Meatloaf with Barbecue Sauce

 I haven't made meatloaf in a long time.

When I had it for dinner at our friend Sue's home, I had forgotten how much I like it and had to make some myself.

It turns out that my sister-in-law Nancy makes the same meatloaf Sue does--Lenny's Meat Loaf from Leonard Schwartz, the former chef at Maple Drive--and Sue got the recipe from our friend Pam. Pam is Brock's mother--Brock of Grandma's Best Old Fashioned Cinnamon Rolls fame here on FOODjimoto.com.

Meat Loaf
adapted from Lenny's Meat Loaf by Leonard Schwartz

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup each, finely chopped onion and scallion
1/2 cup finely ghopped carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1/2 cup milk or chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
l pound lean ground beef chuck
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground sausage
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1 cup rolled oats (or quick cooking oatmeal)

I didn't have any red bell pepper, so I used an orange one--but then thought about the red color--and chopped a few cherry tomatoes for color. I also chopped 1 cup of mushrooms.

 I love diced mushrooms in meatloaf.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan and saute the vegetables until they're soft and wilted, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Set aside to cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

While the vegetables are chilling, get the other ingredients ready to mix. We like the meatloaf less 'meaty' so I use a bag of stuffing moistened with milk or chicken broth until the bread becomes soft.

With the addition of the stuffing mix and the oatmeal, I made 2 meatloaves and also a pot of albondigas soup with the meat mixture.

Add the sauteed vegetables to the bowl and mix well, then shape into loaves.

Top with barbecue sauce--pour around the top and use a butter knife to spread it down the sides until the surface is covered.

Sue and Pam use a jar of "Homemade Red Chili Sauce" found near the cocktail sauce at the market. It's really good but more expensive than barbecue sauce.

Bake for 1 hour at 350ºF, let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

We had it with oven roasted brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes.

 

Itadakimasu!

Gary thought this meal was especially good.
I think it was because I gave our friend Robert a care package of meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner, and he talked about how he really likes meatloaf--his mom used to make it when he was growing up and it was one of his favorite meals--so he was happy and excited to be taking some home.

The power of suggestion.


***


Remember Vaughn?

He's one of our favorite relatives--the one that brought Emmy over to visit.

I think this may be the biggest smile I've ever seen on Vaughn's face!

He won it for the work he did on Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends.

Everyone that comes over wants to have their picture taken with Emmy--even O-Baachan.
Vaughn is her sister's grandson.

 

That's Gary holding Vaughn--and that's O-Baachan in the second row on the left.

Vaughn and his family came to visit when Rick and Karen were born. Vaughn and his sister loved to draw, so I made sure I had poster board and markers for them to draw to their heart's delight. At that time, Vaughn was a Smurfs fan. He was also excited about a new cartoon--something called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Vaughn used to carry an array of Lego mini-figures in his pockets.

 This is college-age Vaughn and his then girlfriend, now wife, Goretti.
I was learning how to put a kimono on and Goretti was nice to let me practice on her.

This is Vaughn and me on his wedding day.

This morning, Vaughn called to say that he had just arrived at his new job, doing some free-lance work at Disney Studios--he's a storyboard artist. He wanted to call and say 'thank you'--he thinks it's because of us that he's working in animation. He does that often, calls to say 'thank you'.

I always tell Vaughn it's because of his talent that he gets the jobs he does. He is very talented--drawing and cartooning have been a passion for him as long as I've known him and I'm always an advocate for chasing one's dreams.

Vaughn sets such a good example for us--chasing his dreams, the success it can bring, and living life with such gratitude.

Best Wishes, Vaughn, on your new job!

Love you!

***

 

Meat Loaf 

adapted from Lenny's Meat Loaf by Leonard Schwartz

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup each, finely chopped onion and scallion

1/2 cup finely ghopped carrots

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup diced mushrooms

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce, plus extra for topping

1/2 cup milk or chicken broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

l pound lean ground beef chuck

1 pound ground turkey

1 pound ground sausage

1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs

1 cup rolled oats (or quick cooking oatmeal)

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a frying pan and saute the onion, scallions, carrots, celery, bell peppers and garlic until they're soft and wilted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Put the ground beef, turkey and sausage into a large bowl along with the eggs, barbecue sauce, milk spices, bread crumbs and oatmeal. Add the sauteed vegetables to the bowl and mix well with your hands, then shape into loaves. Top with barbecue sauce, spreading over meatloaf evenly.

