The next entry in the series “Things Based on Meat Loaf.” Ohhhh, yeah, I’m adding pictures to the blog! Raw meat is a great place to start.

Meatballs Ingredients
1 lb. ground turkey (feel free to substitute beef but I claim no responsibility if it doesn’t work out for you)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbs. dried onion
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Sauce Ingredients
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Directions
Mix all meatball ingredients. Shape into 1″ balls (I have a cookie scooper that works really well so you don’t have to touch any of the nasty). Place on lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 2o minutes. While that is baking mix all sauce ingredients and microwave for 5-10 minutes until boiling. Add cooked meatballs, cover and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Serve over buttered noodles.

On a side note, I don’t eat beef. Leftover habit from my obligatory Art History major vegetarianism from undergrad school. I don’t have any problem with it, I just don’t eat it. You can certainly substitute ground beef for any of these recipes. I add a little extra spicing which maybe you’d want to cut down on?? I don’t know, it’s been well over 20 years since I tasted beef.

Ingredients
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 tsp. garlic
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/3 cup ketchup

Topping
Worcestershire sauce & ketchup

Directions
Mix all ingredients, shape into a ball, dump in a baking pan, bake at 350 for about an hour. Voilá, meat loaf. I like to make baked potatoes with it because they take an hour in the oven too. It’s like God is telling you these things belong together isn’t it? My baked potatoes are pretty amazing, rub them in oil and sprinkle kosher salt on both sides. Ten years in restaurants I had to learn something useful. Oh, don’t forget to spread the topping on the meat loaf for the last 5-10 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1lb ground beef – I like it best if about 80% lean. The 90%+ beef doesn’t have enough fat and the meal tastes dry (Yes, I am aware that fat is not healthy). Editor’s note: see Fatty Foods and Alcohol for suggestions on counteracting the effects of unheathly eating.
• 1 onion, chopped
• oregano
• black pepper
• 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 28oz can tomatoes (I like the diced, whole can be used, but should be cut up a bit when added to the pan)
• 1 beef bouillon cube (Yes, I know it’s filled with sodium. Just use it!)

Directions

Brown the ground meat in a large pan (that has an accompanying cover) along with the chopped onions, black pepper and oregano. Reduce the heat to low once the pink has disappeared.

Flatten the ground meat in the pan and pour the uncooked elbow macaroni evenly over the top of the ground beef. Spread the can of tomatoes (and any can juice) evenly over the top of the macaroni. DO NOT MIX. DO NOT POUR FAST. You want to trap the dried macaroni between the moist meat and the wet tomatoes. Now, the pièce de résistance, stuff the bouillon cube into the tomatoes at the center top of the assembly.

Cover the pan and cook on the stove top for about 45 minutes. Keep the heat low, or the beef will stick to the bottom of the pan and result in a burnt taste to the completed dish. Mix the ingredients before serving.

Thanks to Eric Lowrey for this link. My 3-year-old happened to be having a friend over when he sent it so I actually made them. Here you go:

Ingredients
Hot Dogs
Spaghetti

Directions
Cut up hot dogs into chunks. Break uncooked spaghetti in half and push pieces into hot dogs. Boil in water until pasta is cooked. I served them with pesto sauce to make them extra freaky-deaky.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup cranberries
1 egg, beaten
juice and rind of 1 orange
1/2 cups chopped nuts
3 tbs shortening

Directions
Mix all dry ingredients. Put juice and shortening in a measuring cup and fill with boiling water to 3/4 cup. Add this and the egg to dry ingredients and mix. Add grated orange peel, nuts and cranberries and mix. Poor in a greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Ingredients
1-2 Hard Boiled Eggs
Mayonnaise
Salt & Pepper

Directions
Chop up egg add salt, pepper and mayonnaise to taste. Mix. Slap it on bread, a bagel, crackers, whatever you have on hand.

Directions
Melt butter in pan. Add in wine, mustard, and lemon juice. Once it’s all good and hot and mixed, toss in the chicken and sear over high heat. Then, turn down the heat to medium and cover so it cooks through. Check after 8-10 minutes to make sure it’s not still pink in the middle. If it is, obviously keep cooking. The last step is crank the heat back up to high and take the lid off for just about 2 minutes, just to give the outside some color. Be careful with this last step because the liquid will splatter at high heat. And by be careful, I mean wear something with sleeves. You’ve been warned.

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup onion diced
1 clove garlic
28 oz can diced tomatoes 
15 oz can tomato sauce
6 cups water
6 bouillon cubes (or you could use chicken stock in place of this and the H2O, I didn’t have any on hand) 
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 small head cabbage chopped 

Directions
Sauté onion and garlic. Add all other ingredients except cabbage. Bring to a boil. Add cabbage. Simmer until cabbage is well cooked (probably an hour or so?? I didn’t time it). Again, this is a really big pot. It’s the way I cook, sorry. I did freeze some, I’ll report back if it turns out okay.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups bisquick
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 15 oz can corn with juice

Optional
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese ( I haven’t tried this so I can’t take responsibility if it doesn’t work out, but I think it would be really good) 

Directions
Mix all ingredients. Drop spoonfulls on a lightly greased baking sheet (I have a large cookie scoop which makes this super duper fast). Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until brown on top.

If you’re feeling extra adventurous, try one of the other Easter recipes we have posted. I would especially like to point out Dana’s “Smeeps.” A delicious desert made with peeps. Make this and it will give you something other than the weather to talk about with Aunt Matilda.