Meatloaf

I always say that cooking is an art, and baking is a science. 

When cooking, you are free to be creative with your food and customize it to your taste.
When baking, taking liberties is a little dangerous.  Many ingredients serve a specific purpose.    


When I make a meatloaf, it's slightly different each time because I never use a recipe.  I just make my way around the kitchen and whip it together. 


(Just so you know.....I like a moist meatloaf!)

So lets get started.....

Preheat your oven to 350-375

I begin with some lean ground burger.  Usually 1 1/2-2 lbs.

To that I add:

1 egg (holds it together)

chopped onion for flavor and texture (could add peppers or ????)

oatmeal (for filler, texture and moisture-I've used crushed saltines before too)

seasonings of your choice ( salt, pepper, a little garlic powder, basil.......etc.  YOUR CHOICE)

You can also add Worcestershire sauce

If you'd like to ramp up the nutritional value of your meatloaf, you can add wheat germ, or a little wheat bran.

This is what your mixture should look like

 Add enough liquid to your meatloaf for some moisture.  Remember you want it to be moist, and not like an old dried up burger.  I usually use almost a pint of my home canned tomato juice.  But I have also used milk.  (So we're talking about 1 1/2-2 cups ) 
I like my meatloaf to just barely hold together.  
If you think you have too much liquid, add more crackers or oatmeal.

Mush your meatloaf together by hand. 

 It should look like this.

Just flip it over into a baking dish sprayed with Pam (or something like it)
Add a little water to the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn tight. I like to drizzle the top with ketchup.
I usually cover mine for the first half hour and then uncover it for the remainder so it can brown. 

Bake until done, usually about an hour.

We enjoy mac and cheese or scalloped potatoes and a green veggie with our meatloaf!