Bake at 350ºF for about 1 hour. Let rest 20 minutes before slicing.

Meatball Sandwiches

Happy New Year!

The last few months have been filled with a hectic craft show schedule, lots of traveling up and down California's Interstate 5, holiday visitors, family parties and the flu--but now we are back to cooking!

The other day my nephew Colin came over to make Meatball Sandwiches--we took a little detour to the Antojito Taco Truck--then got back to cooking.

I'm so happy that Colin has an interest in cooking with me and made time on his break from college to make a dish and share it on FOODjimoto.com.

This recipe makes a lot, enough for 6 meatball sandwiches with plenty of leftovers for us and a good care package for Colin to take home--so if you're not feeding a crowd, you may want to cut down the recipe to fit your needs. We also made a quick marinara-type sauce.

Ingredients:

marinara sauce

2-24 oz. cans plum tomatoes

2-24 oz. can tomato puree

3 slices bacon, thinly sliced and cooked until crisp

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup red wine

1 large sweet onion, chopped

oregano

meatballs

1  lbs. each ground turkey, ground beef & sausage

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

about 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper

sandwiches

mozzarella or provolone slices

french rolls

sliced peppers and onions, sauteed in olive oil and 1 teaspoon minced garlic

To make the quick marinara sauce, Colin thinly sliced 3 strips of bacon. 

He then minced 2 cloves of garlic. 

And chopped the onion--I was impressed with his knife skills--he's a natural at cooking. He cooked the bacon over medium heat until crisp, removed the fat, added 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1 1/2 cups chopped onion which were sauteed until soft. 1/2 cup red wine was stirred into the mixture.

Then he added the canned tomatoes and added a generous pinch of dried oregano. 

 

Bring the sauce to a boil, then simmer the marinara while you're making the meatballs.

Colin's gotten so tall the vent for the stove acts almost like a sneeze guard!

For the meatballs, crush about 1 1/2 cups of dried bread crumbs--you could use fresh breadcrumbs instead of dried. Moisten the breadcrumbs with a little (1/4 cup or so) milk or water. The more breadcrumbs--or filler, as my mom used to say--the softer the meatballs will be without having to simmer them a long time, which you'll have to do to make them soft if they're meatier.

Chop the parsley.

Starting at the top: 1 cup chopped parsley, 1 lb. ground sausage, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 cup crushed breadcrumbs, 1 1/2 cups chopped onions, 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 lb. ground beef, 2 eggs, dried oregano and a generous drizzle of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix well.

It's easiest to use your hands to mix the meatballs.

Now for the rolling--have a  bowl of water nearby to dip your hands in. This will keep the fat from the meat from sticking to your hands and make the rolling easier.

Colin used an ice cream scoop to make the meatballs and they were all uniform size.

Next, fry the meatballs in about 2 tablespoons oil until browned, then put them into the marinara sauce to simmer and finish cooking.

The meatballs don't have to be perfectly round, they may be many-sided.

 

When the meatballs are simmering in the marinara sauce, preheat the oven to 350ºF, then saute the peppers, onions and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft.

To build the sandwiches, slice the french rolls in half, add a little marinara sauce, then the meatballs.

Then add a scoop of the sauteed peppers and onions.

Then some cheese slices and bake about 5 minutes or until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted.

I am thoroughly impressed with Colin's cooking skills!

That looks delicious, doesn't it!

Itadakimasu!

Colin only ate 1 meatball sandwich since he had eaten 4 tacos at the taco truck a couple of hours earlier!

Dipping the sandwich in some marinara sauce adds tastiness!

When we suggested he get on the road to beat the bulk of the traffic on the freeway on his 30 mile drive back to Tustin, he said,

"Just as soon as I clean up the kitchen."

Love you, CO!

