Okay, you are probably wondering....Meatloaf for a New Years Dinner?  In this house we love our meatloaf!  Plus I can't help myself, I love trying out new meatloaf recipes. This came together as a result of having all the fresh herbs in the fridge, plus it also offers variety to everyday meatloaf.   We are not big celebrators when it comes to New Years Eve.  Never have been.  A yummy dinner, maybe dessert, watch a movie on TV and that is it for us.  But the best part is, it is wonderful to have meatloaf sandwiches the next day. Here is our New Years Dinner Menu:
ITALIAN MEATLOAF:
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
2/3 cup finely minced onion
1 large egg
2 handfuls of gluten free bread crumbs
2 big Tblsp. finely minced Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
1 rounded tsp. minced fresh Rosemary
2 tsp. finely minced fresh Sage
salt and pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
4 Tblsp. Tomato/Balsamic sauce
TOMATO/BALSAMIC SAUCE:
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1 1/2 Tblsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. Gluten Free Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Ground Garlic Powder
Fresh cracked pepper
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the tomato sauce, whisking to combine, then set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the meat, onion, herbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, and the 4 Tblsp. of the Tomato Balsamic sauce.   Mix to incorporate, then transfer to a casserole dish, shaping into a loaf.
Pour the remainder of the Tomato Balsamic sauce over top, spreading evenly.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, or until cooked through.  Allow to rest for five minutes before slicing.
With this tasty meatloaf, we had Garlic Herb Mashed Yams and Potatoes:
Followed by BALSAMIC ROASTED VEGETABLES:
Then the dinner was followed by a light refreshing salad:  Pomegranate Salad:

And for dessert:  Rhubarb Compote (made with frozen rhubarb at this time of year, but still yummy)
I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY, HEALTHY ABUNDANT NEW YEAR EVERYONE - MANY BLESSING FOR  2012! 🙂

This may well become a Christmas Turkey Leftover Tradition each year in this house....wow, so good!
There are many wonderful Tetrazzini recipes out there.  After looking at different recipes, I took a few ideas from here and there, then added in my own ideas too.  If you have 2-3 cups of leftover Turkey, 1 cup of leftover Stuffing, this is a great way to finish off the holiday fixins!
This would also taste great with plain gluten free bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese, if you don't have leftover stuffing.  I used Thyme and Nutmeg in this recipe because I did have leftover stuffing, however, next year, I will try the plain bread crumbs and Curry Seasoning - should be fabulous!
1 pkg. Tinkyada Spaghetti Pasta, broken in half
1 cup leftover stuffing
1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
2 Tblsp. butter
7-8 crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped
4 minced garlic cloves
1 large leek, sliced, rinsed well in a colander
1 1/2 cups cream - we use SCD Cream
1 tsp. fresh chopped Thyme
2 good pinches of Nutmeg
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup of dry white wine
2-3 cups roughly chopped leftover turkey
2/3 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss Gruyere cheese - put aside 1/2 a cup
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh minced Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
In a dutch oven, on low/medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the chopped mushrooms, sauteing until golden.  Then add the sliced leeks, and minced garlic sauteing for five minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, Thyme, Nutmeg, and add in the 1/2 cup of dry white wine and chicken stock.  Simmer for another five minutes.  Add in the cream, stirring well to combine.  Keep on a low, low simmer.
Put the pasta on to boil.  If you snap the pasta in half, cook no longer than 12 minutes, otherwise follow the package directions for cooking.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the leftover stuffing, bread crumbs, and Parmesan Cheese, stirring to mix well, then set aside.
Once the pasta is done cooking, drain well and add to the leek mushroom sauce, mixing well to combine.  Add in the 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of Swiss Gruyere cheese, turkey, and peas then the minced Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, again mixing well.  Adjust for any seasonings.
Transfer to a casserole dish, spreading out evenly.
Sprinkle with the remaining Swiss Gruyere Cheese, then top evenly with the Stuffing/breadcrumb mixture.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until bubbly and golden.  Enjoy!

This is a new Christmas Dessert recipe I have been wanting to share.  Years ago, I can remember making these walnut squares.  Then I saw this recipe from Laura Calder and I knew I just had to recreate it in a Gluten free version. So delectable, so delicious...pure yumminess!  Think this will be a once a year treat for me!
Plus, I thought I would add some other Christmas Baking Favorites for everyone to enjoy.
Merry Christmas everyone and many thanks for all of your support, and your kind words, Ina
FOR THE BASE:
1/2 cup Sweet Rice Flour
1/4 cup Tapioca Starch
1/4 cup Corn Starch
2 Tblsp. Organic Brown Sugar
1/2 cup of softened butter
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly grease a nine inch square pan.  Combine the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to make fine crumbs.  Press into the square pan and bake for 15 minutes.

