inauguration meatloaf

I'll repeat the warning I put in the beginning of this video again for this blog post: 

The following blog post is NOT political in any way whatsoever! The Meatloaf Princess doesn't reveal her political affiliation ever online. Food should never be political so please enjoy this blog post! 

It's sad that I feel I have to put this warning before this video which could be perceived as politically biased in one way or another, but the reality is we live in a Divided States of America in 2017. 

​Of course, I expect lots of dislikes and people unsubscribing from my channel as soon as this video gets uploaded onto YouTube but I have no regrets making this meatloaf. I just love the variety of food that is served at any inauguration dinner, regardless what party the incoming POTUS is from. So I turned that variety into a meatloaf. 

You may realize I mention nothing political in this video as I make the meatloaf for you guys. That's because if I did say anything remotely political, my dad wouldn't approve and that would be the end of that video. So as far as I know, my dad doesn't read my blog posts so I can tell you guys I called this a "fancy American dinner" meatloaf as I was filming the video. 

So you might be wondering how I put all of these ingredients together into a meatloaf. Well here is the method behind my madness, or rather, my inspiration: the actual Inauguration menu released to the public(https://www.inaugural.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/luncheon-recipes.pdf)

So here's the ingredients from each Inauguration recipe that I used in this meatloaf, course by course: 

Maine Lobster & Gulf Shrimp

• Lobster(I used lobster tail meat)
• Shrimp(I used canned shrimp)
• Fava beans(I used canned fava beans)
• Butternut squash(I used mashed butternut squash)
• Edible flowers or microgreens(I used food-grade rosebuds and petals)

Saffron Sauce

• Saffron
• Garlic cloves(I used garlic powder instead)
• Dry Sherry(I used red cooking wine instead)
• Fish stock
• Salt and (black) pepper

Peanut Crumble 

• Peanuts
• Rice cereal(I used Rice Krispies)
• Didn't use pumpkin seeds(i don't like eating raw seeds)
• Hickory syrup(I used hickory liquid smoke instead)
• Cayenne pepper
• Vanilla powder(I used vanilla extract instead)

Potato Dumpling

• Basil(I used parsley instead)
• Tarragon(I used thyme instead)
• Granulated onion(I used onion powder instead)

Grilled Seven Hills Angus Beef

• Beef tenderloin(I used 93% ground beef instead- this is a meatloaf, after all!)
• Potato gratin(I used potatoes au gratin)
• Oyster mushrooms(I used canned mushrooms)

Dark Chocolate Juniper Jus

• Dark chocolate, grated(I used dark chocolate chips instead)
• The name of the recipe says "juniper" even though it's not specifically used but I used juniper berries

Chocolate Souffle with Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

• Instead of a souffle, I used a chocolate mug cake, which looks similar to a chocolate souffle

Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream 

• Canned or frozen cherries(I used dried cherries instead)

Pink Cheese Sticks

• Not on inauguration menu but to symbolize the Women's March that occurred the day after the inauguration

Yea, that's a lot of ingredients! So how did this meatloaf turn out? It was a mixed bag- the fava beans tasted really bitter but when you mash the beans up, the insides taste OK. It's just the outside of the beans that's bitter. I think I put too many peanuts into the meatloaf- everything else in it filled me up already. Plus I don't think beef and peanuts pair well together. Everything else tasted great!

My dad said the fava beans ruined the meatloaf for him. :(
He tasted the lobster and shrimp and so did I, just not during the video. 

The food-grade flowers were hard to chew, so they're best used in a broth before removing it. 

You might be wondering why I used a lobster tail and not a real live lobster to boil to death in a pot of boiling water- as much as I love meat, I don't want to be personally responsible for killing a living creature just so I can eat it as food. This is also why I don't hunt. I'd rather buy my meat already dead rather than alive and having to kill it. But surprisingly, 1 lobster tail provides a lot of meat! 

Speaking of lobster, I didn't realize that you're supposed to boil the water before putting lobster into the pot, but honestly, putting the lobster tail in the saucepot as it was being brought to a boil cooked the lobster tail just as well! 

So what is strawberry Jack cheese? It's a cheese stick that is pink in color(the strawberry powder gives the cheese stick its pink color). Strangely enough, I found this pink cheese at my local supermarket but see the HELPFUL LINKS on where you can get it online! 

I'd say this is the most amount of ingredients I've ever put into a meatloaf- 29 ingredients! 

HELPFUL LINKS: 

Juniper Berries: https://www.amazon.com/Spice-Hunter-Juniper-Berries-1-3-Ounce/dp/B004M1BEDA/ref=sr_1_7_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1485713848&sr=1-7&

Edible Flowers: https://www.amazon.com/Pound-Dried-Rose-Buds-Petals/dp/B0019WCNPS/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1485713964&sr=1-4&

Pink Strawberry Jack Cheese: https://www.cowcandy.com/shop/!/Pinkie-Pie-Strawberry-Jack-Cheese/p/77291596/category%3D0

You will need: 

For the cooking equipment: 

A large saucepot
A seafood cracker or fork
A large bowl
Nonstick cooking spray
A lasagna pan

For the meatloaf: 

1 thawed out lobster tail(I thawed the tail in a covered bowl in the fridge for 11 hours before cooking it)
8 juniper berries(see HELPFUL LINKS)
3-4 threads of saffron
1/4 cup edible flowers(see HELPFUL LINKS)
Enough water to submerge the lobster tail
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 tbsp. onion powder
2 beaten and whisked eggs
1/2 cup drained fava beans(or whatever type of bean you like)
1/2 cup peanuts(you can use less if you want)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup drained mushrooms
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup mashed butternut squash
1/4 cup red cooking wine
1/2 cup potatoes au gratin
1/4 cup fish stock
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. hickory liquid smoke
1 chocolate mug cake
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of parsley
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 cup Rice Krispies
4 oz. drained shrimp
1 lb. 93% ground beef
2 strawberry Jack cheese sticks(see HELPFUL LINKS)

1. Put the first 4 meatloaf ingredients into a large saucepot. Pour enough water into the saucepot to submerge the lobster tail. 
2. Bring the contents of the saucepot to a boil and cover the saucepot with a lid. 
3. Once the contents of the saucepot are boiling, add 1 1/2 tsp. salt to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer for 5-8 minutes. After cooking the lobster tail, remove it from the saucepot and discard everything else in the saucepot. 
4. Put the next 23 ingredients into a large bowl. 
5. Remove the meat from the lobster tail either with a seafood cracker(which I didn't have at the time) or a fork and your hands. The meat should be soft and white. Put the meat into the large bowl and discard the rest of the lobster tail. 
6. Mix all the ingredients up until you get a firm mixture. 
7. Spray a lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray.
8. Form 2 loaves using 1/2 the meatloaf mixture. 
9. Top each loaf with 1 stick of strawberry Jack cheese. Cover the cheese stick with some more meatloaf mixture for each loaf. 
10. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 60-65 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 
11. Bon appetit! 

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