Traditional MeatLoaf – Using your hands ( remember to wash them well when preparing food) is very satisfying! And you can cook this with kids too!

Share

Traditional Meatloaf is comfort food – so I love it. You could use ground turkey or chicken if you prefer that but add a bit more tomato sauce and one tablespoon of oil as the lack of fat in those ingredients can make it a bit dry. And remember to wash your hands before preparing this ( and all food). There is something wonderful about using your fingers and hands in food preparation – sort of going back to nature -and meatloaf is the perfect dish ( so is making bread!). Children love using their hands – make sure they are clean – and then let them dig in to mix the ingredients. My meatloaf is a little different. I like to add turmeric and curry – my South African heritage – where there is a wonderful dish called Boboti – for another posting!

Here is a little history from Wikipedia on Meat loaf ( the dish not the singer!). They also have a great picture of meat loaf with sauce – reproduced here because I forgot to take a picture of mine! It was so delicious that we had devoured it before realizing that we had not preserved it for posterity. This one looks a lot more beautiful than mine – but mine tasted great!

 

Ingredients:

1 beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon salt  mixed with 1 tsp of turmeric and 1 tsp of curry powder
1 1/2 lbs ground beef ( if you use extra lean, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil)
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (use Panko Breadcrumbs which I love)
4 ounces tomato sauce ( you could use ketchup)
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (use the grainy kind)

Directions:

  1. Combine all the ingredients up to and including the onion and mix thoroughly with hands. The grandkids LOVE to do this. Be sure that they have clean hands!
  2. Press into an 8-inch square pan or 9 X 5-inch loaf pan. ( Is this easy or what?)
  3. Combine water thru mustard; pour over loaf. I also add a little bit of olive oil here too ( about a teaspoon).
  4. Bake at 350° for  1 hour 15 minutes in a loaf pan).
  5. Let sit 15 min before serving.

This is perfect with mashed potatoes – I like to use Yukon and Sweet potatoes mixed – and for Halloween times add a yam or two to add that orange flavor!

 

 

Share

About Grandma

I have reinvented myself many times during my life -teacher, lawyer, business woman, CEO, Entrepreneur, Board member, Professor, Mom, Wife, Farmer, Chef, Musician, Author and now my best role of all - Grandma to multiple grandchildren, grandnephews and nieces worldwide.
This entry was posted in Blog, Meat, Recipes, Recipes to Make with Children and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.