Meatloaf Mania

Few people (besides my in-laws) will ever understand how many years I spent convincing Will that meatloaf is not, in fact, the dietary reincarnation of Satan. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "meatloaf is gross!" "I HATED having to eat it as a child!" "the thought of it makes me gag" and so on, and so on. This was incredibly disappointing to me, because while I wouldn't go so far as to say I craved meatloaf the way I crave pepperoni pizza with extra mozzarella during my pregnancies, I enjoy it. Especially during the fall, when the air gets crisper, the leaves start to turn, and the thought of turning on my oven doesn't make me break out in a sweat. Eventually, I gave up with the begging and pleading, and firmly informed Will that I was making meatloaf for dinner. That was it. End of discussion. The next couple of hours weren't exactly pleasant around our house, what with Will's grumbling and whining (yes, whining). However, since I didn't see my husband running to the kitchen to don an apron and turn himself into the next male Julia Child, I went about my business and made dinner. When the meatloaf came out of the oven a few hours later, Will eyed it suspiciously but, to his credit, didn't make any disparaging remarks. I made a plate for him complete with veggies and garlic mashed potatoes and one slice of meatloaf, and did the "I want you to try it, but if you REALLY don't like it I won't be offended if you don't eat it" speech. Readers with children, is this starting to sound familiar?

Well, I'm pretty sure we all know what happens next-Will loved the meatloaf. He even went back for seconds, and when I questioned how he liked the "disgusting" meatloaf, he grudgingly admitted that it was quite tasty. So, there you have it. I used my mom's recipe, which she's been making for as long as I can remember. This is a perfect weeknight dish and the leftovers are wonderful. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2lbs 93% lean ground beef
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves minced garlic
3/4 cup crushed soda crackers
1 T Worchestshire sauce
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 12-oz can of V8 juice
2 eggs
freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bow.

3. Add the mixture to a loaf pan.

4. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (I occasionally need to leave it in a little longer. That being said, my oven sucks). The meatloaf should look like this when it's done cooking.