Meat Loaf

It's been rainy and cool so something warm and comforting was calling out to be cooked.  I wandered along the meat counters. Not fish. Not Angus steak. Not pasta. Not chicken. Not pork. Hmmmm. How about  meat loaf? I picked up a small pack of ground pork and went back to the Angus section and picked an equal size package of lean ground. Asparagus was on special so I picked that up too.

I put the meat in a bowl and added 2 tsp salt, a palm full of bread crumbs, 1 tbsp paprika, fresh ground pepper, two finely chopped garlic cloves and 1 tbsp dried oregano. Mixed it all up with both hands. I put 1/4 cup tomato ketchup in the bottom of a loaf pan and laid the meatloaf on top.  I put two sprigs of rosemary and two of thyme on top and put it in the oven at 375ºF. I should have also put a couple of bay leaves on top but didn't think of it till it was too late. It took an hour and a half to cook.

I made mashed potatoes, carrots and asparagus.  The carrots I did in the microwave and when they were done I put a drop of molasses in them hoping to get that brown sugar taste without extra sugar.  I got the slightly bitter molasses taste overwhelming the carrots.  I'll use brown sugar next time or just butter and salt, like the asparagus.

A friend dropped by just before dinner so I made extra for him and he was very happy to accept.  He loved the meatloaf, so did Fern and I thought it was pretty good too. Next I know I can make it even better.