Secret Family Recipe Revealed

'Round these parts, we have a tradition: Sunday is Family Day.

We decided on this designation long ago - back when we were still a family of two. Now there are five of us and the reasons for Family Day are stronger than ever.  Good food is, of course, essential to the Sunday dinner.

It rained today and so I did what any suburban homesteader worth her salt would do - I strapped my barefoot baby on my back and headed to the farmers market in flip-flops.  At the time, I was pretty sure about two things:  1.)  I would make a locally grown dinner for the family tonight and  2.)  Somebody would inevitably comment that my baby should have socks on. 

Turns out I was right about both.

Farmers market *Veggie Booty*. 

I decided to make my Aunt Millie's Meatloaf and serve it up with some fresh potatoes that the six year old dug up at Spring Hill Cheese Co. while on a fieldtrip this week. Artichokes would provide the greenery.

I know it's kinda dorky to show a shot of your new bakeware but I've been looking around for non-coated bakeware for years now and I finally found it at Sur La Table. Big stuff!  And so I celebrated by making a triple batch, freezing two loafs in my awesomely sexy, bet-you-didn't-know-you-needed-one, 15 cu. ft. freezer chest.  That's right folks - I'm turning into my grandmother.

And speaking of my grandmother, here is her sister's prized recipe - a family secret that is bound to be all over the internet by morning - my Great Aunt Millie's Meatloaf:

2 C bread crumbs (or 1 C oatmeal)

1 onion finely chopped

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 lbs. ground beef

2 T worchester

1½ t dry mustard

1½ t salt

½ t gr. Pepper

¾ C milk

Mix ingredients. Place into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

How easy is that?!? And it's SO good - kids LOVE it!  I always use 1 C of rolled oats intead of bread crumbs just for the added nutrition.  And I always add in a handful of chopped raisins and pinenuts for added crunch and sweetness. I top off the loaf with a cup of tomato sauce - but that's just me.

(Potato watcher.)

Comments

[Kadi Ingram]

Oh! No you didn't! Sharing the family recipe? This just does not happen in our family! Just joshin you! Thank you for the bit of nostalgia in my evening. I smiled as I thought of Aunt Millie and Grandma sitting side by side, shoulders together, cocktails in hand and laughing heartily. Beautiful memories and a great recipe. And for the record, I have one of those freezers now too....guess it runs in the family, that and the fact that yes, we are turning into Grandma!

[Modern Homestead]

Oh yes I did! And hopefully it truly is her very own meatloaf and not one she just grabbed from *The Joy of Cooking* and stamped her name on. Don't want to be sued for copy infringement!

Those little ladies were SO cute - all 4'11" of them!

[Julia Skvaril]

Ah yes, Aunt Millie and Granny Jean did love their cocktails! Nice additions to the meatloaf, will have to try as my kids WON'T eat it "Aunt Millie's Way". I can't understand it...but I love it and still make it anyway.