Ritzy (Cracker) Meatloaf . . . including convenience assemble ahead instructions.

Ritz (butter) crackers, along with ground beef form the basis for this tasty meatloaf. While we love meatloaf as an entrée, we certainly look forward to tomorrow’s meatloaf sandwiches! 

Meatloaf Sandwich on a 40-Minute Everything Bagel Bun 

MAKE AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS — The other thing I really like about meatloaf . . . is that it can be made ahead. I assembled the sauce and meatloaf (steps 2-4) and placed them in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, I pulled them out and followed steps 5-7. 

 

Ritzy (Cracker) Meatloaf    6+ servings

Meatloaf Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 to 1/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce  

Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef (lean 85%)

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced

1/4 cup red, yellow, orange or green peppers, finely dice

 2 eggs

 4 oz. (1 cup) sharp Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup whole milk

32 (1 sleeve) Ritz crackers (or any brand of butter cracke), finely crushed  

1 teaspoon each: salt, pepper & Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. (Do this later if following the make ahead instructions explained above.)
2. In a small bowl combine the glaze ingredients, whisk untils mooth. Set aside for later.
   
3. In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef, onion, green pepper, eggs, cheese, milk, crushed Ritz crackers, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands, thoroughly combine all ingredients but avoid overmixing.
   
   
   

   
4. Place meatloaf mixture onto a baking pan lined with  parchment paper (that has been spritzed  with non-stick spray) and form it into a loaf shape.
   
5. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and apply the glaze over the top of the meatloaf.
6. Return meatloaf to the oven and continue baking for 30 minutes or until the meatloaf is 160°F when the temperature is checked in the center of the loaf.
7. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 
   
   
   

   
   
   

Recipe without photos . . . Ritzy (Cracker) Meatloaf    6+ servings

Meatloaf Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 to 1/3 cup brown sugar 

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce  

Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef (lean 85%)

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced

1/4 cup red, yellow, orange or green peppers, finely dice

 2 eggs

 4 oz. (1 cup) sharp Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup whole milk

32 (1 sleeve) Ritz crackers (or any brand of butter cracke), finely crushed  

1 teaspoon each: salt, pepper & Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. (Do this later if following the make ahead instructions explained above.)
2. In a small bowl combine the glaze ingredients, whisk untils mooth. Set aside for later.
3. In a large mixing bowl add the ground beef, onion, green pepper, eggs, cheese, milk, crushed Ritz crackers, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands, thoroughly combine all ingredients but avoid overmixing.
4. Place meatloaf mixture onto a baking pan lined with  parchment paper (that has been spritzed  with non-stick spray) and form it into a loaf shape.
5. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and apply the glaze over the top of the meatloaf.
6. Return meatloaf to the oven and continue baking for 30 minutes or until the meatloaf is 160°F when the temperature is checked in the center of the loaf.
7. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

Battered & Breaded Morel Mushrooms

Definitely a springtime treat. Our attempts at foraging are dismal but fortunately a friend shared the bounty and Barry turned them in to golden nuggets of deliciousness! We enjoyed every bite. What follows is more of a guide to how he prepared them for future use.

To prepare Morels . . . 

Morels

Egg

Milk

Cracker crumbs (we used Ritz® crackers)

All-purpose flour

Salt and pepper

Tex-Joy seasoning (or other spice blend of choice)

Vegetable oil

 

Morel Prep — We brushed them off and then cut them in half, using a paper towel to wipe off any debris. Ours were mostly clean but we did dip one or briefly in warm water to remove some dirt in the outer craggy surface and then dried them thoroughly.

Batter Station Prep — In one low dish or pan, mix egg and milk. Fill another with cracker crumbs, a little AP flour and seasoning. 

Battering & Breading Morels — Dip morel halves first in egg mixture and then into cracker crumbs.

Panfrying Morels — Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron or heavy-duty pan on medium heat. When hot, fry a few battered morel halves at a time until golden brown. Transfer fried mushrooms to a paper-towel lined cooling rack to drain briefly; serve warm. 

We served the morels with a spinach salad, wedges of Turkish Fread and More than Mayo Sauce.

Instructions  without photos:

To prepare Morels . . .

Morels

Egg

Milk

Cracker crumbs (we used Ritz® crackers)

All-purpose flour

Salt and pepper

Tex-Joy seasoning (or other spice blend of choice)

Vegetable oil

 

Morel Prep — We brushed them off and then cut them in half, using a paper towel to wipe off any debris. Ours were mostly clean but we did dip one or briefly in warm water to remove some dirt in the outer craggy surface and then dried them thoroughly.

Batter Station Prep — In one low dish or pan, mix egg and milk. Fill another with cracker crumbs, a little AP flour and seasoning. 

Battering & Breading Morels — Dip morel halves first in egg mixture and then into cracker crumbs.

Panfrying Morels — Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron or heavy-duty pan on medium heat. When hot, fry a few battered morel halves at a time until golden brown. Transfer fried mushrooms to a paper-towel lined cooling rack to drain briefly; serve warm. 

