Photo Foodie

Thelma here.

There's a girl in California taking amazing Polaroids and discovering food. And she likes meatloaf and cupcakes. You can see some of her pictures in the slide show I just posted at the bottom of the page (I liked them all so much that I couldn't pick just a few). I'm sharing some recipes in her honor, and Louise no doubt will chime in soon claiming that her meatloaf recipe is better than mine. Tough beans. Mine is my MOM's recipe. Y'all be the judges.

HALLIE'S MEATLOAF

1 lb. ground chuck or ground turkey - mixed white/dark
1/2 of a large white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely crushed saltines
1 egg
1/4 cup canned evaporated milk (*not sweetened condensed)
pepper and salt
1 can Cambpell's tomato soup, undiluted

Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a loaf pan and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl or standing mixer, combine all but the last ingredient -- the tomato soup -- using your hands or the mixer on lowest setting. Add half of the undiluted soup from the can and mix it in well. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan, top with the rest of the soup, and bake for 1 hour. You can cover it with foil and uncover for the last half hour of baking time if you like. Serves 4-5 hungry people.



TWANGY LEMONADE CUPCAKES
2 dozen

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

2-1/2 tsp baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1/4 cup frozen lemondade concentrate, set aside

zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp. almond extract 



1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place cupcake liners into two muffin pans.


2. Beat the butter briefly to soften it. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 
minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Combine the dry ingredients; in a 
separate mixing bowl combine the liquids and almond extract. Alternate flour and liquid 
into the batter on low speed or by hand until well combined.


3. Spoon batter into cups and fill them 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until cupcakes 
spring back in the middle when touched lightly. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Brush 
reserved lemonade concentrate over tops of warm cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting.




LEMON BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

3 to 4 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 tsp. vanilla

24 lemon drops (optional)

small mint leaves for garnish



Beat together the butter and 1-1/2 cups of the sugar. Add the lemonade and vanilla. Continue to 
add remaining sugar just until frosting is of desired spreading consistency (you may use 
more or less sugar). Tint the frosting if desired. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish each 
with a lemon drop and a mint leaf.