What I cooked yesterday and other random thoughts...: Comfort food...

Meat Loaf is one of my "comfort foods", every once in awhile I get a craving for meatloaf and mashed potatoes and gravy, with peas as a side dish. I use the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook meatloaf recipe with the additional Tio twist now and again, here and there, or not. Yesterday's meatloaf had the addition of ground turkey, and pork, just because there was one package each of ground turkey, beef and pork in the freezer. That's the way most of my cuisine rolls, what do I have on hand? It was delicious!

Tio’s version of the Better Homes & Gardens Meat Loaf recipe.

Meat Loaf mixture:

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

½ cup fine dry bread crumbs

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons snipped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon ground sage

1 lb. each, ground beef pork and turkey

Glaze:

¼ cup catsup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Pre-heat oven to 350^0.Combine eggs and milk; stir in crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, sage, and pepper in large bowl. Add meats; mix well. Pat mixture into an 10 x 6 x 4 inch loaf in a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake in a 350⁰ oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven, spoon off excess fat, reserve drippings if you want to make a gravy. Combine catsup, sugar. and mustard, spread over meat. Return to oven for 10 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes while gravy is prepared and serve with mashed potatoes. Makes 8 servings.

Tio’s Meat Loaf Gravy:

This part is not Better Homes, plus it is more art than science, so be creative. Transfer drippings into sauté pan or sauce pan. Let rest 5 minutes, skim most of the fat from the juices, add a cup or two of beef or chicken stock to pan and bring to simmer. Add 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce and 1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet, season with some salt and pepper to taste. Thicken with a roux made of cooked equal parts butter and flour, or Wondra Flour, or any thickening agent whisked into the sauce. Strain and serve over potatoes and meat.

Yum!

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On a different subject, while I wrote about not using my food processor when making pie pastry, I also mentioned that I do like kitchen gadgets, so here is the first in a series of kitchen gadgets. This is one that I have never seen on TV or in any cookbooks, but I love it. It was a Christmas gift from Patty M. some 10 years or so ago. I'll bet there are very few folks out there that know what it is used for. I'm not even sure I'm using it for its it intended use. But, I find myself using it all the time.