mama's meatloaf

yo!! I'm just gonna get right to it & say that I make some seriously good meatloaf. Some have said it is the best they've ever had. My man plans to put my meatloaf on the menu at his restaurant. It's THE BOMB. I make it every couple of months and last night I was half watching Paula Deen (yep, that's right, I watch Paula...) and she was making meatloaf, and that was it, I had to have it. It was always a favorite of mine as a kid, and I still love it now. I guess there are those out there who find it incredibly disgusting, the name IS kinda gross, MEAT LOAF...sounds kind of like it could be made out of mysterious, unknown meat products & scraps of some sort. But not mine. I use all organic, all good, all meat meat, and it is dee-lish. This recipe makes 1 small loaf, perfect for 2 people, and usually there is a little bit leftover to make meat loaf sammy's for lunch the next day, yum!

You will need:

1/3 lb ground pork

1/3 lb ground beef

1/3 lb ground turkey

1 small onion or 2 shallots

2 eggs

2/3 cup bread crumbs

3 Tbsp ketchup

2 tsp worcestershire

salt

pepper

garlic powder

Sauce ( if you so choose to make it...)

1 cup fresh tomato, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup any of the following that sound good or that you might have in your fridge:

mushrooms, red or green pepper, zucchini, broccoli, yellow squash, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

Pre-heat the old oven to 350 degrees. Saute your onion or shallot in a bit of oil until soft & translucent. Throw all your ingredients into a large mixing bowl, including the onion once it is ready. It's gonna look gross...

Mix, mix, mix!! I prefer to use clean hands to mix this, it just works the best. If your mix seems a bit too wet, add a little more breadcrumbs. If it feels a bit too dry, add another splash of ketchup or a tiny bit more egg. Once mixed, form the mixture into a loaf shape in the middle of a cookie sheet, or you could pack the whole thing into a loaf pan.

Now we come to my secret ingredient. This might be the reason my loaf is so darn good. This recipe comes by way of my mom & my sister & they both swear by this stuff. My dad does too, as a matter of fact, you won't see him grillin' steaks without it. You might recognize it from your mom or your grandma's pantry in like 1978, but they still make it and I keep some around for meatloaf making. It's the only thing I use it for. I've never made meatloaf without it. What, you ask, could it possibly be? The one, the only....Kitchen Bouquet. "Browning & seasoning sauce". Kinda weird. Mystery sauce.  But it's not all that bad, I mean, it doesn't have high fructose or MSG or any of that stuff. It's basically a blend of caramel and vegetables. All things in moderation. So anyways, that's all I'm gonna say in my defense of Kitchen Bouquet. On with the recipe...

After forming your loaf, paint the whole top of it with Kitchen Bouquet (but only if you want your meatloaf to be THE BEST ever). Paint it, and then toss it in the oven for about 40 minutes. Meat should be not pink, but not dry.

Finally, I like to make a super fresh "sauce" to top my loaf with. It is a nice contrast to this heavier meat meal. My sister gave me the idea and it really makes it awesome...

Put a bit of oil in your saute pan. Throw in your chopped fresh tomatoes and let 'em go on real low heat until they start to break down and release their liquid. Next add any other veggies you have chosen along with your garlic & tomato paste. Saute a few minutes more, until veggies are all good and soft. Top your meatloaf with this delicious little concoction and serve the whole thing with fried potatoes & a green salad. Soooooooo....good!!

Papa is very happy when mama makes meat loaf. It's a good day when it's meat loaf day, no doubt...