A Haven for Vee

Thursday, January 5, 2012

JOY

Yesterday, John and I finally climbed into the same car and went to the same place to do the same thing. Is it ever that way in your family? Seems as if he was always over the road doing errands and such and I was always at home doing not so much.

We desperately needed to come to a decision on a new stove. He was leaving the decision to me; I wanted his help. It all turned out well in the end, though it was rough sledding there for a bit. I'm happy to report that we have a new stove to be delivered next Monday (it had to be ordered) and I am now dreaming of Aunt Margie's Double Cheese Meatloaf. (recipe to follow)

Also on our list of errands was to get the Christmas photos printed. Do you print your photos? I didn't for a long time and have lived to regret that choice. Now I get all photos that I really love printed. The wonderful thing is that, once I have them in my hand, I see things that I had not before even though the computer screen is much larger than the photo in hand. This is what I saw with yesterday's batch and though you've seen them before, I'm sharing again with my new perspective. Each mosaic features a letter with the original photo on the top and the close-ups below.







Happy Grands! 

Oh here's the recipe for the meatloaf, beatloaf, I LOVE meatloaf. (Yes, I have been watching way too many Christmas movies.)

Aunt Margie's Double Cheese Meatloaf

Ingredients:
* 1½ pounds ground beef
* 1 egg
* ½ cup chopped onions
* ¾ cup cracker crumbs
* 2- 8 oz cans tomato sauce with cheese if you can find it; otherwise, just sprinkle some cheese into it
* ½ tsp salt
* ½ tsp oregano
* ¼ tsp pepper
* 2 cups of shredded cheese of choice...I use a variety of cheddar, mozzarella, and American cheese

Method:

Mix beef, egg, onion, cracker crumbs, ⅓ cup sauce and spices.
Flatten out on waxed paper
Form a 10 inch by 12 inch rectangle
Spread cheese evenly over the rectangle
Roll up like a jelly roll using the wax paper to do so
Bake in a shallow dish at 350° for 1 hour
Pour remainder of tomato sauce over the loaf
Bake an additional 15 minutes.

This is my favorite meatloaf first served to me on my sixteenth birthday while visiting my Aunt Margie in Maryland! I've never forgotten.

*Double Cheese Meatloaf Printable Link*


37 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recipe Vee...that might just be my dinner tonight!
    Great photos!

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  2. Oh I agree...JOY!!!!!!! I am just smiling...what a way to start my day. I love these pictures...they are just adorable. The sock monkey hat is great...we had sock monkey ornaments this year.

    Enjoy your new stove...your header is beautiful...so peaceful. We are enjoying warm weather and I even played in the dirt yesterday.

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  3. So happy you are getting a new stove! I remember last year about this time when we were stove shopping. My oven worked okay but I was down to only one working burner. :)

    I keep telling Stephanie I need more grandchildren pictures but she rarely gets her pictures printed.

    She did send (as a Christmas gift to hubby and I) a calendar she had made using pictures from our trip to Colonial Williamsburg.

    There are grandchildren pictures on it as well as some pretty scenery pics... a calendar that will be kept forever.

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  4. If my photos were this cute I'd not only print them, I'd make them into posters, calendars, coffee cups .... JOY perfectly describes the looks on their faces and the legs up in the air. SOOOO Cute!!
    Gosh that meatloaf sounds delish. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

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  5. Great Photos! Isn't being a Grandma wonderful!

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  6. These photos are so adorable, they would make excellent cards or a calendar. Meatloaf sounds delicious. Now I am thinking of it with a side of mashed potatoes! xo

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  7. Joy indeed! I've never seen tomato sauce with cheese in it. Interesting. The recipe looks great! Enjoy dreaming of that oven hot with this meatloaf cooking in it!

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  8. Vee,
    Love the photos and those rosy cheeks!
    To your needlebooks...they remind me, especially your mention of 'wonky' corners..
    I 'made' a cover for my Kindle. I used an old shirt so I could take advantage of the hem of the shirt, since my sewing machine has never been unpacked, ever. And I've had it for like 10 years? I had wonky corners, but it was still kind of nice. Til I lost it.

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  9. Love the pic's...revisited! I have finally quit printing off photos...but I make Shutterfly photobooks of every vacation and one of the grandkids each year. And I also make one special photobook for each grand at each three. They love looking at 'their' books!

