Place a meatball on each roll. Fold the point over the meatball and tuck under the wide end of the roll. The meatball will still be visible. Repeat with all the meatballs. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.  Use 1 1/2 rings + a few coals on top and 1 ring on the bottom.

Serve with lettuce, chopped tomato, olives, jalapenos, green onions, sour cream and salsa.

The Finished Product





The Review

This was really good.  Especially if you're a meatball connoisseur like I am.  Next time I'll just serve it out of the dutch oven instead of on a serving platter.  It took 4 large spatulas and a few extra arms to get it out in one piece.  It was totally not worth taking it out of the pan just to save a few dirty dishes.  But we'll be having this again for sure.  My kiddos loved it!  Grade A.

Day 362: Sukiyaki

This is our traditional New Year's Eve meal.  My hubby's family has been making this on New Year's for over 30 years.  A family friend lived in Japan for several years and learned to make it while he was there, so I can actually vouch for the authenticity of this one.  Since most of our family was in town for the week we decided to celebrate early.  It also meant I got to share the recipe with all of you.  It is a mixture of thinly sliced beef and vegetables simmered in soy sauce.

Sukiyaki
12"or 14" deep dutch oven
Sauce

2 cups soy sauce
4-6 cups water
1 1/2 -2 cups sugar
Pepper

Combine the sauce ingredients and adjust to taste.  You don't want it too strong or sweet.

Vegetables

Rice sticks or bean threads, soaked in water until softened (In a pinch you can use ramen noodles without the seasoning packet)
Bean sprouts
Bamboo shoots
Mushrooms, sliced
Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage), torn
Green onions, sliced into strips lengthwise
Yellow onions, quartered
Tofu, cubed
4 lb. sirloin tip roast, sliced thin.

Heat some oil in a deep dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Add roast and cook in batches. Place vegetables and noodles in the dutch oven (It should be really full). Cover with sauce. Move about 1/4 of the coals from the bottom to the top and simmer until everything is tender. Serve with rice.

The Finished Product

The Review

Since this has been a tradition in our family forever, you can guess how good it is.  It is one of my favorite meals, bar none.  The only draw back to this meal is that it is expensive and time consuming.  But for a once a year celebration I can't complain.  The onions are my favorite part so I always make a ton of them.  Grade A.

Day 307: Smokey Chipotle Shredded Beef

I wanted to have shredded beef taco salads for dinner last night, but I didn't have a beef recipe that I loved, so I made up my own.  It started out as a hodge podge of what I had in my cupboards.  And if you've been reading my blog very long, you know chipotle chilies are going to be in any Mexican dish I make.  (In case you didn't know, chipotle chilies are one of the foods of the Gods!)  We filled homemade taco bowls with beans, this meat, cheese, salsa and shrubbery.

Smokey Chipotle Shredded Beef

12" dutch oven

3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast

2 Tbs. canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

3 cups water

8 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (7 1/2 oz.) can El Pato Jalapeno Salsa (it is available in the Latin section of most grocery stores.  It doesn't add heat, it just adds flavor)

In your dutch oven, stir together everything except the meat.  Over a full spread of coals, bring the mixture to a boil.  While the sauce is coming to a boil, cut the beef into pieces, trimming off the fat.  Add to the boiling sauce.  Bake at 350° for 2-3 hours or until fork tender, stirring every 30 minutes.  Use 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.  Replenish the coals as needed, and if necessary, add more water.  Keep in mind that when the beef is finished cooking you want the sauce to be thick.  Remove the pot from the heat and shred the beef with 2 forks.  Allow it to sit in the sauce for about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve in tacos, burritos, chimichangas, or any Mexican dish.  Serves 8-10.

