Author in the Kitchen: Eris Field Perese's Healthy Meatloaf Meal and her latest Historical Novel...

It's so easy to misplace things, well it is for me, so I thought I should share this recipe for a great meatloaf dinner before I lost it.

Meatloaf Veggie Dinner

1 lb. ground beef

1 egg, beaten

½ cup finely chopped onion

3 tbsp. ketchup

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground pepper

½ can condensed Campbell's tomato soup

¾ cup dry breadcrumbs ( I like Italian ones)

6 small red potatoes

4 garlic cloves, optional

1 tbsp. olive oil

½ tbsp. mixed Italian herbs

Cooking spray 

Meatloaf Topping

½ can condensed tomato soup

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. brown sugar 

Combine ingredients in a small bowl then coat meatloaves with the mixture.  

Preheat oven to 400° F. 

Mix ingredients together, ground beef through breadcrumbs, I use my hands.  Shape into 5 small loaves and place them (not touching) onto the center of the baking pan. 

Wash, dry, and cut into about ½ inch pieces potatoes with skin on.  Add garlic. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil and Italian herbs.  Set aside. 

Spray a shallow baking pan big enough to hold the meatloaves in the center and a mixture of vegetables around the edges. 

Bake 35 minutes.  Check to see that the meat loaves and veggies are done.  Let stand 5 minutes and serve. 

Enjoy! 

Allow me to share a little of my latest novel, that is close to my heart, for your reading pleasure.

My historical novel-- Lady Munevver: The Opium Merchant’s Daughter-- is set in the Victorian period as England is preparing to enter the War in the East, the Crimean War, to support the Ottoman Empire that has been invaded by Russia.  Russia’s 1853 invasion of Crimea results in three Empires—England, France, and the Ottoman Empire-- declaring war on Russia. It precipitates a disastrous marriage for Lady Munevver. It changes the world with advances in ships and military weapons, the development of the telegraph with its ability to deliver war news almost instantly, and the creation of modern nursing in Scutari Hospital. 

In Surrey, England, the merchant father of beautiful but handicapped Munevver is obsessed with gaining acceptance by the Ton.  Refusing Munevver’s plea to marry her childhood love, William of Yorkshire, he arranges a marriage with James, the dissolute son of an impoverished, hard-handed Duke.

When England is drawn into the Crimean War, James joins the Light Brigade and sails to the Ottoman Empire to fight the invading Russians. After learning her husband has died in Scutari Hospital, an improvised hospital for English soldiers located across the Bosphorus from Constantinople, Munevver, terrified at what her father-in-law might do, flees England. Her destination: the ancient city of Aleppo in the eastern part of the Ottoman Empire where she hopes her uncle will shelter her in his vast trading compound.

Her escape ends in Constantinople when. the Sultan, irate at Queen Victoria’s command that he return the widow of one of her Lords, arranges a marriage for Munevver with Ari, a member of his court. Problem solved.  Munevver is now the wife of an Ottoman citizen. She is invisible.

Banished to the ancient, primitive city of Ankara, the young couple struggles to survive political intrigue, intense cold, and lack of medical care.  After Ari dies of tuberculosis, Munevver is desperate to return to Yorkshire, to her grandfather and to the man she loves, William. But how? Dare she accept the quid pro quo arrangement offered by the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire, the Sultan’s mother? 

Available in e-book and paperback.

Amazon Buy Link 

Eris Field was born in the Green Mountains of Vermont—Jericho, Vermont to be precise—close by the home of Wilson Bentley (aka Snowflake Bentley), the first person in the world to photograph snowflakes. She learned from her Vermont neighbors that pursuit of one’s dream is a worthwhile life goal.

As a seventeen-year-old student nurse at Albany Hospital, Eris met a Turkish surgical intern who told her fascinating stories about the history of Turkey, the loss of the Ottoman Empire, and forced population exchanges. After they married and moved to Buffalo, Eris worked as a nurse at Children’s Hospital and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

After taking time off to raise five children and amassing rejection letters for her short stories, Eris earned her master’s degree in Psychiatric Nursing at the University at Buffalo. Later, she taught psychiatric nursing at the University and wrote a textbook for psychiatric nurse practitioners—a wonderful rewarding but never to be repeated experience.

Eris now writes novels, usually international, contemporary romances. Her interest in history and her experience in psychiatry often play a part in her stories. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Western New York Romance Writers. In addition to writing, Eris’s interests include Prevention of Psychiatric Disorders; Eradicating Honor Killings, supporting the Crossroads Springs Orphanage in Kenya for children orphaned by AIDS, and learning more about Turkey, Cyprus, and Kurdistan.

Learn more about Eris Field on her website. Stay connected on Facebook.