One-Oven Meal

Hello dears, how has your week been so far?  Mine's been far better than last, thanks for asking.

Not that you asked, but I'm sharing anyway.

This week is more relaxed, more casual, more blissful.

You need these kinds of weeks.  However my glass-half-empty mantra foresees this as the calm before the storm.  I know, I know, I shouldn't think this way but I often wonder if we are given quiet weeks to prepare us for some great monstrosity.

I'm sorry, I'll try to refrain from my Debbie-downer ways.

This meal, however, is nowhere near a downer, it's an upper!  Ha. Ha.  [Crickets]  Is this mic on?

Anyway, enough.  This meal truly will turn any crazy or not-so-crazy week into a blissful one.  Why?  Because it's darn simple.  Not as simple as boxed meals, but you know how I feel about those.  It's about as simple as you're gonna get with homemade.

And I like that.  Don't you?

What's nice is it's what I like to call a "one-oven meal," meaning, everything is baked at nearly the same time, at the same temp, in the same place.  No fussing with pans/pots/microwaves/prebaking/sauteing/blah blah blah.  None o'that, my friends!

Ahh, bliss is setting in already.

So what's on the menu?  Good old-fashioned comfort food, baby!  Meatloaf, roasted asparagus, and baked sweet potatoes.  Mmmmm, mmm, good.

Let's get started.

What you'll need:

For the asparagus & potatoes:
-1 lb asparagus, washed and tough ends cut off.
-Olive oil, salt, pepper, & lemon wedges
-as many potatoes as there are people and then some
-butter, salt, brown sugar (whatever you adorn your spuds with)

For the meatloaf:
1 lb free-range, organic ground beef (I like Laura's Lean Beef)
1 egg
1 C breadcrumbs (make your own!  SO easy!)
1 C milk
1/2 C onion, diced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/4 C pure maple syrup
1/2 C ketchup

Instructions:
-Prepare meatloaf first.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Mix all ingredients for loaf into large bowl except maple syrup and ketchup.
-Press mixture into meatloaf pan.  (What is a meatloaf pan?  See here. Meatloaf pans are twofold, and place in each other--one has holes allowing for drainage of juices into second pan.  I'm only explaining this because I was oblivious when I got married and my first meatloaf was disgustingly soaking in it's juices--it about turned me off for life.  Thankfully I educated myself!)
-Mix ketchup and maple syrup in separate small bowl, spread over top of loaf.
-Place on top shelf of oven.  Bake for 1 hour, 15 min.  Let sit 5-10 minutes, then slice & serve.
-After place loaf in oven, cover your potatoes with tin foil and place on top rack with meatloaf.
-To prepare asparagus, grab a large baking sheet and line with tin foil.  Spread washed & cut asparagus over top, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
-When there is about 20 minutes left for meatloaf to cook, place asparagus in oven on lower rack.  Allow to roast until meatloaf is finished.
-Easy as pie.

There you have it, your one-oven meal:

Now excuse me while I partake....

Ahh bliss.