Farmer Boy Recipe - Country Meat Loaf

What could be more comforting than a warm, juicy slice of meat loaf on your plate?  There are probably more recipes out there for meat loaf than any other dish.  This one comes from my family - it's one that was handed down to me from my Great Aunt.  I hope you like it.  Of course, you could change it to fit your tastes.  But this is a pretty basic recipe, which is made for tweaking - so suit yourself :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef (any cut will do)
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/3 Cup of milk
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 Cup onions, minced
• 1/3 Cup green peppers, minced
• 3/4 Cup bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons of celery, minced
• 1 Tablespoon of parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of "What's this here sauce" (Worcestershire sauce :)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/4 Cup of tomato catsup

Directions: In a large bowl, add all the ingredients (except the catsup) and mix them up with your hands. (Make sure your hands are clean!)  Shape into a loaf.  Brush on the catsup.  Place loaf into a baking dish.  Cook in oven, set at 350 degrees F. for about an hour.  That's it - simple!  But the results are terrific!

While we're at it, let me say: a cold sandwich made with leftover meat loaf is great too!

Some folks smother the loaf with catsup, but I reserve that for the meat loaf sandwich!
Some folks like to add a gravy to the meat loaf, others like to use the addition of veal to the mix, (I'd do that too - if I could find veal - but in my neck of the woods, they don't know what veal is!)  Anyway, you just have fun adding or substracting any ingredients that you like to this recipe!  You might even enjoy making it different every time you make it!

If you make a meat loaf based on this recipe, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  And if you haven't signed up as a follower of my blog, by all means - do it now!  And tell someone else about my blog too.  I love hearing from folks.  And I hope you'll take a look at the web site for my shop too!  And then I hope you'll stop by my shop in person some time!  If you've been leaving comments here, maybe by the time you come into my shop, we'll feel like old friends :)

The Old Man in the Bib Overalls