McMeatloaf

Ever gone to your workplace smelling like restaurant because you cooked steaks or stir-fries? Well, I have. I know its just stupidity the spontaneity and lack of planning, cooking supper in a spur-of-the-moment decision. You see, I work night shifts, and I leave home around 6pm. I take my showers around 3 pm to give enough time for my hair to dry (then straighten with an iron) before I leave. I start cooking supper around 4 or 4:30 for the quick-to-prep suppers. (I do sometimes plan ahead and have something in the slow cooker or oven, but that is not always the case.) Well, one time I was working and could smell my restaurant scent, I thought, "hmmm...I have two more consecutive nights to work. Better think of menus that will allow me to go to work smelling clean and fresh." This meatloaf is one of those.

I really have no recipe to share here. I named this McMeatloaf because I used McCormick meatloaf mix to quick-fix this classic dish.

Ingredients:
1 pkg. McCormick® Meat Loaf Seasoning Mix
2 lbs. lean ground beef or turkey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs OR 1 cup soft bread crumbs (2 slices bread)
1/2 cup ketchup, chili sauce or tomato sauce (optional)


MIX all ingredients except ketchup, in large bowl until well blended.


SHAPE meat mixture into a loaf. Place in foil-lined baking pan or 9x5-inch loaf pan. Top with ketchup, if desired.


BAKE in 375° F oven 1 hour or until cooked through.

We ate this with potatoes cooked in microwave using another McCormick product, Italian Herb Potato Steamer, and pre-cut salad greens.

I should get paid by McCormick for promoting their products...

Boston Baked Beans & Brown Bread

I admit, I don't always cook. During those times, my husband woiuld just take

From boston baked beans

whatever he finds appealing in the pantry. One of his fave canned foods is the baked beans, served with brown bread. My stepd would only eat the beans. Both of them like to eat these with hotdogs. I would eat same but only because so he has someone to share that with. My sons don't like them; they'd rather eat whatever leftovers we have. I'd like to eat what I could before giving the rest to the pigs/chickens.

This baked beans reminds me of Hunt's "pork and beans" back in the Philippines, although that one is more tomato-based, and maybe because I grew up with that, I preferred it over this baked beans.

One time my MIL invited us over for supper, and she prepared baked beans. That was the first time I tasted the homemade baked beans, and I LOVED IT! My husband also loved it, and there really is no comparison between the homemade one and the canned one.

brown bread

Now with our annual trip to Greenville, I saw last year the specific pot used for this purpose in an Indian store, and I vowed to get it the next time we went there, which was late this fall (when all red/orange leaves have fallen off the trees), especially that the sight-seeing purpose of the trip was lost already. I at least should get that pot. And I cooked this for the first time. I asked my husband to

dry mustard

soak the navy/pea beans that night around 9 pm while I was at work and told him to soak with enough water to allow for the beans' expansion. Silly me, I did not check the recipe. It specified 6 cups! So I ended up estimating the amount of water to boil the beans in, and kinda ended up with a soupy dish, which my husband told me he loved better (than drier), and even loved it more the next day when he was eating the leftover. I still served it up with brown bread (which my husband suggested when I mentioned I wanted to make baked beans.) One thing funny as well was when I went to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients and had a hard time finding the dry mustard, and I guessed it was the powdered mustard as there was nothing else that was dry. Good thing I guessed it right!

I used the smoked pork fat back (which I also used for my chicharon) and I loved the effect. Now I just gotta get my kids to start acquiring the taste for baked beans.

This recipe is found in a card that was tied to the beanpot. I made a point of copying that onto this page so that I will not have a hart time looking for it if I lose that card (which is so easy to do!)
Official Recipe:
For 2-1/2 qt Boston Beanpot
Bake at 300 deg for 3-1/2 hours
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb) navy or pea beans
1/4 pound salt pork, cut in 2 pieces (I used 3/4 lb smoked pork fat back)
1 small whole onion, peeled
1 tsp dry mustard
8 cups water
1/3 cup molasses
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Soak beans overnight in a large suace pan in 6 cups of water. Add baking soda. Heat to boiling and simmer 10 minutes. Drain in colander ove a large bowl. Save liquid.

2. Place beans, salt pork and onion in the beanpot. Add molasses, salt, sugar, dry mustard, pepper and a cup of water. Stir thoroughly. Add enough water to cover the beans. Cover the beanpot.

3. Bake 2 hours at 300 degrees. Add the rest of the water and stir again. Bake additioanl 1-1/2 hours (or until beans are tender.) Uncover last 1/2 hour.

Strawberry Shortcake

Pardon the lack of art in my photo...

My MIL always makes strawberry shortcake around this time of the year (or even during winter; she just thaws her frozen strawberries). This is the first time I ever attempted making my own. The shortcake is more crumbly and sweeter than hers (hers is like that of scones), but I kinda prefer this one. My older son also likes it better. My younger son, who used to pass up on strawberry shortcakes during family gatherings, felt obliged to eat what I handed to him. I was surprised he actually ate everything and said it was good! My hubby usually just eats the strawberries and whipped cream, leaving behind about 75% of the shortcake, but this time, he ate about 80% of my shortcake. I think I will stick to this recipe for my own tradition-building. (I hope my children will someday remember to look into this website for their favorite recipes.)

I had two quarts of hulled and sliced strawberries freshly picked from my MIL's garden. I sprinkled about 2 cups of sugar and let stand while I prepare the rest. Even though I had two cans of prepared whipped cream, I had to use a homemade one to complement the freshness of the strawberries...nothing beats that! And while some would prefer to use angel food cake for this, I love the old-fashioned biscuit-type shortcake (ain't that what a shortcake is supposed to be???)

Ingredients for the shortcake:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk

Instructions:
Heat oven to 450°. Grease an 8-inch round layer-cake pan. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or 2 forks until crumbly. Stir in milk until just blended. Pat dough into prepared pan; bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Ingredients for homemade whipped cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
  
• 1/4 cup sugar (approximate only)

Instructions:

Before you even start on the strawberries and shortcake, chill your mixing bowl and whisk/beater in the freezer. The cold temp helps prevent making butter out of your whipped cream (especially helpful in the summer time).
Start whisking on low going to high, and when starting to form peaks, add the sugar gradually. Stop when firm peaks form.

To assemble:

Divide the shortcake into 8. Slice horizontally. Put some strawberries in between the two halves of the shortcake. Add whipped cream on top of the upper slice. Top with more strawberries and syrup.