Tag: American Meatloaf

Have I mentioned that Hubby’s all time favorite meal revolves around meatloaf? Somewhere in all the hoopla of birthdays, I always manage to make his favorite meal. Meatloaf, Au Gratin Potatoes and Green Beans has been a birthday tradition for over thirty years. I could be mistaken, but I think making meatloaf at least once a year may have been a part of our wedding vows. A very important part of our marriage vows for a very good reason. I am NOT a huge fan of meatloaf. Growing up, meatloaf made a regular appearance at our supper table. It was cheap to make, filing and we all ate it – even my picky brother. Mom’s was a very basic meatloaf. Ground beef, chopped onions and tomato paste. Bread and an egg were thrown into the mix to stretch the meat and keep everything bound together. If there were ever a meal I could have done without once I was on my own, it was meatloaf. Then one day I met the love of my life – my soul mate. As fate would have it, his all-time favorite food was meatloaf! And not just any meatloaf – his favorite could be found on a box of Lipton Onion Soup – aka Superior Meatloaf. You had to be kidding . . .

I know there are some very complicated recipes out there with all sorts of wonderful ingredients – let’s face it – meatloaf has evolved. And I would hope so, since the first mention of meatloaf can be traced all the way back to Fifth-century Rome. This loaf of minced meat scraps, stale bread soaked in wine and pine nuts was shaped into a large patty that was baked in an oven. Medieval Europe had a meatloaf of scraps of meat mixed with nuts and fruits. Neither of these resemble the meatloaf of today. The modern meatloaf is an American invention with ancestry that spans the globe. Necessity and the Industrial Revolution gave birth to the American Meatloaf. First was the invention of the mechanical meat grinder by German inventor Karl Drais in 1899, and then the hardships of the Great Depression. Scraps of meat could be ground, mixed with fillers and feed an entire family. With the increased strictures of wartime rationing of the 1940s, meatloaf earned its high-ranking position in the housewife’s culinary artillery.  Through hardship and difficult times, the meatloaf was a comfort food. Along comes the 50s and 60s, when meatloaf went from a necessity to a liberated food. Women were encouraged to do more with their blobs of ground meats. Sculptures were born. Seasonings expanded the flavor spectrum and meatloaf was no longer our mother’s dish. Still, I don’t care much for the traditional meatloaf.

There are hundreds of recipes out there claiming to be the best. Hubby likes his meatloaf very straight forward without offbeat ingredients. He does not want to find a hard-boiled egg like a giant eye looking back at him. He wants a big loaf of meat that he can happily bury in a bottle of ketchup. It took a while to convince him to let me to deviate even a little in an attempt to bring more flavor and texture to the basic meatloaf. The meatloaf I serve these days is a compromise of sorts. I don’t mind the simplicity of the meal, and he can cover it in a half a bottle of ketchup.

Meatloaf Medley American Style
1 Envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 Lb Ground Beef
1 Lb Jimmy Dean Regular Breakfast Sausage
4-5 Slices of bread, torn into small pieces
3/4 cup Water
1/3 Cup Ketchup
2 Eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350-Degrees.

In a large bowl, place ground beef. Place all remaining ingredients, ending with sausage, on top of ground beef. Using your hands, combine all ingredients for meat loaf.

Place in a meatloaf pan (that’s a loaf pan with holes in the bottom inside another loaf pan. It allows the meat to drain rather than sit in its own grease), and bake for 1 hour or until done.

Lift loaf pan from the drip pan, transfer the meatloaf to a serving platter and garnish with a few sprigs of curly parsley.

Serve this simple meatloaf with a side of green vegetables such as green beans or broccoli and cheesy potatoes such as Au Gratin.