Meatloaf

Several years ago, I was having a conversation with my best friend, and I mentioned that I really wanted a good meatloaf recipe. She said she had one, and she quickly wrote down the ingredients and directions. I looked at what she had written, and I couldn't believe it could be that easy. When I tried it, I couldn't believe it was that easy AND tasted that good. Thank you, Romayne, for this wonderful recipe!

2 lbs ground beef

1 packet onion soup mix

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

3 Tbsp brown sugar

6 Tbsp ketchup

2 Tbsp mustard

Mix the ground beef, onion soup mix, milk and egg together until combined.

Press the meat mixture into a loaf pan. I bought a meatloaf pan specifically for this purpose, and also bought one for my best friend to thank her for giving me this recipe! The pan has two layers - the normal shape loaf for the meatloaf, but there are holes in the bottom to drain out all of the fat that cooks off, and then there's an outer layer to, of course, catch the grease. They aren't terribly expensive, so if you prepare meatloaf, even occasionally, then this is a great investment for you.

Next, combine the brown sugar, ketchup and mustard in a bowl and stir until smooth. I actually used brown spicy mustard, because I had some open and I rarely use mustard and definitely didn't need two bottles in my fridge. It worked just as well for my taste.

Spoon the mixture on top of the meat mixture. Just to let you know, I was preparing this to cook the next night, so to keep the plastic from sticking, I stuck two toothpicks into the meatloaf - that's what they're doing in this picture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Slice, and enjoy!

Chili

While I do fix my chili year round, there is nothing quite as wonderful as a steaming bowl of chili on a cold winter day. It's taken my daughter a number of years to be able to tolerate the heat of my chili, but I suppose I've finally numbed her taste buds sufficiently because she no longer complains of it being "hot." lol I love this chili not only as just a bowl of chili, but it is a wonderful consistency to use for chili dogs or chili, chips, and cheese or Frito chili pie. You can use any type of peppers that you like, and I'm usually of the mind that the more the merrier.

2 lbs ground beef

3 15-ounce cans chili beans

3 15-ounce cans tomato sauce

2 packages Chili-O

Fresh peppers - jalapeno, Anaheim, cowhorn, cayenne, etc.

Chili seasoning, seasonall salt, cumin

I do all of the chili in the same pot. Brown the meat in your soup pot over medium-high. I season the ground beef with both seasonall salt and some chili powder.

Cut and de-seed the peppers while be meat is cooking. When there is only a bit of pink left in the meat, add the peppers. Please note, I use lean ground beef, so I do not drain the little bit of fat the remains. I believe that it adds great flavor back to the chili. If you are using a less lean meat selection, then you might want to drain at least some of the fat. Once the meat is fully cooked, add the Chili-O, chili beans, and tomato sauce. Add several dashes of cumin and additional chili powder. I do this to taste. The cumin adds a nice smoky flavor to the chili. 

Blend thoroughly and cook over medium-low heat for at least 20-30 minutes. If you have time to let it simmer longer, let it. The longer it simmers, the more the seasonings infuse the chili. Serve as desired!

Unstuffed Bell Peppers

I find it rather funny... growing up my mom used to make this meal, and I would meticulously pick out every piece of bell pepper that was in it. I never, ever thought I would make this myself. About 10 years ago, I was at a vegetable stand getting some fruit and vegetables for me and my daughter and I saw these bell peppers in a basket and they just looked so pretty. I picked one up and squeezed it and then smelled it, and I had never smelled anything so amazing. I bought them, brought them home and made this meal. I make it at least once a month now. And now it's my daughter's turn to meticulously pick out all traces of pepper in the mixture. This is a very easy meal to make, and the leftovers warm up very well, which is great for lunches. It's also very flexible. You can make as much or as little as you want or you can have it more meat heavy or more rice and bell pepper heavy, which is how I make it.

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1-2 small to medium jalapeños

2-3 tsps minced garlic

2-4 cups uncooked instant Minute rice (white or brown works fine, and sometimes I mix them)

1-3 green bell peppers

2-4 cans tomato sauce

season all salt

Brown the ground beef in a skillet large enough to hold the whole meal. I season my ground beef with season all salt. It's lower in sodium than regular salt and I just like the flavor better. While the beef cooks, dice up the bell pepper, onion and jalapenos and set aside. 

With just a very light bit of pink left to the meat, add the jalapeños and onion and continue cooking until the beef is thoroughly cooked. Add the garlic and mix well.

Now here's the hard part... pour in as much rice as you want for the mixture of meat to rice that you desire. Afraid I have never once measured how much rice I use, but I guess it's about 2 or 3 cups. Add the bell pepper, and pour the tomato sauce over it all. 

I usually use one to three 15 oz cans of tomato sauce depending on how much rice I add. This batch I added more rice than usual and ended up using two 15 oz cans and a small one. The most important part is that when it's all mixed together it needs to be soupy. Not swimming in tomato sauce, but it cannot be dry. This is what cooks the rice and bell pepper.

Put a lid on it, reduce the heat to med-low or med, and simmer for about 20 minutes. The rice will be tender when it's done. You need to stir it frequently to ensure it doesn't stick or burn, but that's it. What I love most about the recipe is that the bell pepper cooks some, but still maintains a bit of crunch to it. Lots of flavors in this meal. And as I said, it's super EASY to make, and it reheats very well. Let me know if you try it and alter it any!