(from the above picture we learn that cell phone cameras are not always a good substitute when your real camera's battery is dead.)

i remember an episode of "roseanne" where she was teaching a bunch of kids how to make a meal on a budget & said it would be done when the oldest comes in & says "aaawww, meatloaf AGAIN?!?".  a lot of people are down on meatloaf & i never understood why.  maybe it's because my mom's meatloaf was always awesome & i was spoiled.  or maybe it's another example of folks having a dish made poorly or from a not-so-good recipe & then they always think meatloaf sucks.  i do know that if i want a super easy, hearty, inexpensive dish that i know people will love, i make my meatloaf.

now, when i say "people will love" i mean specifically my husband, john.  every time i make it, he tells me how great it is.  i'm more critical of things i make than he is so i know when something isn't good plus he has requested my meatloaf, so i know he's not just being nice.  tonight i wasn't in a "let's try something different & experiment" mood.  i wanted something i know works & is good.  also, the only thing i didn't happen to have on hand was ground beef so i didn't have to spend much on it.  normally my favorite side dish with meatloaf is mashed potatoes but i wasn't up for the effort (because i make my mashed potatoes from POTATOES).  i wanted something easy.  like so-easy-a-caveman-can-do-it easy.  so i made one of the other zatarain's boxed rice mixes i bought the other day: red beans & rice.

my meatloaf is a (very) slightly modified version of a recipe found in the better homes & gardens "new cookbook" (mine is the 1996 edition, i think).  i've said it before but everyone needs this book.  like the bible or "the night before christmas" or "animal farm", every home must have a copy.  it's my go-to resource for basic recipes i haven't made before or forget how much of each ingredient to use or just want a recipe by my side as a safety net.  it is great to look through to get meal or dish ideas to jump off from.  there's everything from basic breads to cookies & cakes to, well, meatloaf plus many more involved recipes.  my banana bread & lasagna both started from recipes in this book & they both always get rave reviews.

both of these dishes are so easy you could do them while knitting a sweater, mowing the lawn AND balancing your checkbook (none of which i do).  it's all dump the ingredients together, mix, heat for a while.  i started the rice at halfway through the meatloaf cook time so they were both done at the same time. 

the red beans & rice were just awesome.  the spice was perfect, everything was cooked through (OH how i hate undercooked rice!) and it was just plain delicious.  it is very starchy (duh... rice and beans) so it will fill you up very quickly and we had some leftovers (but not because it didn't taste good!). 

you could make the meatloaf with any ground meat you want, i suppose.  i got some 80/20 ground beef that was on sale and usually do go for your standard ground beef.  you don't have to get anything fancy but you could if you wanted to.  you could also use plain bread crumbs & then add spices but i just get the italian seasoned bread crumbs.  i like my meatloaf to have as much of the sort of "crust" they get, that extra cooked outer part, as possible so i form it into a slightly flattened out loaf shape in a baking dish, not a loaf pan.  i don't put anything extra on top, no glaze or anything, while baking.  i do like to use barbeque sauce when i serve it.  this time, we happened to have a bottle of famous dave's "sweet & zesty" (my favorite of their sauces) & it complimented the meatloaf very well. this meatloaf will be nice & juicy and very flavorful.  so, on to the recipe!

candy's meatloaf

1 pound ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 beaten egg
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup milk

mix everything together in a bowl.  i use my hands to squish it all together but the wimps in the audience could use a fork or spatula.  form into a loaf shape & place in a shallow baking dish.  bake uncovered at 350 degrees for an hour.  cut in slices & top with bbq sauce.

seriously, how easy is that?  it takes like a minute to mix it & get it in the oven, then you have an hour to make a fancy side dish or watch tv or plot world domination... whatever.  then you get a filling, hearty meal for not much money.  this is not what you'd call a "light meal" but world domination does take some energy. 

You know I think there are way more bad ways to make meatloaf then good ones. And once you find a good one you need to stick with it or you'll be disappointed more often then not.

I've been a vegetarian for a long time now, and one of the things I miss terribly is meatloaf. This post made my mouth water! When I used to come home from college, my mother always wanted to make me a favorite meal. It was always mashed potatoes, string beans and her homemade meatloaf. Yum!:)

I really loved reading your blog! :)We miss you very much:( Hope to see you both soon