Meatloaf - it's what's for dinner...ummm no it's not!

Yes, Tina, I know you despise meatloaf, and for a very good reason - the same reason Meg hates strawberry milkshakes...so let's not call this meatloaf, shall we?  Let's call it..."It ain't a loaf, but it's Meat" - How's that? or "MeatMosh" Hmm...I like that better..."Meatmosh"

Now that we have the title out of the way - I know everyone has their favorite "Meatmosh" recipe.  They also know what goes with "Meatmosh".  For me, it was always baked potatoes, a vegetable, and applesauce, cos that's how my mom made it - for my hubby, it was gravy, mashed potatoes, and a vegetable.  In fact, our first argument in our married life came from his query when I put my "Meatmosh" on the table "Where's the gravy?"  He then escalated it into nuclear proportions by announcing "This isn't like my mother's.  You should get HER recipe and learn to make it right"  Word of advice to any husbands, boyfriends, SOs, whatevers...Never, ever, EVER...I repeat...NEVER say your wife/gf's cooking is not up to par with your mother's...even if it isn't.  Find something good to say about it, even if it tastes like a cross between an old gym sneaker and rotten eggs...I'm sure you can find something like "Honey, the presentation ROCKS, but I am STUFFED from lunch at work today - How about brownbaggin me the leftovers tomorrow, k?" and give her a kiss/hug for her efforts.  She doesn't need to know that you'll throw it in the trash.  By finding the POSITIVE, it will POSITIVELY ensure you a nice, warm spot in a big fluffy bed with your mate, rather than a cold, uncomfortable couch that is not QUITE long enough, kapish?.

I experimented with a lot of recipes, until I found one that actually works for me - it's consistently good every time, unlike before when I'd usually just throw whatever I had in the kitchen into the meat in various quantities, so the quality wasn't always consistent.  I think my family is happier, and that makes me happy, because I can actually SERVE the leftovers, and they'll eat them.  It's easy, you literally just dump everything in a bowl and get down n' dirty mooshing it with your hands, pop it in a loaf pan, and bake it for an hour.

Mom's Meatmosh  - serves 4-6 (printable recipe is HERE)

1.5 pounds of meatloaf mix (if you eat veal) if not, then 3/4 pound each ground pork and beef  -You can really interchange any meat you'd like - turkey, chicken, beef, pork, veal, or any combination thereof - doesn't matter.

1 6 oz. can of Durkee's fried onions -For a twist, try the cheddar fried onions...I would, but my family would disown me if I ever put cheese in a meatloaf - believe me, I've tried!
1 package of ranch dressing mix I use one I get at the natural market - the ones in the grocery store (*kaffHIDDENVALLEYkaff*) have MSG in them.
1 cup of bread crumbs, or...stuffing mix if you have any left over taking up space in your cabinets Stuffing mix gives the meat a nice flavor - put a bit more Steak Seasoning in if you don't have stuffing, or add some fresh ground pepper and garlic.  You can never put in too much garlic! :-D
2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick - I love this stuff - I use it in everything from meat to eggs to baked potatoes to veggies.
1 egg
1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce - If you don't like the BBQ flavor, simply substitute Ketchup.
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup milk if needed *

1. Preheat Oven to 375.

2. Mix ingredients, and form into a loaf.

*add milk last, and don't use it all if the meat seems to be getting too moist.*

3. Put in a pan and bake for an hour.

If you want, serve it with gravy, or just plain.  Make mashed or baked, doesn't matter.  Serve it with ketchup or BBQ sauce, makes no never mind to me - Enjoy!