Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swaps. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:
Baking In A Tornado
Chewylicious
It's a Dome Life
My Life as Lucille
The Mommy Chronicles
The Insomniac's Dream
Life on Peanut Layne
Raising Ragan
DeBie Hive
My Brain on Kids
Follow me home . . .
The Family Pants
Dinosaur Superhero Mommy
Momaical
Juat a Little Nutty
My subject is: Think of a day in your life when everything seemed to be going wrong. Write about it. It was submitted by: Life on Peanut Layne. Here goes:
Think of a day when everything seemed to be going wrong? Really? It would be easier to pick a day when it didn’t seem like everything was going wrong. Eeny meeny miny mo, how many bad days in a row . . .
OK, I’ve picked one. But just so my bad mojo doesn’t rub off on any of my friends who are reading this, instead of telling you about my bad day, I’m going to tell you how to avoid my bad day. That way if you read this and then have one of your own, we’ll both know it’s not my fault.
2. Do not wake up while it’s still pitch black out, grab the glass of water off of your bedside table and think that you can make it down the stairs in one piece without turning the hall light on.
1. Let’s go backwards. First of all, do not wake up while it’s still pitch black out.
3. Do not think that the glass of water that you spilled all over yourself going down the stairs constitutes a shower. This will inevitably be the day the new neighbor stops by.
4. Do not check your email when you know that your son’s teacher sends out emails when an assignment is missing.
5. Do not start to make Potato Crusted Meatloaf without checking to see if you have all of the ingredients.
Potato Crusted Meatloaf
6. Do not call your husband out of an important meeting because your car keys were stolen. He told you this morning (probably as he was stepping over you at the bottom of the stairs, again) that you left them in the bathroom. He does not choose to remind you of this in a calm way at this particular time.
7. Do not run out to the garage to get your missing ingredients forgetting that your kids have taken your car to school. Before you run out to get the ingredients you’ll have to walk up to the school and play hide-and-go-seek with the car.
8. Do not think that the campus police will not choose to speak to you if you are wandering up and down every aisle of the school parking lot looking like a person who hadn’t showered in a while.
9. Do not turn the oven on before walking up to the school and forget to turn it off. Yes, there was grease in the bottom from last night’s dinner and yes the smoke alarm is loud and yes that’s the same new neighbor standing in your driveway giving you the same look she gave you this morning when you answered the door looking like something the cat would never dare to drag in.
10. Do not call your husband out of yet another important meeting to tell him that you have to move because you think the new neighbor is giving you the evil eye. He will not choose to discuss the sale of your home in a calm way at this particular time.
11. Do not think that you will be able to convince yourself that the banging coming from the washing machine is normal. Or that the water under it is either.
12. Do not think that you are going to be able to move that giant TV that is in the basement directly below the washing machine by yourself without a whole lot of trouble and swearing and grunting and groaning and pushing and pulling.
13. Do not even think about calling your husband at work again.
14. After all that exertion, do not fall asleep, even for a couple of minutes, with your neck turned in that position. You absolutely will walk around for the rest of the day looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
15. Do not answer the door. Hide. You know it’s going to be that new neighbor again and you know you still haven’t showered, your hair is standing straight up from falling asleep and you’re walking around like Quasimodo. And you’ve already tried the “sale of the house” discussion with your husband and it did not go well.
16. Do not be surprised when your son calls to say he’s called the police because the car has been stolen. What did you think was going to happen when you took the car, forget to text him, and didn’t bring it back?
17. Do not. I repeat do not under any circumstances, when you are having a day like this, think you aren’t asking for trouble if you allow your kids to come home from school . . .
Note: Potato Crusted Meatloaf featured as a Best Winter Recipe from The Daily Meal's Culinary Content Network on The Saturday Evening Post's website on 2-14-14
Potato Crusted Meatloaf
©www.BakingInATornado.com
Meatloaf Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 egg
1 TBSP seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
Topping Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 to 3/4 cups shredded cheddar
1 TBSP chives, chopped
2 - 3 TBSP butter or margarine, sliced
paprika
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/4 cup ketchup
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 egg
1 TBSP seasoned salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
Topping Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 to 3/4 cups shredded cheddar
1 TBSP chives, chopped
2 - 3 TBSP butter or margarine, sliced
paprika
Directions:
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put tin foil into a 9 X 13 pan.
*Gently, with your hands, mix all meatloaf ingredients just until incorporated, don't over mix.
*Form meatloaf into a log, leaving room around all sides so you can add mashed potatoes later.
*Bake for one hour.
*While it's cooking, make mashed potatoes. Add in the garlic, cheddar and chives. Set aside.
*After one hour, take meatloaf out of oven. If your beef was very lean, there shouldn't be much fat around the loaf, but if there is any, I like to gently remove it with a paper towel.
*Spread the mashed potatoes onto the top and around the sides of the meatloaf.
*Top with pats of butter and and sprinkle with paprika.
*Return to oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Take out and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
*Gently, with your hands, mix all meatloaf ingredients just until incorporated, don't over mix.
*Form meatloaf into a log, leaving room around all sides so you can add mashed potatoes later.
*Bake for one hour.
*While it's cooking, make mashed potatoes. Add in the garlic, cheddar and chives. Set aside.
*After one hour, take meatloaf out of oven. If your beef was very lean, there shouldn't be much fat around the loaf, but if there is any, I like to gently remove it with a paper towel.
*Spread the mashed potatoes onto the top and around the sides of the meatloaf.
*Top with pats of butter and and sprinkle with paprika.
*Return to oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Take out and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
