Making Ends Meat

I spent much of my childhood with an awareness that there was a dish that I had never tasted. Like paella and ratatouille, my family never made this recipe. But then, there were lots of dishes I'd heard of that we never ate, so this type of dietary omission wasn't unusual.

Now and then and here and there I would hear people say they "couldn't make ends meat". I always wondered exactly what "ends meat" was.

To my best estimation, it sounded like some type of meat loaf to me. Or maybe it had something to do with rump roast (that's just a horrible term, isn't it)? Or was it what one did with the end of the meat, the dregs -- I pictured the last of the ground beef clinging to the sausage grinder.

I wondered what could be in "ends meat" that was so costly or difficult to make that people couldn't make it and why they valued it so much that they pouted and complained, world-weary, at the deprivation.

I remembered a few of my mother's specialty dishes -- cheese gritz souffle, homemade baked macaroni and cheese, and "Thelma's" (we've long since lost track of who Thelma was!) special oatmeal chocolate chip cookies -- that were only made on rare occasions due to labor-intensity.

Then one day (probably well into my 30's!) it dawned on me... "ends MEET"! Oh.

An image of a large, intertwined segment of thick, heavy rope with it's cut ends touching came to mind. I get it!

Aren't "kid-isms" cute (even in one's 30's!)? Around here we still say "girl cheese sandwich" (grilled cheese sandwich) (unless there are boys around!), "robin noodles" (raman noodles), and "strawbabies" (strawberries). We like these so much that we have chosen them over the correct term!

In an effort to save face, I have decided to call my turkey meat loaf recipe "Ends Meat" from now on. Here's the recipe:

Ends Meat

2 lbs. ground turkey (best, for texture purposes, if it comes frozen in a tube rather than fresh in a tray)
1 small zuchini

1-3 carrots
3/4 cup frozen (thawed) spinach (be sure to remove as much liquid as possible before adding)

4-8 mushrooms

1/4-1/2 onion

1/4 cup sour cream

1-2 eggs

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

bread crumbs (completely optional)

garlic to taste

salt and pepper to taste

season to taste with oregano, basil, tarragon, or Italian seasoning or a combination (about 1 teaspoon total)

top with:

ketchup

grated cheddar cheese

Grate zuchini, carrots, onion, mushrooms, and cheese. Dump all ingredients into a big bowl and smoosh it up with your hands until mixed. Move to a loaf pan (or two -- usually two). Top with ketchup and cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 for about an hour. Be sure to take it out every 20 minutes or so and pour off the excess liquid (created by the vegetables).

This is a good way to use up random vegetables that are languishing in the veggie drawer. You can alter the quantities and types of the veggies as needed.

I created this recipe to smuggle vegetables into little veggie-haters, so it's a wonderful way to hide veggies so the kids don't know they're eating them (I always explain any perceived spinach as "parsley" or "spices"). No one knows they just ate four vegetables (or five, if onions count as a vegetable)!

Enjoy!