Recipe: Sausage Pizza Meatloaf

On the occasional food fest the family likes to chow down on this old favorite... it combines a hearty (and dense!) meatloaf that has very little bread crumbs (I hate a filler filled meatloaf!). You get that pizza sauce, oregano, sausage flavor! BooM!

Sausage Pizza Meat Loaf

Recipe & Notes:

3lbs Ground Beef 80%
2lbs Sweet Italian Sausage (if you like a stronger sausage, use 1lb mild and 1lb sweet)
3 eggs
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Cup of Breadcrumbs (Italian preferred)
1 cup shredded cheese (moz or a mixed blend is fine)

Glaze:
Ketchup, Pizza Sauce (not tomato paste, but PIZZA SAUCE) *if you want to experiment, hoisin sauce is an excellent addition just add to the ingredients (and finish with crunchy noodles!).
Mix 1/4 cup Ketchup and 1/4 cup Pizza Sauce w/ salt, pepper and your choice of herbs. Oregano is a great choice! Mix well. Let sit.

Herbs: Here's the thing folks, salt and pepper do not count as your herbs! Experiment, try different herbs and learn what you like.

For this: I like 3 nice pinches of dried Oregano, dried Rosemary & dried Thyme, also added to this, you should add garlic POWDER and black pepper to taste.

Cooking Instructions:
Bring the meat to room temperature before working with it.
Set the shredded cheese aside until later.
Mix all the ingredients for the loaf together in a large bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
Mix the ingredients for the glaze together in a small bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.

(take this time to clean your station. Wipe it all down, wash your hands.)

Preheat your oven to 375

Form your loaf out of the 5lbs of meat you have in your bowl. Make it 4 fingers tall and approx the shape of a rectangle. push a 1 inch canyon in the meat for later and place on a cookie sheet and put in a ready oven.

after approx 45 minutes take the meatloaf out of the oven and use a spatula to take the meatloaf and put it on a baking cooling rack or elevated oven rack and place back onto the cookie sheet.
(Doing this allows the meat to cook on all sides and not have a soggy bottom!)
Sauce the top of the meatloaf with the glaze and until its thick and goopey and in the canyon we created on the meat... enough to cover everything, but not too much that its sliding all over the place!

Place back into the oven for 10 minutes - take out, add shredded cheese to the top of the meatloaf and then place back into the oven for 5 minutes, or until the cheese meets your desired done-ness.

Suggested Sides: Mashed Potatoes and Peas or Sauteed Greens.

Let the meatloaf sit for 10 minutes before cutting and enjoy :)
if you make it, leave me a message on how you liked it!

The Nacho Cheese Dorito Sandwich

You read that title right. The Nacho Cheese Dorito Sandwich. I've been making these bad boys since I was just a kid in the single digits. And still to this day it's just as good. Takes me back to my childhood. So here is how you make one of these.... pretty simple.

Choose your bread. I go with the traditional white bread. Nothing too crazy.

Miracle Whip. This is the key. Put a nice thick layer of Miracle Whip on there. This is very crucial. You gotta make sure you don't have too little of it, but also gotta make sure there isn't too much. You have to find a perfect balance. Add to both pieces of bread.

Add your Doritos. A nice single layer of Doritos on your bread. Nacho Cheese Doritos taste the best this way. Never been able to make a good Dorito sandwich with other flavors of them.

And that's it. Dorito Sandwich. Boom.

Recipes: Devon's Ultimate Nachos

I threw this one together for dinner tonight. It's quick, simple, delicious and abundant!

Prep time: 5 min.
Cook time: 15 min.

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 - 8oz. jar of Kraft Cheese Whiz
• 1 - 10oz. can of Rotelo Tomatoes & Diced Green Chilies 
• 1 - 11oz. jar of Tobasco Brand Chipotle Pepper Salsa 
• 1 packet of Old El Paso brand Taco seasoning.
• Sour cream
• Pinto beans
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Sliced jalapenos
• Tortilla Chips (I go with the white corn.)

