Meatloaf

The other day my husband and I were watching The Incredibles. There they were, sitting and eating meatloaf for dinner.  I thought to myself, "Wow, meatloaf sounds pretty incredible right now," so I made a meatloaf last night.  I know, you're probably thinking that it's summer, and meatloaf is a winter food.  However, my neck of the woods has been particularly cloudy, rainy, and chilly lately, so I'm totally fine with making meatloaf in June.  After trying a couple of combinations of spices, this is my favorite way to make delicious meatloaf.

* If you want to make it easier to get your meatloaf out of the pan, try lining the pan with aluminum foil.  It will make it easier to get the loaf out of the pan and slice it.

* Short on time?  Don't have an hour and a half to wait for your meatloaf to cook?  Make mini meatloaves in muffin tins!  Fill each tin about 2/3 of the way full with the meat mixture, and you can cut the baking time in half.  Using muffin tins is also a great way to make individual meatloaves that can be frozen and thawed for lunches later on.

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Meatloaf

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano (you can also substitute sage or basil here)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (although, I've made it with just 1 lb before to save money, and it turns out just fine)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp prepared mustard (or 1/2 tsp dry mustard)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine eggs and milk.  Add bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, oregano, and pepper.  Stir until well-mixed.  Add ground beef and mix well.
3. Lightly pat the meat mixture into an ungreased loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 65-75 minutes.  Spoon off excess fat and drippings.  Actually, I usually just hold up the pan and let the fat drip right out.  I find that to be easier and more thorough than spooning it off.
4. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard.  Spread evenly over meatloaf and bake for another 10 minutes.
5. Let the meatloaf stand for 10-15 minutes before you slice it so it will stay together and crumble less.  If you're really worried about crumbling meatloaf, make it a day in advance, and it will stay together in slices much better.
6. Serve up some meatloaf with your favorite potato dish and enjoy this delicious comfort food.