Grandma’s meatloaf

This recipe always makes me think of “Everybody loves Raymond”.

Meatloat is one of the dishes that fascinated me when I came to the United States in college. I wanted to learn authentic American recipes. I learned this recipe from my mother in law, but it took me years to get it right. I sometimes wondered if she had given the recipe wrong on purpose just to keep me from taking credit for her delicious meatloaf!

From the beginning and for a long time, my meatloaf turned out very flat. I may never know why this happened.  But now it turns out great every time.

Here’s the recipe:

You’ll need one pound of ground beef

One and a half slices of bread (whatever kind you like)

One egg

Salt and pepper

Steak sauce or ketchup

2 table spoons of chopped onions

One cup of milk.

Add a raw egg to the ground beef. Whip the egg a little before adding it. Then mix it vigorously together.

Now vigorously mix in a cup of milk.

Salt and pepper the mixture to taste.

Now mix in about 2 tablespoons of chopped onions.

Finally, mix in about a tablespoon of steak sauce, or ketchup, or a little of both.

Now crumble in your slice and a half of bread. It’s better if the bread is a little stale. Sourdough bread gives it a great flavor. You can experiment with different kinds of bread.

Mix it all in well.

Now bake it.

I like glassware, in an appropriate rectangular shape.

Spray some cooking oil in the corners so the corner don’t stick.

Now, don’t man-handle the uncooked meatloaf, just gently arrange it in the pan.
Then cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Cook the meat loaf at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

It should turn out perfect. Let me know if you have any variations.

The Oaks

This is the most beautiful setting for a restaurant I have ever seen. Our family has a summer tradition to spent time here as much as we can. The food is great. The menu is mostly sandwiches, soups, salads, and burgers, but the dining experience at The Oaks is very special. This is not fast food. The quality is superb.

The Oaks is located a few miles up Ogden Canyon.  Ogden Canyon is beautiful any time of year.  The outside tables are set in little kiosks among the trees. There is also inside dining during the winter. The Fall is spectacular with all the colors. Summer is cool on the patio next to the Ogden River. The sound of the river going by is very soothing. There are hummingbird feeders at the tables and you can just about count on a visit from these wonderful little birds. The ice cream here is famous, and many people come here especially for the ice cream. We usually have ice cream after dinner.

Don’t miss this special dining experience.  

Chips and lime.

This is possibly the most important entry on this blog.

Chips and line are a STAPLE food in our house. If we’ve rented a movie, if it’s someone’s birthday, if someone’s coming to visit, if someone needs a snack, ANYTIME I can think of, someone in my family will make chips with lime.

Nothing, and I really mean nothing, could ever be more simple than this. But you’re going to love it. Anybody who’s ever tried chips and lime in my house has gone on to make it regularly in their own house. Many people tell me they make chips and lime better than I do now.

We’ll see.

This is a Mexican treat, and this is the way folks in Mexico like to eat potato chips. In fact, many bags of chips in vending machines or at convenience stores in Mexico, come with little foil packets of lime juice and hot sauce.

People who try this in my home return to their own homes and try to make Chips with Lime almost immediately. So I’m going to teach you. Pay close attention:

Here’s what you do:

Step One: Get a bag (start with a regular family size bag) of REGULAR potato chips. (This recipe can be done with corn chips, but I believe that makes this an entirely different recipe).

Step Two: Dump the bag of chips into a large serving bowl.

Step Three: Cut a lime in half and squeeze it over all the chips.

Step Four: Generously squirt hot sauce over the whole mess. We like Tapatio hot sauce, but I relucantly will tell you that you can use any hot sauce you like.

Now, at this point, I consider the chips ready for consumption. But my kids disagree. Each one of my kids have developed their own take on chips and lime. When my sons make chips and lime, they put a plate over the serving bowl and shake it all up to evenly distribute the lime and hot sauce.

Finally, remember these Chips with Lime rules:

You can’t use lemons.

You can’t use powdered chili.

You can CHOOSE how much lime to use and how much hot sauce to use.

You can CHOOSE how much to shake them before serving.

You MUST share.

We love Dylan’s

Dylan’s is a locally owned hamburger restaurant. It’s fantastic.  The burgers here are better, larger, and slightly more expensive than typical chain fast food places.

Located in Kaysville Utah right on Main Street, it’s convenient to most of Davis County, and not a bad drive from anywhere in the Wasatch Front. Probably no more than half an hour’s drive north from Salt Lake City.

But boy is the food good! My favorite burger is anything with bacon. Dylan’s puts real, high quality bacon on their bacon burgers. Be sure to try the sweet potatoes fries. They also make a wonderful line of sandwiches and the have high quality ice cream.

We go to Dylan’s all year long, it’s our quick destination on special occasions. We’ve made Dylan’s our place to go after school events and for birthdays. But Dylan’s is especially traditional for us in the summer.

On really nice summer days I’m sure to hear someone in my family say: “Can we go to Dylan’s tonight?” I hope we can.

We’re fans of Famous Dave’s

There’s just nothing like sitting there in Famous Dave’s, listening to good blues music, taking in that wonderful smell of barbeque, waiting for your ribs.

The service is fast and enthusiastic.

We just went to Famous Dave’s for my birthday. My daughter and her husband were able to join us. It was a Friday evening and there was a good crowd out at Famous Dave’s. But the thirty minute wait was not bad at all. The atmosphere in Famous Dave’s is fun and cozy and it makes waiting for your table part of the fun. There is a big fire place in the entry with plenty of seating all around. The fun blues music playing throughout the restaurant leaves you with a good feeling.

But the smell, holy cow, the smell is what makes waiting at Famous Dave’s the best.  It just makes you think of good times.  By the time you get a table, you are READY for some great barbeque. And that’s what Famous Dave’s is all about.

We always order “The Feast”. We usually ask them to switch the barbeque chicken for more brisket. The pork and beans is great, and spicy.  And finally, the corn bread muffins are the best!

Most of all Famous Dave’s is a great place for a cozy dinner with my family. I get sentimental about that restaurant!