Meatloaf, Beatloaf, I LOVE Meatloaf

I am so far behind on my blogging, I think I started this about a month ago!

Did you ever see "A Christmas Story"? To me, it is the quintessential Christmas movie because it takes me back to my own Christmases. The gaudiness of the tree, the sheer gluttony of the gifts, the meal (well, we never had to eat duck in a Chinese restaurant for Christmas). Such good memories.

Although I love it all, I especially love when Ralphie's younger brother Randy says, "Meatloaf, meatloaf, double beatloaf. I HATE meatloaf!" 

As kids we all had our moments of extreme pickiness, but I never gave my mom trouble when it came to meatloaf, red cabbage and mashed potatoes. I think she used hamburger meat and put hamburger relish inside, with dehydrated onions (my mom was big on dehydrated onions), and of course, ketchup on top. I'm sure there was probably egg and bread crumbs too.

My recipe is adapted from an old Weight Watchers recipe. The best thing I learned from this recipe (and others of that era) was to use a decent quality roast and have it ground up. When I ate more beef, I used to buy a couple of roasts and have it trimmed of fat and ground into one-pound packages to freeze. Perfect! We used to use a food dehydrator and hubby loved to make beef jerky. After trying it with ground beef, you realize just how much like cardboard the stuff tastes and chews like. Let that be a lesson...

Those big hunks of white are not fat people, they are onions! I shaped this one to be long, which made it less tall.

Which increased the surface to ketchup raito substantially! Sorry, but ketchup is a must for meatloaf. It's part of its 60s charm.

The red cabbage is easy to make, and it cooks while the meatloaf is baking.

My mom's cabbage had an apple in it. Not sure why as none remains and with the vinegar you use, it sure isn't the main flavour. But some traditions should not be messed with. Plus, I like how the apples turned purple from the red cabbage. 

And then you just toss everything into a pot and simmer away. To caraway or not to caraway, is up to you, but even as a kid I loved the stuff.

 

It's delicious I tell you! When I was a kid it was a major treat to get a meatloaf sandwich the next day (if there was any left from feeding 8 people). A little mustard, a slab 'o meatloaf and you're golden for lunch!

And so is this! I love the sweet and sour taste and the caraway that brings it all back to earth. It's yummy and I don't know what Randy's problem was.

We ate our meatloaf and cabbage for two meals. Then, on the third day, hubby likes to do this weird thing when I've had enough of it. He makes a 'smoosh' of all the leftovers in a frying pan. Imagine bits of cabbage, purple potato and meatloaf all panfried together. Reminds me of Red Flannel Cabbage Hash (hmmm... might have to make that again some day). He's Acadian French, but sometimes I wonder if he doesn't have a bit of the blarney in 'im. One of his all-time favourite meals is cornbeef hash... something I will never like.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Home-style Meatloaf

I’ve loved meatloaf since I was a kid, but I love it even more after the little kid from “A Christmas Story” rhymed, “Meat Loaf. Beat Loaf. I hate meatloaf.” He obviously never had mine! It’s even better than my mom’s.

Makes about 12 slices

1/2 cup                                     ketchup

1                                                small onion, minced

2 tbsp                                       dried parsley

1 /4 tsp                                    salt

1/4 tsp                                     pepper

1                                                large egg (or 2 egg whites)

1-1/2 lb                                    ground lean roast, such as sirloin*

1/2 cup                                    oats

1/4 to 1/2 cup                        ketchup

Preheat oven to 350°F

Combine all ingredients up to oats, in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, blend together until combined. Using a broiling pan, or a lined or sprayed cookie sheet, shape mixture into a loaf. Spread remaining ketchup over top, covering entire surface.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

* The best meatloaf is made with decent quality roast. I ask the butcher to grind up 5 pounds at a time and package them in 1-pound packages. You can double this recipe and freeze one loaf without the ketchup topping.

 Printable Home-style Mealoaf
 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Mom’s Red Cabbage

This was a family favourite that was usually served with pork of some kind. But ever since “A Christmas Story, I serve it with meatloaf and mashed potatoes!

Serves 4 to 6

1                                                   medium red cabbage, shredded

2                                                   apples, peeled, cored and diced

4 tbsp                                          sugar

1/2 cup                                       white vinegar

1-1/2 tsp                                    salt

1 tsp                                            caraway seed (optional)

Place all ingredients except caraway (if using) into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 45 minutes, or until cabbage is soft. Stir occasionally. Add water if necessary, to keep cabbage moist. Add caraway in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Printable Mom's Red Cabbage