Shane McAnally I Like That Soup

Tonight we celebrate a LGBT hero from the world of country music! Read about this great talent in a short article after the recipe.

Tonight's home made beef rice soup develops its rich taste by letting the professionals do the seasonings! Meat from bratwurst and hamburger, stewed tomatoes, prepared beef broth and long grain and wild rice create a soup that is low on salt and fat while warms the whole body with a rich down-home taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 lbs cooked ground beef
• 1/2 lbs cooked sausage (bratwurst)

2 cups reduced sodium beef broth

• 1 can 28oz stewed tomatoes, undrained
• I box long grain & wild rice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 package beef gravy mix
• 2 tablespoons red wine optional
• salt & pepper to taste
• Hot Sauce to taste

Directions:

Mince the garlic. Cut open the bratwurst and empty into a bowl. 
 

In a dutch oven heat oil, onions and loose sausage. Stir and cook for 4 – 5 minutes or until mostly cooked.

Now add the hamburger for another 8 minutes, stir in the minced garlic and let simmer.

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain off any grease.

Pour in 1 cup of the beef broth and stir to loosen any bits from the bottom of the pan – this is great tasting stuff you want in your soup, not stuck to the pan. Add the rest of the broth and return the meat. Pour in the can of stewed tomatoes, juice and all.

Stir to mix. Bring to a soft boil then reduce heat. 
 

Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, gravy mix and the long grain and wild rice. 
 

Let the dance begin!

Partially cover allowing steam to vent and let simmer for 50 minutes to a full hour. Check and stir occasionally so nothing sticks to bottom. 
 

At this point taste test! Adjust with any salt & pepper, most of the seasoning has already been done by professionals in the broth and the stewed tomatoes. If you wish more kick, this is the time to add small spoons of hot sauce.

Please wait until soup is cooked so you get a feeling of how much is needed. Remember people can add some at the table but no one can take too much away! 

 

Now then, not to belabor the point, but I wish you consider making this soup as if you were hosting an old fashioned barn dance.

You've clean up the place and set up the lights!

You invite good people you believe will get along.

The music and drinks are the heat and gentle stirring.

Every 15 minutes or so, scrap and stir so that bits don't stick to the bottom.

You don't want wall flowers. Get them into the party.

As the fun begins, flavors get to know each other. Their laughter brings out the best of each other as they dance together.

Give them time, sing! Enjoy the evening as this magic develops on your stove top.

Give it time and love, not hard work! You will be singing “I Like That”!

So happy to be able to serve this soul warming soup. It is naturally low fat and low salt if you watch your ingredients!

For our music we turn to a favorite of mine from Shane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nUmFVg5SEU&list=PLTHSZb9XDNr0tVg676lFWLHVeaWnT4fHM&index=3

Recipe Notes

Soup may thicken upon cooling, add extra broth (or water) to reach desired consistency.

Calories: 149, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 385mg, Potassium: 623mg, Carbohydrates: 15g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Protein: 10g.

Serving my Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTMvia @amazon

 

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Shane McAnally

Shane McAnally has been called Nashville's most trusted songwriter. He’s penned dozens of songs for top-tier country artists and won awards for his own hits like ‘Follow Your Arrow’ and ‘Merry Go Round.’

By anyone's definition he is a success. No small achievement for a man who has been an out gay all of his professional life. That took more than talent, that took an amazing amount of hard work!

Shane McAnally was born in 1974, in Mineral Wells, Texas.

Shane has been an active member in the industry since 1999. He began performing at local clubs at age 12. Shane appeared on Star Search when he was 14. Then a year latter he moved to Branson, Missouri to pursue his career as a singer.

In 2001, he settled in Los Angeles and began rising in the field of music. He composed six songs for the soundtrack of 2007 gay cinema film Shelter. (long my personal favorite!)

 

 

Within another 7 years Shane won multiple Grammy Awards and the coveted title of Songwriter of the Year at the 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards. This year at the 2018 CMT artist of the year awards: Shane won Song of the year – “ Body Like a Back Road”!

 

McAnally has been openly gay throughout his long career in the country music industry, and has been married to his partner Michael Baum for five years. The couple are parents to a set of twins named Dylan and Dash.

 

 

 

This year as we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, lets take a moment to celebrate what 50 years ago would have been impossible!

Consider the Meatloaf

Lets consider the classic meat loaf. Born out of necessity, it's middle name should be stretch! It stretches the budget – ground beef is much cheaper that roast. It stretches the amount of food – a pound of meet can be padded and feed a whole family for at least two meals. It stretches the imagination – once you know the basics, you can customize it with as many things you can think of!