    The meatloaf looks great...to be tested soon in my kitchen. Would Aunt Margie mind if it got shared on MGCC sometime?

    No Mediterranean Cruise, Vee! Just a one-nighter in the big city of Vancouver for a quick get-away. I'm looking down on city streets from the 19th floor this morning. No umbrellas needed today!

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  10. This is my meatloaf recipe! Except I get lazy after a while and started just mixing the cheese into the meat mixture. Not as fancy, but still tasty! Enjoy your blog!

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  11. Meatloaf is hands down always my favorite (and several of my boys too when they were growing up)This sounds like a great recipe. The grands are just darling. What fun they are having. Have a good day!

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  12. Oh man! Looks like so much fun. Wish I were there. Was there. Whichever.

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  13. Those rosy cheeks are just so sweet. What fun the boys are having in the snow. Do you still have snow on the ground?

    Printing pictures is something I need to do more of. Thanks for the reminder.

    I went to YouTube to look for info on the camera but found mostly reviews, not how-tos. I'll explore more later, but if you find something good, let me know! Thanks for pointing this out to me.

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  14. Love those rosie cheeks and precious smiles! Isn't it wonderful to see children (especially when they're yours or your grandchildren) having such fun?

    Looking forward to seeing pictures of your new stove. Oh, and lots of goodies you'll be making.

    We love meatloaf, too, and I'm going to try your recipe soon. Thank you!

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  15. I'm glad you're getting that new stove! I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot. Your grandsons are so cute and look like they are having fun in the snow. I still print off favorite photos too. Enjoy the nice weather. Blessings, Pamela

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  16. I am ABSOLUTELY going to make this asap. It sounds delicious!

    I must get photos printed. Thanks for remnding me I need to find my "to do" list. It is lost. Sigh. the snow has arrived.

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  17. Oh, I do love those rosy cheeks. It takes me back to the days when the kiddos were young. It also reminds me of all the days we spent forever getting them ready to go out only to have them come back in just a few minutes to "potty" or get a drink. lol

    I'm glad you settled on a stove. That will be so nice. Mikey caught our oven on fire yesterday...good thing he is handy with an extinguisher because he needed one after he put water on the grease fire. sigh.....

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  18. We love meatloaf! We make our usual recipe but then we grill it! Really cooks up good! I need to get some of my photos printed. I do in online with Snapfish. Thanks for reminding me! Enjoy your afternoon! ♥

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  19. Ken and i usually do errands together.
    Great photos. Yes, lots of JOY.
    No, I don't print pictures anymore.

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  20. Gracious but those photos are super wonderful!!!! I know the Grands are adorable, but.... You the photographer deserve CREDIT tooooo.

    A new stove!!! Grrrrrrreat!!! Hope you are very happy with it.

    Here, we are finally actually FACING up to a new refrigerator. We've needed a new one for ages, but .... Me and my.... "awwww not yet." But this attitude of mine, is getting rather stupid... For in the long run. Sooooooooooooooooo...

    And I HATE, HATE, HATE to shop for most anything, but especially an appliance. I keep saying that he can go pick one out. So far, neither one of us has gone.

    But we MUST bite the bullet!!! -sigh- LOL.

    "Animal crackers, and cocoa to drink,
    That is the finest of suppers, I think;
    When I'm grown up and can have what I please
    I think I shall always insist upon these."

    ~Christopher Morley

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  21. Hi Vee!

    I'm excited for you and your new stove!! I went for over a year once without an oven . . . I thought I would lose my mind!

    I so agree with you on the printed photos. I love having all of my photos on my computer, but who looks at them but me?! You have inspired me to get some printed (you always inspire me... ;0))!

    What adorable grands!! I just love to see them all bundled up, with smiles and rosy cheeks - soooo cute!! How lucky you are to have snow . . . and grands!

    I just love your header picture - can I come curl up in your living room?!

    Thanks for the great recipe - I love meatloaf too, I can't wait to try it. Have I ever told you that I also love your shortbread recipe?!

    Hugs,
    Barb

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  22. Delightful photos of those happy Grands!

    Can't wait to see your new stove...we need one but it will have to wait a wee bit.

