Granny’s Meatloaf
Tonight was a milestone for us – my 11 year old son cooked dinner – from scratch – for the first time. With the exception of a few technical issues he did amazingly well. He had very little help from me and managed to pull of the perfect meatloaf; Granny’s Meatloaf to be exact.
My sons interest in cooking started sometime last year. He started watching a lot of Food Network shows and quickly became fascinated with the world of preparing food. He started spending more and more time with me in the kitchen, acting as my sous chef. He would peel potatoes, slice veggies, stir the pots etc..
Tonight he begged to make dinner. Since I was in no mood to cook myself (we’re packing for a move) I gave in to his pleading. I asked what he wanted to cook and he immediately said “Granny’s Meatloaf!” That’s his favorite food and pretty darn easy to make. I reminded him that him making dinner meant doing all of the work, not just the easy parts. He only groaned a little when it came time to mix the meat!
Since he was cooking dinner I let him choose the sides to go with the meatloaf. He chose mashed potatoes and corn on the cob; I love my son! He peeled the potatoes, de-husked and de-silked the corn and cooked all of that. I couldn’t’ believe how amazing he did.To say I’m proud of this boy would be an understatement; I’m in awe of how far he’s come and how grown he is getting!
So, here’s the recipe for Granny’s Meatloaf. Maybe you can bring your kids in the kitchen and let them help out – If they’re anything like mine I’m sure they’ll love it!
Granny's Meatloaf
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 teaspoon each salt & pepper
- 1 brown gravy packet
- 1 cup ketchup separated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, 1/2 cup ketchup and onions together in a large bowl.
- Add spices and gravy packet and mix until well incorporated.
- Put the meat in a loaf pan or other dish, formed into a loaf and bake for 1 hour.
