What a day. I woke to a strained phone call from my husband saying they were under attack in Afghanistan. The connection was patchy, so I only caught fragments. He sent a brief email saying he had to take cover.
I immediately turned to the internet to find the full story. Early reports mentioned small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades targeting embassies and NATO military camps.
The broadcast news repeated the same limited updates, so I switched to Twitter. Working in public affairs has made me an information addict — not the healthiest habit when the conflict involves your spouse, but I prefer knowing to being left in the dark.
There wasn’t anything I could do to change events. I couldn’t stop the attackers or protect anyone, but following the timeline helped me understand why calls or emails might be delayed.
Reporters and residents in Kabul were tweeting about explosions and gunfire. I cross-checked their locations against my husband’s position to see if he might be nearby. Worryingly, some posts matched his area.
After many tense hours, things eased for the night. My husband updated his Facebook status, emailed me, and called to let me — and everyone else — know he was okay.
It’s remarkable how connected we are to our soldiers now compared with past wars. Hearing his voice or seeing his name in an email makes the deployment far more bearable.
I had planned to develop a recipe in the morning and visit a winery in the afternoon, but his early call changed everything.
Once I spoke to him after things settled, I needed to be in the kitchen. I was in a zesty mood. A coworker had asked me for meatloaf tips — something I hardly ever make.
Traditional meatloaf with ketchup doesn’t appeal to me, so I decided to spice it up and make it bite-sized. With ground beef and chorizo in the freezer and a few peppers in the fridge, I made triple-pepper chorizo meatloaf cups. I didn’t have breadcrumbs, so I used oats instead.
To balance the peppers’ heat, I added cream cheese, similar to how jalapeño poppers are prepared. I rolled each meat portion around a bit of cream cheese before baking.
They turned out delicious — a bright spot after an anxious day. A few people kept tweeting that fighting continued into the small hours. I waited for the next call or message, hoping my husband was in a safe place and getting some rest.
UPDATE: My husband was able to text and call the next morning. He and his fellow soldiers are safe.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Chorizo Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup green bell pepper, diced (1 pepper)
- 1 cup onion, diced (1/2 onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 fresh jalapenos, diced
- ½ tsp. sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 small can green chiles
- ½ cup oats
- 1 lb. ground chuck
- ½ lb. 2 links chorizo (out of casing)
- ½ block cream cheese
Instructions
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Heat butter and olive oil in a pan. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic and jalapeño and sauté until tender. Season with salt and sugar.
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Combine the sautéed vegetables with green chiles, oats and the meats.
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Form one-inch balls, flatten each, and add about a teaspoon of cream cheese in the center.
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Wrap the meat around the cream cheese, sealing it inside.
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Place the balls into a mini-muffin pan and bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 15 minutes.
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Remove from the pan and let excess grease drain. Transfer to mini muffin liners to serve.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Additional Info