Some years ago, Donna mentioned that her favorite meal as a little girl was meat loaf, fresh beets and mashed potatoes.  Soooo I made a mental note (I use 3″ x 5″ cards and a pen).   A few weeks later on a Sunday afternoon, I snuck off to Fresh Market and secured the ingredients for the “favorite meal.”  I drove home, donned my red “Mister Excitement” apron and put on the eye of the tiger.  Iron Chef Petersen. Grrrrrr. . . . . .  

Fresh beets are pretty straightforward – 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, drain and mash into 1/4 stick of butter, a half cup of milk and about 5 ounces of chopped garlic cheddar cheese.  Salt, garlic powder and pepper.  

Meat loaf has always been tricky.  Finely chop a Vidalia onion and saute the pieces in olive oil.  Roll that into 2 pounds of lean ground round [I am aware that some recipes include ground pork and/or ground chuck].  Add an egg or two, 3/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs, I like to add 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Donna now suggests I add a squidge of onion soup which I have done. Then shape and bake the mix for an hour at 375.  A rack is probably better than a meat loaf pan to drain juice.

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