Making Comfort Food for a Cold January Weekend

I watched Alton Brown last night and he made meatloaf.

That's not so amazing, but he did something I have never seen a TV chef do--it's one of my biggest cooking pet peeves ever (and you all know I have a few FoodTV peeves!).

Alton wore latex gloves while mixing the meatloaf. Finally a chef followed a sanitary procedure while cooking.

Everyone has their favorite meat loaf recipe.
I thought I would post mine. I use only ground beef (I think Alton mixes pork and lamb in his). When I take the time to make this, I always make an extra for the freezer. It's just as easy to make two and I will have a dinner waiting to pop in the oven.

Meat Loaf ala Zo

4 lbs. ground Chuck
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
3 medium-sized onions
3 stalks celery

Throw the milk, eggs, bread crumbs, salt & pepper in a big bowl. Mix them all up with a fork and let them sit for at least 1/2 hour.







While the bread crumbs are being absorbed into the liquid mixture above, I like to caramelized the onions. It eliminates those little hard chunks of onion that do not cook thoroughly as well as adding a little more flavor. Throw in the celery when the onions are within 5 minutes of being done. Just cook the celery a few minutes to soften.
When the bread crumb mixture looks like this, you can add the meat.Put those latex (powder free) gloves on and gently mix. (the wonderful thing about wearing gloves is that you will not have any dead cow flesh to scrape from beneath your fingernails).

Pat into two free-form loaves and bake at 350 degrees until they are as done as you like them. I like them well done, so I cook them about an hour, depending on how thick they are.

Don't stuff the meat into a bread loaf pan (as I used to do). You want the sides exposed to get brown and a little crisp (it adds flavor). About 20 minutes before they are done, I usually mix up some ketchup and Karo light corn syrup and slather it all over the top. Personally, I like the meatloaf, gravy, mashed potatoes thing, but DH doesn't like gravy. It's HEINZ ketchup all the way for him. (no Hunts, gotta be the Heinz--He is a man with a very refined culinary palate).

Secondary subject: Yesterday's Mail

I think I have received every magazine offer imagineable this month.

Yesterday I received 4 of them, all of which went in the trash--3 were gardening related, one was for Oprah. I get about all of the magazines I can read already. Unless, of course, I get a per issue price so low I just cannot refuse. Fine Gardening is a good magazine, but at $5/issue, I can easily pass.

I don't know if you can clearly see the picture on the Keepsake Quilting catalog, but that is one fine log cabin quilt adorning it's cover. It's $20 just for the pattern. I don't know about you, but I think that is pretty high for one pattern. I can buy an entire quilting book FULL of patterns for that price.

"Gone Missing"

Boy, I hate that phrase.

Why is every newscaster using it now?

What happened to "disappeared"?
"Vanished"?

One has gone hunting, gone fishing, gone shopping…but gone missing?
Grrrrrrrrrr…I want to scream every time I hear it.

Personally, I hope the phrase, “gone missing” goes missing soon.

Life is Short, Eat More Chocolate

That's the title of this scrapbook page immortalizing my love of Hershey kisses, followed by salty potato chips. Are any of you into scrapbooking?
I was about 6 years ago and pretty much organized all of my photos into about a dozen books. I believe I have two books of just me. I really don't have many pictures of my younger years.

Here's the 16-17 yr. old page. Anyone remember those bandanas? I used to love wearing one. I see my hair is curled in that picture. I must have slept on orange juice cans. It wasn't easy to get curls in long hair in those days!

I even documented my beginning days on the internet. I am sure I've told you all that I was a Barbie doll collector. This pages documents my internet Barbie doll swaps. It was such fun.

I see I never finished my last scrapbook. There are numerous pages like this with pics shoved in waiting to be arranged. This page is called "Denim Duds" and is all about the denim clothes I had.
I think I am going to work on finishing these pages this weekend.

Scrapbooking is great fun. If you have boxes of photos waiting to be arranged in some orderly fashion, you may enjoy taking up this hobby. There is a ton of info on the internet. The fun part is deciding on the layout. You can find hundreds of layouts on the net just by using google.

I Have a Man

living in my bag of brown sugar!

