by Victoria Montgomery

Created on: May 20, 2008   Last Updated: September 07, 2010

Meatloaf is to die for. My family adores a good meatloaf, especially paired with baked potatoes and sour cream. Unfortunately, there is such a thing as disgusting meatloaf but we won't discuss that here. Of course, my meatloaf is wonderful and so easy to make. Follow these simple steps and you too can create delicious, scrumptious meatloaf to die for...or at least to eat.

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then gather all your supplies. You will need a baking pan, preferably a 9 x 5 x 2 inch pan, or about the size of a bread loaf pan. Next you will need a large mixing bowl, a large spoon, measuring spoons and cups. Then finally, you will need the ingredients listed below.

one pound of ground beef (any fat content you prefer is fine)
1/2 cup of instant oatmeal (unflavored. I'm not fond of raisins in my meatloaf)
1/2 cup of crushed Ritz crackers(use additional 1/4 cup if using high-fat meat)
1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 or 2 cloves of crushed garlic (or substitute 1 tsp. powdered garlic)
1 tsp. of dried Italian herbs
2 medium eggs
salt and pepper (1/8 tsp. each)

Optional Topping: mix together ketchup and mustard in equal quantities(about 1/3 cup each), then add a 1/4 cup of brown sugar. This will give you a sweet/sour topping that is yummy.

Place all the above ingredients into a large bowl and stir together until well blended. The best way to do this is by hand...in other words, stick your hands in the bowl (after washing them of course) and mix the meatloaf up. Yes, you might get meatloaf under your fingernails but so what? My mother always told me that was what soap was for.

So now all that is left to do is to put it in your baking pan, pour the topping on, and stick it in the oven. Hopefully you have preheated your oven, but if not stick it in anyway and turn the oven on now. No worries. If you forgot, it will just take a bit longer to cook. Cook your meatloaf for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you like your meat well-done(or if you forgot to preheat the oven), cook an additional 15-20 minutes. And don't forget to toss in a few potatoes to bake at the same time (poke them with a fork or you might have exploding potatoes for dinner).

When cooking time is almost up, I test the meatloaf for doneness by sticking a knife in the middle. After removing meatloaf from the oven, drain any oil left in the pan, if needed, and enjoy a wonderful meal.

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