Meatloaf with Creamed Spinach and Waldorf Salad

You can create this dinner a day ahead, making this the perfect menu for a Sunday evening. Just form your meatloaf and refrigerate it and then bake it the following day. Making your Waldorf salad a day in advance creates the opportunity for the ingredients to meld and marinate. Make the creamed spinach just before the meatloaf completes baking, and your dinner is ready in no time.

Meatloaf Ingredients

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1 cup of bread crumbs or crushed saltine crackers
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 diced onion
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 meatloaf seasoning packet
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 small can of tomato sauce

Meatloaf Directions

Move your oven rack to the bottom position, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread or cracker crumbs, eggs, onion, garlic, seasoning packet, pepper, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. With your hands or a sturdy spoon, mix the ingredients thoroughly. Shape into a loaf and place into a loaf pan. Pour the tomato sauce over the loaf and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake for one hour and test the center of the loaf to see if it's done. If not, return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Creamed Spinach Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 2 tablespoons of minced onion
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 20-ounce package of frozen spinach
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
• Salt to taste

Creamed Spinach Directions

In a small pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter, using low heat. Slowly stir in the flour and salt with a wire whisk, adding the milk a little at a time until you have a creamy sauce. Increase the heat to medium while stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. In another pan, melt the remaining butter and cook the onions until they are transparent, and then add the water and spinach. Cover the pan and lower the heat. When the spinach is nearly finished cooking, add the sauce you made earlier, the sour cream, and Parmesan cheese. Stir completely and simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Waldorf Salad Ingredients

• 3 cups of diced apples
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 ribs of chopped celery
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts

Waldorf Salad Directions

Do not peel the apples. Simply core and chop them, and place them into a bowl. Pour the lemon juice over them and toss. Add the chopped celery. Combine the mayonnaise and sugar, and add to the apples and celery. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours, and then stir in the nuts before serving.