I think Meatloaf gets a bad rap. No, not the singer. I mean the food, that brown loaf so commonly made fun of as being a staple of horrible lunchrooms and fifties kitchens. I love meatloaf. I think that stems from the fact that we didn't have it all the time when I was growing up. My mom made meatloaf for special meals only, such as birthdays, anniversaries, good grades, etc. And yes, I do remember requesting meatloaf one or two times for my birthday meal growing up (hey, I never said I was a normal kid).
My mom's meatloaf is incredibly simple: meat, bread crumbs, eggs. Worcester sauce, and ketchup are the basic ingredients (no onions in my parent's household, much to Doug's dismay, but sometimes a little onion powder). So I based my recipe off of this, with just a few tweaks for our taste (no onions this time but I am sure I will have to give in eventually). I really recommend taking this recipe and changing it to please your tastes. Maybe you like onions in your meatloaf, maybe you hate Worcester sauce. Do whatever you want to make this taste good to you. We owe it to meatloaf to give it a chance to shed it's horrible reputation.
Meatloaf
By me (Adapted from my mom, Connie)
2 Pounds Ground Beef
2 Eggs
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 Teaspoon Garlic (I have a jar of minced garlic (yes, gasp!) but you could add however many cloves make you happy)
1 Teaspoon Season Salt
3 Shakes of Worcester Sauce
2 Shakes of Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Steak Sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray pan with non stick spray (I use a roasting pan with the tray in it).
Mix all ingredients together. Form into a log or loaf shape and put into pan.
Shake a little more Worcester sauce and steak sauce on top if desired.
Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until completely cooked.
This can be eaten with ketchup or steak sauce if desired. I think this is even better the next day for lunch.
