Two Great Meals

Since I missed a week of blogging somehow, I'll make up for it by sharing two great meals that I made last week.

I bought 2 lbs of lean chopped sirloin at Stew Leonard's in Yonkers. (If you're not familiar, Stew Leonard's is a fresh-food shopping mecca in the Northeast: http://www.stewleonards.com/) I used one pound in my "Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf", and the other in my "Meat Sauce for Pasta". They're both easy, savory meals that are great on cold winter nights!

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"Homestyle Applesauce Meatloaf"

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon cumin

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 large egg, beaten

Salt & pepper

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

*Grease a 2 qt glass baking dish with a small amount of olive oil

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor. (Personally, I pulverize it because no one in my house likes big chucks of onion in their meatloaf.)

*In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, onion/garlic, applesauce, cumin, thyme, egg, and breadcrumbs.

*Mix all ingredients thoroughly. (Yes, this is best done with your hands!)

*Shape into a loaf, and place in the baking dish.

*Lightly salt and pepper the top of the loaf.

*Bake uncovered for 1 hour.

I served this meatloaf with mashed red potatoes (with a few chopped chives, for color) and green beans.

And I'll tell you a secret: This meatloaf is NEVER dry. I know that's what most people don't like about meatloaf, which is why they do crazy things like top it with bacon or ketchup or something. The applesauce & the pulverized onion/garlic give this recipe a lot of moisture, and it even stays moist on a reheat.

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"Meat Sauce for Pasta"

1 lb lean ground beef

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes or tomato puree

About 2 oz each of beef broth and dry red wine

1 tablespoon of fresh basil leaves, torn

(Note: I used a frozen paste of basil & olive oil, made from the fresh basil my neighbor gave us a few months ago.)

*Chop the onion & garlic in a food processor

*In a 2 qt saucepan, over medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

*Brown the beef in the olive oil. Season the beef with fresh ground black pepper. (You may want to do this in 2 batches, 1/2 lb at a time.)

*Add the onion/garlic mixture to the browned beef. Continue heating until the onion becomes translucent.

*Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, wine, and basil.

*Bring sauce to a bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer.

*Continue simmering until ready to serve

I served this sauce with medium shells, and a green salad on the side. A little garlic bread goes nicely on the side, as well.

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I hope you enjoy by 2 best meals of the last week!! If you try these recipes yourself, please let me know how they turn out for you, and please pass them along to your friends! :-)

Enjoy!