Rich is my son-in-law. I think he likes my cooking, because I hear he goes home and tries to duplicate it. Maybe he likes the challenge of experimenting, but just in case he might find it helpful, I’ve decided to write some things down for him. He doesn’t have to look if he doesn’t want to!
Recently, he had meatloaf at our house. It is a common menu item, so he has had it before. After the first time, he said he understood why his wife, our daughter, looks forward to meatloaf. 🙂 I make my meatloaf based on the recipe from a 30 year old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I always make extra because it makes great leftovers. Here are my ingredients:
The Loaf
- about 3 pounds of ground beef, around 12 – 15% fat (I get mine at Costco)
- 4 eggs (collected daily around here!)
- 1 cup milk (I happen to use raw milk)
- approximately 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion (mine was straight from my garden last week)
- 1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1 generous teaspoon rubbed dry sage (I typically eyeball the amount in the palm of my hand)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, more or less
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, and maybe a little bit more
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
The Sauce
- 1 cup Heinz ketchup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry powdered mustard
It is easiest if the eggs are beaten some first. Then, stir in the milk, seasonings, onion, and oatmeal. Finally, thoroughly mix in the ground beef. I form the meat mixture into a ring on a half sheet baking pan (12 x 16 inches or so). It goes into an oven that has been preheated to 350°F to cook for about 40 minutes.
I take it out just long enough to spread the sauce over the top. (If there seems like an excess of fat pooling in the center of the ring or around the ring, I will carefully tip and pour it off before putting the sauce on) It doesn’t have to be perfect. Just sort of cover the top. It goes back into the oven for about 10 minutes.
For some reason, mashed potatoes always seem like the best thing to serve with the meatloaf. With real butter, of course. Add a green veggie and some fruit for a very satisfying and healthy meal. Meatloaf is one of those meals that is simple to make from scratch, taking about 1.5 hours from start to finish, so it is on my list of menus I rotate regularly.
