Core Comfort Food: Meat Loaf

I'm going to gloss over the fact that I haven't posted at all in the last two months. There was a move (which is still in progress), job hunting (also still in progress), and heightened activity and stress at work. The combination of the three has been, shall we say, challenging. My physical, mental, emotional, and at times moral capacities have been tested. In times of great stress, food can often be a comfort; meat loaf is, in my opinion, the epitome of American comfort food. And when you have a good recipe, this meat-and-potatoes ordinary meal can turn into something quite tasty. Here's a recipe I have used and pass on to you.

What you'll need:
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
2/3 c. dry bread crumbs
1/4 c. onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. snipped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup*

What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs then add the milk and combine. Add the bread crumbs, onion, herbs, and salt and pepper. Stir together.
3. Add the ground meat and mix the contents of the bowl together well.
4. Put meat mixture into an 8x4x2-in loaf pan. Even out the top and pat down gently. Bake in oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
5. Spread 1/2 the mushroom soup on the top of the meatloaf; add more if you wish (and if the pan can hold it). Bake for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve with roasted potatoes.

*My mom used this on her meatloaf instead of ketchup, and I think the flavor is better. We were not big ketchup people except for hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries. Putting ketchup on meatloaf just seems...wrong.

Le Fin, Le Commencement

It is over. It it just beginning.

This is the sentiment I feel now having officially graduated with my MLIS. Four years, fifteen classes, hundreds of readings, and about a bajillion pages of writing later, I'm done. The computer problems--wireless/Internet disconnects, computer crashes, and lost work--are no longer the dire threats to my academic and professional future they have been. The nervous breakdowns, the feeling that it's just all too much, and the sessions of crying on Scooter's shoulder are over (or at least my academics will no longer be the cause of them). The need to juggle work and school like a professional entertainer is no more. No more late nights, no more logging on to my course site every day, no more stressing over grades. I don't ever have to write another paper if I don't want to. How liberating that thought is! I have gained not only my MLIS but my ability to pursue the little pleasures of life once again. Having to sacrifice pleasure reading for class lectures and assigned articles is a thing of the past. My time (outside of work) is my own again, and it's a strange freedom.

And while my academic program is indeed over, my professional career is still in its youth. I have been a librarian for the past 4 1/2 years, and considered myself a "professional" long before the completion of my degree. But the MLIS is an acknowledgement of my skills and adds a validity to what I've done and continue to do. With the degree, new doors have opened and new opportunities have now become possible. So while the degree marks the end of my academic career, my professional one is in essence just beginning. And will hopefully blossom, as I'm praying it will in the near future.

One thing that multiple people have asked me is "Will you pursue another degree or a doctorate?" Well, even though I know Mom would love to be able to brag about another doctor in the family (Dad and sister have a PhD), the answer to that question is a resounding "NO!" I intend to be a life-long learner, but I am content with the single Master's. School is draining; doubly so when you are an adult with a full-time job and an active life. I don't see myself going back to school anytime soon, if ever. This was the first degree I pursued on my own and for myself. I think it is my last. Besides, I have that wonderful taste of freedom. And the memory of being a student and not having that is too fresh to want to go back. I have a serious case of post-senioritis.

And so I'll just enjoy life for a bit. Maybe in a few decades I'll be ready to go back.

A Summer Dessert Part 2

Lemons are the epitome of summer fruit. Chilled lemonade, lemon meringue pie, lemon cake--all summertime treats that speak of long days, picnics, and hot weather. So it should be no surprise that my other proposed "perfect" summer dessert is also from the lemon family: lemon bars. These are an absolutely scrumptious sweet, and they are not that difficult to make. This particular recipe results in a bar with a crust that's like a buttery version of shortbread and a lemon filling that's similar to a rich lemon curd. Topped with a little powdered sugar, it's a perfect picnic dessert to enjoy with a glass of cold iced tea. And by the way, yes it does matter which lemons you use. More about that after the recipe.

What you'll need:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 Tbs. corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. lemon zest
3/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. half and half
powdered sugar for dusting

What you'll need to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9-in pan (a Pyrex pan works very well if you have it).
2. In a medium bowl, add the 2 cups of flour, powdered sugar, corn starch, and salt. Quickly mix together. Add the butter and combine with the flour mixture with either a pastry blender or your fingers. Mixture should resemble breadcrumbs.
3. Press flour mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until edges start to become golden.
4. As the crust is baking, mix together the eggs, granulated sugar, the 3 tablespoons of flour, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the half and half.
5. After the crust has finished baking, pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the center is set (it won't wiggle when you gently shake the pan).
6. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely in the pan. After the bars have cooled, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. Store in the fridge and serve chilled.

As I mentioned above, it really does matter what kind of lemons you use. For anything with a lemon-type filling (lemon meringue pie, lemon bars, etc.) I always use Meyer lemons. This particular type of lemon has a juice that is sweeter than other lemons (others types I have found to be VERY bitter). Meyers also have the good fortune to be very juicy. For this recipe, I only needed 3 large Meyer lemons off of my mother's tree. Using other types of lemons would likely require more of them to make the 3/4 cup of necessary lemon juice. Meyer lemon skin can be used for the zest in this recipe (and when I made it, I did), but there is another kind of lemon Mom has that has great skin for zest--it's sturdier and more tart than that of the Meyers. Sadly, I don't know the specific name for it. All I can say is that it has a thicker skin and is larger in size than the Meyers.

Enjoy your summer desserts!