's Motd Saturday Feb 2, 2008 - Meatloaf

[Guest guest]

COOKING A MEATLOAF

Saturday, 02 February 2008

I was not raised eating meatloaf. My parents just weren't big fans of the old loaf! But one day, when I was still in school, one of my classmates had a sandwich in his lunch box that his mother had made for him. It looked very interesting and tasty so I asked...Hey, Charlie, what's that?Oh, it's a meatloaf sandwich, Charlie replied. You wanna taste?Hey, did you think I was going to turn down his offer? I took a bite, another bite and, before I knew it, half of Charlie's sandwich was gone! I felt so bad.Charlie, I told him, I'm sorry but your sandwich was so good, I just couldn't stop eating it. Come on, I'll buy you a couple of candy bars to make up for it!When I got home from school that afternoon, I still had meatloaf on the brain. I searched one of my father's cookbooks and, I found it...a delicious-sounding recipe for meatloaf!I begged my father to make it for dinner and...he did! Mmmm, it was so good! Not only did I get meatloaf for dinner but I could look forward to a meatloaf sandwich, just in case I got hungry later, after dinner. Fast-forward to today and I've got a truly delicious meatloaf recipe to share with you. I was in the mood for ground beef the other day so I took out a pound-and-half of lean ground beef. To the beef, I would added the following: Two egg whites, a half-cup of panko bread crumbs, (you'll find them in just about any grocery store, they're very popular in Asia). You'll also need three tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, one medium onion, (grated), a half-cup of chopped mushrooms, a half-cup of chopped, fresh parsley, two tablespoons of 1 percent milk, a quarter-cup of shredded carrots and a little salt and white pepper.After mixing all of the ingredients together, I mold the mixture into two smaller meatloafs. (I do this so I can freeze one of them to bake at another time.) Next, I take a third-cup of ketchup, one tablespoon of French's yellow mustard and one teaspoon of brown sugar. I mix them into a little glaze for the meatloaf, take a brush and "paint" the top of the meatloaf with the glaze.In a preheated oven, I bake the meatloaf at 350 degrees for about an hour and 20 minutes or until the meat thermometer I've placed in the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees. While the meatloaf is baking, I paint a little more glaze on top, every 15 minutes.After removing my meatloaf from the oven, I let it cool a bit and what's the first thing I do after that? Well, I make myself a delicious meatloaf sandwich, of course! And when I took my first bite, I thought of my old pal from school, Charlie, who first introduced me to the wonderful taste of meatloaf!This particular meatloaf is very moist, thanks to the mushrooms and carrots. And by the way, you can add any other vegetable to this recipe you like, as long as they aren't really watery vegetables. (They really interfere with the baking process and texture of the meatloaf.)Make this meatloaf, soon and, I promise...you'll swoon!Love,

[Guest guest]

>I was not raised eating meatloaf.

I was. My mom made the best tasting meatloaf on earth! OK, so it was

probably half breadcrumbs, because she had to stretch my dad's small

paycheck enough to feed a family of 5, but it was delicious!

I used to make it pretty often around here, but the meat kept getting

fattier and the good stuff prices kept raising so I stopped. I did

promise the kid that I would make one again soon, so I'll work it into

the monthly menu somewhere on a day I know we'll all be home.

> Not only did I get meatloaf for dinner but I could look forward to a

meatloaf sandwich,

That was the best part of meatloaf - sandwiches made from the

leftovers - when there *were* any! It just tasted better the next day.

>a half-cup of panko bread crumbs,

I love panko rumbs and use them for all my breading now. Makes things so

much crunchier, something we need when baking instead of frying.

>You'll also need three tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce,

Nah! Plain old ketchup is best.

>a half-cup of chopped mushrooms

The kid would pick them out - he hates mushrooms and finds even the

tiniest piece in foods.

>a quarter-cup of shredded carrots

I would never think of adding this on my own. I'll try this next time. I

keep a bag full of shredded carrots itn eh freezer. Now and then I buy a

bag of organic carrots on sale, scrape and trim, then using the food

processor shred up half and slice the other half and freeze them all. A

real time-saver on a busy night.

>Next, I take a third-cup of ketchup, one tablespoon of French's yellow

mustard and one teaspoon of brown sugar. I mix them into a little glaze

for the meatloaf, take a brush and " paint " the top of the meatloaf with

the glaze.

I usually use just plain ketchup, but this sounds good, too. I might

even use it on baked tofu Friday.

Sue in NJ

now drooling over meatloaf and wishing I had ground beef in the freezer