The Five O'Clock Hour...Ouch

BBQ Turkey Meatloaf

After our restful few days at the lake, where life was slow and quiet, I drove down the next day to stay with Mommy and her girls, where life is anything BUT slow and quiet. I forget how loud and busy and chaotic a house with three girls can be. I'm here while J-Daddy is away. Another set of adult hands is useful this week.

Tonight the most helpful thing I did was to take Baby Girl upstairs to her room while Mommy cooked supper. Little Sister stayed downstairs. Sometimes separation is a good thing. Did you ever call the 5:00-6:00 pm time slot "the arsenic hour?" Or, perhaps the "witching hour?" (Or, did you have an even more descriptive name for it? And it might start at 6:00 pm at your house.) That is when everything breaks loose because the little ones are hungry and tired and cranky. And the mommy is tired and cranky. The grandmother is running out of patience, too. 

But the upstairs/downstairs approach worked last night. Peace was restored and Mommy made a delicious dinner. This is a recipe she has used before. It's a good one that I'll make at home. I love good meatloaf. This was the first time I've had turkey meatloaf, but it surely won't be the last time.

While Mommy cooked, I read a zillion story books to Baby Girl and watched her play and dance. Little Sister chose to take some books to her favorite big chair downstairs. I'm pretty sure Mommy enjoyed an hour in the kitchen without a little one wrapped around her leg and a slightly bigger one hanging on her other leg and no one crying, "Make her stop! No! That's mine!" It's funny....after supper, those two little ones were happy to see each other and played beautifully together until bedtime. It was just that hour before supper. Maybe I should just call it the "unhappy hour." But it's on the clock and the clock hands have to pass over five and six, too, like they do all the other numbers.

I have no clue how Mommy does it every night. I know I did it night after night all those years ago, but goodness, I do not remember how. I think it's just a matter of hanging in there, knowing it does get easier when you pass the terrible twos. Mommy often says, "The days are long but the years are short."

BBQ TURKEY MEATLOAF
       (recipe from Chew Out Loud)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/4 lbs. ground turkey (a 1-lb package works, too)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
1 large egg
3/4 cup barbecue sauce combined with 1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack on lower middle position.

In a skillet, heat oil on medium high. Cook onion and garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/4 cup of the barbecue/ketchup mixture, salt and pepper. Add the onion and garlic. Mix thoroughly.

In a 9x13-inch pan, use your hands to shape meatloaf mixture into a rectangle, about 8x4 inches. (Line the pan with foil for easy clean-up.) Reserve 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce mixture. Brush remaining sauce on top and sides of meatloaf.

Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes, until the internal temp reaches at least 165 degrees. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons of sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4


I generally like the ground turkey that is not the breast meat. I find that it has better flavor, texture and appearance than the ground white turkey.