Mar's Leftover use Up Meatloaf: Favorite family recipes and loving your mom's best

Hi my friends. So let me just begin by saying that this blog is going to be as much about the culture, sociology and psychology around food, as the the how-tos and recipes. Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said "food is a spiritual experience." It's also a community thing. It collects and connects folks in a way nothing else can. Whether it's a the simple yet stately queen of foods, a loaf of home baked bread or a few fish with which the Son of God fed the hungry multitudes. Or a steaming pot of soup. Or a 12-course meal. Or a quick snack. Hand prepared food lovingly shared speaks of warmth, inclusiveness and that comfort of knowing there's enough for all. 

And on that thought of homemade foods and recipes, I'm remembering when I was young, it was common to title family recipes as so-and-so's favorite. I have a long-ago recipe in my old metal box, written on an index card, for Tim's Favorite Lemonade Pie. I don't know who Tim is/was. But in that place at that time, a guy named Tim liked this recipe so much and that pleased the cook who created it, so much, that she named it for him. 

I have another memory of a friend saying her mother always bragged that the friend loved her chicken and rice best. The friend confided that she didn't even like chicken and rice. But it made mom feel so good that she never said anything. And it was true that it was her favorite as there were no other recipes in the running! There's something wonderful that happens both for the cook and the eater when a dish is shared and received with joy. 

I'm sure you, like me, have treasured memories from childhood of a certain recipe made by a loved one that you've recall with pleasure. And at my age, now, a few tears shed that the cook has moved on to that great pantry of plenty in the sky. When I recreate my Dutch grandmother's Shrimp Divine dish, I'm instantly back at family gatherings where she presided in her quiet, gracious way. Or Grama Kinney's onion mushroom pork chops. When I make them I just drink in the savory smell and think of her. Or her suet pudding that I can't quite get right. 

And it's delightful to me that everyone insists that their mom or grandma's or wife's or husband's is the best. I was once given a meal of meatloaf so hard I could have reinforced my foundation with it. When the cook's husband brought it over, he declared this was the best, hands down. Now, we come from the opposite meatloaf camp, making mine with everything but the kitchen sink and lots of ketchup. That's what my family likes. Her recipe was not our preference, as I'm sure ours would not be to them. But we ate with gratitude and relish (seriously, I added pickle relish, LOL). And you know what, that's how it should be. Families should love their own best. If we don't rave about each other who will? And we should share with each other and be glad for the sharing. And button our lips if the meatloaf cracks teeth or is too sloppy. 

Because food isn't just about food. Or eating. It's about memories, mistakes, laughter, adding cocoa mix instead of onion soup accidentally, that last forgotten pan of cookies that char, Thanksgiving turkey burns, the year the cat got into the egg nog, laughter (did I mention laughter?) ringing through the rafters, and fondness and cozy kitchen smells and belonging and something je ne sais quoi, all mixed up in a fragrant casserole. 

So a word on meatloaf, the purpose for it was a use-up and meat stretcher recipe. You could make that half pound ground meat feed an army with the right stuff. It calls to mind a time when nothing was plentiful and you made do with what you had. You DID NOT buy special ingredients. Mine is mostly on that theme except for the ketchup which I liberally use (ergo the mushier kind). But if I didn't have it, I could make do with tomatoes and a little sugar or honey. Or maple syrup or molasses. Whatever's on hand. 

If you're #teammushymeatloaf, here's my recipe:

2 lb 80/20 thawed ground beef

1 medium chopped onion (husband's job which he does very well, thank you, dear)

1 c. chopped celery (also husband's much appreciated contribution)

chopped bell peppers about a cup

some kind of bread or cracker crumbs, the staler the better, or leftover crushed cereal (cornflakes or Cheerios are amazeballs in meatloaf). 

an envelope of onion soup mix

4 beaten eggs

1 tsp celery salt 

1 tsp-ish black pepper

about a half cup ketchup or salsa with fruit

1/3 c. stone ground mustard

heaping tsp. smoked paprika

a dash of Worcestershire sauce or molasses 

and (here's the fun part) a sprinkling of cayenne pepper to taste

Mix by hand, place in 9x13 pan. Top with sliced colored bell peppers and bake at 350 degrees till bubbly and done. 

I didn't have a picture of my meatloaf, so here's our cats Mordecai and Moishe. Mord says he's be happy eat anyone's meatloaf, who cares to share. And even if they don't. 😏