All Hail Meatloaf - The American Meal

The last blog entry I wrote was dedicated to my Mom.  It is appropriate I would follow my Mom's blog with a food blog.  We all know she could cook!

Just a little update on my situation and why I'm writing a food blog.

In June, I moved back to my childhood home with my sister Gail.  After too many years of financial declines I had to foreclose on my house of 21 years.  Also, for reasons too many to discuss here and now, Donna and Jimmy moved into an apartment.

My health remains a tightrope act. In the past four years I've gone from 220 pounds to around 106 pounds.  In April and May of this year I spent a week each in the hospital with pneumonia.  My medical team and I, (fyi - never good to need a medical team), decided going on to hospice care would help keep me out of the hospital and keep me comfortable and healthy.  I'll blog about that another time though.

One of the many benefits of living back home is the reunion, if you will, with my family of cousins.  I have gotten to see them more than I had before.  No past ill will, just logistics and geography.  However, lately I've been the recipient of the all mighty PLATE OF LEFTOVERS.  Its Summertime.  Family is gathering for this and that and food is being prepared.  Too much food.  And that means leftovers.

Some people scoff at leftovers.  They would rather throw away whatever was left just to avoid wrapping it up and storing it and nibbling on it over the next few days.

I say leftovers should be revered as a whole new category of cuisine.  Some leftovers are even better than the original.  I would like to see a restaurant that serves only leftovers.  My personal favorite leftovers are chili, spaghetti, lasagna, and meatloaf.

Let's take my cousin Liz's meatloaf.  Meatloaf could be and should be considered just as American as the hot dog or apple pie.  ITS A LOAF OF MEAT!  It was a slice of meat that was prepared by hand.  Beef, salt & pepper a little this and a little that.  Good today & great tomorrow.

Meatloaf takes time to prepare.  You can mix into it whatever you wish.  You can cover it with ketchup or BBQ sauce.  You can wrap it in bacon, yes bacon.  You can shape your loaf of meat into various shapes and sizes or put it into a loaf pan.  Meatloaf is edible art.  And what you don't finish today you can eat tomorrow or the next day or two.  Not too many things quite as tasty as a cold meatloaf sandwich with cheese.

While my life settles into a new normal it helps seeing things like meatloaf never change.  I was recently given a mug with the phrase "Go With The Flow" on it.  This is the secret of life and its not that complex.  Get yourself a leftover meatloaf sandwich and a mug filled with your choice of drink.  Rejoice that you have family and/or friends that share leftovers with you and that your mug runneth over.

God Bless meatloaf.