Classic Meat Loaf, Rice Dressing, Asian Salad & Apple Crisp

Tuesday afternoon I got a call from Julie (one of my best friends), she had gotten word that one of the ladies in our small group at church was in hospital - we decided to go visit that evening. God was in the moment. She had been alone all day due to them having 6 children, her husband trying to keep it all together and his Dad also being in the hospital. It was a good visit with lots of laughter. Something our small group does it try to help each other during these times, so I am coordinating meals for the family. My day was today and I am posting about the meal that I took them. My family??? they ate leftovers - lol -but they know that reaching out to others is more important than having a home cooked meal. Here are the recipes of the meal I took:

Classic Meat Loaf:

1 large egg

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup minced onion (or 1 tbsp dried minced onion)

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/4 cup ketchup

Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl. Add ground beef. Mix well. Press into greased loaf pan. I put the mix into two smaller pans. Spread ketchup on top of loaf. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Serves 6 (I adjusted the recipe a small amount to serve 8)

Rice Dressing:

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice

2 cups chopped onion

2 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup butter

2 cups chopped mushrooms [sorry JD :0) ]

3 tsp parsley

1 1/2 - 2 tsp poultry seasoning

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp thyme

In saucepan, bring 3 1/2 cups broth and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or til tender.

In a saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender.

Stir in mushrooms and continue to saute til softened.

Stir in rice, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, sage, thyme and the remaining broth. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 degree for 30 minutes. Serves 10

Asian Salad:

2 pkg oriental Ramen noodles, crushed (or whatever flavor you prefer)

2 seasoning pkgs from Ramen noodles

1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil (olive oil will work - but the sesame adds good flavor)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds (pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pecans also work)

Put everything in a saucepan and toast over medium heat. Stir often til browned. Set aside to cool.

I use a spring mix of greens and Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing. Put them in a bowl and mix well. Add enough of the above mixture to coat greens. Soooo yummy. I make several recipes at once and store in either a Ziploc bag or container so I always have it on hand. It is a nice quick tasty salad to add to a meal.

Apple Crisp:

5 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 cup flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup softened butter

In 11 x 17 baking dish arrange apple slices in an even layer.

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Using pastry blender or with fingertips, rub in til mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over apples.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes til topping is lightly browned and apples are tender and bubbly. Serve warm.

I used all disposable containers so that the family could just toss things when they were done and didn't have to worry about trying to return things. This is one of those "comfort meals" that I like on these cool fall days. Let me know what you think? Did you try any of these?

Applesauce

I have had a request to share my applesauce recipe. Unfortunately - I don't really have a recipe per se...But I will do my best to share how I do this.

I take a large pot and quarter apples - skin, seeds and all. I find that Ida Reds or similarly very red skinned apples are best. Because I cook them with the skins - it gives a beautiful reddish tinge to the sauce that I love. Cover the apples with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook until the apples are broken down and resemble a wet applesauce. Most of the water should have been cooked off - sometimes you may have to add some extra water if things get too dry.

I have a piece of equipment that my mother used to make applesauce. I have no idea the actual use for this - or other uses for this gear. I always called it a "colander". It has a metal stand - a metal "colander" that is triangular in shape, and a wooden tool that is used to move the ingredients around inside the colander and release the sauce out of the wholes. (I used this for the grape juice also - although I lined the colander with several layers of cheesecloth as I only wanted the juice - no pulp).

Once the apples are cooked down - pour it into the colander (which has been placed over a large bowl) and start moving the wooden dowel around and removing the sauce. You will need to use a spatula to take the skins away fromt he sides to allow for more sauce to get through. Process all of the apples and then toss the skins, seeds and cores. What is left in your bowl is applesauce.

I taste it and add some sugar to taste. I sometimes add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste as well.

I fill jars and process them in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. Remove from bath and tighten lids.

This equipment can be found at http://www.lehmans.com/ . This store is known for carrying "non-electric" equipment for the Amish community. It was a small local store until the year 2000 when the Y2K scare and people started researching this store. As a result it has become quite the tourist attraction and carries many items that are very helpful. When people come to visit - it is on the list of places to take them.

Enjoy. This one is for you Deborah.