Kissimmee street sculpture from yesterday's walk
Sunday - Another quiet day, spent with my favorite husband. I have convinced myself that the lump on the side of my right ta-ta is nothing but a fluid cyst. I've had them before. No big deal. Stay tuned.
Flashback to an ear worm from December 6, 2014 - "flowers in her hair; flowers everywhere"
My gorgeous hibiscus, just planted and already blooming!
All seafood buffet - yes. All dessert buffet - hell no. (Watching the Travel Channel.)
My sweet Magic are playing the Denver Nuggets, whose record is as bad as ours. (Our record was a lot worse, but then we got rid of Jacques Vaughn). Should be a great game, especially as Jameer Nelson, one of my all-time favorite players, is playing for the Nuggets tonight. We saw him a few months ago at Amway when he was playing for the Celtics. Before that, he was playing for Dallas. Three teams in one season - after 10 years with the Magic, and he would still be here if some loser in the Main Office hadn't traded him. And that's tonight's rant.
A better shot of that misplaced plaque
I have no idea why, but the thought of making meatloaf invariably sends me running to my pantry and grabbing cans and packets and collection of crumbs. I've also got this thing about stuffing meatloaf - with hardboiled eggs, mashed potatoes, hot dogs, kielbasa, cold cuts, and/or cheese. My grandmother-who-raised-me made the best meatloaf and did none of these things. She also cooked her meatloaf on top of the stove, so as to not heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven. All of these factors swirled around in my head (which has been working a little bit better the past few days) and this is what I came up with.
Crockpot Meatloaf Cordon Bleu
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 can Campbell's tomato soup
2 extra large eggs
1 packet Lipton Recipe Secrets Vegetable Soup and Dip Mix
1 tablespoon dried thyme
kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 - 5 oz. bag Chatham Village Garden Herb Croutons, crushed
6 slices Virginia ham
6 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 soup can red wine
Combine the first nine ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Pat, then roll out the meatloaf between two pieces of wax paper, using your judgment as to size based on the size of your crockpot. Mine came out to be around 12 by 16 inches,, with 12 inches being the intended length of the rolled meatloaf. The final result should be about 1/4 inch thick. Lay the sliced ham first, and then the Swiss cheese. Using the wax paper to assist, roll the meat over and around the ham and cheese.
You should still have a can of tomato soup with half the soup removed. Pour in just enough wine to fill the can back up and stir together with the soup. Set aside for just a moment.
Line the crock with aluminum foil with ample overlap, so that you can lift out the finished meatloaf. Pour about 1/3 of the soup wine mixture and use the back of a wooden spoon to spread it across the bottom. Carefully move the meatloaf roll into the prepared crock, seam side down. Pour the remaining soup wine mixture over the entire meatloaf. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or until internal temperature registers 155 to 160 degrees. I needed the full 7 hours. Baste the meatloaf several times during cooking. When the meatloaf is cool enough to handle, use the aluminum foil to lift it out of the crockpot, and move it into a serving dish, topped with any remaining sauce.
I find that meatloaf is particularly difficult to photograph ...
... but that flowers are not.
Beautiful 100+ year old oaks next to the Old Courthouse:
Including the infamous "Hanging Tree":
During the terrible hurricane season of 2004, downtown Kissimmee was left looking positively post-apocalyptic - trees broken in half, lying in the street and on top of houses. The Hanging Tree was practically untouched, just a single branch cracked and was easily removed.
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