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Once in an attempt to jazz up her recipe, Mom put two hard boiled eggs into the meatloaf only to hear my Dad ask her to turn the meatloaf away from his view, since it looked like the meatloaf was laying the eggs. As he explained, he grew up on a farm with chickens, so it wasn't a sight he cared to see at the dinner table. It was most unusual for my easy going Father to be critical of Mom's efforts. Frankly, I thought the boiled eggs were wacky too, however I genuinely felt sorry for her; and so was uncharacteristically quiet on this occasion. Poor Mom was too fancy and European for us! She took the high road, shrugging off our lack of appreciation. Mothers deserve a medal for cooking day-after-day for 30 years, often without a thank you!
Recently, I made a succulent meatloaf too. Allow me to share the recipe, so like you, I can return here to make it again:
Debbie's Meatloaf
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup Old Fashioned, or Quick oats
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
a generous squirt of spicy brown mustard
1 capful of cider vinegar
a sprinkle of Worcestershire sauceseasonings to taste - I used:
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cilantro
a sprinkle of celery seeds
a sprinkle of parsley
a sprinkle of Italian seasonings
a dash of thyme
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
a few turns of the nutmeg mill2 raw eggs
Directions:
1) Mix the ground beef and ingredients together uniformly.
2) Shape into a loaf and flatten the top.
3) Place the loaf into a cast iron skillet brushed with olive oil.
4) Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
The lazy cook's sauce: Eat with ketchup. You can top the baked meatloaf with ketchup and return it to the hot oven for another 5 minutes, if you wish.
The more ambitious sauce: After you remove the meatloaf from the skillet, pour 12 ounces, or so of water into the pan, scrape the bottom particles, and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch (measure 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of water). Simmer over a medium flame while stirring until it thickens into a gravy. Spice to taste.
For a stick-to-your-ribs meal, serve with potatoes or rice, vegetables and a side salad.
As mentioned, this bottom meatloaf was rejected in our house. Perhaps your family is more sophisticated.
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| Photo: Anne Mehr |
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Meatloaf is delicious, and I have seen and enjoyed it with the eggs inside. I like the look! Your recipe is mouth-watering. I haven't made meat loaf in ages because there are only two of us, small meat-eaters at that. Maybe next time I have family here?
ReplyDeleteTricia, a friend gave me this idea. She doesn't eat red meat and after her kids left for college, she made meatloaf for her husband only, but split the meatloaf into single portions, which she wrapped in foil and stored them in the freezer. She baked them one at a time for her husband's dinners over a period of time.
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