Annie, sorry to hear about your Aunt. I'll raise a glass and clink to her right now. My sympathy to you and all of the family. Sounds like she was a great and fun lady that did it her way. You know, dynamite comes in small packages. Congrats on the new bull soon to be a steer. A small town just northeast of me host the largest calf fry festival in the country. The Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo takes place at the the same time. Yes, I've tried them but they are not at the top of my favorite list. : ) My life in general has been one wild ride since last fall. So yes, it comes in spurts but this last ride has been more like a main water line break. Lots of cooking, traveling, and company. I'm ready for normal... whatever that might be. : ) David

You would be wise put an alarm on the freezer in case electricity goes off. We usually notice when electricity goes off, however, if freezer is in the garage and current flickers a little tripping the breaker you might not discover for several days or a week. This happened to my son, lost a whole beef.

I've been a long time Garden Web member but have not visited here before. I live in Southern Missouri now. But we've lived all over the world. England, Washington DC..and more. I like to keep a comfort meal in the freezer. If I travel leaving my husband alone I prepare enough that he can treat himself every few days by taking out just one pan and heating in the oven or microwave. He likes it so much he'd just live on it but that wouldn't be the best idea. The frozen meal consists of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and Mac n Cheese. By making sure they all touch sides in the freezer package it helps keep them moist and avoid any freezer burn/drying out. I make a meatloaf of quality meat (whatever you like, Turkey, Lean Ground Pork etc. But for us I use a quality ground beef)and adding, for our taste, finely chopped mushrooms, onion, fresh garlic or powder, drained canned tomatoes chopped very small or crushed, oatmeal soaked in the tomato juice rather than using breading. Eggs if you like. I like to mix the eggs in the oatmeal while it's soaking up the tomato juice drained off the canned tomatoes. This holds the loaf together nicely. Just use similar portions to your favorite meatloaf recipe. I season liberally..whatever appeals at the time. Seasoning salt, celery salt, white pepper, italian herbs seasoning, different things as my mood calls for or what is at hand in the pantry at the time. Before baking I scoop a furrow about 2" w and at least an inch deep down the length of the top of the meatloaf and fill it with spicy ketchup and sprinkle brown sugar over that. Be sure to let a little of the brown sugar drift from the ketchup to the top of the meatloaf. Bake. The tanginess of the ketchup and brown sugar are a great taste treat with this particular meal. You could freeze the meatloaf whole for a large family. But slice it before freezing. Here's the comfort meal package: For a smaller family like us, just two, I slice the meatloaf, packaging meal size portions for the freezer in a disposable pan or cake pan. If you want the meatloaf to stay moist in the freezer you can spread a little fresh ketchup over the entire piece. (Gravy will keep it moist too.) The ketchup on the top will have caramelized with the brown sugar so it will stay on the meatloaf when you cut a slice and lay it on it's side. Or if your meatloaf isn't tall just cut a chunk and set it upright in the pan and spread a little extra ketchup on the side that's up to make sure it stays moist. You can freeze this meal for quite a long time..but it won't last that long. :-) Then I make mashed potatoes, place a meal size portion beside the meatloaf in the pan and be sure they are covered with a thin coating of gravy. A well in the center will hold enough gravy for a portion, and you just spread a thin layer of the gravy over the entire potato portion to keep them moist in the freezer. I make homemade mac and cheese and add another meal size single portion. This is the reason this is not an every day meal and is called a comfort meal. Since you are going to heat this in a microwave or hot oven the pasta is not going to deteriorate as it would reboiling it. All he has to do is make a small fresh salad or steam some broccoli and he's done. I plan the portions of potatoes and mac small enough so that he'll think he needs a large portion of broccoli or salad to "make ends meet". :-) That way I don't feel so bad for feeding him too starches in a single meal. I know it's not for everyday. But it's such a comforting meal. I think it must be one of his favorite treats. I had to be away for five weeks years ago, so I left enough of these for about three or four meals per week. Most of them went to his office for lunches. I have to tell you the other men were begging and bragging on his wife and he didn't feel nearly as abandoned as he might have. Starchy as it is, it's far better than hamburgers or pizza every night. And really, if you portion it out wisely it's not worse than one large helping of either potatoes or pasta. And they think they are getting away with something! And when I am not away from home it's nice knowing there is comfort meal an arm's reach away. There are those times when comforting with food (and no work) blesses a gal too. The ketchup and brown sugar idea were my great-aunt Ellen's idea. I have never tasted better meatloaf than this. Another thing she added to the meatloaf was breakfast sausage like Owens or Jimmy Deans. You cannot believe how good. But who needs the fat?

I have done this type of thing in the past, as I work through the evenings and don't have time to cook at dinner time. I've taken a whole weekend several times and done nothing but cook, had my oven, toaster oven, slow cooker, grill, electric frying pan, stove, wok all going at once, LOL. But once I was done the big freezer in the basement would be full of ready to heat and eat meals that would last the 2 of us 2-3 months! It saved on money, helped me control my diet and plan meals, and gave me LOADS of extra time during the week, not having to cook or shop as much. I hope to do this again very soon, but need to get the rest of my house and life a little more under control before I do.