Not just delicious, meatloaf is also easy and inexpensive to make. The mixture can be stretched with veggies, bread, and grains. Meatloaf's small amount of meat feeds a large number of people, and all the non-meat additions make the meatloaf taste even more delicious! This week we explore Allrecipes' cook, Tracy's delicious variation on this versatile American classic!
View Tracy's Meatloaf Recipe >>>
Allrecipes' cook, Tracy, is a (mostly) self-taught cook and baker, originally hailing from South Texas. She now lives in Denver with several animals including a dog, a cat, and a sweet boyfriend! She admits that high-altitude baking has been difficult for her resulting in many ruined brownies.
Every Sunday, she gets together with family at her grandmother's house for dinner, where they all sing, bang pans, laugh, gossip, and drink wine. An evening isn't complete without a homemade dessert, a tradition she continued with the What's Cooking? crew. THAT WAS SOME GOOD PIE!
Q: Are there any popular variations to consider?
A: A simple glaze of ketchup and brown sugar is popular. Additionally, some like to cover the top with bacon. One of Michael's favorites (and a favorite of the kids!) is "Frosted Meatloaf" which includes a thick layer of mashed potatoes on top.
Q: Do you always need to cook it in a loaf pan?
A: Not necessarily. It is even suggested that using a loaf pan keeps all the fat and juices from "escaping" and the meatloaf ends up stewing rather than baking. A simple solution is to shape a loaf and place it on an aluminum foil-covered baking pan. This will also provide a nice crust on the sides as well as the top.
Q: Are there other ingredients I can include?
A: For the liquid, yogurt or milk are options as they add very little flavor to the mix. For the filler, Bruschetta is a surprising addition as well as rice, grated potato, fresh breadcrumbs, quick-cooking oatmeal and even the tried and true saltines.
"Hey, Ma! The meatloaf! We want it now! The meatloaf! " ~ Chazz Reinhold, Wedding Crashers
This week, we met up with Allrecipes' cook, Tracy. The title of her recipe, "The Best Meatloaf I've Ever Made" is what made Denver a required stop. As this was my old stomping grounds, before moving to the Pacific Northwest, it was good coming back home as well! One of my favorite foods growing up was meatloaf and later, I started whipping up a "Frosted Meatloaf" or rather, meatloaf with a nice thick layer of mashed potatoes on top! Yum!
There seem to be hundreds, thousands, even millions of meatloaf recipes out there with every family having its own. Well, a lot of families. Ok, I don't know how many but a lot. Originally, meatloaf was known as a cannelon, a cylinder of minced meat wrapped in thin slices of beef and tied up. With the invention of the meat grinder, cheaper cuts of meat could be turned into ground beef and used as a staple of American home cooking. Many things can go into a tasty meatloaf including soup mix, onion, garlic, parsley, egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and other spices which provides ample opportunities to personalize your meatloaf recipe.
Tracy's meatloaf started out like many other meatloaf recipes, mixing together hamburger with her list of potions and powders. She mentioned that she often adds milk to help keep the loaf moist during baking. Well, whatever she does, Tracy makes a NICE meatloaf. Perhaps it's a good thing that her mom never made meatloaf for her growing up. She has risen like a Phoenix out of the ground beef, tomato sauce, eggs, crackers, spices and more to test her own wings and serve up for all of us here at Allrecipes, the best meatloaf I've ever tasted! Thank you, Tracy!
P.S. It was quite fun walking through town with your meatloaf amidst the inquisitive stares!
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