Here's what you do:

• Brown your 1lb. of ground beef, and then add the taco seasoning. Follow the instructions on the packet of seasoning, most of them call for 2/3 cup of water or so.
• While your meat is browning, you can get your Cheese Whiz melting down in a nonstick pot on a different burner. If you're familiar with Cheese Whiz, you know it comes thick in the jar and has to be melt down. Do it on a low heat so you don't burn it, and once it's all melted and delicious, drop the heat down to low or warm. 
• Open your can of Rotelo and I like to use the lid to the can to just sorta press the tomatoes and chilies down, draining some of the liquid out. Once that's done, toss them in with the Cheese Whiz, stir it all together, and let it sit on the warmer until your ground beef mix is finished.
• Once your taco-seasoned meat is finished, drain out any additional grease or liquid there may be in the pan, and then slowly stir in the Cheese Whiz/Rotelo mix. Mix everything together until it's completely blended, and then let it simmer on low for about 5 minutes. 
• While this is going on, you can warm up your tortilla chips in the oven for about 6 or 7 minutes on 400 degrees. Also, toss your pintos in to a bowl and zap 'em for about a minute in the microwave. Chop up your lettuce, jalapenos, and tomato, and get your plate ready!
• I layer chips all over the plate, then toss on some beans, and then it's QUESO TIME. Use as much as you want, there's an ample amount here for 3 people. Once your queso is drizzled all over your chips, toss on the lettuce and tomato. Slap down a dollop of Daisy (sour cream) on top, and then drizzle that salsa all over. 
• Last but not least, bring a napken, and dig in!

Random Villain Recipe: The Boss Burger

Time to unleash The Boss. This is my own creation. And now I share it with the world. I was going to make this into a video but who knows when I'm gonna end up making one of these bad boys again so I figured I would post the how to, and then do a video later. Here we go.

Grill up your burger, nothing special but add your favorite bbq sauce while you grill it up.

Throw the bun on the grill just long enough to get it a little on the toasty side.

After that, move to the kitchen, all the magic happens in there. Not on the grill itself.

Add the cheese of your choice, for this burger I stick with cheddar, but pepper jack is also good to use. You can also throw this on when grilling to get it melted some onto the burger.

Throw on some bacon. A few strips, don't get to crazy.

Pour some BBQ sauce on top. Yes, I know you did it to your burger while you grilled it, but add some more on top of the bacon.

And now, the key part. This is where you "BOSS IT" as my nephew and I say. What is this magic ingredient? Very simple.....

That's right. Tostitos Bean and Cheese dip. Heat it up for about a minute. Get about two table spoons and just pour some of this stuff on top. Now your burger is gonna get a little on the messy side, but if you wanna sit around and eat nice and neat pretty food, this isn't for you. This is for people who just love some tasty burgers.

After that, sprinkle some jalapenos on top of the dip.

Add some lettuce if you'd like. And BOOM. YOU GOT YOURSELF A BOSS BURGER.

Recipes: Stuffed Green Bell Peppers

Mmm Mmm Mmm! I just whipped this up quick for dinner and it was so tasty I wanted to share it with everyone! This really is an EASY recipe. Anyone can make this... no excuses! My friend Brianna always says "you make it sound like it's so easy", but really IT IS!! Trust me! Just follow these easy steps and you'll have a hot, delicious meal in front of you in less than an hour.

Prep time: 10 min.
Cook time: 45 min.
Oven temp: 350 degrees

Here's what you'll need:

• 1lb ground beef
• 1/2lb ground pork
• 1/2 green pepper chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion chopped
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp pepper

and then:

• 1 cup Cooked white rice
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp red cayenne
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 8oz tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
  
  

• 4 Large Green Bell Peppers - Tops removed, cleaned out. 
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan
• Pan Square, 6" x 6" x 2" - lightly oiled

Here's what you do:

• First things first, get a pot of water boiling. Add a little salt to your water. Drop in your bell peppers. We're only going to parboil these peppers, which is to boil them for about 2-3 minutes. Then remove them with a slotted spoon and set them aside in your pan.
• We're going to take a large frying pan and put enough oil to cover about 1/8 of the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is good and hot, add in everything from the first group of ingredients. We're gonna keep this going over a medium high heat, browning the beef and pork and cooking down the onions and bell peppers. Once everything is cooked, strain it out, get rid of the excess fat and grease and throw it back on the heat. Drop the heat down to medium, and mix in everything from the second set of ingredients. Let this cook for about 10 minutes, and then lets start stuffing the peppers. You should have enough of the mixture to stuff each of the peppers pretty full and then enough to fill in all the gaps in the pan around the peppers.
• Once your peppers are stuffed and the pan is full, let's sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan on top.  Throw those bad boys in the oven, which should be preheated to 350 degrees. Let em back for about 30 minutes. When they come out the cheese should be melted and browned slightly. The filling will be piping hot, so be careful. We enjoyed ours with a side of yams and garlic toast. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, let us know how it turned out, and don't forget to "Like" Hungry Jerks on Facebook! 

