Prison-Style Meatloaf – How to Stretch Your Meat Further

The main point of this prison-style meatloaf video is to show you what happens when you make meatloaf like your grandparents did. And no, I'm not accusing your relatives of spending time in the joint. During the Great Depression this type of dish was a popular strategy for stretching what little meat you had, into as filling a meal as possible.

As times got better, people went back to meatier versions, and now only low-budget, high-volume food service operations feature this culinary dinosaur. I did an Italian meatball-inspired version, which was quite nice, but this method will work with virtually any meatloaf recipe.

Most modern meatloaves call for about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of dry crumbs per two pounds of meat, and here we’re using 1 1/2 cups. It makes a significant difference in the texture, producing something much softer and moister. While not as "meaty," this does make for an interesting alternative to play around with. I'm looking at you, family of 10.

As I say in the video, I decided to spike my tomato sauce with too much balsamic vinegar, which rendered it not great. So, if you’re going to follow this recipe, just use a regular pasta sauce, or your favorite meatloaf glaze. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 giant meatloaf (about 10 large portions):

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground chuck

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

cayenne to taste

2 large eggs, beaten

2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about a packed 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 cups very dry white bread crumbs (not toasted!)

1 1/2 cups milk to soak (squeeze out excess)

3 or 4 cups of tomato sauce to bake in, optional

My favorite projects

Hello and happy Friday! It’s the unofficial start of summer for us – I’ve never been so ready!

I can’t believe it’s the end of May already – time is passing by so fast. Fall will be here before we know it. (If you saw my FB or Instagram this week you know Hobby Lobby already thinks it’s here.) ;)

It’s been a few months since I rounded up some of my favorite recent posts so I’m combining March, April and May into this one!

I got a ton done in the master bedroom earlier this year – it’s coming along so well! The first big project was beefing up the baseboards without taking off the old ones:

I LOVE THEM. It makes a huge difference in the room!

I continued the chunk with new DIY craftsman door trim as well:

Sigh.

Because there wasn’t enough new wood on the walls, I covered the wall behind the bed with a wall treatment in a dark gray:

I’m SO pleased at the progress! I kind of pooped out on it a month or so back so I need to get going on the rest of the plan now.

It’s been a couple years since we finished our basement – I’m so thrilled we were finally able to do it. I went through the process and how we had it done on a budget in this post:

I have a big plan for that TV wall – I may work on that this weekend. :)

I shared a few of my favorite online resources for free art in this post:

And made some fun new art for the kiddo’s bathroom with scrap wood and wavy FrogTape Shape Tape:

So preppy, I love it!

I made a very simple pet food tray with more wood from the garage pile and showed you how here:

It’s such a little thing but it works SO well. No more water or food messes on the floor!

Our mud room got some pattern and texture with the DIY (no sew!) cushion I made for the bench:

This is another space I stalled out on, but I hope to get more done in there soon. It’s so functional though – that bench is awesome!!

I got a HUGE project done in our master closet -- you have to see the before pics to see how far it came:

I took down all the shelving, filled hundreds of holes, installed the cabinets and then painted them and the walls. It was a ton of work but I did it for way cheaper than what a custom closet system would cost! And I love the dusty purple color, so pretty.

Our living room got a couple updates too – this space is one that has always bugged me and I’m determined to change it up this year. I did a DIY project I’ve wanted to try forever – replacing the window sill so I could install the thick trim:

Can you find the smushed cat? :)

And moving this small bookcase to this corner opened up the room a ton!:

I’m starting to really love this space. Slow but sure. :)

I shared my spray paint “taste test” – and there was a clear winner:

The results even surprised me!

I shared my experience with HomeGoods furniture in this post:

I don’t have many large pieces from there but I counted quite a few HG chairs in our house. ;)

I’ve been back outside for the past few weeks and it’s been glorious! I created a “front porch” where there wasn’t one:

We sit there at least once a day – again, a little thing that I’m so glad I did!

And last weekend I moved some things around on the deck and patio and it feels like a brand new space!:

Finally, I showed you the results of my biggest personal project over the past few months!:

I’ve got more work to do but I’m thrilled with how far I’ve come!

