My mother made meatloaf frequently when I was growing up. My Daddy, my three sisters, and I loved “meatloaf” day at our house. Her recipe was pretty simple. Ground beef, onions, salt, pepper, and ketchup for the sauce on top of the meatloaf. She often fixed fried corn, mashed potatoes, and fried okra as side dishes. Delish!
Many years ago, I spoke to a garden club and they gave me a cookbook as a “thank you” for my time. It was the Bay Leaves cookbook published by the Junior League of Panama City, Florida. As most good cooks know, the Junior League cookbooks are some of the best of the best. You know a cookbook is well used and well-loved by the number of spots and splatters from years of use. This one certainly fits that category.
And that is where I stumbled across the ultimate meatloaf recipe, at least for our family. Let me say that my mother would never be offended that I no longer use her recipe for meatloaf. After cooking for many years for a family of six, she always said that any meal she didn’t have to cook herself was a good one. Here’s to you, Mama.
Garden Club meatloaf ingredients:
Editor’s note: I have made this so many times I have tweaked it a bit, ok a lot, over the years so this is my twist on the original recipe.
1 lb of ground beef
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (I use bread, rolls, hamburger buns, or whatever I have on hand)
1 small onion, 2 stalks of celery, and 1/4 cups of carrots chopped in a food processor
1 Tbls chopped garlic
1 egg
1 tsp Lemon Pepper seasoning
1/2 cup tomato sauce
Combine all ingredients and shape into a baking pan. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and pour off excess fat.
Sauce ingredients:
The remaining 1/2 can of the tomato sauce
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs yellow or Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Mix sauce ingredients and pour over meatloaf after cooking for 30 minutes. Bake another 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve with sides of your choice including mashed potatoes (the sauce in the meatloaf makes an excellent gravy), fried corn, fried okra, and/or black-eyed peas.
This makes me miss my Mama so much. She would have loved it. I hope your family does as well. Enjoy!
