Grandma Zs Meatloaf

Maybe you grew up in a world where meatloaf night was scary. The kind of scary where what your mother put on your plate resembled nothing you'd ever seen before and the smell went right along with that description. Meatloaf to you may mark sacred trips to Furr's or Luby's where you ate your way through it to get to the "select your own dessert" category. But if you grew up in my family, meatloaf means wonderful, delicious, comfort food served piping hot with ketchup and cold the next day for lunch. FANTASTIC!!!

My Grandma Z is, or was since she is cooking very little these days, always making something wonderful. While she worked hard to fill our tummies, she was filling our hearts and souls in turn with love, goodness, and family time. A treasure, an icon, a hero to all who are blessed to know her. Her recipes will be one of MANY legacies she leaves behind when she becomes one of God's angels with real wings which the rest of us have know she has been hiding her entire life. I never anticipated so much emotion with a meatloaf post. Give me a moment...

Anywho, I am passing one of what I consider to be, an essential family recipe from my family to yours. It's hearty, easy to make, and when thrown with some mashed potatoes and green beans, a real family meal! Enjoy, and know you're eating all of the love Grandma Z has for you.

Grandma Zs Meatloaf

• 2 lbs hamburger (you can substitute ground turkey if you like)
• 1 package dry onion soup mix
• 2 eggs
• garlic salt & pepper
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (reserve 1/2 the can for top of meatloaf)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the heck out of your loaf pan or use the fabulous cooking spray mentioned last week.

Mix all ingredients (works best if you just get in there and mix things up with your hands), saving half of the soup, and place in the loaf pan. Spread remaining soup over top. Bake 90 minutes. *If you have a convection oven, bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes instead.*