When I was a little girl, going to Big Mom and Big Dads house meant a 6 hour drive. However, I knew that when I got there Big Mom would have cooked my favorite meal, Meatloaf and Banana Pudding. Obviously,  I was able to eat meat in those days. When I was older, I asked Big Mom to teach me to make meatloaf. I remember her making the mixture and telling me what she was doing as I frantically wrote every word she said on a piece of notebook paper. I can even remember sitting at the red snack bar. Since that day, I have made meatloaf for family and friends on many occassions. I am always asked for this recipe so here it is.

1 or 2 pounds of lean hamburger (I get my meat from a local source that allows the animals free range and practices humane killing)

1 medium onion. chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 to 1 1/2 sleeves saltine crackers

2 cans of tomatoes

1 egg

salt and pepper

Ketchup

1. Mix hamburger, egg, onion, green pepper, 1 can of tomatoes, and 1 sleeve of saltine crackers. Continue to thoroughly mix. (Big Mom’s wisdom here is that the more you mix, the better the meat loaf will taste and hold together.)

2. If the meatloaf is too wet, you can add some additional crackers. (If you use crackers that are salted you may only need about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. A little more if the crackers are not salted. Approximately 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. More if you like pepper.

3. When the meatloaf is ready, form it into a loaf shape on a pan. (You can surround the loaf with potatoes and carrots to bake as well)

4. Pour a can of tomatoes on the top of the loaf.

5. Bake at 350 for approximately an hour. This will depend on your oven so after about 45 minutes you may need to cover with aluminum foil.

6. You can remove from the oven and top with ketchup and then place it back to bake an additional few minutes.

Enjoy.