This week was such a treat. Lots of photos, lots of learning and lots of MEATLOAF. Here we go.
On Monday, January 20 my friend Cheryl shared with me the Pickles cartoon for the day. Earl & Opal were talking meatloaf. And it was on a Monday. How fun! You know how you don’t see something, until you see it? Well, that is how meatloaf is for us now, and apparently, my friends. We see it everywhere and this week it was in Pickles. I would never want to say Terry is Earl; however, there might be some similarities. Do not tell him though!
Cheryl has been a dear friend since 1998, July 6 to be exact. That is when we started the very same job, the very same day. She is an avid newspaper reader and I can count on her to send me any cartoons that will mean something from our 25 years of working together. Early in our careers we sat in cubicles and it was Dilbert we shared. Now, we are as old as the Mr. and Mrs. Pickles so those strike a nerve. This one was perfect! So, in honor of Cheryl, I chose her meatloaf for this week. However, her meatloaf was by the person she might like to be for one day, the Pioneer Woman. I had loosely listened to Cheryl and our friend, Jana, talk about the Pioneer Woman and her line of dishes, patterns, cookbooks and recipes. Until this week, I had no idea who this person was, or for that matter, that her real name of Ree Drummond. Ree is a blogger, food writer and television personality. We are basically the same person…haha. NOT! My Meatloaf Mondays blog and interviews on WLIO the past 9 years, does not really match up to Ree. But it was a funny comment, right?! Ree is a rancher, has five children and has built a multi-million dollar business on her blogging and food expertise. I have not seen her on TV, but I now know what she looks like so I am sure I will see her all over. Just like meatloaf.
I texted Cheryl to ask a quick question about the beautifully written recipe. When I noted it was three pounds of ground beef, I invited Cheryl to join us for Meatloaf Monday. I was thrilled she was free and could experience this dish first hand. For the grocery trip, I had to buy one new item and a twist on another. I found the balsamic vinegar relatively easy. I wasn’t sure this was a flavor we liked or ever ate. However, we cook as the recipe says so I bought it. The next item that shocked me was flat-leaf parsley. In week #5 I mentioned not knowing there was dried parsley and how I don’t buy it wet either. Yes, I know it is called fresh parsley. Until today though, I had no idea that there was more than one fresh parsley. Why? How are they different and what are they for? I could pick this same fight with salt. Why is there table salt, sea salt, kosher salt and coarse salt? What are they each for? Can you interchange them as you want in a recipe? I bought what I thought was flat-leaf parsley and noted it had a very strong scent. I am guessing that is why Ree notes to use this type of parsley. I also had to buy bacon for this recipe and a new pan; a sheet pan in the size she notes for this recipe. The pan might not have been necessary, but a new pan is always fun.
Ree’s cookbook says the following, “I have well established my undying love for meatloaf. I think it’s the most underrated dinner in the history of mankind, and when meatloaf is good, it’s just sooooooo good. The only downside of meatloaf (well, besides its name) is that, because of its loafy shape, it can take an inordinately long time to bake in the oven. Enter: sheet pan meatloaf, which brings you all the flavorful, meaty, saucy goodness in a fraction of the baking time.” She goes on to say it is hard to go back to a regular meatloaf when you see what a cinch this recipe is to make. Not sure I agree with a “cinch”, but maybe I would get faster if I made this all the time. Frying up the bacon is step you have to plan for ahead of time. I chose to post up the photos of the recipe as I love how her cookbook shows a photo with each step. A great feature for the non-cooking experts. You also can see my new friend Ree.
This week I have another true confession. As I was making this recipe, I realized that my parmesan cheese in the refrigerator expired in 2022. Where do the years go?! I just grabbed the one from the pantry and carried on. This is the first recipe that has called for parmesan and seasoned salt. As I was adding the Lawry’s Seasoned Salt I noted that it also had expired. Look at the photo below to see how little I used. Two days later , I picked up a new bottle and after needing my phone flashlight and my stronger bifocals, I found it expires in Nov 2025. The smallest bottle is still way too big for us and Lawry’s really needs to do something about their hard-to-read expiration dates. This whole issue has led to many people telling me that “expirations do not mean any thing” or “they are just a suggestion” or “you can keep it a long time after that”. Truly? Then why have them? How are we to gauge choosing to not follow that date? I need to meet food expert to actually answer all the questions I ponder about food. Especially, spices! The last part of this confession is after the dish was made. I was putting away the ingredients and decided to read the expiration date on the brand new Kraft Parmesan Cheese. Well, we ate meatloaf with cheese that expired in my pantry, unopened, in April 2024. I really have to pay more attention. You can be the judge if these issues impacted the strength of this dish.
We had a very nice dinner with Cheryl. Just look at this beauty. It was very good. The crispy bacon was a great addition. It did bake fast. Terry’s score was an 8.7. Not bad for a person who does this for a living. Again, this week Terry chose a score he has not given before. HOW DOES HE DO THAT?!
Another detail to share for this dinner is that Cheryl was kind enough to bring brownies for dessert. She brought them on her Pioneer Woman Ceramic Tray. Is this not beautiful? This is is from the Sweet Rose collection.
This is only second time we have hosted a guest for meatloaf Monday and I am so glad we did. However, look at the leftovers of this week. Three pounds of meatloaf is a ton! I served it two nights later at January’s Family Game Night. It was a hit with Mom and Melissa, while Doug ate his Kewpee Plain Double Cheeseburger.
A parting shot. It has to be noted that on Tuesday morning Terry woke up not feeling well. He actually missed two days of school. That has never happened! It was not related to the meatloaf; however, on Wednesday he said to me when discussing the leftovers, “Meatloaf does not sound good to me.” I could not believe he said that. When reading this post, he said, “and this meatloaf still does not sound good to me.” A whole blog cold be written on the phenomenon with getting ill and the item you ate last or the smell you remember, stays with you for a very long time. If not, forever. I bet you all have a story on this topic. We shall see if he ever wants this one again due to the timing with an illness.
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