MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - MEATLOAF

I enjoyed this recipe very much and found it at Brown Eyed Baker hosted by Michelle.  You can see the original here.  Thanks Michelle! (This is an old recipe and not made recently.)

Meatloaf 

6 to 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar

For the Meatloaf:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
16 saltine crackers, crushed
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Make the Glaze:

In a small saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar; set aside.

Make the Meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Set aside to cool while preparing the remaining.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and milk.

Add the ground meats, crackers, parsley and cooked onion mixture; mix with a fork until evenly blended.

With wet hands, pat the mixture into a 9-by-5 inch loaf shape and place on a foil-lined rimmed baking pan.  If you prefer you can use a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan with a perforated bottom.

Brush with half of the glaze.

Bake loaf until it is cooked through (it should register 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer) about 1 hour  (With my oven temperature of 350 degrees it wasn't cooked, so I put it in for an extra 15 minutes.)

Cool at least 20 minutes.

Simmer the remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly.

Slice the meatloaf and serve with extra glaze.

Suggestions from Michelle (from Brown Eyed Baker):

1) the whole milk can be replaced by 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

2) the crushed saltines can be replaced by 2/3 cup quick oats or 1-1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs.

What did we think?

I served this meal with mashed potatoes, along with asparagus and a sectioned roasted onion.  

I have made meatloaf before and this one was my favorite so far.

I kept to the recipe and didn't change a thing.

There are leftovers and we will be having another favorite, meatloaf sandwiches.  This looks like it is a good recipe to freeze. I will cut slices off and wrap individually. 

MONDAY RECIPE POST - PARMESAN MEATLOAF

The process was fast as all the ingredients were put into a bowl and mixed up without any pre-cooking of onions, garlic, etc. I found the recipe at Just Cook Well and you can find the original recipe here. I couldn't find the name of the host.

Parmesan Meatloaf - serves 8

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef

2 large eggs

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 small yellow onion, finely grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup pasta sauce (marinara sauce, homemade, meatless)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (Italian cheese blend)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork and beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. The recipe tells us not over handle the mixture, otherwise it will get tough.

Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan, and form into a loaf.  

Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce.

Place filled loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and carefully drain any grease from the pan.

Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese (we used grated Mozzarella).

Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Here is the full address if you prefer to copy and paste rather than use the link.

  https://justcookwell.com/parmesan-meatloaf/

Did we do anything different?  No, we followed the recipe exactly.  

Once again my oven temperature runs on the cool side and after the timer went off, it wasn’t cooked all the way through.  I put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes and that was enough. 

We served it with mashed potatoes.  Gregg had French-style green beans and I had mushy peas (not everyone’s cup of tea, but I grew up with it and is a favorite veg).

A mixed green salad would be nice, and some crusty rolls.  We didn't use either this time, just the beans and the peas.

Not the prettiest photos but I forgot to take one the first night, which admittedly would have looked prettier than these photos show. The next day I served mine with the leftover mushy peas and a poached egg on the top, as seen above, with a sprinkling of Umeboshi Furikake. A bit of fusion going on here. Also, anytime I can put a poached egg on the top, I will and it was very yummy. We finished off the third day having meatloaf sandwiches.

This is a change of pace meal for us. It is rarely made, keeping our red meat to a minimum.  

Gregg asked me if my mother ever cooked meatloaf, as he occasionally talks about what his mother used to fix them as kids. My answer was no but I remember she made a meat pie once, same ingredients basically and served from a pie plate. She was an excellent cook but Dad didn’t like it, so it was never made again.  He also didn’t like chicken, though he would eat Turkey at Christmas.  

I only started eating chicken after I got married.  That first time was at my in-laws house.  His mom fixed fried chicken. I had never heard of frying chicken before, and she cooked it to perfection. It was a real treat!  

Culinary memories and tales are over.  I would certainly enjoy reading some of yours if you would like to share. What do you think of meatloaf, or did you eat fried chicken?

MONDAY RECIPE POST - BEST EVER MEATLOAF

If you click on this link, you can see where I got my recipe.  Scroll up and click on the 'home' button to see more.  There are a lot of great ones on here.  The blog is called Pip and Ebby, and its host is Megan.  

Megan's Meatloaf Recipe  -  6 to 8 servings
Total time: 2 hours

For the meatloaf:

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup crushed Ritz Crackers
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the topping:

3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions for the Meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Spray a 5 x 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, crackers, egg, milk, 1/2 cup ketchup, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Mix together with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly.  

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to prevent any spills, and bake in the preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours.  

Instructions for the topping:

In a small bowl combine 3/4 cup ketchup, brown sugar, apricot preserves and Worcestershire Sauce.

Mix well.

Spread half of the mixture evenly over the meatloaf half-way through baking.  Reserve the remainder of the sauce for dipping.

After taking the meatloaf out of the oven, sit for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

What did I think of this recipe?

I enjoyed it very much.  There are leftovers.  The first night I added a salad of spring greens, sliced green onions, a few slices of mushroom, diced sweet red pepper and a tablespoon of sliced almonds.  I usually prefer my salad without any dressing, but if I added something it would be a teaspoon of olive oil and a dash or two of balsamic vinegar.  The extra sauce described in the recipe I had put aside for dipping, and it was a very tasty addition.

The next day I had a late breakfast/early lunch and added a sauteed tomato and mushrooms.  I also popped a poached egg on top of the heated meatloaf, because in my book eggs go with everything and to me it made it extra yummy.  The other slices I have put in the freezer for another day.

I have developed a recent allergy to milk, and used soy milk instead of dairy.  I found some information here, as I was curious if I could use it in recipes such as this one.  In part it said, 

"In terms of substitution, soy milk can be used cup for cup in the same ratio as dairy milk.  And, it can be used in baking and cooking just like dairy milk.  While the flavor will not be exactly the same, it will be close and you should have a similar final product in terms of texture and consistency."  

You can read more information at the site.  All that being said, this by far the best meatloaf recipe I have made in quite a while. 

Thank you Megan for this wonderful recipe.