pinkpancakes: Kate's Eats

My Meatloaf
(and the day of sporadic power and almost broken water pipes)
(also the day my garden froze and died)
(and the day that I snuggled with Little O)

I was 22 before I had my first meatloaf.
My Dad wouldn't touch the stuff with a ten foot pole.
My Mom has dry, onion meatloaf nightmares.
My ex-brother in law once said "who the hell eats a loaf of meat".

Then one afternoon in College I made meatloaf.
I don't know what got into me.
Maybe I wanted to be the type of person that eats a loaf of meat.
Maybe I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Surprise! Surprise!
I LOVED it.
It was moist and spicy and so full of flavor.
I especially like the tomatoe-y glaze.

So...
when thinking about dinner on this chilly, chilly night I thought MEATLOAF.
Yes, it is actually quite chilly here.

I think all my plants are dead and gone.
so sad.

I never follow the same recipe.
I just make it up.

Tonight I started by finely dicing:

onion
green pepper
mushroom
garlic
shaved carrot (D HATES carrots but I Still try and sneak some in)
celery
eggplant

I sauteed them in leftover bacon grease from breakfast.
Yummy!

While the veggies are doing their thing on the stove top combine:

one egg
1 lb meat (I used ground turkey)
about 1 c. breadcrumbs ( I used leftover crumbled cornbread)
1 c. grated cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
s&p

It was about at this point as I went to wash my hands that I realized that the cold water wasn't running.
And it was five seconds later that I realized that if it's freezing outside (which it is) and the cold water isn't working (which it wasn't) this is a very very bad thing.
I immediately went around the house and turned on all the faucets, opened doors to under the sinks, and upped the heat in the house.
D wanted me to check for water underneath the sinks.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
With my fear of pipes that was SO never going to happen.
EVER.

Back to the meatloaf.
I like making meatloaf because I get to get in there and mix it all up by hand.
I like the way the meat squishes.
Weird.
I know.

And this is the point when the electricity went out.
Why you ask?
a) the transformer froze (according to a text from the electric company)
b) the electric company can't handle the amount of energy needed when Austin-ites get this cold

Luckily, while I waited for the power to come back the vegetables got to cool off.
I made the mistake once of adding them hot into the meat mixture.
Trust me. Not wise. Or yummy.

Also, that allowed some time for a book and what? a sleepy!?

And I folded laundry.
Odd how some chores you have to do even if the power is out.

Once the power came back I added the veggies and mixed it all up...

Then I picked, cut, and prepared the last of the green beans.
I didn't think they'd make it through this cold so I just picked as many as possible.
Then i steamed them...

After making sippy cups, picking up legos, Buzz, Woody, and a sucker stuck to the couch, I started up the oven and turned that blob of meat into a loaf of meat...

I placed that loaf of meat into the oven.
And heard...
pitter
patter
pitter
patter...

"HI MOMMY"

Guess who's awake?

While he ate a peanut butter and jelly sammie I combine about 2 T butter, some poppy seeds, some garlic powder, and paprika...