Recipes: The Only Marinara You'll Ever Need

Howdy Jerks! Do you like Pasta? Is red sauce your favorite? If so, this recipe might just be for you! I like to consider this my all-purpose pasta sauce, because it's simple, fresh, delicious, and can be doctored up to work with many different meals. So first up here's the ingredients, then I'll get in to the instructions, and lastly I have a few nifty ideas you can use this sauce for.

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 8oz. cans of Hunt's Diced tomatoes, strained (No Juice). (I use the kind pictured here, with the added garlic, basil, and oregano.)
• 2 16oz. cans of Hunt's Tomato Sauce. (I suppose any brand will do, I just prefer Hunts for the quality and decent price.)
• 1 lg. sweet onion
• 6 cloves of garlic, fine diced
• 2 tbsp. butter - room temp.
• 1/2 cup of red wine.
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• Salt & Pepper to preference.

• Optional ingredients: Red pepper flakes, Sriracha, Ground beef, Meatballs... etc.*

Here's what you do:

• We're using a stock pot for this one, preferrably one with a wide bottom. I prefer them all with a wide bottom (heh.) Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat your oil over medium high, and while it's getting hot, chop your Lg. sweet onion to a medium chop. Once your oil is all nice and hot, go ahead and toss the chopped onion in. We're gonna let these onions cook down and get all brown and delicious. You want em to look almost see through, and as soon as they are, dump in your two cans of DICED tomatoes! Drop your heat down to about medium, and give everything a good stir. We're gonna let this cook down for about 6-7 minutes or so.
• While the diced tomatoes and onions are reducing down, go ahead and chop up your garlic cloves. We don't want the chunks TOO big, but we don't want them minced either. Somewhere in between is good.
• By now the tomatoes and onions should be cooked down to where there is little liquid left in the pot. This is where we're going to add the 1/2 cup of red wine. As it simmers, use your spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan making sure to get all the good bit loose and in to the mixture. Let this simmer for another 2-3 minutes, and then we're going to slowly pour in our 2 cans of tomato sauce. Next add the room temperature butter. Give everything a good stir so all elements are mixed together. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes, and then add dried herbs, salt/pepper, and the garlic. Stir, cover, simmer on medium low for about 15-20 minutes and it should be good to go. 

As for some of the other variations of this sauce, above I listed a few optional ingredients. To make a good meat sauce, just add ground beef or meatballs. If you're like me, you like a kick to your food, so I stir in a couple tablespoons of Chinese Hot sauce and a couple shakes of red pepper flakes. This sauce is really great for Chicken Cacciatore is you use the spicy upgrades.

So that's my homemade pasta sauce. Go makes some and let me know how you like it!

Southwestern Omelette

One of my favorite times of day is the morning. Even though waking up too early stinks, if you gotta be up, there's fewer things better to eat than a tasty omelette filled with all of your favorite flavors combined :)

My favorite omelette is a southwestern omelette. The following recipe serves 1 Hungry Jerk. It's simple, it's colorful, and it tastes heavenly!

You'll Need:

• 3 eggs
• A splash of milk (about 1/4 cup)
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)
• 1 small green pepper
• 1 small red pepper
• Your choice of already cooked meat, chopped into bite size pieces (I am a fan of linguica so I used that. Any meat will do though)
• 1 small onion (optional)
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream (optional)
• Salsa (optional)

Set a lightly greased frying pan to medium heat.

In a small to medium sized bowl, mix your eggs and milk throughly (I use a fork or whisk). Whisk until the mixture looks like it is one color (a lovely orange color).

Set egg mixture to the side. Dice veggies and add to your egg mixture.

Add the omelette mixture to the warm pan. Add salt and pepper to the top of the omelette.

Now it's time to let your omelette cook for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it and once you can, take your spatula and run it around the rim of the pan and seperate the egg from it. Then you know it is about ready to flip. This is the time where you add in your cooked meat. Sprinkle it in a line down the middle of the omelette.

Mmmm....meat.

Now, fold one side of the omelette inwards (lengthwise over the meat) and cook for a minute or two before flipping the other side in as well. Allow this to cook another minute.

Flip like so~

Now here comes the tricky part. I'm not very good at flipping whole omelettes with one spatula, so I use two. Very carefully flip the entire omelette over. Let this cook for a minute or two to allow the two flaps on the bottom to 'seal'. Now is a good time to sprinkle cheese on top of the omelette.

Add some cheese, please!

Turn off the heat and get your spatula(s) ready. Very carefully lift the omelette off of the pan and onto a plate. Top with sour cream and salsa (or to the side. Whatever you like!). ENJOY.

Wa-la! Omelette....du...fromage..?

This Cake is BANANAS

Hi Jerks, it's time for ice cream.

