What to do with Leftovers: Meatloaf

I recently heard that MidWesterners had a stereotype.  I was not aware of this, but I do embody it.  The stereotype is that we're very nice, and we make casseroles.  Yep, I do that.  While meatloaf isn't really a casserole, I think it fits into the MidWestern stereotype, and I'm happy to embrace it.  I know some people have horror stories about dry, terrible meatloaf, but I've never had that problem.  In fact, meatloaf is one of my dad's favorite foods, and a few years ago my mom made it for Thanksgiving instead of a turkey.  One key to a moist meatloaf is to put some water in the bottom of the baking dish, about an inch, and cover the meatloaf for the first 45 minutes of cooking.  It will steam the meat and keep everything moist.  I made meatloaf recently, and I always make mashed potatoes and use the pan drippings for gravy.  I had leftovers that I wanted to doctor up a bit, so I thought I'd make Manhattans (my husband calls them this) or hot meatloaf sandwiches (my term).  Basically I just layered everything up.  I put bread on the bottom, topped with meatloaf, then potatoes, and then gravy.  Heat everything up separately and then assemble for best results.   If you need a recipe for meatloaf then scroll down past the picture, and you will see what I do.

Meatloaf

2 lbs. hamburger

4 slices of sandwich bread torn up

1 T. salt

1small onion chopped

2 eggs

1/2 cup tomato juice

catsup for the top

Mix all ingredients together except catsup.  I think mixing by hand works the best.  Shape into a loaf and place in baking pan. Top with catsup to taste.  Add about an inch of water to the bottom of the pan and cover.  Bake at 400 F. for 45 minutes.  Remove lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  

Clean out the Fridge Breakfast

Once again, I find myself in the position of apologizing for a lack of posts.  Grad school just started, and I'm trying to juggle my work and school schedule while still putting meals on the table.  I haven't been too creative lately, but when I am I will document it.  I have an experiment in the crock pot right now, and if it turns out well, I will let you know.  In the meantime, stay with me and know that I will keep posting.

Friday morning I decided I needed to clean out some items from the refrigerator which was already looking bare.  We were going out of town for the weekend, and I didn't want to leave some things sitting around to get old.  Plus, we needed breakfast.  I thinly sliced 2 red potatoes and put them into the steamer.  While they were steaming I preheated the oven to 350 f. and put my cast iron pan in the oven to get hot.  Next, I beat 6 eggs, and about 3 tablespoons of heavy cream together.  I added a quarter of a minced red onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheddar, and mixed it with the eggs.  After the potatoes were soft, I took the cast iron skillet out of the oven and lined it with the potatoes.  I laid my pot holder over the cast iron handle so I didn't burn myself.  I have a bad habit of grabbing hot pan handles.  Next, I poured the egg mixture over the potatoes and then I added crumbled goat cheese to the top.  The eggs were cooked for about 40 minutes.  Breakfast was delicious, and I was able to tidy up and pack while the eggs were cooking in the oven.  I need to make this more when I have company.

How Will I Use the Leftovers? (Shepherd's Pie)

Considering that I only cook for two people, but I make enough to feed 6 to 8 at each meal, we ate a lot of leftovers in this house.  Lunch is always leftovers from the night before, and we have a leftover night on Thursday.  After Thursday everything is finished, frozen, or thrown away.  Last week I had some leftover roast beef.  I considered slicing it up for sandwiches, but there really wasn't enough.  I stuck it in the freezer and waited for inspiration.  That's when I thought of Shepherd's Pie.  If you've never had it, Shepherd's Pie is meat, vegetables and gravy, topped with mashed potatoes and baked.  It's extremely easy to make especially if you have leftover potatoes and vegetables.  All I had was the roast in its juices, but this was still very easy to pull together.  

