Meatloaf
(from Grandma Jean)
Yield: 3 servings (2 slices per serving)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (1 slice of bread broken up)
3/4 cup milk
1 lb. ground meat (least fatty beef)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion salt or 1/4 cup onion (finely chopped)
1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce (or A-1 Steak Sauce)
1/4 tsp all-purpose seasoning (like oregano)
1. Heat oven to 350 F - 365 F, depending on whether or not your oven runs hot or cooler.
2. In a large bowl, put in breadcrumbs and milk; stir so all the breadcrumbs are wet.
3. Add the meat, broken up a bit.
4. Mix this with egg, salt, pepper, onion salt, worcestershire sauce, and all-purpose seasoning.
4.5 (When everything is all the same color, you can now make one or two loaves, whatever you prefer. They will be cooked together if you make two, but will get done faster.)
5. Take half the mixture in your hands and form a ball, and -- this is important -- throw the ball back and forth in your hands a few times while rotating the ball. This gets the air out of the ball so you won't have any holes, and the loaf will stay together better.
6. I line a pan with aluminum foil now, and spray the bottom with PAM (or coat it with oil) to prevent sticking -- this makes less work in the clean-up department, but maybe you can't get aluminum foil. You can use the aluminum pie pans, also.
7. Put your "balls" on the pan, and form them into sort of flat oval loaves. Put them in the oven and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. It's experimental, because I don't know how good your oven is. If you think they came out too well-done, then do it for less time the next time. Slice and eat what you want, and there will be plenty left over for another meal or sandwiches. It's good with ketchup -- I don't think you want to get into making gravy!
I use the same recipe for meat balls. maybe just a little less milk so they are not too soft, make little balls and just put them in a pan on top of the stove with a little oil, brown them with fairly high heat, turning them frequently, and then pour tomato sauce over the top, and simmer for 1/2 hour, covered. By the way, don't ever pour tomato sauce into a hot pan, or you will have red polka dots all over everything! Always cool down the pan first, and turn the heat up a bit after you have a cover on the pan.
Back to my cooking accomplishments