Glazed Meatloaf

This is my mother-in-law's recipe for meatloaf that she shared with me many years ago with a twist to it.  Adding the glaze to the top of it imparts even more unforgettable flavor into an already delicious recipe.  My mother-in-law was a fantastic cook, and I am thankful to have learned so much from her. Because of the high sugar content in this dish, I recommend that if you are trying to lose weight on my Health "Diet" that you serve this dish with the same meal that you eat your weekly Dazzling Dessert.  (Dazzling Desserts coming soon to this blog.)

Dilly Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers are a good source of Vitamin A, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium. Cultured sour cream has the beneficial bacteria your tummy needs for good health support.

Laura's Super Easy Delicious Crustless Quiche

"“An 88-year-old man consumed 24 soft-boiled eggs a day for 15 years. Scientists found that despite a cholesterol intake close to 6,000 mg a day – well above the recommended maximum of 300 mg – the man had normal blood cholesterol and showed no signs of heart disease.” Source: Edward Blonz PPNF Health Journal quoted in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon p444." 
I'm not suggesting that you eat 24 eggs a day, but all my studies that I have done says that eating plenty of fresh eggs in a well balanced diet will not have an effect on my cholesterol levels whatsoever.  In fact I have read several studies that eggs, the whole egg has reduced cholesterol levels in individuals whose Cholesterol levels were "too high"  Now that is another subject all it's own.  How high is too high?  Studies have shown that young children and the elderly need higher cholesterol levels.  Unconventional thinking, I know, but I have seen 3 different elderly women who were told that their Cholesterol levels were way too high, and so the doctor put them on Cholesterol lowering drugs.  These drugs lowered their Cholesterol levels to a so called "normal" level.  A level that also made one of them forget to lock the store door when they left work and sometimes forgetting to take care of the money in the till. (This after having worked there for numerous years and a habit so ingrained in them, it was unbelievable to her.)  Another one I know would drive to her destination, open the door and immediately slump forward in slumber, her head hitting the steering wheel.  I happened to see this several times.  She said she would have to pull over while driving because she knew she was going fall asleep at the wheel.  Both of these instances were after starting the drugs. Studies have shown that these are symptoms of a Cholesterol level that is too low. We eat our eggs without worrying about Cholesterol levels whatsoever.  In fact, we go through 30 dozen eggs a month between the 8 of us.  Our Cholesterol levels are normal.


Laura's Super Easy Delicious Crustless Quiche

1/2 lb. Bacon or Ham, cut up in pieces, and from animals that haven't received antibiotics or hormones and have no nitrates added.
1/2 cup chopped organic red Onion
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cup organic fresh baby Spinach

6 fresh organic Eggs, whisked in small bowl
1 cup raw white Cheddar Cheese
Celtic Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp.Garlic Powder
1 tsp. dried or fresh Parsley, if fresh, increase to 2 tsp.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  On medium heat, using a cast iron skillet, cook pieces of bacon until crisp.  In bacon fat, add the sliced mushrooms, onion and fresh spinach.  Cook until onions are opaque.  In bowl with whisked eggs, whisk together the eggs, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper, garlic powder and parsley.  Add to the cooked mixture in the skillet, and stir until well mixed.  Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

Clay Pot Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

The first time I was introduced to clay pot cooking, I thought I was in heaven!! You can take just about any mundane ingredients, put them in the clay pot and voila!! You have an extremely moist gourmet dish that is not only healthy, but saves on dishes if you put the veggies in it as well. Because the clay pot is soaked, both top and bottom before putting in a cold oven, the food is steamed, retaining the vitamins and minerals in the food.  Romertopf clay pots are lead free, and I can't imagine that any other clay pot company could get away with selling anything other than lead free as well. You can buy one like mine here:   http://www.romertopfonline.com/clay-bakers/01132/   Or you can wait to find one at a garage sale like I did.  I have purchased 3 different ones and different sizes from garage sales for $5.00 each.  Tim just brought home the biggest size they carry for only $ 5.00-not bad for a $70.00 item!

Our Favorite Pancakes

Our family loves these easy to make pancakes.  We love the flavor of homemade buttermilk with these, and it is worth the wait to make the cultured buttermilk in order to make these.  To make the buttermilk, put about a 1/2 cup of store bought Organic buttermilk  to a quart jar and add fresh raw milk or pasteurized milk (not ultra-pasteurized) to about 1 inch below the rim of jar.  Put the lid on it loosely and put it on top of the refrigerator for a couple of days.  It will smell like sweet buttermilk when ready.
Best Buttermilk Pancakes

2 Cups freshly ground Hard White Wheat Flour (I often use a combination of White Wheat, Oat flour and Spelt)
2 Tsp. aluminum free Baking Powder
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp. Celtic fine grind Sea Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar
2 Large Organic fresh eggs, lightly beaten
2 to 2 1/2 Cups fresh cultured Buttermilk
4 Tbsp. Organic butter, melted plus more for skillet


Melt butter in small saucepan on stove.  Heat skillet (about a number 3 on my stove.) Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a bowl.  add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons melted butter; whisk to combine.  batter should have small to medium lumps.  Do not over beat.  This makes the pancakes tough, and not light and fluffy.

Test skillet by sprinkling a few drops of water on it.  If water bounces and spatters off the skillet, it is hot enough.  Put in a teaspoon or so of butter in the skillet and spread around.  If you like crunchy sides, leave the excess butter, otherwise wipe off the excess lightly with a paper towel.  Spread about 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter in the middle of skillet.  When pancakes bubble on top and are slightly dry around the edges (about 2 1/2 minutes,) flip the pancake with a pancake turner.  Cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute.  Repeat with remaining batter; keep finished pancakes on a heat-proof plate in the oven.

