I've been taking grief because I never cook anything "normal." Here's my attempt at normalcy. Besides, I was craving meatloaf. And tomorrow - meatloaf sandwiches.

Last week, I was visiting my grandmother. She had knitted some really nice coasters and kindly offered Alex, Nick, and me our choice of the many she had made in different colors. My grandmother is quite possibly the sweetest person I have ever known. You think your grandma is sweet and kindly? Not. Even. Close. I'm sorry, but it's true. And, being a typical ingrate of a grandson, I don't see her nearly as often as I should. I decided to invite her over to share my meatloaf. I knew she'd appreciate having meatloaf instead of some weird Laotion fermented goat barbecue.

I made a point of making "canned" green beans because my dad asked, "Can't you just open a can of beans?" I can. I hope cooking them in garlic infused olive oil still counts. I made the mashed potatoes without milk because my grandma doesn't tolerate milk very well.

When I took the first picture of the meatloaf my grandma said, "Wait a minute - I think I had my eyes closed." I felt like an idiot for taking pictures of my food instead of taking a picture of her with Alex and Nick. So I did.

I needed to explain to my grandma why I was taking pictures of my food. She seemed amused.

After dinner, we sat and chatted about my grandpa and the house where she lives and my mom grew up. The boys sat and listened and enjoyed her stories. Invite your grandma to dinner. I'm going to do it again soon.

Oh, by the way, the meatloaf was excellent with nice chunks of green pepper. The Yukon gold potatoes make for a sweet and creamy texture. The vegetable broth in the potatoes gave them a different flavor that was really subtle and wonderful. The beans were actually quite tasty even though I probably used too much garlic.