John’s “Tastes So Good It Makes You Want To Slap Yo’ Momma For Not Making It For You When You Were A Kid” Meatloaf.
Prep time : How fast are you?
Baking time: 1 Hour
Ingredients:
Meatloaf
2 lbs lean ground beef / or ground chuck
1 Cup finely chopped onion
1 Clove Finely Chopped Garlic
(or ¼ tsp garlic powder)
½ Cup chopped celery
½ Cup Finely chopped or shredded carrots
½ Cup chopped celery
½ to 1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
Sauce
3 Cups Catsup
Cup Brown Sugar – Packed
1/4 Cup Vinegar (Apple Cider or Red Wine Vinegar)
Sauce - In a 2 quart saucepan or a microwave safe dish, combine the Catsup, packed down brown sugar and vinegar and bring to a slow simmer long enough to completely melt and blend the sugar. Stir frequently. (In a microwave, heat on high for 2 minutes, stir, and heat on high 2 minutes again and stir.) Set sauce aside.
Meatloaf – Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly by hand until completely blended. (Don’t worry, the sticky goop washes off your hands. Just have fun.) Form the meat mixture into a loaf and place in an un-greased baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, remove from oven and drain off any drippings. Pour all the sauce completely over and around the meat and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes, (the sauce makes an outstanding “gravy”) and vegetables.
Note; - As an Italian cook, I never measure anything. Ingredients are added until they’re “right”, and only experience can teach you this. Using the above quantities for each ingredient will provide you with an excellent meal, however I tend to add a tad more brown sugar and vinegar, … will sometimes chop up half of a green pepper into the meat mix and will sometimes add a little more Italian Seasoning.
Cooking should be like making love, … with joy and passion! It’s a guy thing you know.
Mangia!