Ice cream is delicious. Cake is delicious. And we all know how great it is when you combine the two. Today, we take it to the next level. I've taken an ice cream creation icon...and turned it into a cake. An ice cream cake to be exact. I'm not even sure how the Universe is still in place. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you, the recipe for a Banana Split ice cream cake.

As I list the ingredients needed, please remember that anything worth being tasty must have quality ingredients. I will list what brands I used, however you are more than welcome to use lesser/higher quality ingredients based on your preference! Also, this recipe is extremely easy, but takes time to make (as each layer must be frozen before another layer can be added). This recipe would be better suited made the day before it is needed.

You will need:

• 1 9x3 springform pan (I am only listing this because it is needed. It is a godsend with this recipe and worth every penny. Please do not skip this!)
• 1 cup hot fudge sauce (either of your own recipe or bought from the store. Check near the ice cream section!)
• 14 chocolate sandwich cookies (commonly known as 'Oreos')
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream (I used Mayfield, but you are welcome to your own favorite brand)
• 1 pint chocolate ice cream (I used Mayfield)
• 1 pint strawberry ice cream (I used Haagen-Dazs)
• 4 ripe medium size bananas
• 1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream (or store bought whipped cream can be substituted here)
• 1/4 cup walnuts, broken into small pieces (or whatever kind of nut you like to top ice cream with!)
• Maraschino cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a plastic bag, finely crush cookies with a rolling pin.

2. In 9x3 springform pan, with fork, stir cookie crumbs and melted butter until evenly moistened. Press cookie mixture firmly onto bottom of pan.

Bake until crust is slightly darker on the edges (about 12-14 minutes). Place crust in freezer for about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place the vanilla ice cream in the fridge to soften it. This will take about 30 minutes.

4. Once crust is frozen and vanilla ice cream is soft, evenly spread the vanilla ice cream over the crust. Cover and freeze until firm (about 45 minutes).

5. Get your bananas and fudge ready (exciting, I know!). Cut 3 bananas lengthwise in half. Pour fudge sauce over the ice cream. This can be tricky as you may have to warm the fudge slightly so it will spread easier, however the warmer it is, the faster it will cause the ice cream to melt so you will have to work fast here. Now, arrange the bananas on top in a neat little row. Freeze cake for about 1 hour now. This will get the fudge to freeze throughly. Meanwhile, place the chocolate ice cream in the fridge to soften (again, about 30 minutes).

B-a-n-a-n-a-s

6. Even spread the chocolate ice cream over fudge sauce and bananas. Now we have a real party going :)

Cover and freeze until firm (about 30 min). Meanwhile, place the strawberry ice cream in the fridge to soften.

7. Spread the strawberry ice cream evenly over the chocolate ice cream. Cover and freeze until firm, about 3 hours and/or up to 2 days.

Just waiting to be eaten...

8. To serve, in small bowl with a mixer set to a medium speed, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Cut remaining banana into 1/2 inch slice at an angle. Next, dip a small knife in hot water, shake off the excess water, then run knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Unhinge the springform pan to free the cake. Put whipped cream on top of cake and arrange the banana slices on top. Sprinkle the nuts and maraschinos. Let stand at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Recipes: Linguica and Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers

Hi all, Happy Labor Day!

Now...I am no fat dude like the blog suggests (imposter, oh no!!), however...I do love tasty foods just as much as one, so I would like to share with you a recipe that resulted in some fine (and of course, tasty!) stuffed peppers using a delightful sausage called Linguica.

So, what is Leen-gwee-sah?
Linguica (or Linguiça if you want to be proper and fancy like) is a very flavorful yet mild lean sausage. It is typically used to compliment rice, breads, and soups.

I so happened to have some in my fridge just waiting to be eaten. But how? And with what?

Cravings can be a beast sometimes. And I was craving.....Stuffed peppers.
"There's sausage and rice stuffed peppers......why not linguica and rice?"

Ingredients:
6 large peppers (I used green Bell peppers, but any color Bell pepper will work!)
1 pound Linguica sausage
1 large onion, chopped fine (I used white onion, but any preferred onion will do)
1 clove garlic, minced finely
1 container fresh Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups cooked wild rice
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
3/4 cup of parmesan or Romano cheese (I used freshly grated block parmesan)

Directions:

Wash the veggies and set all to the side except for the peppers. Take the peppers and slice the tops off. Remove the seeds and cut out veins from inside the peppers.

Remove casings from the linguica sausage. Chop the sausage into small pieces and brown in a wok or large skillet on a medium setting .

Finished Product!

