Comfort Food #2

Well, I was going to save this for later but since my mom brought it up, I will go ahead and mention it now.  As strange as it may seem, considering all my comfort food "dislikes", my comfort food #2 is indeed meatloaf.

I'm not sure when I started liking meatloaf, although I do know it was after Jeff and I were married, and I was the one who was making the meatloaf.  Like my mom said, meatloaf was definitely not one of those things she made well, and so meatloaf definitely isn't a comfort food because of the great memories it evokes.  My mom remembers my Grandmom Lenhart making a delicious meatloaf, but Grandmom was one of those cooks who didn't have a recipe, per se, and so we've never been able to duplicate her meatloaf.

Honestly, I'm not even sure when I started making meatloaf, but at some point, early in our marriage, I was looking through a Zonta Club cookbook that Jeff's mom had given me, and I spotted a recipe for Ann Landers' meatloaf.  It caught my attention for two reasons:  it didn't include bread chunks or crumbs (I don't do soggy bread.) and it made two loaves--so I could make one and freeze the other.  Thus a "VeStrand classic" was born.

And I am happy to say that my meatloaf is one of Jeff's most-requested meals.  He and the boys love it.  I have experimented with other recipes, but none has measured up.  In fact, last week, I tried a new meatloaf recipe, and as we were eating Sawyer said "Mom, you should have stuck with the old recipe."   And, once, I put a hard boiled egg in the meatloaf before I baked it so that, when I cut it, each piece would have an egg slice in the middle.  I thought the kids would be thrilled to find such a fun surprise in their meatloaf.  Boy was I wrong!!!  You would have thought I baked a dead bug into every slice!  Now, every time I serve meatloaf, at least one child asks "Mom, you didn't put an egg in this one, did you?"  I don't think I will ever live that down!

So I guess I have to thank Ann Landers for this comfort food!  Sorry mom!

Ann Landers' Meatloaf

3 pounds ground beef (I use meatloaf mix from BJs)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 tspn. salt
dash pepper
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (my addition)

Mix all ingredients together and divide into two smaller loaf pans or one large loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Optional:  you can top with one small can Hunt's tomato paste and/or two strips of bacon.