  Sorry for the long absence. Aside from working on my gardens (flower and veggies), I have been working on my INS papers in past few days.So to make up for it, I prepared this page for 2 meatloaf recipes. However, I might still be a slowpoke in the following days, probably until after summer. I might post more often during the winter days, though, but right now, I want to enjoy the sunny days fully. (I feel so deprived of sunlight 2 months ago!). We have a freezer full of frozen beef cuts (for 1-yr supply). (That is beef raised by my in-laws, grass-fed, lean, BSE-free!). For our share, we had 1/4 of the whole cow, 50% of which is ground beef because my husband loves burgers.With all those 1-lb bags of ground beef, I wanted to come up with dishes aside from burger patties. And meatloaf is a very good one. The recipes featured are Piquant Meatloaf and Raisin-Oat Meatloaf . Piquant Meatloaf is my husband's favorite. It is characterized by strong herb flavors, with a little spicy taste. Raisin-Oat Meatloaf is a result of my attempt to combine the classic meatloaf recipe with some healthy ingredients like rolled oats and raisins. The resulting taste is a sweet blend that appeals to my children (whom I am trying to feed with veggies discreetly). While other people refer to veggies as extenders to most dishes like in egg roll and meatloaf, primarily to cut down on costs, I refer to it as extenders of life -- it is a healthy and tasty way to add fiber and vitamins and minerals to meat.
Too bad my husband's taste buds can detect even the smallest addition of an ingredient that is new to him, making me stick to what I know he likes best. I always prepare these meatloaves simultaneously to maximize the use of the oven and save on energy. I freeze some in portions just right for the meal, in reclosable freezer bags with minimal air to avoid freezer burns.
I may serve it in the future as is, or I may cut each slice into 4 parts and cook it with mac and cheese plus chopped carrots and celery to create sopas (one of my favorite breakfast items in the Philippines). &nbsp; urlLink urlLink To make a more balanced meal, I serve it with asparagus (sauteed in the meatloaf's gravy) and rice.&nbsp; urlLink urlLink The recipe page features how I prepared the sauteed asparagus as well. You can come up with your own styles of preparing veggies using your imagination. 
