Tis The Season (WangXian RomCom, SEASONAL)

Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

“Hi everyone! My name is Wei Wuxian and I will be teaching you guys how to make a simple meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I, personally, love meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Anyone else who likes meatloaf and mashed potatoes?” 

“Me!”

“I love it!”

“Me! Me!”

The children raised their chubby little hands and shouted their answers – earning giggles from their parents.

“Good! Now, we will start by opening the box in front of you. There should be enough ingredients in there to make our meatloaf and mashed potatoes today!”

Lan Wangji noticed that everyone started to open the big boxes in front of them with such eagerness, and he also saw that Xiao Yuan also curious as he peeked into the box, so he lifted the boy up to the table and helped him with opening the box.

“You can see inside the box that there are 2 different kinds of minced meat. One of them is ground beef, and the other one is ground fatty pork. For our meatloaf today, we will mix those 2 together to create a very delicious meal that you can share with your family.” Wei Wuxian took out both of the minced meat and showed them to the crowd.

“Okay, first of all, you need to wash your hands thoroughly with soap, kids, and then take out the Japanese soft milk bread, full cream milk, and a carton of organic eggs out of the box. Then you tear the bread into small pieces and then mix them with the milk and eggs.”

Wei Wuxian let Jingyi show them how to do it, and the boy tore the bread excitedly and then poured the milk and then he was helped by Wei Wuxian to open the eggs and mix them all in the bowl.

“Add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder to taste – just a little at first since you can add more after you taste test them – and then mix both the meat and the eggy bread together.” Jingyi demonstrated while the other kids followed – helped by their parents.

“And then, add the cheese!” Jingyi poured the grated 3 kinds of cheese into the mixture. “Good boy, Jingyi. Now, for the parents, if you want to add some vegetables discreetly, I suggest that at this point you add grated carrot, grated broccoli, grated sweet onion, and tofu. Just whatever your preferences are.” 

Wei Wuxian showed them the various grated vegetables and crumbled tofu, and added them into the meat mixture.

“For an extra kick, let’s add a dash of ketchup!” Jingyi squeezed what it seemed like half a bottle of ketchup into the mixture, followed by the other children’s happy squealing.

Lan Wangji wondered if this recipe was actually… edible, by the amount of ketchup the boy was squeezing out of its bottle.

But then, he saw how happy Xiao Yuan was mixing the meatloaf and he decided to give it a try before Wei Wuxian continued talking.

“Take a little bit of the mixture and fry them on the pan before you taste them. Then add seasoning according to your taste.” He put a couple of small balls into the frying pan and fried them before he gave one to Jingyi. “Mm, delicious.” Wei Wuxian smiled and looked around the room. 

He left Jingyi while he made his round to check the participants’ meatloaf and gave the kids and the parents various compliments that put a smile on their faces before he returned back to the front.

“Now, we’re going to make the glaze by mixing tomato sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce, and then we will grease the baking dish with the glaze before we put in the meat mixture, and slam them slowly against the counter to let out the air bubble. Then continue to cover the top with the glaze and put into the oven, 180°C for 45 minutes. Parents, please help the kids to set and put the meatloaf into the oven!”

Lan Wangji looked at the mess that Xiao Yuan – and other kids – produced, and he was really, really skeptical if this was going to work. 

But then again, the kids looked happy and even their parents were also smiling, so he decided to at least give this one lesson a try.

“While we’re waiting for the meatloaf to cook, why don’t we make the mashed potatoes? Do you like mashed potatoes?”

“Yes!” The children responded eagerly and their parents chuckled. Even Xiao Yuan also spoke loudly with a smile on his face.

The boy was so stoic before, he didn’t even cry or throw a tantrum when his father died, but now he looked like other children his age with a smile on his young face instead of ominous nothingness.

“Good! Now peel your potatoes, and ask your parents to help you cut them into small pieces before we boil them. Then we will start to mix and squeeze and mix and squeeze again until there are no lumps before we add butter, cream, milk, cheese and seasoning to taste, and voila! Mashed potatoes are done! Don’t forget to check your meatloaf, parents!”

Lan Wangji instinctively peeked at the glass window of the oven that showed the progress, and he could see the meatloaf was browning nicely and they actually smelled good despite the suspicious amount of ketchup inside.

“Next, we will taste test the meatloaf and potatoes, and then you guys can take the leftover home. Who’s excited to eat?”

The children spoke together at once, sounding their agreement and Lan Wangji could see how Wei Wuxian’s face brightened at the sight of the happy children as he took out his meatloaf and expertly took them out of the container and then style the mashed potatoes on the plate before he took a slice of the meatloaf and put it on top of the potato, then drizzled the heated glaze on top as the sauce.

“Voila! Parents, please help your children to take the meatloaf out of the pan and don’t forget to use the heat proof gloves! Then we can all eat the meatloaf together outside with some cold homemade lemonade. What do you think?”

Before the kids even answered, Lan Wangji already knew the answer. He could see that Xiao Yuan was excited to try the food and eat it with his friends, so although he did not particularly like being around people, as long as Xiao Yuan was happy he could endure it.