Those are just a few of my biggest projects from the past few months! May has been busy for us so I’m looking forward to things calming down now that school’s out. So happy to see summer!!

Did you miss any of these projects? I think the gray wall in the master is my favorite. :) Hope you have a great weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday for the June before and after link up!

Two ingredient scrubs

Well hello all! Are your kids almost done with school? We’re done tomorrow – whoot! I am SO grateful we didn’t have to go an extra week this summer with all the snow days we had this winter. Most of our school systems nearby added some time onto each day to avoid that.

Today I’m gathering some goodies for the teachers and bus driver as a thanks. I like to include something handmade if possible, along with what they really want (a gift card and a handwritten thank you). :)

I’ve seen so many great hand and foot scrub recipes over the years – some complicated and some incredibly easy. I’m going with the latter today.

These are all easy, quick scrubs that only take two ingredients each! I love the first one because it makes a great lip scrub as well. Cause you can eat it. :)

It just takes sugar and honey:

I’m not going to give exact measurements here and I know that will stress some of you out – but I found you just mix till it’s the right consistency. You really can’t mess it up!

I just did a small batch for this one as a lip scrub:

You’ll want to make sure it’s thick and pasty but not too dry. This is a great hand scrub as well! I know honey can get expensive though so I think this one is best for the lips.

My sister came over a couple weeks ago and whipped up this super easy scrub for Mother’s Day:

Again, only two ingredients! I LOVE coconut oil and use it all the time when cooking, but it’s great for your skin as well. I added a few drops of lavender oil to it as well.

Coconut oil isn’t cheap either, so this next one is the cheapest version I’ve found and it works GREAT:

Just mix sugar and dish soap. Done. Extra points if you have pink soap! :) I just used what I had so the slight color was a bonus. I used one cup of sugar and just poured and mixed the soap till it was the consistency I wanted. Test it out as you go to see if it’s just right.

SUPER simple and super cheap! I love this one because when you use it with water it foams up just a bit.

I found two glass containers in my stash and then used Target dollar spot goodies to label the scrub:

I simply cannot walk away from the cute craft stuff in that aisle so it was nice to put the little stickers and stamps to use:

So there you go! Three easy scrubs with only two ingredients each!

I’ll combine these with gift cards and some other goodies for the teachers:

And at least this part of the gift was free! If you don’t have dish soap and sugar you’re looking at less than five bucks to make quite a few of these. This would have been perfect for my boy’s preschool days when we had six or seven teachers to buy for!

Do you do anything special for the teachers at the end of the year? Are you ready for summer?

Next Up: Prison-Style Meatball Loaf

Strawberry Ice Cream – This is So Not Cheating

Many people consider this type of strawberry ice cream recipe a “hack” or a “cheat,” because we’re skipping the more time-consuming and sometimes temperamental egg custard step; but even if I didn’t want to save time, and possibly eggs, I’d still prefer this method.

To be clear, I’m only speaking about this specific flavor of ice cream. For deep, dark chocolate, or butter pecan, I’ll take the classic French-style every time. But, for sweet, juicy strawberries, I’m not a big fan of the subtle egginess you get with the traditional method.

For me it muddles the fruitiness, and coats the tongue a bit too much. When I eat a bowl of this on a blazing hot summer day, I want nothing but pure strawberries and cream goodness. To achieve that you need to include a lot of strawberry puree, and all that extra liquid means the texture will not be quite as luxurious. It’s minor sacrifice.

Feel free to skip the 10-second blending of the cream, but I like how it very slightly thickens the mixture. A few seconds too long however, and you’ll have whipped cream, which is going to give you a frozen mousse effect; not something I’m into personally.

By the way, rumor has it that these make some pretty spectacular ice cream sandwiches, if you can get your hands on some shortbread cookies. So, as we head into another long, hot summer, I hope you give this fast, simple, and very delicious strawberry ice cream recipe a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 ounces trimmed strawberries (one of those baskets should get you close)

3/4 cup white sugar

very tiny pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

Outdoor living

Hey hey! Hope you had a WONDERFUL holiday weekend! You can tell summer is approaching in this household – it’s getting harder and harder for us to get up in the mornings and my posts are getting later and later. ;)

This weekend was just gorgeous and I’m just so thrilled to have nice weather again! I worked on the deck and patio quite a bit this weekend -- moving things around, planting and working on little projects here and there. Loved it.