Susan’s Pineapple Casserole - a sweet but savory side dish

A chance encounter in a restaurant in Texas led to new friends, good times, shared meals and recipes! We met Susan and Dale Dyess on Valentine's evening and ended up sharing dinner that night and later feasted on a Texas-sized meal (grilled pork loin with seven sides + pecan pie) at their home. Susan served this unusual dish which was delicious and a perfect accompaniment to pork. I made it to accompany our Easter ham—it was a BIG HIT!

Susan and Dale were in Abilene, KS last weekend and we again shared good times, good times + discussed our Easter menus. She, too, made this sweet but savory side dish for her family. 

This one sentence I found online (wellseek.com) seems to say it all . . . It’s the people that are the most important, but it’s food that helps connect us.

Susan’s Pineapple Casserole    Yield: 9”x13” casserole

2 (20 oz.) cans chunked pineapple

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 roll Ritz (butter) crackers, crushed

1 stick melted butter

1. Drain juice from only one of the cans of pineapple. Arrange in baking dish.
   
2. Mix flour and sugar Add to the two cans or pineapple.
   
3. Add the Cheddar cheese; mix all.
   
4. Cover with crushed Ritz crackers.
5. Drizzle melted butter over the top of casserole.
6. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.
   

Recipe without photos . . .

Susan’s Pineapple Casserole    Yield: 9”x13” casserole

2 (20 oz.) cans chunked pineapple

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 roll Ritz (butter) crackers, crushed

1 stick melted butter

1. Drain juice from only one of the cans of pineapple. Arrange in baking dish.
2. Mix flour and sugar Add to the two cans or pineapple.
3. Add the Cheddar cheese; mix all.
4. Cover with crushed Ritz crackers.
5. Drizzle melted butter over the top of casserole.
6. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned and hot throughout.

Shaker Recipe --- Tomato Okra Casserole

Thought it fitting to serve Tomato Okra Casserole in
one of Barry's handmade casseroles.

     A long-term fascination with the Shakers has twice lead us to the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village near Harrodsburg, Ky. The first time was about 18 years ago; the most recent was just a couple of weeks ago.

     At one time I did extensive research on this religious sect that lived communally yet practiced celibacy. Their ingenuity is amazing—they invented the circular saw, the flat broom and packaged the first commercial seeds, among other things. Their architectural styles were creative and inventive, their furniture was practical and now is recognized as a classic design form. I admire their division of labor and devotion to equality of the sexes.

     Besides my ongoing interest in the sect, my broom of 18 years was becoming just a little worn. Since we were going to be in Kentucky anyway, I considered it essential to make a stop in Pleasant Hill. We again spent the night (couples sleeping in the same bed must make the Shakers turn over in their graves) and of course we dined on Shaker-style food. And, of course, I bought a cookbook!

     Yes, I needed another cookbook! You see, I needed the recipe for the Tomato Okra Casserole that was on the dinner menu. Barry had fried chicken while I dined on country ham. The sides were served family style and based, in part, on what is currently available in the village’s vast garden.

     The casserole recipe calls for a topping of butter crackers and I questioned whether they would have been available during the peak of the Shaker movement. I did know that the National Biscuit Company (later to become Nabisco) first produced soda crackers in 1898 but a quick search of the Internet indicated that Nabisco didn’t introduce Ritz crackers until 1934. Hmmm – many of the Shaker villages across the U.S. were closed by then; the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village was founded in 1805 and closed in 1910. So I did another search and discovered a similar recipe that simply called for breadcrumbs.      

     Perhaps the version in the cookbook I purchased has been updated for today’s living history museum that strives to share the lives of an earlier generation. Or, perhaps the recipe was actually updated by the surviving Shakers—there are still a few that live on at Sabbath Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine. Whatever the explanation, I am glad to have this recipe and still amazed by the Shakers and the village at Pleasant Hill.  

UPDATE in Aug. 2013 — I cut corn off ears of corn and added to okra in step #2. It was a delicious addition!

Tomato Okra Casserole      Serves about 12 

Cookbook Source: Welcome Back to Pleasant Hill, More Recipes from the Trustees' House, Pleasant Hill, Kentucky 

6 tablespoons onions, chopped

2 tablespoons bacon grease

1 lb. okra, sliced

1 quart tomatoes, peeled and cooked, or canned

¼ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon red pepper

2½ tablespoons Parmesan cheese

8 butter crackers, crumbled

1.  Sauté onions in bacon grease.

2.  Add okra and cook until tender. (I used medium or medium-low heat.) Update as of Aug; 2013 -- I added 2 ears of corn, cut from the cob.

3.  Add tomatoes and seasonings.

4.  Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with cheese then cracker crumbs.

5.  Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
Note -- At the Shaker restaurant, this dish was served alongside rice. It was a great combination and now I usually cook some rice (about 1 cup) and add to the casserole as it bakes.

Read more about the Shaker movement in the US @ http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Shakers.html or, specific about the Pleasant Hill Shakers can be found  @ http://www.shakervillageky.org/living_history_museum/shaker_history/

Barry stands in a Shaker kitchen with handmade pottery crocks and jugs in the background.

Broom makers continue to make brooms using the equipment at the Shaker Village.

This happens to be a Sisters bedroom; six sisters shared a communal space.

Barry enjoying his Shaker meal -- fried chicken, rice, tomato okra casserole and fresh lima beans.

Working garden at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village.