The Finished Product

The Review

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but this was fabulous!  You can make it as mild or spicy as you want.  Just add a little bit of the chipotles and taste the sauce BEFORE you put the meat in to see if it needs more heat.  I didn't make mine too spicy because my kids still had to be able to eat it.  I think this would freeze well, if you have any leftovers.  Seriously, I'm surprised there was any for us to have for dinner because I kept sneaking forkfuls right out of the bowl.  It was super yummy!!  We put ours in homemade taco salad bowls.  If you want the recipe for those, you can get it here.  Grade A.

Day 298: Philly Cheesesteaks

First, a disclaimer.  I've never been to Philadelphia.  (Well, I've been to the airport there on my way to New Jersey, but I don't think that counts.)  I've also never had a Philly Cheese steak, so I can't vouch for the authenticity of this recipe.  But I did spend a lot of time on the Internet looking at recipes and reading their comments.  So I picked a couple of recipes that had the most good reviews and kind of combined them.  A lot of the recipes called for cheez wiz, which quite frankly scared me a little so I stayed away from those and went for the provolone.  This one is slightly adapted from a Bobby Flay recipe.

Philly Cheese Steaks
12" dutch oven

For the onions:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions, sliced very thin
Coarse salt and pepper 

For the meat:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, if necessary
1 1/2 pounds lean deli roast beef (get the good stuff)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 slices provolone cheese
6 soft Italian sandwich hogie rolls. split lengthwise

In a dutch oven over a full spread of coals, saute the onions in oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes or until onions are soft and caramel in color.  Set aside.

In the same dutch oven, cook the beef until heated through, adding more oil if necessary.  As it cooks, cut into meat with the side of your spatula. When the meat is heated through sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. When the meat is cooked, mix in the onions and top with cheese slices.  Put the lid on the dutch oven and allow the cheese to melt.  Pile the meat and onions into rolls.  Serves 4-6.

The Finished Product

Whoa!  Bad pic--sorry, it tasted good!

The Review

These were delish!  And they were easy!  This was a perfect quick meal that my whole family loved!  These would also be a great camping meal.  Start to finish in about half an hour.  Like I said, I don't know how authentic they are, but they are delicious.  Grade A.

Day 278: Deer Camp Stew

Okay, so this recipe didn't start out as deer camp stew.  Its humble beginnings were as a skillet stew from Betty Crocker.  But I think poor Betty would find my version almost unrecognizable.  This recipe is so very easy.  It also comes together very quickly.  Its just the sort of thing a man who doesn't cook much would be able to make in the mountains on the deer hunt (which is going on right now around here, by the way).  The original recipe was more skillet meal than stew and it wasn't very interesting.  So I changed things up a bit.  As its written in only feeds 4, but its a cinch to double or triple.

Skillet Ground Beef Stew

12" dutch oven
1 lb ground deer or elk (I used elk, but you could also use ground beef)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 package (8 oz) sliced fresh mushrooms (about 3 cups  I hate mushrooms so I left these out)
2 1/4 cups beef-flavored broth
1/3 cup plus 3 Tbs. heavy whipping cream
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 lb unpeeled Yukon Gold or red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (3 medium)
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 cup frozen peas

In 12"dutch oven, cook meat and onion over a full spread of coals, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain if necessary. Stir in salt, pepper and flour. Add mushrooms; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a bowl, mix broth, whipping cream and mustard with wire whisk. Add to beef mixture. Stir in potatoes and carrots.  Bring to a boil, then move about 1/4 of the coals to the lid and allow the stew to simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly thickened. Add the peas and allow to cook a few more minutes or until they are heated through.  If the sauce is too thin at the end of the cooking process, cook uncovered another few minutes until the liquid reduces and is slightly thickened. Sprinkle with parsley. I found it needed a bit more salt and pepper, so be sure to have a shaker there so you can add more if you need to.  Serves 4-5.

The Finished Product

The Review

I was really surprised by how good this was.  My kids had seconds, and even my hubby (my pickiest eater) had 2 bowls.  Its also a very simple recipe that just about anyone can make.  Add some dutch oven biscuits and some peach cobbler for dessert and you've got yourself a meal.  Deer camp food never tasted so good!  For a weeknight meal we gave this a B, but for a camping meal it gets an A.

