When I was a kid I ate everything that was put in front of me. My parents insisted on that. This is where I admit that I have failed as a parent. My youngest two are picky eaters and I allowed that to happen somehow.
Looking back on my childhood, I’m sure I was also a picky eater. It’s just that when my mom spent time in the kitchen to make a big meal, we sat down and ate it together and no one could shared a negative opinion. I don’t remember hating anything even though I may have preferred to have pizza or French fries.
I know I didn’t like stuffed peppers and I think I got away with eating the center and not getting into much trouble for not eating the pepper. I also was not a big fan of beef stew, but I would mash the potatoes and carrots together, add lots of butter and salt and I think I was able to only have to eat a little bit.
I kick myself for both of these things now, of course, because I love them. I still can’t really do sloppy joes, but that’s a family story that you don’t get to hear about. Ha!
Usually Pizza
I can’t remember if I was ever served a home-cooked meal when I had a sleepovers at friends’ houses. They usually felt like a party and I think we always got pizza. Christine is of my very first friends and I specifically remember sleepovers at her house when we would get Dicarlo’s pizza and put it in the freezer until it was cold so we could throw it in the microwave and melt the cheese. (My culinary skills clearly started at an early age. Ha!).
If you ordered Dicarlo’s pizza with extra cheese, when it melted, it overflowed across the plate and it was a thing of gooey beauty.
But I can’t specifically remember Christine’s dad or her grandma making home-cooked meals although I’m sure it happened. I do remember one morning when Christine‘s dad made pancakes and he let me flip them with a spatula. I pushed down on them after I flipped them and he said that they wouldn’t be as fluffy if I did that.
I told him proudly just to trust me because my mom said I make the best pancakes in the family. I have no idea why I still remember that, but I’m glad I do. Christine’s dad and grandma, Stan and Mary, have both passed away. This week Christine posted her grandma’s meatloaf recipe on the Connect in the Kitchen group on Facebook and I wondered if I ever had Mary’s meatloaf. Regardless, I’m glad Christine has the recipe and the memories and it certainly looks delicious.
Mary Gornik’s Meatloaf Recipe
- 2 lbs Ground Beef
- 5-7 slices of white bread
- 2 eggs
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 white onion, diced
Seasonings:
- Garlic (I used Lawry’s Garlic Salt)
- Black Pepper
For the topping:
- Ketchup
- Light Brown Sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large bowl, add the beef, (slightly moisten the slices of bread with water and squeeze out the excess water, the bread will become doughy) Break the bread into pieces and add to the beef, start to stir the beef and bread together (I use my hands to mix all of the ingredients together until well combined)
- Once all the bread you need has been added and mixed well with the beef add two eggs, green pepper and onion to the mix
- Season the beef mixture well with Garlic & Black Pepper, (I like Lawry’s Garlic Salt, if you use Garlic Powder you will want to add some Salt for flavor as well, either would work fine), stir the mixture
- I then season the meat again and stir again; I have never measured these seasonings, my grandma didn’t either.
- Once everything is blended you can transfer the mixture to 9×13 glass pan and using my hands I form a loaf out of the meat mixture.
- Last, I top the meatloaf with a thin layer of Ketchup, if you want a sweeter taste add the brown sugar to the ketchup and stir well before topping
- Bake at 350 degrees for one hour
- Remove from oven, another layer of Ketchup can be added after the meatloaf rests for about 10-15 mins if desired
This recipe can be made, and a brown gravy can be used as the topping as well.
