Today on Cooking with Kim...

...meatloaf! The ultimate in comfort food, nothing satisfies quite like a wonderful meatloaf with a pile of mashed potatoes and gravy next to it. I have a lot of friends who are looking for easy recipes, and even more friends who claim to not be able to cook. I wanted to show all of these folks that you can reach a state of culinary nirvana with just 6 simple ingredients and a little bit of time.

Now, let me preface this by saying that this recipe is the result of years of failed meatloafs. My husband hated meatloaf until I finally started using this recipe, and now when he comes home and smells this in the oven a smile the likes of which one normally does not witness from a husband unless 50-yard line seats to a ball game are involved erupts across his face.

I asked him one day why he hated meatloaf so much. He lovingly explained that his mom used meatloaf as a sort of evil conduit to hold all manner of vegetables that he has never, nor will ever like in the slightest. She used to pack her meatloaf with "chunks" (this is important later on) of tomato and green bell peppers to the point that he would literally gag when trying to eat it. Now, I have to have full disclosure here: the DH can be a bit of a picky eater, but when it comes to the entire meat family he is pretty laid back. A typical conversation at our house:

Me: "What would you like for dinner, honey?"

Him: "Meat, no bones. No nuts, no coconut."

Me: "OK."

Pretty much gives a girl a bit of leeway, don't you think?

So, here is the cast of characters for this production. First of all, ground chuck. Now, now, don't get all, "But Kim, that has 20% fat content! It is evil in a tube!" Normally, I would agree, but trust me, we will deal with the fat and you need a "non-lean" meat to make this all come together properly. Also, I do not normally use 5 pounds, I use about 2 1/2, but today I was making 3 big meatloafs to put in the FIL's freezer, so you are seeing a 5 pound portion of meat.

Next up, the mix-ins. There is no need to get fancy with this dish. Simple really is best here and will yield the best flavor and consistency. I use (per meatloaf) 2 eggs, a pack and a half of the onion soup, and a healthy dose of Worcestershire sauce and Italian Seasoned bread crumbs. YUMMY!!!










So, put your meat, eggs, soup mix, worcestershire sauce, and bread crumbs into a very large bowl. You want to have room to work, so don't put it into a "just big enough" bowl. Trust me, your pets will love you as bits of meat go flying, but you'll be crying in your chopped cow.
























Now, here is the part that is important. Do not use a spoon, dough hook, food processor, or any other implement of destruction to mix these elements together. Use your hands. Both of them. Relive your childhood and all the times you played with Play-Doh, clay, mud, or whatever floated your boat and get in there. This does two things for your meatloaf. First, you are able to really get things incorporated in a nice, homogenous manner. This means no bite will have a big honkin' taste of onion soup or bread crumbs or anything else in it. Each bite will be as delectable as the one before it. Secondly, the heat from your hands is going to start melting the fat in the meat which is going to lead to a more cohesive loaf.

If only I could squish and squeeze all those crazy world leaders together...

OK, back to cooking, I'll have to work on world peace tomorrow sometime.

After about 8-10 minutes of squishing meat between your fingers you will see it all really starting to stick together. Now, I do not measure ingredients when I cook something like this. I do that when I bake, because you have to. Cooking like this is more about sight and feel, so all I can tell you is when you are mixing this together if it feels too mushy and looks too juicy you need to add another couple of sprinkles of bread crumbs to help even it out. If it gets too dry or stiff, you can add a little evaporated milk, not to be confused with sweetened condensed milk, lest your relatives start looking up the names of places like "Restful Manor" or "The Retirement Center" for you to live in.

Trust me, at the slightest sign that you are off your cooking kilter they will.

Now, take your big ball of meat in your skillful hands and start forming it into a loaf. Pack it tightly as you work with it, and remember that because this meat has 20% fat content there will be shrinkage.

Ha-Ha....snort...oh, "shrinkage". Can anyone name that Seinfeld episode?

Now, important thing number 528 to remember: your meat loaf should never, ever, under any circumstances and penalty of being whipped with wet noodles, ever see a "loaf" pan. We aren't baking bread, we are cooking meat. And if you put this into a loaf pan it is not going to get the heat it needs and it is going to sit in its own rendered fat. Not tasty at all. Get thee a rack and placeth it on a baking sheet, one with at least a little side to it.

Unless you are particularly fond of firemen, do not place this on a cookie sheet. You need a pan with a slight side (like a jelly roll pan) to keep the grease away from the bottom of your stove where the heating elements live. Trust me on this one, the fire department will come and save your burning oven, but they will laugh at you later on. Not that I've ever had that happen to me. I just read a lot of stories like that.

