Meatloaf

 A few weeks ago, it was my turn to host book club. We had read my grandma Dianne Blaine Hardy's book, "For Cryin' Out Loud." To honor her, I asked for a few ideas for dinner.  One of them was meatloaf. During dinner, my mom mentioned that when she married my dad, his one rule was no meatloaf. She obliged him for a few years, until one night she was craving meatloaf. She put it on the table and told him it sounded good to her, so that is what they were having. He ended up loving it and she had to rush to the cupboard to remember what all she had put in it. I've tried a few recipes over the years, but this one has been my favorite. It also happens to be a family recipe. Jessica gave it to me and told me it was my aunt Calleen's (my dad's sister) recipe. I only made one slight change. Where I use vinegar, the recipe originally called for mustard. 

Meat Loaf
1 1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 c quick oats, uncooked
1/4 c chopped onion (or 1 T dry minced onion)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c milk
Sauce:
1/3 c ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
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Heat oven to 350°. Combine all meat loaf ingredients, mix thoroughly and pack firmly into loaf pan. Combine all sauce ingredients and spread over meat loaf. Bake about 1 hour. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.