Old Fashioned Meat Loaf

Old Fashioned Meat Loaf

1 can (10-1/2oz) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup*
2 lbs. Ground Beef
1/2 cup fine dry Bread Crumbs
1 medium or large Onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. chopped Parsley (dry is fine)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire
1 lg. Egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper to taste
a few Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 fresh Tomato, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (I add 1 cup)

*I get an organic brand instead of the Campbell's soup junk.

Combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Put into a shallow baking pan or a meat loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until done.

Deb note: halfway through cooking, I pour any grease out. This makes for a nice crust. I prefer the butt-cuts. ;)

Note: If you have enough for a second day (depending on family size, etc.), slice the cold meatloaf and lay out on a broiling pan. Broil, turning when brown. This gives another flavor that is excellent to leftover meatloaf.

Debbi
(10/9/09)

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Homemade Tomato Soup Ideas and Tips

Homemade Tomato Soup Ideas and Tips

Try roasting the tomatoes in a little olive oil first. Then make soup in usual way, ie cook onions*, add chopped veggies, seasoning, whizz in a blender or whatever, add stock, a little cream if feeling rash. I'm sure you know the drill.

*Or roast along with.

In fact, roasting any veggies before souping them works a treat. Beetroot - to die for!! Sweet potato and red bell peppers, too.

Carol - soup addict.
(10/9/09)

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Garlic Tomato and Tomato Bouillon Soups (two recipes)

I am a lifetime member of World Wide Recipes. I searched my archives for tomato soup and found the following that look pretty good:

Easy Garlic Tomato Soup

3 tbsp (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
2 tbsp (30 ml) paprika
2 (1-lb - 450 g) cans or 2 lbs (900 g) fresh tomatoes, chopped
3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock
3 cups (750 ml) water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Butter
6 slices French bread
1/2 cup (125 ml) grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a stew pot. Saute the garlic until oil is infused. Raise the heat slightly and add the paprika. Saute until the paprika just begins to sizzle. Add the tomatoes, stock, water, salt and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes.

Butter slices of bread liberally. Press one side of each piece into the grated parmesan. Broil until bubbling, watching to make sure the parmesan doesn't crisp.

Reduce heat on the soup. Add a few dashes of hot sauce and serve by placing one crouton in each bowl and covering with soup. Serves 6.

---

Tomato Bouillon

4 to 6 cups (1 - 1.5 L) tomato juice
1 bay (laurel) leaf
1 rib celery with leaves, chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh or 2 tsp (10 ml) dried basil
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh or 2 tsp (10 ml) dried chives
1 tsp (5 ml) fennel seeds
2 - 4 whole cloves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional garnish: sour cream

Combine all ingredients except the sour cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain and serve hot or cold. Garnish with sour cream if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

janet, spinsterweaver
(10/9/09)

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Killer Quick Chocolate Frosting ala Debbi

Killer Quick Chocolate Frosting ala Debbi

2 pounds of semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (Yes, it's really 2 pounds used)
3/4 to 1 stick of Butter (**NOT** margarine!), divided
2 tbsp Milk
1 tsp Vanilla

(optional) 1 tsp espresso powder*

**More optional changes at the end

Put the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler. (Or in a small pot set into a larger pot with boiling water.) Add the butter. Melt the chips completely, stirring occasionally. When completely melted, stir in optional espresso powder, if using. Then stir in the milk and then the vanilla, mixing well.

Time to work fast... Have the first layer of a cake ready to frost. Pile half of the frosting on top and spread it quickly. Don't bother with the sides, it won't stick. Put on the second layer of the cake.

Take the pan back to the stove. Add the last 1/4 of the butter, 2 tbsp, and stir in with the flame on low as you combine the butter into the frosting.

Working quickly, frost sides of the cake. Frost the top last. This should be enough frosting to do the job. Keep cake covered.

*Espresso powder- coffee- really intensifies the chocolate flavors in anything you add it to.

**Use 1/2 of a stick of butter and a small carton (8 oz) of heavy whipping cream, and ditch the milk. Cook until thick and creamy. Use to frost between the layers, sides, and top. This is even richer than the recipe above, almost like a mousse in flavor.

This stuff is rich as hell. Decadent even. A fav around here now. I was desperate for frosting for a chocolate butter cake to take to a friend's house for lunch. That is what I came up with. I took half of the cake to her house. We sat with forks and went at it from each side. *Before* lunch and afterwards.

Adults can eat dessert first, ya know! We left her husband a piece that looked like mice had been at it.
(eg)

Debbi
(10/2/09)

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