It is currently 7:50pm as I type and I am ready for some zzzzzzsssssssss. That should give you a pretty good idea of our participation level this Thanksgiving weekend. All the Williams clan joined forces this year- a first in two years- so it was very nice to share in each other's company. The boys, especially Ethan, followed Uncle David around like a loyal puppy to its' master. Since I am not responsible for making the actual dinner I decided to venture out and provide some yummy desserts. I made pumpkin bread, orange cranberry bread, pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing (a childhood fave), sticky toffy pudding, caramel pecan pie, AND the winner of the dessert category...drum roll please.... peanut butter stuffed pretzel nuggets wrapped in caramel and dipped in chocolate- recipe to follow (courtesy of Every Day with Rachael Ray). Highlights of the weekend included our annual Whataburger luncheon followed by a drive to the hill country to cut down our Christmas tree, unloading boxes of decorations, reminiscing of said decorations, trimming of the tree, listening to Bing Crosby, spending time with family, and eating peanut butter stuffed pretzel nuggets wrapped in caramel and dipped in chocolate. Oh, and we were blessed with a very chilly weekend!
Pretzel Turtles
One 14-ounce bag (4 dozen) soft caramels
One 10-ounce bag pretzel nuggets (I used peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets from Costco)
12 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used chocolate bark coating)
2 cups natural almonds, toasted and finely chopped (I opted to skip this part but will reconsider for next time)
1. Unwrap the caramels, then, using a rolling pin, roll out each one into a 1/8-inch-thick oval. Wrap a caramel around each pretzel nugget, pinching the ends to seal.
2. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt half the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Add the remaining chocolate, remove the top of the double boiler from the saucepan and stir until smooth. (I just took a few blocks of chocolate bark coating and melted it in the microwave according to the package directions... worked like a charm!)
3. Place the almonds in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Using a fork, dip a caramel-covered pretzel in the chocolate to coat, tapping off any excess chocolate. Transfer the pretzel to the almonds and toss to coat; place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pretzels. Let stand until set, about 3 hours.
I enjoy a good slice of meat loaf every now and then. For several years I stuck with one meat loaf recipe out of my Betty Crocker cookbook. It calls for milk, oatmeal, and a egg- along with various spices and so forth. One day my husband pointed out that he didn't care too much for that meat loaf. I wasn't particularly offended. I just never thought of making another type of meat loaf other than the one from loyal Betty Crocker.
I pointed out this dilemma to my friend Ginger who so willingly printed out color copies of meat loaf recipes and mailed them to me. Diner Meat Loaf Muffins. BBQ Meat Loaf. Classic Meat Loaf. Asian-Style Meat Loaves. Iberian Meat Loaf. Italian-Style Meat Loaf. Santa Fe Meat Loaf. One thing that I loved about the recipes she sent is that it contained a section of choosing the right kind of meat and tips on how to properly bind the meat and what form to use.
With the proper know-how and meat loaf education tucked away, I started out by making the Diner Meat Loaf Muffins. That one calls for crushed up saltines. I really liked this recipe and loved the idea that your plate ended up housing one or two cute little portions of meat loaf. After making this recipe several times my husband pointed out that he didn't care too much for that meatloaf recipe either. Back to the drawing board.
From the recipes Ginger sent I made two other kinds of meat loaf. One involved a free form loaf smothered in BBQ sauce. After another few attempts my husband, in words that I can't exactly recall at the moment, leaned over the table and said that maybe we should let the meat loaf idea rest in peace. I was crushed. Not at him. Just crushed that I could not lay my hands on a recipe that pleased all palates at the table and in which we would enjoy the leftovers the following day.
After mulling this over I then shared the dilemma with my friend Ellen. She so kindly thought about the situation and emailed me her take on meat loaf. Sadly, it was similar to the ones at rest in their graves. All hope was lost.
I then started questioning whether or not my husband even likes meat loaf. He says he does but does he TRULY enjoy meat loaf? Perhaps it wasn't me. Perhaps it was him!
I heeded my husband's advice and packed away my meat loaf pan in the bottom of my pan drawer. I abandoned all thoughts about meat loaf as I prepared my weekly menu each Saturday before hitting the grocery store. The thought of making meat loaf was just a distant memory. That was all before I purchased a copy of "Favorites from our Table"- Ethan's school's fundraiser cook book.
