“Just go look in the kitchen,” I said.

He saw the pan and I told him about the Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and the fire.  He laughed and then ate his dinner and admitted the meatloaf was really, really good.

The next few days saw us noshing furiously on that delish hunk of meat.  I even had some for breakfast one morning sauteed in with some hashbrowns and a scrambled egg.  It was amazing.  We put that baby to bed but the memory, and the grease,  from it’s existence lived on.

In an attempt to clean our oven I scoured the bottom and turned a good number of white cloths black.

Then I turned on self clean again and it lit on fire again.

Then Rob took his turn and scoured it again and turned on self clean again and it ran just fine – no fire.

At the end of the 2 hour clean we looked at the element and it had warped and cracked.  It’s days were numbered and our old oven didn’t seem like the kind of appliance we wanted to sink more money into.  It didn’t have many redeeming qualities.

Ok. Appliance Down.

My cooking killed an appliance.

We had to buy a new stove.  It’s really pretty and has a ceramic cooktop so it’s easy to clean and the element in the oven is hidden.  Plus it has a steam clean setting which will be great for all my messes. Score for me – never mind we’ll be paying for it until the baby starts school.

But, the good news is I discovered a basic piece of kitchen equipment that will allow us to cook the dream loaf (tee hee) without ruining another appliance. Behold the ‘Broiler Pan.’ It has a pan underneath to catch the grease! Brilliant! Don’t ask me what the eff is being cooked on this one – it looks like cheese tomatoes but the meat/bun/liver? thingy is stumping me.

And now since I feel I can encourage this recipe safely without readers burning down their houses – here it is:

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Ingredients:

• 3lbs ground beef
• 1 small onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 carrot
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fine bread crumbs (I used smashed up salad croutons)
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2tbsp bbq sauce
• 1 tbsp worstershire sauce
• bacon

Method:

First, dice up the onion, celery and carrot really super fine.  I used a bullet to nearly liquidize them but you could use a grater or food processor and just get them as fine as possible.

Then toss everything except the bacon in a large bowl.  I used my stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and it worked well and I didn’t have to get all gooped up.

Next form the mixture into a loaf on your broiler pan and cover it with bacon.

Bake at 350 for about an hour and a half.  The bacon should be nice and crispy on the outside!

Let your bacon wrapped meatloaf rest at least 10 min before you slice into it and make sure you use a serrated knife to get a nice slice….or 2.  Or 3. Ahem.

Serves 6-8 people

It’s safe to say I don’t do this for the money.

Most bloggers are in the same boat as me.  We work, work, work and our only reward is a comment here and a tweet there showing us that someone out there is reading.

That’s what makes the Canadian Weblog Awards so special.

The awards are run by Ninjamatics and Schmutzie and they work very hard too.  It’s a juried process and entrants go through rounds of judging.

So when I got an email this morning that I’d won first place in the Parenting category (which had over 80 nominees) I about passed out!

First? Me? Really?

Blog West

I’ll be heading up to Blog West in March and can’t wait to meet so many people who I’ve been conversing with online for years.  I’m expecting awesomeness.  Sam and I will be riding up in a brand new EcoBoost Explorer. Thanks to Ford for providing transportation. If you need a lift from Calgary to the conference please let me know.

Canadian Weblog Awards

HometoHeather is shortlisted.  I’m so thrilled to even be able to say that I almost don’t care who wins.

Eclectic Six Media

I have a post up about the state of the ‘Mommy Blogger‘ label.  I’d love your comments and opinions there.

Most Importantly

Cheryl is organizing an auction to aid Bobbie after her horrible car crash.  The auction will be on HelpBobbie.com…the site isn’t live yet but you can bookmark it now and check back for the event soon.

tick tock

I often lie in bed at night, waiting to fall asleep with my husband snoring in my ear and think about things that didn’t get done during the day.  ‘I wanted to clear the clutter from the dining room, I wanted to cook that dish just a 1/2 hour longer, I wanted to write that blog post and have a shower. And the floor didn’t get washed again.’