Day 234: Mom's Meatballs

I don't know what it is about meatballs.  All the recipes are pretty similar, but none of them taste the same.  I never get tired of them.  My kids love them, especially my 2 year old.  I always know she'll eat them.  Its weird.  This is another recipe I've had forever and not made in almost as long.  It was time to try it again.

Mom's Meatballs
12" dutch oven

1 lb. ground beef
2-3 carrots, shredded
1 large potato, shredded (raw)
1 yellow onion, grated
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c. sour cream
1 can milk
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Mix meatball ingredients together. Roll into meatballs and put them in your dutch oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350° using 1 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom. Mix sauce ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix with a whisk until creamy. After meatballs are browned, pour sauce evenly over the meatballs and place back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes (or until sides are hot and bubbly). Serve over rice.

The Finished Product

The Review

These were yummy!  I loved the red pepper flakes, they gave it a really nice kick.  Even the sauce was good, and I don't care much for canned cream soup.  The veggies in these were good too.  There was almost as many veggies as there was meat.  Its a great way to sneak in veggies for my kids.  These were also quick.  I had them done start to finish in about 40 minutes.  These would be really good for camping.  These get a B.

Day 231: Bobby Deen's Favorite Goulash

As you probably guessed, this is a Paula Deen recipe.  I love her recipes and I use them often.  I love that they are the ultimate in comfort foods.  Most of them are also simple and delicious!

Bobby Deen's Favorite Goulash
12" dutch oven

1/2 tablespoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning (recipe below)
3 tablespoon soy sauce
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3 cups water
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large onion, chopped
2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tablespoon Paula Deen’s Seasoned Salt
2 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked (I used rotini)
1 - cup frozen mixed veggies or frozen corn  (I used an entire 1 lb. bag and it wasn't to much)

In a Dutch oven over a full spread of coals, saute the ground beef until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sauteing. Spoon off any grease. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and saute until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups water, along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, House Seasoning, and seasoned salt. Stir well. If adding mixed veggies or corn add them now. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. I put about 6 coals on top at this point.  Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves, and allow the mixture to sit about 15 minutes more before serving. Serves an army-probably 10-12 adults.  You'll want to cut it in half for smaller groups!

Paula's House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

The Finished Product

 

 
The Review
 
Growing up, my mom used to make goulash.  It was very simple and could be made in about 15 minutes.  I really didn't like it.  Mom's didn't have a lot of flavor.  So I was hesitant to try this recipe.  But I have to say, this is the best goulash I've ever had!  It was perfectly seasoned and totally delicious.  My 15 year old son, Colton,  was praying for leftovers so he could take it to school and have it for lunch.  My kids scarfed it down.  It did take a little while to make, but it was mostly cooking time, not prep time, so this is a great weeknight or camping meal.  Even my goulash hating hubby liked it.  I gave it an A, my hubby gave it a B, so we will meet in the middle and go with an A-.

Day 227: Easy Dutch Oven Roast

I have a confession to make.  In the last 15 years I haven't cooked a roast anywhere but the crock pot.  I've been totally spoiled by roasts that are so tender you can't get them out of the slow cooker in one piece.  I was a little apprehensive about how a dutch oven roast would turn out.  Not that it wouldn't be good, just that it wouldn't be very tender.  I thought I'd try a recipe that a friend gave me a while back.  This roast makes its own gravy.  I also figured the soups in this one would keep it nice and moist.

Easy Dutch Oven Roast
10" dutch oven

2 lb. roast  (use a good cut of beef.  I used a sirloin tip roast)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 envelope brown gravy mix
salt and pepper

Place the roast in the dutch oven and lightly salt and pepper it.  Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the roast.  Bake at 350° for 2 hours or until the roast is tender and cooked through.  Serve with mashed potatoes or bake with potatoes and carrots.

