Meatloaf...Tuesday, July 15, 2014

July is HALF GONE…YIKES…and I had SUCH plans to do better with my blog…HOW in the world am I not doing better!!  I can’t think of anyone to blame, either…

I shared on my page the other day about making meatloaf.  I discovered WHAT I already knew~~MOST people like Meatloaf.  I think my family is the exception~~we were NOT a meatloaf eating family!  Personally, I would rather have meatballs, BUT I don’t want my meatballs with spaghetti~~I want them BY THEMSELVES and I most certainly DO NOT want them on a sandwich, nor do I want a Meatloaf sandwich either…Give me a hamburger…hmmmm…I think I might be a GROUND BEEF SNOB…

I was raised in the South and we FRY everything and IF that isn’t bad enough, we throw GRAVY over it~~not GRAVY as in tomato sauce, but GRAVY as made with grease and flour~~NOW that does not sound appetizing, but my Daddy expected Gravy with EVERY meat that warranted gravy.  I never understood WHY Mother didn’t just go ahead and make it every time.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten up after we said the Blessing to make Daddy some gravy…LOL…EVERY TIME, Daddy would say “You don’t have to do that.”  Half of the time I would just ignore him, but the other half I would say, “You KNOW you want it, so just HUSH!”  Daddy and I had a gift of saying things to each other without either of us going into the silent treatment.

How many of you remember the episode of The Andy Griffith Show where Aunt Bea had gone out of town and Andy was invited to have supper at the home of several people…EACH TIME he arrived to find SPAGHETTI!  The secret ingredient was Oregano!  I felt that way when Mother broke her leg and several friends brought us~~VEGETABLE SOUP…ROFL!!  I LOVE vegetable soup and it freezes so well… =)

In the area I live, most of the people who lived here were born and raised here…we didn’t have many outsiders, so most everyone cooked the same way.  I have a recipe that Mother got in the 50s for spaghetti and we laughed because it had Chili Powder in it and NO oregano…oregano, to ME is what makes it Spaghetti!  I didn’t have Taco’s until about 1972…Today, it seems that Springfield has very FEW people who were born and raised here…BUT the good part about that is we have JUST about ANY kind of food one could WANT!!  THAT I LIKE…

…hmmmmm…I guess I better get back to the Meatloaf, huh!  I found this recipe a few years back and think it is a good meatloaf.  It has a nice tangy tomato sauce and is very soft.  I can guarantee that most of the ingredients will be in your pantry, so I was asked to share this recipe…The recipe calls for tomato sauce, but I prefer CRUSHED Tomatoes, so that is what I used.

1 ½ lbs ground beef (I used ground chuck)

1 c fresh bread crumbs

1 onion, chopped

1 egg

1 1//2 tsp salt

2 (8-ox) can tomato sauce (1/2 cup goes INTO the meatloaf)

2 T Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup water

2 T. Vinegar

3 T. Brown Sugar

2 T. Mustard

¼ tsp pepper

Mix beef, crumbs, onion, beaten egg, salt, pepper and ½ cup tomato sauce, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.  Form in loaf and place in shallow pan. 

Combine rest of sauce, water, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over load and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes at 250.  Baste occasionally. (I didn’t)

I will also share my recipe for Cheesy Garlic Grits with Shrimp…it is really good, and I don’t really like grits! 

3 slices of Bacon

Small Package of Portabella Mushrooms (sliced)

Frozen (or fresh) Bag of Large De-veined Shrimp (no shell or tail)

Sweet Onion

1 can of Chicken Stock

Hot Sauce

1 Lemon

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder (or to taste)

Instant Butter Grits (or slow cooking if you prefer)

Olive Oil (or Canola Oil)

Flour

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

Cheese of your choice

Fry Bacon until crispy in a pan.  Remove, leaving the bacon fat.

Cut Onion in small pieces and cook in the bacon fat until Soft.

Add mushrooms and cook until tender.  Remove from pan.

Place a small amount of flour (about ¼ cup) into a ziplock bag with about 1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder, 1 Teaspoon of Salt and a few shakes of Black Pepper.  Place the shrimp that has been slightly dried with a paper towel and shake until the shrimp is coated.

Place a couple teaspoons of oil into the frying pan and add the shrimp~~shake the excess flour off before placing in the pan…Cook until done…about 5 minutes…

Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the shrimp.

Add the Can of Chicken Stock.

Add Hot Pepper to taste.

Put the Onions/Mushrooms back into the pan and cook until thick.

Add Salt and Pepper to taste.

To make the grits, follow the directions to make 2 servings.  I make it in the microwave.  When the grits are done, add a few shakes of garlic powder (about 1 teaspoon) and ¼ cup of Parmesan Cheese and about ½ cup of the cheeses of your choice (I like Monterey jack/cheddar).  Stir until the cheese is melted.

Place the grits in a bowl and pour the Shrimp on top…Garnish with the crumbled bacon~~YUM!!!

NOTHING keeps a family together more than sharing DAILY meals with feet under ONE table…

Have a WONDERFUL week…Blessings to YOU…~charlotte♥