If you know me, you know that I am not the cook in our family.  GR has happily assumed that role.  I work an 8 to 5 job that entails an hour commute or sometimes longer, and by the time I get home, I’m beat.  I’m usually in my pajamas by 7:00pm, and sacked out on the sofa ready to watch Wheel of Fortune with GR shortly thereafter.  With a wonderful plate of food that he cooked.

Luckily, I have a job that allows me to work at home one day a week.  And on that one day, the heavens part, and I get the distinct honor of cooking dinner.  Oh, glory be to God.  And I mean that, because last night?  I made a meatloaf, and I had no idea that making a meatloaf could be so spiritual.  And to prove to you that I did cook, I took pictures. 

This is where it all started…

And here’s the meatloaf before it went into the oven…

And here it is an hour later, cooked and covered in dried onions…or could be worms…

And here is the conversation that took place between GR and me after I took it out of the oven.

• GR:  It looks dry.
• Me:  I used two cups of cheese and a million cups of mayonnaise.  How could it be dry?
• GR:  It doesn’t look like mama’s meatloaf.  And you used mayonnaise?  In meatloaf?
• Me:  …
• GR:  What’s all that stuff on top?
• Me:  Dried onions.  Or, could be worms.
• GR:  Hmm.  Where’s the tomato sauce?
• Me:  The recipe did not call for tomato sauce.
• GR:  Well, mama’s meatloaf has tomato sauce.
• Me:  Well, this isn’t “mama’s” recipe.  Just try it.
• GR:  Hmm.  I don’t know.
• Me:  You don’t know what?
• GR:  It…just…doesn’t…look like mama’s.
• Me:  Just try the freaking meatloaf.  For the sake of all things holy, will you try the freaking meatloaf?!

Well, at this point, I feel like Chaz from The Wedding Crashers.  I’m in my pajamas screaming my head off about meatloaf.  So, we both try the meatloaf.  And GR was right!  This was not mama’s meatloaf.  In fact, this meatloaf?  Was the spawn of the devil.  Covered in worms.

So, I decide to do a Google search on meatloaf in hopes of finding a better recipe for next time.  And what I find is, well, interesting.  Did you know that there are books that relate meatloaf to spirituality?  I am enlightened.  So, I’m thinking—is there hope for my meatloaf?  Can it be saved?

One book that I found is called, “Spiritual Meatloaf: Develop Your Personal Recipe for Spirituality in Twelve-Step Recovery.“  And on the cover it says:

“This book will help you create a custom recipe for your spiritual meatloaf—even if you want to leave out the meat of God or religion.” 

Okay.  I’m beginning to see the problem with my meatloaf now.  I used someone else’s recipe and I forgot to pray over it.  This book will help me to create a custom recipe for meatloaf, and it will be good—even if I forget to pray over it.

Upon further Google-ing, I find another book—”Life is a Meatloaf Sandwich: A Devotional for Early Teens.”  Hmm…since Gus was also subjected to the meatloaf, should I buy this for him?  Could my meatloaf lead him down the wrong path in life?

Okay, okay…please take note.  I am so not making fun of the message in these books.  I’m just poking fun at my meatloaf.  Which I will pray over next time.  Or, better yet, maybe we’ll just head over to GR’s mama’s house in our bathrobes and scream,

“Hey, Ma! Can we get some meatloaf?!”