Meatloaf: That word is gross, but the food is delicious!

When I was little, we had meatloaf a lot.  A LOT.  Which was fine with me, because I loved it.  Sometimes we had ketchup on it, sometimes with potatoes, sometimes with corn on the cob, sometimes we would have meatloaf sandwiches, which continue to be one of my favorites to this day.

I used to think my mom LOVED meatloaf, too, because we had it so often.  But now I am an adult, and I realize the real reason we ate it so often: we were broke.  Well, not broke so much.  My parents had great jobs, but with four kids, a house, ballet, dance, gymnastics, piano lessons, and my sister's continuous Emergency Room bill, my mom and dad were closer to broke than wealthy.  Now that I have a my own bills to pay and a family to raise, I get it.  

Anyway, I was thinking about this the other day.  I was making a meatloaf, and I was thinking about how cool it was.  Haha, I know, so lame.  But seriously, listen:

1. It's healthy if you do it right.  You can hide all kinds of veggies in it, and even fruit sometimes, if you are as crafty as I am.

2. It's cheap.

3. If feeds a ton of people for cheap.

4. You have leftovers for days.

5. Everyone likes it (and if someone doesn't, there is something wrong with them)

6. Pretty much no matter what you do, you cannot mess this up.  

7.  It can be as plain or as fancy as you want, so it is a recipe for beginners or experts.

8.  You can bake it in a muffin tin, then wrap the little loaves up in tin foil and freeze them.  That way, if I go out of town, Kevin can have a decent meal from the microwave (haha yeah right... he would still totally order pizza). But at least the thought is there.

This is more of a guideline than a recipe.  Literally, toss in whatever you would like and it would probably work.  This is just how I do it.  My mom's recipe is different from my grandma's which is different from my stepmom's which is different from mine, but they are all delicious:-)

GUIDELINES:

2 pound lean ground hamburger

1 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup salsa (I like to use spicy salsa.  Once I used mango salsa and it was really good, but any kind will work)

3 TBS jelly (use a kind without seeds.  Yellow jellies, like apricot or peach, seem to work the best)

1 egg

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, pressed

3-5 TBS bread crumbs or crushed crackers

lemon juice

salt and pepper

Then add whatever you want.  I have done different combinations of mushrooms, fresh herbs, dried herbs (parsley, thyme), spinach leaves, green onion, sour cream, A1 or BBQ sauce, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, grated zucchini or squash, grated carrot, celery, grated cheese (parmesan is awesome with mushrooms) etc.

Mix everything together and place in a casserole dish.  Paint the top with a mixture of 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbs balsamic vinegar,  1 tsp brown sugar, and 1 tbs ketchup or BBQ sauce.  Bake on 365 for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until crispy on the outside and done on the inside.

Serve it up with some truffle parmesan potatoes, parsley red potatoes, or sauteed onion and mushrooms with green beans.  Obviously, the next day make paninis with it:-)

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for feeding us great food even when you had no money!  Love you both! <3  Also, I'm sorry I always complained about food when I was little.  I didn't really hate meatloaf like I told you... lol.