Meatloaf

 We had some cooler weather last week which sent me scrambling to find some comfort food recipes. This meatloaf recipe is great with mashed potatoes and veges. It has a really yummy sauce that is poured on top before cooking that makes it more than just a plain old meatloaf. It isn't exactly healthy so I recommend watching your portion size and serving it with lots of delicious veges! This makes enough for our family to have for 2 dinners.

Meatloaf

500g good quality mince

500g sausage meat

1 onion, finely chopped

1 handful herbs e.g: oregano, parsley, thyme, finely chopped

1 apple, grated

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 c fresh breadcrumbs made from grainy bread

1 t curry powder

Sauce

1/2 c tomato sauce

1/2 c worcestershire sauce

1/2 c brown sugar

2 T malt vinegar

2 T lemon juice

1 T butter

1 t instant coffee

1. Heat oven to 180 C. Line a 40 x 25cm tin with tin foil and grease. 

2. Mix all the loaf ingredients together with wet hands. Press into tin.

3. Mix all sauce ingredients together in a pot and bring to the boil.

4. Pour sauce over the meatloaf.

5. Cook at 180 C 1 1/4 hours.

6. Serve with mash and veges. You can also pour the sauce that has run off the meatloaf and into the dish into a jug and serve with the meatloaf.

Burgers

 Burgers are always popular with kids and they are easy to adapt to littlies. My 4 year old has half a burger with half a pattie, cheese and lettuce. My almost 2 year old has a deconstructed burger - all the bits just chopped up as finger food. I like to make mine in the food processor, and add just enough ingredients to the burger that they are tasty, but not so much they are a massive tower that you cannot pick up without dropping bits all over the place!

Hamburgers

Patties
500g mince
2 pieces bread
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 T chutney
A handful of chopped herbs e.g: thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano, mint

Burger buns
Salad greens
Sliced cheese
Beetroot
Mayonnaise
Tomato sauce or chutney


1. Place the 2 pieces of bread in the food processor and pulse to make breadcrumbs.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse to combine.
3. Shape into burger patties and cook in a lightly oiled frying pan. Turn once one side is browned.

4. Lightly toast the outside of the sliced in half burger buns under the grill.
5. To assemble, place a pattie on the bottom of the burger bun. Add cheese, beetroot and lettuce. If you don't like any of these fillings, leave them out, or replace with others that you prefer e.g: tomato, gherkin, hash brown, bacon.
6. Spread the underside of the top section of the bun with mayonnaise and sauce or chutney/relish.

7. Serve with oven baked potato chips/wedges (I will have a recipe for these at some stage!) and coleslaw (packet all the way!!!!!)