My First Meatloaf

*Warning* As a pastry chef, I spend a lot of time around food. Therefore, I spend a lot of time thinking about food, talking about food and- as in this blog- writing about food. If by some chance I make you hungry by doing this... Just grab a quick snack and you'll be ok. :)

I made meatloaf for dinner last night. I've never made meatloaf before, but I can see why people don't like it. Holy crap, that stuff was greasy! And baking it with ketchup on top? Who thought that up? Hot, baked ketchup does NOT taste good.

I admit that I bought a seasoning packet from the grocery store and just followed the instructions on it. Maybe it'd be better if I tried something different... And left off the ketchup before baking. I asked Branden if he could handle it if I substituted ground turkey for some of the beef. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but I think it'll be a LOT less greasy that way.

Katie told me that Sharon has a very specific recipe that she uses every time she makes meatloaf. Maybe I'll see if Sharon would be nice enough to give it to me. Or maybe I should just try doing what just about every other meatloaf-cook does and make it up as I go. Is it really that hard to make something that tastes decent and isn't greasy? Probably yes.

I'm not even sure why I care about making good meatloaf. Something about the idea of meatloaf creeps me out just a little. I like meat- no, I LOVE meat- but this is not just meat. It's meat with stuff in it... Weird stuff. Still, Branden likes it and I've now made meatloaf for him ONCE in the nearly 17 months we've lived together. I GUESS I can be nice and make it more often. But he'd better not complain when I try out different things. If I have to eat that greasy nastiness every time I make meatloaf I will suddenly forget how to make it and never make it again.