Meatloaf and Mashed Cauliflower

I consider meatloaf to be the soup of meat. You can put just about anything into it for it to be delicious. I have never followed a recipe for meatloaf and of all the countless times I have made it, I only remember disliking it once. I stick with a few simple rules: always add an egg, use some sort of breadcrumb type substance, and top it with something.

I have been told an egg is not always needed. I am pretty sure the egg adds moisture, so you can substitute with mayo or something. I'd rather not have mayo in my meat, so I stick with the egg. The breadcrumbs help to hold the ground meat together. If you don't have breadcrumbs on hand, use crushed up crackers, goldfish, cheese its, pretzels, chips...whatever really. Don't take my word for it on the chips, though. It seemed to sound good after pretzels, but try it and let me know! And last, I do not like a naked meatloaf. The topping doesn't add much flavor to the meat, but it is pretty and I like it. If you are preparing a gravy to pour on top, then that can be considered the topping. I have mostly used some ketchup and brown mustard, but on occasion I mix it up. I have used spaghetti sauce, cheese, and crushed crackers. The options are limitless; try BBQ sauce, salsa, herbs, bacon...whatever floats your loaf! Just about anything you put on top of your meatloaf can also go inside.

My standard meatloaf consists of ketchup, brown mustard, herbs (oregano, basil, parsley), egg, breadcrumbs, and garlic powder. Sometimes I feel adventurous and start grabbing things in my fridge and throwing them in. Tonight's meatloaf consisted of the usual egg, (pretzel) breadcrumbs, and brown mustard; but then things got interesting. First I added a chopped rib of celery. Every time I buy celery it goes bad before I can use it all, so I try to get creative with it. Then I added some spaghetti sauce, Worcestershire sauce, some onion dressing I have, shredded cheddar cheese, and parsley. I topped it with some more spaghetti sauce and cheddar. Covered it with foil and baked it on 375 for about 45 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, I remove the foil so the edges get a little crispy.

I served this with some corn and mashed cauliflower. Mashed cauliflower is supposed to be a healthier replacement for mashed potatoes, so I figured I'd give them a shot. I boiled the cauliflower florets with one clove of garlic, then mashed them with a tiny bit of milk, some margarine, and some of the water it boiled in. They actually kind of smelled like potatoes while cooking! The consistency didn't come out as I would have hoped for, but this is something I would like to keep working on until I get it right. I saw some recipes that suggest adding in a potato or two to get it closer to the desired texture. I may just do that next time.

Soph didn't eat any of this meal. She was at my sisters eating pizza. I don't think I can serve her mashed cauliflower until I get it just right. Her absolute favorite food is mashed potatoes with corn. I can never completely take real mashed potatoes away from her, but it would be nice to have a healthy alternative sometimes.