He's quite a cute little guy, don't you think?

I bought him years ago when my niece was selling that over-priced junk schools send kids out to sell. Amongst the candy and wrapping paper items, I found him (for somewhere in the ridiculous $8.00 range). He sat for years in the back of my cupboard in the little box he came in.

Last fall I came across him and decided to use him as he was intended--to keep my brown sugar free of hard lumps.

So far he seems to be doing the job quite well.











Last August I bought a bouquet of sunflowers at the farmer's market. The sunflowers are long gone, but the yellow statice they used as filler is still happily residing in colored bottles on my kitchen window ledge.

I Did Basically Nothing Last Night

except to spend five minutes finishing off this shelf display.

Dianne, I wasn't looking to add new furniture or anything to the room. I just needed to finish decorating all the china cabinets. Your ideas were good though--I've done both in the past. I have a little table that fits nicely under the window. The only problem is I have a spot in the family room where it also fits nicely. That's where it is now.
I heated up some of my frozen pea soup for dinner, read a few blogs, watched the news and went to bed very early. I think the return of winter weather has depressed my energy level.

Over the weekend I made this pork sitrfry. I like the picture with the wine glass and all the steam.

I just looked outside and it's miserable (snow) again today. I just dread having to go out and battle the slippery roads to get to work.

Living Room Rearrangement is Still Not Complete

Except for some hand quilting while watching FoodTV, I didn't sew a thing this weekend. I spent all my time trying to get the living room and the dining room done. (It seems like I used to be able to do this stuff a LOT faster!) The sofas were moved to even out the sunlight distribution. With that big window, I have to move them all the time so they don't fade.

I'd forgotten how much time and "stuff" it takes to fill and accessorize the tops of three china cabinets. There is one china cabinet here. It still needs a few items on the top.

This wooden box used to be on the top.
I hauled up a table from the basement and layered it with a green tablecloth tucked under on the bottom and a crocheted topper that my Mom made. It seemed like a good spot for the box, which holds Romantic Home magazines.

The other two china cabinets are at the opposite end. You've seen both of them in my posts this past week. The one on the far end still needs attention paid to the shelf in the middle.

I am at a loss for the moment on what I will find to finish off this room. I will have to take a trip down to the basement after work tonight and see what jumps out at me. I know I have a tiny little miniature quilt rack. I found a mini quilt in one of the china cabinets, so I will use that behind the sofa.

What I need to do is plop down on that sofa near the box of Romantic Home magazines and spend an hour leafing through for ideas.

Geez, Jan. 15 already. Half the month is gone!

I Decided on Milk Glass to fill the Dining Room Cabinet

I have not had the milk glass out in ages.
I decided to do this classic color-schemed table of black and white. It was inspired by the red roses DH brough home yesterday. I cut them down low to make the centerpiece. I used the black metal charger plates I got for Christmas.



Just a few hours ago this table was loaded with fabric, a cutting mat, and other sewing junk.


What a difference a couple of hours can make!

The weekend is almost over and I have had no time to read anything, except for blogs. I guess I see where my priorities lie! LOL.

one week later: the roses are dying. I scattered the petals of one that fell apart in my hand

Remember those old quilt blocks I bought at the Farmers Market?

You probably don't because I bought them in August of 2005. Here is the post.
Today I finally used 4 of them. I sewed them together just to stick them inside this ceramic shell because I wanted some peachy color to hang down. They were perfect because they even had green in them. I am pretty happy with the result.

After I did that, I decided it was time to cover the wire holding the old TV trays to the wall. I decided to stick with the country fabric theme and took a longish piece of this fabric. I squished it together and tied a bow, then put the bow over the nail head and wrapped the ends around the wire.
I think it turned out great!

Now I'm off to find some other items for the dining room cabinet.

I'm Looking a Little Grumpy Today, don't you think?

I stole this from Pea's blog.. (But she said anyone who wanted to take a pic could). Thanks, Pea.

I guess it's been proclaimed "National De-Lurking Week". It's a chance for all of you who stop by, but have never commented, to do so.

