Meatloaf

Last week I posted a recipe of my dad's.  This week I wanted to pay a little tribute to my mom.  My mom never liked to cook.  I think it is because, unlike me, she doesn't really like to eat.  What a shame though because when she does cook, it is fantastic!  

One of my favorites, and probably the first thing I learned how to make from my mom, is meatloaf.  Now this is not your ordinary meatloaf.  I actually hate regular meatloaf and would never dream of eating any but my own (or my moms!).  When I think of restaurant meatloaf, I think of a thick, dry brick of meat with a sad attempt for flavor by adding way to much onion powder and plain jane ketchup.  This meatloaf is tender from the egg and bread crumbs, mild enough for kids due to the lack of garlic and onion, and ends with a delicious tanginess from the brown sugar ketchup.  Serve with mashed potatoes and you have a perfect meal.

For serving ease, and added cuteness, I make individual sized loafs.  I have seen a lot of people doing this in muffin tins.  I don't really get the point of that.  I just form small loafs and bake on a pan.  The meat will keep its shape and a pan is so much easier to clean afterwards than a muffin tin.  Just make sure that the pan you use has a lip (like a large jelly roll pan) because melted fat will pool while the meatloaf cooks.

Ingredients

1lb Ground Sirloin

1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (lightly packed)

1 1/2 Cups Ketchup

1/2 Cup milk

1 Egg


First things first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and milk.  Stir and let this mixture sit while you prepare everything else.  Once all of the milk has soaked into the bread crumbs, you will have a soupy mixture.  In a separate bowl, combine the ketchup and brown sugar and mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ground sirloin, bread crumb mixture, and 1 cup of the ketchup mixture.  Mix by hand.

For individual sized loafs, use a large handful of the meat mixture.  Form this into an oval shaped ball and place on your pan.  You will be able to make 5 loaves with this recipe.

Take the remaining ketchup mixture and spread evenly over each meatloaf.  Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!