Meatloaf Patties

Making meatloaf patty style does three things:  It insures everyone gets plenty of topping, your meat is always cooked through, and it saves time since it cooks faster. Bonus?  It's freezable. Zip on down to the bottom to see how to freeze them for later.

Meatloaf Patties

olive oil

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 Tablespoon chicken broth

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 pound ground beef

2-1/2 Tablespoons bread crumbs (use quinoa flakes for GF)

1 egg

1/2 c ketchup (or more to your taste!) BBQ sauce can also be used

Chop/dice onion. I do mine pretty small  so there are never any crunchy onions in my meatloaf.Cook onions in oil with salt/pepper until completely cooked. Turn off heat. Add Worcestershire sauce, broth, and paste. Mix and cool a little. Mix eggs and bread crumbs...Add tomato/onion mixture to it. and beef. Form into 3-4 hamburger patties. Put on jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) and drizzle with ketchup. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done. 

To grill... Heat ketchup separately  mostly to get the chill off. Grill meatloaf patties on medium heat for for 5-6 minutes. Flip, add ketchup and grill for another 5-6 minutes.
You can make more than one batch at a time. TO FREEZE....Form patties and put on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze and then bag. To cook, thaw and cook according to directions above.

Catfish Parmesan

Catfish Parmesan

4 catfish fillets with or without bones
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced garlic (or less depending on your taste and strength of garlic)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
nonstick cooking spray


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse fillets and pat dry. Combine eggs and milk in shallow bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in another shallow bowl.
Dip fillets in egg mixture and then into bread crumb mixture. Coat fillets evenly and pat firmly. Arrange fillets in greased baking sheet. Spray fillets lightly with cooking spray

Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (1/2 pound whole fillets (no heads) cook for 25 minutes) Serve as is or with tartar sauce.

Cherry Torte

This is my dad's favorite dessert. My grandma used to make it for her family. Whenever we'd have it at their house my grandpa would eat the cherries for me. Now dad does. Lately though I've split the recipe into two dishes and made one with the cherries and one with just a little of the filling for my nephew and I. 

Cherry Torte                                                                                          Printable Recipe

1 can cherry pie filling
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened (can use light)
1 package Dream Whip ( plus 1/2 c milk and 1/2 t vanilla)
10 graham crackers (this means 40 of the little rectangles)
6 Tablespoons butter, melted


Add crackers to a gallon bag and use a rolling pin to make into crumbs. The smaller the better.
Add to butter and mix til crumbly.

Mix Dream Whip according to directions using the Dream Whip packet, milk, and vanilla.

Add softened cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix until creamy.

Layer 3/4 of the butter crumb mixture in the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. (I used a smaller dish here since I split it.)
Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture onto crust.

Then pie filling...

Then the rest of the cream cheese mixture...

Sprinkle with remaining butter crumb mixture.

Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.

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Pretty individual desserts in a parfait glass.