I got a bug to move some of the outdoor furniture around the other night and I love how it came together. I’ve mentioned before that I rarely move furniture around inside because our house layout just doesn’t allow for much of it. But it was so fun to tackle the outside – we’ve had it the same way for nine years now.

First of all, let’s have a moment of silence for our beautiful gazebo that used to be on the deck:

Sniff. It was so darn pretty.

Then this happened:

We got that dissembled last year and then things got boring. :)

We left the furniture over there with the fire pit and it’s been like that since early last year. We didn’t want to replace the gazebo just yet because I’m afraid the same will happen again. I’d like to do something more permanent like a pergola, but we’ll leave it as is until we figure out what we’re doing with possibly expanding the house.

So. This is how it looked Saturday morning:

Not bad! I was just craving a change. I’ve always wanted to move that table over where the gazebo used to be but never did since we liked having the seating area under there.

We built the deck in three sections that are on different levels – not sure I would do that again. But it does add some interest and makes the areas feel like different “rooms.” Since we don’t have any structures to work around now, I went for it and moved the table and chairs over to that bigger area and I LOVE it:

The old rug used to be red and white and now it is just…beige. ;) It didn’t hold up well so I grabbed a new one at Lowe’s. It’s a bit boring but I looked at Garden Ridge, Lowe’s and Home Depot and didn’t see a great selection of outdoor rugs this year. I figure it’s a good backdrop for more color anyway:

I LOVE having all that space around the table! Oh my goodness. The kids always play around the table and it always worried me in that middle spot before – with the chairs pulled out there wasn’t much room to walk around it.

Now I’m considering moving my DIY potting bench over next to the table since we use that to serve food and drinks at parties. I think it may work better up there and there’s plenty of room.

I was just going to move the furniture that was over where the table is now over to the middle section, but remembered the whole thing could make a big sectional. We never had it as one sofa under the gazebo – I realized it would be a perfect fit on the patio if I put it back together:

There’s still so much I want to do out here! Beyond some new plants and small projects I want to sand down that tabletop and restain it – the sun has not been kind. (You can see how I made that table here.)

But I really dig that sectional there – it’s a perfect fit!

I moved the sofa that was down on the patio up to the middle section on the deck with the fire pit:

It works so much better. I don’t worry about the kids now – especially over by the wide stairs going down to the patio.

Here’s a better look at the different levels on the deck:

I feel like this layout is so much more conducive to socializing and it flows much better out to the patio:

Every time we are out on the deck or patio one of us says how much we love it out there. We are so lucky to have this little peaceful oasis for our family.

It’s ready for summer and so am I!:

I think moving furniture around (inside or out!) is the cheapest way to make a space feel brand new. Do you have outdoor spaces that you’re prepping for the summer? Is it finally warming up where you are?

I shared my favorite “staycation” spot over at my friend Kate’s blog last week – can you guess where it is? ;)

Next Up: Strawberry Ice Cream

Celebrating Memorial Day

I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Memorial Day, and as usual, ask you to take a few moments in between bites of whatever grilled goodness you’re enjoying to remember all the chefs and cooks that serve so bravely feeding our troops in times of war.

I’ve said this before, but it’s the thank-you emails I get from our servicemen and women stationed abroad that I find the most inspiring of all. To be able to provide these heroes with a few moments of entertainment makes my otherwise frivolous existence seem a little less so. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America!

Photo above is from our No-Bake Cheesecake Flag Cake video. 
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Asian-Style Grilled Flap Meat Salad – You Heard Me, Flap Meat

Memorial Day marks the official opening of American grilling season, and what better way to celebrate than with this unique, and delicious flap meat? Hilarious name notwithstanding, this classic “butcher’s cut” is every bit as flavorful and tender as flank or skirt steak, and is usually cheaper as well.

This is not something they keep in the meat case, so you’ll have to ask them to cut you a few pounds, but it’ll be worth it, and they’ll think you’re cool. Most people haven’t heard of flap meat or flap steak, but it’s hardly an exotic cut. 

