I was introduced to Ellen Hart by my friend Margaret Isaksdatter one November in a hotel room. No, I didn't actually meet Ellen Hart in person then. That was this past summer at a book signing in Provincetown. What I encountered that November was a murder mystery. I admit, I cannot remember which one. I cannot even remember if the chief character was Sophie Greenaway or Jane Lawless. But I know it was a fortunate introduction. (Thanks Margaret!) There are loads of Ellen Hart books on my shelf - even a hard back or two. And, I definitely made time to get a signed copy when I had the chance. Hart, it turns out, is a very friendly woman, with a background in food service (she cooked for a sorority), in fundamentalist Christianity (which she has, blessedly, abandoned), and murderous fantasy.
So, I began my re-reading of Hart's work, randomly, pulling Dial M for Meatloaf from the shelf. Its a Sophie Greenway mystery, so missing the delightful lesbian themes in the Jane Lawless books (though here we have a nicely done gay son).
One of the subthemes of the book, which provides part of the excuse for the title, is a newspaper recipe contest --for meatloaf, of course. The three "winning" recipes appear at the end of the book. I'm a fan 
of meatloaf done well. Even without the murder or the mystery. And I do agree with Sophie that vegetarian versions don't really count. They're another food group entirely, with their own criteria for excellence. The contest is a good reminder that blog challenges are not an entirely new genre -- just a rennovated one. (For a blog with a "meatloaf recipe slam," click here.)
Try Ellen Hart. Make meatloaf. Tell us all about it.
