Dinner
Ohio meat loaf
Collard greens

Recipes:

OHIO MEAT LOAF
My significant other absolutely insists that I call this "Yankee meat loaf" or "Ohio meat loaf" because according to him, even though it is delicious, it disobeys all the well-known natural (that is to say, Southern) rules for meat loaf. These are:
• Meat loaf must come in a loaf shape (I have to admit he's got me there)
• Meat loaf must be baked and have dark crispy edges
• Meat loaf must contain green peppers
• Meat loaf must have a tomato-y or ketchup-y sauce on the outside.
Guilty as charged, I guess. But this is my mother's recipe, and whatever you call it, I guarantee that you'll love it.

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
1 slice of grainy bread, crumbled
1/4 c. (more or less) oatmeal
1/4 c. ketchup
a big splash of Worcestershire sauce
dry bread crumbs as needed
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
a handful or two of sliced fresh mushrooms

Mix beef, onion, crumbled bread, oatmeal, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce together and add dry bread crumbs as necessary to get a good consistency. (We do this right in the skillet to avoid extra dishes.) Divide into 5 or 6 patties and begin cooking on medium-low heat until browned on both sides and cooked through. Pour off excess fat and lower heat to a simmer. Add one can of mushroom soup by putting a big dollop on top of each patty. Tuck sliced fresh mushrooms into the skillet around the patties. Cover the skillet and cook until mushrooms are tender and soup has melted into a sauce.

Nowadays Mom usually uses venison in this recipe, which she says is much touchier because of the low fat content--it's easy to scorch in the early stages. But with the beef, it's easy.

COLLARD GREENS
Sometimes I get creative with recipes and fuse different cuisines. But this is untweaked. You may consider it a correct recipe for collard greens.

several large handfuls of collard greens, cut into 1- to 2-inch rectangles
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, ends cut off and peeled, but otherwise left whole
1 ham bone (we cut this out of the ham that we'll be eating tomorrow)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
hot pepper sauce such as Texas Pete or Tabasco, to taste

Combine ingredients in a stockpot with water to cover. Cover and boil gently. When the onion falls apart (it may take well over an hour--perhaps two hours, even), the greens should be very tender and ready to eat.