What's for dinner.....Gourmet Meatloaf a la J

This past weekend, J suddenly got the urge to prepare dinner. Martoonis in the parlor and a homecooked meal always sounds so good.

J had previously found a recipe for meatloaf on recipes.com called Gourmet Meatloaf. With some cooking license of his own, J prepared an amazing meatloaf. His spin on the recipe was worth it. I really enjoyed the meal. He even whipped up macaroni and cheese grating in my favorite, gruyere cheese. Yum! We settled in for a great impromptu dinner.

The recipe is as follows:

2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1 cup steak sauce
! (1 ounce) package dry onion mix
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly.
• Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, and spread the mixture in the casserole dish.
• Bake for 1 hour
• Serves 6

I even had more of the meatloaf the next day for lunch. It made for a great sandwich.

Happy Eatin', y'all!

Join me at the Plaid Party:
The Polohouse

Super Spring Saturday

Aaaaaah, what a beautiful day it was yesterday! J & I enjoyed the picture perfect weather by partaking in several great events that this great city had to offer. The saying goes that there is never a dull moment in New Orleans. This was so true this weekend. There is always something going on.

J & I started our day in Faubourg St. John with brunch at the charming Cafe Degas (stay tuned for a future post).

After a delightful brunch, we headed out in the neighborhood to the Shotgun Home Tour sponsored by the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. The homes were all welcoming and tucked away in the magnificent Faubourg St. John neighborhood. I was disappointed that I could not take interior shots, but I did snap a few outdoors. 8 homes were featured on this tour.

Next, it was back to my neighborhood to attend the annual Fete Francaise at the corner of Magazine and General Pershing Streets. I love to be able to walk with cocktail in hand to neighborhood festivals. This is such a perk of living in good ole NOLA. The festival benefits L'Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orleans, the only local French immersion school in New Orleans, which is located on General Pershing between Magazine and Constance Streets. A fun, family-oriented festival is a signature of this fete. General Pershing Street is lined with tented booths of various local crafters, shops, and many local restaurants such as Cochon, Superior Seafood, Herbsaint. I fell in love with the art of Tami Curtis Ellis and could not leave with two of her works of art (more later).

J & I then met a former co-worker of his (EF) and her beau (RK) for an afternoon cocktail and nosh at Superior Seafood, a local fav. Two pomegranate mojitos (it was happy hour) and one dozen oysters on the half shell were the perfect afternoon snack.

And finally later yesterday evening, it was a treat to stay home and have J prepare some good ole comfort food---meatloaf and mac & cheese (more on the meatloaf recipe later). Both were de-lish-cious!

I hope you and yours had a great Saturday too! I am exhausted!

Happy April Fool's Day y'all!

And how will you celebrate this foolish day?