I wish I had the ability to control time, to slow down the day and give me more hours to complete the things I want to do.  I want to be the best mom.  I want to be the best spouse. I want to be the best ME.  So many things fall by the wayside because others take prority and that’s ok.  But wouldn’t it be awesome if it were possible to change that?

I’d stop the clock and freeze the world and sit down for a nice cup of coffee.

I’d read a book.

I’d let the kids play 5 min longer in the tub.

I’d SLEEP, oh my gawd how I’d sleep!

Everything would be in it’s place and the house would sparkle and this blog would be full of craft ideas and recipes and stunning photographs to boot.  Hey, maybe I’d even get that book written!

I wish, I wish, I wish.

What would you wish for?

This post was inspired by Monday Mojo – the Monday Blog Meme that gets your Mojo moving!  This week they’re asking:

If you came upon a magic genie who could grant you ONE wish for YOURSELF…what would you wish for? What would make the biggest difference in your life? No ‘world peace’ wishes here people. We want you to be selfish for once and think of yourself and what you want for you and nobody else. So? What’s your wish?

anyone recognize this?!?!

This week’s Monday Mojo kind of stumped me.  Well, stumped is the wrong word.  It actually overwhelmed me.

The prompt was this:

Who inspires you to be a better blogger? Has there been someone who’s mentored you and helped you become the blogger you are today? Is there a website out there that you strive to be like one day? Share your inspirations!

And SO MANY blogs came to mind that I just didn’t know where to start.

Rhea wrote an awesome post (complete with awesome picture) that encompases much of what I wanted to say.

Then I think about a few people who I admire for very specific reasons.

Charles – is the best at all things comment related.  His posts always garner loads of comments and he responds to nearly all of them. I appreciate all the comments he leaves here for me and I know I don’t return nearly enough to repay him.

Laura – she cranks out the most amazing posts about ONE thing.  Chocolate!  She’s made extreme strides in her photography and has always had a vision of what she wanted to accomplish.  I admire her for her focus and constantly improving her skills.

Amy – A pioneer in ‘social media marketing‘, Amy has shown me that as long as you’re ‘resourceful’ you can make a living doing what you love.  Despite her incredible following (nearly 35000 followers on twitter) she’s always approachable and friendly.

Those are just a few people I admire in blogging, in addition to the most amazing ladies Rhea mentioned in her post.  I could literally go on and on and on for ages.  I admire so many

So who do you admire?  What inspires your blogging?  I know the week is almost over but fret not, if you write a post to answer the prompt – you can still link your post to the Mojo linky.

I decided to make meatloaf.

I’d never made meatloaf before but I knew one thing going in;  I was gonna wrap that bitch in bacon.  Oh yeah baby.

I mix up the meat with some onion, celery, carrots, egg, worstershire, bbq sauce, and bread crumbs and form it all into a loaf shape on a baking tray.  “Shoulda put tinfoil over that pan,” I thought to myself.  Oh well.  There’s no going back now.

The bacon goes on and the loaf goes in the oven at 350F for an hour.

ticktickticktick

I hear the timer going and take a peek at it.  It’s looking good – but the bacon isn’t really ‘crisp’ and I didn’t wrap that bitch in bacon to have it wiggly and gross…I wanted a loaf wrapped in yummy, crispy bacon.  I can see that there’s some fat on my pan and it’s getting kinda burnt but it’s no big deal. It won’t affect the loaf.  I still have to make some rice and peas to go with it so I crank up the heat to 425F so the bacon can crisp up while I’m doing that.

10 min and I peek again.  It’s working, the bacon is getting crispy…fire alarm goes off.

I know the pan is getting torched but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for bacon glory.  I yank the battery out of the fire alarm and check the rice.  It’s nearly done now.  I want to let my loaf rest and set up a bit before slicing it so it doesn’t fall apart.  I open the oven door and yeah, it’s a bit smoky but nothing I’d never seen before.  I grab my pan and start to take the loaf out.

Woah, there’s a bit more fat on there than I’d realized and the pan had warped a bit and I had to be pretty careful not to spill it all.

I get the pan out and onto the counter and realize the pan is toast.  Like majorly dead.

The meatloaf looks amazing though and it’s all I can do to keep from yanking that delicious bacon off the top.