The Finished Product

The Review

This roast was good.  It was tender and juicy and the gravy was yummy.  I used a 4 lb. roast and cut it in half to help it cook faster.  I cooked mine for 3 1/2 hours and added carrots and potatoes during the last 1 1/2 hours of cooking.  Like I said, it was good but it didn't "wow" me.  It was just your average roast.  I must admit that I have finally found something that I would rather cook somewhere other than the dutch oven.  I know I could get a roast "fall apart tender" in the dutch oven, but it is just so much easier to do in the crock pot.  I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I probably won't cook another beef roast in the dutch oven unless the power goes out or something.  I'm giving this a C+ because its not my preferred method to cook a roast.

Day 195: Hamburger Roll Ups

Good morning!  I have a busy day ahead, so this will be a quick post!  I found this recipe here. 

Hamburger Roll Ups
12" dutch oven

Filling

1 lb ground beef
1 medium grated onion chopped
1 carrot, grated (or more if desired)
1 stick of celery sliced fairly small
1 whole green pepper diced
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
3 Tbsp flour
1/2 milk

Brown beef with onion in your dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Mix in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually add milk stirring constantly, boiling one minute. Combine beef and onion mixture with carrots, celery and green pepper.  Remove from pot and set aside.  Wipe your dutch oven with a paper towel to remove any bits of beef and vegetables.

Make a biscuit dough using 2 cups flour or prepared biscuit mixture (recipe below). Roll biscuit dough into 18"x9" rectangle. Spread hamburger filling over dough. Roll up beginning at widest side. Seal edges. Slice 1 1/2" thick.

Place slices in your dutch oven, close together for soft sides, apart for crusty sides. Bake 15-20 minutes in hot oven, 450 degrees or until brown.  Use 2 1/2 rings on top and 1 ring on the bottom.
 
Serve with cream of mushroom soup heated and thinned with some milk.

Biscuits

1 1/4 cups white flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp soda
3/4 cup fat-free milk

Place all dry ingredients into a food processor. While mixing dry ingredients slowly add the olive oil. Mix until it looks like meal. Transfer to your mixer and follow directions for buttermilk biscuits above. Using olive oil makes a denser dough. If you want your biscuits flaky you will need to use shortening.

The Finished Product

 

 

The Review

 

These were surprisingly good and very easy to make.  We did these for lunch and my kids thought they were really fun.  Brandee had 8 of them.  I was out of carrots and the celery was limp, so I used shredded potato, zucchini and yellow squash, but you could easily use whatever veggies you have on hand.  We topped them with a cream of mushroom soup gravy.  These would be a great camping or weeknight meal.  Even my hubby liked them.  We give these a B+. 

Day 150: Mongolian Beef

Happy Memorial Day!  As you're out and about celebrating the long weekend, don't forget to thank a veteran for their service and sacrifice and most importantly, your freedom.  Thank you veterans!  I get to spend today decorating graves.  We are the only members of my hubby's family in the area so we get cemetery duty.  We actually have a lot of fun-in a morbid kind of way. 

A friend gave me this recipe and she swears it tastes just like PF Chang's Mongolian beef.  Now, I've never tried their version, so I can't vouch for the authenticity of this recipe.  But it sounded good so we gave it a try.

Mongolian Beef
12" dutch oven

4 tsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 c. soy sauce
1 c. water
1 c. brown sugar (packed)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 Lb. flank steaks (I used a boneless beef roast, sliced thin)
½ c. cornstarch
3 large green onions

Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a 10" dutch oven over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in your 12" dutch oven. Heat the oil until its hot, but not smoking.  I used as many coals as I could fit under my dutch oven.   Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.

After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the dutch oven. Put the pot back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.

