Working Hard, Eating Hearty...

I awoke (LOL) at 7:00 AM on Saturday. I carried a sleepy Scruffy out to the couch and then stripped the bed. The first of two loads (now that I am using a blanket) went into the washer. I put on a pot of coffee.

Next, I went downstairs and removed the masking tape and packaging paper from the towel rack. There were two drips on the far side, but otherwise, the rack turned out perfect! Just what I wanted!!

I posted the Blog and the towel rack pictures. Then I pulled the grille pan and the racks out of the oven and took off the protective glass cover for the bulb. But, I couldn't find the replacement bulb, anywhere! I am sure I bought it, dammit! So, that went on today's shopping list and I wiped out the white ash left in the oven with damp paper towels.

I am running late, now! I took my shower at 9:30 AM and got dressed. First stop was Leo's Coney Island for two eggs over easy, pork sausage links, hash browns and rye toast.

Then I went to Kroger's, the library and finally Ferguson's Plumbing Supply (to get a wrench for that cleanout downstairs). I was back at home with everything put away by 12:30 PM. So, the first thing after putting away the groceries was to install the oven light.

I called the snowplow guy again to remind him I still owe him $20. He said he'd be over at 2:30. I changed into my painting clothes and started to tape the downstairs bath.

I finished painting the bathroom at 3:30 PM (or three hours). The door, minus its hardware is downstairs lying on the sawhorses, with the inside painted as well. Just after I quit, the snowplow guy rang the bell! So, finally, I gave him his money.

After scrubbing all the paint off of me, I began dinner. For my side dishes, I put the remaining rutabagas (already peeled and diced) in a saucepan to fire later. I took a nice acorn squash and used my European-style knife to cut it in half. It was perfectly round (and therefore wobbly) so I cut a small flat surface on the backside of each half to hold it in place. I dug out the seeds, added a pat of butter to the cavity and then threw in some fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley (stalks and all).

Next, I put together (sorta) the recipe from America's Test Kitchen for glazed all-beef meat loaf. Why "sorta"? Because I bastardized it so much I can hardly say it's their recipe (not that they would want to take credit for whatever comes out of my oven today, lol!). What drew me to this recipe was the use of unflavored gelatin to mimic using veal. Ground veal, as you may or may not know, runs around $9 a pound. However, I am still using ground pork, so right away the recipe is wrong. I tried to use more or less the same other ingredients but, for example, I don't have any Dijon mustard in the house, so I used a little less amount of yellow mustard.

Anyway, you get the idea. I personally prefer the CaptainK bacon-wrapped meatloaf, but since I am still trying to lose some more weight, I went with this. Another variation: I used a normal meatloaf pan as a mold for my mixture, while they suggested hand-forming the loaf. The difference between the CaptainK bacon-wrapped meatloaf and this recipe was that, instead of flipping it upside-down on a half sheet, they suggested a rack, covered with tinfoil, with holes punched in it to drain off the grease, placed in a half sheet pan . So, I tried that.

The only thing I did do exactly was the glaze. I put the meatloaf and the acorn squash in the oven for about an hour (I need an internal temperature of 135-140 degrees F. on the meatloaf). After about 40 minutes, I turned on the rutabagas. After another 10 minutes, I began making the glaze.

I put 1/2 cup of ketchup, one teaspoon of hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander, 1/4 cup of cider vinegar and three tablespoons of light brown sugar in a small sauce pan. I brought that to a simmer over medium heat and cooked it, stirring, until it was thick and syrupy (about 5 minutes).

BTW. I burned the hell out of the palm of my hand moving the sauce pan with the rutabagas (which was NOT on heat) but just next to the oven heat outlet.

So, I turned on the broiler and coated the meatloaf with the half of the glaze. I put it under the broiler and let it go for five minutes. Then I took it out. I recoated it with the rest of the glaze and put it back under the broiler for another five minutes. Then, I finally pulled it and let it rest for 20 minutes (I stuck the acorn squash back in the oven to keep it warm).

I took some pictures for you, BTW, while it was resting. Then I finally ate dinner. Acorn squash was excellent! The rutabagas, topped with butter and salt were also delicious. The meatloaf? I'm still trying to decide. Very hearty and the glaze was excellent. But, somehow, I thought the flavor would be more complex. On the other hand, it's a freakin' meatloaf, for God's sake...

I left the mess for tomorrow morning, but put away the meatloaf and the other half of the squash. It was when I laid down to watch TV that I realized just how sore I was from those three hours of painting. It was a little room, but a lot of bending, reaching, stretching and so on. My shoulders, elbows, wrists and both knees are all complaining!

I was tired, so I went to sleep around 9:00 PM.