If you like Mexican food, and order carne asada,you’ve enjoyed grilled flap meat. While it did make for some extremely tasty Asian-style lettuce wraps, you can use this in so many other wonderful ways. Half the fun is playing around with different marinades and spices, but regardless of how you flavor yours, you should try this in tacos, as well as for an amazing Philly cheesesteak. 

Just be sure to get that grill really hot before you slap down your flap. This needs to be cooked hot and fast, and as close to the coals as you can get. Since everyone asks, I’m using a charcoal Weber “Q,” which is unfortunately not made anymore. Hey Weber, please make this grill again. Thank you. Anyway, if you’re looking for a fun, new meat for your Memorial Day cookout, I hope you give this grilled flap meat a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 4 portions:

2 pounds flap meat

2 tbsp green curry paste, or as needed

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

2-3 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp coconut milk

freshly ground black pepper to taste

cayenne to taste

salt if needed
Lettuce, carrots, red onions, chopped peanuts, and cilantro leaves for salad
--Marinate for 4-12 hours in fridge, or an hour out at room temp.

*For the dressing, into the reserved meat juices, I added sambal, fish sauce, and rice vinegar to taste. I didn’t measure anything, and neither should you. Taste, adjust, repeat.

If you visit: Race weekend!

Goodness. Four more school days people! I’m not sure we’ll make it in this house! Even the dog was moody this morning. We are so looking forward to the long holiday weekend!

I’m a proud Hoosier and this is a HUGE weekend for Indianapolis because of a little race called the Indy 500. :) I find many people visit Indy and are surprised with what we have to offer – it really is a fun city. When we hosted the Super Bowl a few years back I shared a few of my favorite spots. Those were mostly indoor activities and restaurants, but the trees are green, the sun is shining and if you’ll be in town with kids this weekend our zoo is a great spot to visit!

We LOVE our zoo. I’ve not been to many others so I can’t compare it much, but we think it’s pretty awesome. There are two sections to the Indy Zoo – the White River Gardens and the animal exhibits. White River Gardens is one of my favorite spots in all of Indianapolis:

Throughout the spring and summer you can see the butterflies at the Hilbert Conservatory, along with hundreds of tropical plants.

That building itself is pretty awesome, but then you walk out to the gardens – my favorite:

It’s three acres of some of the prettiest gardens. There are fountains, shade gardens, gazebos, beautiful stonework, a lily pad pond, (yes, complete with frogs), and flowers! So many flowers!

It’s just gorgeous:

It’s a large space but they break it down into little “secret” gardens – all so beautiful. You just want to bring a book and sit on a bench all day:

There are a ton of little statues throughout – our favorites are the spitting frogs:

I took most of these pics a couple weeks ago when things were still growing in. It’s even more stunning now. There are flowering vines throughout that grow thick and cover everything so beautifully:

We were there to catch the tail end of the tulips in bloom:

At the end of the gardens is a huge lawn where weddings are held:

The pergola wraps around and is covered in vines in the summer – it’s one of my favorite areas in the gardens! I have a lot of favorite spots in there, if you can’t tell. :)

The zoo itself is full of fun stuff as well, but the big event this weekend is the opening of the new orangutan exhibit – we’ve been watching it go up and were so excited to finally get inside:

It opens to the public tomorrow but members got to see it a little early. I’ve never seen anything like it! The orangutans are able to go outside and climb up onto poles that go around the whole exhibit – they go across the wires right above you. There’s also a gondola ride that you can take around the whole thing – I’m sure it will offer some awesome views of the city! (And you’ll go right by the orangutans!)

This guy was going back down into the exhibit:

It is seriously SO cool to see them just hanging (literally) right over your heads! It’s fascinating to watch.

Inside you can get up close and personal with them:

It was so cool to get that close to them! I don’t know their temperament but from where we were standing they seemed like very calm, sweet souls.

There are so many spots outside to see them too – windows everywhere:If you’re in our lovely city for the race this weekend or live nearby and want to do a quick trip, don’t miss the zoo! It’s fun with the family or not. :)

I’m so proud of our city – there’s so much to do in Indy! Are you visiting for the race? Have you ever been? If you are coming into town be safe and have a blast!