Mama's Spectacular Meatloaf

My mother has always been a great cook and as a kid, I could never get enough of her meatloaf, especially since she usually made mashed potatoes to go with it! The other day, after a long day of moving, my sisters and I came home to a lovely surprise: my mom had made meatloaf, sauteed Brussels sprouts and German potato salad. What a feast!

Here's a recipe for what she put in this version of the meatloaf which of course is different every time she prepares it. In this version she pulled lots of odds and ends from the vegetable bin and the freezer including fresh red pepper and onion and breakfast sausage cooked in bacon for additional flavor. Clearly I get my experimental cooking approach from her.

Mama's Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
2 breakfast sausage links, uncooked
2 chicken livers, chopped
1 teaspoon bacon grease
2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs)
2 teaspoons 1/2 and 1/2 or milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 tablespoons onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove casing from sausage links and mash into ground beef. Saute chicken livers in bacon grease and add to beef and sausage mixture. (She simply cooked 3 pieces of bacon and removed them and added the livers to the remaining grease; she ate the bacon but you could crumbed it into the loaf or save for later). In separate bowl, combine 1/2 and 1/2, egg and bread crumbs and allow to meld for a few minutes. Add bread crumb mixture, tomato paste, and chopped vegetables to meat and mix well to fully combined. Add salt and pepper and form into loaf and place in baking dish. Bake for 60-75 minutes, checking for doneness at 60 minute mark (meat will run clear when done).

Hugs!