Let’s play a little game, shall we?

Take a look at these items and tell me what I’m making for dinner.

Hmmm…that looks like bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic.  Well, those are all common items found in lots of recipes but, if you know me well enough, you’ll be able to guess what I’m up to, right away.

Do you want a hint? 

Maybe this accidental shot of my hand beneath the cascading sunlight will give a clue…

OK. Do you need another hint?

Sorry, no more clues.  Let’s jump to the finished product.

If you guessed meatloaf, you’re only partially correct.

This meatloaf contained onion and a few slices of bell pepper on top, but it didn’t have any celery or fresh garlic in it.

So, what gives? 

Here’s the deal.  I planned on making one of my favorite meals and I realized that time was running out.  So, I spent my time wisely.  My first step was to continue prepping some of the ingredients for the meal that I REALLY wanted to make while going to a backup plan, at the same time.  This is something I have learned over the years.  Just because I want to make something wonderful and delicious, I might not have the time to pull it all together in time for dinner.

Enter meatloaf.  (RIP Michael Aday)

Meatloaf is one of those things that can be thrown together quickly, and it can be made with all sorts of ingredients.  I like to use ketchup, as well as dehydrated onion flakes, Worcestershire sauce, a little soy sauce, a dash of hot sauce, a couple of eggs, some dry oats, and salt and pepper to taste.  I drizzled some barbecue sauce over the top of this one, just for grins.

I think most Americans would serve this with mashed potatoes and a steamed or sauteed vegetable dish on the side, but I decided to make put a twist on a traditional salad.

In case you’re interested, here’s an approximated recipe for the meatloaf.  I was serious, when I said that time was of the essence.  I didn’t measure anything.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 lbs 80/20 ground beef

2 eggs

1 ½ cup dry oats

1 Tbs Sriracha sauce

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs soy sauce

Combine the following in a mortise and pestle: 3 tsp dried onion flakes, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cracked black pepper, 1 Tbs seasoning salt, 1 Tbs Cajun seasoning.  Grind to a powder.

Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly and press into a casserole dish. 

Lay a few rings of bell pepper on top and zig-zag some barbecue sauce on top.

Bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour.

Serve warm.

Dinner was served and I was able to prepare for the next night’s meal.  Win – Win!

Stay tuned!