American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple, a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal served by German-Americans in Pennsylvania since colonial times.

Learn the basics first!
The most important elements to consider when learning how to make meatloaf is texture and moisture. 

The Best Meatloaf is 75% Beef and 25% Pork

We tried a recipe with a classic "meatloaf blend" you might see prepackaged at grocery stores: beef, pork, and veal. The veal added a nice amount of moisture to the loaf, but not a lot of flavor, and the texture veered towards something more gelatinous, almost like paté.

Bacon can add a nice touch but be careful to not overwhelm and become too rich. After making meat-loafs for nearly half a century, slave recommends a blend of 75% beef and 25% pork. When using this 3 :1 ratio, most often preferred is using a loose sausage for the 1 part of pork.

And one more note on the meat: choose the highest-quality ground beef but not extra lean! It will make all the difference in your loaf.

Bread for moisture that binds meatloaf

Bread or breadcrumbs or even oats or rice do not act as filler—they are crucial in determining the texture of the loaf. They help soak up and retain some of the juices from the meat and help to break up the density of the loaf.

A panade is recommend

Panade is a paste made from wet bread. It’s torn up fresh bread soaked in milk, (or better – beef broth) intended to add moisture to a meatloaf and help bind it together. 

 

 

Egg/Dairy Additions: Eggs help meatloaf bind together much better. Never use more than 1 egg per pound of meat. Eggs and milk also help keep the proteins in the meatloaf from shrinking and drying out, resulting in a juicier meatloaf.

Aromatics:

It's pretty universally agreed upon that every meatloaf needs onion. The onion-garlic-celery combination seemed like a must.
Another super important discovery: pre-cooked aromatics are so much better than raw. At the least, grate the onion and garlic, this insures good texture. You don't want hunks of vegetables falling out of the slices.
We went for finely chopped (use a food processor to make it easy!) sauteed vegetables, which removes extra moisture and adds more caramelized sweetness.

Topping: The last step in a great meatloaf is a topping; it keeps it moist and adds flavor and dimension. Some people love ketchup, others prefer BBQ sauce, mustard, even mashed potatoes or a bacon wrap. You could add some flavor boosters like chili sauce, yellow mustard, brown sugar, maple syrup, spices, etc. It just depends on your personal taste! After you mix up your glaze, brush or spoon it onto the meatloaf about 15 minutes before it’s done baking. 

  

Extra Ingredients Need Not Apply

When it comes to add-in ingredients, we decided less is definitely more. We tried versions with prunes, apricots, allspice, parsley, thyme, tomato juice, cider vinegar, chili sauce, soy sauce—this is meatloaf, people! It should taste like meat and not much else! A simple umami boost from Worcestershire sauce and sweet and tangy ketchup is all you really need.

Preparing the loaf:

Over mixing will cause your meatloaf to become dense making it seem tough and not tender. As with most ground beef recipes (including patties or meatballs), the beef and add-ins should be mixed just until combined for a tender result. Slave likes to use a short wooden spoon to mix everything together. Everything gets mixed together in the same bowl as the soaked bread to minimize clean up. 

Bake Your Meatloaf in the open

The last step in ensuring the perfect loaf is thinking about how to cook it. We had much better results with a hand-formed loaf baked in a shallow baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. The extra exposed surface area allows the steam to escape and the exterior to get caramelized. And the classic ketchup glaze gives our loaf the perfect finishing touch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leftover meatloaf will last about four days in the fridge. If you make a large loaf, slice it up and throw in the freezer! Meatloaf holds up very well in the freezer.

Meatloaf can dry out when reheated. If you’ve frozen your meatloaf, thaw it first. To reheat for sandwiches, slice the meatloaf, add a bit of oil to a skillet and fry until the internal temperature is 165° F. It should get a little crispy and browned on the outside and that is a very, very delicious thing.
To reheat in the oven, preheat the oven to 350° F. Slice the meatloaf and place in a baking dish. Add a small amount of water to the dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the internal temp is 165° F.

Here are some ideas of how to use up left-over meat loaf inspired by an article on Food Network web site:

Wraps:

Cube up the cold meatloaf .

Mix low fat mayonnaise with some lot fat cream cheese and a touch of mustard. 

 

Stir this into a slaw mix.

Spoon onto a tortilla. Add the meat cubes and sprinkle with dried cranberries.

Roll up and serve for a lunch or brunch.

Skillet Hash with a Fried Egg

Saute crumbled meatloaf with plenty of diced onions, bell peppers and potatoes. Serve with a fried egg on top and you've got a sizzling breakfast skillet to start the day off right.

