Friday, January 09, 2009

Meatloaf

For those that haven't yet found the blog "Mennonite Girls Can Cook", you might not have been tempted by their recipes, but I sure have. Their domestic prose appeals to me every day - they post at least one a day and I am usually reading it when I am at work on my lunch hour and everything sounds delicious! While I don't personally know any Mennonites, I have no doubt they can cook. Some day I have to start a "Catholic Girls Can Cook" blog....but I digress.

Today the Mennonite sisters have posted a recipe for meatloaf. I'm on the quest for a great meatloaf recipe. I don't like anything fancy - no ground turkey or sun dried tomatoes or anything, just straight up meatloaf. Meatloaf perfection, for me, is one like I had at the M&M Diner in Dearborn, back when it was on the other side of Michigan Ave and had worn down linoleum and no one knew it was there. It had an "alternative" feel to it and served things like meatloaf and lentil soup, and it only had a limited menu. It moved across the street and now it's called the M&M "Cafe" and has the ambiance of a Big Boy, and the food is just okay. I've had a few lunches there and was underwhelmed in this latest incarnation. But back in the early 90s, it had great meatloaf.

Another great meatloaf can be found at Seitz's Tavern in Chelsea, MI. If you haven't ever been there, I highly recommend it. It's an old timey bar like my grandpa used to hang out in, complete with beer offerings like Blatz or Black Label, and plenty of taxidermy hanging on the wall. Every day at lunch they offer some homemade sandwiches like Limburger cheese, liverwurst or hamburgers, plus one entree that varies each day. I can't remember what day featured meatloaf, but I got it there once when I was playing hooky from the office and it's been on my mind ever since. The bartender proudly told me that his secret ingredient was ground cabbage. I have tried to duplicate it but haven't succeeded. I once tried to make Alton Brown's meatloaf - I even ground my own meat. It was just okay.

Can you help me? What is your favorite meatloaf recipe? Blog about it, and then please link back to this post. Call it the meatloaf meme!

9 comments:

Kate said...

I blogged about the only meatloaf recipe I've ever really liked here: Meat Loaf

I don't make it often because it is pretty high fat. But if I had a hankering for it, this is the one I'd make.

Jen said...

My favorite meatloaf recipe doesn't really sound like your cup of tea - it's a ground turkey "cheeseburger" meatloaf. Let me know if you want the recipe.

farlane said...

Thanks for adding your link to Absolute Michigan!

It's been a long time since I thought about meatloaf. Might have to try it sometime (and that meatloaf you made looks pretty good too Kate).

Vivienne said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Cynthia said...

Sounds good, everyone! Jen, post your recipe on your blog, but I'll make it with beef instead of ground turkey.

Maggie said...

I've never had meatloaf that wasn't more than just tolerable, but I used to make a walnut loaf with mushroom gravy from a Vegetarian Times recipe that was perfect. Then I went back to eating meat and lost the recipe, boo hoo!

Anonymous said...

I put mine on the MLFB blog!

Anonymous said...

I've posted my meatloaf recipe using roasted red peppers on my blog.

Sun Runner said...

We go to Seitz's Tavern on occasion; we can walk there from our house, which helps a great deal because going to Seitz's means it's gonna be a long, late, liquid night. (Or at least it always seems that way).

My favorite is the deer foot coat rack.

And the list of beers with "Yuppie Beers" at the bottom, which must refer to the Sierra Nevada Pale Ales in the cooler.

The bar itself is a majestic, towering monster of polished wood. They just don't make 'em like that anymore!

I don't have much to add about meta loaf except one time I took Warda's kefta recipe and turned it into the best meat loaf I've ever had.