Recipes for My Husband's Favorite Meal: Meatloaf

Every man likes a hot dinner on the table when he comes home from work, even my husband who sits at a desk all day wants something that will stick to his ribs when he gets back home. At least once a week, he asks for meatloaf with all the fixings, and while it's not particularly a meal I enjoy, I've gotten so good at making it that it isn't too time consuming at all.

My mom uses a mix of beef, pork and veal in her meatloaf, but I simply cannot mix meats like that and choose to use just beef. In general, I use very lean beef (96/4) but for meatloaf, I like to use a fatty beef, so usually I go with a pound of 90/10. I finely chop two green bell peppers, one white onion and two garlic cloves, and add them to the beef. Next, I put in a little less than one-cup of dry breadcrumbs, ¼ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup of applesauce, two tablespoons of tomato paste, one teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and one beaten egg. I mix it all together with my hands and then transfer it to a greased loaf pan. I top it with two slices of bacon and then bake for about at hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

To go with meatloaf, you have to have mashed potatoes. It just isn't right otherwise. I like mine to be more smashed than mashed but the recipe I came up with is wonderful whether you completely whip them or slightly mash them. Boil one pound of peeled, chopped potatoes in salty water for about 20 minutes or until super soft. Drain and transfer back to the warm pot. Add a tick of butter (yes, a whole stick!), about 1/4 cup of buttermilk and ¼ cup of sour cream, lots of salt and freshly ground black pepper and then smash with a potato masher or beat with a hand mixer until potatoes reach the consistency you prefer. Transfer to a greased casserole dish and sprinkle the top with paprika. Bake for about 40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mmmmm....

A good veggie to go with this meal is brussel sprouts, sugar-snap peas, sliced carrots or a garden salad. If you chose veggies, simply steam them and toss with salt, pepper and butter. Rolls or cornbread go well with this meal too.

For dessert, try apple crisp. They are so yummy and easy! Just wash, peel, core and chop four large apples and transfer them to a buttered baking pan. Crumb together ½ stick softened butter, two tablespoons flour, one-tablespoon brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon and sprinkle crumb mixture on top. Bake at 357 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40-45 minutes, until crumble-top is golden brown. Serve warm, by itself or with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

A meal like this is not too difficult because although there is some prep work, it's mostly just baking in the oven.