high hopes ....

OK, I admit it. I have very high hopes for each and every weekend of my life. Why weekends you ask? Well the weekends are the time that my family is ALL together. This is the time that we do not always have to worry about the "time." We can plan our life based upon what we want to do and what makes us truly happy.

So this weekend we had planned to visit a rummage sale and then join a good friend at our community garden for a garden party which marked the beginning of the gardening season. Instead one of mine held a bucket, rest against a pillow and said often "Mom my tummy hurts." This meant it was handsome husband who spent his hours in our garden plot ripping out large weeds and mending the soil alone.

Since I felt so badly, I thought I would surprise him at the garden with a delicious Italian Meatloaf. Friends, if you want your house to smell delicious you have to prepare this recipe. And boy with all those yummy aromas floating through my house my hopes of bringing a smile to my handsome husband's face when we surprised him at the garden plot were quite high. ONLY.... one slip of the hand and my masterpiece made its way into the kitchen sink and shattered everywhere. Very quickly specks of glass sparkled amongst the delicious pork, beef, garlic and red peppers. :( ...

It seems sometimes life takes a few clicks of the shutter to get all your chicks in a row:

Ladies the camera is over here

Because we all know perfection takes time and effort. 

See that wasn't hard

      Now how many days until next weekend? Just the thought of it makes me smile.

If you happen to want to try to and fix a delicious meatloaf, here is the recipe:
Italian Meatloaf:
2  ounces pancetta
1tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 large egg
3 Tbsps milk
1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1Tbsp herbs de Provence
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 cup roasted red peppers
1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese

Simplified directions: (because we all know how to make meatloaf, it is just the ingredients that matter). So brown the pancetta. Save the grease, add olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic then set aside. Combine remaining ingredients including the cooled veggies. Bake at 350 degrees for 1.15 hrs.