Meat Loaf - out of style?

Cyndi ponders why meat loaf is on the back burner and shares the best recipe she's ever seen for this classic dish.

When I was growing up, meat loaf was a typical southern meat dish on the dinner table. I guess moms of the time knew it was a good way to stretch ground beef, but kids (and the rest of the crowd) just adored it.

The versions I grew up with were packed in bread pans and came out like little rectangles. Most were topped with catsup or tomato sauce. Just a little something extra to give the meat more flavor.

I played around with family recipes. All were good. Then, one of the church ladies turned me on to Electric Skillet Meat Loaf. Boy, I can tell you that I was converted. I saw the light. I love this stuff.

While the bread pan loafs tend to look kind of anemic, the skillet style comes out with this really tasty crust around the edges. I hate to even think it might be FAT. Oh no. I won't even think about that. Because, it sure is good--that Electric Skillet Meat Loaf.

I don't cook this up real often. I try to keep it somewhat "lite" in the fat belt, but when I've had a rough week, this sure is a wonderful weekend treat.

If you have any left over, then the tradition in the south is to slice it up and use it for sandwiches the next day. Around here, it's rare that we have anything left over. I think it's a "growing boy" thing. They sure can put it away.