Meat Loaf

Meatloaf

I was unaware that people didn’t know how to make meatloaf until someone told me how hard it was to make a good one. So I am sharing my time-honored recipe.

½ cup catsup

¼ cup milk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

¼ cup of your favorite cheese, grated

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup finely chopped celery

¼ cup finely chopped green pepper

1½ lb. lean ground beef

1 cup soft, fresh breadcrumbs crumpled up in small pieces

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ teaspoon of your favorite herb

Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat. Combine all ingredients. You can mix the first 3 ingredients together and add to the rest to make the mixing easier. This is where you can get into your kid mode. Mix with your hands until it is thoroughly mixed. You can either pat mixture into a lightly greased meatloaf pan. Or I prefer to use my cast iron frying pan. Bake for 1 hour or until your thermometer reaches 165° F. Rest meatloaf for 5 minutes before cutting. Slice meatloaf. You can top it with your favorite catsup or make a gravy with the drippings. Leftovers make great sandwiches for lunch the next day. YUM!

— Barbara Rexford