    Deanna

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  23. I love the rosey red cheeks on your grandsons in these photos, Vee! I have photos printed out now and then but haven't been that good at keeping up with it. I do have an external backup drive and I pay for extra storage space on Picasa so I fell they are safe in case my computer crashes.

    I hope you enjoy your new stove when it is delivered and installed. Meat Loaf sounds like an excellent choice for a first meal to make in it --perfect comfort food!

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  24. The BEST photos ever Vee! Loved seeing the little ones with there cherry cheeks!

    That meatloaf sounds wonderful. We just had plain old meatloaf last night...I will have to print our your recipe for the next time.

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  25. I've printed a few, mostly keep to the electronic photos. DH uses snapfish when they have great sales, or else he uses his beautiful Epson printer devoted to nothing but photos.

    I love the rosy cheeks on those grands! And what fun to get a new stove!!!

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  26. oh GOOD! You get a new stove and I get a new kitchen sink and faucet! Who knew it could be so special, and who also knew how many confusing choices there would be out there!!

    LOVE the pictures! There is nothing like those grandkids!

    As for the meatloaf... I would be a marshmallow if I added all that cheese to my meatloaf, and boy would I love it!!

    Good for Aunt Margie...

    xo

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  27. Oh this makes me think it is time to make another photo book. That is what I have been doing online and love the result.
    Your photos are darling! Such sweet happy grands.
    I can't wait to see the new stove! I'm so glad it is on it's way.
    That meatloaf sounds perfect for a cold winter night.

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  28. What gorgeous grands you have--really beautiful boys! I'll bet they are sweet too--just like mine! The meat loaf looks delicious! The perfect comfort food for the post Christmas blues which I always have!
    Thanks, Vee, for your kind comments recently! I wrote in the wee hours of the night (unusual for me), so please excuse my rambling all over the place! I actually planned to do some editing, but in my exhaustion, accidentally "published". Have you ever done that?
    By the way, I "pretend" to sew too, but not on the blog--yet anyway! Also, I love your flannel nightie. I used to get a new one every Christmas growing up, but the hot flash years ended that! Of course I know that Maine gets way colder than Arkansas, so stay warm!
    Cowgirl V

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  29. JOY is right. That made me smile! They are so adorable.
    Good luck with your stove, hope you are pleased with it!
    The meatloaf sounds delicious, I love meatloaf too! Perfect winter meal.

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  30. Those little rosy cheeks are just so precious! Sweet photos! You are good with that new camera, Vee.

    The meatloaf recipe sounds so good. I guess I better pass because of the cheese. Got this healthier eating plan going here. Gosh, but doesn't cheese just make everything taste better?

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  31. Those sweet rosy cheeks went straight to my heart! (Must be something about being a grandmother?) Thanks for sharing these wonderful mosaics...filled with JOY!
    A new stove...fun, fun, fun!

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  32. A new stove??? How WONDERFUL is THAT???? You are gonna fall in love with it! The recipe sounds heavenly too by the way ~ you are so right about printing the photos....I've become too dependent on having all of them online and that I can access them anytime. To have them in my hand would be WONDERFUL!!! Thanks for the encouragement! I hope you guys are staying cozy and warm sweet Vee ~ hugs and love, Dawn

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  33. I love, love, love that JOY mosaic! It made me feel quite joyful!
    The Great Dane and I went out today to the same place in the same car - to the doctor. Not as much fun as to buy a stove, but we went out for lunch afterwards and that was great!

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  34. Good Morning My First Cup of Coffee Friend:)

    I love the photo of the upside down sledder! And yes I connect to Kodak from my laptop as soon as I download the photos to order prints immediately.

    Congrats on a new stove. Hope that you LOVE it!

    Thanks for the new meatloaf recipe. I'm hankering for some myself, I may give this one a try. I'll let you know.

    Enjoy your day!
    Leann

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  35. Your photos are so adorable! We haven't had snow here yet and I am okay with that!

    Thanks for the meatloaf recipe! I am always on the lookout for different ways to make meatloaf.

    Blessings

    Linda

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  36. O, I love a GOOD meatloaf, too, and haven't made one in ahile. I like mine a little sweet...the glaze my mom put on her meatloaf. Yummy. Think I'll make one this coming week.
    Thanks for your recipe...gonna give it a try.
    xoxo

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  37. Oh your baby grands are so kissable. Fabulous photos, especially the one of the little guy upended... super cute!

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