Recipe(tried): Meatloaf Dinner in Fla..

Hello Everyone,

Everyone must be running around getting ready for Christmas...it sure is a busy season! I have been busy since Thanksgiving and looking forward to a vacation...whew! Tonight called for a "homey" meal, just relaxing and enjoying a quiet night at home, no bustle and hustle. Thus, we will be having 72 Market Street Meat Loaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, Sweet Peas, Yeast Rolls, and Lemon Pound Cake. The yeast rolls are Sister Schubert's. They are the BEST. The meatloaf is one of the samples featured in a cookbook at TKL, it is to die for and a favorite at our home. Happy Holidays to all!!

72 Market Street Meat Loaf

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup minced green onion
3/4 cup minced white onion
1/2 cup minced carrot
1/2 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork sausage, with no herbs or seasonings added
3 /4 cup prepared bread crumbs
Meat Loaf Gravy (recipe follows)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add the green onion, white onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the moisture has evaporated. Cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cumin, and eggs and mix well. Add the ketchup and half and half. Blend thoroughly.

4. Add the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, and the vegetable mixture. It might be easier to mix this with your hands.

5. Grease a loaf pan and add the meat mixture, pressing it into the corners. Put the loaf pan in a larger pan filled 1-inch-high with boiling water. Cook at 350 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Meat Loaf Gravy.

Serving Size: 6

Meat Loaf Gravy

2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, minced
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Dash of crushed peppercorns
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell peppers
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup veal or beef stock
1 cup chicken stock
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
Salt and pepper

1. In a heavy pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, and saut the shallots, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and red and yellow bell peppers over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.

2. Add the wine and simmer over high heat until reduced by three-fourths, to make a glaze.

3. Add the beef stock and chicken stock, and simmer, uncovered, over high heat until reduced by one-fourth.

4. Add the tomatoes and bring to a slow simmer. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

5. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Strain, discarding bay leaf and thyme before serving.

Serving Size: 10

Glazed Carrots

2 carrots, washed and cut in big chunks on the diagonal
2 tblsp. butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Melt the butter in the water and dissolve the sugar in it. Add the cut carrots and heat to medium, about 10 minutes covered. Check occasionally and stir.

Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic

4 lbs. red creamer potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 T. salt
1 stick butter, softened
1 head garlic, tops sliced off, drizzle with oil, bake 350 1 hr.
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. white pepper

Place potatoes in pot with salt. Cover with water and boil briskly uncovered til tender, about 20 mts. Drain, place in bowl, add butter and let stand til melted. Mash with masher til blended. In a saucepot, warm sour cream, garlics that have been popped out of skins, and salt and pepper. Cream well and add to potatoes. Whip the potatoes til fluffy.

Lemon Pound Cake Dusted with Confectioner's Sugar
From: Gina,Fla

3 cups sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. lemon peel
3 cups flour
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Confectioner's sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a Bundt or tube pan.

Cream the sugar and butter together. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the extracts and the lemon peel, and mix well. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the baking soda and sour cream together. Add flour alternately with the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes then invert on rack and let cool completely before dusting with confectioner's sugar.