Average Jane’s Domestic Life

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Last night was the third night in a row that I’ve been home after work. With my crazy schedule, that’s almost unheard of.

I’ve been cooking dinner every night, partly to use up all the chicken from the chicken and dumplings I made on Sunday, and partly to save money. I’d already been through all of the chicken dishes (chicken pot pie on Monday and chicken noodle soup on Tuesday), so last night’s dinner was meatloaf. I’ll post the recipe below.

I was at the grocery store getting ground beef and a vegetable. Here’s my cell phone conversation with my husband:

Jane: Hey, do you like wax beans?
Husband (reflexively): No.
Jane: That’s too bad. I’ve only ever had the canned ones and they have fresh ones here.
Husband: Wait a minute. What are wax beans?
Jane: They’re like green beans, only yellow.
Husband (with some wariness): Okay, let’s try them.

I ended up sauteeing them with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes in olive oil. I liked them a lot. Husband thought they were "tough," but he didn’t even get home until they’d been cooling for a couple of hours, so there you go.

Here’s my family meatloaf recipe. I think it’s pretty tasty. Let me know if you try it.

Meatloaf a la Average Jane

1 pound hamburger
1/2 pound sausage
2 eggs
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper
1/2 cup cracker crumbs or oatmeal
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
3 green pepper rings

Mix all ingredients except the green pepper rings (I use my hands to mix) and put in loaf pan. Press pepper rings onto the top of the loaf and crisscross with additional ketchup, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60-75 minutes. Check on it about halfway through and drain off any excess grease.

P.S. Thanks for all of the comments yesterday! If you’re interested in the process by which I’ll be selecting winners, I’m making a numbered list of names in the order in which the comments were received. Then I’ll use my favorite random number generator to select three numbers in the range. If you’re among the winners, I’ll e-mail you today and get your address.

Comments

5 responses to “Average Jane’s Domestic Life”

October 4, 2007

Rozanne

I love that he said “no” without actually knowing what wax beans are. You have to admit, though, that the name does not make them sound very appetizing.
That looks like an excellent meatloaf recipe. I’ll have to try it.

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October 5, 2007

The Misanthrope

Isn’t great not going somewhere after work? I love to be able to come home and relax. I hate shameless plugs, but since Bob Dylan can do it you should check out what he said about Toner Mishap.

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October 5, 2007

Tim

I’m on a mission to try just about every meatloaf variation I can find. Adding this one to the list for sure. You have piqued my interest with oatmeal and sausage…

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October 6, 2007

Michelle

My husband is exactly the same way? “Do you like it?” “No. Wait, what was it?”
I feed him things that I just refuse to tell him what they are until after he has eaten them.
I am positive he will love that meatloaf, though!! And I won’t even have to lie to him about what is in it!

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September 8, 2008

Sugar

So a few years ago, I followed a recipe and started adding apple pieces into my meatloaf. Let me tell you… yummmm… My kids boycott the meatloaf if I omit the apples.
I think I’m gonna try tossing some beans with sesame seeds and red pepper tonight. Sounds really hot!

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