Glazed Grape Meatloaf

People collect some strange things: bugs, bottle caps, twist ties, beer cans, the list could go on forever. Me?  I collect meatloaf recipes. If the recipe has an unexpected ingredient, all the better. It never ceases to amaze me all of the delicious variations that can be made from a pound of ground beef, an egg, and breadcrumbs. That's why this recipe, sent to me by a friend, captured my attention. Never in all of my meatloaf-making days did I ever make one with grape jelly. The original recipe called for a pound and a half of ground beef and a cup of bread crumbs, a ratio that didn't quite seem right to me, so the following version is my own adaptation.  (I kicked up the horseradish as well.). Mr. O-P's nephew from New Jersey joined us for dinner. He loved the meatloaf, in fact, he is still talking about it.

Glazed Grape Meatloaf

1 pounds ground chuck
2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grape jam or jelly
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T prepared mustard
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, eggs, onion, salt and pepper; whisk together to blend well. In a separate bowl combine jam, ketchup, mustard and horseradish; whisk to blend. Add half the jam mixture to bread crumb mixture, stir to blend.  Crumble the ground chuck into this mixture, and mix until all is incorporated.

Shape meat into a loaf. Place in a shallow baking pan. Spoon remaining grape mixture over top. Bake, uncovered, in a 400° F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until meat is done.

Makes 4 servings

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Curried Chicken Salad in Papaya Boats

 I am completely sold on the honey mustard marinade for chicken as used in the recipe here; I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a boneless breast of chicken that was more moist or flavorful.  So much so that I used the remainder to marinate the lone chicken breast that I had left in the fridge, then seared it, roasted it, and used it for chicken salad.  It’s too hot for a heavy meal, so chicken salad was just the ticket, made even more summery with the inclusion of little balls of papaya and served in a papaya half.

Curried Chicken Salad in Papaya Boats

1 large breast of chicken, cooked, cooled, and diced

1/3 cup chopped celery

1 scallion, diced (white and green parts)

¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 tablespoon golden raisins

¼ cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon curry powder

1 medium strawberry papaya (I used Melissa's)

Place first five ingredients into a medium bowl and toss together until well mixed; set aside.  Halve papaya, scoop out center seeds; discard.  Using a small melon baller, scoop out inner portion making small melon balls, while hollowing out a larger spot in the center in which to mound the chicken salad.  Put melon balls on top of chicken mixture, and lightly mix in.  In a small bowl, stir together curry power and mayonnaise.  Pour mayonnaise mixture over chicken mixture and fold together until well combined.  It may seem a bit dry at first, but the juice from the inclusion of the papaya will moisten the mixture, giving it a nice creamy texture, so don’t overdo on the mayonnaise.

Scoop chicken salad into payapa “boats” and season with salt and pepper to taste.

                                              Serves 2.    

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Foodie Friday

Sunday's Best Party

Sunshine Salad

With record-breaking heat and summer still weeks away, our meals are all about cold soups, cool, crisp salads, and chilled wrap sandwiches.  The salad we enjoyed today is from one of my favorite cookbooks (often mentioned here), St. Louis Days St. Louis Nights, a production of the St. Louis Junior League decades ago.  I happen to love Junior League cookbooks and this one gets plenty of use.  List maker and annotator that I am, you can see the notes I've made over the years in the margins of the page featuring the recipe (below).  

Even though this is what used to be referred to as a "Ladies Salad" back in the seventies in the days of bridge luncheons and ladies' clubs, I find the men like it as much as the women.  The fruit gives it a bit of sweetness, but not overly so, the tangy dressing really hits the spot.  I have found that a variety of fruits can work well in this mixture, and adding some crumbled cheese (in today's case, feta, in previous cases, bleu) makes it a bit more "manly" and therefore pleasing to the men in your life.  Eaten alone it makes a light, but pleasing lunch, pair it with a cold soup or club sandwich and you have the perfect summer dinner.

Stay cool!


This is linked to Just Something I Whipped Up and Cookbook Sundays and

First Dinner of the Spring!

I invited my parents over for dinner and preseason baseball on Sunday (when I served the wonderful meatloaf and delicious Chocolate Stout Cake - were they lucky, or what?!).  It was a spur-of-the-moment invitation, so the table was something that I put together in about ten minutes time.  After a winter of high color, pattern, and intensity, I wanted something soft and simple, with the same hint of green in the table setting that I see daily emerging outside my window.  This peaceful, almost zen-like table setting was the result.  It felt so much like spring to me, and it was so nice to reacquaint myself with old favorites like the rooster napkins and the fish water pitcher.

I used Fiestaware flatware, giving each one of us a different color.

I found this set of napkins when cleaning out the dining room closet (okay, just one shelf, but it took me a couple of hours).  I'd forgotten about these, so it was like having something new.

Individual salt and pepper shakers can be so much fun at each place setting and it eliminates the need for asking or reaching.

I bought this fish pitcher when I was still in college, long before I married or thought I'd be hosting as many dinners as I do.  It reflected my love of the ocean and it appealed to my sense of whimsy.

Table runners - Pottery Barn

Placemats - Pottery Barn

Centerpiece - Pier One

Plates - Old Time Pottery

Flatware - Fiestaware

Salad Plates - Gift

Glasses - La Rochere

Cups - Amazon

Napkins - Williams-Sonoma


This post is linked to:

Tabletop Tuesday, Tablescape x 3 and Tablescape Thursday

Brined Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples and Whiskey Cream

This is a delicious, company-worthy meal that, with a bit of advanced preparation, can go together in under an hour.  The advanced prep is brining the pork chops.  If you've never brined meat before, you're in for a real treat.  No matter how I decide to fix pork chops, I always brine them first.  When brined they are tender, juicy, so flavorful, and never dry!

This, plus ice and water, is all you need to brine pork chops.

This recipe serves two, so a loaf pan is the perfect vessel for brining.

Brined Pork Chops with Sautéed Apples and Whiskey Cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1-inch-thick loin pork chops

2 Honey Crisp apples

2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey (I use Jameson)

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

1/8 teaspoon crumbled dried sage

Remove pork chops from brine, rinse in cold water and pat dry.  Discard brine.  In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderately high heat until the foam subsides.  Brown the chops, seasoned with pepper, for 2-3 minutes on each side, and transfer them to a plate. Pour off the fat from the skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoons butter.  Saut� the apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths, with 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes, or until they are golden. Add the whiskey, wine, the remaining tablespoon brown sugar, the cream, the celery salt, and the sage, bring the mixture to a boil, and add the chops with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the chops are done. Cook the sauce for 3-5 minutes longer, or until it is thickened and golden.  Pour it over the chops and apples.

Pork Brine Recipe: 

1/4 cup coarse kosher salt

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup boiling water 

2 cups ice water

Put salt and sugar into a two-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup (or other microwave-safe cup) and add 1 cup of water.  Microwave for 3 minutes until the water comes to a rolling boil and the sugar and salt is completely dissolved.  This may take more or less time depending upon the wattage of your microwave oven.  Allow this mixture to cool for about 20 minutes.  Pour this mixture into a loaf pan and add three cups of ice water.  Stir to blend.  Once all of the ice has melted submerge the pork chops.  Cover the loaf pan with plastic and place chops in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours.

This is linked to Foodie Friday.