Hello fam!
I want to start by thanking everyone who made September our best month ever! We had 9 volunteers at the house and together we made 80 chicken biryani, 120 chicken fried rice, 100 lo mein noodles and 100 sandwiches for a grand total of 400 meals! We even donated 30 delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. In addition to the volunteers we had several donors who stepped up and helped cover the cost of those meals. Truthfully, Amy and I are constantly humbled by your generosity, energy and effort.
It was an amazing month and we want to duplicate that success in October. Over the weekend of October 13-15 we will be collecting homemade meals as well as cooking at our house. The last few weekends have been so fun- music, food, drinks, and great people. Please join us!
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Now that it’s finally fall, we start thinking about warmer, heartier foods. Enter meat and potatoes. The savory flavor of juicy meat mixed with the salty taste of the starchy potatoes is the perfect combination. Beef stew with veggies, meatloaf and mash, corned beef and hash, salsbury steak and au gratin, even burgers and french fries… meat and potatoes make an incredible team.
I think I’m doing meatloaf this month, mostly because I think it gets a bad wrap. Meatloaf is so often maligned. Meatloaf is the punchline to a tired old joke. Meatloaf… it’s what’s NOT for dinner. Most people will tell you they hate meatloaf when the truth is, they haven’t had it in 20 years. And they’ve never had mine.
I agree that the traditional meatloaf with a ketchup and mustard glaze is so 1950’s. In today’s meatloaf, anything goes. Try mixing in a really tangy bbq sauce or even better, A1. Hot sauce works too. Throw some bacon or fried onions in there. What about Italian seasonings and marinara sauce? And most veggies can enhance a meatloaf as well. With meatloaf, the only limit is your imagination!
What’s the craziest meatloaf I ever made? I shaped the loaf around 2 hard boiled eggs and wrapped it in uncooked bacon. Then I whipped maple syrup and butter for the glaze. Forty minutes later I had invented the breakfast meatloaf.
This month I’m thinking about a Mexican meatloaf. I’ll use a red enchilada sauce, finely chopped onions and peppers, chili powder, cumin, pickled jalapenos and Mexican cheese. I’ll top that with a little more cheese and serve with a dollop of sour cream and some cilantro.
What about you? What’s your favorite version of meat and potatoes? If you have time, please make a batch or two for your friends and neighbors. There are so many people hurting right now; so many people wondering where their next meal will come from. Why not treat them to a dish that has brought you joy over the years. Don’t just feed them; nourish them.
Reach out and we can coordinate a pickup. And if you’re free on Saturday 10/14 between 1-5pm, swing by the house, have a beer and let’s have some fun.
Kahlil Gibran said “Work is love made visible”. This month, let’s show the people of Atlanta we love them by putting in the work.
And as always, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Vince Rotonda
Executive Director
Many Hands Project
“Many hands make light work”