Another recipe with Ketchup?!? Turkey Meatloaf!

Here I sit, with my cream cheese bagel and lemon water, typing my post much sooner than I got the last post out and might I mention......I'm doing this post amazing and much needed yoga session with my dear friend Joan.  I hestitated leaving the house with Lizzie since we are on our 5th day on the Potty Train

* note the very proud pottier with her potty stickers and FIRST EVER marshmellow PEEP! 

not to mention the dark dreary day it is, but I (and baby) needed this time for our bodies....and Lizzie needed a little outing.  Also, Lizzie had what I politely call, potty success, before we left the house so I was feeling confident on the way out of the door and as expected......amazing on the way back in.  Win-Win.  I've digressed, so let me get back to our dinner from Tuesday night. 

I love meatloaf and I love all things that go with meatloaf and this time I did the old basics, peas and mashed potatoes.  Yea, I felt silly sending over a bowl of plain peas to Meghan's family, but who doesn't love how a fork full of mashed potatoes will pick up a bunch of peas all at one time?  No roly poly peas to chase!  And on top of that and before taking a bite of the mashed potato and pea goodness, you swoop up a piece of meatloaf and eat all three together in meatloaf dinner harmony - fantastic!

My family's meatloaf turned out a little dry - we had a slight oven issue.  I left the house and stayed away too long (playing over at Meg and Jude's) and when my husband got home to an exhausted and beeping timer he turned the oven off.  (of course, wondering where his wife and child were when the oven was on and house left abandoned - that's another story)  So when I got home ~ 20 mins. after the timer went off, the meatloaf was only half cooked.  I reheated the oven to cook the meatloaf a little more, testing for 160 doneness, but I let it get to 175 (oops) and it was a tad dry.  So, if you don't do that, this is a tasty healthy meal and if you follow the recipe (5 lbs of turkey) you'll have plenty of left overs.  I only made 2.4# for the two families. 

And don't think for one moment that I didn't make a dessert.  I watched Ina Garten bake a mean Blueberry Crumb Cake last week and I've been dieing to try it.  So with Lizzie busy in her rice box

and Blueberry crumb cake on the brain, I checked the fridge and confirmed that I did in fact have all the ingredients....preheat the oven sister! 

The cake was no disappointment!  Delicious hot right out of the oven (watch out for scalding hot blueberries!), yummy room temp right after dinner and perfect with my hot tea this morning, pre-yoga!  If you're doing the math, the blueberry crumb cake is almost gone (three slices left) and its only been a tad over 24 hours. [insert wicked laugh here] 

Turkey Meatloaf – Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large onions)
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 5 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1 1/2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
• 3 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup ketchup

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saute pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme until translucent, but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. and the meatloaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold in a sandwich.

* now i know, nobody in their right mind wants to see a big slab of raw turkey meatloaf, but prior to seeing Ina make this, I would not have known how to free-form a meatloaf so I'm providing this picture for those of you who might be in the same predicament.  The really bad news however, worse than me showing you a free-form uncooked meatloaf is that I don't have a cooked meatloaf picture to show you.  But beleive you me, I have one of the coffee cake!  :)  strategic I tell ya, strategic!   

Blueberry Crumb Cake – Ina Garten

Ingredients

For the streusel:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

For the cake: nocoupons

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.

For the streusel:

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.

For the cake:

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,

crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.