Tag: family meal

Nanny’s Meatloaf

March 28, 2023

My grandmother was a great cook. Whether it was a meal when we’d visit or a holiday family gathering, the food was always delicious. One of my favorites she made was meatloaf and, when I grew up and got married, it was one of the first ones I learned to make. I’ve made it so much, I can often make it without the recipe or measuring anything, and can adapt it for a small meal or large.

My grandmother is no longer with us, but this meal makes me think of her everytime. Now I will share with you to keep her legacy alive, and add another flavor to your dinner table this week.

INGREDIENTS

(feeds 6-8)

  • 2 lbs ground beef (90-95% lean) *can supplement half beef, half turkey, but it will be dryer, so extra moisture, less bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
    • beat egg and milk together before adding to mixture
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon accent
  • 1/2 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder or dried minced onion
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon A-1 sauce
  • cracker crumbs or Italian bread crumbs

THE PROCESS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

I prefer to mix all the dry and wet ingredients well before I add the beef in, then mix them by hand.

Start with beating the egg and milk, then add in your sauces, dry ingredients, but wait to mix in the bread crumbs/cracker crumbs until after you have mixed these in with the ground beef to make sure it won’t be too dry. If you want to use the drippings to make gravy, you’ll want less bread crumbs. If you get it too dry, just add a splash of more milk.

Once the mixture is well blended, form into your baking shape. We use a variety of options. You can use a traditional loaf pan, a round or rectangle baking pan, or even a muffin tin for portion control, serving sizes or just a faster cooking time.

For a traditional loaf pan, bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hour

For a round or rectangle baking pan, bake for about an hour

For muffins, bake for about 45 minutes

You’ll know they are done because the outer edge will have a dark brown beef look and a slight crisping on the top surface, the inside will be cooked all the way through. And it will smell amazing!

We like to serve ours with homemade mashed potatoes and either corn or green beans, as well as some homemade biscuits. If you want to make gravy, use the drippings from your pan and add flour into the hot grease on a pan, then add salt and beef stock or beef bullion to the consistency you’d like.

Whether you are in a house or an RV, this meal mixes easily and can freeze mixed. We have made this in our RV oven with no issues. I hope you enjoy this traditional dish. I know my grandmother is smiling down on you as you enjoy it with your family!

Like or comment below, and share with others to support the blog. I post weekly about teaching, traveling and family. Until next time, you can find me on Tik Tok @sonya.BOMSquadleader or our adventures at BarnesOnMove.com, Facebook & TikTok at @BarnesOnMove

In the Kitchen for Taco Night – Recipe Blog

June 17, 2021

Yes, I know it’s not Tuesday the day this post is coming out, but two thoughts come to mind. One, you must have time to prepare and two, can’t every day be Taco Tuesday? In our house, it absolutely can.

This recipe has been modified over the years to become the favorite that it is now. I have both a pepper allergy and a wheat allergy, so this recipe is **GLUTEN FREE** for those of you also watching glutens, like me. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be adapted for small or large meals, or for crunchy or soft tacos or even nachos. I have premade the meat and frozen it before in both a serving dish and a freezer bag for camping.

Don’t worry, I won’t drag this out for you, I’ll get to the point, add in some pictures and tricks to help, as well as add in a savable/printable recipe card at the bottom. Prep takes about 20 minutes, bake for 7-10 minutes, then serve–which means this meal can be on the table in about 30 minutes, less if you prep the meat in advance. So let me share this delish dish with you!

First, let’s start with the ingredients you’ll need for shopping.

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
  • 1 can of refried beans
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning mix
  • your choice of either crunchy shells (I recommend the stand and stuff), tortillas (if you choose flour tortillas, this is no longer gluten free), or tortilla chips (I recommend Tostito’s Scoops)
  • Toppings such as cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, or anything else your family may like!

Next, let’s talk kitchen supplies.

  • frying pan
  • spatula
  • oven (conventional or toaster, either will work)
  • colander
  • measuring cup
  • can opener
  • a baking dish, a 9×13 works perfectly for a 10 pack of stand and stuff shells or soft tacos, or that size or a 9×9 dish for the nachos, depending on how many you are feeding
  • optional-cutting board and knife (for those veggies, if you don’t buy precut!)
  • optional-parchment paper or foil (For lining the baking dish and to make for easy clean up)

Finally, let’s get cooking!

Step 1: Brown the meat, drain, return to pan

Step 2: Add in the seasoning. The packet should have instructions, but a helpful tip I have is to premix the seasoning with water in a measuring cup so it mixes better with the meat. Pour over and stir in. Let simmer for 5 minutes

Step 3: Add the refried beans into the meat mixture. I find this works best by spooning in and mashing it a little, then stirring it together. Let it simmer for another 3-5 minutes until it is thick and all mixes well. I like the beans in this recipe for a few reasons–better flavor, beans are a great source of protein (some may argue better than meat for you, and for the environment), and it doubles the amount of the primary ingredient which is a HUGE cost saver if you are on a budget.

Step 4: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (or 160 Celsius)

Step 5: Prep your baking dish of choice (you do not need to spray or line it, but if you want easy clean up, I suggest lining with foil or parchment paper) and put in your taco shells or tortilla chips

Step 6: Spoon the meat/bean mixture into your shells or chips. I suggest using a tablespoon and I usually put in about 1 1/2 tbsp per taco shell. If you use the 10 pack of the stand and stuff shells, this will leave some left over for a quick nacho lunch the next couple of days, or for a nacho dinner another night this week–maybe even as an addition tonight!

Step 7: Add cheese

Step 8: Bake at 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted

Step 9: While that is baking, you can chop your veggies and set the table. If you are lucky enough to have a kitchen helper or two, they could be taking care of this while you are doing the other steps before, so you can have a few minutes to clean up and load the dishwasher to have less clean up after dinner. If someone else does that, then enjoy a few minutes to yourself!

Step 10: Serve and enjoy!

If you keep a recipe catalog, book, or file, Here’s a quick recap of the recipe for you!

Clicking the STAR button to like it or subscribe to my blog, so the latest post gets sent to your inbox every week.  Join the conversation in the community on Twitter at AddictedtoTeac1 or on Facebook in the GROUP Addicted to Teaching.

Powered by WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d