Last week i volunteered to make a meal for a lady i know due to the fact that she recently had surgery and isn't allowed to walk on her foot, which makes cooking for her family very difficult.
This is not unusual for me, i am signed up at my church to help out with meals if needed.
My problem last week was that i was simply uninspired to cook.
i was floundering and time was ticking. Finally i decided to throw together a lasagna and call it a day.
its simple, its filling and you can't really go wrong with cheese. But as i was driving to pick up the ingredients i realized i was not in the mood to cook a lasagna either. OH MAN! whatever am i going to do now? with time ticking down and no food to make i was thinking a takeout pizza was going to be all i could offer. Luckily as i was pulling up to the market i decided to make a meatloaf.
Now i know what you are all thinking.. who makes meatloaf anymore? well i do. Its one of life's best comfort foods and if done correctly completely savory.
so here is what i did.
i looked up an easy recipe on Allrecipes.com and proceeded to modify :
1 1/2 lbs ground beef ( i like to get 97%)
1 egg
1/2 large onion finely chopped ( recipe calls for 1 onion)
1 cup milk
1 cup dried bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste
* now here is where i started to deviate
dried oregano to taste
dried basil to taste
a couple of shakes of dried mustard
smidge of ground cloves ( very little, but i like the taste)
knowing me i also added a few shakes of garlic powder but i don't remember
* if you are feeling creative this is the time to bust out the big guns and substitute the dried basil and oregano for fresh and then add a few good splashes of your favorite hot sauce for spice.
for the topping:
mix together
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried mustard.
mix well and put on the last 10 mins of baking or you can put it on for the whole hour, but i like it a little moist.
preheat the oven to 350 and cook for an hour.
as a side i made rosemary potato's. super simple, super yummy.
Diced red potato's ( the amount is up to you, so the rest of the recipe is purely by sight)
rosemary
olive oil
salt.
put the diced potato's in a sturdy ziplock bag, add the olive oil ( roughly 1 1/2 tablespoons) you want the potatos well coated but not greasy. add in the rosemary and salt to taste. give the bag a good couple of shakes, check to see if the potatos look well covered in rosemary, add more if needed and then let sit for at least 10 minutes to absorb the flavors.
these can also be cooked for about an hour at 350. throw them on a baking pan and in the oven right along side the meatloaf.
If you are like me then you love dessert and no meal is complete without it.
a simple option is an Apple Pie.
and i will share my apple pie recipe with you all. this recipe is simple, yet every person that tries it says its the best apple pie they've ever had. i'm not sure what makes it that way, but its been tested again and again and never comes up wanting.
grab some pie crust from the market ( why make your own if you are low on time?)
6-7 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup sugar ( usually i do 2/3 brown, 1/3 white) i also usually put in a little under a cup.
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon plus a few good shakes
dash of nutmeg ( double dash if you love it like me)
dash of salt.
2 tablespoons butter diced.
mix all your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, i usually shake them ( tastes better) then add your apples and mix together.
in a 9 inch pie pan roll out 1 pie crust, pile the apple mixture into it, place the diced butter all around and then put the other pie crust on top, pinching the edges with your pointer and thumb and putting 4 slits on the top for ventilation. sprinkle with large sugar ( i use sugar in the raw) just a smidge though.
bake at 400 for 50 mins or until its a nice golden brown and you can hear it bubbling on the inside.
let cool and enjoy.
This meal got rave reviews from the family and even turned a non apple pie person into an apple pie lover so i hope you all enjoy!
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