Thursday, March 6, 2014

Treat of the Week: Meatloaf and Maple Cake


 


A random ice storm prevented our usual Sunday visit to my parents' house.  Bertie was disappointed that he didn't get to see Grandma and Grandpa.  Even though he got to stay home with his cat, Miss Oscar, he pouted for several hours.

Nonetheless, we were able to spend the evening of Mardi Gras with my parents and we enjoyed a lovely "Fat Tuesday" meal of perfect comfort food.




Meatloaf is truly the epitome of comfort food, especially when joined by a hot, gooey casserole of macaroni and cheese.  

Of course, every boy (or forty year old man) prefers his mother's meatloaf recipe above all others, and I'm not different.  The only difference is that I'm right, and the rest of you are wrong.  Moist and light and filled with carrots and onions, no other can match my mother’s meatloaf.




This gorgeous macaroni and cheese was baked to perfection with just the right crust and creaminess and filled with the flavors of a variety of cheeses from gruyere to cheddar.  Yum!





A side dish of broiled broccoli and cauliflower, seasoned to perfection, and baked with grated Romano and Parmigiano cheeses was an idea accompaniment to this meal.  Some pretzel rolls completed the meal.  




For dessert, we indulged in wee, glazed maple-nut bundt cakes.  Ah, there's nothing as satisfying as being given your own pound cake to devour.  It makes one feel like a giant.  And, don't we all want to feel like a giant sometimes?  I know I do.  This was an especially good way to feel like a giant, too.  Tender with just the right amount of sweetness, these little cakes made each of us feel like a King without the hassle of having to dig around to find a plastic baby. Served up on new, sparkly, polka-dot dishes, we let the good times roll--right into our mouths.








Now, that's the way to spend Mardi Gras.


12 comments:

Matt said...

O that mac and cheese. Oh boy. I would love some of that. All of it in fact. I like a good meatloaf. Your mom is the best.

Carolyn said...

Can you start things for Lent instead of giving them up? I want to start eating this every day.

Gene said...

I would like to have a little cake of my own that didn't come from Hostess. Everything looks delicious.

RM said...

Yummy :-)

Renee said...

A meal that I would make for myself and my husband. I think it's just the way everyone should cook!

Sam P said...

I'll be sending a plate. I expect it returned full.

April said...

I'd like to make a sandwich with some of that meatloaf and mac and broccoli. Good eatin'!!!!

Gregg said...

Makes me think of my favorite dinners when I was little. I only wish my mother was that good a baker. We never had nice cakes like that. Come to think of it, we never had macaroni and cheese that looked that good. We always had bright orange elbow macaroni.

Beth Ann said...

Thank your mom for the inspiration! Meatloaf for dinner tonight! I think I'll try to make my macaroni look as good as hers does!

Barb said...

I have to say, this looks really tasty!

Book Gurl said...

I love the cakes! Pretty dishes!

Susan said...

I think I'll make meatloaf, too, and try for real mac and cheese. Not the box stuff. Love the cake!