I Would do Anything for Love...But I Won't Eat That: Meat Loaf

Following Pixie's suggestion, I'm entering my mother's Meatloaf in Elly Says Opa's Eat to the Beat event.



Not only does my mom's post share the same name as the artist, the song "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that" relates strongly to the way I feel about eating her meatloaf (or anyone else's for that matter).



Do you notice how things change with time - the way we think, the values we hold so dear to us, and foods we eat or will try that once we would have considered totally taboo. I seem to recall Psychgrad and her brother, Actorboy, wincing in utter pain when the response they received when they said "what's for dinner" was met with a cheery M-E-A-T-L-O-A-F. The first response, usually from Psychgrad was "awww mom, you know I'm not going to eat that" and then Actorboy would whine "forget it mom, I hate that stuff". Psychgrad was always the most fussy eater, the one who could only eat vegetables if they were raw. Actorboy was more concerned with the consistency of foods and how they danced - or not - on his pallette.

It never ceases to amaze me at the depth of Psychgrad's current willingness to try new foods and experiment with new recipes. I'd like to think it has something to do with mom not giving in to the rantings of her children, although I think it really has more to do with maturity and wisdom - theirs, not mine.

The other day I made a care package run to Actorboy in an effort to clean out my own freezer. All the things that once would have been met with resistence are now entirely appreciated - even MEATLOAF.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs lean ground meat (I used ground veal)
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 eggs
1/4 cup ketchup (secret ingredient)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 tblsp worcestershire sauce (I like it but not entirely necessary)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 - 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs

Process:

1. Process celery, carrot, onion and garlic
I always did this to mask the appearance of the vegetables and to make sure there were no chunks. I don't think I even need to elaborate on what would have been said with chunks of onion in the meatloaf.
2. Add to ground meat
3. Add all other ingredients and mix (by hand) until blended. It's best not to overmix to avoid a tough meatloaf.



4. Shape to fit a sprayed loaf pan


5. Top with a little ketchup for added flavour and eye appeal



6. Bake at 375 F for approximately an hour (start checking at 50 minutes)
There will likely be some accumulated juices - I just pour them off.
7. Allow meatloaf to sit for about 10 minutes (the longer the better) so that it doesn't fall apart when you cut it.
I try to make meatloaf a day in advance. After it's been in the fridge overnight, it cuts like a charm and simple to warm up.


**NOTE FROM PSYCHGRAD** I still don't like meatloaf. In fact, as I said here, I don't like large chunks of ground beef. So, Giz will probably get the same response from me if she tells me that she made meatloaf for dinner when I visit.

**Note from Giz** Taking Psychgrad out for dinner was always a case of one of three possible choices - usually she would opt for a corned beef sandwich. Here's your virtual corned beef sandwich (compliments of The Pickle Barrel, Toronto). You can have it instead of meatloaf. Who says I'm not accomodating?

Beef Stir Fry

I had a dream last night that I went to Martha Stewart's house and didn't bring a dish prepared. I brought the fixings for antipasto (probably a held-over thought from watching Barefoot Contessa yesterday), forgot to bring a platter and made Martha Stewart go through her cupboards to find me the right dish. Funny thing was, she didn't have a good platter selection. I'm thinking I was dreaming about a fake Martha Stewart.

Between another cross-country ski trip and feeling less-than optimal upon my return, I haven't done much cooking this week. This gives me a great opportunity to catch up on some posts.

Last week, R had exams. In a fit of domesticacy (is that a word?), I decided that the difference between an A and a B could be a good meal. So, I searched around for a good looking beef stir fry and found this.

Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients



1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 small head of brocoli
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin 2-inch strips
3 tablespoons salted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup plum sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
rice
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir in the plum sauce, ginger, soy sauce and pepper flakes; set aside.



In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in oil until no longer pink;



remove and keep warm.



In the same pan, stir-fry the red pepper, broccoli, carrots, onion, and garlic until tender.



Return beef to the pan.



Whisk the plum sauce mixture; stir into skillet. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in peanuts.







Serve over rice if desired. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Presto Pasta Night: Orzo Salad

It's week #52 for Presto Pasta Night. and that means Happy Birthday is in order.

I love birthday parties and I'm sure this one is going to be alot of fun. Easy to transport, I'm bringing an Orzo Salad.

Here's a look at some of the "usual suspects" for this salad.



The key for this cold salad is, of course, orzo - looks like rice but it's really pasta.



Orzo is one of those deceiving ingredients. It doesn't look like a whole lot when you're measuring out a cup.



But, once it's cooked, it bulks up to much more volume than you would have imagined. One cup of uncooked orzo makes enough base for your salad for at least 4 healthy portions.



Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked orzo
1 small red pepper diced
1 small green pepper diced
1/2 red onion diced
1 small tomato seeded and diced (I used vine ripened)
1/2 English cucumber skin on and sliced in fourths
1/2 cup marinated artichokes plus a little marinating liquid for dressing
1/2 cup sliced black pitted olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Process:

1. Cook orzo in good amount of salted water (approx. 1 cup orzo to 4 cups water),for approximately 7-10 minutes. Drain. The orzo shouldn't be mushy.



2. Prepare all diced vegetables, olives and artichokes, add to cooked orzo
3. Mix together and add some of the artichoke marinating liquid as dressing.

Note: I didn't add any salt or pepper, but you could season to your taste.