It's easy to leave a comment. Just click the word "comment" below this post. Type in the box that comes up. Then type in the letters you see in the word verification box. Hit the blue box that says "log in and publish".

You can be anonymous, if you want. I promise I am a nice person. I won't bite or growl at you or anything like that.

I'd love to hear from you! I'd also find it interesting to know what state or country you live in.

There were over 100 of you stopping by yesterday and only 5 left a message. So come on, people. Hit that comment button! Let's see who has been lurking for the longest time. ;)

I Wonder When Ladies Wore Gloves this Color?

I purchased these rather bright green long gloves many years ago in a junk shop. They are a very gaudy color and every time I display them, I wonder what era they were worn. Do you think the late 1950's? I only wish I could see the entire ensemble. LOL.

I am using them on the knob of this china cabinet which is full of green things.






Look what DH came home with.

These beautiful red roses. I thought they looked great with the white snowflakes that are falling today.

Looking Forward to a Nice Quiet Weekend

I plan to stay home and get some much needed cleaning done (on my sewing breaks).

Here's my big bunch of blocks that I've completed the past week. I'm in a sewing frenzy. I think I made a block every night this week. I love when I get totally consumed in a project(s). I made the seagull last night. The snowman still needs buttons and facial features embroidered on.


See the turkey way up on the top? I don't like him much at all, so I've added borders and he's destined for the pot holder pile. He'll be cute to toss on the counter as protection on Thanksgiving.

I've changed my profile pic again. Do you ever get where you just can't stand to see your mug looking back at you every time you comment? That's where I am now, so I decided to use Mr. Cardinal for awhile.

I also have a lot of library books that came in this week. They are all Christmas quilting books that I ordered.
I will glance through them to see if there is anything new to make (I actually got the snowman pattern from one of those). While at the library, I picked up these Southern Living magazines.
I love to read these. They have the best decorating and recipe ideas.

What's everyone else doing this weekend?

Felt Rounds for Dish Storage

Doesn't it seem like everyone is cleaning, purging junk and storing items away this month?

I thought I'd share my tip on storing dishes so they don't scratch.

Most of you know I am a dish hoarder, so I've got plenty stacked in my cupboards. I don't want them to scratch, so I cut pieces of felt (somewhat round) and stick them between the dishes.

Then just stack to your heart's content.

In a pinch, paper towels will work almost as well.

I learned this from Martha way back in the early '80's.

Fire King Peach Lustre

I came home from work today and decided to tackle the empty china cabinet in the living room.

It's been sitting empty since I took all the Christmas stuff down. I like to change all the items in my cabinets a few times a year. When I find that I am so used to whatever is in them that I do not even notice the items anymore, I make a change.


I opened the bottom door of the cabinet and saw these peach lustre dishes. I decided to pull them out and spend a few months enjoying them. I needed an accent color and noticed the yellow teapot and vaseline candlesticks--voila! I had an accent color.

A little more digging deeper into the cabinet and I found some yellow/gold flowers, copper beads and a crocheted doily that my great grandmother made. The doily went on top of the cabinet, where it sits all alone until I become inspired to find some large items to put up there. I may have to case the basement to find somthing suitable.
My old coppered baby shoes were also inside the cabinet. I pulled them out, too.
Here's the copper beads and an old ladies glove (I buy those whenever I come across them. Can you imagine wearing them every time you went out?)


I found all of these items just by standing in front of the china cabinet, bending down and pulling things out from behind the closed doors. The funny thing is, it's still full behind those doors!

I am Very Irritated with Pattern Books

that do NOT include the 1/4-inch seam.

It seems to me that when I purchase a book of patterns, all of that extra work should be done for me. I have been spending well over an hour on each pattern just cutting out the different sections and adding seam allowances.

Last night I had to do it again with a snowman pattern.


I cut out each individual piece, tape it to copy paper and add the 1/4".

Now I am finally able to run copies today so I can begin sewing tonight.

I must remember to check the patterns BEFORE I buy a book. If the author was too lazy to add the seam allowances, I will pass on that purchase.

Isn't this the cutest snowman block? It's the one I plan to make tonight.

