I have a dream...

Post Edit on November 18:
The winners are....numbers 8, 9. 11, and 14. That's Mom of 2, Katie, Gigi, and Nancy. Email me your addresses (prudencepenny@aol.com) and I'll send you a coupon for a free pound of sausages! Congrats!
I'm getting ready to share my roll tutorial tomorrow. I'll be sharing step by step photos of my mom's melt-in-your-mouth Thanksgiving rolls. The buttery dough is rising on the counter, warm and cozy. (Check out my piecrust tutorial here.)

For today, lovely readers, I wanted to tell you about another recipe contest that one of you out there needs to win. Johnsonville Sausage is hosting a recipe contest and all you need to do is come up with an original recipe using Johnsonville Sausage as an ingredient. Somebody please win the $10,000 to fulfill their culinary dream. My culinary dream is to put in an outdoor kitchen on the back patio complete with a fireplace, grill, and sink. What's your culinary dream, readers? A trip to Italy? A year's tuition at cooking school? A new up-to-date kitchen? Catered holiday parties for a year? All of the above, please and throw in a few new sets of dishes while you're at it. I didn't know I was so greedy, but if you open the gates, expect a flood. Leave me a comment and tell me your culinary dream (or dreams!) before midnight tonight and four wide-eyed winners will get a free pound of Johnsonville sausage on me. Winners will be chosen at random. Be back tomorrow with the Thanksgiving rolls...

Mini Meatloves with Sweet Tomato Glaze

A hot-off-the-griddle, warm welcome to my new readers! Pull up a chair and I'll make you a nice cup of tea in my mind.
Yesterday after I was finished filming my donut segment for TV, I raced out of the studio, and headed straight for home, a 5 hour drive. (The charges were blissfully playing at their cousin's house near Salt Lake City.) Sailor has a voice class that she's already missed three times while we were in the Middle East, and I didn't want to end up doing more make-up classes for make-up classes. I drove sensibly, but the goal of making it to voice class was on my mind. I pulled up to class at 4:30 on the dot, not a minute too soon or too late. (Thank you again, my over-worked, underpaid guardian angel, whoever you are.) I raced home to wash the 5 hour old donut dishes and then I ran back to pick up Sailor, only to have to race her home again to get her ready for her ballet make-up class. I remembered my mom was home alone, and called to make sure she had dinner. Then, I did the only sensible thing that a frazzled mother can do around 6ish on Monday night. I went through the Del Taco drive-through. The man at the window had a twinkle in his eye. He's my new funny friend and his name is Tito. "You look pretty brave, so I give you the hottest Del Scorcho sauce, lady." I told him I thought I could take it his Del Scorcho and put it in my kid's baby bottles; we like it hot at my house. "Why you come here for dinner tonight? You look like a nice lady. You don't make dinner for your family? Maybe I make dinner for you, then you should make dinner for me." Then we both chuckled for a while. I'm not in the habit of inviting strange men to my house for dinner, but I just might make an exception for silly Tito. Anyone who can make me laugh at the drivethrough deserves a warm meal. This, and not Del Taco quesadillas, is what my family is having for dinner tonight. It's a great meatloaf recipe for those busy nights (and tonight is another one of those) when you don't have time to warm your hands by the oven for an hour. These yummy little loaves are cheap to make and bake up in just twenty minutes. The best part is the sweet tomato glaze over the juicy meat, especially if you've got some mashed potatoes on the side. Eat your heart out, Tito!

Money Saving Tips: Buy your ground beef in bulk for the best deals. Take it home and freeze it one pound portions, for easy meals. Stale bread of unwanted loaf heels are put to good use in this recipe.

Miniature Meatloaves with Sweet Tomato Glaze

Estimated Cost: $5.00 for 4

1 slice bread

1/3 cup milk

1 lb. ground beef (I used ground sirloin)

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup instant oatmeal

1/2 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Break up bread into 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Pour milk over the top and allow to soak in for about thirty seconds. Add beef, egg, oatmeal, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano. Gently mix until well combined. Shape beef into four separate oval "loaves" and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine ketchup, brown sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl. Brush over mini meatloaves. Bake for an additional five minutes. Let stand for five minutes before serving. Serves four.