See how my loaf is perched nicely on a rack? That is a happy hunk o' meat.

At this point, if you want to go for the full on, tastes like my mom made it only better effect, start squirting on the ketchup. Cover that entire top, do not be shy about that. I usually spread mine out a bit with a spoon so that I have a good coverage. Now, pop that bad boy into a 350 degree oven, set a timer for an hour and walk away. Let the irresistable aroma of baking bovine goodness fill your house and soul.



YUMMY!!















I check my creation after about an hour to see if I think it needs more time. This one took about an hour and twenty minutes to cook all the way through. You should be able to push on the side with your finger and have it spring right back. Also, any juices that are coming out of it should be completely clear.

After you remove it from the oven, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. I know, it smells good! I know, you want some right now, but trust me, if you cut into it all those great juices are going to run out of it and be gone, and your tasty leftover meatloaf sandwich tomorrow will be a dried out mess. Leave it alone! Let it take a little nap so all those juices will settle down.

The best part? You can't really tell from the picture above, but there is a lot of fat in the bottom of that pan. This is why you want it on a rack, to give that fat somewhere to go. Now, if you have dogs with stomachs of steel, like Baxter, then the kindly thing to do after your remove the loaf from this pan and cut it would be to take a few pieces of bread, let them soak up the greasiness in the pan, and give those to the dog.

If you have a pup that throws up when she looks at table food, like Buffy, don't do that. I know that they are looking at you all pitiful with those big brown eyes, but the aftermath of that indulgence is too ugly to write about here.

I hope you enjoyed this, my final post from West Virginia. I am really looking forward to getting home and seeing you all, and getting this blog back to cards and card making. I wish everyone a happy weekend, and until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Something old, something new....

...something molten that someone blew.

I have not gone crazy and decided to rewrite the old poem about what a young lady needs for her wedding, although I think any young woman getting married would love to get some gifts from where I was today.

I am not much of a collector, except for stamps (don't judge me. I know y'all have stamps stowed away at your collective residences!), but I have always loved pretty glass. Having lived in West Virginia myself for the better part of 9 years, I learned about and loved Fenton glass. I have a few small pieces myself that I treasure. I had, however not heard of Blenko glass until this past year.

Blenko Glass Company is located in Milton, WV. You have to go a little off the beaten path to find the place, but it is worth it. When you get there, you see the visitor center settled right next to a pristine pond that is surrounded by beautiful maple and oak trees. The company was founded in 1893 by a young glassmaker who immigrated to the United States from London, where he began learning the art of glassblowing at the age of 13.

He tried starting his company in Point Marion, PA, which is incidentally the city that my DH and I lived in until we moved to Austin, and it failed. He finally settled in Milton, WV and the company became a success. They create not only amazing blown pieces, but also the most intricate stained glass windows you will ever see. When you first arrive, this is the view of the visitor's center, also known as the place where Kim spent some stamping money today.

As you walk up to the front of the store you cannot help but notice the flower beds. They are outlined in glass bricks, and feature some of the glass art that is produced inside, half buried in the dirt! I could not believe that they would put them outside like this, but I guess I can understand. The glass bricks were amazing, in every color imaginable. If I thought I could lug them through the airport I would have brought home a ton of them.

Then, you walk inside and are greeted by the sight you see above. Hundreds of pieces of handblown, original glass everywhere. I think my heart skipped a couple of beats when I got hit with the color cornucopia that is the Blenko Glass Store. I don't think I need to tell y'all that before the door was ever opened I gave Little Miss a set of instructions that puts the flight attendant pre-flight check list to shame.

"Welcome to Blenko glass. My name is Mommy and I will be watching you like a hungry hawk eyes up a mouse for the duration of your visit today. There are emergency exits here, here, and here, and if I have to take you outside it will not end well for you. In the event of any overwhelming desire to touch anything, two hands will appear out of nowhere, even if I am 10 feet away, and remove you from the situation immediately. Let me remind you, Mommy has eyes in the back of her head and the penalty for not following my instructions involves you never seeing another Littlest Pet Shop until you are old enough to buy them for your own children. Now, welcome to this lovely store and have a wonderful visit."

Every other sentence ended in the phrase, "and everything is a NO TOUCH". She is very good about keeping her hands in and by her side in situations like this, but she is also 4, so I figured a little extra insurance was worth it.

After pausing for a few minutes we decided we would do the tour first before I started my favorite sport, competitive shopping. If they would only have that one at the Olympics I would be right up there with Michael Phelps for number of gold medals. I have a special gland just for shopping hormone. It is a curse, but it is one that I have learned to live with. Sort of.