Enough of Paper-Piecing

Time for a little break and a cup of Edy's Cherry Chocolate Chip ice cream.

Doesn't this look delish?

Believe me, it was.

I'm a little discouraged after making a turkey block tonight that I don't like at all.

Laurie asked me what I was planning to make with all of these time-consuming bird blocks.

Well, I am almost embarrassed to say, "Nothing." That's right. I have no plans for anything. I just felt like trying my hand at making a few and so far I haven't felt like stopping.

I am no expert at paper-piecing. In fact, I only taught myself how last winter when I used my practice heart blocks to make pillows for the deck. I talked about it here.

Now that I know how, I am pretty hooked. I used the technique to make a border for the log cabin quilt I made last year and am quilting now. I have not spent much time quilting it lately, as I am spending all my time on these bird blocks. I find it pretty amazing to get so much detail in a quilt block.

I am sure I will think of something to do with them.

See This Gaudy Tropical Fabric?

I bet nobody but me would see on owl in this fabric!

That's such a big part of the pleasure of making these blocks. I love to find a use for ugly fabric. By using just a small portion of it, it ends up looking nothing like its appearance as a whole.




So far I still like the first block I did the best (the cardinal).

I also did this robin over the weekend.


He was quite the headache! I put the wrong 1/8 of inch piece of fabric on his back and did not realize it until I was done. So I just colored it in with a permanent marker. Those tiny little feet are about the size of a sliver of a fingernail. I did a lot or ripping out on this one. The only thing I actually like about this one is the fabric I chose for the head. The little nest turned out pretty good, too. It was the one feature that I did not think I would like at all.

These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

and, unfortunately, I've got to walk right on out of here-NOW!

Thank goodness I am only 2 miles from work because I have to be there in 10 minutes.

This is one of the pairs of boots I bought on Dec. 26. I love them. They have nice detailing up the side, but noone can see it once I drop my pant leg down.

Have a wonderful day.

Record High Temperatures Today

Almost 50 degrees on January 4th. It's pretty amazing and very strange...
Personally, I like it even though I do find it a little scary. I just wonder what is really happening.

I got a complimentary issue of "Cuisine" magazine in the mail today. I quickly skimmed through and this parmesan basket caught my eye.

How cool is that? A salad served in a basket of melted cheese. Yum! I must have a little dinner get together so I can try this.

I finished my third bird block--the bald eagle.

This time I doubled the background fabric and it worked much better.

I had Better Luck Tonight

This hummer block went together pretty easily. I am not too happy with the background fabric because of all those visible seams. I should have doubled the fabric. Live and learn............


Thank you all for the nice comments on the cardinal block.

I am having so much fun with these. I can't wait to get home from work to make another one. I love to get so involved with a project that I am eagerly anticipating the next time I get to work on it.

I think I will do an owl next.

The Sewing Angels are not Smiling Down Upon Me Tonight

After last night's successful cardinal block, I was eager to try another one. I got home a couple of hours late today because I had a dentist appt. and a nail appointment.

I sat down for about an hour to catch up on my blog reading while the nail polish cured. About 6:00 p.m., I decided they were ready and I started on block #2. It was going along beautifully--much easier than the cardinal. I estimated it would only take one and a half hours. At about the one hour mark, I discovered that I really needed a different fabric way back on the first section. It was actually the very first piece I put on.

So I had to rip out hundreds of teeny tiny stitches. I can save two sections (out of 6).

VERY DEPRESSING!

So much so that I decided to forget about it until tomorrow. Instead I grabbed my can of Necco candy wafers and came here to make my daily blog post.


Oh, yea, I also jabbed my finger with the scissors (see the bandaid?).

What can you make in 3 hours with 94 Little Pieces of Fabric?

How about this 7-inch cardinal block?

It's not perfect, but I have proven to myself that I can make these complicated foundation pieced blocks!

There are 11 little blocks sewn together to make the 7-inch block. The pattern is in Linda Causee's book, "365 Foundation Quilt Blocks".

I don't know yet what I will do with it. I suppose I will make three more and use them as corner blocks in a quilt border. There are patterns for a robin, a bluejay and an American Eagle. I may make one of each.