***

This is Colin and I when he was just a few days old--Gary's sister and her family lived in Wisconsin then, and we all traveled out there to welcome Colin and help Nancy. Colin is a self-proclaimed Cheesehead. 

This is Colin and I a few years later. They had since moved back to Southern California. 

Boy, were all the Fujimotos happy!

 This photo was taken a couple of years ago at a baseball game.
I love that Colin makes his family a priority and is willing to give his Auntie a day of his vacation for cooking.

It's been a joy and a pleasure to watch this young man grow up, he makes us all proud!

 Thank you, Colin!

***

Ingredients:

marinara sauce: 2-24 oz. cans plum tomatoes,  2-24 oz. can tomato puree, 3 slices bacon, thinly sliced and cooked until crisp, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/3 cup red wine, 1 large sweet onion, chopped, oregano. 

Cook bacon and drain fat. Add garlic and onion, cook until soft. Add tomatoes and red wine, bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

meatballs: 1  lbs. each ground turkey, ground beef & sausage, 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 cup chopped Italian parsley, 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (moistened with about 1/4 cup milk or water),  2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, generous pinch of dried oregano and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Mix all ingredients well and form into meatballs. Fry in about 2 tablespoons oil until browned, then transfer the meatballs to the marinara sauce. Simmer together gently for 20 to 30 minutes.

sandwiches: mozzarella or provolone slices, french rolls, and sliced peppers and onions, sauteed in olive oil with 1 teaspoon minced garlic.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Build the sandwiches by slicing the french bread, spreading a little marinara sauce on the rolls and adding meatballs. Then add a scoop of sauteed peppers and onions, and cheese slices. Bake for about 5 minutes or until bread is crusty and cheese is melted.

Chili

My friend Susan came over to cook with me earlier this week.

I wasn't sure what to make, so I gave her a few choices--we could make chicken pot pie, beef stew or ratatouille.

She chose chicken pot pie.

As we were chatting before we got started, Susan asked if I had seen The Pioneer Woman's recipe for Frito Chili Pie--she was excited and said it looked like so much fun serving chili in small bags of Fritos.

When I asked if she'd like to make that instead, Susan answered with a resounding, "YES!"

Off we went to the market to pick up the ingredients.

We had so much fun together, I hope Susan and I can cook together on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, the CF card in my camera somehow became damaged and I lost all the photos I took while we were cooking, but luckily, I was able to retake this one shot!

We couldn't find the small bags of Fritos, so we served our chili with Fritos scoops and Tostitos Multi-grain Scoops.

My taste testers liked the Tostitos Multi-grain Scoops better.

Itadakimasu!

Recipe below.

***

You may have read about Susan when we went to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market or when we go to lunch with our friend Gail.

Susan brought me a gift--this book Fig Heaven by Marie Simmons.

I am overwhelmed by her generosity and thoughtfulness.

Thank you, Susan, you brought so much fun and laughter to my kitchen the other day--I value our friendship immensely.

***

Chili

Adapted from Ree Drummond's Frito Chili Pie

We doubled the recipe to split between our two families.

This double recipe will serve 16.

Ingredients:

4 pounds ground chuck

1 pound chub hot Italian sausage

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large sweet onion, chopped

4 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 beer

2 cans Ro-tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Chiles

2 cans (14 oz.) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons ground cumin

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 can (29 oz.) kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can (29 oz.) pinto beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 cup masa flour mixed with 1 cup water

Fritos or Tostitos Scoops

optional: shredded cheddar cheese and minced red onion

Brown ground chuck and Italian sausage in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the meat is cooked, drain all fat, then add garlic, onion and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft and wilted.

Add beer, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, cumin and chili powder. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Add drained and rinsed beans. Stir to combine, cover & simmer for another 20 minutes.

Turn the heat back up to high to add the masa flour and water--the chili should be boiling. Stir to combine thoroughly and turn the heat to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more.

If you have the lunch-sized Frito bags, slit an opening in them on one side lengthwise, and scoop chili into the bags adding cheese and diced onion if desired. Serve immediately with plastic forks. A fun crowd-pleaser!