Happy 40th Birthday, Ann!  

40 Reasons You're AWESOME! 

"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte.  "That in itself is a tremendous thing." ~E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

1.     Your unwavering friendship

2.     You are a devoted wife

3.     The empathy and compassion you have for animals

4.     World's Okayest Mom

5.     Cutest hair award

6.     Intuition to know when people are in need of any emotion

7.     Genuine happiness for other people's success

8.     Nothing fake about you

9.     Coffee and Conversation are your super-powers

10.   OMG, those brownies you bake 

11.    Athletic Genes

12.    You can sew

13.    You are a happy hooker...what, you like to knit

14.    Being vegetarian is kind

15.    Your love is unconditional

16.    You know when to call bullshit

17.    Always up for an adventure

                                                                                    18.    Innkeeper of the Year goes to YOU

                                                                                    19.    Volunteer heart 

                                                           20.    Prefers the simple things in life, never over the top

21.    Always willing to help a friend in need

22.    Not a basic bitch

23.    You have a dirty mind

24.    Faithful to your friends and family

25.    Dedicated to causes close to your heart

26.    Excellent taste in music

27.    You always make informed, 
          educated decisions

28.    The books you read are always awesome

29.    Brexton and Quinn 

30.    BEST FRIEND AWARD

31.    Most appreciative person when people do kind       things for you

32.    Cheap, but not selfish

33.    Cool tattoos 

34.    Secrets are safe with you

35.    Emotional AF 

36.    You get sucked into B-Rated movies too

37.    Ability to stand up for what's right, even if you   stand alone

                                                                38.    Kind, but not a pushover

                                                                39.    Honest, Respectful, and True to You

40.    “Today you are You, that is truer than true. 

           There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”  ~Dr. Seuss

                               

Meatloaf Madness

I love to cook! I get excited to cook. I know I'm a good cook. I can cook just about anything from country to gourmet, from Italian to French, from a recipe or from my own made up dishes. I love to cook! Unfortunately I cannot cook meatloaf to save my life.

Everyone has that dish they call their own. It's one of their signature dishes that always starts with a "My". "MY" Mac & Cheese, "MY" spaghetti sauce, "MY" meatloaf. And you know it's good because you always get a request for that dish at every pot luck or bring a dish to pass party. Bring "YOUR" baked beans, ooooo will you make "YOUR" pasta salad. Sadly I've never heard "how about making me YOUR meatloaf". No one wants MY meatloaf. And I am okay with this. I can and have and will continue to admit meatloaf mayhem.

There is only one teeny tiny problem with my inability to form meat and veges and spices into a loaf...it's that meatloaf is my husband's all time favorite dish. Of course it is. Why couldn't he just love linguine with a white-wine sauce, why couldn't he settle for seared scallops with a balsamic reduction, why can't he just be happy with vege burgers? Nope, he loves loves loves meatloaf and I am so thankful that he loves me in spite of my meatloaf inadequacies. Although I'm certain that if I ever serve up a perfect meatloaf I could convince him to buy me something shiny.

I've tried everything to make perfection in a loaf pan. I've tried countless recipes, I've tried making up my own mix, I've bought the very best meat combination, I've watched food network, I've scoured the Internet, I've consulted with friends & family and I still come up short. The key, according to Alton Brown, is don't over-mix the meat. (I'll pause for a moment while you make a joke about how I handle the meat). The key, according to Rachel Ray is to start with fresh ground meat from your butcher. (of course) Other less famous yet equally yummy foodies say "use your hands to mix it" (Um, ewwww) "try adding a little of this and less of that" (yeah, been there done that)

You can ask my husband he laughs every time we have meatloaf for dinner and he will tell me what is good about it and what could be better about it and sometimes he just tells me to order a pizza. On one of our date nights we made a list of what we loved about the other. He wrote "the way you always try to make me meatloaf". Key word here was TRY. It has become our thing...him loving meatloaf and me trying to satisfy that love. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I imagine I've broken his heart a hundred times over with MY meatloaf.

It has become part of my quest in life. To perfect this dish. My madness. My meatloaf madness.