Recipe of the Week: MEATLOAF

Here's another What to Do With The Leftovers special:

Preheat oven to 180º C or 375º F Get a pound (or one and a half kilos) of ground MEAT OF YOUR CHOICE.  Add two eggs.  Shake in garlic powder or garlic salt.  Dried soup greens (Shoprite quality is fine) are a good addition, as is any "Mrs. Dash" seasoning that you happen to have in front of you.  Mix all and set aside.

Look in the fridge.  Remove from the cooler the slightly old, limp celery and the equally limp carrots.  Cut off the non-usable parts, peel the carrots.   Throw the peels and celery ends into the guinea pig cage and experience an ecstatic gratitude that you never get from children (Squeak, squeak!  Wow, this is great!  Food!  You are our goddess, our savior!  We love you!) Wash the parts of the celery and carrot that you plan to use and set aside.

Put a pan on a hot burner, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, keep on middling heat while you dice an onion.  Add onion to pan and stir occasionally while you chop carrots and celery.  When onion is translucent, add diced celery and carrots and about a cup of water.  Add a teaspoon of dry chicken broth or salt.  Let celery and carrots simmer until water is absorbed (long enough to check an e-mail or two, but if your mix burns slightly, pour all into strainer, rinse, and dump into meat mixture)

Stir all well together.  Add about a cup of dried rolled oats (oatmeal) or, if you prefer, grated bread crumbs.  But the oatmeal gives the whole mix a nice flavor.  Mix in a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce.  Grate a block of Parmesan over the top--enough to cover the meatloaf.  Put in pre-heated oven and cook for one hour. 

If you don't happen to have a pile of leftover celery, you can use frozen peas.  Or open and drain a can of corn.  Or make it without vegetables--it will still taste good.