This is the runner-up in the you-decide-what-ground-beef-dish-I-should-cook poll.
I actually made it the day after Baked Stuffed Cheese-Burger (can’t waste that ground beef!), but have not gotten around to posting it until today.
You see, I’ve had a lot going on.
Actually millions of things going on; I live in Maryland, which is ground zero for Brood X.
For those who don’t know what Brood X is–it is the emergence of cicadas that have been living underground for 17 years. They come out of the ground for a debauched 6 weeks of eating and fucking and screaming and then they die.
It’s like Rumspringa. But for bugs.
This is my first time with Brood X. Does it not happen in Pittsburgh? I think I’d remember it!
Anyhoo– as a person with an extreme fear of insects, this event has me freaking the fuck out. They are EVERYWHERE. On trees. On buildings. On the entrance gate to my parking garage (I had someone beeping at me as I tried to muster the courage to stick my arm out the car window).
Yesterday one of the little fuckers dive bombed himself through my office door right into a wall and fell to the ground. I put on my purple poncho (I bought a pack of these from Amazon) and ran across the hall. A co-worker confirmed that it was a cicada. She put it in a cup and took it….somewhere? I have no clue. I was too busy crying in my poncho.
I wore my plastic poncho for the rest of the day.
The poncho brings me strength. It makes me feel safe.
Who am I kidding? As soon as one of those fuckers hits me I’m going scream like I’ve been shot.
AND HOW THE HELL DID THE CICADA GET INTO THE BUILDING?
But I digress–onto the Meat Loaf Mexicali a.k.a “the dinner that went from awesome to disaster in 2 seconds”
I took notes to see if this would make the 1 hour 20 minute timeline. This is what I wrote down.
6:10 BEGIN! Which means turning on the oven to heat up.
EXACTLY 1 LB BEEF!!! I feel good about this one
Meat loaf the same except I put in 1 seeded jalapeno (the recipe does say MEXICALI) and 1/4 cup of onion and 1/4 cup parsley.
6:20 EXACTLY in oven!
now a bit o’ cleaning at 6:33 I made a cocktail for Mr. Sauce, Esq.
6:39 assemble cole slaw salad with relish
6:51 seeing what I should do for photo
7:02 Meatloaf out. I have NO IDEA how to drain it.
IT IS GLORIOUS. Keeping its shape…draining beautifully…
7:06 fell out of pan into sink
WELL FUCK.
I shoved it back into the pan
7:11 what the fuck do I do now?
I guess @15 minutes out I am supposed to heat the corn. So I am cleaning.
7:28 Nine minutes left on meatloaf. I have to drain the fat again….should I wait?
7:34 gonna take out the meat and drain. I mean there is less meat in there after the sink!
looks like not much to drain.
I filled with corn. I put it back in the oven (filled) because Mr. Sauce wants a bit more time for his video games…..
7:39…..all is good. Just waiting to do the photos (I do not want cold food))
7:51 I am plating—-you can play as much as you want! You don’t have to eat dinner!
I got that parsley in MOFO!
7:55 eating.
If the meat had stayed together, this dish would have made more sense–been more cohesive, if you will. TASTE OK. GLAD I KEPT SEASONING UP
This would have been better to scoop up sliced piece of meatloaf instead of crumbles with corn.
I brought a plate to Mr. Sauce, Esq. while he continued to play on his computer.
He didn’t eat it. He went to bed without dinner.
REMINDER–WIENER WEDNESDAY ONLY 1 WEEK AWAY!
actually just had a thought you could use the “chili cheese ” flavored corn chips to help
lol wow this screams 70s cooking …. that would of been more authentic with tortilla chips and even mild taco sauce or used a pack of taco seasoning ….. and it has the bane of southern ca school lunches with 2 cans of “Mexican corn” which is vile slop so be glad you dodged that bullet actually i could see this as a school cafeteria lunch in the 70s/80s
although if used Fritos or generic variation of was it a salt bomb?
I did show this recipe to my Hispanic housewife neighbor and she just rolled her eyes and said “Anglos” as she shook her head she did say tho if you wanted a east la knock off of “tamale pie” you could put cornbread on top and throw in a pack of taco seasoning in the meat and just chop some red or green bell pepper with maybe a spicy variety and mix it in with the corn and it might be edible
Jesus. Here in London I don’t see an insect from one day to the next. I am TOTALLY FREAKED by the idea of thousands of cicadas even though I have no idea what the hell they are. I am not going to google them. This post made me laugh out loud, heartily! I would totally eat ALL of that meatloaf and corn by myself in one go. It looks ace.
Last time Brood X was out, we lived in Indiana. Anywhere there were trees around, it got so loud that people standing beside each other had to scream at the tops of the voices to converse. However, I have thus far not seen a single cicada in South Carolina this year.
So the map is right? South Carolina is spared?
The photo replica is perfect. If turkey kielbasa can sub for wieners- count me in.
I think almost any sausage-shaped meat or imitation meat will do.
I have mixed feeling regarding insects. There are the obvious ones I hate, flies, mosquitos, roaches, etc. But others that I love and appreciate, like spiders and bees. However, I totally feel you on the Cicadas. I know they’re harmless, but to me they are creatures from the depths of hell, with wings. Thankfully, I don’t have to deal with them in CA, but they freaked me the f out when I lived in IN. I would definitely be screaming and running myself. Hope you survive the Cicadapocalypse! Sorry about the Mexicali mishap. Actually, that sounds like a good name for a band.
Same here–I have no beef with spiders and bees as long as they aren’t on me.
Your fluted edge is a work of meat art! So bummed about the draining situation. Gravity can be quite the asshole. It still think you did quite the save and that Mr. Sauce, Esq. missed out. Your plating of the meatloaf and your coleslaw look much better than the card’s. (I swear, DiS card, your meatloaf looks raw. With corn on it.)