Crazy, Fun Day

Yesterday was kind of a crazy day.

I didn't plan very well. On Sunday, I signed up to have the Sister Missionaries over for dinner. Then, on Monday, I called the pediatric clinic to get Kevin an appointment for his one-year immunizations. I asked them if they had any appointments after 4:00 (so Grig could come). They told me they had one day open. I quickly jumped and grabbed the 4:40 time. That way we could get there in time to fill out paperwork.

As soon as I hung up the phone, the thought hit me...what day did I sign up to have the missionaries over?

I checked my notebook and of course, it was Wednesday.

I spent the next few days praying that things would work out and the missionaries wouldn't want to come over before 6.  Yesterday morning, they called to confirm a time. They told me that they had an appointment at 5:00, so would it be okay if they had dinner at 6:00?

I quickly reassured them that would be perfect!

When Grig got home from work, there was a notice on our door. The manager was upset because people hadn't been picking up their dog poop and the grass on the property looked disgusting. She then added that she might be fining some people's accounts. So, before I left I went out and picked up ALL the dog poop in front of our apartment. That way, I figured, even though most of it wasn't ours (we try to always pick up our poop), she wouldn't even think that it was from our dog.

I don't poop!

After I finished, I went and told her what I'd done. I wasn't trying to make myself look good; I was just trying to avoid a fine. However, she told me that if I hadn't done that, she would have ended up doing it, so she told me to take $25 off of our apartment rent this month. That was really nice of her. I told her some of it was probably ours, but she told me to make sure I took the $25 off. That was a nice blessing.

Then, we ran to take Kevin to his doctor's appointment. The appointment went well. They poked his foot to check his hemoglobin levels, and he didn't even twitch. When she squeezed his foot, he just granted in a manly manner.

Then, the doctor got some pus out of an infected pimple-type thing on Kevin's back and he just shrugged it off.

However, when they stabbed the needles into his thighs, his composure broke. A startled look came across his face and he began to wail. Poor kid. That was a pretty tough thing for him. It exhausted him so much that on our way to pick up the missionaries he fell asleep.

It was a very short nap. We quickly reached our home where I had dinner warming in the oven. They seemed to really like it. I made Sausage Noodle Bake, which is a family favorite. I think it's okay if I share that recipe with you, if you want it.

Sausage Noodle Bake

Recipe By     : My Great-Grandma

Categories    : Main Dishes

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method

--------  ------------  --------------------------------

   1 1/2  cups          any size noodles

   1      pound         bulk sausage

     1/4  cup           chopped onion

   1      can           cream of mushroom soup

     1/3  cup           fine dry bread crumbs

     3/4  cup           evaporated milk

     1/3  cup           water

   1      cup           grated  American cheese

   2      tablespoons   melted butter

Cook noodles until tender and put into buttered casserole dish.  Brown

sausage and add onion.  Cook for 10 minutes.  Mix soup, milk, water and 

cheese. Add to sausage and onion and pour over noodles.  Mix melted butter

and bread crumbs.  Cover the casserole with them.  Bake at 350 for 30

minutes.

 


Last night, I actually altered it a little bit. I used way more breadcrumbs, and then, instead of putting butter on it, I sprayed it with cooking spray. It was quicker and tasted great afterward! The missionaries seemed to like it, they both had seconds. We also had bottled peaches and lemonade. Grig went and bought some cookies because I ran out of time and didn't make brownies. I'll have to do that today.

So, that's our crazy day.

Why Do People Hate Meatloaf?

In our home, there is one dinner I make that is loved above all others:

Meatloaf.

This week, we had a birthday party for my brother-in-law Havelock.  I asked him what meal he wanted me to make, and after he thought about it for a moment, he told me, "Would it be too much trouble if we had meatloaf?"

I told him I'd been expecting him to say that. 

Lately, whenever we have guests over to eat in our home, that is usually what I make them. I made up the recipe myself, and it is quite delicious and moist. If you want to try our version, here it is: 

Emma Tank’s Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds of hamburger

1 cup oatmeal

1/4 cup corn

1 chopped onion

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup barbeque sauce (or ketchup)

Topping:

3/4 cup ketchup (or barbeque sauce)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Spray the bread pan with non-stick spray.  Put meatloaf in pan, press down to fill all edges.  Combine topping, pour on top of meatloaf.  Cover all surfaces.  Cook at 375 for 1 hour 25 minutes.

