the boring meat loaf.

I gotta learn to remember to take pictures.

So, I'm visiting my mom, in Arkansas. She asked me the other day if I make meatloaf. But of course I do! So she asked me to make it while I was here.
So, as the story goes, my mom, who is an excellent cook, tried to make meatloaf, like 25 years ago, and it came out horribly. And so she's never made it again. Apparently, all the times we had meatloaf, it was my dad who made it. Oh, the things you learn of your family. Anyway, for some reason, I was a bit nervous about making meatloaf for my mom, and I'm not usually nervous about cooking for her.

I'll tell you it turned out AWESOME. And now, I will tell you how.

first, I took 1 onion, chopped, and a handful or 2 of baby carrots (you can use regular carrots too. she just had baby carrots in her fridge) chopped finely. I sauteed those on medium heat, for a looong time, until the carrots were soft. I then added 2 jarred roasted red pepper, chopped fine.
then I let that cool.

Then I took 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef, and 1/3 lb of pork sausage. 3 eggs. 7 slices of bread, cubed very small.

I used salt, pepper, and herbs de provence to season. Mixed it all together, and formed a loaf type thing. I don't put it in a loaf pan, I just let it go free form. Baked it 45 minutes at 350. but you check the meat, it may take more or less time.

So, lets talk about the glaze. Now, I am a tomato based glazer. But this is because I hate brown gravy with the power of a million suns. Hate it! So I'm not going to put it on my meatloaf.
But upon looking in my moms pantry and fridge, I saw a lack of ketchup. Oh, dear. The only tomatoes I saw were some tomatoes my aunt had canned. So I took those, and cooked them down a little more, before straining it, to get the seeds out. I added about 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar, and 1/2 cup brown sugar, a clove of garlic, and some salt. and let that cook til it reduced by a third. it wasn't quite thick enough, so I made a slurry with 1/3 cup red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of corn starch. It thickened to perfection. I brushed some of it onto the loaf before baking, and served some on the side.

Mom loved it. it was by far the best meatloaf I've ever made. So good!