Loafin' Around

Well........I hate to break it to you, but winter is here.  It's here with e vengeance too, at least in central Indiana.  Even now I can hear the wind howling outside.

It's cold, it stays dark early in the AM, it stays dark early in the PM, Christmas is over, New Year's is behind us.....blah!

So I'm thinking of of ways to BEAT THE WINTER BLAHS!!!  What better way to warm up on a cold winter evening than with comfort food?  What better comfort food than MEATLOAF!?

Meatloaf, the poor man's prime rib.  The "disgusting looking brown blob in the refrigerator" according to Becky's friend in Roseanne.  We all joke about it's mundane and cheap qualities.  Meatloaf is the subject of many a joke and jeer, however deep down inside (unless your a vegetarian that is...) you know you love it! 

Now, there are many variations on "the loaf of meat".  Everyone seems to make theirs differently.  The past few days I've spent some time asking around, "how do you make YOUR meatloaf?".  And I've received many different responses.

Of course, each one does include, well, meat!  But then of course you must incorporate some manner of bread, the loaf part.  Here's where your creativity and family tradition comes in.

For the "loaf" part, I've heard of using the following:
Saltine crackers (that's what I use)
Ritz crackers
Oatmeal
Corn flakes
Dried bread crumbs
Seasoned bread crumbs

And of course, no meatloaf would be complete without some sort of provocative "glaze" or "sauce" poured on top.  Usually you'd do this close to the end of the cooking cycle so that it caramelizes and creates the glaze like consistency on top.  With this I've heard of using:
Ketchup (my favorite)
Tomato sauce
Tomato soup
Tomato soup with Brown sugar mixed in
Brown gravy

You can bake it in the oven, or even cook it in the crock pot.  I've never tried the latter.

Really what it boils (or bakes) down to is a matter of preference and taste. I happen to like a dryer meatloaf with kind of a crispier outer texture.  Some people prefer a softer texture.

You may want to use a couple of eggs to help act as a loafing agent, for lack of a better term.  It kind of helps to hold things together.  Of course there will be some delicious grease in the ground beef that helps with the morphing as well, but eggs seem to just assist with the overall texture.

So without further ado, I'd like to share my meatloaf recipe with you!  (I'm a poet!)

Now, don't get all excited, it's pretty much THE most basic form of meatloaf.

You'll need:

1 lb. ground beef
2 packs saltine crackers
2 eggs
about 1/2 cup ketchup
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  And here's the really complicated part, dump it all in a bowl and squish it all up!  But first, you get to mash the daylights out of the saltine crackers with a rolling pin!  It's really fun, trust me!  Just think of the person tailgating you all the way home on the ice this evening!  It's cathartic.

Before....

During....

After

So now all the ingredients are just all dumped into a bowl, how are you going to mix it all up?  You guessed it!  Wash those hands off really well because you're goin' in!  Trust me, it's just too hard to do it with a spoon.  You have to sort of squish up the saltines with your fingers as your squishing all around.  Yes, it is gross. 

Then you morph it into a "loaf" shape and stick it in a baking dish.  I use glass, but you can even put it on a cookie sheet for that matter.  You can wrap it up or cover it with aluminum foil if you prefer, but again we like ours crispy so I bake it uncovered for about 45 minutes. 

Then take it out and pour more ketchup on top to "glaze".  Bake for another 10-15 minutes.  You just want to be really sure it gets cooked all through because sometimes if it's somewhat a thicker loaf, and if you have tall sides on your baking dish, it just takes a little longer to cook all the way through.

So there you have it!  Meatloaf is a dish best served with mashed potatoes and green beans I think....and maybe a little leftover broccoli from last night.

I like the "butt" pieces...

So how do YOU make your meatloaf?  Share it with me!  Email me at chocodarlin@aol.com and let me try your manner of loaf.

Enjoy!  I hope you get to "see paradise by the oven light!"....sorry had to make a Meatloaf joke....

-Amy the DIY Monkey