We go upstairs and follow a little walkway to part of the production plant. Now, let me tell you something about glass production. It is HOT!!! I mean, these guys are working in a room that had no fewer than 10 kilns burning like the sun on steroids in it. We find this guy, who I am going to call "Bob the Brave", working a fresh piece of glass. See how pretty and red it is? That isn't the color of the glass. That is the color of fire. The glass is so hot that when he starts working with it it is actually glowing. Now, take a moment to look at the proximity of said molten piece of lava-hot glass to Bob's leg. You think that the material between him and the glass would be Nomex or asbestos or something, but I don't think it was. So Bob starts doing what any normal, rational human would do when handed a stick with a piece of 2000 degree melted sand on it.

He puts his MOUTH ON THE OTHER END OF THE METAL TUBE AND BLOWS INTO IT. "Hi! I'll take 'Jobs I'll never do' for $1000, Alex!" I mean, what if you forget your chapstick? What if you are sick to your tummy? What if, God forbid, right at the very moment you lock lips with this tube you get the hiccups? Oh, the humanity!

However, Bob is very brave and continues to blow and shape this piece of glass until it forms a perfect little sphere. Then he rolls it back and forth and sprinkles some nice, cool water on that little "waistline" in the glass. At this point, another guy that I wasn't able to get a picture of comes over with another big

stick that has a tiny little piece of blazing hot glass on it, pushes it onto the end of Bob's piece of glass, and Bob taps his pipe and the glass snaps off onto the other stick. At this point they put it back into the kiln and fire it again, then it moves onto another guy who is equally as brave as Bob and he does more work to it. This glass actually ends up looking blue when they are done.

So, after watching these guys work for about 45 minutes, I went back into the store section and did some shopping. I don't have pictures of all the pieces I bought, but I did find this picture on Blenko's website. This is exactly like a bowl that the DH got for me from their "Strata" collection. I was amazed at how gorgeous it was, and cannot wait to get it home and find it the perfect place to live within my abode.

I have to give some serious kudos to the lady working the front of the store. She wrapped my pieces in so much bubble wrap I think I could throw them to the ground and they would still survive, although I am not risking them under the plane. I don't know how I am going to carry all of it on, but rest assured when my plane lifts from Columbus on Saturday until it lands in Austin, this and my other treasures will be safely within arms reach at all times. I can already feel about 10 different card designs coming out of this one...so I am ready to get it home.

One last picture before I go, a gratuitous shot of my baby, my hubby, and his daddy. What a great crew these 3 are! I hope everyone has a great night, and until next time, Happy Stamping!

Pictures from Kanawha...

...and my father-in-law's place! Yes, that is correct, I finally outsmarted my digital camera and the laptop all at the same time and am able to now take photos and post them for everyone! So, here are just a few shots of where I am and who I am with.


First of all, this is JP. He is a doll of a FIL, let me tell you! He always makes me feel like I was his very own daughter, and I feel extremely blessed to have him in my family tree. A little bit about him: he is 88 years old (closing rapidly in on 89) and is a veteran of World War II. Yep, you heard me right. I asked him one time about what he did, and in his typical humble manner he told me about being in the US Army Air Corps (which was the predecessor of the Air Force). He had never been out of West Virginia before he served, and the next thing you know he gets put on board an aircraft carrier and sent to Guam.



He goes on to talk about going through Pearl Harbor to get over to Guam (luckily he wasn't there during the attack, although the USS West Virginia was sunk there). And what did he do while in Guam? Well, remember Fat Man and Little Boy? Someone had to help move those puppies onto the planes and get them ready to deploy. Dad was one of those guys. When he does sit with me and talk about those days, he mostly talks about his friends there, the friends from home who didn't make it back, and the fact that all anyone wanted in the United States was for that terrible war to stop. I don't have a scanner here, but I can tell you, he was so handsome in his uniform! And he still is, even at 88!



After the war was over he came back home to West Virginia and with the exception of taking my DH and the rest of his family to Florida every summer, he has always been here. He worked for 40 years at DuPont before retiring. Now he mostly just feeds the fish in the river, pets the new cat, and watches football on TV. (Oh, and let me not forget that he spoils Little Miss with all of his attention, as evidenced in the next picture.)





This is JP with his grand-baby down at the river bank that his house sits on. She has to be at his side all day long. Of course, it doesn't hurt that all the fish in the river know when they see him that half a loaf of bread is about to fall from the heavens, and she loves to feed the fish. She doesn't let Paw-Paw get out of her sight!




















