My favorite meatloaf

DH asked me to make meatloaf this week... he was reading a German cookbook and read off the ingredients to me... ground beef, egg, ummmm not much else. I laughed and laughed - where was all the other "stuff" that makes meatloaf so yummy. He just kind-ov looked at me blankly. Leave it to me honey, North Americans KNOW how to make meatloaf. So, here is my very favorite recipe for meatloaf - American diner style! DH can stick to making his wonderful Austrian food, but meatloaf - that is my department.

*

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pound ground beef

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

1 chopped onion

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup ketchup (X2 - you use the 2nd 1/4 cup for the top)

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

A good shake of all purpose seasoning (I like Adobe blend, but just use your fav.)

*

DIRECTIONS:

Mix altogether with your hands in a big mixing bowl. Transfer the entire, slighty goopy mess into a GREASED bread pan. Top with the 2nd portion of 1/4 cup ketchup.

*

Cover.

*

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

*

Drain off the fat - we grind our own meat so don't have much of anything to drain.

*

Uncover.

*

Bake about 30 minutes more. The top will have little cracks so you will know the inside is done. Keep an eye on it because you don't want to overcook it. My oven is a bit different than other people's so I actually use different temperatures/times. But - these settings should work for a household oven.

*

This is sooooo sooooo good. Try it. You won't believe it!!!

*

I have some foil loaf pans and plan on making a couple more batches this week. I am going to just bake for the 1st 1/2 hour, let cool and then freeze. All I will have to do is defrost and finish the baking next time I want meatloaf! Maybe by planning ahead - next time around I will actually have time to make the carrots that I was going to make to go with this too! LOL!