Favorite Things!

Sarah is hosting Favorite Things again, but this week she wants us to share our favorite recipes. The Bear Loaf , Creamy Italian Chicken and mashed potatoes aren't exact, sorry, because with favorite recipes you don't even follow the recipe any more, ya know?

I’ll share my favorite comfort food meals (notice mashed potatoes in both…YUMMY) and my favorite dessert.

Meal #1 - Bear Loaf (Hubby’s Meatloaf), garlic mashed potatoes, corn

Bear Loaf
1 lb ground beef
1 lb sausage (we use Bob Evans Zesty Italian)
½ can of tomato soup
1 sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed
1 egg

Mix the ground beef and sausage, add ½ can of soup, crushed crackers and egg. Mix well. Shape into two loafs on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook at 350 for 50 minutes. Check for doneness and spread mix of BBQ, Ketchup, Spicy Mustard and Brown Sugar on top and sides of loaves. Finish baking. You can also bake in a loaf pan, but I like the crispy bits and free styled loaves have way more!

Meal #2 - Creamy Italian Chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli

Creamy Italian Chicken (crock-pot or baked)
1 block of cream cheese, softened
1 pkg of Italian dressing mix
1 can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Additional seasonings/spices if you like more zest (we do!)
Splash or so of milk (optional)

Baked:Mix cream cheese, soup and dressing mix. Add some milk if you like it a little thinner (I like more sauce). Place chicken in 9x13 and sprinkle with additional herbs/seasoning if desired. Pour mixture over chicken. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Crock-pot:Put chicken, ½ cup water and Italian Dressing Mix and other spices in crock-pot. Cook until chicken is done, adding water if necessary (Mine is usually on low for 11 hours, while we are working.) Mix cream cheese and soup and pour into crock-pot. Cook another 30 minutes or so with lid off to thicken mixture.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Peel and boil potatoes. I usually peel about 1/2 and keep the skin on 1/2 cuz I'm crazy that way! Dump into mixing bowl and pour in your milk, butter, sour cream to taste. Add Garlic seasoning to taste. I like Mc Cormick Garlic Salt with Parsley. Then I add some salt free garlic herb to keep things balanced :) I like Garlic Mashed potatoes because you don't need gravy, they are awesome just how they are. But the sauce of the creamy Italian chicken is just wonderful on them!

Broccoli and Corn
Go to freezer, grab veggies and follow directions on the bag :)

I might also add some bread/rolls to these meals to stretch them a bit or if I'm feeling extra ambitious. Usually I'm not!

Chocolate Lava Cakes
These are the best dessert hands down! I love them with ice cream or berries and whip cream. They can easily be dressed up with sprinklings of powder sugar or sophsticated with coffee ice cream.

1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S Bittersweet Chocolate (I usually use equvilent ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips)
10 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks

Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on MEDIUM (50%) 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar and flour; mix well. Add whole eggs and egg yolks; beat until well blended. Recipe calls for baking in custard cups. I don't have custard cups nor do I have room to store custard cups. I line a large muffin tin with cupcake wrappers. You could use a normal size muffin tin to stretch the recipe or to control portions. But they are so good you might just eat 2 small ones.

Bake 11to 12 min at 425. or until cakes are firm around the edges but still soft in the centers. Let stand 1 min. Carefully lift out of muffin tins and peel off liners. Place in a bowl and serve with ice cream, berries, whipped topping, etc. Serve warm.