Meatloaf

It has been a wonderful day.The weather was beautiful from sunrise to sunset, hot and sunny. I went for a long walk with my family and looked at brand new cars. And i got my first real sunburn of the season.

So after my walk, i opened every window in the house and hauled out some hamburger...but what to do with it? I thought about just making a plain hamburger, but while out walking we had stopped for lunch and that is what we ended up having. Meatballs? Well, i did not really feel like pasta, i have already had that a few times this week. Meatloaf? Mmm, i have not made that in awhile!

While the meat was defrosting in the microwave, i chopped some onions and green peppers fine. I added these to the meat, as well as some grated Parmesan, about 1 Tbsp of ketchup, some store bought spice mix, and some dried garlic. I mixed it all together, slapped it in the pan, and scootched it into something resembling a loaf. I do not like touching raw red meat, it is disgusting. So i try to touch it as little as i can while making burgers, balls and loaves.

After cleaning up, i baked my little loaf at 375 F for about half an hour, then i mixed the topping. When i was a kid, my mom just used BBQ sauce or ketchup. Tonight, i decided to get creative! I used about 2 tsp of Heinz 51 sauce, and 1 tsp each honey mustard and ketchup, after i stirred them together (and tasted) i added a drip of VH steak sauce, it might have been abut 1/8 of a tsp. I spread this mixture onto the meatloaf and stuck it back into the oven.

Meanwhile, i scrubbed a potato, stabbed it and stuck it in the microwave. It takes 6 minutes to bake, i recommend turning it over at 3 minutes, or else sometimes there is a little raw spot where it sits on the glass turntable. I had also decided to have some veggies with my meal. I boiled a small pot of water and set a small strainer on top. I do not have a veggie steamer, so this is what i use. I put the frozen veggie mix on top (green & yellow beans and carrots) and in the bottom boiling water, i put 1/4 cup of frozen peas. By the time the potato is cooked, so are the veggies. I have to balance the lid on the pot, and it lets a bit of steam out, but the steam that is contained does what it should.

I love garlic butter and Parmesan on my baked potatoes, so when it comes out of the microwave, i slice and add those right away so they melt into it. Plate the veggies by dumping the top ones out of the 'steamer' then use the strainer to drain the peas. No extra dishes! Slice the meatloaf, and serve! Yummy home cooked comfort food in a flash.