Once the sausage is cooked, remove it from skillet and set aside in a bowl. Add your garlic, onions and mushrooms into the already hot skillet and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the linguica back into the skillet and mix throughly. Add in the cooked wild rice and fold the meat and sauteed veggies into the cooked rice. Note the delicious aroma that is wafting throughout your kitchen now! Add 4oz. of the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of the cheese, then fold in the parsley.

Preheat your oven to 425F. Spoon the rice mixture into the peppers and fill them completely. Pat the tops to pack the rice down into the pepper. Put the peppers into a baking or casserole dish that has been lightly greased. Use the remaining tomato sauce to pour over the peppers. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 425F for about 40-45 minutes (depending on how possessed your oven is!) Enjoy!

Recipes: Ooey Gooey S'mores Bars

I won't lie to you, I've never been crazy about baking. I like my desserts cold and fresh (see: ice cream with berries) for the most part... but sometimes... sometimes you just need something a little bit comfier. Now, when I think comfort food I think chocolate, and one of my all time favorite chocolate desserts is a s'more. Unfortunately, it's summer right now in Florida, so we can't build too many bonfires with all the rain, so I had to improvise. I wondered if there was some kind of baked s'more I could make, and after finding several recipes on the internet, concocted my own here for you today!

Now if for some reason you don't know what a s'more is, it means Some More and is most often a sandwich made of graham crackers, chocolate, and roasted marshmallows. The recipe below is for a baked version of this dish that is sure to keep everyone happy!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature.
• 1/4 cup brown sugar.
• 1/2 cup sugar.
• 1 large egg.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract.
• 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour.
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs.
• 1 tsp baking powder.
• 1/4 tsp salt.
• 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars. I say go big or go home: Buy the Godiva!
• 1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff.

Here's what you do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Use an 8" baking pan. Grease the pan. 
2. In a large bowl, whip together the room temp. butter and the sugar until it's a smooth mixture. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla. In a small separate bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Once it's all mixed, add it to the butter/sugar mixture and mix at a low speed until even.
3. Now, divide the dough in half and press one half of the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the greased pan. Next, layer the chocolate bars over the dough. 2 king-sized bars should fit perfectly side by side, but you can always break the chocolate up if you need to. Once the chocolate layer is done, spread the marshmallow fluff over it, so that it's even from side to side. With that done, go back to the other half of the dough. The best way to go about this is to flatten it out, and then use a pizza cutter to cut it in to squares or slivers you can layer over the top of the marshmallow fluff.
4. Place the pan in your preheated oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until your crust is golden brown. Set the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool for about 20-30 minutes before cutting it. Serve warm with ice cream or cool as a snack bar. Don't eat the whole thing in one sitting though... you'll get a belly ache!!

Recipes: Oven Baked Pork Chops... with a twist.

If you're like me, you've found that Pork, of all the meats, can be the trickiest to cook. Furthermore, when cooking Pork in it's Chop form, it can be especially difficult to achieve the dish's maximum potential. Pork Chops tend to cook quickly and if you're not careful, it doesn't take much to overcook them, leaving them tough and dry.

Hopefully this quick recipe will do for you what it's done for me, and that's save Pork Chop night!

Here's what you'll need:

1. 1/2 cup ketchup
2. 1 tbsp soy sauce
3. 1 tsp chili powder
4. 1/4 tsp pepper
5. 2 tbsp brown sugar
6. 2 tsp canola oil
7. 1/4 tsp allspice
8. 2 large potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
9. 2 celery stalks, diced small
10. 2 large onions, diced small
11. 2 large carrots, diced small
12. 1/2 Lime squeezed for juice.
13. 4 boneless center-cut loin pork chops

Here's what you do: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil, chili powder, allspice and pepper. Make sure to take your time mixing these ingredients so that everything is perfectly blended.
3. Dip the pork chops into the sauce, coating both sides. Then set to the side on a plate. The best thing to do if you're making these ahead of time would be to cover the plate with saran wrap and return to the fridge. Once the chops are to the side, add the prepped veggies to the mix and make sure they're equally coated. It's important to make sure your veggies are chopped the same size so they will cook evenly.
4. Next, break out your tin foil. What we're going to do here is tear off 4 sheets about 8" by 8". Place the Pork Chop in the center of the sheet and then scoop about 1/4 of the veggies on top of it. Fold your foil square up to create a tightly sealed pocket for the Chop. Repeat this process for your other three Chops. Place all 4 individually wrapped chops on a baking sheet.
5. Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes, using a meat thermometer to check your temperatures. 
6. Serve Chops with their cooking juices and the veggies, side with rice, fresh veggies, bread, or whatever you might like. 

I hope you enjoy!