The Buchers Wifes Meatloaf! (its aggressive)

What you need:

1 pound bacon slices - use normal bacon, maple bacon completely shifts the taste
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
4 eggs
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese
 garlic – minced - notice, there is no restriction here... if your putting less than a tablespoon, your meatloaf is going to suck - load it up, there is NEVER enough.

1 whole white onion

1 teaspoon salt and pepper — as needed

4 tablespoons parsley – minced
8 ounces prosciutto — sliced thin, or thick, at this point, you have over 3 pounds of meat, whats a few more slices of prosciutto right?  Christ if you want take a few Jimmy Dean Sausage patty's ground them up and toss them in there... that started as a joke, but now I am thinking that might be a killer idea.
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

8 ounces of Provolone

10 ounces spinach — FRESH.. it will cook in the loaf, otherwise it gets damn soggy.

What to do!!

Prepare the meat loaf mix:

Chop the onion and Combine with the beef, pork, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic and seasoning. Combine to form a smooth mix.

Lay out plastic wrap 24 inches by 24 inches. Lay slices of bacon side by side along the top of WAX PAPER.. DO NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE, it WILL stick!!!  Also, use a lot of it, its wax paper people, it costs like 2 bucks.
- USE ALL THE BACON... you think Im nuts now, you will thank me LATER :) 

Spread the meatloaf mix on the bottom of the bacon. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on meat loaf mix then slices of prosciutto.
Lay down half of the Provolone on top of the prosciutto. Spread the fresh spinach along the prosciutto slices, then cover up the spin, with the rest of the provolone. Season with salt and pepper, and garlic salt...come on baby, you know you want to.

Roll up the meat loaf into a spiral and wrap with the bacon. Use plastic wrap to wrap the log nice and tight. Season with black pepper. - OK this is not easy... it usually takes two people.  GREASE your pan first, make sure its big enough, and use the wax paper to help you.  Roll it slowly and BIG, this is not a Jelly roll, its a goddamn meat roll for Christ sake, its going to fall apart!! Just take is slowly, be patient and you will get it.  Once it is together mold it with your hands so that there are as few holes as possible.

Place on a greased baking pan and bake in a 350 degree oven to an internal temperature of 145 degrees about 45 minutes. - use your meat thermometer... that is always the best bet

Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest 10 minutes

The original recipe says that you should cut this into 12 slices..... hahahahahaha... ya, ok, if your planning on eating serving it as an appetizer. 

 Cut to your delight friends, this is not exactly something you cook when the mother in law comes over, this is something you eat when your starving, hung over, or just feel like "stuffing face"... I actually have a very vivid picture in my mind of my old pal Ari, rolling around, on the floor, tears in his eyes, holding his stomach 'ughh ohhhhh, hahhhh, mmmyyy tumm, oh, oh god, oh it hurts..." (que laughing) "I kind of want more.."

Good Luck ya'll this is the mother of meatloafs... show that bitch whos boss :)

Buffalo Chicken Nachos (or just the dip!)

Here is the recipe from FRANKS REDHOT.... its hands down one of the best recipes out there.  If you are like my friend Tommy, you will put it on your pulled pork sandwich.  If your like my friend Liz, you can put it on your nachos - those directions are to follow :)

What you need:

8  oz. pkg.  cream cheese, softened  - you find these in the refrigerator section of your supermarket.  They are silver blocks.
1/2  cup  blue cheese or ranch salad dressing - Use Blue Cheese.... the best Blue cheese in the world is made by light house... you can find that with the pre-made salads in the supermarket... I know Shaw's carries it.
1/2  cup  any flavor FRANK'S® REDHOT® Sauce - DO NOT USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN FRANKS
1/2  cup  crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese - I like to use Mozzarella, to much blue cheese is overkill
2  cans (9.75 oz. each)  SWANSON® White Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water, drained  - Canned chicken is GROSS.  Go to the store, buy a rotisserie chicken, pull out the breasts and shred the chicken with a fork.... the only things that I believe should be canned are peas, corn, tuna and olives, canned meats make me want to throw up, and they will RUIN your dip.... big apology to Diane right here, thats why Brad could taste the difference ;)


DIRECTIONS:
1.HEAT oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep baking dish. Stir until smooth.  CHEAT... put the cream cheese in a pie plate and melt it in the microwave, one it is soft, move on to step two.


2.Pour into a bowl, MIX in salad dressing, Frank's RedHot Sauce and cheese. Stir in chicken.

NOW you can place it in the deep baking dish

3.BAKE 20 min. or until mixture is heated through; stir. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or vegetables.