Serve with homemade freezer jam, real maple syrup, honey, or homemade berry syrup.

Rice and Mushroom Casserole

 This is one of our favorite rice accompaniment dishes.  Many people have asked for this recipe in the past. I grew up not liking brown rice, but now we have such wonderful kinds of brown rice such as Basmati, Jasmine, and even Sweet brown rice which is often used for Sushi.

Brown rice is every weight watcher’s dream food, and is a common sense approach to obesity control because it has a low glycemic index just like raw vegetables and fruits and other whole grains.  By metabolizing slowly and maintaining stable levels of blood sugar and/or serotonin, brown rice snips away food cravings. Brown rice has antioxidants and phytonutrients, and is a very good source of selenium, a trace mineral that induces DNA repair and synthesis in damaged cells and inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells.  Brown rice is an excellent source of manganese and magnesium as well. Just one cup of brown rice will provide you with 88.0% of the daily value for manganese. This trace mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates and is involved in the synthesis of essential fatty acids.

Read more: http://healthmad.com/nutrition/the-benefits-of-brown-rice/#ixzz0qtfwdWyK

Rice and Mushroom Casserole

1 Cup organic Basmati or Jasmine brown rice (I have also added wild rice to the brown rice successfully) 

1 Cup Butter from grass fed cows

1 lb. Fresh Mushrooms, sliced

1 Cup chopped organic Yellow Onion 

1 Cup chopped organic Celery

4 Cups organic or homemade Beef Broth

1 Cup Water

1 Teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon dried Thyme, if fresh, use 2 teaspoons chopped Thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large skillet over medium heat, brown dry rice, stirring constantly until rice is a golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Pour into large casserole dish.  In same skillet, in half of the butter, cook celery and when starting to turn opaque, put in the onions and mushrooms cooking until tender.  Add remaining ingredients and heat to boiling.  Over rice in casserole dish, pour mixture from skillet. Stir and cover  casserole and bake for 1 hour, or until the rice tests done and all liquid is absorbed.  With a fork, lightly toss the remaining butter (cut into cubes) until butter is melted and mixture is fluffy.

Tender Delicious Marinated Chuck Roast

This recipe is actually our favorite recipe for marinated grilled pork chops, but it is very versatile and can be used for chicken, beef, and lamb as well.

Beef  is one of the best absorbed sources of iron. It is often overlooked however, that red meat provides a total nutrition package. Beef is an important source of protein, with the B vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12, as well as the essential minerals, iron and zinc.  Beef is a nutrient dense food, in other words, a small serving gives a large amount of important nutrients for health.  Due to its high protein and fat content, it makes a satisfying meal (helping us feel full for longer), aiding weight control.  The fat in beef from animals that have not received antibiotics and hormones, preferably grass fed, is an essential nutrient. It provides for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins and the formation of essential hormones, and is used as an energy source. More than half the fatty acids in beef are monounsaturated, the same type of fatty acids found in olive oil and championed for their heart-healthy properties. In addition, approximately one third of the saturated fat in beef is stearic acid, which is shown to have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol.  

Marinated Beef Chuck Roast 

3/4 Cup organic light Olive Oil
1/3 Cup organic Soy Sauce (organic is very important for this item, as you don't want to use soy sauce made from genetically modified soybeans.  I know of no non-organic sources of soy sauce that don't use genetically modified beans.  Watch Food Inc. to learn why it is vitally important for your health and weight control to avoid the use of genetically modified food.)
1/4 Cup organic Brown Rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. organic Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed organic lemon juice
1 Tbsp. organic Dijon or stone ground yellow mustard
1 Tsp. Celtic fine grind Sea Salt
1 Tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup chopped organic Cilantro
3 Organic garlic cloves, minced
2 Lb. minimum well marbled Chuck Roast from cows that have not been given antibiotics or hormones, at room temperature (Be sure to have the roast marinating while coming to room temperature. Room temperature makes the roast cook evenly, ensuring that the outside will not be overcooked while waiting for the inside to come to desired inside temperature. So marinate for 2 to 4 hours on the counter depending on size of roast. The rice vinegar and beef from animals that have had no antibiotics and hormones helps to keep any bad bacteria at bay while coming to room temperature. Using well marbled beef insures that this inexpensive cut of meat is tender.)  This is what I like my cuts of beef to look like.

Combine the  first 10 ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag and add the roast to it.  As you close the zipper, remove any excess air, and lightly knead the bag to ensure even marinating.  Allow roast to come to room temperature about 2 hours while marinating, turning bag over every half hour.


Using a broiling pan, put  the roast in the oven on a rack that has been raised to about 5 or 6 inches from broiler coil with the oven turned to broil setting. Broil for 5 minutes per side to sear the meat, leaving the oven door ajar while broiling. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees  and move the rack to the middle position of the oven, and baste with marinade ocassionally until done.  (It doesn't bother me to use the marinade that the roast was marinating in to baste with, once again, because of the bacterial killing presence of the vinegar.)  Plan on 30 to 50 minutes per pound in the oven, or grill on the grill using the same manner I use for grilled salmon, cooking right on the grilling rack without the aluminum foil used with the salmon.

The next step is very important.  When the roast is cooked to desired temperature, take the roast out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to distribute.  This also helps to be sure that the meat is tender when you eat it.  I always let my meat, fish, etc. rest before eating.