Happy Friday!
I can’t believe March is almost over; this month is really flying by. We’ve finally begun to really make some preparations for Baby Kopp. We purchased a crib and a mattress, as well as a storage bench for baby toys. Since Richard doesn’t like to have unfinished projects (unlike me…I prefer the philosophy “why do today what you can do tomorrow?”), he already put together the crib. It’s actually quite nice having an empty crib around – it’s a great place for me to throw all of the baby stuff we’ve been accumulating and it also makes a great drying rack.
Richard also painted the nursery a pale sand color. I swear I wanted to help, but Richard insisted that I couldn’t let our unborn child be exposed to paint fumes. So I supervised from a safe distance (i.e. the living room couch downstairs, where I finished reading my book). The nursery room was a pale blue before, and I admit that I really miss the blue shade on the walls. But it felt wrong to have blue walls, considering there’s a 50% chance that Baby Kopp is a girl and I originally picked the blue color a few years ago with the dreams of having a baby boy named Owen one day. I mean how would I explain to our little girl why her room is blue?? Say “Ugh, I was hoping you’d be a boy”?? Best to have a neutral color.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve finally begun to show. For the first time, someone asked me if I was pregnant when they saw me. I confess that the question made me want to cry – I want to have a baby, but I don’t want to look pregnant! I’m a pretty vain person and this was a sad, sad moment for me. Almost as sad as when I look at my cute clothes that no longer fit and my meager selection of maternity outfits. And, man oh man, maternity clothes is expensive! I definitely can’t shop like I used to.
I can also feel Baby Kopp moving a lot more lately. In fact, Richard was able to feel It moving for the first time about a week ago, which he’d been impatiently waiting for. Another milestone for the books. Putting together our baby registry is next on the list, which I’m looking forward to about as much as a root canal. At least the experience should make for a very interesting blog posting.
Now, onto the actual subject of this posting…meatloaf!
Last weekend, I decided to make some good old-fashioned meatloaf. I’ve been trying to have a lot of meals with red meat and spinach these past couple of months because my baby doctor told me my iron levels were too low. This is really not surprising, since I typically only eat red meat about once a month, maybe less. I prefer vegetables and carbs over protein. Anyway, it’s been quite an adjustment trying to incorporate more beef and dark leafy greens into my diet – I feel like Popeye.
Since I’m not the biggest fan of beef, my meatloaf recipe has a lot of other stuff in it. I like to add whatever strikes my fancy in the fridge and pantry. And I pretty much use the same recipe/philosophy to make hamburgers. No plain beef patties for me! I serve up juicy meatloaf patties in a bun instead. And then I cover them in ketchup and any other fixins I can find, just the way I like them.
Here’s what you need for my meatloaf/hamburgers:
1-2 lbs ground beef (obviously)
1 or 2 eggs
Dried herbs or freshly chopped herbs, as much as you like
Couple cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
Handful of breadcrumbs
Ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire, ranch dressing, and any other condiments you like
Chocolate chips (just kidding)
First, you start with the aromatics…a fancy word for the herbs, garlic and onion. Prep them and then add them to a large bowl along with the ground beef.
Now the fun part – add all the junk you’d like! I like ketchup and lots of different mustards. Sometimes I put in tomato paste or a salad dressing, just for fun. This time I added some horseradish cream sauce and hamburger relish that I had in the fridge. Don’t add too many wet ingredients though. You don’t want it to become a soupy mess.
Oh, and don’t forget the eggs and breadcrumbs to bind your meat!
Mix it all together. And don’t be a wuss about it – use your hands! This is not a job for a spoon.
Once it’s all mixed together, form a loaf in a baking pan/dish.
Drizzle it with some ketchup to make it look pretty.
Then cover the meatloaf with foil and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for at least an hour, depending on it’s size. If you only used one pound of beef, it might need less time in the oven. You may need to add a little water to the pan if it starts to get too brown on the edges. I also like to take the foil off for the last 10 minutes or so of baking.
I apologize for not having any plated photos for you…but I was so hungry I didn’t take the time to snap a shot of my plate before I scarfed it down. Sorry folks! I also served it with some unphotographed delicious baked corn pudding, which I highly recommend as a side dish for meatloaf. Mashed potatoes are an excellent pairing as well. Basically anything that sticks to your ribs will do just fine. Comfort food at its best…
Have a great weekend!
