Back to the old (new) routine

So, after church Sunday, and typing up a looooong blog entry (as those of you who dutifully waded through it already know), it was time to get back into the rhythm of life in the slow lane. :)

A workout was definitely in order. Muscles were feeling a bit spongy. But not anymore! Owww...

Then, I used Google maps to print out directions to and from the Mall for the visiting female relatives about to invade and take over the house.. Oh, I love their new feature where if you don't care for the route, you can grab and drag the route line and make it go via a different highway. Sure helps when they first try to route you over a bridge that doesn't exist anymore as of last week. :(

All of a sudden it was time to start dinner, since it will bake for an hour and a half. Mmm... meat loaf. :) Good! With fresh green & wax beans and butter. Ahhh. So? What does Betty say about this? Let's look:

Hmmm. Since it was really beef loaf, without the pork and veal, Betty (and D) said to ignore the spicing as shown. Cut the mustard, celery salt, worchestershire (sp?) sauce, etc.. and go straight to the horseradish and catsup. Umm... sorry Betty. No horseradish for me! (unless of course it's passover, because then I *have* to, so that I can remember the bitterness of captivity and weep convincingly. But voluntarily? Ugh.) D said to just go with salt, pepper, allspice and chopped onion. But hey, why stop there?!?!? :)

Could some Lawry's seasoned salt be that bad? I mean, it's good on steak.. And you put mustard on hamburgers (or at least some people do) - why not a pinch of dried mustard in beef loaf? And if adding one egg to the batter is good, wouldn't two be even better? Instead of just milk to mix with the breadcrumbs, why not some oh-so-creamy half and half? And would one good shake of paprika be so terrible? That, plus a little diced yellow bell pepper? How bad could this be, really? Cutting up half a stick of butter, and pressing it into the top of the loaf when it's just about to go into the oven, should cover up a multitude of sins. And yes, I thought about oregano, cilantro, basil... but I think for this first time I really should draw the line somewhere. ;)

Once dinner was in the oven.. time to clean the bathrooms. Oh boy! It has been a while. But just hand me the Comet, Softscrub, Windex, and a brush, sponge and paper towel, and... let me at 'em! You don't forget how; it's like riding a bicycle.. (and I perspire about the same amount, too.) Ooh. Do they sparkle!

Hey! What's that squealing noise? Smoke alarm? What the.. ??

Oh, crap! The butter's running over and burning on the bottom of the oven. Look at that smoke, will ya? Where are the fans? Quick, open the windows! Jeepers.. who knew it would do that?? I should have put a cookie sheet under the loaf pan. Dang it. Rookie mistake. :( Oh well... live and learn. House still smells a little "burnt" this morning. :(

But boy, did it taste good! :) mmm.. Maybe some sweet green chiles next time, with a tad less seasoned salt. :)

After dinner finally a chance to sit and read the paper with a glass (or three) of wine. I think I'm calming down. Life is good in the slow lane. :) At least when there's no fire to put out.. :P