Recipe(tried): A Cottage Style Meal... Meat Loaf Dinner

Hi Everyone!

Well things are beginning to be organized. The picket fence is the last thing, bids are in and I suppose the next thing will be them calling to set up a time for installation.

I have always been fascinated with the children's fairy tale, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", partly because of the sweet cottage depicted in the story and all its whimsical furniture and setting...sometimes I imagine my home is that cottage! I have creeping charlie covering an entire post outside the front door which gives the house a "cottage" look and we are surrounded by stately oak trees and lots of greenery which lends itself to the idea of a small cottage in the middle of the forest.

Now if you chanced upon entering, you would be mesmerized by the homey aroma beckoning you to come in, and inside you would see a wooden plank table, set with a dainty 40's flowered tablecloth with platters and bowls that held...

Cottage-Style Meat Loaf
Red Potato Garlic Smash
Creamy Squash Casserole
Glazed Carrots
A luscious Fresh Lemon Pound Cake
Ginger-Peach Punch.

Of course, the Bears, all three, would be there at your beck and call to serve and pamper you!

Bon Appetit!! Gina

COTTAGE STYLE MEAT LOAF
Makes 6 servings

FOR THE MEAT LOAF:
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup tomato juice
2 eggs beaten
2 tsp. mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup finely mined onion
1 lb. ground sirloin
FOR THE TOPPING:
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. mustard
2 tsp. brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients for the meat loaf except the beef; mix well. Add the meat and mix gently.

Line a loaf pan with foil. Press in the meat mixture.

Combine topping ingredients and put over the meat.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes. Drain any fat and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

SUPREME GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

6 red potatoes, washed, leave skins on and cubed
1 stick butter
1/2 c. sour cream
salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves
1/4 c. warm milk or more if needed

Boil potatoes and the garlic cloves together. When tender, mash with potato masher, add butter and mash some more, add sour cream and enough of milk to your liking for consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

CREAMY SQUASH CASSEROLE
serves 8

1 1/2 lbs. yellow crookneck squash, trimmed and sliced
1reg. can of cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. cont. sour cream
1 4 oz. jar chopped pimientos
1 8 1/2 oz. can water chestnuts, thinly sliced
2 med. onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 c. butter
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 8 oz. pkg. herb stuffing mix

Cook squash in salted water for about 15 min. Drain well. Saute onions in butter with garlic. When golden, pour mixture into large bowl. Add squash, soup, sour cream, pimeintos, water chestnuts and carrots. Add the stuffing and mix well. Pour intoi a well greased 2-quart casserole dish and bake at 350 for 30 min.

GLAZED CARROTS
Serves 6

6 carrots, peeles and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1/2 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. fresh orange or tangerine juice

Place the carrots in a saucpan, cover barely with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10. mts. Rinse under cold water and drain.

Stir the sugar and spices together and set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet, stir in the carrots and the citrus juice. Sprinkle with the sugar mixture and cook over med. heat til carrots are glazed and sauce is slightly thick. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

FRESH LEMON POUND CAKE
serves 10-12

3 1/2 c. sifted cake flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp.
1/2 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
6 large eggs
1 scant cup milk
1 T. grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. lemon extract
Confecationer's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 300 and grease and flour a bundt pan. In a meadium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream butter and shortening, gradually add sugar and beat til light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. On low speed, add the flour altaernating with the milk beginning and ending with flour. Stir in the zest, the extracts and scrape mixture into pan. Smooth out the top. Bakae for 1 1/2 hours Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 min. Then invert and let cool completely before dusting with confectioner's sugar.

GINGER-PEACH PUNCH

3 peaches, washed and sliced
1 reg. size can peach slices in their juice
1 liter of ginger ale
1/4 c. fresh blueberries
1/4 c. grenadine
ice cubes
serving pitcher

Puree the entire contents of the peach can. Pour into the pitcher. Fill the pitcher halfway with ice and pour in ginger-ale to top, pour grenadine in and mix.

Place a 2 peach slices with some berries in each tall glass with ice and pour punch in.