It's nice when I find a meal
where the foods compliment each other because it
simplifies my life by knowing what to serve with what.
Of course I don't
have to stick to any one meal plan; I can mix and match the main dishes and
sides, but a lot of the time I'm in a hurry and don't have a lot of time to think
about it.
I already have quite a few meals like this up my sleeve, but when
I find a NEW one to add to my collection I get happy because it adds a little
more variety to our meal choices.
I'd like to share some of my new and old meal plans with you in hopes of
helping you with the question `what do I make for dinner'.
Here's a meal
that we have tried lately where the foods complimented each other really well. The
food items aren't necessarily new for us, but the flavors are and that makes a
big difference.
The Meal:
~ Honey Barbecue Meatloaf
~ Ranch Mashed Potatoes
~ Your choice of vegetable (I just heat up a can of green beans or corn)
~ Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Honey Cinnamon Butter
Make Ahead Tips: You can make the Honey Cinnamon Butter ahead of time and
refrigerate until serving. You can also prepare the meat loaf and
refrigerate it before baking.
The Recipes:
Honey Barbecue Meat Loaf
I'm not usually a meat loaf eater but I love this one and the family does
too.
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 egg
1/2 cup oats -- quick cooking
1/3 cup barbecue sauce -- honey flavored
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard -- prepared
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 pound ground beef ketchup
In a large bowl, stir together soup mix, egg, oats, barbecue sauce, onion,
brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper and
chili powder. Add beef and mix well. Press into an ungreased 8-in. x 4-in. x
2-in.
loaf pan. Bake at 350* for 1 hour. Top with ketchup. Bake 5-10 minutes
longer
or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160*. Let stand
10 minutes before serving.
Ranch Mashed Potatoes
Make mashed potatoes as you usually do but omit the butter and add ranch
dressing and cream cheese to taste along with less milk than usual. Top with
grated cheddar cheese.
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
My kids love these (so do I) and there's never any leftovers because of
this.
We also make them for breakfast. Be sure to try them with `Honey Cinnamon
Butter' (recipe follows).
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons applesauce
1 medium tart apple -- peeled & grated
topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine -- cold
1/2-cup oatmeal -- old fashioned
In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Add the egg, milk, oil and
applesauce and stir until just moistened. Fold in apple. Fill greased or
paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. For topping, combine brown sugar
and flour.
Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in oats. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake at
400*
for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes
before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm with Honey Cinnamon
Butter
(recipe follows).
Yield: 1 dozen.
Honey Cinnamon Butter
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Serve
with
muffins, toast, bagels, French toast or pancakes. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Yield: 1 1/3 cups.
In the meantime, keep your eyes open for Meal Two.
