I want you to think back to those nights around the family dinner table…
Mom yells from the kitchen, “Dinner time”… and then if she was anything like my mother, she yells again and again, until everyone comes meandering into the kitchen or dinning room and get seated finally. You look at the food served family style in the center of your table and for some reason you have this feeling that it is looking back at you…. the dreaded MEATLOAF! It’s a mother’s favorite recipe. It’s easy to make and for any family, especially those on a tight budget, it goes a long way! Growing up I remember watching my mother make meatloaf. She used the following ingredients:
Ground meat, 
Bread crumbs of some sort
Seasonings
Ketchup: her most famous ingredient
So, what did I go and do the other night? I decided to split up the large tray of ground beef I bought at Sam’s Club into three dinners. The first of course was Meatloaf. Yes, I’ve turned into my mother folks! I did skip the “famous” ingredient and used a mushroom/marinara sauce instead. It didn’t turn out to bad. 
My husband enjoyed it, not surprisingly, as he will eat anything I serve and my dad had a meatloaf sandwich… yes you read right, I said a meatloaf sandwich.
So… getting to the whole point of this post; I have been wondering how to “jazz up” the simple meatloaf recipe that probably everyone’s mother has forced them to eat at one time or another. If you have a good recipe for meatloaf send it my way as I’d like to collect a few different recipes, try them out, and then I’ll do another post with how they all turned out and which one I decide was my all time favorite.
Some other posts you might enjoy:
October 25th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
There is no better comfort food than meatloaf in my opinion. I make it just to have meatloaf sandwiches. I have jazzed it up with spinach and Swiss cheese. I’ve used barbecue sauce instead of ketchup, although I still prefer using ketchup liberally on the top. I have grated carrots and added it to the meatloaf. I’ve experimented with various spices. I generally use an old Betty Crocker meatloaf recipe and then play with it: 3 slices soft bread, 1 c milk, 1 egg, 1 lb ground beef, 1/4 lb ground pork, 1/4 lb ground veal, 1/4 c minced onion, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp each pepper, dry mustard, sage, celery salt and garlic salt, and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Spread with 3 tbsp ketchup or chili sauce and bake 1 1/2 hr at 350 degrees. I may be a die-hard foodie, but I love me some meatloaf…
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October 25th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Just because your mom can’t cook it right, don’t hate on the meatloaf. Meatloaf was always a highlight growing up. Delicous for dinner and the best school lunch known to man is leftover meatloaf sandwiches- perfect brown bag interrupting pbj for at least one day.
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October 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I like to throw in a package of dry beef gravy and a cup or so of water. I mix it right in with the ground meat.. I also puree the onion and some fresh mushrooms and/or green bell peppers with an egg before I mix it in. Throw in some garlic! I use either all beef or a combo of beef and pork. Experiment! I love barbeque sauce on top of meatloaf. Makes it sort of tangy. Everyone has a favorite–for those of us who like meatloaf–but experiment. My mom used to pour a can of slightly thinned cream of mushroom soup over the top of her meatloaf. It was a beefy, GREASY gravy but in the 60′s, who cared? Now we know better. Have fun with it!
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October 27th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Mmm… this recipe looks good! I absolutely love meatloaf. It’s such a comfort food! …just came across your blog today through Problogger and thought I’d check it out. I am a feature writer for Engineer a Debt Free Life, a family oriented frugal living blog.
There are some good bulk cooking recipes on there too, plus lots of good freebie stuff.
Good luck with your blog!
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October 28th, 2008 at 9:21 am
hey i saw this randomly, and ive never left a comment on a blog. but i thought i would for this one. my mom puts cream of wheat in ours, and two eggs, using two pounds of beef. she mixes in shredded cheese too. then on top she puts provolone cheese, and ketchup on top the last. simple, but the best in the world!
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October 28th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I, too, came across you today via pro blogger. Nice blog!
Meat loaf is so easy to make different ways…first of all, try it with different meats. Mix ground pork and/or veal with the beef. Or use ground turkey, my lower calorie favorite. I, too, have used spinach cheese, definitely eggs, oatmeal or sliced bread soaked in milk in place of breadcrumbs. Definitely garlic. Many people use a packet of onion dip mix to season the meat. Another great presentation is to roll out the meat, add some filling hard boiled eggs, ham, spinach, etc. then roll it up and bake. It’s still meat loaf but more festive. Think of some diced veggies, bacon bits, and like Kathrine B says ‘experiment!’.
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November 6th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I love some meatloaf, fills you up and its good for you!
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January 21st, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I bet mixing in some olives, or capers, or pickle slices would add some pizzazz to your meatloaf.
I like having hard-boiled eggs in the center too.
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