Yummy to Your Tummy Meat Loaf

Tweet

Pin It

I have never met a person who didn't like meat loaf . . . And that includes kids!
On chilly evenings I love to put my whole meal in the oven to bake. With a great meat loaf, just scrub some russet potatoes, pierce to allow the steam to escape, wrap in foil, add a pot of baked beans and you have a simply wonderful meal all ready to eat in 1 1/2 hrs!

Now normally Will waits patiently while I snap photos of food to share with you . . . before he devours it!, Last night I turned my back for just a second, and he had that meat loaf sliced and already on plates for our Grands!!!! What!!!!????

Where's the rest of my meat loaf?

I was complaining lamenting this morning to Will, "Now I have to make a new meat loaf so I can get my photo shots!" He had already fixed himself a meat loaf sandwich for "breakfast"! He said, "No, this can be great, you can tell the story about how I served up the meat loaf for A.J. and Hannah before you got your photos taken and you can take a photo of half a meat loaf." Hence, photos of 1/2 a meat loaf!

While the meat loaf was having its "photo shoot" this morning, Will was hovering nearby waiting to make another meat loaf sandwich!!! Argh!

Sweet Italian sausage and ground chuck.

YUMMY MEAT LOAF

recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Basic Meat Loaf

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons Lea and Perrins Worcestershire

1/3 cup chicken stock or broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 pounds ground chuck

1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage (optional, or use 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, I use 1 slice of homemade bread, crumbled in my mini-processor and dried in a 325F oven for 4 minutes.

1/2 cup ketchup, with out high fructose corn syrup, look for "natural" in the title and please read those labels.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan on medium-low heat.
• Add the chopped onion, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook mixture for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent but not brown.
• Remove pan from heat; add Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste.
• Cool for 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl add ground chuck, Italian sausage, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs.
• Break up the sausage before mixing lightly with fingers, to distribute rest of ingredients throughout the ground chuck.
• Shape meat loaf into a rectangular loaf on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, making sure the paper goes up the sides of the baking pan (the parchment paper works like a little miracle, and saves you cleaning up time and mess).
• Bake 1 hour, remove excess grease from pan.
• Spread ketchup evenly over the top of meat loaf.
• Bake for 15 more minutes, making sure internal temperature reaches 160F.
• Let rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve hot.

Onions, thyme, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock or broth, and tomato paste.

Toasted bread crumbs.

Mix lightly with clean fingers.

Ready for the oven! Shaped loaf on parchment paper.

Sliced thinly for meat loaf sandwiches.

The best part? This meal is both hardy and kid-friendly! Nothing left on A.J. or Hannah's plate!

Post Script

I watched videos of the wildfires raging in southern Australia and Tazmania, it made me cry! You are in my thoughts and prayers!

We're preparing for 4 nights of freezing temperatures by covering our tomatoes, peppers and tender shrubs, and all my potted herbs will go in the garage. Will is hanging Christmas lights in our lemon and lime trees to create a warmer atmosphere and all the ground around our plants is getting a good soaking with the hose to keep the soil warmer.

Our kids, Jason and Annie arrived back in the States this morning and we will be meeting them at the airport tonight! The Grands said they will miss us and all the noise . . . Our blue and good Macaw acts like their big sister and is always bossing them around or meowing. We call her our blue kitty! We've had a fun 2 weeks together but, it's time for life to get back to normal . . . Over at Julie's!!!

A fun photo program Will found! I love the peg leg and hook!

 

Posted with Blogsy