LITTLE KARYN'S DELICIOUS MEATLOAF

I love this recipe and you will, too .  My roommate gave it to me in 1980. It is my favorite meatloaf recipe of all time.  It freezes well, too.  There are few dishes that are are considered Comfort Foods , that taste better than this one.  I was caught offguard, when I saw that it calls for condensed milk and also, brown sugar, but, after I tasted it, I was sold .  This would be an excellent Sunday Dinner or a special dinner with friends , just add some creamy mashed potatoes and your favorite mac-n-cheese or vegetable and you will make some people feel very special and loved.
Preheat oven to 350° . If you want your meatloaf to be tall, rather than wide, refrigerate your prepared meatloaf until firm, before baking, but, ** be sure to put the chilled dish into a cold oven, and then turn it on, or , you will crack your glass loaf pan.

Meatloaf :
1 ½  lbs. ground Chuck
1 sm. onion, chpd. fine
¼ sm. bellpepper, chpd. fine
½ cup oatmeal
1 lg. egg
¼ cup condensed milk
1 sm. can tomato paste (not sauce)
 salt , pepper & garlic salt

Mix all and shape in a loaf pan or , if using
a metal pan, line with 2 sheets of foil; one crossing
over the other, to prevent having baked-on sauce to scrub off the pan.

Shape the meatloaf in the pan.

Glaze:
1 sm. can tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons of worcestershire sauce
½  cup brown sugar ( I use dark brown sugar)

Mix glaze in a small glass measuring cup .  Poke
holes, in the top of the meatloaf ,every 2 inches.

Pour glaze on top of meatloaf and bake.
Bake for 1 hour @350° .

Enjoy !

THE MOST DELICIOUS CHICKEN SOUP I HAVE EVER HAD!

I first tasted this wonderful chicken noodle soup at a Soup and Chili luncheon at our church last year. It was so delicious that I chose to skip dessert to have 2nds, after I made sure that everyone had eaten all they wanted. 
It is called Mama Mandolas' Chicken Soup.

MAMA MANDOLAS' CHICKEN SOUP (like Carabas' Restaurant)
Ingredients:
5 celery ribs
4 medium carrots, peeled
1 large yellow onion
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 large green bell pepper
1 can (14-ounce size) imported Italian plum tomatoes
1 (5-pound size) hen, washed and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 quarts water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(the soup I tasted had several shakes of Louisiana Red Hot Sauce in it,but,it wasn't enough to make the soup "hot".)

Dice celery, carrots, onion, potatoes and bell pepper into 1/4-inch pieces. Chop tomatoes; reserve all juice. Place vegetables, tomatoes with their juice, chicken pieces, parsley and garlic in a 10-quart stockpot. Add water. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly bring soup to a boil over low heat. Skim off foam that rises to the surface; may have to skim 2 or 3 times. Partially cover pot and simmer 2 hours. When soup is finished, remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Let cool. 

Meanwhile, mash a little bit of the vegetables**(if you desire the soup to be a little bit thicker) in the bottom of the pot with the back side of a large cooking spoon or a potato masher. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and bones and chop into bite-size pieces, then return meat to soup.   Enjoy!

Notes: Soup is best served the day after it is made. Refrigerate and remove fat that solidifies on the surface of the soup. Serve soup with rice or small, stubby pasta such as Farfale(mini bowties),pastina or tubetti. For better flavor,pratially cook the rice or pasta,drain well,then finish cooking the rice or pasta in the soup when reheating. You may need to add a little bit of chicken broth or chicken bouillion cubes to sustain the flavor of the soup. Add freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.

This recipe from CDKitchen for Carrabba's "Mama Mandola's Chicken Soup" makes 1 .5 gallons

********You can add corn and sweet peas,and maybe even short-cut green beans,and small white navy beans just to increase the volume.********
I know that you will enjoy this soup. 

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A BOWL OF HEARTY BEEF STEW!

THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A BOWL OF HEARTY BEEF STEW!

I used to cook lunch for our small church school and I developed this recipe for Beef Stew which everyone loved. I serve it over rice with hot, buttered cornbread 

BEEF STEW RECIPE 

1 3-5 lb. beef Shoulder Roast, seasoned
TONY CHACHERIE'S CREOLE SEASONING 
GARLIC POWDER
OIL for searing the roast
Season Roast and brown on all sides over high heat in a heavy Magnalite Pot,
then, reduce heat to low and pour 1-2 cups water around the roast.
Add:

2 envelopes of LIPTON BEEFY ONION dry soup mix 
Sprinkle over the roast.
1 very large Onion, chopped fine
Spread chopped onion over the roast 
Let simmer for 2-3 hours on low. 
Remove roast to a platter, trim any fat and cut meat into large chunks and refrigerate overnite. 
Remove fat from pot after chilling overnight and discard. 
Cut meat into bite size pieces and add 2 more cups of water and cook on Med. High.
Add:
2-3 envelopes of Brown Gravy Mix and
1 cup cold water
Stir until dissolved. 
Add to the pot and stir while adding.
Meanwhile, peel and chop potatoes and carrots, as many as desired,and boil until almost tender. 
***Parboiling the potatoes and carrots in another pot cuts down on the gassiness 
of the potatoes.***
Drain vegetables after parboi;ing and add to the pot of beef. 
Boil the stew on high, stirring constantly,until thickened. 
Serve over rice. 
Serve with cornbread.
***The Beef Stew will taste even better after refrigerating it for one or two days before serving it.***

Enjoy!