Here's what I did:

First I made a batch of mashed potatoes.  I made sure to make these like I always do with plenty of garlic and salt.  Each layer should be able to stand alone, so don't skimp on the seasonings.  While the potatoes were boiling, I separated the meat from the broth.  The meat was shredded, and the broth was put on the stove to boil.  I chopped one stalk of celery and one large carrot and added these to the broth.  I let the carrot and celery cook until tender.  Next, I added a 16oz bag of frozen peas to the broth.  Once the broth came back to a boil and boiled for about 5 minutes, I added a few tablespoons of corn starch, whisking while it was added.  When the vegetable/broth mixture was thickened to a gravy, I checked for seasoning and added the beef.  This was placed into a baking dish and topped with the mashed potatoes.  Finally, I sprinkled the potatoes with cheese.  The cheese is optional, and once again, it was a leftover that I needed to use.  I baked the dish at 375 for 20 minutes.  

Monday = leftovers for awhile, oh and Tuesday too.

Right now I have to be very organized when it comes to what I eat.  Mondays and Tuesdays mean very little free time for a few months.  I work my day job from 8 to 3:30, and then I work some more from 6 to 9.  When driving time is calculated in I have very little leftover time.  This lack of time means that I must rely on leftovers, and I must cook like crazy the rest of the week.  I'm wanting to test some new recipes, and I've been slacking on a book club post, so I've got to get cooking.

Here's what I ate today:

10:00 am: coffee with cream and sugar; chewy peanut butter Kashi bar

12:00 pm: leftover scallop stuffed cannelloni with five cheese sauce; 1 grapefruit

4:00 pm: leftover chicken ranch pizza; small spinach salad with a hard boiled egg and agave mustard dressing.

Leftovers

I cleaned out most of my refrigerator yesterday, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I found some beets that I think had fermented.  They were from August probably, and the lid popped like it was carbonated when I took it off.  My fridge still looks full because of all the leftovers.  This means that you will see a lot of repeated offerings this week, but I am thankful for that.  I have lots of grading to do and not a ton of time to cook, so I look forward to my re-heated meals.

What I ate today:


8:00 am: 16 oz coffee with cream and sugar

9:45 am: two hard-boiled eggs.  I seem to be on a hard-boiled egg kick right now.  In fact, I want some now.

12:00 pm: 2 slices leftover veggie pizza, 1 grapefruit, 1 small winesap apple

3:15 pm: Hershey bar with almonds

5:00 pm: Leftover chicken pilliard with roasted brussel sprouts, and parsley buttered red potatoes.

8:00 pm: homemade trail mix containing: dried cranberries, pine nuts, sliced almonds, peanuts, chocolate chips, and sea salt.

Monday and Today: It's about time I got caught up

Lots of leftovers in the last few days.  You will notice that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday lunch will be very heavy on the leftovers.  I work an extra job on those nights and don't have time to cook, so I make sure I have lots of leftovers.  My husband lives on the other side of the state for most of the week, fortunately, I have never had a problem eating leftovers like many people I know.  I cook a big meal just for myself and pack away the rest.  If there is too much I freeze individually portioned meals.  This way when I'm running late I have quick meals.

I realized today that I've been drinking very little water during the day.  I'm not really drinking anything else like soda or juice, but I just have my coffee in the morning and quit drinking.  This is very unusual for me, so tomorrow I'm going to start really watching my water intake.   My skin is doing weird stuff (being dry and blotchy).  I know this is partially due to winter's approach, but also because my water intake is low.

What I ate: Monday


8:00 am: Asiago bagel and cream cheese

9:00 am: 16 oz black coffee

12:00 pm: Leftover sausage with peppers, onions, and tomatoes served over Israeli couscous.  A small winesap apple.  The couscous got some strange/interested looks.  I actually packed too much food, so I ate half.  Usually I feel like I have to eat everything.

4:00 pm: Macaroni and cheese with spinach

10:00 pm: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

What I ate: Tuesday (Looks just like yesterday)


8:00 am: Everything bagel with cream cheese

9:00 am: 16oz coffee

12:00 pm: Leftover sausage with peppers, onions, and tomatoes served over Israeli couscous.  Leftover brussel sprouts with red wine vinegar.  1 large Granny Smith Apple.  I was super full after the brussel sprouts, but I ate the apple anyway.  This was not a good idea.  The sour apple was great, but after I had just finished with the vinegary brussel sprouts, it was just too much of the same taste.

4:30 pm: Leftover macaroni and cheese with spinach

Tomorrow I will have more leftovers for lunch, but I will also have try a new recipe for supper, and I will be talking about a new feature.