Birthday Feast

     I know I’m a few days late on this post, but I’ve been so busy working on my guest post and 101 in 1001!  Now that I’ve got those taken care of, I thought I would get back to some “regular” posting and share with you about my dad’s birthday dinner.  Before I get too deep into this post, let me go ahead and warn you – the pictures in this post are possibly some of the most unattractive food photos ever…please don’t let that distract you from the deliciousness available to you in the recipes!
     My dad’s birthday was last weekend, so my sister and I both came home to cook dinner.  Usually we go out to eat, but we decided that it might be more fun to cook this year.  It was my sister’s idea to cook, and she came up with an incredible menu – Italian meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans with mushrooms.  None of these were hard to make, and it wasn’t a fussy meal at all.  Any (or all) of it could be done on any old weeknight.

Meatloaf
Please forgive the less than attractive photo.

Italian Meatloaf

You will need:
2 lbs. ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. ketchup
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a large bowl mix first four ingredients. Add tomatoes and cheese and season (to be honest we didn’t have all of that stuff so we used oregano, basil, a bit more garlic salt, and a dash of Essence of Emeril).
3.  Form into a loaf in a 13x9 casserole dish (we usually don’t use a meatloaf pan so that we can get it out of the grease quicker).  Cover loosely with foil.
4.  Bake in preheated oven for about an hour (or until internal temperature is 160 degrees).

Potatoes
Again…not so pretty.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

You will need:
8 medium red potatoes, quartered (we used more)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
1/2 c. fat free milk, warmed
1/2 tsp. salt (we used more)
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (we used way more)

1.  Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan, cover with water.  Bring to a boil; cook until potatoes are very tender.  Drain well.
2.  Add the butter, milk, and salt; mash.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Green Beans
Ok…this one isn’t quite so bad!

Green Beans and Mushrooms

You will need:
1 16oz. bag of frozen green beans (we used whole beans, but it would work fine with cut)
1 can of mushrooms (fresh works fine too – however much you want)

1.  Heat a skillet on the stove (with a tiny bit of olive oil if you like).
2.  Pour in green beans and cook until heated through but still crunchy.
3.  About halfway through cooking, toss in the mushrooms.
    
     Y’all, this was all so good.  I was sad that I had to go back to school the next day because I so would have eaten this again!  Like I said, this clearly doesn’t have to be done together, and they’re simple enough to do whenever.
     I’m glad that we decided to try something different this year, and even more glad that it worked out so well.  Cooking something delish always makes me want to cook something else!  Once I figure that out, I’ll let you know!
     Happy March!  I’m on spring break this week, but I can’t wait for real spring.  I love everything about spring – Easter, crafts, clothes – and I can’t wait to share all of it with you!
Allyson

18 comments

Janel from NellieBellie said...

You hit 100...yay you!!

Allyson McGuire said...

I'm so excited! Thank you so much!

Kelsey said...

This is MY kinda' dinner!! I love garlic mashed potatoes and have green beans on my list of 'things to buy' at the Farmer's Market tomorrow! :) I do my green beans with pearl onions and balsamic dressing - SO YUMMY!

Allyson McGuire said...

Thank you so much! That sounds delicious - I love pearl onions!

Unknown said...

looks yummy to me!

Allyson McGuire said...

Oh it was! Thank you so much for stopping by!

The Remodeled Life said...

Those all look yummy Allyson!

PS - I've tagged you in a bloggy Q&A game...no pressure to answer my questions, but you can if you want to!

Leah Bud said...

This Looks Delicious! I Nominated you for a sunshine award on my blog :)I just think your blog is so cute and enjoy it. Definately one of my new must reads :) You can follow the link below to get rules and pass it on.
http://www.thecuckoosnestblog.com/2012/03/sunshine-award.html

Allyson McGuire said...

Thank you so much! I just finished up the post, and it will be posted tomorrow morning!

Allyson McGuire said...

Thanks! It was great. I just finished the post about the Sunshine Award; it will go live tomorrow morning!

Addicted to Recipes said...

My boys LOVE meatloaf, I will have to give your recipe a try - thank you! Would love for you to link up: http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.com/p/link-party.html

Have a great weekend!

Allyson McGuire said...

Thank you so much! I would love to link up. I hope y'all give this a try and love it!

Rachel @ Little Kitchen, Big Bites said...

yummm those all sound totally delish! i need a feast like that for my next birthday!

Allyson McGuire said...

It was so great! Thanks for stopping by!

Addicted to Recipes said...

Thanks for linking up to the Scrumptious Sunday link party at http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.com!

I will be choosing three recipes this weekend and will be featuring them on my blog and Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/AddictedToRecipes

Will see you again soon! Thank you again!

Allyson McGuire said...

Thank you so much for inviting me!

Nicole said...

Italian meatloaf is amazing!

Allyson McGuire said...

It was so great! I loved it!