Cookin' Supper

Hurried home to make dinner because Julian has to be at Karate. But I'm making meatloaf, so I'm thinking he'll be having leftovers. I have to make meatloaf because 1. We thawed out the meat and what else could we possibly ever think of to make with ground beef? and more importantly 2. I told Marisa I was making meatloaf last night, but I didn't, and she was so upset she actually cried. Yes, my meatloaf is THAT good! Wow! Not really, she was just very emotional.

So I got home, threw the stuff together - I don't measure - it takes too long, and put the thing in the oven. Then started peeling potatoes. Yes, I know how to spell potato! Of course, you're thinking, the nutrients are in the peel! Well, these particular potatoes had spent a little too much time in the pantry. They hadn't sprouted branches or anything, but they weren't exactly fresh, either. Don't tell my family! I'm sure they don't read anything I write, so if they find out, I'll know you told them.

The peel had to come off so I started with my trusty peeling knife. One of the males in the family must have used it to scrape tires or something because it would barely even stab a potato, much less cut one. Quick to the junk drawer and voila! A potato peeler! How did I know? By the fact that the handle was a cute little potato with wild loopy eyes! The gizmo worked, although it turned out to be not all that safe. Kind of confusing since it looks like a toy. Sure, it was probably operator error. A little blood in the water never hurt anybody, eh?

I went to check the meatloaf, hoping it might be close enough to done that Julian could at least take it with him, but it's not. Then I forgot I had stuck the knife in the meatloaf and jabbed it into a boiling potato to see if it was soft yet. Blood oozed from the potato! I tried another...more blood! Should I alert the media about the bloody potatoes? Then realized the blood was ketchup from the meatloaf. Looked so real!

One final note before I go try to finish the mess I started: meatloaf is not meatloaf without ketchup. Ask Marisa. She says it's the best part, and at our house, when it comes to food, you'd better not make her mad. It's also full of tomato juice, which is why mine is the best, or the best next to Marge Swenson's.

My mother burned meat to charcoal to be sure none of us ever got a germ- never mind the rest of the house being an incubator for all sorts of scary things that could kill you - so I never knew it actually had a flavor. I never knew, that is, until Marge Swenson made meatloaf when I was visiting for dinner. It was amazing and good and not dry and was delicious! She said she used tomato juice and I never forgot that. Here it is, maybe 35 years later, and I'm still using tomato juice.

And my meatloaf is good. And not dry. Ask Marisa.