Cooking, Cooking, Cooking

For some reason, the cooking bug bit me around the beginning of the year. Maybe it was because I saw the “Eat from the Pantry Challenge” and thought that it would be a good idea to find some new recipes to make with all of the food in my pantry & freezer. I have enjoyed trying several new recipes as well as cooking some of our old favorites.

A few of them include:
Beef Stew
BBQ Ribs
Sweet & Sour Meat Loaf
Cheeseburger Macaroni Casserole
Chicken Curry

Roast with Carrots & Potatoes


Tonight I made one of our favorites…Sweet & Sour Meatloaf. I got this recipe from one of my sweet friends that I met the semester that I lived in Memphis and attended graduate school. I had a great time meeting some wonderful friends at Bellevue Baptist Church, one of which was Laura (Wood) Drury…and come to find out she had gone to Ouachita the year before I did and was really good friends with my college roommate (what a small world). Anyway, I remember her sweet mom making this for us and I LOVED it! We have made it numerous times over the past 18 years! (I can’t believe I’ve been out of college for 18 years now! How old am I???)

So here’s the recipe and a few pictures of how it turned out tonight. I served it with broccoli & roasted red potatoes. And I’m happy to report that Evan ate every bit of it. Maybe he’ll stop being so picky soon, but his little brother is picking up his bad habits and wouldn’t try any of it!

Sweet & Sour Meat Loaf
(From Laura Wood Drury)

1½ lb. ground beef
1 c. dry bread crumbs
1 t. salt
¼ t. pepper
2 eggs
1 t. instant minced onions
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce, divided

Topping/Sauce
½ of the can of tomato sauce
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. vinegar
½ c. sugar
2 t. prepared mustard

Mix together beef, bread, salt, pepper, and eggs. Add onion & ½ of tomato sauce. Form into loaf in 9x5x3 pan. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. In saucepan, combing topping ingredients. Bring to boil. Pour over meatloaf after the 50 minutes and bake 10 minutes more. (Makes about 6 servings)

I’ll have to post some of the other recipes soon. Will you let me know what your favorite recipe is? I’d love to try some more new recipes.