"M" is for Meat-loaf, Meatballs, Mussels & Mummers

There are lots of great "M" words.  Here are a few of my favorite:

This is my sister-in-laws recipe for meatloaf - I use the recipe all the time, sometimes as a loaf, but mostly as meatballs.  I usually make a sweet & sour type sauce for them, which  I have included at the bottom.

Sharon Burry's "Best Ever" Meatloaf

1     egg                              2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs      1 onion, chopped very fine
1/2 cup shredded carrot      1 cup grated cheese(cheddar)
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef     1/2 cup each of red & green pepper (diced finely)

Beat egg & milk, add to remaining ingredients, press into a sprayed loaf pan.
Bake for 40 minutes at 350*,  Remove from oven and cover with sauce, returning
to oven for another 20 minutes.

Sauce:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp prepared mustard
Beat together until smooth and pour over loaf.

This meatloaf is delicious!!
I use the loaf recipe and form into balls, bake in a 350* oven for 30minutes.  Remove
from oven and drain any excess liquids. Then pour sauce over top and return to oven for another 30 minutes


Sauce for meatballs:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup water
1/4 cup each of finely diced onion, green and red peppers, carrots and celery
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Thicken with cornstarch, if desired.  Pour over meatballs. 
    

The next "M" thing I 'll share is Mussels.  In June month, we can go out into Freshwater Bay, off of Hare Island and get mussels.  Ideal time of day, of course is at low tide.  You can actually rake the mussels off the rocks.  Once they are brought in, there is lots of work.  We put them into large tubs of water and scrub the shells with wire brushes.  Now they are ready to cook.  We eat lots while we are shelling them and preparing them for bottling. 

Ready to be shelled!

 

 

 

                                              
 Here they are, ready to go into the jars!

 

To get this many bottles of mussels is a full, hard days work----but worth it!!

Lastly, let's talk about Mummers!

Mummering is a centuries-old tradition that takes place over the12 days of Christmas in the 

outports of Newfoundland.  It involves dressing up in interesting (to say the least!) disguises, going 

visiting and getting into a bit of mischief.  

Below are a couple of pictures of my paintings of "Mummers".  The top one is finished, bottom 

one is still not quite completed.  These are just whimsical fun paintings---

all the rules are thrown out when working on these.