Meatloaf

Ah, meatloaf! Another classic, stick to your ribs comfort food! Every few months I take a craving for this, and just have to make it.
There are dozens of ways to make meatloaf, but the essential ingredients are ground meat, a filler, and a binder. What you use for each of these categories is totally up to you. You can use beef, turkey, pork, etc. Common fillers include bread crumbs, crushed crackers, or even rice. The filler is used to hold in moisture, hold the meat together, give some added texture, and make the meat stretch farther (you can get an extra serving or two by adding a filler). The binders include milk and egg. These work with the filler to hold the loaf together so it doesn't crumble.

There really isn't a wrong way to make meatloaf. As long as you have your ground meat, you can pull just about anything out of the pantry to mix with it. Do what you find delicious! The way I make mine is greatly influenced by how my mom makes hers.

I start with 2lbs of lean ground beef in a big bowl. I add 1 large diced onion, garlic, salt and pepper, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, parsley, basil, 2 tablespoons of mustard and ketchup, 1 egg, and 2 pieces of bread (I tear these into little pieces by hand). Sometimes I add a splash of milk, and sometimes I don't. Mix everything really well by hand. Using your bare hands is the best and easiest way to do it. Transfer to a baking dish and pat it into a loaf shape. Top the entire loaf with a generous amount of ketchup, spreading it around with a spoon. Bake at 350F for 1 hour. A loaf this size will feed the two of us for several days.

Serve with any sides you desire. I, personally, cannot make meatloaf without mashed potatoes - they have to be together! We also love it with green beans, brussel sprouts, or pickled beets.

Ranch Chops

These are by far the most flavorful pork chops I've ever made. Very simple, and can be served with any side dish. In a shallow dish, combine 1 packet of dry Ranch seasoning, paprika, black pepper, and oregano. Coat your pork chops in this dry rub, place on a baking sheet and bake at 400F for 35 minutes or until cooked through. We love serving ours with mashed potatoes.

Quicky Chicken and Dumplings

Traditionally when making the classic comfort food chicken and dumplings, you boil a whole chicken to get your broth and it takes a very long time. If you don't have all day, this quicky version only takes 30 minutes and still hits the spot.

In a large pot, heat up 64oz of chicken broth to boiling. Shred one rotisserie chicken and add to broth, along with some black pepper, garlic, a couple of dashes of celery seed, and 1 bay leaf. While that's returning to a steady boil, prepare your dumpling dough. Sift together 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. To this add 1 cup of milk and 1 egg. Blend well into a nice, moist dough. Use a tablespoon to drop one spoonful of dough at a time into the boiling soup. The dough will expand a bit and float on the surface. Once all of the dumplings are dropped, leave at a boil and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Then cover with a lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove lid, give a good stir, and serve! This recipe creates delicious, fluffy, chewy dumplings. I've never tried making flat dumplings before, so that'll be an adventure for another day!