A Better Meatloaf

...or a better title: what I wish I knew 10 years ago about cooking.  It is rare that I flex my domestic goddess muscles too often on my website because it would look like the inverted muscle Popeye attempts to flex before a spinach binge.  But the little knowledge I have I will pass onto my lurky readers. 

So you think you're a meatloaf aficionado? Just consider some of these tips.  First it's important to buy the right kind of meat.  Buying ground chuck will give you a juicier/flavorful meatloaf.  I get the 90/10 ground beef.  If that's too expensive for you, just scrape the fat off the top like I used to do.  Then I have a handy tip for those end pieces of bread that my family can't stand to eat.  Put them in a food processor with a little milk, and presto! You have breadcrumbs.  It makes your meatloaf more tender than dry breadcrumbs. You knew that already?  Oh the years I've wasted finding something else to make for dinner, when I discovered I was out of store-bought breadcrumbs. 

Grating an onion rather than chopping it helps it cook through and makes your meatloaf taste better.  Are you a cheese lover like me?  Gently add a 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese to the mix, and another 1/2 cup on top. 

I read mixing the meatloaf gently prevents it from becoming tough when it bakes.  I can't have raw meat getting on my heels and pearls when I cook so I mix the ingredients gently with rubber gloves because I find utensils just make things messier.

I make a simple sauce to top my meatloaf using peach or pineapple syrup (from the can), cornstarch, brown sugar and ketchup.  If I'm pressed for time plain old ketchup suffices.

Make sure the meatloaf rests after you take it out of the oven. This allows the juices to redistribute, and gives you time to finish watching that TLC show you love so much before all chaos breaks loose when you call everyone to supper.

In the same line of thought that you would call broccoli "baby trees,"  the name for meatloaf around our house is endearingly called "mommy meat."  I guess years ago I was trying to make it sound more appealing to my picky two-year old son.  If this works for you, by all means there is no copyright on my idea.  And if I can help one family cut out their McDonald's run once a week, then dog gone it this post has not been in vain.

Gotta run, I think I smell it burning now.