Meat Loaf (I made these "individual-sized")

YESTERDAY:  Part of our two-day-early birthday 
dinner (our noon meal) for my husband...

 his birthday photo is at the bottom of this posting.

I baked these in two larger kinds of 

6-"well" muffin tins with each 

opening having a 1-cup capacity.

Ingredients** for about 4-5 servings:

1 pound ground beef
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt (I used Kosher salt, while waiting for my pinkish Himalayan salt* to arrive sometime today.)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used coarse ground)
1 cup chopped onion
2 eggs, slightly beaten
8 ounces of canned diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, soaked in 3 tablespoons milk
................
Topping:  1/3 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons prepared mustard.
...............
* Himalayan salt information: https://www.google.com/search?q=himalayan+salt+benefits&oq=himalayan+salt+ben&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0j5j0j69i60.7568j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

** I doubled all of the above meat loaf and topping ingredients just so I could use ALL of a 15-16 oz. can of diced tomatoes, and I ended up with about 11 generous 2/3-cup servings.

Directions:

Mix all meat loaf ingredients well.  Lightly, but thoroughly.

Baking Choices:  

• Shape mixture in a greased/sprayed baking dish or loaf pan. 
• Take 1/2-cup amounts and place into a greased/sprayed regular-size muffin tin.  OR...
• Take 2/3-cup amounts and place into the larger kind of greased/sprayed muffin tin as shown in my photos to end up with 11 servings (if doubling the above recipe).

Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for about 1 hour if you bake the "original size recipe" in a loaf pan, or baking dish.     Bake for about 30 minutes if using the standard size muffin tin with 1/2-cup portions.  Bake for about 44 minutes if using the larger sized muffin tin holding 2/3-cup portions.  BUT!!!!, as always, since ovens vary, please bake according to how YOUR oven bakes, and according to how YOU like YOUR meatloaf to be!

Below:  This is how mine looked just before going into the oven.   I did not pack the mixture in!  Instead, I made a gently-handled 2/3 cup "ball", put that in, and then very slightly/lightly flattened the top of each so the topping would stay on them without running off into the muffin cups.

Below:  Here, they've just come from the 

oven...  to remove from the tins, I first went 

around edges with a small silicone spatula, 

then lifted each out with a large 

serving spoon.   DONE!!!!!

Below:  Moved to a serving plate and ready to go...

Above: These were a hit!

.............................................

This IS his cake/number, but 
he hardly looks like 74!

Above:  He LIKES fruit-- so, his "order" was for a strawberry poke cake with real whipped cream topping.  It was only fitting that the finishing decorations on top were of MORE fruit-- blueberries and six HUGE blackberries.  (Thank you, daughter P.-- ♥!)  

On the front of daughter P's birthday card to him, there are four old hens sitting on their nest, saying "HEY!  IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! ...DON'T JUST SIT THERE... (and, on the inside):  "AGE!"  

I know,...  I said, too, it seems harder to believe he is turning 74 because his hair isn't falling out, and his always NATURALLY brown hair is NOT turning gray (not very much, anyhow!).  Happy Birthday, husband,... on Tuesday! 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 I ♥m so th♥nkful for our 51 ye♥rs of m♥rri♥ge, ♥nd our gre♥t blessings of h♥ving five children, 17 gr♥ndchildren, ♥nd 10 gre♥t-gr♥ndchildren!  

Sour Cream Beef Enchiladas

If you don't like 

'super spicy' enchiladas,  you

might like these.

This recipe could easily be cut in half, 

but ... I like to make it this size and 

 save half for another meal.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 pkg. taco seasoning mix (I used packets of 'reduced sodium' and 'mild flavor')

1 cup water
1 of 16. oz. can of refried beans (optional)
13 of 8-inch flour tortillas

1 of 12 fl. oz. can of evaporated milk (not condensed)

1 and 1/2 cups of sour cream (I used Daisy brand).  

2 cans cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

2-3 cups grated cheese (your choice of cheddar, Colby, or even Mozarella)

DIRECTIONS:

• Brown ground beef and drain off fat.
• Mix in taco seasoning packets.
• Add 1 cup water to seasoned meat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Add the refried beans to the seasoned meat, mix in.  Set aside for a little while. 
• In medium-large saucepan, whisk together the canned milk, sour cream and soup.  Cook over low heat until it reaches a low boil, stirring constantly.
• Spread 1 cup of this soup mixture in bottom of a large 'non-stick sprayed' 10x15x2" pan/glass dish.
• Put a generous 1/3 cup of meat mixture on each tortilla and roll up. Place each roll in dish.  (I ended up with 13 tortilla rolls.)

•  Pour remaining soup/sauce over enchilada rolls like this...

• Cover with foil and place in 350-degree oven for about 40-50 minutes.
• Remove from oven, and sprinkle grated cheese on top of all like this...

RETURN to oven only UNTIL cheese is melted.

SERVE...

  

          Recipe adapted from coolest Mommy's website.

My "Quaker Oats" Meat Loaf

I usually double the following recipe:

1 and 1/2 lb. lean ground beef

3/4 cup quick oats

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 of 10.5 oz. size vegetable (ABC) soup

1/2 cup milk

~~~~~~~~~~~~

(I usually don't add salt because it seems there is enough in the can of soup.)

Lightly, but thoroughly, mix the above ingredients together, pack lightly into a greased/sprayed loaf pan OR flatten out in a sprayed rectangular glass baking dish (double recipe needs 9x13" pan/dish).  Spreading Ketchup on top of meat is optional. 

 

I like to make a 'trench' between the edges of the meat and the dish so there's a place to collect any accumulating fat.

Bake loaf pan at 350-degrees for about 1 hour; or bake flat pan/dish for 40-45 minutes or until dark/rich brown.  Since ovens vary, check before the time is up.