Rice is done. Check.  Peas done. Check. Kids served. Check. Rob won’t be home until late so I don’t have to worry about him. I serve myself and wonder how I can multitask something while I’m eating – I’m smart like that.  Aha.  I can set the oven to self clean because – whoa, it’s kind of a nightmare in there.

I hit the ‘magic’ button, hear the lock engage and all is good.  Wait…F I R E !!!!  There’s fire in my oven!

I stay calm.  It’s just a grease fire right?  You’re just supposed to throw baking soda on that right?

I turn off the oven and grab the box of soda and reach for the oven door – bracing myself.  It’s kind of a large flame.  I yank.

Nothing.  It’s still locked.  There’s smoke now, I yank again and nothing and for shits and giggles I yank again and nada.  It’s too hot I guess and the oven won’t open it if it’s that hot.

I think “Oh my shit, I’m going to have to call 911!” And then the flames get smaller and it goes out.  Just like that.

I stop my adrenaline rush, shrug and sit down to eat after opening up the windows.

It’s freaking delicious.  I made an awesome meatloaf.  Never mind how I ruined a pan, nearly burnt down the house and have an oven full of bacon grease to clean up.

Never mind all that.

I rock this stayin at home gig.

Rock. It. Hard.

Oatmeal, Pecan and Chocolate Scones

Breakfast Scones with Oatmeal, Pecans and Chocolate – Recipe by HomeToHeather.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 2tsp Baking Powder
• 2tbs Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 2 eggs (1 for the mix, 1 for a wash)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup choc chips

Method

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the first 6 ingredients on medium speed until you see an even texture (no huge clumps of butter)

Add in 1 egg, honey and milk and mix until incorporated.

Add in the oatmeal, nuts and chocolate to your scone dough and mix until incorporated

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and form into a ball.  Flatten with your hands until the dough forms a circle about a 1/2 inch thick.

Cut dough in half (so you have two semi circles) and slice each half into wedges.  I got about 10 wedges from my dough.

Take that extra egg and wisk it up.  Brush over the top of your dough.  I sprinkled on a bit of extra brown sugar and oats over the top to make em pretty but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.

Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 425F for about 12 min or until just starting to brown around the edges.

This recipe made about 10 Oatmeal, Pecan and Chocolate Chip scones!  Store in a large covered container or zip bag.  These were really yummy and quick to make.  Next time I’ll double the recipe and freeze some!

Prep time – 1o min

Bake time – 12 min

Yeild – 1o servings

join up!

This week Monday Mojo asks -

Tell us your Blog’s story!  What made you start blogging? Why did you decide to open up a slice of cyberspace and put your name on it?  Tell us what your purpose was back then – is it the same today or have you changed focus?

Many blogs have a rich history, and as a bloggers life changes so does their blog.  So it will be interesting to see everyone’s posts this week!

My blogging journey started in 2004.  I’d always loved reading and had realized that writing was kinda fun too.  I was determined to set out to learn to write fiction.  I joined a forum for fiction writers and a few members had blogs – it was really the first time I’d encountered blogging.  I didn’t really think much about it.  I opened up a blogger account and the rest is history.

I wrote about things I’d learned, things I needed feeback on, things I was puzzled over. I made some wonderful blogging friends, some of whom I still converse with online today and who continue to support my writing. I’m very grateful for them all.  At that time, blogging really was an afterthought.  All my focus was on learning to write fiction so along side the blogging I dabled in flash fiction, short stories and I started a novel as well.

Then in 2007 we moved to Calgary and I became a mom and everything changed.  Who had time for writing fiction?  Not me!  I fell into blogging head over heals at this point.  Writing in this format keeps my mental muscles in shape yet I can manage to do it with kids screaming around me.  Fiction takes a lot of concentration – but I can blog in front of the TV.  It’s such a good fit for me at this stage in my life and I’ve been doing it for so long that I can’t see myself ever stoping.

That’s pretty much it – I’ve changed my focus a bit along the way and I’ve learned a lot more than I’d ever imagined.  If you’re a blogger, tell us how you got started and share your post on the linky for Monday’s Mojo.  And while you’re at it – join the bloggers forum too!