Endeavors in meatloaf

So the eldest child wants meatloaf. I've only attempted meatloaf a handful of times. It's not high on my list although I do enjoy a cold meatloaf sanny if the opportunity presents.

Off to the store. It's a good day to shop, ALL 4 in school on Thursday, cleaning lady shows up, I need to bail out. Search around online, find a few recipes that sound do-able and worth a shot on my family. Come home, mix up the concoction, toss it in the loaf pan and pop it in the frig for later.

Get the kids, take big kid to sewing class.

Hunt around for how long to cook a 2lb meatloaf. I get everything from 45 min, to 2hrs. 5pm, I put it in, 6:15, I take it out, let it rest. Make some mashed pots with flakes. Thought I had more flakes than I did, too much liquid. So I dump some out in the sink.... add the flakes. Potato soup. @@. Peel a few potatoes for real, cut em small, pop em in the micro, cook those off in a quick few minutes and them smash them and add them to the "soup"... somewhat salvaged. "Tres" (affectionately our third child who is addicted to anything made from potatoes) will eat them now. whew.

Back to the meatloaf. I wonder how do you serve meatloaf? Dump it upside down on a platter? Carefully remove it from the pan with 2 forks so to save my pretty bacon decoration on top? I don't know the true answer but I go with method #2. Salvaged the bacon deco on top and popped my beauty on the platter. Lest I forget, I made canned biscuits and french green beans too. I figured all else failed, I could eat 4 biscuits and call it dinner.

We're all set, start serving the kids. Hubby isn't excited about this dinner at all so he's stalling on the computer somewhere else. I hack him off a slab and land it on his plate anyway. Everyone gets some of the masterpiece. Mid loaf, I think... hmm, I don't think it's done. ACK. Ok, everyone, stick your servings back on the platter, I need to nuke this pile of doo in the micro now. I love my family, I wasn't ready to kill anyone off yet with some raw meat or sausage (recipe called for some)....

Round 2 of serving, I think it's done, slap it all back on the plates, hack off another slice for the hubby because apparently my fabulous cooking has won him over. One more looksy. Still don't think it's done totally in the middle.... but the served meat is done so we're safe, for now.

 Hubby ate the meatloaf, eldest child nibbled but mostly stuck to biscuits and jelly. Son ate only biscuits but only after he peeled off the top and bottom layers so as to not see any brown bits anywhere on his bread. Tres ate...what else? mashed potatoes. Baby ate 2 biscuits.  Me? I ate green beans and 3 biscuits. a nibble of meatloaf  was enough.

Lesson learned. I remembered why I don't make things like meatloaf. No one will eat it and I don't like it much, but oldest child felt loved that I made her request. Next time....Make husband a hamburger. Make 2 cans of biscuits and nuke one potato. Dinner!!!

I think tomorrow night we'll order out.