Well, there you have it. Our favorite version of meatloaf. I may have posted it here before, but that's okay.

I've actually never understood the perception that everyone hates meatloaf.  It's always been a favorite of mine. I don't know why so many people seem to loathe having it for dinner. Served with mashed potatoes and cooked carrots, it can be quite delicious. 

However, after looking up meatloaf pictures on google, I found some pretty disgusting looking versions. Maybe that's why people don't like meatloaf.  They just haven't found my version yet. ;)

Let me know how you feel about meatloaf. I really am curious to know why people dislike it.

Having the Missionaries Over for Dinner and My Meatloaf Recipe

Every time I add a picture that is not mine, I accompany it with a link to the original image.  Click on the picture to go there.

 Last night was an exciting night!  On Sunday, they passed around a sign-up sheet for anyone that wanted to feed the missionaries.  I was really excited.  It is my first time ever feeding them as a married couple.

When I was on my mission, I loved eating at members' homes.  They usually cooked us really extravagant dinners, because for them, it was a special occasion to feed the missionaries.  Unfortunately for the missionaries, when it is a special occasion every night, it becomes really difficult not to gain weight.  However, the food was always good, regardless of what culture it originated from, and in Texas there is a lot of different cultural backgrounds.  Sometimes people would take us out to eat as well, and that was a nice treat.

So, after I picked up the Sister Missionaries, I told them the ground-rules.

1- Don't eat anything you don't like

2- If you get full, don't feel the need to finish your food, we can doggie-bag it for you

That was basically it.  I just remember too many nights when I left stuffed to the gills, and spent the rest of the evening trying to walk off the delicious food.  One time we had salad for dinner, and that was a rare treat!

We ended up having rice with cream of mushroom gravy and meatloaf.  It is my own special recipe.  I think it's probably the best meatloaf I've ever eaten too.  The missionaries seemed to enjoy it.  In fact, the newer sister was being really polite, and cleaning up the dishes.  However, when I told them that there was another pan of meatloaf, she got really interested, and though she kept trying to tell me it was okay, I could tell that she wanted some more.  

So, I got her a paper plate (so that she wouldn't feel guilty about dirtying another one) and she happily ate some more.  

Here's my recipe for meatloaf, if you're interested.  The problem is, I kind of eye-ball stuff, so this is just a basic guideline.  I tried to write down the measurements based upon how much I put in, and it seems to turn out okay.  This is enough for one bread-pan.

Emma Tank's Meat Loaf Recipe: 

1 1/2 pounds of hamburger

1 cup oatmeal

¼ cup corn

1 cup chopped onion

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp pepper

¼ cup barbeque sauce (or ketchup)

Topping:

¾ cup ketchup (or combo barbeque sauce and ketchup)

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Spray the bread pan with non-stick spray.  Put meatloaf in pan, press down to fill all edges.  Combine topping, pour on top of meatloaf.  Cover all surfaces.  Cook at 375 for 1 hour 25 minutes.

It turns out really good and moist.  Personally, I think the corn adds a lot. 

Anyway, it was a really nice evening.  Kevin showed off his walking, and while they shared a spiritual thought he kept walking back and forth between them.  He really liked them.  Afterward, they were going to walk to another appointment, but it cancelled, so I drove them to another place to do some service.  They seem like very good missionaries.  One was from Tonga and the other was from Wyoming. 

Having them over, reminded me a lot of my mission and how much I loved being a missionary for my Savior.  I have had very strong spiritual experiences since my mission, but there is no other calling in life like being a full-time missionary.  When you sacrifice everything in your life for an 18-month to a 2-year mission, the Lord blesses you in turn.  I can't explain how much I grew over that period of time.  I learned a lot about myself and how much the Lord loves every one of his children.  It doesn't matter where you live or what you are doing.  The Lord loves you.

One of my favorite sayings goes like this:

The Lord loves you just the way you are, but He loves you too much to let you stay that way.  

The Lord constantly is requiring us to grow and change for the better.  If I allowed my own son to only stay in kindergarten his whole life, he certainly would not grow into the man I know he is supposed to become.  The older grades may be tougher, and he may suffer because he has to learn harder things, but in the end Kevin will be better for it.  

I know the gospel is true and Christ is my Savior.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's church on Earth and He has set it up.  It is not a church of men, but of God.  

We pray for you, and keep you in our hearts.