The Finished Product

The Review

I don't know how this compares to PF Chang's recipe, but this was GOOD!!  I cooked mine a little longer than the recipe calls for, partly because my hubby wasn't home from work yet and partly because dutch ovens heat and cook just a little slower than your stove top.  I used a 5 pound roast and there wasn't 1 piece of meat leftover, if that tells you how good this was.  The instructions are long, but the procedure is simple.  You really should make this....tonight!  Grade A.

Day 131: Carne Guisada

I realized this afternoon, that I forgot to do a make-up post last night, so I made sure to remember to do it today.  This isn't one of the dishes I made when my computer was down.  I actually made this for dinner tonight.  It was too good not to post right away.  I got this recipe from Omar Alvarez.  He made this for the "taste of dutch" at the IDOS Spring Convention.  I got to cook next to him, so I got to watch him make it.  He said this recipe is one of the oldest Tex-Mex recipes.  It is made for weddings, parties and special occasions.  My 7 year old daughter brought some of this home from a birthday party she went to for one of her friends who is Hispanic.  It was made with goat, and it was fantastic.  This recipe uses beef, and it can be served with tortillas, rice, or (per Omar's recommendation) mashed potatoes.

Carne Guisada
10" dutch oven

1 lb. beef cubes  (sirloin steak or even stew meat)
chopped onion
cumin, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
garlic powder to taste
1 can Ro-Tel

Brown the meat in a small amount of oil, add the onions and spices, and let the onions cook down.  Add the tomato sauce and simmer over medium heat until the meat is tender (I cooked mine for 2 hours).   You can add flour or cornstarch to the sauce it you want it thicker.  I did all this over 15 coals, and I replenished about half the coals half way through cooking. You want enough coals to keep it at a simmer, not a hard boil, so watch it for the first few minutes.  Serves 3.

The Finished Product

Sorry, but the picture just doesn't do this one justice, it was fantastic!!

The Review

This is another recipe that would be in my top 10 for the year.  This was amazing.  The meat was so tender it melted in my mouth.  I was skeptical about having it over mashed potatoes, but I have to say, it worked.  I had it with tortillas at Spring Convention, but it was better with potatoes.  They don't seem like they would go together, but they really did.  Other than the long cooking time, the prep time is 10-15 minutes.  I was amazed at how long my coals lasted.  After an hour of cooking it was still just simmering away and I only had to replace half the coals.  This will make a regular appearance at our table.  This gets a capitol A!

Day 16: Glazed Mini Meatloaves

All this outdoor dutch oven cooking has made me really grateful for our modern conveniences. It is certainly much easier and quicker to cook indoors. But it just isn't as much fun. My ancestors came across the plains from Nauvoo, Ill. with the Mormon pioneers. They couldn't carry much with them, but you can be sure they had some kind of dutch oven. I'm sure one pot meals were the norm for them. I am learning a healthy dose of respect for the women of the "old days". I can also see why the dutch oven style of cooking has survived for hundreds of years. You can do anything with these babys! And the more you do it, the easier it gets. It is so nice to finally be getting a feel for all this, and I love doing it.

I am always on the lookout for a great meatloaf recipe. So many of them are heavy and dry and don't have great flavor. But I think I have found one that is a keeper. I found this recipe at My Kitchen Cafe.

Glazed Mini Meatloaves

D.O. size depends on how many you make

2/3 cup saltine crackers, crushed fine (I used Italian bread crumbs)

1/4 cup whole milk

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg

1 1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground meat (beef or pork or a combination of both)

2 tsp. oil

Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

4 tsp. cider vinegar

Stir cracker crumbs, milk, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, egg, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add the meat and combine until uniform. Shape meat mixture into oval loaves, you should get about 5 good sized loaves.

Heat the oil in your dutch oven. I doubled the recipe so I used a 14" D.O. and about 35 coals on the bottom. Add the meat loaves and cook until well done on one side, then carefully flip them over to cook the other side.