Stuffed Peppers

Soften cored bell peppers in the microwave, then load them up with diced meatloaf, tomato sauce, shredded pepper Jack, and cooked rice. Top with more cheese and bake uncovered until warmed through and melty.

Fried Rice 

 Put down the takeout menu and whip up this crowd-pleaser at home with diced vegetables, broken-up meatloaf, a little egg and soy, plus, of course, leftover cooked rice.

Minestrone Soup

Upgrade a pot of classic minestrone with chunks of meatloaf and a sprinkle of pecorino. Think of them as asymmetrical meatballs.

Shepherd's Pie

Sub meatloaf for leftover lamb in this comfort food classic: To a combo of sauteed onions, garlic, carrots and peas (or almost any leftover vegetables), add crumbled meatloaf and tomato paste. Loosen it up with a little broth and simmer before transferring to ramekins or a casserole dish. A layer of creamy mashed potatoes is the finishing touch. Bake until piping hot.

Student Spaghetti

Ingredients:

2 slices meatloaf cut into cubes

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 Tbs corn starch

1 tsp Italian seasonings

1 pkg ramen noodles (doesn't matter what flavor – don't use the sauce)

Parmesan cheese for topping.

Directions:

Cut up the meatloaf

Spoon the corn starch into a small bowl and drain the can of stewed tomatoes into it.

Stir it well and add to sauce pan over medium heat.

 

Stir as this cooks and thickens and add the meat. Stir in the seasonings.

Taste this. You may want to add your favorite hot sauce here, but use sparingly.

Follow package directions on the noodles but DO NOT use the sauce packet.

When noodles are done serve with the meat sauce on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if you wish.

Grilled Cheese

Tuck a slice of meatloaf between your American singles and white bread for a grilled cheese sandwich with a beefy bite pretty similar to that of a patty melt.

Enhanced BoyRDee

Mix pieces of meatloaf into a can of beefaroni when warming.

Mac & Cheese Bake

Stir warmed up pieces into a mac & cheese dinner.

Loafin Cowboy

Mix pieces into a can of park & beans when heating or bake as a casserole.

Here is a basic recipe to start off with:

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef

1 lbs pork sausage

2 eggs

1 yellow onion-garlic-celery

4 cloves garlic

5 slices of honey wheat bread

½ cup beef broth

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Line a baking pan with foil and spray. Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl tear up the pieces of bread. Grate the onion and garlic into that. Pour in the ½ cup broth along with the eggs and let sit for 15 minutes. You want all that moisture to soak into the bread.

When the time is up and oven is heated, mix the hamburger and pork into the bowl of soaked bread. Using a short wooden spoon stir this together until just mixed,--do not over work.

Turn this into the baking pan and shape to form a loaf with open sides.

Bake meatloaf for about 1 hour and a half. Check with a meat thermometer to read 160 degrees.

IMPORTANT: let the loaf sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes!

I usually suggest that meat or even muffins should sit while you do the microwave vegetables. Get into that habit and your food should not crumble!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 262, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 112mg, Sodium: 640mg, Potassium: 599mg, Carbohydrates: 17g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Protein: 28g,

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyNVjO0WPBY

So happy to serve my Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White  

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTMvia @amazon

Undercover Gobbler

Here is yet another way to use up that left over turkey. It is a great way to stretch that food budget and get more meals out of a few dollars without boring the table with left over tastes. Not much to this dish, but feeds two well.

Cut up turkey, left over mixed vegetables, some gravy, a bit of low fat cream cheese and crescent dough makes this a meal that stands out! Plus it only takes less than half an hour!

Ingredients:

1 – 2 cups cut up cooked turkey

1 cup left-over mixed vegetables

1 can turkey gravy

about 4 Tbs low fat cream cheese

1 tube of crescent dough

1 egg for an egg wash.

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish and set aside.

Cut up the turkey into half inch cubes – makes it go farther! 

 

When oven is up to temperature, Mix the gravy and 4 Tbs of cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in the turkey and the mixed vegetables. 

 

Zap in the microwave for 2 minutes to heat.

Pour into the sprayed dish.

Lay out wax paper on the counter and un-roll the dough.

One half of dough(4 rolls) roll up as directed and place on a sheet.

Lift the other half of the dough in one piece and place on top of turkey mix in the dish. Whip up the egg and brush lightly on top of the dough. If you get too much on there, just brush it to the side and into the mix.

Brush the rolls lightly and put both the sheet tray and the baking dish into the oven.

Let bake for 20 minutes or until a beautiful golden color. Remove and serve.

Simple, easy to fix and to clean up afterwords.

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6RUg-NkjY4

 

So happy to be serving my Master Indy and being a good steward of the food budget

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White  

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon