I have something to say-I really don’t like Goulash. Sorry folks, that is just the way it is for me. However, my son picked this recipe card out as something he wanted to have for dinner this weekend. I peered at it, thought surely this must not be like my mother’s Hungarian Goulash. There is nothing WRONG with the recipe…ok we will go with it.

We had this for dinner on Saturday night. I reduced the oil drastically. Just enough so the meat didn’t stick while browning.

The kids loved it. Really loved it. My partner (who has the same Goulash feelings as I do) wouldn’t touch it. I ate it and while it isn’t BAD…I just didn’t like it. The kids however liked it not only for dinner, but ate the leftovers the next day for lunch.

This is a tasty retro jell-o way to use up the last of the ham and hard boiled eggs from Easter. Sort of a tomato aspic meets ham salad. I prefer using V-8 in this dish. In fact, I am doing just that later today. Watch for pics.

Chopped Ham Salad Mold

1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. cold water
1 1/2 c. tomato juice, heated
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped cucumber
1/2 c. bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp chopped onion
1/2 c mayonnaise

Soften gelatin in cold waater. Add hot tomato juice; stir until dissolved. Add lemon juice and salt; chill until partially set. Soak cucumbers in salted water; drain. Combine with all remaining ingredients; fold into thickened gelatin. Pour into mold; chill until firm. Yield: 6 servings

~Daphne Smith
Winnsboro, TX

Favorite Recipes of America, Salads

This retro favorite is a great way to use up a few of those extra hard boiled eggs, and if you want…use some leftover ham in place of the prosciutto and leftover tomato sauce. The thrifty use of leftovers makes this a frugal find. I know the hard boiled eggs sound odd..but they are a treat.

Sicilian Meatloaf

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 small onion, finely minced
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 eggs
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2-3 slices prosciutto

SAUCE FOR TOPPING

1 tablespon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup stewed tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine beef and pork. Mix with a fork. Add onion, bread crumbs and fennel seeds. Mix lightly. In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add to meat. Season with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, blend all ingredients together. Divide meat mixture in half. Shape meat into two rectangles about 7 x 5 inches. Place in baking dish. Make a shallow depression in the center of the loaf. Wrap each egg,in a slice of prosciutto. Place in hollow of loaf . Push sides of meat in firmly to hold eggs.  Place second half of meat on top of eggs, pushing edges together to seal eggs into the loaf. Place in middle shelf of oven. Bake for 90 minutes at 350° F.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Unfortunately, I have no recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage meatloaf. Sorry. Well, I do have a corned beef jell-o recipe but I thought that might be a bit much for you on a Meatloaf Monday.

Instead, how about just a cabbage and potato meatloaf? Actually, this one is a nice easy way to get the “stuffed cabbage roll” taste without the time consuming rolling part.

Cabbage and Potato Meatloaf

1 bag shredded cabbage (4-6 cups)
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 c shredded carrots
1 teaspoon basil 1
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 c shredded potatoes
1 egg
1/3 c breadcrumbs
1-2 lbs ground beef

Saute cabbage and onion in the oil in a large skillet over medium heat,stirring them often, until cabbage begins to turn golden. Add the carrots and garlic; saute the vegetables another 5 minutes.

In a large bowl,combine the beef, shredded potatoes, egg, breadcrumbs, seasonings. Add cooked veggies. Mix ingredients lightly. Shape into loaf and cover with foil. Bake at 350, 1 hour. Mix a small can of tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar and a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar. Brush over top. Return to oven uncovered for 10 minutes or until loaf is fully cooked.

This one from my mother who called on Friday night to ask if I still did that “meatloaf online thing” on Mondays every week. She raved about her new recipe for meatloaf…she got it from someone at church.

Pizza Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 small jar spaghetti/pizza sauce
Sliced or Shredded Mozzarella

Mix ground beef, eggs, 1/2 of the spaghetti sauce. Form into loaf. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Pour remaining sauce on top, bake 30 minutes. Add mozzarella on top and bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and loaf is fully cooked.

Ok, this one is one of those retro recispes that you have to have developed a taste for as a child. Otherwise, it just won’t fly. However, if your mama made it–I bet you have a fondness for it still…or an instinctual gag reflex. It has all the retro standbys-Bisquick, hamburger, instant onion, MSG, mayo and processed cheese! (and yes, the instant minced onion does make 3 appearances in the recipe)

Hamburger Biscuit Bake

1 tablespoon instant minced onion
2/3 cup milk
2 cups packaged biscuit mix
1 lb ground beef
1 tablespoon instant onion
1 cup sharp process cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons snipped parsley
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon instant minced onion

***

Vegetable Sauce

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon monosodium glutamate

Soak 1 tablespoon instant minced onion in 2/3 cup milk. Prepare biscuit mix according to package directions for rolled biscuits, using milk-onion mixture for the liquid. Roll in two 8-inch circles about 1/4 inch thick. Press one circle into well-greased 8-inch  shallow round baking dish.

Brown ground beef in skillet; spoon off excess fat. Stir in 1 tablespoon instant minced onion. Add cheese, mayonnaise and parsley. Spread over biscuit in baking dish. Top with second biscuit. Flute edge.

Bake at 375 15-20 minutes. Drizzle melted butter over top; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon instant minced onion. Bake 2 minutes or until onion is toasty. Cut in wedges. Pass Vegetable sauce. Makes 5 or 6 servings

Vegetable sauce: Mix soup, milk and msg. Heat.

From the Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cookbook, 1961

This is the recipe I used the other day for the Boston butt roast. The children enjoyed it and it didn’t come out so spicy as to keep the youngest from complimenting it and asking for more-so don’t fear the cayenne. It also makes a nice sandwich the next day if you find you have leftovers.

Boston Butt Roast

1 Boston butt pork roast
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup water

Combine the onion, garlic, salt, cayenne and black pepper. (I did this in my handy chopper so it was sort of paste like) Spread on roast. Place roast in crockpot…add water to the bottom of the crockpot (don’t pour it over the roast) Pour the molasses over the roast. Cook on high for an hour-then low for 6-8 or leave it on high for about 5 total hours.

This one is from of all things…Wheat Chex cereal. The good part about that? Wheat Chex are healthy!

Tangy Meat Loaf

1/2 cup catsup
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
4 tsps. Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsps. seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsps onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
2 Tbs. finely chopped green pepper
1 1/2 cups Wheat Chex cereal
1 1/2 lbs ground beef

In large bowl, combine catsup, brown sugar, and mustard. Reserve 4 tbs mixture for topping. To remaining mixture add Worcestershire sauce, salt, onion, garlic powder, pepper and egg. Blend well. Stir in green pepper and Wheat Chex. Let stand 5 minutes. Break up Wheat Chex. Add ground beef. Mix well. Shape into loaf in shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 65 minutes. Spread top with reserved catsup mixture. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Makes about 6 servings.

This comes from the very retro cookbook: The Complete Electric Skillet-Frypan Cookbook.(1960) This cookbook is notable in its overwhelming enthusiasm for “America’s Favorite Appliance.” If you don’t own America’s favorite appliance, this works equally well in the oven.

Meat Loaf Ring

Combine 3 pounds of hamburger, 2 eggs slightly beaten, 2 teaspoons salt, dash of pepper, a mashed clove of garlic, 1/2 cup of grated onion, with 1 cup cornflakes. Blend well. Put into 9″ ring mold. Spoon over it 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce. Set mold into skillet in about an inch of water. Cover pan and cook at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Turn meatloaf out of mold and fill center with buttered cooked noodles, with a ring of baby beets around the outside and fringes of parsley between the beets. Serves 8-10.

My children find any dish with the word Surprise in the name as highly suspect. Could it be the natural suspicion of children? Or is it because they know their mother is a retro foodie? I am not sure…but in honor of Meatloaf Monday…I will share the recipe for yes…SURPRISE Meat Slices…from Better Homes and Gardens So Good Meals, 1963.

I actually would am tempted to cube the meat loaf (if any makes it longer than the next day for sandwiches) before coating-then serving with toothpicks and marinara sauce or horseradish as a retro appetizer.

Surprise Meat Slices

Here’s a magic way to use that frozen cooked meat loaf or roast. We’ll bet the family will never guess it’s a leftover!–

2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
5 1/2-inch slices frozen cooked meat loaf or 5 thin slices frozen cooked roast beef
1 egg, beaten

Combine crumbs and cheese. Dip frozen meat slices in egg; coat with cheese-crumb mixture. Cook meat in small amount hot fat over medium heat, turning once. Cook meat loaf 5 to 7 minutes per side, roast beef 2 minutes per side. Serve with catsup or chili sauce. Makes 5 servings.