Hello! Have you burned off the extra calories you added last week during Thanksgiving? I have my "fat chef pants" on this week.
We are going to look at the basic process of making a meatloaf and also discuss options. Meatloaf can be a great one hour meal that allows you to make it, put it into the oven and give you time to interact with your children while it bakes. Also, a cooked meatloaf, as left overs can be easily reheated in a microwave for 3 minutes, be a part of a grilled cheese sandwich or even served cold on bread as a sandwich.
MEATLOAF
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients
1 lb. 80/20 ground beef. I prefer ground chuck. The leaner the beef, the less fat.
1 cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1 cup egg beaters
1 cup half & half
1/2 cup yellow onion, (about 1 small onion), diced small
1/2 cup, green bell pepper, (1 pepper), diced small
1/2 cup catsup
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 TBSP seasoning salt
2 TBSP ground black pepper
2 TBSP dried parsley flakes
2 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP onion powder
Preparation
Child- preheat oven to 350*F
Child- measure all the dry ingredients and place them into a large 3 qt. mixing bowl
TIP: Always measure your dry ingredients before the wet ingredients so you don't have to clean and dry the measuring cup or spoons, or get the dry product caked onto the measuring utensil because it is wet.
Parent or child over 12- wash and then dice the vegetables.
Child- place the diced vegetables into the bowl with the dry ingredients
Child- measure the wet ingredients and add them into the bowl with the veggies and seasonings
Parent or child- put on food grade plastic or latex gloves. Open the ground meat and with a butter knife cut the meat into 4 portions.
Parent or child- place the 4 portions into the mixing bowl
Parent and child taking turns- mix the meat and wet & dry ingredients with your hands to evenly blend all items together. This takes about 5 minutes. (It can be squishy fun, so relax and let it happen)
Tip: The goal is to avoid lumps of one ingredient in your meatloaf, so smooth it out, turn it over, knead it like bread or clay, just mix it the best you can. It will taste awesome no matter what.
Parent or child over 12- avoiding a cut, pull off about 14 inches of aluminum foil and place it flat on a work surface.
Child- spray the dull side of the aluminum foil with a non-stick cooking spray.
Parent: remove the meatloaf mixture from your bowl and place it on the middle of your aluminum foil sheet
Parent- form a loaf, kind of a paper towel roll shape with your meatloaf, making sure that you leave 4 inches from each end width wise from the edge of your foil. Remove gloves and throw them in the trash.
Parent- roll your meatloaf up into the foil. Again keeping 4 inches away from each end. Then you now have a cylinder or meatloaf log shape with the two ends open. Press the ends closed and fold the ends from the bottom up to the top of your log to seal off each end.
Tip: This keeps the moisture inside the loaf, doesn't let the fat out and will make it easier to clean up later.
Parent- place the aluminum foil log/loaf on/in a non-stick cooking pan or casserole dish that is longer and wider than your loaf.
Parent- place the loaf baking dish/pan into the pre-heated oven at 350*F for 50 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165*F
Child- Set the timer for 50 minutes
Parent- after 50 minutes, remove from the oven and using a sharp knife or steak knife, gently make one slice down the entire length of the foil and gently peel back the foil to reveal your baked meatloaf. Watch out for small pieces of foil that may cling to the edge where you cut, This might happen if your knife is dull or knife edge is too serrated. Then cut off slices horizontally and plate.
Serving suggestions:
1. Open a can of cream of mushroom soup and reduce the liquid in half, mix thoroughly while bringing the soup to a boil and use the thick hot soup as a gravy, to top your meatloaf.
2. Pour BBQ sauce over your meatloaf before wrapping the foil closed and after the foil is peeled away if you want a zesty flavor.
3. Heat up marinara or pizza quick type sauce and use as a gravy.
4. This meatloaf is great with a baked potato. Wash the potatoes, 1 per person, or if you have small children, they can share a potato; and place 3 fork holes into the skin of each potato and place potatoes on a sheet tray in the oven the same time as your meatloaf and they will be ready the same time.
5. Buy "Steam Fresh" style vegetables that your family likes and quickly follow the microwave instructions to steam the vegetables a few minutes before the time the meatloaf is to leave the oven.
6. A pre-mixed jarred gravy can also be used, yet it adds fat and sodium, so use this sparingly.
OPTIONS:
1. You can substitute, ground chicken, pork, bison, venison or veal for the beef.
2. At 35 minutes into baking, you can remove the loaf, slit open the foil and criss-cross fresh bacon on top of the loaf and return it uncovered to the 350*oven for the remaining 15 minutes or until the bacon has browned to a crisp.
3. You can add 1/2 cup of cubed Velvetta style cheese, buy pressing the cubes into the loaf before you roll it up in the foil, to have a "Cowboy Style" meatloaf. (This works especially if your child is into Cowboys or Cowgirls)
4. You can substitute ground turkey for the ground beef and a box of stove top turkey stuffing mix instead of the bread crumbs. Add an additional 1/2 cup of egg beaters too. This gives you a wonderful turkey loaf version with unique flavors reminiscent of Thanksgiving.
5. Are your children teens or like spicy foods? Add a small can of diced green chilies or chipotle peppers to the mixture.
6. Do your children avoid vegetables? Replace the half & half with V8 tomato juice. Dice a small carrot and small pieces of celery, a few green beans. Then add them into a food processor and blitz a few minutes to form a paste. Add the paste in with the ground meat and cook per normal instructions.
Leftovers keep 3 days in the refrigerator or if wrapped airtight in a zip type freezer bag, date and label the bag and store in the freezer for 3 weeks.
I hope you enjoy making meatloaf or a variation of the above recipe with your family. You can name the dish after a child, or by your last name. It can be your own signature dish. The loaf making process can taste different just by changing meat or a few ingredients, so it is an inexpensive way to mix up dinner flavors. Lastly as I mentioned at the top.... When the loaf is baking and you are cleaning up the prep area, it gives you time to talk positively about how your child's week was, or share homework, read together or just go out for a short walk.
It's getting near the Holiday Season. Have you and your ex discussed the Holidays? If you have younger children, will they have concern how Saint Nick will know your child is loved in two homes? Think of it from a child's perspective and do the best for your child. My first single parent Christmas, my children and I drew and cut out paper candy canes and ornaments and hung them up by using yarn. Money was tight, so I was fortunate to cheaply buy the top of a tree that a person had cut off by the guy who owned the Christmas tree lot, so the tree could fit in their home. Our little tree top, made a Charlie Brown tree look huge! Yet it was the feeling of love, safety and family that made that tree and that first Christmas bearable for me. Regardless of your faith, the Holiday Season is about hope, love, joy and family. Make your newly formed family feel the love, safety and joy please. That's my Holiday wish for each of you.
See you next week! We will look at some fun seasonal party foods. Your children might come home with a note from school and you'll be asked to provide something for the class Holiday party. You can chosse to be the napkin supplier; but we will have options for you soon.
All the best until then!
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