FOR THE FILLING:
1 cup of chopped Walnuts
3/4 cup Organic brown sugar
1/2 cup of unsweetened Coconut
2 Tblsp. Corn Starch
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
Lightly beat the eggs, adding in the sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch.  Whisk well to combine.  Stir in the Walnuts and the Coconut.  When the base of the square is cooked, pour over the walnut mixture, spreading evenly and return to the oven to bake for another 25 minutes.  Cool completely on a wire rack.
Once cooled ice with Vanilla Cream Frosting, and cut into squares.
Here are some more of our favorite Christmas goodies:
GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE DIPPED SHORTBREAD COOKIES:
How about a lovely CHRISTMAS CHERRY LOAF:
And another old favorite:  TAMARI ROASTED ALMONDS, AND CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BALLS:
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND A TOAST TO THE NEW YEAR EVERYONE - ENJOY!

Dang...this chicken was unbelievably flavorful and super tender.  Plus, this was such an easy dish to make too!
I wish I had remembered to weigh the chicken breasts - they were quite large.  The larger one was devoured by my DH.  I could barely finish the smaller one, it was that big.  We had this chicken with Saffron Veggie Stir Fried Rice - great combination.  I want this for breakfast, then I want it for lunch, then I want it once again for dinner.... so so good!
2 chicken breasts, skin on bone in
Olive oil
15-20 grape tomatoes sliced in half
salt and pepper
SAFFRON SMOKED PAPRIKA MARINADE:
juice of one lemon
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp. Saffron
salt and pepper
3 Tblsp. Olive Oil
To a bowl combine the marinade ingredients, whisking to combine.
Add the chicken breasts to the marinade, rub each breast well so the chicken breasts are dripping in the marinade.  Refrigerate for 3 hours to marinate.  Half an hour before you are ready to get cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and let sit on the counter.
Heat up a grill pan on medium heat with a good drizzle of olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Add the chicken breasts to the pan, and sear on each side for five minutes - to get good grill marks.  Then add the sliced grape tomatoes to the pan seasoning them with salt and pepper.
Transfer to the preheated oven and continue to cook for 30 more minutes.  Serve with Saffron Stir Fried Veggie Rice, or any other side dishes.  Enjoy!

Remember my post, on the Saffron that our son Jarrod brought back from India?  Well, I had been savoring this lovely spice, using it only occasionally to make it last.  Then I thought, well that is silly, it is meant to be used!  Saffron and rice are such best friends...whether Risotto, or Basmati...it tastes great.  I know from this picture it is hard to see, but this rice is really, really pink!  To follow:  SAFFRON SMOKED PAPRIKA CHICKEN.
1 1/4 cups Basmati rice, rinsed
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
a good pinch of quality Saffron
salt and pepper
Stir fried Vegetables: (any vegetable would work nicely here, I just used what I had on hand)
1 Tblsp. Olive Oil
3 Tblsp. butter
1 shallot, minced
1 carrot diced small
1/2 a stalk of finely diced celery
2 large crimini mushrooms, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup of frozen peas
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 good pinches of Saffron
Salt and pepper to taste
Bring the chicken stock to a boil, and add in the Saffron.  Pour in the rice, stirring with a fork, lid on and turn down to a low simmer.  Cook about 15 minutes, then turn off the heat, and let sit.
Meanwhile, heat up a frying pan on medium heat with the olive oil and butter.  Add the shallot, garlic, and diced mushroom, sauteing until the mushrooms are golden and the onion is translucent.  Season with the Saffron, salt and pepper.  Then add in the diced carrot, and celery, with 1/2 cup of chicken stock.
Simmer, stirring about 3 minutes, then add a lid and simmer about 5 minutes. (my lid does not quite fit, so I do have some reduction, with some left over chicken stock)  If there is still a bit of liquid, no worries, it will add to the flavor.
Add in another knob of butter, and the Saffron rice.  Turn the heat down to low, and saute/fry about 10 minutes.  Adjust for salt and pepper, and serve with any main dish - chicken, beef, fish, or vegetarian.

