Tasty Thursday

You might know Thursdays as "Thisty Thursday" but I'm calling it "Tasty Thursday".

My mom made terrific spaghetti sauce, using tomatoes that she grew in our backyard.  She grew tomatoes, green peppers, and cucumbers in our city backyard -- so don't ever use the excuse that you don't have enough space to grow fresh food.  You can use my excuse...rabbits.  We don't have a garden because the damn rabbits and ground hogs in our yard.  Ask my husband what happened the first time I saw a ground hog in our yard.  It happened the day we moved him.  Go ahead and ask him.

What was I talking about?  Oh yeah, my mom's sauce.  It was so good, and I never learned how to make it.  I never stood next to her at the stove to see how she did it. I'm pretty sure that she would say I was in her way.  I found a recipe in a church cookbook years ago that I adapted for my family, and I make that often.  But it's not my mom's.  I never learned how to make her "chicken thing".  It was a casserole made with chicken breast, noodles, soup, and some other stuff.  You might think you know how to make it, and invite me over to try it.  I'll politely eat it and tell you it was tasty, but it won't be the same.

You know what I learned to make from her?  Meat Loaf.  You know what I hate more than anything in the world?  Meat Loaf.  Several months before my wedding, I asked her to show me how to make the meal for by future husband.  I wanted to be able to cook for him just like she cooked for me, and he liked meat loaf.  We spent a Sunday afternoon in the kitchen together, cracking eggs, adding breadcrumbs, mixing the meat with our bare hands.  Yuck.  I took that gross mixture and formed a football size mound on the pan, and surrounded it with potatoes.  After an hour of waiting, we sat down for dinner, and you know what?  It wasn't bad.  I knew that I would be able to make at least one meal for my man.  I looked forward to more Sundays like that -- learning more recipes.  Unfortunately, that didn't happen because as you know, my mother passed away suddenly before my wedding (ask me about how I used that to get a deal on a new car....no lie).

The last time I made mom's meatloaf?  It was that particular Sunday.  I didn't want to deny my man meatloaf, so I found this recipe.  This one was in the rotation quite often, and I would even eat it.  It's not my mom's, but it's mine.  And someday it will be my daughter's.  Someday it will, and someday probably means in 20 years.  She doesn't eat anything right now except noodles.  But we'll leave that for another day.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf 

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup crushed butter crackers
• 10 slices white bread
• 8 slices American cheese
• Salt, pepper, and garlic (to taste)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix all ingredients except the bread slices and cheese slices well.  Place the bread slices on cookie sheet.  Shape the mixture into a football, and place the football on top of the bread slices.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove, and top with American Cheese slices.  Return to move, and cook for 15 more minutes.  The bread soaks up the grease and should be thrown away before eating.  This is really good with tater tots.

Give it a try, and let me know how it goes over in your house.  I'll also be waiting for invite to try your "chicken thing".