A few notes here:  Don't serve this with Vegetables, thats bull - use tostitos.
And the word "Garnish" is also bull - when this dip is almost done, throw some cheddar on top... and by "throw some cheddar", I actually mean take a few handfuls of it and go to town.


NOW - to make this a DELISH Nacho plate you will need:

Tostitos - yummers.
jalapeños - if you want to get crazy
Canned olives!!
Red onion
sour cream

Use these ingredients to make your nachos - I'm not giving you directions on how to make Nachos... if you cant do that, your a moron.

Once you have made the Nachos - you can do one of two things - pour the dip over the nachos, but only if the wolves are hungry - otherwise it may get soggy.

OR you can serve it on the side - either way its sure to be a hit.

Good Luck!!

P.S.  Walsh... I know you love Gwak - unfortunately there is no room for gwak in this recipe :)
But because I love you, I will post my favorite homemade gwak recipe in a few hours.

P.S.S.... Im really sad I am not coming, I would wear a steelers turtle-neck with you.

Summer and Fall Tailgate Tips!!!

If you have ever tried to plan a tailgate for a number of people you know that it can be quite the task.  This week we are expecting about 20 people, and that does NOT include folks that just pop-in.  Tailgating is fun, lets face it, good food, lots of booze, friends, football; it doesn't get much batter than that!!  Not to mention, its completely socially expectable for grown men and woman to paint their faces ridiculous colors, wear Jerseys of with other peoples name on the back, scream "YOU SUCK" at the top of their lungs - AND be cheered on by their fellow fans!!   Going to tailgates is a blast.  It does not have to be a football game (though typically in my family we host a minimum of 6 a year), it can be a concert, a high school Thanksgiving day game, whatever the event,they are fun.... Hosting a tailgate:  SUCKS.

Not many "guests" realize just how much money, time, thought and planning, goes into a well run tailgate.  My mother typically calls me on Monday and says "SO... the tailgate Saturday, what are we doing"... the task is DAUNTING!!! You can not serve hamburgers and hot dogs every week!! You cant serve green salads, they are hard to eat, you have to think about forks and knives and whether or not your drunk friend who is likely to throw up on the guys car parked next you, can actually work utensils!

This is a labor day tailgate, so if you are following these rules, keep in mind that they will change come that freezing cold, Thursday night game in November...(my fans know that is the tailgate of all tailgates, complete with pulled pork and buffalo chicken dip... see earlier post's).

First and Foremost, Lets take care of the BOOZE!

Beer, wine, hard liquor, champagne.... it is all fair game and all expected.
- One thing that we do at the beginning of the season is put together a kit.... really all that is, is an box that holds a few essentials.  They include:
Cork Screw
Bottle Opener
Keg Cups (this is a reserve, you should always have them in your trunk as well)
Stir'ers.... (pick them up at Dunkins)
Sugar packets
a Bottle of Vodka
a Bottle of Spiced Rum
a Bottle of Baileys
a Bottle of White
a Bottle of red.
3 coolers - one with light cheap stuff, and one with a mix of bud heavies and a few micro brews, ONE keep half full with water, and soda, (and if you know ahead a time that Uncle Tim might be in attendance, a few O'dooles), be sure to keep this last cooler stocked with ICE!!!! - everyone shows with beer... no one brings ice!

- This way you ensure a few things.... you would be surprised at the amount of people who show up not only empty handed, BUT with requests.
"OH do you have red actually",  "Oh... ya... I don't like light beer, do you have something else?", "Oh... Tostitos... do you have a microwave so that we can melt some cheese?"

Be prepared with Beverages.  If people are not worried about what they are drinking then they can focus on your food!!

SO food rules... here we go!  One of the biggest rules of a successful tailgate is having a great caterer who is good, yet cheap.  If you try to do it all on your own, you will go crazy, its just to much work.  If you are local to Massachusetts, I must plug TJ's in Ashland.  John is the owner and cook, tell him Ally Cronan sent you ;).  If you have a good caterer that you can fall back on, you never have to get to stressed out!!


1) Card table, Napkins, Paper towels, Serving Baskets with Linen Napkins to serve things like Chips.  Plastic bowls to put dips in, and of course paper plates and plastic forks and knives.  (again, this is for early fall tailgates, the winter tailgates are a bit different, and I will post about them in late October)

2) Pan style sandwich food.... DO NOT DO COLD CUTS, people do not eat them.

