Imagine my delight when a package full of ketchup came to our door, unannounced. The people at Sir Kensington’s, the not-too-sweet ketchup people, read the meatloaf recipe in The Real Food Cookbook and were touched, so they sent me a thank you note.

The boys and I had a simple Thanksgiving meal and all went to bed early. Here is our true, messy kitchen on this real Saturday night. You too, can have a sane Thanksgiving dinner—any night of the week.

This is a lovely dish, not my invention, with bottled condiments containing the not-so-secret Thai flavors, such as lemongrass and fermented fish, which make all the difference.