As I leafed through the cook book, and got to the chapter titled "Main Dishes", I hadn't even thought that there might be a recipe for meat loaf. On page 67, tucked in between Fettuccine Alfredo and Fajitas, a title called forth my attention. Fiesta Meat Loaf. Before I even finished reading the ingredients I secretly plotted how I was going to create this dish without my husband's knowledge and surprise him with what I knew in my heart of hearts would be THE ONE.
Tonight's dinner time proceeded as normal- boys playing in the other room with dad and me getting dinner on the table. I didn't make a big deal about the night's menu. I acted as normal as possible, not wanting to draw an overabundant attention to the meat loaf staring at my husband. He didn't say much either. He picked at his salad first and then the moment came. He took a bite of the meat loaf. And another bite. And another.
"Do you like it?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yes", came his reply.
Oh, how I wanted him to say more! I wanted him to say it was the best meat loaf he has ever eaten and that he was so proud of me. At that point I didn't care that Jack was fussing and Ethan was talking non-stop. I wanted affirmation!
After dinner as we cleared the table and packed up the meat loaf for tomorrow's left overs my husband leaned over and said to me...
"I need to call the National Meat Loaf Association. I think we found a winner!"
Fiesta Meat Loaf
2 lb. ground beef
2 c. picante sauce, divided
1 1/2 c. quick or old fashioned oats
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I omit due to garlic allergy)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
3.8 oz. sliced black olives, drained
4 oz. choped green chilies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ground beef, 1/2 cup picante sauce, oats, taco seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix well. Press into an ungreased 9x5x3 in loaf pan or 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cup picante sauce, cheese, olives and chilies. Mix well. Pour picante sauce mixture over top. Bake 30-45 minutes or until center is no longer pink (160 degrees on meat thermometer). Makes 10 servings.
There are a lot of things to be happy about today. First of all, we are enjoying a windy Autumn day. Although this stint will be short lived and mid-80's will be ushered in once more, I am relishing in all this fall glory. Ethan helped me make some crock pot black bean soup and we also baked two loaves of the most ridiculously delicious pumpkin bread I have ever eaten (compliments to my friend Kat's recommendation). So sweet, savory, taste-bud enjoying, lip-smacking good.
Another thing I'm happy about today is that my friend Gina, and her two daughters, recently welcomed home their husband and daddy who served our country overseas. I have enjoyed reading her blog as they counted the 447 days until his return. I have great admiration for this family, for Gina's amazing attitude and support of her husband, and have been blessed by their journey these 15 months.
Lastly, I am happy that I raked the leaf piles I created in the backyard a few days ago. I confess that I am a professional leaf and weed piler. Unfortunately, this is one of a few things I do/don't do that truly irks my husband and he patiently asked me again to finish what I started. So, I filled up two garbage bags full of fall leaves and weeds and I even put the rake away in the garage (another one of those few things that I do/don't do that irks my husband).
The subject of hair has always been an interesting one for me. I wouldn't necessarily put myself in the category of fabulous hair or I-gotta-have-that-girls-hair category. My hair has always been plain, simple, thin, fine...like seaweed on a rock. When I first met my husband my hair was "mermaids" length. It quite honestly was not a flatering style and made me look a teenager instead of a young woman. I couldn't do anything with it but twirl it up in a clip. As I was trying to make an impression on the man I wanted to marry, and mind you we weren't even an item at the time, I overheard him say he liked short hair. I immediately went to the salon and got my hair chopped off! After that initial meet and greet with the scissors my hair life has never been the same. I eventually went shorter and shorter and shorter. Very choppy, croppy, cutesy, sassy. (And, oh yeah, we eventually got married and yes, he still loves short hair.)
Evidently that style became synonymous with me. Kind of my trademark. I really didn't pay much attention to the effect my hair had on some but would always appreciate the compliments I received and enjoyed answering questions like, "How do you make your hair do what it does?" After Jack was born, two years ago, I decided to take a departure and partake in the dreaded growing out stage. My hair grows miserably slow so for the past two years I have endured a painful transition as those little choppy pieces grew to past my chin. I never really had an end goal in mind of where all this "growing out" would take me. I just lived my life each day and got my trims when I needed them.
I recently posted a picture of myself on this blog which caused quite a stirring in the friends and family community. I had no idea that this innocent picture of me, please examine exhibit A, would cause an uprising and make me reconsider the value of my hair. I had a comment posted on my blog, a few emails, a phone call from my brother, and an email conversation with my good friend Ginger regarding this picture. I heard a cry for, "Bring back the Gretchen hair that we grew to love and admire!" And upon consideration of these pleas I answered that call and went back to my roots. (No pun intended and please examine exhibit B parts 1 and 2.)