My suggestions are a Pan of meatballs (meat ball subs, pick up cheese on your way to the game), Sausage and Peppers, Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, Roasted Chicken with Red Peppers, Really anything people can pick up a roll and throw in.  I typically do this dish myself.  Because its a big hit, you like to own those bragging rights!

3) Rolls - you MUST have good rolls... what does that mean you ask - something people want to grab.  Your best bet is Bakery Rolls - again if you are a Massachusetts local, we MUST plug The Framingham Baking Company... their rolls are second to none!  (while you are there you should also pick up a pan of pizza, its 22 bucks and everyone loves it!

4) Chicken Wings.... I do not care what kind, buffalo, honey bar-b-q, Teriyaki, WHAT EVER, the fact is people LOVE chicken wings, they will eat them even after they have gorged on plenty of other foods.  We typically buy 2 types, and rarely have left overs.  This is where your local caterer comes in.  If you have already made a main dish, do you really want to have to worry about doing all the wings?? No.

5) Dip and chips - crowd favorite...I will post a few recipes over the next few days.  Chips and dip keep people busy.

6) Pasta Salad - Just one.  Do not over do it.  Also, STAY AWAY FROM MAYO... people do not like Mayonnaise.... I will be sure to post plenty of suggestions for pasta salads that are majority friendly!

7)Last but not least... FLARE!!  Pieces of Flare are important... we are Boston College fans, so we like maroon and gold Mardis Gars beads, a Maroon Table Cloth, a big tailgate tent with Baldwin's face on it (A big Thank you to the Lennon family).  Get into it!!

- Last but not least ENJOY yourself... if you follow my rules of preparation, I promise you will be able to have a good time and relax!

Go Eagles!!  

Auntie Diane's Italian Pasta Salad (this is a quick one)

This is a pasta salad that is literally mindless. It is incredibly easy to make, its cheap and its very quick. It is served cold, and the longer it sits, the better it gets, so it is great for tailgates, bar-b-q's get-to-gethers, or whatever! It is a perfect pairing for hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill!

What you need from the kitchen:

Large boiling Pot

can opener

Large strainer

cutting board

Good Knives

Large Serving bowl

From the Super Market:

1 pound of ziti (I have used both regular and wheat... the regular is better in this particular recipe, but if you prefer wheat for dietary reasons, that's cool to)

1 package of frozen "Bird's eye" Italian vegetables

1 can of corn

1 red onion

1 bottle of Kens Italian dressing (again, you can use the light, but it comes out much better with the real thing)

1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

1 can of sliced olives.

SO HERE we go!! Start by boiling your pasta, my aunt Kathy always told me to keep the cover on the boiling water it will heat up quicker...you would think this would be common sense, but for whatever reason, I did not grasp the concept until about a week ago, it makes a huge difference. Back to the recipe, so boil your water, and once is ready throw in your pasta.

While that is going, open up the corn, and the olives, and pour them into your strainer. Run them under COLD water.. this will clean off any nasty stuff that comes with being a caned product (corn and olives are not to bad... but for future reference cans of beans can be pretty gross making this step essential for any cook). Once those are nice and clean, you want to throw them into the large Bowl that you will be serving the dish from. Remember this serving bowl needs to be large enough for 1 pound of pasta cooked!!

Now you want to open up the frozen vegetables, and place them into the strainer, and repeat the process, only this time you are thawing them, as opposed to cleaning them :)

Once you have done that step throw them into the bowl to add to the olives and the corn.

Now its time to chop your onion and throw that into the mix... use the whole onion - it looks like a lot, but the onion really makes it!

bye now, your pasta should be ready, take the pasta and drain it into the strainer - (If you have not figured it out already, a really good, large strainer is essential to a kitchen, if you don't have one, go buy one, they are cheap, and Ikea has a great big silver one for like, 10 bucks).

Run the pasta under cold water to cool it down.

Once the pasta is cool, mix it with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl, then mix it up with the entire (yes the whole bottle) of Italian dressing. Once that is well dressed, mix in the cheese, and you are READY to SERVE!!

If you are going to be serving this right away, have at, if you want to wait to serve it, go ahead and cover it with Plastic Wrap and throw it in the fridge!

Goooooooooooood luck!!

The Best Pulled Pork.... Ever.

For my first recipe, I am using a fan favorite. This is my recipe for Pulled Pork, and I promise, it is the best of its kind!!

In order to make this you will need:

This Recipe will take you all day. Typically the entire process takes 8-10 hours, so make sure you get up early!!!!

