I had two favorite things this week.  First, a Meatloaf Sandwich.  I like meatloaf – at least my own – and I LURVE me a Meatloaf Sandwich!  I made meatloaf for Sunday dinner, baking an extra for lunches this week.  We all had slices of leftover meatloaf with cheese on soft oatmeal bread on Monday and Tuesday.  Best lunch in the entire world.  Now that I think of it, the meatloaf leftovers are actually better than the original dinner.  Now that you’re drooling on the keyboard, wouldja like to make your own?  Here’s the scoop:

Makes Two loaves, one for Dinner, one for Leftover Meatloaf Sandwiches

Meatloaf

2 T olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

3 lb lean ground beef

2 eggs

2 c bread crumbs (I make my own out of leftover whole wheat bread)

3 T dijon mustard

small can of tomato paste, or substitute ketchup, about 1/4 c

salt and pepper to taste

Veggie Topping

1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 green pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Saute onions and celery in the olive oil until translucent.  Add cooked veggies to the rest of the meatloaf ingredients in large bowl, mix until well combined.  Spoon mixture into two loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees until done.  While meatloaf is baking, simmer the tomatos, green peppers and onions in a small pan.  Season with cayenne and salt to taste.  Top meatloaf slices with the veggie topping and serve with smashed taters.

My second favorite thing this week is the Stephen Breen Wildcat Challenge.   The Wildcat Challenge is the annual two week long basketball tournament in our diocese; funds raised are donated to the Stephen Breen Foundation.  Stephen was the oldest son and nephew of some dear friends of ours who died from Ewing’s Sarcoma (a very rare form of bone cancer) when he was fifteen.  Stephen was a great kid. During his illness, he grew even more courageous and determined to give something back to the community that supported him, and convinced his parents to start a trust in his name to provide money for Catholic School scholarships and for cancer research.  This kid is still an inspiration to all of us! He possessed wisdom beyond his age, and had such incredible faith in God and His goodness. 

I really liked the games yesterday evening in which Teen Son#1 played.  The Wildcats played their arch nemesis, the other 7th grade Wildcat team from our school, and they WON with a basket in the last two seconds.  Not that I encourage gloating or anything like that, especially when the opposing team consists of the children of our friends and fellow parishoners; however – our boys work hard and play fair,  our coach is supportive instead of the yelling type, and I can’t help but be biased in favor of my adorable son and his best friends!

These amazing photos were not taken by yours truly, although if you visit the Stephen Breen Wildcat Challenge website and click on the “Days” in the top menu, you can see a lot of my work.  I was too busy jumping up and down and cheering during this game to take photos!

Okay.  I admit that I am a Type A personality and I can’t stand it when ‘things’ get out of order.  I’ve relaxed considerably over the past two decades of raising kids, though, and occasionally I come home in the evening to realize that *gasp*  I missed a night on the dinner planner.  Nothing is thawed.  There isn’t some meal simmering in the crockpot or baking in the [pre programmed and timed] oven.  Ten years ago this would have instigated a Con- NIP-tion fit, but now?  Eh.  I’ve been beaten down by the unending demands of a gangly group of teens so I turn to the masses, grin really big and declare, “It’s PANCAKE NIGHT!!” 

Much rejoicing, laughter and Whoops of Joy ensue.

Pancakes – original recipe from my ancient , red checkered BHandG cookbook.  Typed into this post from memory.  Of course, my memory isn’t what it used to be, so this version includes the ‘extra’ stuff I’ve been tossing in since the beginning of time.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl to blend.  Then whisk all the wet stuff together in another bowl, breaking up the egg yolks.  Dump the wet stuff into the dry stuff, whisk quickly just to blend.  Pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter per pancake on a preheated, 375 degree griddle.  Drop blueberries or other fruit of choice onto each pancake, as much as you want.  When the top is bubbly and the edges are dry looking, flip the pancakes over, cook for another minute then frisbee onto a plate for the waiting kids.  Repeat over and over.  Teach kids how to make their own pancakes and let them bring you a plate while you sit at the kitchen table and tell them what a good job they are doing. Serve pancakes with whipped cream.  Or maple syrup.  Or (Teen Son#1’s favorite) peanut butter AND maple syrup.