How to Make Meatloaf

All last week I wanted to make a meatloaf. It shouldn’t have been so hard. I’ve made them before. I know a great recipe from Mark Bittman for one with spinach in it. Years ago, and I can’t believe I’m saying that, Nina ate it up avidly. So I had high hopes. On of my goals is to get more vegetables into Nina’s diet.  Forget fruits. She won’t touch them, but she’ll eat some vegetables willingly, including spinach so long as it’s on top of pizza.

Having made meatloaf before is one thing. Sending one’s child off to school for the first time is another. I had some problems with the latter. Nothing like tears, no, no, no (as Amy Winehouse so tragically put it), but it was tough. I’ve gotten used to cooking in the morning before going to work. As I don’t have to be at my desk until 10 a.m., I never been  short of time. Nina’s school though starts at 8:40. I’m now out of the house at 8: 30.

Then there’s the red balloon. Pinta had one in the house on Tuesday morning. I never got close to mixing the ground beef and breadcrumbs that day. How could I? She wanted to throw balloon back and forth. As much as I like to cook, that tops anything I might come up with in the kitchen.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I’m not really sure what happened. I do remember having one of those days in which all the words I wrote appear to be spelled incorrectly, you know the kind of day that has you doubting basic knowledge. I made the quinoa salad, for example, and cooked twice as much of the grain than was necessary. I simply forgot how to do something I’ve done dozens of times.

Saturday afternoon I finally got around to mixing up the meatloaf, between the end of Pinta's nap and going out to the playground.  Meatloaf is an easy thing to make, and it keeps well. I put the mixture in the refrigerator, and eventually froze half of it. We were going out to a friend’s birthday party that night so we didn’t eat it then. Sunday we had fish from Saturday that had to be consumed. Santa Maria cooked up the meatloaf yesterday and the kids didn’t really eat it. Next time, I’ll have her cook it with bacon on top and have her serve it with ketchup. Let them resist that.

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 10 or so ounces of fresh spinach
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• nutmeg

        Cook the spinach in a frying pan. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Season with nutmeg.

        Soak the breadcrumbs in milk

        Combine all the ingredients.

        Put half the mixture in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees until it is 160 degrees in the center.