Up Next:

Thanksgiving Dinner Roll Tutorial

Tune in for Donuts

Post Edit: As it turns out, I like being on TV much, much more than I like watching myself on TV. Cringe. Here's the link.
Good mornin'. I am in Salt Lake City making my very favorite donuts for this. If you are in Utah, you can watch at 11:00. I'll post a link later, but only if I don't set anything on fire or burp on live TV. And since I'm still in my pajamas, I don't know if I forgot anything vital this time. I'll let you know.

PS Thanks for all of the Happy Birthday wishes. Henceforth I shall be 30 something no longer. It's 29 from here on out.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

My little sister just informed that I have not yet posted my pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Her apron was on and she was ready to bake. Where was the recipe? Of course she must be mistaken! I churn out loaves of this perfect pumpkin bread every year. Here's why it's perfect: The recipe uses the entire can of pumpkin (waste not, want not), has just the right combination of pumpkin flavor, cinnamon, and chocolate, uses common, inexpensive ingredients and is a snap to make. The end result is three delicious loaves for sharing with neighbors and friends. Of course I must have posted it already! Right???? Right?

Wrong. I even took a picture last year, but never posted the recipe. So here it is, better late than never. Thanks for the reminder, sistuh. You've given me a good idea of what to do with the rest of my afternoon.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for threestandard loaves, or 8 mini loaves

Notes: You can swap out the nuts for an equal amount of extra chocolate chips.

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups sugar

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 and 1/2 cups flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips tossed with 2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 standard loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, sugar, water and eggs, mixing well. Add in cinnamon, soda and salt. Very gently, stir in flour until just combined. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Separate into 3 separate loaf pans. Bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for ten minutes before removing from pan.

Next Up: Mini Freeform Meatloaves

The Keys to Good Cooking

A few weeks ago, I posted about a new cookbook by the esteemed Harold McGee. The Keys to Good Cooking is much more than a cookbook; it's a guide, a companion, a troubleshooter, a friend. If you've ever asked Why? or How? in the kitchen, than this book will be your kitchen goddess. With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, I need it more than ever. There's a subsection on oven roasting, advice on rubbing the bird with butter, tips about obtaining crisp skin and moist meat. Armed with information, I think I'll be making a masterpiece turkey this year. And if I err (which I'm destined to do), I'll head back to the book for troubleshooting. And we're not just talking turkey either, folks. There's a whole section on pies and pastries (not to mention vegetables, breads, sauces, eggs, etc). Want to avoid a soggy crust under your pumpkin pie? McGee says to use a pastry crust made with egg. Yes, sir! They say there are no dumb questions, and the advice in the book ranges from obvious to brilliant-but always accessible. It's a lovely stoveside companion for both a beginning cook or an accomplished chef. I'm relieved to have it in my turkey-day arsenal.
Let's start talking about Thanksgiving tomorrow. See you then.
PS I was not paid or compensated in anyway for this review, other than receiving a copy of the book. As always, my opinionated opinions belong to bossy old me.

A few preholiday Pennywise Tips...

Hello out there. I am steadily unearthing myself from under my gargantuan post vacation to-do list. And not a moment too soon, since Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. Time to get back to the business of saving money for the holidays. Here's a couple of ideas for this week.

Waste not, want not when your recipe calls for just a little bit of canned pumpkin. (I'm making warm pumpkin pie puddings tonight and the recipe calls for just 1/2 cup.) Put any leftover pumpkin puree in a nice warm pot of chili, up to 1/4 cup per serving. It blends in flawlessly with the flavors of chili powder and tomato.

Old Navy is having an outerwear sale this week. In stores, coats are 50 percent off until Thursday. (The online sale ends today.) I bought new winter coats for both the charges, but I'm still greedy for more. I'm yearning for this orange number. Can you tell I've got pumpkin on the mind?
Butter's going to be on sale over the next two weeks as supermarkets vie for your feasting dollar. Stock up now for all of your Christmas baking. I'm holding out to get some of my favorite brands for $2 a pound. (Same goes for nuts, canned broth, and spices.)
And one more little thing. I love this comfy, quilted, monogrammed tote bag. It would make a perfect, personalized Christmas gift for under $30. ( Embroidered Bags. )They've got adorable diaper bags and travelbags for monogramming, too.

Have a fabulous, frugal day! Be back tomorrow.

A few more pics....

Just a few more before I move on.