Best Meat Loaf Ever

My man loves red meat. Problem is I don't love red meat as much as he does, therefore I don't cook with it often. Enter this recipe for meatloaf. Matt kept requesting a hearty meat meal for dinner, I had seen Ina make this one Saturday on the foodnetwork and thought it looked delicious. I was not disappointed and you won't be either. This meat loaf is easy to make and melt in your mouth good. We ate it two nights in a row. I love Ina, she knows her way around the kitchen and I am super excited because she has a new cookbook coming out October 26. I can't wait! Try this recipe it is a real man pleaser.

Barefoot Contessa's Meatloaf
Ingredients
1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meat loaf will be dense. Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meat loaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven, under the meat loaf, will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot.

You can print this recipe HERE

7 Month Itch

I know its Tasty Thursday and I should do a recipe post today. However, since today is Sterling's 7 month birthday, I had to do a shout out to my baby boy. Don't worry the recipe will be featured tomorrow instead!

Today my baby boy is 7 months old, I can't believe how fast this first year is flying by! People were indeed serious when they said the first year goes by in the blink of an eye! Funny because pregnancy seems to linger on forever and then this time period flies by! This is such a good age that I am starting to get the itch to want another baby. I am starting to forget how hard the beginning was with no sleep and a crying baby all the time. This is the perfect age because he now recognizes us and interacts with us, yet he can't walk and get into everything. He still loves to be held and cuddled. I want to freeze this time period because it is the best. His smiles and laughs melt my heart like nothing else!

Now don't go freaking out we are not ready to have another baby quite yet. I want to continue to give Sterling my undivided attention for a little bit longer. Not to mention I am enjoying the fact that I can finally fit back in all my old jeans and drink all the wine I want. Also my younger brother just got engaged and I really don't want to be a pregnant bridesmaid, so we are gonna hold off for awhile. But I do think about baby number 2 often! Its hard not to when you have such a precious baby! I will say I am scared of how hard it will be with two kids. One is manageable to run errands and do things. I am not quite sure how I will stay as active as I am with two little ones, but people manage this feat all the time:)

Happy 7 month Birthday to the sweetest baby ever! Sterling, I love you more than you will ever know and you make my life so much better. I can't even imagine my life before you were born! You are the greatest gift I could ever ask for! I thank God everyday for blessing Matt and I with such a wonderful baby boy!

I Do

3 years ago today I said these exact words. I can't believe how fast these 3 years have flown by! So much has happened in these last 3 years; we had a beautiful wedding, even better honeymoon, moved to Charleston, bought a house, had our sweet baby boy and the list continues! I feel so lucky to have so many blessings in my life, especially my husband! Since Matt just started his new job we can't celebrate our anniversary tonight, but we plan to this Saturday. My sister in law has graciously offered to babysit Sterling so we can have a night out on the town! I am so excited to have a date night, because frankly I can't remember the last time just the two of us went out (sad I know)! I feel like our weekends are are always full of birthday parties, baby showers, dinners with friends or family in town that the two of us never seen to have time alone. I can't want to get dressed up, have a dirty martini and a fabulous meal with my hubby! Happy Anniversary Matt, I love you more than you will ever know and feel so grateful to have you in my life!

**excuse the quality of the pictures, I couldn't find the disc of the ones our photographer took, so all I have are these that our friends snapped!**




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Its Five O'Clock Somewhere....

I love happy hour and wine is usually my drink of choice. There is nothing better than sitting out on my back patio with my hubby, enjoying a tall glass of wine after a long day! In July I wrote a post about a few wines I had tried and loved. I found two more beauties I want to share with you. I am still on a white wine kick since the temperatures here in Charleston are hovering in the upper 80-90s. White wine is quite refreshing after a hot and sweaty day of lugging an 18 pound baby in and out of my car! Although, come fall and cooler temperatures, I will be more than ready to dive back into my trusty reds!

As you all know I used to be a purely pinot grigio kind of girl, then I branched out to sauvignon blancs. Now, I am onto chardonnays! Gasp! That is right, the girl that said she hated chardonnays, now kind of likes them. But don't worry I won't be sampling any white zinfandels or rieslings, I haven't gone crazy:) My parents had a bottle of this chardonnay and it knocked my socks off! It is unbelievable! It is not sweet at all and so smooth. It also didn't have a strong oak flavor like most chardonnays. My hubby even loves it and he is not a wine drinker. This wine retails for about $18-20 but if you are a Costco member you can get it there for $13! Go out and buy it today!! It is the bomb.



