Newton Citizen

Staff Photo: Julie Wells Meatloaf can be tailored to your tastes.

As a child, my grandmother had to force me to eat meatloaf. I remember trying all kinds of tricks to not eat it, including feeding it to the dog, who sat patiently under the table waiting for the next piece I'd drop for him.

Needless to say, grandma caught on to my disappearing meatloaf and let's just say there was definitely no dessert for me that evening.

I've been putting off making meatloaf since my husband Kevin and I got married. So, this year we celebrate four years and we've got a little girl now -- it's time.

I looked through all of my cookbooks and searched online, and I even asked some folks how they make meatloaf. I quickly realized meatloaf is one of those dishes that you make your own.

Some of the recipes I looked at had 10 ingredients or more. I really didn't want to get into all of that on my first try.

I also saw recipes in which you could make meatloaf in a muffin pan and have meatloaf minis. That is actually not a bad idea. There are also plenty of recipes for Crock-pot meatloaf.

You just kind of have to make things how you like them. Sometimes cooking is trial and error, but luckily, the husband went back for seconds on my meatloaf.

Meatloaf

Start to finish: approximately 45 minutes

2 pounds of lean hamburger

1/2 cup of oatmeal, level

One large egg, beaten

One package of onion soup mix

1 cup of ketchup, divided

1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce, divided

Using your hands, mix together the hamburger, oatmeal, soup mix, egg and only cup of the ketchup and cup of Worcestershire sauce.

Place in an 8-by-8 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Mix the remaining ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together and pour on top of the meatloaf.

Bake for 5 minutes.

Tip: Remember that every oven cooks differently. Make sure your meat is thoroughly done, even if that means cooking it at a different temperature than I did.