The Internet is the Viagra of big business - Jack Welch and Meatloaf with Tangy Tomato Glaze

Photo by Susie Nelson

I haven’t had time to do much reading lately, so have missed stopping by and visiting everybody’s blogs.  Will try to catch up soon. Yesterday I spent a good portion of my day immersed in paperwork.  Perhaps spending our days buried in paper is Mother Nature’s retribution for cutting down her majestic trees.  In particular, these papers were loan pre-approval forms for purchasing a house.  It seems if you want to buy a house at least one tree must be sacrificed in the process. There was so much personal information requested in these forms that a reader should be able to locate the discretely placed mole under my right rib.  Sigh. Uncharacteristically, I have been avoiding this chore.  Usually, I heed my grandmother’s words to live by, “put the chores you like the least at the top of your to do ladder and work down to the more palatable ones”.  In this case, the loan paperwork was moved up and down the rungs of that ladder more times than a busy firefighter.

For years I worked in an office.  Paperwork was pushed down to me from above. Once processed on my desk, I pushed it on down the line to someone else who, in turn, pushed it further down the line until eventually it ended up wherever old paperwork goes to die; a shredder, a file cabinet, or gathering dust in banker’s box in the warehouse.  Every day I’d go in to work to find the empty inbox from the night before replenished in my absence and the next eight hours were spent trying to rid myself of it once again. Sort of like a secretarial version of Groundhog Day.

This year the gods have been particular prolific with their distribution of paper, at least at our house.  With the holidays approaching, merchants are sending out catalogs at an alarming rate to get those holiday bucks in the bank. I just round file one bunch and a new one appears to take its place.

With gas prices skyrocketing, particularly in California where everything has to cost more (about $.87/gallon more here), it makes good sense to order on-line. Besides rising gas prices, other incentives are the infinite variety of items available on the Web, plus avoiding the inevitable crush of holiday shoppers pushing and screaming their way through the stores. As with most things in life, ordering from the comfort of your easy chair is not seamless.  Last month was my other half’s birthday.  I ordered a pair of moccasins on-line in his usual size.  They arrived on time but once on his feet, proved to be too large. Since he loved the shoes, I filled out the exchange form, reboxed them, and headed to UPS. To return them it would seem would cost me $14.95.  Once received and exchanged I was debited $7.95 to ship the pair we exchanged them for.  Really?  Driving to the mall was starting to look better.  Three weeks later the new shoes arrived. Excited he put them on and in an imperfect world these were also too big.  Now, if I returned these for the next size down I could now have bought a second pair. After some deliberation we went to the store and bought a pair of Dr. Scholl’s inserts.  Case closed.

Last year my mother discovered catalog shopping.  A quick study when it comes to purchasing, it didn’t take her long to develop a taste for it.  For my mom, shopping is a vocation, and she’s damn good at her job.  Apparel would be her number one passion, items for the home running a close second.  In my formative years bags and boxes of new goodies were hidden by my mother in various closets, beneath beds, and in the attic to be introduced later and always described when asked if new as “this old thing”.  To this day her closet is legendary.  Tours are conducted weekly. Clothing is arranged according to color and occasion.  Evening or more dressy items are stored in huge plastic zipper containers, also color coded.  All four seasons are represented and as each season rounds the bend clothing from the last is pushed toward the back and replaced by new season appropriate.  I’m quite sure the hospital gave her the wrong baby in the nursery because in that area we share no like genes. I am very neat as a human but if my red shirt is butting up against a blue plaid I do not required immediate solutions to the problem. As a kid I used to love to explore her closet, vamping in front of the full length mirror pretending to be a movie star or a princess from an exotic land.  I would try on all the beautiful clothes hanging there, accessorizing them from the storehouse of shoes and hats stacked on the shelves above.

Mother has a computer but it’s just for show.  Back a few years she took an introductory class and after two classes total frustration resulted in a mutual decision between teacher and student to go their separate ways.  This being the case, her catalog ordering must be done via the phone lines. To preface, this is a tricky ordering venue for my mom as she is deaf as a post, and pride has found no room for hearing aids. After this last ordering fiasco, the hearing aid situation is being reassessed. As luck would have it the customer service rep answering her call had a very heavy foreign accent.  Having a deaf person on one end and a person struggling with English on the other made navigating the lines of communication like rowing a canoe in a hurricane.  Managing to place the order but deliberating between several sizes the conversation became highly frustrating for both parties. Finally, my mother, who will be the first to tell you patience isn’t in her vocabulary, decided on a size and the order was placed.  Two days ago she received an enormous box with all her items in each size available.  I can’t wait to hear how the conversation with the customer service people regarding the returns goes down.  That’s my mom.

I love meatloaf.  I’ve tried it in so many different ways, but this one was particularly flavorful and the sauce was yum.

Meatloaf with Tangy Tomato Glaze

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 green onions, finely chopped (white and smidgen of green)
3 large mushrooms, finely chopped
1/3 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 large egg beaten
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
Glaze(recipe follows)

Tangy Tomato Glaze

8 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 cup catsup

Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Spread half on meat loaf, reserving other half for serving.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over med. heat. Add onions, green onions, mushrooms, green pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook over med-low heat for 6-8 mins. until vegetables are tender and onions translucent. Remove from heat. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, broth and tomato paste. Allow to cool.

Mix together bread crumbs, sage and garlic powder. In large mixing bowl combine cooled onion mixture, ground chuck, bread crumbs and spices and beaten egg with fork. If you prefer to mix by hand use your fingertips to avoid over mixing.

Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. Form into a loaf and place in pan. Crisscross with a fork to even out top. Coat with 1/2 of glaze mixture. Reserve the rest for serving. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Warm reserved glaze and serve with meat.