I just finished fixing the meat and vegetable we are having for dinner tonight [meatballs and asparagus] and so when I get back from taking Michael to play tennis, around 6:30 or so, I just have to cook it up, and dinner is ready in half an hour.
That's one of the few good things about being unemployed. I can make dinner early in the day, when I have plenty of energy, and not have to wait until 6 at night.
My mother makes the best meatloaf in THE WORLD, in my opinion, and now I can make her meatloaf. To me, one of the keys is making sure the meat has plenty of liquid ingredients in it. She also doesn't cook it in a loaf pan.She also doesn't chop up a lot of strange thrings and throw them in there.
Elva's Meatloaf
1 lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon baking powder [this keeps it from being heavy]
1/4 cup sherry or red wine
1/4 cup soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms [optional]
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons onion powder
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 large or 2 smalls eggs
1 piece loaf bread or 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
water
Put your ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients listed above. Wash your hands and mush everything together by hand. Add some water. Is it soggy? Really REALLY soggy? I bet not. Add more tap water. Put more soy sauce, too. Now, get out a 9x13 pan, or a smaller pan, because this is how you will cook it. You need to have so much water that the meat mixture barely holds together. Form it into a rectangular shape. Cook it at 350 for about 20-40 minutes. You can put some ketchup or a couple of pieces of bacon on the top but you don't have to, if there is enough water. It depends on how big you make your rectangle as to how long it will take to cook. You can always pull it out and cut it with a knife.
Now, I am going to make meatballs tonight. I will just heat up some oil in my big skillet, form the meat into big meatballs, and cook it for about 20 minutes, or until I am sure the meatballs are cooked through.I may throw in a jar of Classico and some more red wine, and have spaghetti with meatballs. Michael loves that.
The vegetable we are having tonight is asparagus. I love love LOVE asparagus. There's really no reason to do a whole lot to it, either. [I know I've said this before but it bears repeating, IMHO] One key to asparagus is to not cut off the ends with a knife. No, Julia Child demonstrated the correct way to get rid of the tough stem, which is to simply hold up the stalk, and break the asparagus where it naturally wants to break. This perfectly eliminates the tough, fibrous stem that nobody wants to eat anyway. I then hold the stalk straight up under running water, to rinse out any dirt in the tip, and throw it into a colander.
RIght now, my asparagus is marinating in a mixture of olive oil, fresh minced garlic, sea salt, and freshly squeezed lime juice. I will probably roast it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes on a cookie sheet covered with foil, on about 400. Sometimes I overcook it, but it's still tasty. Or I may just throw it in the microwave for a few minutes. Almost any vegetable which you marinate in olive oil, lime juice, and fresh garlic is going to be really tasty. Don't forget the salt, though.
Mother and I are trying not to eat starchy things, but I will likely make some pasta for Michael.
Now, you can do pretty much the same thing with ground turkey or chicken, I suppose, but in that case I'd add a lot more spices, maybe even a little chopped onion. We just prefer beef, and we buy ground sirloin, not hamburger.
I also like bison. It's really tasty.
BTW, mother blogged about chocolate chips. Check it out. It's drool-worthy...