My second wine selection is Gazela Vinho Verde. My girls, Alissa and Jill, introduced me to this and it is the perfect summer wine. It has a slight effervescence to it, which makes it so tasty! This gem retails for about $9. I bought mine at Total Wine but I saw it at my grocery store the other day too. Try this wine before the end of summer, but be careful it is easy to drink a whole bottle of this stuff, it is so light and crisp! Any other recommendations for stellar wines I should try? I loved trying all the recommendations I got last time!

My new Obsession

I have a new obsession. It is white gloss spray paint. I can't get enough of it. After painting Sterling's clothes hanger for his nursery in gloss white, I wanted to paint something else. I found this frame at TJMaxx for $4.99. I was not a big fan of the bright yellow but loved the lines and design of the frame. I thought if it was white, it would look perfect in my den and look like a designer frame.


Enter my new best friend, white gloss spray paint. This was such a quick and easy project. That is why I love spray paint! Two coats and this frame was ready to go! How much better does this frame look now that it is white??




So far spray paint is the extent of my craft talents, but I am feeling inspired and ambitious! Next, I am thinking of glossing up a wine rack and mirror. Pictures to come if I don't butcher these projects!

Our Little Romeo

Two of my dear friends down here in Charleston, Katie and Molly, have babies that are close to the same age as Sterling. Katie and I met when we were both 10 weeks pregnant and hadn't told anyone but for some reason told each other and immediately bonded. We had so much fun being pregnant together, well mainly eating together! I can't tell you how many times we hit up McDonald's, Krispy Kreme, and any other restaurant with the excuse, "well we are eating for two now". Her son, Henry was born a week after Sterling. We have had playdates together since they were about 4 weeks old!

Sterling and Henry, best buddies!

Katie introduced me to Molly, while I was pregnant. She is the sweetest girl ever! Molly had her daughter, Eliza about a month after our boys. Now the three of us try to do frequent playgroups and lunches to get the kids together and have mommy time! I am so thankful to have them as friends, they make motherhood an even richer experience! I think the three babies will have a special bond for life and probably make a lot of trouble for us once they are all in high school together.

Sterling, Henry, and Eliza, the three amigos!

Today at our little playgroup Sterling was very full of himself. He was being very flirty with Miss Eliza. He kept trying to hold her hand, which she kept moving away. Sterling then tried to move to 2nd base and grab her chest! We were shocked, honestly dying laughing about how bold my son was being. Finally, since his other attempts had failed, he went for her panty line! At that point I promptly picked him up, and I instructed Matt to have a daddy talk with him when we got home! I think Matt and I are going to have our hands full with this little Romeo in about 15 years!

First attempt at hand holding

Next attempt, since she won't hold his hand he goes for her dress!


Henry is back in the picture, and Sterling doesn't like him creeping on his woman!

Now is he about to roll on top of her before I ended it. Eliza has clearly had enough!

White Bean Tuna Salad

After a Labor Day weekend filled with many indulgences, I decided it was time to crack down on my diet and detox. Yes, I ate pizza and chick fila three times this weekend, drank way too much wine, and gained three pounds(yikes!). At the beginning of the week I normally try to make some sort of salad to have for my lunches during the week. Saves me time with the little one not having to cook or put together a lunch. On Monday, I made this tuna and white bean salad. I have actually made this before, but not since I lived in Charlotte so it has been awhile. The salad was just as good as I remembered it. It is so easy to make and really tastes even better the next day after the flavors have seeped in. It is such a healthy salad, no cheese or dressing, so very diet friendly. If you don't like tuna I think you could substitute canned salmon and this would still be great! I highly recommend you try out this salad, you will have to restrain yourself not to eat the whole bowl.

I would also like to point out, why is it so darn hard to take appetizing pictures of food?? I know my camera sucks big time but this salad honestly looked so much better in person! I don't understand how the peeps at Food and Wine and Bon Appetit get such gorgeous looking pictures of food. Anyways, don't judge my recipes by my poor quality pictures!

WHITE BEAN TUNA SALAD

INGREDIENTS
2 (6-ounce) cans dark meat tuna, packed in olive oil
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelini white beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup small capers, nonpareil in brine, drained and rinsed
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
2 cups fresh arugula
6 fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, add the tuna, reserving the olive oil in a separate small bowl. Break tuna into bite-size pieces with a large fork. Add the beans and capers. Into the bowl of olive oil, add the red wine vinegar. You should have 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil - add more extra-virgin olive oil if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing on the tuna, bean and caper mixture and allow the flavors to infuse while slicing the vegetables. Add the onion and tomatoes to tuna mixture and toss gently.
Place the arugula on large decorative platter and top with tuna mixture. Tear fresh basil leaves over the top and serve immediately

**I used the white albacore tuna packed in water and then just used my own olive oil to make the vinaigrette. I also added more basil than called for because we had an abundance on our basil plant that was about to die. I also didn't use the arugula.**


Print this recipe HERE