Let’s face it. Meatloaf just doesn’t photograph well. (The food, not the performer…although I think it’s safe to say that the camera isn’t very kind to him either.) It also has an unappealing name. Meat. Loaf. Not very inviting.

So it gets dissed a lot. But I think unfairly.

It’s such an easy-all-American-kitchen-sink type of meal. And in essence, isn’t it just like a gigantic hamburger minus the bun?

I’ve made so many different versions over the years; one with feta cheese, one with parmesan. One with ketchup, one with tomato sauce. One with carrots, one with rice. One with bacon, one with mushrooms. The list goes on… But salsa? No. Salsa has never ever occurred to me.

Sister Jen told me about these. Keeping in mind, I am a fan of meatloaf – sister Jen is not. If she was endorsing these, I knew they had to be really good.

In the immortal words of Jon Lovitz, in a Friends guest appearance, “Well, slap my ass and call me Judy!” Salsa in meatloaf is fantastic.

And as I’ve clearly pointed out, there are no rules with meatloaf. This particular recipe actually called for ground beef, but I used ground turkey. It also included Chipotle salsa, but you could use a milder variety if you or your young’ins are sensitive to spicy.

So there you have it. Good, fast, and cheap. What’s not to like?

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On my first date with Paul, he proclaimed his undying love… for Old Dutch Dill Pickle Potato Chips. He yammered on about how they’re the best chip ever and how he couldn’t find them anywhere in Sacramento. I, of course, was smitten, and wanted to impress him. The next day I went online, and lo and behold, found a place that would ship out an entire case. Shortly after receipt of this amazing bounty of chips, he actually proclaimed his undying love for me. So, thank you Old Dutch.

Another thing – he loves dill pickles, in general. And so do I. Warts and all. And like most of my hand-held food victims, I like to chew off all the skin, until I’m left with an uneven mess, and then devour the remains. My sister, Jen, does the same thing. Paul thinks we’re both disturbed.

What does this have to do with the featured recipe, you ask? Well, not a whole lot, except it includes dill pickles. The flatbread also has Caesar salad dressing, pastrami, onion, and swiss cheese. Sounds sort of gross? Oh no, no, no. So not gross. So good. So very, very good.

Print this recipe (adapted slightly from Raley’s)

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You may not believe it, but here’s how it happened -

One fine summer morning,
Amy wondered what to make for lunch.

Because she wondered,
She entered her pantry.

Upon entering her pantry,
She noticed the little can of black olives.

Because of those black olives,
She thought of making Tapenade,
But she didn’t have any crackers.

The crackers made her think of cheese.
The cheese got her contemplating Macaroni and Cheese,
But she didn’t have any elbow pasta.

The idea of pasta was strong and led her to the box of Rotini.
The Rotini swayed her to look for pasta sauce.

There wasn’t any pasta sauce to be found,
But in its place was Greek salad dressing.

The salad dressing pointed her toward the refrigerator,
Which included bell pepper, cucumber, and feta cheese.

Aha!

Oh please, oh please, let there be some red onion in the basket.

Bingo.

Greek Summer Pasta Salad.

And that’s how it happened. Believe me, she mused.
Because…
Just because…
A can of black olives needed to be used.

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**This Friday I have the honor of hosting the popular Presto Pasta Nights, created by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast. Check out the submission rules and come join in the fun. Send me your entries before Thursday evening, the 30th, at: amy (at) veryculinary (dot) com.

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I put the kibosh on meat for approximately ten years. I can’t say that I missed it during that time (although the smell of bacon would always send me into a frenzy), and I certainly learned a lot more about food in general. It was a significant experience for me and I have an enormous amount of respect for others who follow this path (well, except the preachy ones…I sort of want to run them over with my car.)

My life changed quite a bit in 2002, and for various reasons I started incorporating chicken back into my eating habits. I never gave up fish, so what was the big deal about eating chicken again? (At least that’s how I justified it.) Then pig soon followed. Then cow. It wasn’t really a conscience thing, more like a natural progression.

I began to cook a lot when I started a family, and I discovered two things: meat is easy and I had been missing out on a lot of fabulous meals.

Other than the recent Pork with Orange Marmalade, my impression of recipes requiring so few ingredients has not been very favorable. The pork dish was such a nice surprise and I couldn’t imagine having the same success twice in a row. So, I put my expectations in check. Here I am, surprised again. This was not only as good, it was even better.

I haven’t made anything with teriyaki sauce in a long time and was reminded how much I like it. Of course I do – it’s sweet. I also love the shiny glaze it adds to the meat when basted on. This makes sense considering “teri,” the first part of teriyaki, means “luster.” If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own basic teriyaki sauce; all you need is soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.

As for the filling, it was so simple. The combination of fresh spinach and crunchy water chestnuts was perfect, and any bitterness you might think spinach has, was completely masked by the sugary sauce. This was absolutely delicious; one of those dishes that your mouth wants more of, even though your belly says “no more vacancy.”

Every now and then I consider saying good-bye to meat again, but then along comes a recipe that jolts me back to reality. Like this one.

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One way to curb this problem is cooking meals that are easy, obviously. Another way is to make meals that involve everyone in the prep, or even better – meals that can be prepared in advance. Here are some recipes that have worked well for me in the past (some of which can be altered for Vegetarians, and all can be doubled easily.)

Do you have any easy dinner ideas that are crowd pleasers? Actual recipes for meat, vegetarian, and crock pots welcome in your comments!

(Click on the links for the full recipes.)

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