Martha Stewart's Meat Loaf

I very seldom make meatloaf because it costs us so much just to purchase all the meat it takes with pre-teen boys in the house consuming everything in sight like vacuum cleaners.  I have learned that when you do make it, make up at LEAST 5lbs of mashed potatoes, bread, salad, & offer a fantastic dessert that they know about ahead of time...this helps to make a regular meatloaf recipe stretch out to be barely just enough...at least for now...  This is called Martha Stewart's Meat Loaf because it comes from a very old Martha Stewart magazine but I have no clue what year anymore..the recipe is worn & almost unreadible anymore, which means it has to have been at least 10 years ago by now...

I will also say that this is a longer recipe then I would normally make, but I can tell you that when you follow it & get it into the oven, the smell is unreal delicious & the taste at the end is beyond what you think it will be.  My dad almost fell off his chair the one time I made it for him :)  That made it all worth the length & work!

3 slices bread, crusts removed
1/2 c milk
2 Tbs olive oil
1 lg yellow onion, chopped finely
1 rib celery, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded finely
1lb ground beef
1/2lb ground pork
2 lg eggs
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs dijon mustard
1 Tbs salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2lb thinly sliced smoked bacon
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 Tbs yellow mustard
1 tsp ketchup

Heat oven to 375
Cut bread into cubes & mix with milk in a lg bowl, set aside.
Heat olive oil in skillet, saute onion, celery & garlic till tender (3-5 min)  Let cool 5 min.
Add carrots, onion mixture, ground beef, ground pork, eggs, parsley, salt & pepper to bread mixture.  Combine well.
Place mixture into a baking dish, forming a loaf (5"x12")
Overlap bacon across meat
In sm bowl, mix brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard along with 2 Tbs water to make glaze.
Bake at 375 for 1-1 1/2hrs, basting with glaze every 15 minutes.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

San Francisco Chops

I found this recipe on a sample card from Great American Recipes a long long long long time ago...made it for Len & he LOVED it...I only make pork chops once in a VERY blue moon, but when I do, this is the recipe he wants hands down.  I would imagine you could easily utilize the sauce & use with b/s chicken breasts too, though I have not tried it yet...hmmm...might have to do that soon!

4 pork chops (1/2-3/4" thick, about 1 1/2lbs of meat)
1 Tbs oil
1 clove garlic, minced
SAUCE:
2 tsp oil
4 Tbs dry sherry or broth
4 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbs water

Heat oil in skillet, brown chops on both sides.  Remove and add a little more oil if needed.  Saute garlic for a minute, being careful not to burn it.
Combine oil, sherry, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper. 
Place chops in skillet, pour sauce over them.  Tightly cover.
Simmer over low heat until chops are tender & cooked through, 30-35 min.  Add a little water, 1-2 Tbs if needed to keep sauce from cooking down too much.  Turn ONCE.
Remove chops to platter, stir in cornstarch dissolved in water.  Cook until thickened.
Pour over chops and serve.

***This is a fabulous dish to serve over buttered noodles (such as egg noodles, or fettuccini)...they also recommend sreving green salad with sliced cucumbers & dinner rolls...we're fans of peas, greenbeans, even Strawberry Spinach Salad (recipe in the blog somewhere but labeled under strawberries, spinach, salad).

***This is for 4 servings...but one serving is just one chop...most hubbies I know love more the one, so double or triple depending on what your own family eats in the amount of chops (or chicken!)

Shrimp Fried Rice

This comes from a 30 minute meals from Martha Stewarts cooking section...I have not tried it yet, but its on the menu for the upcoming week.  I would imagine you can easily sub out the shrimp for chicken, beef or pork to make it what your family loves most.

salt
1 1/2 c white basmati rice (or other long grain white rice)
2 tsp oil
2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped (or just use the smaller "salad" shrimp in the freezer section of your seafood dept)
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 scallions, sliced on a diagonal, white & green parts  seperated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c fresh lime juice (2 limes)

In saucepan, boil 8 c water lightly salted (if you prefer).  Add rice, boil till tender, 12-14 min.  Use a fine mesh sieve, drain & immed. rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.  Set aside.
While rice is cooking, heat 1 tsp oil in lg nonstick skillet over med. heat.  Add eggs, cook till set, 1-2 min.  Transfer eggs to a cutting board (just put skillet aside on stove, you will need it again).  Cool eggs, then cut into 1/4" strips.
In the skillet, heat remaining oil over med heat.  Add shrimp, carrots, scallion whites, garlic, and ginger.  Cook tossing frequently, 3-5 min. till shrimp is opaque & carrots are crisp but tender. 
Add eggs, soy sauce, lime juice & rice.  Cook, tossing about 1 minute, till heated through.
Serve garnished with scallion greens, if desired.

Says this serves 4, but doesn't give the portion sizes...in any case, we would wind up tripling it for the 6 of us & enjoy any leftovers.  If you dont want the scallions, you can use onions or just eliminate them all together.  I have also had fried rice that includes peas...choice is yours!!