Meatloaf

Meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food...it can be made with any variety of meat or made with tofu as a vegetarian dish.  It is not so much what is put into it that matters...more importantly, it is how the ingredients are added that is important.  The best meatloaf is made well ahead of baking time (six to eight hours) and refrigerated to allow all the flavors in the mixture to meld together.  Be bold and creative...there is no real way to mess up meatloaf unless you cook it too long in the oven.  (This results in a very dry, not so tasty, dinner).   Anything goes well with meatloaf.  My husband likes ketchup but I prefer gravy.  Potatoes, pasta, or a compatible starch works and a great green vegetable. Add a little wine, some candlelight, and you turn a plain meal into a special one.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of ground meat

1 egg

breadcrumbs (flavored are good...sometimes I grind up Stouffer's stuffing mix as my breadcrumbs)

1 tsp. of soy sauce

sauteed mushrooms

a little bit of liquid (chicken stock; heavy cream, etc)

Mix all ingredients and cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for six or more hours.

Preheat oven to 350F

Place meat mixture in loaf pan.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until you see the juices bubbling.

Delicious!!!

Apple Pie

 Preheat oven to 400F

My mother-in-law, Elizabeth Marshall,  made a terrific apple pie.  She got Northern Spy apples whenever they were available, and otherwise, chose a very tart apple.  The key to this pie is allowing the apples to macerate for at least an hour, more if possible.  Don't overcook the pie.

2 pie crusts

8 very tart apples (Granny Smith)

1/2 cup of sugar (turbinado)

½ cup of dark molasses

½ cup of melted butter flavored Crisco

Juice of one half of a lemon

2 tsps. of corn starch

Peel and core apples and slice into pieces.  Put all the apples in a deep bowl and place all the other ingredients in the bowl.  Allow this mixture to sit at room temperature for at least an hour. 

Before you put the apples in the crust, sift the corn starch into the mixture and toss well with a fork until well blended.

Put the first crust in the pie pan and add  the apple mixture.  I usually put a few pats of butter on the apple filling before adding the second crust.   Cut the crust in a few places with a sharp knife to allow steam to evaporate.

Bake for at least 45 minutes  or until a knife inserted  in the apples shows the apples are soft and cooked.