Baby, Its Cold!

We woke up yesterday to the first snowfall, it just happened to be December 1st. Perfect! I love the first snow. Winter is beautiful, minus the cold.

I love winter though, because of the things it represents to me. When I think winter I think.. warm. Ok, duh.... Bethany, its cold outside, how is that warmth? But.. let me explain.
When it is cold outside, the things inside turn warm. The heat gets cranked a bit, candles are lit more so the house is full of yummy scents. Drinks turn to hot tea and cappuccinos at night as I curl up with a new book or spend hours searching the internet for the next recipe to try for the next day.
It means Christmas is getting closer, which means baked cookies and lots of cooking.
It means the meals I make become... warmer and more hearty. Seeing, sesame noodle salad? That, my friends, I leave for spring or summer. Winter? We need thick chilis, chicken tortilla soups, meatballs, and meatloafs. Lots of mashed potatoes are needed with tons of gravy. Warmth - heat - the food that warms the belly and the soul.
Yes, I love winter... speaking of which, I need to clean off the kitchen table and light the sugar cookie candles - yum!


Alright, so with the oneset of winter, what was dinner tonight? Meatloaf. But, not just any meatloaf because I have made quite a few meatloafs. You see, I have been on a quest to find the perfect one. Some aren't flavorful enough, some are too soggy or too dry. Its hard to get the perfect meatloaf!
Well recently, I found a great meatloaf recipe at The Pioneer Woman. Its called "My Favorite Meatloaf" and I figured, if it is good enough for PW then it must be good enough for me.
What makes this dish special?
A few things really stick out in my mind.
I really like that she soaks the bread in milk and adds it to the recipe. Most call for the bread to be under the meatloaf to soak the grease, speaking of which, this is cooked on a broiler pan so you don't need to do the whole loaf pan, just in a loaf shape. The ingredients are very simple.
I like the sauce used overtop - ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and tabasco.. Basic, yet yummy. The best part? The layer of bacon overtop of the loaf, under the sauce. That adds this crispy yet yummy, even kind of sweet, taste to the meatloaf that kicks it in the butt.
Yes, my friends, I found the perfect meatloaf. No doubt I will continue to work with it, improve it, but it is now in my recipe box - the "box" that I pull out meals for our family from. It was Robert approved, so thats a good sign.

Now that I introduced you to the best meatloaf, I hope you go to her site and try it out. Her recipes are yummy and I can spend hours there, envious of her and drooling over the recipes.
I have to admit, PW is what I dream of - homesteading, ranching, living in the middle of nowhere, homeschooling, cooking. Am I jealous of her? Slightly, even though I try not to be.

Now.. I am going to go finish diaper laundry, make myself some tea, and maybe some cinnamon bread, shall I dare?