Have you ever used wild dehydrated Mushrooms?  They are mighty delicious.  This was a blend of Morel, Shiitake, Porcini and Chanterelle dehydrated forest mushrooms.  We did have this sauce with lovely pork chops, but this recipe is really about the mushroom sauce, which would be exquisite with Lamb or Beef too!
2 bone in naturally raised pork chops
1/2 cup of Dehydrated Mixed Wild Forest Mushrooms
1 cup of chicken stock
Olive Oil
1 Tblsp. butter
salt, pepper, granulated garlic powder
1/2 cup red wine
1 rounded tsp. Dijon Mustard
2 rounded Tblsp. Dripped Yogurt
1 tsp. fresh minced Rosemary
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 large shallot, sliced
Add the mushrooms to a sieve, and rinse well in cold water.  Then add them to a bowl, with chicken stock, and let sit for 30 minutes.
Add a drizzle of olive oil to each side of the pork chops, season with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic powder. For this recipe I cooked the pork chops using Christina Ferrare's method. Works every time.  Although, my pork chops were on the huge side, I did add them back to the sauce for about 3 minutes - not necessary to do unless they are ginormous like mine were.
Once the pork chops are cooked, turn down the heat to a low simmer, and place the chops onto a plate.
Add the butter to the pan, with the shallot, garlic and minced Rosemary.  Saute until fragrant, then add in the red wine, scraping up any brown bits in the pan.  Pour in the chicken stock/mushrooms, Dijon mustard, stirring to combine and bring to a simmer, reducing to half, and season to taste with salt and pepper. (only add the pork chops back if they are huge, and you think they need a minute or two of more cooking time)
Once the sauce is reduced to half, remove from the heat, and mix in the dripped yogurt.  Pour into a bowl, to serve over, beef, pork, or lamb.  Then dive in and devour, so yummy!

Another egg dish but without the pastry - fritatta.  Basically, this was just made with leftovers.  Thank the heavens I had leftovers - it has been crazy busy in my neck of the woods.  I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner!
Even if you did not have these leftovers they could easily be cooked fresh.  Tasty, filling and easy - some days I just have to go with easy.
7-8 gluten free sausages, cooked and sliced
1 Tblsp. Olive Oil
1/2 onion, diced fine
3 minced garlic cloves
2 cooked potatoes (medium size) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. granulated garlic
2/3 cup finely diced broccoli
1/2 a large tomato diced
1/4 cup finely minced Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
5 organic eggs
1/2 cup milk (we used Kefir milk)
1 1/2 cups shredded aged cheddar cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Preheat a non-stick pan (oven safe)  on low/medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.  Add the onions, garlic, and then the potatoes.  Allow the potatoes to lightly brown before flipping to the over side.  Season with salt, pepper, granulated garlic.  Saute about 10 - 15 minutes, until the potatoes are golden.  Then add in the finely diced broccoli, and diced tomato.  Saute another 5 minutes - you may need a splash of water or not.  Saute until the broccoli is eldente.  Then add the sliced sausage to the pan to heat through, - sauteing another 5-8 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate the cheese, whisk up the eggs milk, salt and pepper.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle the grated cheddar over top of the sausages and veggies.  Pour over the egg mixture, swirling the pan to evenly cover the sausages and veggies.  Sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese over top.  Let simmer on low medium for about 5-8 minutes, then transfer to the oven and bake 10 more minutes.  Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

This recipe was inspired from Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals.  I did a couple of things different from his recipe - and mine took quite a bit longer to make - but roasting beets is so worth it!  This made enough for two - so just increase amounts if you have more mouths to feed.
3 medium to large beets, ends trimmed, then sliced into thirds
6 garlic cloves
1/2 inch thick sliced red onion, then sliced in half
salt and pepper
few sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
Olive oil
Feta Cheese
Dressing:
1 Tblsp. Red Wine Vinegar
salt and pepper
3 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
garnish with minced Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Add all of the ingredients to a roasting pan, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with Olive oil, tossing to coat.
Roast for 1 hour until the beets are tender.  Allow to cool, and remove the outer skin on the beets.  Slice into small chunks.  Squeeze out the roasted garlic into a food processor.  Using a spatula, scrape the rest of the onions, oil, and rosemary into the food processor.  Add the 3 Tblsp. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the Red Wine Vinegar, salt and pepper - blending until smooth.  Pour over the roasted beets, tossing to coat.
Top with crumbled feta cheese, and a sprinkling of minced Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, and serve at room temperature.