Much ado about meatloaf

by Millie Bentley

Greetings. My mom was an excellent down home cook. I told her one time that I missed her cooking; she replied, “Well, I miss a lot of things now and then, but to tell you the truth, of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.”
That’s Mom. Those little quirky bits of humor pop out at the least expected times. And instead of a cake for her birthday one time, she wanted a meatloaf with candles. So here’s my jazzed up old meatloaf recipe as follows that I made for her:
Mom’s Birthday Meatloaf
1 ½ pounds ground beef
½ pound ground pork (not sausage)
2 eggs
1 bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 medium-sized onion
2 slices of whole grain bread
1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Place meat into large mixing bowl with two eggs. Mix together with hands. In a food processor or by hand grate garlic, onion and bell pepper. Add to meat and mix together with hands. Quickly soak bread slices in water, squeeze out gently and crumble bread into meat. Mix together with hands. Mix together the remaining ingredients and add to meat. Again, mix together with hands. All a little water if mixture seems dry. Shape into a loaf that will fit into a 9-by-4-by-4-inch loaf pan. Pull meat away from sides and ends with hands. Bake in a 350˚F pre-heated oven about 1 ½ hours, pouring off grease occasionally. Cool a bit before slicing. Yum! Yum! Yum!
This meatloaf makes great sandwiches. Sometimes when the boys and I were going on a trip (especially accompanied by our traveling companion, Mom/Grandma) I’d like to make a meatloaf – without the hot spices – just for sandwiches.
Well folks, I miss you. Until next week, vaya con Dios.