TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

My cyber-friend Lisa and her twin sister Lana, host this blog carnival. It is loads of fun. MANY bloggers get together and share recipes, kitchen tips, product reviews and other fun things. There are so many great recipes out there. You might just discover a new favorite among them. Won't you join us?


For my contribution, I'm going to post a recipe for meatloaf.


Meatloaf sometimes gets a bad rap. In reality, if it is made properly, it can be tasty and can feed a large group of people. This is comfort food...wonderful with mashed potatoes, corn, and biscuits....which is exactly what we had last night. :)


Let me put out a few pointers about meatloaf.


First, you really need to add a 2nd kind of meat. It enhances the flavor and helps it not taste too dark and sit too heavily.


Second, you don't want to over mix the meatloaf mixture, as it will yield a tough meatloaf.


Third, do NOT bake while it is covered with foil. The fat will render quite quickly and cause the meat to steam. Steaming beef causes a livery flavor...and that is just wrong.


I do a different meatloaf every time, but last nights seemed to be really good...even the kids liked it.




MEATLOAF....OK...not THAT Meatloaf, but the food.


1 - 1/2 pounds ground beef. (I use 85/15 because the fat really does help the flavor)
1 pound ground pork
1 can beans (I used Bush's Grillin' Beans Steakhouse recipe...I don't like them as a side dish, they are too sweet....but they were really good in the meatloaf)
2 slices wheat bread, crusts removed
about 2 TBSP milk
1 egg, beaten
1 envelope onion soup mix
salt and pepper, too taste
minced onion (either fresh or dried)
garlic powder, to taste


First, tear bread into pieces and add the milk to it. You want the bread to be mushy.


Mash beans. They don't have to be smooth, but I did this to incorporate its own juices into the beans.


Put the 2 meats on top of beans.


Add your egg to the bread and beat the egg slightly. Pour that over the meat.


Add your seasonings, including the onion soup mix


With your hands (I know....wear a rubber glove, if you must), fold all ingredients together. You want things incorporated nicely, but don't overwork.


Put into a 9 x 13 casserole. Bake at 350 for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let it set for a bit....about 15 minutes. Juices will be drawn back up into the meatloaf. (It is not all fat that the meatloaf will redistribute, so don't worry. A lot of the fat will still remain on the edges.) After about 10 minutes, go ahead and remove the meat to a serving platter so that it doesn't continue to sit in the fat.

enjoy~