While the meatloaves are cooking, mix glaze together until it is smooth. When the meat is browned on both sides, drain off as much of the grease as you can. That was pretty hard with a 14" oven! Now spoon the glaze over the meatloaves and bake until cooked through. Mine took about 30 minutes with 9 coals on the bottom and 18 on top. I used new coals for the baking.

If I were doing this indoors I would put the meatloaves on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

This was an easy recipe. I am amazed at how well things cook when you get the heat at least close. It just gets more and more fun to do this.

The Review

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe so far, and believe me--I have tried quite a few! So many of them are dry and tough and just don't taste good. This recipe was moist and had great flavor. The kiddos loved it and so did my hubby. Any recipe that everyone including the 2 year old will eat is definitely a keeper! This on gets an A.

Day 11: Chuckwagon Dinner

It is now day 11 and I am still having a great time cooking outdoors. I am learning patience and I love the challenge this brings. I have had a lot of people ask why in the world I would do something like this. No, I did not get the idea from "Julie and Julia". I just really needed a new challenge. With 7 kids I don't have time to go to school, or really even read a book so I decided to challenge myself with something that I have to do everyday anyway. Kind of a "kill 2 birds with 1 stone" thing. Since I have to cook dinner anyway, I might as well learn a new way of doing it. In 4 years (when my baby is in school) I will go to chef's school, but in the meantime, it was time to learn something new. So there you have it. On to the recipe. This one is from "The Beginners Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking".

Chuck Wagon Dinner

10" dutch oven

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 can of kidney beans

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can pinto beans (I used black beans)

3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 cups uncooked macaroni (I used egg noodles)

3 cups water or beef broth (go for the broth)

1 tsp. each of chili powder, oregano and basil

salt and pepper to taste

grated cheddar cheese

Brown the ground beef in the dutch oven with the onion. I used about 25 coals. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese. Cover and cook with 8 coals on the bottom and 12 on top for 25-30 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir occasionally, and add more moisture if needed. When done, sprinkle cheese on top and cook until cheese is melted.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

These kinds of dishes are getting easier. Other than making sure I have enough coals to replenish the ones that go out, this one was easy. 

The Review

I am not a huge fan of goulash type dishes, but this was pretty good as far a goulash goes. The dutch oven flavor really came out in this one. I probably wouldn't make this in the kitchen, but it was good in the dutch oven. This gets a B.

Day 9: Secret Ingredient Chili

I love chili. It really warms you through on a cold day. I don't really have a recipe for it, I usually just dump in whatever sounds good, until it tastes good. This chili turned out to be my best ever. I made a huge pot and it didn't even last 1 full day. My hubby had 2 bowls for lunch and my kids had it as an after school snack. It was yummy! But I do have a confession to make. It is something that fills me with guilt. I cooked this chili on my propane camp stove. There, I said it. I thought I could keep it a secret, but I just felt too guilty. I still did it in my dutch oven, but it just felt wrong not using coals. I'm crazy--I know!

Secret Ingredient Chili

12" dutch oven

2 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

2 quarts diced tomatoes

2 cans tomato sauce

1 4oz can diced green chilies

chili powder

cumin

salt

pepper

cinnamon

2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can chili beans, undrained

Cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Had I not cheated, I would have used 25-30 coals to do this. Then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies and spices. I started with 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and ended up using just shy of 1 tsp. Simmer the chili 1 1/2-2 hours. Add the beans and simmer until they are heated through.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

I learned that cooking on my camp stove is exactly like cooking on my stove top, except outside. This was Lazy Person's dutch oven chili, and I am ashamed :p. But I also learned that putting cinnamon in makes an awesome chili.

The Review

This was amazing chili! Everyone asked what I put in it to make it taste so good and I said it was my secret ingredient. The cinnamon really adds that "something extra". I was amazed at the depth of flavor it gave. Even my picky eaters that won't eat anything with onions ate their share. This one was an A+.