Next up is my DH with the Little Miss. Forgive his appearance, he has been truly sick for about 10 days now. So sick, in fact, that when I said, "You know baby, we should take you to the walk-in clinic down the road" he actually agreed. All of you wives know how severe that situation is. The doctor at the clinic is pretty sure that David has what amounts to "walking" pneumonia and put him on some heavy duty antibiotics and super-duper cough syrup. He is snoring in the bed as I type, but at least he isn't coughing right now. I think I will be bunking with the child tonight.





Next up, the view from Dad's back yard. This is also the view (or part of it) from the big windows in the kitchen, hence the reason I do not mind being in there all day long cooking! It is so incredibly beautiful, my only regret is that we didn't wait until late October to come visit. Why late October you ask? Well, all that green turns red, orange, and gold and is stunning for a couple of weeks before the trees give up their beauty to sleep through the long winter. I promise I will keep my camera at the ready tomorrow so hopefully I will get some pictures of the coal barges as they go up and down the river. It is amazing to see these huge loads of coal getting pushed by this seemingly small vessel.



Finally, no trip to Kanawha County, WV would be complete without a picture or two of the Capitol. As you can see, this one, like ours in Austin, is modeled after the Capitol building in Washington, DC. Unlike either, however, the dome of the State Capitol in WV is completely covered in gold. You heard me correctly, real gold leaf covers the dome and spire in its entirity. There was quite a bit of controversy a few years ago when the dome needed recovered. You see, unemployment in this state is epic, people here are poorer than just about any state in the Union (although I think Mississippi and Arkansas try their best to take that title every year), and the state passed the motion to spend an incredibly large amount of money to cover a dome in gold. You will find that while this decision was not the most popular at the time, just about every citizen of the state is darn proud of their building, and they should be.

A little side note about security at this building: unlike our Capitol in Austin, there are no barriers between the West Virginia Capitol and the roadway. In fact, we are pulled over into a parking spot directly in front of the building as I was snapping this shot.

So there is my little photo tour of the first few days of our visit here. Now that my electronics know who the real boss is around this joint (please, oh please don't crash computer!!) I will be putting more candid shots up the next few days. I hope everyone is doing well, and thanks for sticking with me during this non-card time.

I will admit that I went to the big craft store today and bought some new paper because I am having a card making fit right now, so stay tuned, you never know what I might try here with limited supplies! Have a great night everyone, and until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

What I did on my WV vacation...

...aka, A Very Short Essay by Me.

First of all, Hi to everyone back home in Texas and everywhere else in the world.

Just a quick update about what is going on up here in the Appalachian mountains. I am well on my way to world domination through marathon cookery, otherwise known as filling up JP's freezer with more precooked meals than Jenny Craig. The best part is he loves (or at least does a good job of faking love) everything I make for him. And I cannot forget the fact that his kitchen has a great view of the big river that goes through his town, so I get to watch the ducks and coal barges move up and down all day long. Always a plus!

Now, let me tell you about my anniversary yesterday. You know how some girls get to go to fancy restaurants or fun shows for their anniversary? Well, that is now how I spent my day. Not that I wouldn't have liked that, I really, really would. (Are you reading this, DH?) This year, however, I spent my 14th anniversary scrubbing shower walls and making a homemade Red Velvet Cake with real buttercream icing. I know what some of you are thinking, "What kind of pod took over Kim and left Betty Crocker in her place?!?", but I can assure you that this cake is worth the trouble.

I would share the recipe, but I think I signed a contract sometime when I married my hubby that stated I could not ever share the recipe outside of the realms of the Williams' family lest I suffer dire consequences. My mother-in-law refused to give me the recipe until after my first anniversary. I guess she wanted to make sure I didn't just marry her boy to get my mitts on her secret recipe stash and a year with him was proof enough. But, I will tell you one thing: this recipe rests somewhere between culinary genius and chemistry experiment. You can't make it if it is too hot. You can't make it if it is too cold. You must (and I am quoting straight off of her old cards here, folks) NEVER, EVER try to make this if it is humid. That kind of limits your options here in WV, and requires serious air conditioner usage in Central Texas.

I will also share this little tidbit. The icing. Oh, goodness, the humanity of it!! I try to convince myself that the amount of butter in it isn't really 3/4 of a pound. I fail miserably every single time, though. I can tell you one thing. If angels made icing it would taste like what is on this cake. I think that the next time I have any type of stamping event I am going to make red velvet cupcakes and put this icing on it to see what that does for my attendance levels. (I bet Lydia will come if I do...rofl!)

So, after a day of cooking and cleaning and feeding sunfish at the river and petting the cat, I go to bed just to listen to my DH's hacking cough all night long.

