A few years ago while having dinner with Donna, she mentioned that her favorite meal as a little girl was meat loaf, fresh beets and mashed potatoes.  Ever the quick-witted spouse, I made a mental note.   A few weeks later on a Sunday, I shopped at Fresh Market and secured the “fixings” for the “favorite meal.”  Then I went home, donned my red “Mister Excitement” apron and put on the eye of the tiger.  Iron Chef Petersen . . . . Grrrr. . . . . .  

The beets are straigtforward – clip the long stems, wash and boil for 25 to 50 minutes depending on size.  Remove, peel and slice (yes, they will be HOT!). 

Then a small bag of organic yellow (or red) potatoes.  Boil for 30 minutes then mash into 1/4 stick of butter, a splash of skim milk and about 5 ounces of chopped garlic cheddar cheese.  Salt, garlic powder and pepper.  Mercy! 

The meat loaf is tricky.  I always chop a Vidalia onion and grill the pieces in olive oil.  Roll that into 2 pounds of ground round (lean).  Add an egg or two, 3/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder (Donna suggests adding onion soup mix), shape and bake for an hour at 350.  A rack is probably better than a meat loaf pan to drain juice.

While the meat loaf is arguably a work in progress, I score major points with this meal every time I make it (which is more and more often).  Love those points. . . .