One Blue Plate Diner Special Coming Up

Being Home-Bound is what you make it. We can all talk about doom and gloom, fondly remembering the old days when we ignored one another as we went about our day, or we can make the best of things. I’ve had my bouts with the gloomy side of things, and frankly I don’t like it much.

Before all the craziness hit, Hubby and I had stocked up on things that now are missing from the grocery shelves, like Boxed Potatoes and bags of Russet Potatoes. Not able to see what lay ahead, we didn’t go “crazy” in our purchases.  Our local market just happened to be featuring a deal on Boxed Potatoes, so we picked up two each of our favorite “cheats”, Au Gratin, Scalloped and Bacon Ranch. Two boxes of potatoes will be enough for a meal with a little left over. We also got 20 pounds of Russet Potatoes because, again, it was a good deal. When I make Au Gratin Potatoes from scratch, it takes about 5 pounds of potatoes, a half-pound of cheese, an entire onion and a few cups of milk.

When Hubby suggested I make a meatloaf one night this week, I was all for it. Meatloaf is special – it’s Hubby’s favorite and it’s usually reserved for his birthday. All things considered, his favorite “comfy” supper was a great idea. Besides, we had all the ingredients for Meatloaf. It’s a recipe I’ve shared before.

My standard side with Meatloaf is Au Gratin Potatoes, be it scratch or doctored box. I know it’s a little crazy, but I didn’t want to use the only two boxes we had or cut that much into the fresh ingredients. So I came up with a blending of the two – and let me tell you, it was delicious.

Now just to make the evening really feel like a night at the diner, we even broke out our “Blue Plates”. What fun!

Meatloaf Diner Supreme 
1 lb Ground Chuck
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
3/4 cup Water
1/3 cup Ketchup
2 Eggs
5 slices Bread, cubed
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 lb Regular Breakfast Sausage

Heat oven to 350-Degrees.

In a large bowl, place ground beef. Top beef with Onion Soup Mix. Add water, ketchup and the eggs.

Cut bread into small cubes. Scatter over meat mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Top with breakfast sausage. With clean hands, mix well. (Squishing is fun!)

Place in a meatloaf pan (that’s a loaf pan with holes in the bottom inside another loaf pan. It allows the meat to drain rather than sit in its own grease), set aside.

When ready to bake, place in the heated oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through.

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Better Boxed Au Gratin Potatoes
1 box Au Gratin Potatoes
2 medium Russet Potatoes
1/4 whole Onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Butter
3/4 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup Milk
2 cups Boiling Water
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Empty freeze-dried potatoes into casserole or baking dish. Set cheese packages aside until ready to use.

Peel fresh Russet Potatoes. Slice paper-thin. Scatter raw potatoes in with the dried potatoes, set aside.

Chop onions, set aside. In a sauce pan, melt butter. Add onions and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the shredded cheese and milk, stir and cook until cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, heat water for 3 minutes in the microwave. Add heated water and cheese package to the saucepan, stir to blend well. Pour the cheese mixture over potatoes.

Place potatoes into the heated oven along side the meatloaf. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Buttery Canned Corn
1 can Canned Corn
2 tablespoons Butter
Kosher Salt to taste

Drain corn and rinse well.  Place corn in a saucepan with butter over medium heat. Season with salt, if desired.

Heat until warmed through, about 6 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.