Meatloaf

C. Patrick Warren

This recipe has not been in my family for long, and that's no exaggeration. My mother was the first to learn how to cook this meatloaf, and she recently taught me how to cook it, too. My mother learned this recipe when she was taking care of my older brother and sister while my father was in the Air Force. Of course, my mom was in her early 20s and my brother and sister were about one year old (they're 40 and 39, respectively, now).

After my dad came back from the Air Force, he and my mom lived close to my grandma for about a year. During this time, my grandma taught my mom how to cook other recipes, including her famous salmon and rice, but that's another story. While my parents lived with my grandma, my mom had time to perfect her meatloaf recipe and was able to cook it by heart.

Recently, I decided to take up cooking. With the help of my mom, I learned how to make her famous meatloaf dinner. It actually wasn't as hard to make as I thought it would be. When mixing the meat, green pepper, onion, and sauce in the bowl, I said, "Wow, I'm wearing gloves and this meat is so cold." My mom said, "Yeah, well try doing that with no gloves. Back then, we didn't use any."

Though my mom can cook just about anything, I figured I'd share her meatloaf dinner recipe because I believe it to be her best dish. I'll never forget how to make this meatloaf for the rest of my life, and I'll cook it for my kids when the time comes.