There are lots of things that make me smile; but, today I’ll focus on just one, babies.
My nephew and his wife brought their three month old out to visit just before Christmas. What a treat! I can’t think of something that makes a person smile more or feel happier than holding a sweet new life. Their little guy is at the stage where all the fun begins. Lots of animated smiling, noises and awareness of things around him. He also smells like heaven. Nothing like nuzzling the head of a newborn and breathing in that soft, delicious scent of youth. Same goes for holding those sweet little hands and gazing into perfect little eyes that hold so much innocence and possibly.
Not to take anything away from human newbies, we also took delivery of an unexpected couple of babies at Christmas. Patrice got a darling cow dog pup from a friend and the Bengoa’s dropped off an irresistible half grown orange tabby for me. What would have been a very quiet and uneventful holiday was absolutely unforgettable because of all the babies.
Between getting to hold and cuddle Shane and Sarah’s son, and play with a new pup and kitten, Patrice and I had a very memorable and sweet holiday together. For me, it brought back so many happy memories and even made a few new ones. It was incredibly sweet to spend a little time with the new family my nephew has built. Those simple moments renew my faith in humanity. Maybe it’s just seeing something so pure and perfect as a new family or maybe it is reflecting on the reason for celebrating the Christmas holiday; but no matter, it filled up my heart and nourished my soul.
On a lighter note, I am happy to say that the baby limited himself to breast milk during his visit, but the new pup somehow ate a little Christmas ribbon on his first day which made for many happy returns. Kittens are kittens, and our little guy made a snowstorm out of a roll of TP in his temporary digs. Even with the interesting dietary choices that young Rex the Cow Dog made and the destruction of our essential paper products at the claws of Rodney the Rodent Eater, both are sweet little keepers here at the ranch. They and their tiny human counterpart sure brighten our lives and holidays.
Happy New Year friends!
Kris Stewart is a rancher in Paradise Valley, Nevada
Recipe from the Ranch
Meatloaf
Full disclosure: I love meatloaf, and good meatloaf is my favorite meal. If I get a choice for my birthday dinner, it’s what I ask for.
My mom never liked cooking, but she did it daily as we were growing up and she was and is a very good cook. Her meatloaf dinner remains my very favorite. Her recipe is simple and perfect.
2 lbs ground chuck
Salt and pepper
4 slices sandwich bread, diced
1 onion, diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Gently combine all ingredients and add additional salt and pepper to top (don’t over mix) Form into loaf shape in 13x9 baking pan and cook at 375 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Top with a sauce made from about 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup ketchup. Bake another 15 minutes.
I like my meatloaf served with baked or mashed potatoes and green beans cooked with onion and bacon. Now you know!
When Fred and I were first married, meatloaf dinners were a big source of contention. He claimed to HATE meatloaf and barred me from cooking it. Just to test the theory, I snuck it in once in a while by shaping the meat into meatballs with mom’s sauce. He ate them right up without objection. It took quite a while, and he had passed his meatloaf aversion onto Patrice before I decided it was time to get to the bottom of our problem.
Seems that when Fred was a little boy, his mom would sometimes send him with meatloaf sandwiches to school. The little Paradise Valley school had a cupboard where everyone stowed their lunch and when Fred’s mom sent meatloaf, the smell was obvious. The other kids would tease “Freddy’s got meatloaf” and it apparently scared him for life. I had to know, what was it about his mom’s meatloaf that he hated. Marie was a wonderful cook and I just couldn’t believe that her version could be anything but delicious.
Score one for Fred. I mentioned to Marie that I loved meatloaf once when Fred and his dad were away hunting. She excitedly invited Patrice and I over for supper and the mystery was solved. For a woman who was one of the best cooks I knew, her meatloaf hit me like a punch in the face when I walked in the kitchen door. She mentioned that she loved making meatloaf but that Fred didn’t seem to appreciate it much. Hmmm.
My best guess is that she combined beef with pork, crackers or bread crumbs, more spices than you’d find at a Moroccan bazaar, and get ready, several whole carrots. She used a food processor to blend the ingredients and then formed a loaf with three carrots running through the middle of the loaf end to end. She pressed the concoction into a loaf pan and baked it. Towards the end, she added bacon to the top and plain ketchup. The result was decidedly the worst example of meatloaf I’d ever encountered. I instantly understood Fred’s point of view. Patrice didn’t get a single bite down and I struggled. Worse, Marie sent the leftovers home for sandwiches the next day.
In the years since my introduction to Marie’s “demon loaf”, (Fred’s words, not mine), I gradually threw in a meatloaf supper at home and I noticed that both Fred and Patrice began to enjoy it. They were never up for next day meatloaf sandwiches, but I was heartened that both would enjoy seconds on our rare meatloaf nights.
These days, Patrice still teases me if I order meatloaf in a restaurant; but, she’s always happy to make it and eat it at home.
All this is probably a lot more than you needed to know about my family’s meatloaf legacy, but now that you’ve got my favorite recipe, give it a try, it’s delicious.
Kris Stewart is a rancher in Paradise Valley, Nevada.