From the kitchen:

Crock Pot

Cookie Sheet

Utencils to pull apart the meat

Good Knives

A large, clean sink

Ingredients:

4 onions

5 cloves of garlic

Salt, Pepper, Hot Sauce

A pork Shoulder... and it MUST be a shoulder, typically anywhere from 4-8 pounds will work

1-2 bottles BBQ sauce of your choice... I typically use the Jack Daniels either spicy, or honey BBQ, depending on who I am feeding

Buns

Sliced American Cheese

Water

.First off - you have to use a pork shoulder....anything else dries out in the process.

Cleaning this thing takes about 20 minutes bec

ause you have to cut off as much fat as possible (including the incredibly disgusting white slab of fat that encases the shoulder)

My advice - clean your sink, and just go to town on it in there...rinse it and keep it in the sink. ***bakers note**** you need to make sure you crock pot is big enough to hold the entire shoulder before hand, if you dont, its a real buzz kill, and after all that work, if your like me, you will drive yourself to taget and buy a new crockpot rather than a smaller shoulder.

OK now that is done

Take two onions and a few cloves of garlic (again.. if your me, its more than a "few")

chop up your onions like you would for a sausage with pepers and onions...the long way.

Pour 3 cups of water into the crock pot on high and 1.5 onions (chopped)

Place the shoulder in

Pour 3 cups of water over the shoulder and use the remaining onion to cover the shoulder.

Now you can do what you want with the garlic, I crush half and sliver the rest, either way, just get in there.

Cover - cook on high - 4 hours.

After four hours check it, if the inside is bleeding.. its not ready, if its a little pink - its going to cook another 4 hours anyway so what the hell

Heres the hard part. This thing is HOT, so its hard to handle, and really helps if there is two people

Take out a cookie sheet and remove the shoulder from the cooker and place on the cookie sheet.

Disregard anything left in the pot, and clean it throughly.

Now you have a clean crock pot.

you now take what you have, either a couple of forks (I use the rather large grilling fork), a knife, whatever you choose

you "pull the pork"off the bone. This is way tougher than you think because its not falling apart yet, so if it comes off in chunks, thats ok, you just want to get rid of all the fat and anything else you wouldn't want to eat!!

This step takes about 20 minutes. Once you have all the edible meat shredded, and its back in the pot, you want to CHOP 2 onions. Small as possible, trick here, you dont want people to be able to see the onions when they eat it :)

stir the onions in and add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

Now the fun part. I use Jack Daniels Honey Bar-B-Q. on occasion, if I know my audience, and they like spicy stuff, I will use the Jack Daniels Spicy Bar-B-Q sauce ( Typically I use two bottles, but if you dont use a big shoulder you may not use all of it. Start by mixing in one... if it looks like it needs the other one, go for it.

Cover and cook on high for another 3-5 hours.

While its cooking you should open it up once an hour and take a fork and knife to continue pulling it apart. That way people do not get pork chunks, they get pulled pork. If it looks like it is to saucy (like if it looks like its to clumped together), you can add some water, but not to much, just enough to break it up. You can also add tabasco if you want. DO NOT OVER DO THE TABASCO. If you use to much tabasco you will kill the taste.

Thats it. I always use American cheese to serve with it.

Good Luck!!

Lets try this again

I am not sharing a recipe tonight, instead, I am going to offer you a bit of an outline to my recipe writing styles :)

Measuring is for dieters and bakers.. I am neither. My recipes will include words like; dash, dollup, handfuls, "whatever looks like it needs"....I am apologizing for this upfront, but it is the way that I cook, so if you have questions please feel free to contact me via-email and I can probably help you out! The one measuring

If you are following my recipes you will need a fully functioning kitchen. That means a Knife Set, Backing Dishes, Frying Pans, a good, dependable oven, a well stocked spice rack, a well stocked pantry (this means when you are in the super market and soups, beans, stocks, rice, canned tomatoes, diced tomatoes, cream of celery soup, cream of mushroom, etc. are on sale... you should buy them, and keep them in your pantry... you will need them, and if you stock up when they are cheap, you save yourself a good amount of cash in the long run.

One more thing that you should note is that 90% of my recipes are geared toward dinner, and can typically feed a family of 5. If your like myself and my boyfriend, and its just the two of you, most of my recipes will are good for lunch and can be packed up for the next day. This is probably the best way to save yourself some extra cash. Most of my recipes will not cost more than 20 dollars.... if your feeding 2 people, 2 meals, we are talking 5 bucks a head, and that my friends is cheaper than any value meal!

Please feel free to ask questions, add comments and suggestions, and feel free to let me know how things go over with your family and friends!


I'm looking forward to moving forward with this, thank you for reading.