Moving, mayhem and meatloaf

Moving should really mimic the transporter device on Star Trek. Not only should I be able to beam myself up and over to my new place, but all of my furniture too. I haven't been doing a ton of cooking lately--too busy packing and dealing with contractors at the new house. It has been several weeks of ordering takeout and eating off of paper plates, and I am so ready for a home cooked meal it isn't even funny. The one upside of moving is rediscovering cookbooks and recipes that I would like to try. So many recipes and so little time. Sometimes I rush too much--trying to do everything, and this move had me simmering with activity and good intentions. Once I had the kitchen set up I proceeded to make gingerbread (makes the kitchen smell all warm and spicy) but in my haste used the wrong size pan, and ended up with cake all over the oven (makes the kitchen smell like burned sugar--not so nice) but the cake still tasted good, and I enjoyed it with a cup of coffee after scrubbing the oven clean. I also made a 'Flamiche' which is a type of alsatian quiche with leeks and a pungent cheese, such as a ripe camembert. That too overflowed, but at least this time I was smart enough to put a sheet pan underneath the pie plate to catch potential overflow. Really I was feeling quite irritated with myself. I wanted to cook us a nice dinner, something that wouldn't mess up the oven and I could do while entertaining Miss Lils. Old Fashioned Meatloaf seemed to be the answer to all my problems. Now, I came to meatloaf late in life. We were not a meatloaf family as a kid--shrimp in white sauce, teriyaki beef kabobs with pineapple yes, meatloaf no. I had no idea how much I would enjoy the ketchup glaze on the old loaf. But yum! and quick too--I can almost mix it with one hand, except for dicing the onions. My favorite meatloaf recipe comes from cook's illustrated. It's simple, classic and tastes wonderful. I've also included notes on how to adapt this recipe to be gluten and dairy free and a second adaptation using chicken or turkey and ground flax meal if you are feeling ultra hip and healthy. I sauteed some spinach, boiled some new potatoes from the farmer's market, tossed them with butter, parsley, salt and pepper and voila! Dinner is served.

*Just a brief note on potatoes from the Farmer's Market. They are awesome--hands down the best, most flavorful potatoes that I have ever had. They are well worth seeking out. Grocery store potatoes don't even compare.

All American Meatloaf
Adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with tinfoil.

Ketchup Glaze
1/2 c. Ketchup
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cider or white vinegar
Combine the above ingredients and set aside.

Meatloaf
2# meatloaf mix--I like using equal parts ground beef, veal and pork. However, I have also used ground turkey or chicken with success. (If you do use ground poultry I would recommend thigh over breast. Ground breast is too lean and dries out in my opinion.)
2 eggs
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2/3c. crushed saltines (about 1/2 a sleeve) or 2/3c. dried breadcrumbs
1/2c. milk
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. of dried thyme
1 Tbsp. Oil

Heat the oil in a saute pan on the stove top. Saute the onion over medium heat until it is softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute or two until the garlic is aromatic. Set aside.
Place the crushed saltines or breadcrumbs in a bowl and pour the milk over. Let stand for a few minutes until softened, and then add the eggs, worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then add the cooled onion mixture and the meatloaf mixture. I always mix meatloaf with my hands, but you can use a spoon if you prefer. Once the meatloaf has been mixed, turn it out onto the foil lined pan and shape it into a loaf. I typically make a low and flattish loaf in order to optimize the meat to glaze ratio. Now, brush the loaf with half of the ketchup glaze and bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, pour the remaining glaze over the meatloaf and bake for another 15-20 minutes. It's hard to overcook meatloaf, so if it is in the oven for a few more minutes don't worry about it. It's easiest to slice the meatloaf if you let it cool for 15 minutes or so.
Now, to make a gluten and dairy free meatloaf simply substitute rice or soy milk for the whole milk. Make sure to use plain unsweetened. Save the vanilla flavor for your breakfast cereal. In place of the cracker or breadcrumbs, I use gluten free bread crumbs from kinnikinnick. (kinnikinnick.com) To add fiber and omega 3's to your meatloaf, replace 1/2 of the bread or cracker crumbs with flax meal.