Happy Anniversay, sunshine!

But in all seriousness, it was a great day and we are having a wonderful time. Plus my DH got my two cute cards (I'll write more on that one another time). Right now we are going out to take my hubby to a clinic so that they can diagnose whatever creepy crud he has brewing in his lungs and to get my FIL a new rocker recliner for his living room.

I hope everyone is having a great day, and I can't wait to see y'all again soon!

Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Country Roads...

...take me home. We are currently in Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia visiting with my father-in-law, JP. He is about the most wonderful guy you would ever want to meet and the best Paw-Paw Little Miss could ever ask for.

I wanted to thank everyone who was saying prayers that my family and I would have a safe flight here. Our flight was amazing! We flew over the top of the hurricane and got an incredible view. I would love to have some pictures to submit here of the sights I saw, but Little Miss has taken the window seat from me and refuses to relinquish it, so getting good shots was pretty much impossible. Add to that the fact that I am the MOST NERVOUS FLIER IN THE WORLD and you can see how it wouldn't work out so well.

Anyway, after leaving our house at around 5:30 yesterday morning (did y'all know that 5:30 comes twice a day? I did not.) we left Bergstrom around 8 a.m., flew into Nashville for a 2 hour layover, then on up to Columbus, OH, at which point we picked up our rental car and started our 3 hour drive into Charleston. I will vent just a tad about our rental car. It was absolutely filthy inside and out, and I intend to let the company know how bad it was as soon as I get home. Yuck!

Little Miss made sure last night to spend plenty of time explaining to her Paw-Paw the intricacies of Littlest Pet Shop versus Puppy in My Pocket and how you can make them play together. If only the world would figure out a system like hers, there would be no more war...lol! She then showed him everything in her backpack, talked my husband into letting her have a lollipop before dinner, and demonstrated her ability to eat 2 big slices of pizza. I am sure that Paw-Paw was impressed.

Today we are going to go grocery shopping then I will begin a 6 day cook-a-rama to fill up JP's freezer with homemade meals for when we return home. If I can figure out how to get pictures from my other digital camera onto the laptop I will show y'all some of the beautiful sights from here. I'll be home on the 20th, and can't wait to get back to my stamping table! (Keli is keeping it warm for me though....hi Keli!)

I hope everyone has a great week...and I'll see y'all soon! Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Has it really....

...been 10 days since my last post? YIKES! Sorry, y'all, but getting back into the swing of things after a relaxing vacation has been a bit harder than I expected here. So let me start off by showing off some pics from our trip out to Horseshoe Bay! This is the view from the balcony of the condo that D. rented for us. We had initially planned on staying for just 2 nights...but decided to stay for 3 because we were having too much fun to leave on Thursday. Let me just say, everything out there was really nice, and if you don't want to stay in the Marriott...go for the condos! They are equipped really well and the views are incredible. Plus, ours was about a 100 yard walk to the spa, and that, well, that was about all I could manage after a day of getting pampered to death. I could definitely live that kind of lifestyle if money were no object and I had someone to do all the chores...lol!


Here you see me and the little miss out for dinner on Wednesday night. Let me tell you...that was the night that all the bad storms really kicked up and came into Austin. Well, we had the front row seat out there! The sky was absolutely black, and we were sitting by a huge picture window overlooking the lake as this monster storm just built up more and more. Little one here does not like storms one bit (just one of the phobias she picked up from me) and kept asking if everything was going to be ok. We assured her that it was just getting to be night time and that things were fine, but inside my stomach was in complete knots. I was more than happy when the storm finally went around the lake and away from us. Finally, this is just one of the amazing views at Whitewater, which is basically a profession putting golf course. Folks, this ain't yo' mama's

Putt-Putt! This course is an 18-hole, par 72 putting course that was immaculately kept. Along the course there are flamingos, big cages of macaws, and a lot of beautiful water life. And, I am proud to say, for the very first time in my life I actually broke par! Thank goodness the hubby can "read" greens because I couldn't tell which way they were going to break. We had a blast playing this one. They told us, "It will take about an hour to play", and I thought, "Man, there is no one on this course and we are going to take some pictures while we are out." Sure enough, we took about two hours and 15 minutes, but it was time very well spent. And, except for David's sunburned feet where they were exposed between the sandal straps (you think by now he would remember to put sunscreen on them) it was a great day.

Thanks for all of the great birthday wishes I got from all of you! It was probably the best birthday I have ever had. I'll be posting some cards tomorrow, and updating you all on what is going to be going on with regards to the retiring stamp list.

See you all soon!

Kim